A Touched By An Angel Story

By: Yvette Jessen

© 2001, not intended to infringe on any previously held copyrights.

The attack had been brutal, his body was now aching, and he laid in the gutter near the old high school building, garbage scattered around him. Andrew was in so much pain, his memories of exactly what had happened hazy, all that he could remember was hearing a low hissing sound and the name Kathleen emerging.

Now, he was near the point of passing out of consciousness, the pain almost too unbearable to be real. Where were Tess and Monica, he wondered, were they safe? The questions continued to run amuck through his mind and right now, he was more afraid for his two friends than he was for himself. As he lay there, he was praying to God for strength, and trying with all his might to put his trust into the arms of his creator. His prayers were filled with desperation and pleas that God would send someone to help him.

Within seconds of him calling out for someone to help him, 15-year-old Kathleen Jacobs rounded a corner to see the shadows of evil surrounding the wounded Angel of Death. She gasped in surprise, as she witnessed the assault, and an intense chill went up her spine leaving her feeling weak and defenseless regarding what was happening.

Although it was light outside, this alley looked dark and uninviting, and when she touched the cross necklace that was around her neck she began to pray asking God for some protection in what she was doing. For some reason, her prayers seemed to be helping because after she was about two feet from the man, the shadows fell away, and the early summer sun shone down on her.

The darkness she had seen, only seemed to try and encase the defenseless man, but when she arrived, even that suddenly disappeared, but it left an eerie feeling in its wake. Kathleen watched as the man looked despondently at her, his green eyes filled with terror and misery, but eventually they closed and he allowed himself to pass out.

She was trembling in fear when she came closer to him her thoughts drifting back to the events which she would have preferred to block out. Ever since her parents had died in the car accident the year before, she and her older brother Leonard had held onto each other and were forced into trying to overcome the trials and tribulations of growing up without their parents being around.

Kathleen had worked so hard to overcome everything, and though many would think that she would loose her faith with the death of her parents, her own belief in God was further enhanced and she loved Him with all her heart. Her only wish was that her brother would allow God to come into his own life.

She remembered that moment before she had rounded that corner and had seen this man. She had been able to hear his agonized screams, the suffering evident in his green eyes when she looked at him. The only difference between the two events was that this time, the stranger was alive, and he lay sprawled out on the pavement, his glazed over eyes closing, and her realization that this had been the most frightening thing she could ever have imagined seeing.

Another tremor shot through her body because she knew that she had not actually seen real people, only shadows, that darkness reminding her of horror movies she may have seen on television. The only thing that seemed to have deterred those attackers was God. Self-consciously, she grasped the necklace that was her symbol of faith as soon as she had seen them. After that, she silently began to pray for the safety of the victim of this attack. She did not care if he was a stranger, and she was completely unaware that he was actually an angel of God. All she cared about was him, and her determination to help him in any way she could.

She approached hesitantly where Andrew lay. When she reached him, she could see the large boil that was on his forehead, and the reeking smells of the garbage that was around him. Trying to ignore the humiliating circumstance in which she found him, she sat down next to him and allowed her lap to act as a pillow for his head. Trying to keep herself from becoming too afraid, she began to pray. "God, I do not know who this poor man is, but please give him your strength, as I believe he could use quite a bit of it right now."

Andrew opened his eyes ever so slightly to see her looking down at him. "Monica?" he whispered.

She brushed his blonde hair from his face and smiled weakly at him. Before she could shake her head or say anything, she heard her brother's voice emerging from the other end of the alley. "Hey Kathy, are you there?" She looked up to see him standing some three feet away from her.

"Lenny," she began to cry, her relief in seeing him evident, the tears, which were falling from her eyes, were now landing on Andrew's cheek.

"What's going on? Who is that guy?" She looked up to see her 19-year-old brother, who was looking at her in disbelief.

"Lenny, he's hurt, we have to help him," Kathleen said softly.

"What happened to him? He certainly doesn't look too hot," Leonard said once he was kneeling down by his sister and saw the injuries that Andrew had sustained.

"I don't know what happened, Lenny, but I-I saw something really scary, and when I prayed, it d-disappeared and left him alone. I-I think he might in trouble." She stroked the angel's face, as though she was a mother taking care of a small child. Something about him was familiar, and as hard as she tried to remember what it was about him that was recognizable, she could not.

Leonard sighed deeply, but nodded. He hated when she got into her prayer rituals, but he had to admit that he had not seen her this shaken up since the car accident, which had taken her parents, and nearly had taken her away from him.

He could plainly see that she was hysterical. He put his arms around his sister's trembling shoulders knowing full well that she had experienced something traumatic, but not quite knowing what it was. "It's OK, Kathy, everything is going to be fine."

Something told him that they should get Andrew out of the area as soon as possible. There was something uninviting about this place. He looked down at Andrew's face and after a few moments, the young pre-med student nodded. "We'll take him to the house and see if he can get rested up there. The car is parked out front, you take his stuff, that jacket over there looks like it belongs to him, and maybe he has some kind of ID in it, but calm down, we're going to help him. I sure wouldn't want to leave him out here in the middle of this stench. The smell alone would kill him if it hasn't already."

Kathleen swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded her head as she very gently laid Andrew's head back down, stood up, and backed away from him while her brother picked him up. Very gently, she rested the jacket over her arm. "Who would do this to him?" She whispered, her question drifting to the heavens. "Who would attack an innocent man and leave him for dead?"

"Come on, Kathy, you know a lot of people would," Leonard called to his sister breaking her out of the reverie she was in. "But, I think the sooner we get him out of here, the better it will be for all of us. This place gives me the creeps."

She nodded in concurrence, her numbness beginning to overwhelm her. She followed her brother to the car.

*****

Unbeknownst to any of them, she, her brother, and Andrew were being observed by a handsome man dressed in a beige suit, a young beautiful auburn headed woman, and an older woman with gray hair, and mahogany colored skin.

"Tess, who is that?"

"Baby, that's Kathleen and her brother Leonard Jacobs," Tess replied.

"Kathleen?" Monica's eyebrows rose. "You mean the wee girl has the same name as the one who attacked Andrew?"

"Yes, and none of us are going to tell her that," Tess said softly looking from Adam to Monica. "How do you think you would feel if someone told you that your name was exactly the same as a fallen angel pent on raking evil and havoc wherever she went? No, this Kathleen is going to remember something about Andrew as time goes by, and we're going to have to help her when she reaches the conclusion."

"Andrew took her parents home, didn't he?" Monica asked weakly.

"Yes, he did," Adam replied.

"It's going to be a hard and painful realization when she discovers who her gentle heart has led her to help," Tess said gently.

"What about Andrew, is he going to be OK?" Monica asked weakly.

"Now, he should," Adam said softly. "I was afraid back there, Tess. I thought I would have to take Andrew home, and that was not exactly something I would have looked forward to doing. He's my friend."

"I know, baby," Tess said hugging the Angel of Death.

Adam recovered quickly from his emotional outburst, and looked from Tess to Monica. "I take it he's now in good hands, as I've just been given another assignment."

Tess nodded. "Adam, I think everything will be OK. Andrew has a mild case of amnesia, he'll most likely remember his name, but anything else about who he is will take some time, and Monica and I will do what we can to help him, but it's mostly going to be up to Kathleen."

"Kathleen?" Monica asked weakly.

"Yes, when Kathleen recovers her memory of who Andrew really is, Andrew will also remember what happened," Tess said. "They're going to help each other with this."

Monica nodded. "And what are we supposed to do?"

