A 'Touched by an Angel' story

By: Yvette Jessen

© 2002 not intended to infringe on any previously held copyrights.

Please Note: This story is the nineteenth in a sequence of stories, which I have written, which are centered on my character, Christina, her family and friends. The first one is entitled ‘The Innocence of a Child’, the second ‘A Little Girl’s Wish’, the third ‘The Senior Prom’, the fourth 'Stealing Second', the fifth 'Another Halloween Night', the sixth 'An Overdue Appointment', the seventh 'Homecoming', the eighth 'Solitary Without Hope', the ninth 'Making the Grade', the tenth 'Till Death Do Us Part', the eleventh 'Olivia's Battle', the twelfth 'In the Father's Arms', the thirteenth 'The Healing Spirit', the fourteenth 'Fulfilled Promises', the fifteenth 'Pennies From Heaven', the sixteenth, 'The Father's Little Ones', the seventeenth, 'In the Heart of a Dreamer', and the eighteenth, 'Letting Go'.

*****

Christina Lowery pulled into the driveway of the two-story house where she lived with her husband and three daughters. She released a pent up sigh as she looked around the grassy and pretty neighborhood where she lived. This was the day she'd been looking forward to for so long, but she was not sure if she would be able to enjoy it.

For the past three weeks, ever since Simon had been murdered, she had been having strange feelings as well as uncanny and eerie dreams. Although she still felt torn into pieces, a small part of her had been looking forward to this day ever since she had gotten out of the hospital. Today, she felt strange about this whole arrangement. Jeremy had said it was OK for her to go to the fair with her longtime friend, Andrew, but at the same time, there was something that bothered her about the entire afternoon, something that for the life of her, she could not figure out.

As soon as she unlocked the front door and went inside, she smiled weakly as she looked around the living room. She sighed deeply as she noticed that there were still flowers and potted plants all around the house. They were all left over from her nephew, Simon's, funeral. Paula, Jeremy's sister and Simon's mother, had confided in her that she couldn't stand to see anything that would remind her of the son she had lost, so Christina and Jeremy had taken all the indoor type houseplants. As she came into the kitchen, she filled a pitcher of water and began to go through the house watering everything.

Once that task was done, she went and checked the answering machine. Her daughter, Laura, was spending two more months in Germany with her boyfriend, Sebastian, and she would often find messages from them when she would come home from work, as a result of the time change. When she noticed that there were no messages on it, she smiled weakly as she walked brusquely through the house and up the stairs, her blazer jacket she tossed on the sofa alongside her briefcase.

As she reached her and Jeremy's room, she was trying to dismiss the disturbing thoughts she was having, and instead, she was trying to hum, thus blocking out the nervous anticipation she was experiencing. Right now, all she wanted to do was to concentrate all her energy on the afternoon with Andrew.

Once she had changed into a white sundress, she turned and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She remembered this dress, as it had been the same one she had gotten when she was 15 and still had it hung in the closet. She had only worn it only two other times, the first when it had been given to her, and she was 15, and the second time was the day when she and Andrew had gone to the beach and she had met Robert and Simon, the two nephews of Jeremy. She had actually met them first, and this had happened just before she had been introduced to her husband.

As she finished putting on her silver earrings, she sprayed some of her favorite perfume on both of her wrists and turned around in order to retrieve her favorite necklace, a silver starfish her parents had given to her for her last birthday. Taking a deep breath, she tried to smile, as she knew that Andrew would want to see her happy, yet she did not feel exceedingly at ease about seeing the Angel of Death on this particular day. Since they had talked to each other extensively about her feelings, she had started to feel increasingly uneasy around him and she could not understand why it was she now felt so strange in his presence. Part of her felt like an anxious teenager, but the other part of her felt an indescribable apprehension and nothing more.

She came out of the room as the doorbell rang and without thinking, she literally skipped towards the stairs and descended them, and by the time she had reached the front door, she was literally out of breath.

Swinging the door open, she looked up and into the green eyes of her friend. He looked wonderful, was wearing a green button down the front shirt, thus bringing out the color of his deep-set eyes. He looks wonderful, she thought to herself, her heartbeat speeding up ever so slightly, but instead of saying anything, she smiled. After a few awkward moments of silence, she finally managed to look up at him and speak. "Hi."

"Hello, Christina," he smiled as he wrapped her in his arms and greeted her with a hug.

"Hi," she repeated her greeting with a weak smile, but all the while, she felt the part of a shy teenager, yet somehow all she wanted to do was to hide away that feeling, and not show it to anyone.

"Is everything OK?" He asked.

"I guess so," she said trying to dismiss or ignore her discomfort.

Andrew nodded and instead of dwelling on his friend's strange behavior, he tried to speak to her and bring her out of the awkwardness of that particular moment. "Are you ready to go?"

She nodded, "I guess so, let me grab my jacket."

Once she did, she joined him out on the porch and with trembling fingers; she managed to lock the front door. "It feels weird, my life isn't going catastrophic, and it seems like lately I can't see anything going out of control."

Andrew could not help but notice that her voice was constantly weak, as though she was trying to convince herself of this. "You've had more than your share lately," he nodded his head in agreement, but after a few minutes, he looked at her, the concern evident in his compassionate green eyes. "Are you sure you're OK? You look a little pale."

She nodded trying all the while to conceal the odd sensations she had been having all day. Somehow the feelings were even stronger and she thought for an instant that she shouldn't even be leaving the house at all. Deep inside, she had this terrible feeling that something horrible was about to happen. "I think so," she offered weakly, as she saw that he was worried about her. She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess it's nothing, but I've been having these really strange feelings lately, and I can't really explain them."

Andrew led her to the car and once he helped her get in, he went around to the driver's side door and got in. As he put on his seat belt, he looked at her, she had her head down, and he reached over and touched her shoulder. "Christina, do you want to talk about it?"

Christina shook her head, "I'm afraid to."

"Why? You know, you can tell me anything you want, I'm your friend and always will be," he said as he squeezed her shoulder comfortingly, thus causing her to look up and into his gentle eyes.

"I can't forget when you took me to that place," Christina said after a few minutes had passed.

"God's Country, you mean?" He asked.

She nodded. "It was the most beautiful place I had ever seen in my life, but it reminds me so much of those things that woke inside of me because of something Laura said when we were in Europe."

"You mean about your feelings," he said gently. "I can tell by looking at you that you are still confused about how you feel, aren't you?"

She nodded all the while shrugging her shoulders. "I didn't want to mention it, but I had this dream last night and in it, something terrible happened to my family." She looked at him, her eyes filling with tears. "Andrew, something else is about to happen, isn't it?"

"I don't know, Christina, if I did then you know that I'd do whatever I could to help you."

"It's just that these strange feelings come so soon after Patrick and Simon. It just seems like things just keep coming. They keep happening, and