"Leonard will be your assignment, Miss Wings," Tess said once Adam had disappeared. "He's going to need some help finding his way back to God after all of this. The faith of his sister has been hard for him to accept, and has been their only point of contention since their parents died."

Monica nodded.

*****

Kathleen and Leonard managed to get Andrew back to their house, and once inside the two teenagers had tended his wounds and got him into the bed that had once belonged to their parents. He slept peacefully through the afternoon, but Kathleen stayed by his side, and every once in awhile, she would wipe a damp cloth over his forehead.

"Lenny, he's got a terrible fever," Kathleen said softly. "I'm scared."

"I know, but when he wakes up, things will probably look a bit better," he said. "We can only hope, I mean he doesn't have any identification, and I'm guessing if we took him to the hospital, they'd laugh in our faces." Leonard said. "No money, no help, you know how they are around here."

"What can we do?" Kathleen asked weakly.

"Listen, I'm making him some soup," Leonard said. "When he wakes up, you can give it to him."

"OK," she whispered and looked down at him as he slept. As she watched him, she could not get over the strange sensation that he was familiar to her somehow. She had seen him some place before, but for some reason, it was not easy for her to make any sort of connection. She brushed a wisp of hair from his forehead and sighed sadly. "You look so familiar to me, somehow I feel as though I know you, that I've known you for a long time, but that's just not possible."

Andrew continued to sleep, and after about twenty minutes, he shifted on the bed and slowly opened his eyes. When he saw a young girl seated next to him, he could see her long blonde hair hanging down over her face. She looked as though she was in contemplation or prayer.

"Where am I?" he whispered, his voice hoarse and causing her to immediately look up.

"Oh, thank God, you're awake. I was so worried about you," she said softly. "How do you feel?"

"You didn't tell me where I am," he said, his voice still very weak.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she shook her head, all the while trying to block out the events from her consciousness. "I-I saw what happened to you this afternoon, and wanted to help you. My brother and I brought you to our home so you could get your strength back. We were afraid that you needed a doctor, but you didn't have any identification and we weren't sure if we could have taken you to a hospital or to a doctor."

"Who are you?" he asked softly. "What's your name?"

"Kathleen," she said softly, but before she could say anything further, she noticed that Andrew had a frightened look in his eyes. He remembered the hissing sounds as the name Kathleen had emerged from somewhere amidst the darkness that had encompassed him and caused him pain. What specifically happened to him, he was not yet clear on, but he somehow found her name to be more of a threat than she actually was. However, this did not prevent him from backing away from her, his green eyes widening slightly.

"Leave me alone, please," he eventually whispered, his voice soft, but filled with fright.

"Why?" She finally asked weakly. Internally, Kathleen could feel her heart shattering when she heard his words, these words hurting her for some reason, the pain evident in her eyes, but when she spoke to him, she ended up trying to understand why it was he was reacting to her when all she wanted to do was help him. "I-I mean, I'm just a kid, and I thought you could trust me."

Andrew said nothing; his mind was still reeling from the events that had happened some hours ago. He could not forget the low hissing sounds he had heard, but when he looked at the girl, he could see the unmistakable pain in her face. Part of him wanted to apologize to her for hurting her, but part of him did not want to say anything to her. This feeling he went with, and he remained nervous in her presence, unsure if he even understood why she was reacting this way.

Rather than allow him to remain appalled by her presence, something compelled Kathleen to call to her brother, so she finally did, her voice filled with hurt from the man's rejection. "Lenny, please come in here," She looked back over at Andrew; the sadness was evident in her eyes as she saw how he was reacting to her. "My brother will take care of you, then you won't have to see me if you don't want to."

"What is it, sis?" Leonard appeared in the doorway, and could see the frightened man and his devastated sister sitting near the bed. "What did you do to her?" He demanded looking at Andrew.

"He didn't do anything," Kathleen's voice was small, as she defended Andrew. "I did." She looked down at the ground as she spoke. "I told him my name, and he became afraid. I don't know what to do, so I figured that you could take over, I have to get out of here." She stood up and quickly fled from the room, the pain evident in her eyes.

Once Kathleen was gone, Andrew relaxed somewhat. "What's going on?" Leonard asked; his voice filled with anger.

Andrew shrugged his shoulders and looked through the doorway the young girl had disappeared through. "I don't know."

"It was my sister who saved your hide, buddy, so you'd better know," Leonard said. "She's the one that found you in that gutter amidst all that garbage, and you act as though she's the one at fault for doing this to you. I don't know what it is about her that wants to help every bum on the street, but she asked me to and I reluctantly agreed. You should be grateful to her, she saved you, I heard her praying for you as well."

"She prayed for me?" Andrew asked weakly.

"Why does that come as such a big surprise to you?" Leonard asked. "I'm surprised that she actually believes in God, since He's the one that took our parents, but yeah, she did, and right now, she's petrified of something and I have no idea what that is, nor do I have time to worry about it."

Andrew watched as Leonard got up and left the room. The angel's thoughts were a jumble, and he could not understand why it was that he had reacted so harshly towards the girl. After some moments passed, Leonard returned to the room with a bowl of soup. He entered without saying a word and sat it on the nightstand.

As he turned to go, he finally spoke. "Kathy insisted that you stay the night here. I don't know why she's so insistent, but my sister is one of those people who does good for others even if she risks being hurt herself."

Andrew nodded the final words of Kathleen's brother were left hanging in the air. Guilt washed over him as he thought about how kind the young girl had been to him. Why was it that she would make him feel this way? Without thinking further about this, he ate the soup, returned the bowl to the nightstand, and went back to sleep.

*****

That night, Kathleen went to bed. She tried to forget about the events of that afternoon, and about the man who was sleeping in her parents old room, but she could not, the terrifying experience of that day kept coming back to her, and all she could think about were those frightening shadows that seemed to envelope the man she had tried to help.

His rejection of her only intensified these terrible feelings and images she carried in her mind. She had seen something that afternoon, something so frightening that when she would even contemplate it, she would tremble with fright. She had never been this afraid in her life. Usually when she was frightened, she would pray, but right now, what she remembered was seeing something that was so horrible, that she felt ashamed of herself to even contemplate whether or not God would forgive her for these frightened thoughts that seemed to be running through her mind.

What had happened in that alley, she constantly asked herself. When she looked around her dark bedroom, she could see that the shadows only succeeded in reminding her of what she had seen. When she was finally able to sleep, the nightmare encompassed her, and she awoke sweating, her frightened screams emerging through the house. She was shaking like a leaf when she suddenly felt the presence of someone in her room. There was someone with her and she finally found the courage to open her eyes and try to focus on who it was that was now seated next to her.

"L-Leonard, is that you?" she began to cry, her fear getting the better of her.

"No sweetheart, but everything is going to be fine," a young sounding female voice emerged, and she looked into the warm brown eyes of Monica.

"Who are you?" she rubbed her eyes, trying to focus on who it was that was now seated next to her.

"My name is Monica, Kathleen, and I'm an angel," the gentle voice continued.

The girl nodded, her eyes still filled with tears as she tried to come to grips with what was happening to her. "I'm so frightened."

"I know, that's why God sent me to see you," Monica said and rested her hand on Kathleen's shoulder. "I have to explain what exactly it was that happened to you today."

"In the alley, when I found that guy?" Kathleen asked.

"Yes," Monica said.

"Who is he?" she asked.

"God wants you to help him, Kathleen," Monica said gently. "I cannot tell you who he is, all that I can tell you is that you were in the presence of evil today, and that can only destroy you if you allow it to. God is very proud of you, of what you've done, and in doing what you did, you saved his life."

"I couldn't stand there and watch him get hurt," she could feel the tears in her eyes. "It would have been too much like what happened with my parents."

"I know," Monica said gently and took the girl in her arms and held her.

"Will you help me?" Kathleen asked weakly. "I mean; is there not something you can do to help this man realize who he is?"

"Put all your trust in God, Kathleen," Monica said gently. "He will help you not only through this, but also through other challenges that may lie ahead of you. You must trust in Him and when the time comes you will always know."

The teenager nodded, but could feel herself shivering and she wrapped the blanket around herself. "Thank you for coming here. I don't know what I would do without you. Lenny is a heavy sleeper, I guess he became like that after our parents died. I haven't had nightmares since right after their funeral."

"I understand, Kathleen, and I'll stay with you until you fall asleep," Monica said gently.

Kathleen smiled weakly, the gratitude evident in her eyes. She wrapped her trembling around the angel and after some time had passed, the teenager fell asleep in Monica's arms.

As Monica laid Kathleen among the pillows, and covered her with a blanket, she looked up to see that Tess had appeared in the room. "Well, Miss Wings, what's happening?" Monica turned away from the bed to see her supervisor and friend standing nearby.

"She's hurting deeply, not just about what has happened with Kathleen, but also with her parents," Monica said gently. "Today brought her parents' death back to her. She's been holding it inside ever since it happened. She was in the car with them when it did."

Tess nodded. "I'll be coming by the house tomorrow morning to introduce myself as their new neighbor."

Monica smiled. "What about me?"

"You're going to continue working with her at night as necessary, and will try to break through Leonard's shell," Tess said and they both disappeared.

*****

The following morning, it was Saturday, and Kathleen awoke to hear the doorbell ringing downstairs. She figured that her brother was not home, because he worked part time at the local hospital, so she put on her bathrobe and slippers and went down stairs to open the door.

When she did, there was a tall heavyset woman with compassionate eyes standing there. "Hello, honey, sorry to wake you up, but I wanted to introduce myself to you. My name is Tess, and I'm your new neighbor."

"Hi, I'm Kathleen," she whispered. "My brother is Leonard, but he's not here right now. Would you like to come in?"

"Thank you," Tess said and they stepped inside the front entry hall of the house. "I just moved in this morning, the boxes are still in the house, and I thought I ought to come by for a few minutes and say hello."

"It's nice that you did," the teenager said. "Sorry I'm not appropriately dressed for guests. I haven't been sleeping at night."

"Is there anything I can do?" Tess said gently.

"No, I guess I'll sleep tonight. I hope anyway," Kathleen said softly as she smiled weakly at Tess. "It's strange, but there's something familiar about you. You look like a guidance counselor who was the middle school I attended a few years ago."

"I am a counselor," Tess said softly.

"You are?" She asked.

"Yes, I am, and I know you're troubled about something, I can tell by looking at you. Would you like to talk about it?"

"I don't know, you'd probably think I'm crazy," she whispered.

"No, baby, I wouldn't, now you tell Old Tess everything, OK?" Tess said gently.

"It's just that I've been thinking about my parents again." She looked at the woman sitting on the sofa, and the compassion that was in her eyes compelled her to continue. "They died almost a year ago. It was a car accident, and pretty awful one too. I know because I was in the car with them, and I got thrown out through the windshield. My face was pretty messed up, I looked horrible, and had to get reconstructive surgery. There's a part of my face that's reconstructed using skin from my back and rear end. Anyway, after the accident happened, I was conscious for maybe two minutes or so and I saw the car explode, and then…" her voice trailed and she began to cry in earnest.

Tess reached over and laid a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. "Go on, honey."

"But I don't even know you," she objected.

"Sometimes that helps to speak to someone you don't know," Tess' voice was gentle.

"I know you're right, and everyone knows I can't talk to my brother about it," she whispered.

"Why is that, baby?" Tess asked gently.

"Do you believe in God?" Kathleen asked, as the tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

"Yes, I do," Tess said gently.

"So, do I, but Lenny doesn't, and every time I tried to talk about the accident to him, he won't, he shuts himself away from me, and won't say a word to me. We're close, but not in the ways that matter and it hurts me that he doesn't want to hear about it. It hurts me that I feel so alone. But, I lived through it, but only because something happened, and someone helped me to find God."

"Let me tell you something, Kathleen, you're never alone. God loves you and He'll always be there for you. When you see those shadows that remind you of what you have lived through, then you ask Him to be there and to take those things away and He will, He'll send you someone who will help you through."

"You mean, an angel?" Kathleen asked weakly.

"That's right, honey," Tess said gently. "Don't ever believe that God would leave you alone, because He won't. He will always be there for you when you need Him, and right now, you need Him."

"That's what she said last night, at least some of it," Kathleen said and smiled weakly at Tess. "Thank you, I think now I know what I have to do."

Tess patted the girl's knee and smiled. "I'm glad, and if you still want to talk a little we can, otherwise I suppose I need to unpack."

"Do you need any help with that?" Kathleen asked.

"No, honey, but thank you. I just wanted to come by and say hello," Tess said as she stood up and went to the door. Kathleen nodded and smiled.

"Maybe you can come by a little bit later, and we can have a cup of tea and talk," Tess offered.

"I would like that very much, but, we have company right now," Kathleen said softly.

"OK, then I suppose I can come by tomorrow," Tess mused.

Kathleen nodded. "That would be very nice, thank you."

Tess smiled "My pleasure." She left and Kathleen went back inside.

*****

After closing the door, she turned around and could see that Andrew was now standing in the living room.

"Good morning," she offered weakly. "That was our new neighbor, her name is Tess, and she'll probably come by tomorrow."

"Hello," he said softly.

"How did you sleep?" she asked as she maintained her distance from him and tried to appear as unthreatening as she possibly could. For a fifteen-year-old girl, this was not hard to do, because one is not exceedingly threatening wearing a pink bathrobe and stuffed tiger foot slippers.

"OK," he said softly as he hesitantly came closer to her.

"Are you hungry?" she asked weakly.

He nodded.

"Then I'll fix you something," she said softly.

"Why do you do this?" He finally asked as they went into the kitchen and she began to pull things down from the cabinets and place them on the counter.

She shook her head. "I don't know, in my heart it's the right thing to do."

"Kathleen," Andrew began.

"Look, since you freaked when I told you my name, and if it makes you feel better, just call me Kathy, that's what everyone calls me anyway," she said and wiped her hand over her eyes hoping that the tears weren't showing.

"My name is Andrew," he said gently seeing the tears in her eyes.

"Do you remember anything that happened yesterday?" she whispered.

"I was hoping maybe you could tell me about what happened, because I don't remember," he said. "Do you remember anything that happened at all?"

"I was coming out of the school, and I heard you screaming," she said softly. "I don't know why I followed the sounds of your voice, I mean, I couldn't do much to help, but I really tried."

"I know you did, your brother told me about this," he said. "I also know that you saved my life."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I only prayed, and did what I could, my brother did the rest. But, that doesn't tell me why you freaked out when I told you my name."

"I don't know why I did either, I don't remember very much that happened," he said softly.

"What do you remember? I mean, do you remember what you do for a living, or who you are? I mean, do you know anything besides your name?"

"No, I was hoping that you would be able to help me remember," he said sadly.

"I'm sorry, I can't, I had…" her voice trailed off and she sighed sadly. She went over to the table and sat down. Her head was positively spinning.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She nodded numbly. "Sure, I'm fine." In the back of her mind, she was trying desperately to remember where it was she had seen him. Looking at him was like seeing a ghost. I know you from somewhere; she wanted to scream, but where?

Kathleen's Flashback

The car had been completely destroyed. Kathleen's parents were still in the car. Somehow, she had been jolted from the vehicle and ended up thrown some distance and landed in some gravel that was on the side of the highway. Her body was lying there, bleeding and her face, completely cut and bruised from the impact she had when she had flown through the windshield. Now she lay in a heap on the ground, her broken body encompassed in pain, the impact she had with it had been devastating. Somehow in all of this, she knew that the pain and suffering she endured was only mild when compared to the impact her parents had endured. They were still trapped inside, and before help could come, the car had exploded.

Kathleen watched as the car was engulfed in flames, and she began to cry out. "Mom, Dad…" her voice fading as she slipped out of consciousness. Through her mind's eye, she could see someone coming closer to the spot on the ground where she was lying.

A man, he must be an angel, because he was bathed in white light as he came towards her. He was beautiful like no one she had ever seen before and as he came closer, she tried with all her might to see and remember his face. If she lived, she wanted to remember something about him, the color of his eyes or something about him that would offer her a sense of comfort if she were to ever see him again.

The light blinded her somewhat and all she would at this moment, hear the soft sounds of his voice. The resonance of it was like music; gentle, loving, and filled with so much compassion, that when he reached where she was lying, she hoped against hope that he would take her trembling, broken body in his arms and hold her. She wanted to feel someone's arms around her, blocking out the cold, and giving her the peace she needed when at this moment, she felt the pain and terror encompassing her.

He did just what she had hoped, he took her in arms and spoke to her, his gentle voice filled with love, and he offered her his assurances. "Kathleen, you're not alone sweetheart, I'm an angel sent from God. My name is…."

Present

The voice faded, the memory blocked, and Kathleen was left with tears streaming down her cheeks as she sat at the kitchen table. Oh God, please let me remember, she prayed desperately.

When she opened her eyes again, she could see that Andrew was now seated on the opposite side of the table. He was looking at her with a mixture of sadness, uncertainty, and compassion. It reminded her too much of the events of the car accident, but when neither of them spoke, she got up and left the room quickly.

Throughout the day, she would ask herself this question, but somehow the answers were not coming and the more time she spent in Andrew's company, the more afraid she became, and the worst thing about it was that she could not understand why she was so frightened.

When Leonard called her and told her that he was expected to work through the night, she almost cried out to him to come home, that she was not sure if she could handle it. Then somewhere deep inside of herself, she felt a deep sense of calm, as though Monica was whispering to her.

Would Leonard believe her if she would tell him that she's been getting whispers from God's beautiful messengers? First the love she received from this man, this beautiful Angel of Death she had seen the night of the accident, but that she could not remember. Now, she was filled with wonder and questions about Monica, the angel who had visited her the night before, and who had held her gently as she had cried.

*****

The night came again, this time the darkness swallowing her up. Kathleen was immersed in yet another nightmare. They had started again, her fear beginning to overwhelm her, and she tried with all her might to push it aside. The car accident had returned to her consciousness, and in her mind she heard the squealing of tires against pavement the loud crashing sounds that followed, but then somewhere she had seen light and immersed in that light was a man.

The images faded as she sat up with a start, the scream that emerged somehow ripping itself from her body. She was left trembling as the tears began to pour down over her face. The fear was the only thing to emerge.

"Help me, M" she sobbed as she tried to call out the angel's name who had visited her.

"Shhh, it's me Andrew, I'm here, Kathy. I heard you scream. Are you OK?" He asked, his voice gentle.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," she whispered and shook her head, her face wet with her tears. "I-I saw something while I was sleeping, and it gave me a nightmare."

"What did you see?" he asked.

She shook her head trying to block it out. "It was so horrible," she whispered. "I had never been so scared in my life."

Andrew could see her face was filled with fear, and his heart went out to her. "Kathy, what did you see?"

She shook her head all the while trying to block out the memory. "I-I don't know; it was very dark and scary. I was walking along a road and I heard screaming, like yesterday when I heard those, whatever they were, hurting you. I saw them," She looked at him. "Andrew, I saw them, and they were terrifying, and now I'm so scared."

He took her in his arms and held her. "I know you're afraid, I can tell by looking at you, and I'm sorry that you had to experience this and thus seeing what had happened to me."

"I-I wanted to help."

"And you did," he said gently as Monica appeared in the room, the angel was unseen by Kathleen, but Andrew could see her and he smiled when he recognized her and more of his memories returned. After a few seconds, he made eye contact with her, and as the images flashed before his mind, he looked back down at the young girl. "Monica?"

"You have to help her talk about this, Andrew," the angel said. "You have to help her fight what the dark angel, Kathleen, is doing to her."

Suddenly, Andrew was able to remember everything; the images began to encompass him as well as he recalled what had happened to him. The prayers of the girl he now held had saved him from the fallen angel. This teenager did what most humans would not have been able to do, she got involved and tried to help him, thus exposing herself to the evil forces that Kathleen worked with. Now, as revenge, she was tormenting the teenager in her dreams.

"It's OK," he said gently. "You're helping me to remember what happened, and who I really am. Now, I remember everything, and you're the reason."

"Why won't the dreams stop?" she asked weakly. "I've been having them since you came here. You're not causing them, are you?"

"I don't know why they won't stop," Andrew said compassionately, "but I am doing nothing to cause them, Kathy, you must believe me. I wouldn't do such a thing to you, not after you did so much to help me."

"I believe you," she said softly and looked at him. "But, you really know who you are now?"

"I do, yes," he said.

She looked down at her lap. "I don't know what's wrong with me. Ever since I found you near the school, I have been remembering other things that have happened to me. Not just the dreams, but other stuff that I thought I had gotten over."

"Listen to me, Kathy, there's nothing wrong with you," Andrew said softly and ran his hand gently through her hair. "Nothing at all, you're a very loving and beautiful child, and you have done far more for me than you know."

"Last night, I had another nightmare, and I met someone after waking up," she whispered. "I couldn't even tell Leonard about this, but what happened, was this woman was here, her name was M"

"Monica?" He asked.

"Yeah, but how did you know?" Her voice emerged as though she was agitated, but he could tell that she was afraid.

"Shhh, it's OK, I know Monica, because I'm a friend of hers," he said gently and rested his hand on her shoulder and he began to glow the same radiant light that Monica had the night before. "Kathy, I'm an angel too."

"Y-you are?" Her voice was weak, but when she looked at him, she had no choice but to accept that he spoke only the truth. It did not calm her down, instead, this news suddenly brought everything back to her. She remembered everything that had happened to her after the accident, and she remembered him. She could see the light that surrounded him was exactly the same as the light she had seen after the accident had taken the lives of her parents. Suddenly, she could remember everything vividly, and she could only look at him, the confusion in her eyes, as her memories took her back to the night of the accident.

Kathleen's Flashback

"Kathleen, you're not alone sweetheart," the voice entered her thoughts. "I'm an angel sent from God, my name is Andrew, and I will be with you during the next few hours."

"Am I going to die?"

"I don't know," he said gently, "but you're not alone, I'm here with you and God's here with you too. You're never alone."

"What about my parents?" She asked, her voice becoming hysterical.

"Shhh, lie still, Kathleen, you've been hurt, and someone will be with you soon. Don't be afraid, God is with you, and He sent me to be with you as well as your parents," he stroked her hair with his hand and smiled gently at her. "I'm here with you, sweetheart, don't be afraid."

"Where are my parents?" She asked him weakly. "Please, Andrew, you have to tell me, where are my mom and dad?"

"They went home to be with God, Kathleen," Andrew said gently and took her in his arms and held her. "I know this is not easy, but I was with them, and they are in a place where they will always feel the Father's love and will suffer no longer."

"I'm scared, Andrew," she whispered.

"I know you are," he smiled gently at her. "I'm with you, Kathleen, I won't leave you alone, I promise, no matter what happens, you are not alone, you are never alone."

"Promise?"

He smiled down at her. At that moment, she looked to be much younger than she actually was. He could still see the fear and uncertainty in the young girls eyes, and he smiled compassionately down at her as he brushed his hand across her cheek allowing the tears to be wiped away. "I promise."

Present

As she looked into the gentle eyes of the man seated near her, she could remember everything that had happened. She remembered how he had been there for her when she was afraid and alone. She remembered how he had comforted her, and helped her to not be afraid. She remembered everything, even though internally she wanted to believe it was a dream. "It's you, oh my God, it's you and you're really here…" The tears streamed down over her face and she looked as though she was about pass out.

Andrew nodded, "Yes, Kathy, it's me, I was with you a year ago."

She looked frightened but at the same time, comforted.

"Are you afraid?" he asked gently. "You know you have no reason to be afraid."

"No, but I don't understand, how did you end up in an alley? Y-you're an angel, how did this happen?" She asked softly.

Andrew shook his head sadly. "I was attacked and this is a very difficult thing for me to explain, but when an angel appears in human form, we can get hurt."

She reached out to touch his face. "But, who would try to hurt you?"

"The same one who is giving you those nightmares, Kathy," Andrew squeezed her hand gently. "There is a fallen angel who saw you there and she wants to get even with you for helping me."

"Let me guess, the name of that fallen angel, is Kathleen," Kathy said softly, as the tears streamed down her cheeks. "That's why you freaked when you heard my name."

Andrew looked down at his lap and eventually he nodded.

The teenager crawled off the bed and after a few moments, she ran out of the room.

"Oh Father," Andrew prayed. "What can I do now?"

"What are you waiting for? Go after her, Angel Boy," Tess appeared in the room.

Andrew left the room and went out into the hallway.

When he found her, she was sitting on the floor crying as though her heart was breaking. "I did this, everything happened because of me."

"No, Kathy, that's where you're wrong," Andrew said gently as he sat down on the floor and took her in his arms. "You did nothing that anyone could ever be angry about." He took her face in his hands and made her look at him all the while trying to wipe her tears away. "You saved me and I'm grateful to you for that," he said, his voice gentle as he felt the tears beginning to stream down his own cheeks. "In exactly the same way that you wanted to save your parents. Although you couldn't, you must never believe that you're not worthy of love. The name you carry may be a way to identify you here on Earth, but what's in your heart is what God remembers, and what he will remember is the beautiful child that you are, the one that made Him proud when you helped one of His angels." He smiled gently at her.

"But, I didn't know," she whispered.

"I know you didn't, but try to remember one thing, Kathy," he said gently. "You are not completely defined by the name your parents chose to call you. Do you remember what I told you before?"

"When you took me to that meadow?"

"Yes," he said gently.

"You told me that God loves me regardless of what happens, and that's why He sent you to be with me after the accident," she said softly. "But, why did I find you at the school? I don't understand."

"It was an accident, but one that made me extremely grateful that you did find me. It was your caring that helped me," he said gently. "No matter what happens, I won't ever forget that."

Kathleen could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks and she shook her head. "Andrew, when will the nightmares end?"

He took her hand and stood up. "I'm afraid they will only stop when we are able to face the one who is causing them."

The girl swallowed but nodded as she got off the floor. "Then I want to do it, now."

"Are you sure?" He asked. "I won't be able to help you, only God will."

"I somehow had that feeling, but I'm sure," she whispered.

Andrew nodded and squeezed the girl's hand gently as he turned around, thus breaking contact with her. "Show yourself, Kathleen, we know you're here."

Within seconds a tall brunette woman wearing a black dress appeared in the hallway. "Hello, Andrew," she said, her voice filled with sarcasm. "You're looking fit."

"Why are you tormenting this child?" Andrew asked cutting to the chase.

"I don't like to loose," Kathleen said smiling wickedly. "She ruined my plan."

"If you don't like to loose, then why did you turn away from God?" Kathy asked.

"Don't say that name around me," the dark angel spat out.

"Why? In this house, there dwells an angel of God, at least until he goes back home, and I love God, and I am His child. So I can say the name of my creator without fear. The only similarity I have with you is my name is Kathleen as well, but I was named after my grandmother who loved me, she was a special person, and most importantly, she was not someone who would not fill my head with nightmares," Kathy said simply.

"I can make your life miserable, kid," the fallen angel said.

"Perhaps you can, but only if I allow you to. You see; God makes my life wonderful. He sent me an angel last night, and tonight Andrew's here. But even if they weren't, my faith that God would see me through would save me from anything you could dish out." She could feel Andrew's hands on her shoulders and she calmed down considerably, somehow she knew anger was something that evil thrived on. Once he lowered his hands, she continued speaking. "I want you out of here, I want you out of my life and if you ever try to hurt someone like Andrew, someone I love, I'll simply pray for you and ask God to show you his loving light, like He did with my parents. Living in such darkness must be so horrible. I feel sorry for you."

"In the name of God, leave this place, and don't ever return," Andrew shouted.

The fallen angel covered her ears with her hands and disappeared, the darkness disappeared along with her leaving the teenager looking at Andrew before collapsing onto the floor.

Andrew got down on his knees and rested his hand on her shoulder. She could feel the tears of relief falling from her eyes but she looked up at him. "It's over, r-right?"

He took her gently in his arms, "that part is over, but Kathleen, there's still something else I need to do."

"What?"

"Apologize to you," he said as he offered her his hand, and they got up off the floor.

"I don't understand why. You helped me get rid of her," she said softly.

"I did nothing, you did most of the talking. I have to apologize to you because I hurt you, and I want you to know that it was not my intent," he said softly. "Please forgive me for rejecting you after you tried to help me."

She smiled and after a second, she looked into his earnest green eyes and nodded. "It's nothing, really. But, if you want to make something up to me, then please help my brother."

"Find God?" Andrew asked.

"Mm-hum," Kathleen nodded. "He forgot everything after my parents died."

"You know what, we've already got someone working on that right now, but you and I can help," Andrew said and she reacted by throwing her arms around him and hugging him.

"Thank you," She smiled weakly. "I love you, Andrew."

"I love you, too," he said gently, and ruffled her hair. "Come on, let's see if you can go to sleep now."

"Will you stay?" She asked weakly. "I'm still a little scared."

"I know you are, and I'll stay with you, that's a promise," he smiled gently.

*****

Leonard came home the following morning, his head pounding as he unlocked the front door. When he came inside, he could see that his sister and Andrew were sitting in the living room. "Hey, you guys are up early," he said.

"Hi Lenny, I couldn't go back to sleep, so we got up and Andrew just fixed breakfast," Kathleen said.

When he saw the tired look in his sister's eyes, he suddenly looked at Andrew. "I don't get it. Two days ago, you were treating her like the scum on the bottom of someone's shoes, and now you're acting like her best friend? What the hell's going on around here?"

"Lenny, would you stop swearing?" Kathleen asked. "You know I can't stand it, and besides, like Mom and Dad always said, 'forgive and forget'. Andrew is going to be staying here a few days."

"Thanks for telling me this," Leonard said and he looked at Andrew, mistrust in his eyes. "What's your angle?"

"I don't understand," Andrew said weakly.

"Look, it's just like I said, all conmen have an angle. What's yours?" Leonard snapped. "Besides playing on the sympathies of my baby sister."

"Lenny, when are you going to stop trying to shield me from the world?" Kathleen asked. "You know I don't like it when you do that to me."

Right then the doorbell rang and Kathleen let out a sigh with relief. Now her brother did not have much ammunition to further question Andrew. As she opened the door, she smiled when she saw Tess standing on the other side.

"Tess, hi, please come in," Kathleen said smiling.

"I told you I'd come by today," Tess said and she looked at Andrew. "Hello Andrew, it's nice to see you."

"You know him?" Kathleen asked looking at the neighbor and then she looked at Andrew who simply smiled and nodded. I knew it, she was internally screaming, she's an angel too. My thoughts about her weren't crazy; she smiled broadly at Tess as if to say, I know who you are.

Leonard looked at Tess, "Well, if you know each other, then maybe you can take this conman in."

"Wait a minute, Lenny, Andrew is my friend, and I should have some say in this," Kathleen said.

"I'm the oldest and what I say goes," Leonard said. "If you have any problems, then I'm sure Aunt Tilly and Uncle Wayne will be glad to take you in. Either that, or you can go into foster care." With that, he stormed out of the room leaving Kathleen and the two angels standing there.

Kathleen wiped her face with her hands and finally looked at Tess. "I'm sorry, about that, he's been like this ever since our parents died. I can't change him, but I really hate it when he does that to me."

"No, but he shouldn't be controlling you, honey," Tess said gently.

Andrew nodded and sat down on the sofa. "Tess, what do you suggest we do?"

"Monica's taking care of that, baby," Tess said as Leonard left out the back door, and the screen door slammed.

Kathleen smiled and shook her head. "How many angels does God think we need?"

Andrew smiled, "three's a lucky number."

"Then I was doing the right thing when I talked to you about everything yesterday?" She asked Tess. When she got a nod, she smiled. "Thanks."

*****

Leonard slammed the door to the car shut as he walked across the parking lot to the doors leading into a local restaurant. He hated this place, the environment of it resembled a dive, but they had a pretty decent chicken fried steak. This was also the restaurant his parents used to take him, but only because the food was good, there existed no other reason for him to go there.

As he came inside, a young auburn headed woman was standing at the counter. "Good morning, my name is Monica and I'll be serving you today." Her voice was a lilting Irish baroque, and she looked the complete opposite of him, happy, glad to be alive, and awake.

"Great, do you have an empty table near the window?" He asked trying to sound more cheerful than he actually felt.

"Sure do," she said and led him through the practically empty restaurant.

Once he sat down and she handed him a menu, he opened it. "I guess I don't really need this. I always order the same thing, have done so since I was little. I'd like a chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and coleslaw. I want a beer to drink."

"Something tells me that you didn't drink beer when you were little, and it also tells me that you aren't allowed to now," Monica said.

"OK, I see my goose is cooked, so bring me an iced tea," he said, his voice grumpy.

Monica smiled and went off to fulfill his request.

Looking around the restaurant, Leonard sighed deeply. Lord knows that looking after a 15-year-old kid was not what he pictured himself having to do, and though he had the responsibility of an adult, he somehow found himself often wondering why it was it was he was somehow stuck at that stupid in-between stage. Between being 18 and considered an adult, but not yet being 21 and allowed to drink alcohol. He sighed deeply as he sat there and waited. The sky was now a soft blue color and the sun was shining brightly, and all the while, he couldn't stop asking himself why it was he could not enjoy it?

He remembered how every Sunday morning, his parents and sister would go with him to church, and afterwards they would come here for lunch. His father would sit and sip his coffee and ask the kids about their homework. It was like living in the picture perfect family. People used to make jokes about those families from old 1950 TV shows, but that's how their lives had been, before that stupid accident. That accident that shouldn't have happened! It was that accident that allowed God the chance to steal his parents away, and leave him with the burdens of someone twice his age. Kathleen only believes in God because she doesn't have these problems I have.

He rested his head in his hands and opened his eyes when he noticed that Monica was bringing him a red plastic glass that was filled with iced tea. Once she placed it on the table, he looked up.

"Are you OK?" the angel asked.

"I'm fine, just a little tired," he replied.

"If you don't mind me saying, you look exhausted," she remarked.

"Well, I am," he said. "Listen, how long will it take to get the food? I'm kind of in a hurry."

"You should slow down, you'll live longer," Monica said with a smile, but when she noticed his somewhat angry face, she smiled gently at him. "I'm sorry, Leonard, I don't mean to upset you."

"And how do you know my name?" He asked.

"You work part time at the hospital, correct?" She asked.

"Yeah?" He asked and once she nodded, he imitated the gesture. "So, you're like family or a friend of one of the patients there?"

"I guess you could say that," she said.

"Well, listen lady, I really am not in the mood for an idle chat," he said. "So why don't you get my food, and leave me alone?"

Monica nodded and walked back towards the front of the restaurant. It did not surprise her when she saw her friends and Kathleen coming in. When the girl looked around the room, she could see her brother seated at a booth alone and part of her wanted to go to him, but Tess held her back. "No, baby, he's not ready. Now come, we're going to sit over there."

Kathleen nodded as Monica turned and came over to them. Her eyes widened when she saw the angel, but rather than following her instincts and giving Monica a hug, she smiled shyly.

"And how are we this fine day?" Monica asked.

"Please seat us over there," Tess said and pointed to the opposite side of the room.

Monica nodded and understood, "follow me, then."

Once they were seated, Tess looked at her sternly. "Well, Miss Wings, how's it going?"

"He's cranky and aloof, but otherwise everything's wonderful," she said honestly.

"Typical," Kathleen said softly. "He's been this way since Mom and Dad died. The only time he lets his guard down is if something happens to me, then he has to act like an overprotective dummy."

Monica handed them each a menu and smiled before leaving.

"So what do you recommend?" Andrew asked as he peeled a dried up french fry from the menu to read the writing underneath.

"Lenny always liked the chicken fried steak here, but I can't stand this place. I only went here because my parents wanted to make him happy. He loves the food here, but I hate it. If there are dried up fries on the menus, then I don't even want to see what the kitchen looks like," Kathleen said. "I usually eat the chicken salad, the rest of that stuff I can't stomach."

Andrew nodded and began to look at the menu in front of him. When Monica returned Tess spoke up. "We'll have three chicken salads," she said and Andrew nodded in concurrence.

"I'll drink water," Kathleen said.

"Me too," Andrew said, "If what I heard about this place is true, then it's the safest."

Tess laughed and nodded.

"I wish I could tell Lenny about what happened last night while he was working," Kathleen said after a few moments of silence passed between them.

"Did you have anymore nightmares?" Andrew asked.

"No," she shook her head, "but when I woke up this morning, it was all I could think about. Do you know about it, Tess?"

"Yes, baby, and I heard you were very brave about it." Tess said. "I wouldn't tell him this just yet, he's not yet ready for the truth, but not to worry, he will be soon."

Kathleen nodded. "I know, put it in God's hands, but it's hard."

"We know," Andrew said as he squeezed her hand gently.

*****

Lenny was sitting at his table some ten minutes later when Monica came with his food.

"What took so long, did you have to slaughter the beast for my lunch?" he asked, his voice filled with frustration. He began to stab at the food in front of him, and eventually he started eating unaware that his little sister was sitting across the room with two angels.

Monica returned to his table. "Do you mind if I sit down?" She asked.

"Aren't you supposed to be working?" He asked.

"Well, there's not much going on around here today, and I figured that it would be OK for me to take a break," Monica said.

"Suit yourself," Lenny said as he began to cut the steak and forked himself a bite.

"So what do you do at the hospital?" Monica asked.

"I pass out books and magazines to the patients, nothing really important," he said. "I started classes at the community college last semester and hope to one day go to medical school."

"That's a noble field," Monica said.

"Yeah, then I can help people to survive the same kinds of things my folks didn't," Leonard said.

"But, maybe it was your parents' time to go home to God," Monica said.

"I don't believe in God, Monica," he said softly.

"Why is that?" she asked.

"What kind of good loving God would take away my parents, and leave me solely responsible for a 14-year-old girl? What kind of God would make it happen so that I would have to work two jobs, and barely make ends meet to support my sister and keep a roof over our heads?" Leonard took a drink of his tea. "Look, you asked, so I gave you an answer. If you don't like it, too bad, you're not left with the burden of raising your sister."

"Raising your sister?" Kathleen repeated the words that she had heard him say from across from room and the tears began to stream down her cheeks. She looked at Andrew, the hopelessness evident in her face. "Andrew, Tess, please I want to get out of here."

"Shhh," Andrew rested his hand on hers. "I know this is hard for you."

"Hard? Last night was hard, but this…" She pushed the chair out from the table and walked over to the table where her brother was eating. "A burden, huh?" Her voice was soft as she looked at her brother.

When he finally looked at her, his face registered shock, but nothing compared to the hurt that was in her eyes when she tried to speak honestly with him.

"You see me as nothing but a burden. You're never home, so how would you know what a burden really is? You blame me, and you blame God, and you blame anyone else that comes along for what happened that night. Lenny, you fail to realize one important thing, and that is if you hadn't have come and picked me up from Barbara's party when you said you were going to, then Mom and Dad wouldn't have had to drive there and pick me up at midnight. You were the one that promised, it wasn't me." The tears were falling from her eyes. "I never blamed you, not even once, but you're the one who's laying blame. If you're so convinced that I've ruined your life, then, I'll gladly go and live with Aunt Tilly and Uncle Wayne, but I can't live with the guilt you are trying to unload on me. I just can't, and I won't anymore."

With that she turned on her heels and ran outside. Andrew stood up and followed her, Tess and Monica remained inside.

*****

Tess came over to Leonard's table after his sister had left. "Leonard Jacobs?"

"Yeah, what now?" Leonard asked.

"I know you didn't know that your baby sister was in this room, but do you know how much your words just hurt her?" Tess asked.

"What about what she said to me?" Leonard asked.

"You mean, the truth?" Monica asked.

"How would you know if it was the truth?" Leonard said. "You weren't even there."

"Perhaps we weren't, but the only one who really knows is God," Tess said. "And ever since that night, you've been doing nothing but trying to shut Him out and blame the entire episode on a 14-year-old girl, who also happens to be your little sister. The one who you should protect."

"Is that what she told you?"

"No baby, that's what God told us," Tess said.

"Great more religious flakes," Leonard said disdainfully, "you found a live one with my sister. She'll believe anything you tell her, about God and angels, and anything else that comes along. But, you're wasting your time with me."

"You've hurt your sister, Leonard. That pain goes beyond what happened this week, it goes back to the night when your parents died," Monica said gently. "You have to realize that your sister isn't the core of the problem in your family, you are."

"Oh get out of here," Leonard said.

"Not until you hear the truth," Tess said matter-of-factly.

"And who's going to tell it to me?" Leonard asked.

Monica looked at him. "I am," she said as the white light of God's love surrounded her and she looked at the boy. "Leonard, we are angels, messengers of God, and we were sent here with a message for you."

"You're what?" He asked.

"We are angels, Leonard," Tess said in a no-nonsense voice. "We know far more about you, Leonard Jacobs, than you think.

"And Andrew?"

"He's an angel too," Monica said.

"An Angel of Death," Tess supplied. "Now, you're going to sit quietly here and listen to us."

The way she spoke made Leonard cringe, she sounded like an angry teacher he used to have in school, and rather than argue with her, he looked at Monica. "Does Kathy know?" He finally asked.

"Yes, she does," Monica said. "I was sent to protect her from the nightmares she had on Friday night. This was after she and you saved Andrew from a bunch of demons on Friday afternoon. That was why you said that this place gave you the creeps. It was because there were signs of evil there, and though you didn't realize it, that was what had happened."

"Why can't an Angel of Death protect himself? Why does he need a 15-year-old kid to do it for him?" Leonard demanded and it was clear that he still did not believe what they had just told him.

"Baby, God had a reason for everything that happens. I can't explain to you why this happened as it did, but I think that God thought it necessary for Kathleen to meet Andrew again. In order for her to accept who he is, I would guess that she probably needed to see him in a more vulnerable state, thus giving her a reason to accept his words, but also to help him. Through this, she was able to remember what had happened directly following the accident she was in last year," Tess explained.

"Sometimes you forget that Kathleen was also in that accident, and that she went through a great deal not just physically, but also emotionally," Monica began. "One thing that remained with her that died in you was faith. That wee girl never lost her faith that God would see her through. Leonard, she still remembers seeing the car explode, but she knows that God loves her, and she knows that He will see her through everything because she trusts in Him. After the accident, she felt hopeless, but having met Andrew and just knowing that he was beside her during this time, helped her discover a new hope that was intertwined in the agony and pain she endured."

"Did she know him? Was he really there?" Leonard asked.

Monica nodded. "Andrew was there, Leonard and he did take your parents home to God, but he also did something else that left a lasting impact on your little sister. He stayed with her after the accident and helped her to not be afraid of the possibility that she might have died that night. You should be happy that she survived, and that child should be considered anything but a burden. It was a miracle that she did survive and that was a gift that God gave to your family because He loves you all so very much."

"The question I have for you, Leonard, what would you have done had you lost both your parents and little sister all in one night?" Tess asked.

The young man shook his head. "I never really thought about it."

"Because you were too busy placing blame," Tess said.

"Leonard, you have spent the last year using blame as your way of dealing with this guilt you have endured for not having gone to pick up your sister. Instead of grieving for your loss and giving your sister a chance to do the same, you were willing to blame anyone and everyone for what happened rather than facing it and trying to reconcile everything with your little sister," Monica said gently. "Up until now, she hasn't been able to come to you and speak of what happened that night, but in order for her to completely heal, she will have to, otherwise that wee girl won't be able to overcome what she has endured. She needs to know that you love her."

He looked at Tess who nodded. "You have a choice, Leonard, and you must know that no matter what that choice is, God loves you, He always will, and if you ask Him to take this pain away, and if you accept the love He wants to give you, then you will find that God has done so. But, you should know that your actions do have a direct impact on that little girl out there, and contrary to the fact that she has been through enough grief this year, the hardest cross for her to bear is that she believes that her brother doesn't love her."

"But I do," he said as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"Then you must tell her," Monica said simply.

*****

Kathleen ran outside, the tears streaming down her face and she was crying, her vision blurred by the tears that would not stop falling from beneath her eyes.

"Kathleen, wait!" Andrew called out as he followed her outside.

She continued to run across the parking lot, but stumbled and fell to the ground. Her knees hit the ground and scraped against the gravel, the blood coming through the broken skin. She was still crying uncontrollably when she began to pick up the gravel and throw it against the ground.

Andrew reached her by this time and he put his arms around her shoulders and helped her off the ground. When he saw the pain in her face, his heart nearly broke. Father, how much more must she endure? Please, please help her, please give her the strength she needs and give me the ability to reach her.

"Andrew, why can't my brother be more like you?" she asked weakly as she cried in his arms. "I can't take much more. He's not the same person he used to be. He never said it directly, but I always knew. He doesn't love me anymore, because I'm the reason our parents are dead." She looked at him, her eyes expressing the depth of her misery. "What am I doing that's so wrong? Dear God, please tell me what I am doing that is so wrong? Please, I'm begging you…"

"No, you're doing nothing wrong, Kathleen," Andrew said gently.

"But, Lenny said…"

"Sometimes people say things that hurt others because they are hurting inside and don't know how to let go of that pain," Andrew said gently.

"He remembers it every time he looks at me," she said as she looked into his compassionate green eyes. "My face is ugly and scarred, I'll never be whole, Andrew. I'll always be this ugly kid who isn't worth it."

"That's where you're wrong, Kathleen. You're a very brave and beautiful girl."

"Beautiful," she touched her face, the scars still there, and she turned away. "I'm not beautiful. My own brother doesn't see it, how can I?"

Andrew rested his hand on her shoulder and turned her around so that she would be able to look at him in the eyes. "You are beautiful Kathleen. Your actions speak much louder than your appearance ever could. You have demonstrated far more love and courage than anyone could imagine during these last days and in fact during this past year. You put the pain of your brother ahead of your own. You have to realize that physical beauty isn't as important as what is in your heart. If what is inside is beautiful, than what is outside is also beautiful in the eyes of the Father." He smiled gently when he suddenly saw a spark of hope in her eyes, but when it vanished again, he continued to speak. "God doesn't care if you're a beauty queen, what He cares about are the things that you did for me, and what you are trying to do for your brother. This is of much more significance to God and that is what is beautiful, Kathleen."

"Then why doesn't my brother love me? Why doesn't he accept me?" She cried bitterly. "He sees me as a burden or the blame for everything, but not as his sister."

Andrew smiled gently at her. "Because he doesn't see you the way God sees you, or the way I see you or Tess and Monica sees you. You're a very special person, you just don't realize it because you have viewed yourself as all these negative things since the accident happened." He paused taking a deep breath and brushed her hair back from her eyes. "Sweetheart, you have to know that that accident didn't happen to punish you or to take your parents away, it happened because someone who had been drinking had gotten behind the wheel and caused your parents to lose control of their car." He took her face gently in his hands as he continued. "This was not your fault, Kathleen, God knows you've been holding the pain in and that you blame yourself simply because Leonard had been doing this to you, but that is not the truth. What Leonard has been saying does not mean that this is the truth. The truth is, you're not at fault for it, God loves you, and He understands your pain, and when you weep, He does as well."

She nodded numbly not certain what else she could say.

"Do you trust me?" Andrew asked her softly when no words emerged from Kathleen.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Then trust me when I tell you. God is very proud of you, Kathleen Jacobs, and He loves you exactly as you are. He will always care for you and He will always be there for you." Andrew smiled gently at her.

"My brother hates me, Andrew," she whispered the tears still streaming down her cheeks. "It feels like my parents have died all over again."

Upon hearing those words, the compassionate Angel of Death could do nothing except take her in his arms and let her cry on his shoulder.

*****

"Kathy!" A voice emerged some five minutes later and she looked up to see her brother coming out of the restaurant and walking across the parking lot. She looked at Andrew and then at Leonard. Tess and Monica had followed him outside.

"Go to him," Andrew said gently as they stood up. "And don't ever forget, you're not alone, Kathleen. You're never alone."

She hugged Andrew quickly, nodded bravely, and walked over to Leonard. "Hi," she whispered.

"Kathy, I'm sorry," Leonard whispered. "Will you forgive me?"

"I'll try," she whispered, but she hid her face in her hands. "You hurt me."

"I know, and I want to make it up to you," he said. "I love you, Kathy, and I'm so sorry for what I did to you. I want to be your brother again."

"It hurts, Lenny," she said softly. "I guess I always knew what was happening, I just didn't want to face it. I guess facing a dark angel was easier than facing my own brother."

"A dark angel?" Leonard looked at her in complete disbelief. "That alley, when found Andrew, there was something there. Something almost supernatural."

"There was, but she's gone now," Kathleen said.

"I thought for a while that it was Andrew who had brought evil into our house," Leonard said. "I mean, you had nightmares, and I was avoiding it, like I always do."

"Andrew didn't bring the evil into our house, he brought the truth," she smiled weakly as her brother took her in his arms and held her. Sinking down to the ground, they began to cry in earnest, both wrapped in each other's arms.

Leonard nodded. "We'll get through this, Kathy, but this time together."

"I guess we need a lot of help," she whispered and glanced around to see if Andrew was still there. When she noticed that he had disappeared, she wiped her hand down her face and looked back over towards where she had seen Monica and Tess standing. "He's gone, they're all gone."

"Maybe they know that we're going to be OK, now" Leonard said gently. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Kathleen looked to the sky. "Dear Father, thank you."

Leonard nodded. "Yeah, thanks, from me as well."

"You believe?" Kathleen asked.

"Yeah, but there's still one more thing I still have to do," Leonard said.

"What?"

"I'm going out to the site, do you want to come along? I'd understand if you'd rather not," he said. "I don't want to ask too much, but it might help both of us in trying to talk about what happened."

"Yes, I'll go with you," she whispered. "It's hard, though but then again I always knew it would be."

*****

Twenty minutes later Leonard pulled their car to the side of the road and they got out. Kathleen had not traveled the rustic road that led into town since the accident. She could still see the curve that her father had missed in dodging the van with the intoxicated driver inside. She could feel the tears in her eyes as she walked towards the spot where she had lain in Andrew's arms.

"It was here, where I landed," she whispered as she sat down on the ground, her hand covering the earth and she looked at her brother. "Andrew held me in his arms in this very spot, and I watched the car explode. Then I blacked out, but I could still hear his gentle voice."

"What did he tell you?" Leonard asked.

"At first, I told him that I didn't want to die and leave you alone without your entire family. He told me that if I wanted to live, that I had a long, hard fight ahead of me, but that he would be there with me every step of the way," she said softly. "He also told me that God would give me the strength when I needed it. Andrew took me away from here, to a place where there was no darkness, no shadows. I remember how we were seated in middle of a large meadow filled with wildflowers. It was beautiful. He was beautiful, he glowed with love, and kindness, and he told me almost constantly: 'don't be afraid, God is always with you and he will carry you through.' And I wasn't afraid, I was comforted, and Mom and Dad were comforted too. I just know it."

"Was he with Mom and Dad too?" Leonard asked.

"Yes, I saw the light which he led them to, but then he came back, and I thought I was dreaming or hallucinating. He told me that Mom and Dad are happy in heaven, and I know because he took them there. There was only one difference between what he did for them, and what he did for me."

"What?" Leonard asked.

"Almost every thing Andrew did for them was what he did for me. The only difference, I survived, and they didn't," Kathleen whispered.

"Then there's one more thing we need to do," He said.

"What?" she asked.

"We need to mark this place," He said and grabbed a piece of wood that had been strewn on the side of the road.

The two teenagers worked through the day and well into the afternoon, they had erected a cross and painted on one side, were the names 'Christian and Kellie-Rae Jacobs went home to God on May 28, 2000.' On the other side, 'An angel returned to watch over their daughter, Kathleen who survived.'

As they went to get in the car, Kathleen watched as a white dove flew across the ravine and landed on top of the cross. "Good-bye Andrew, till we meet again," she whispered as the small white bird flew away.

The End.

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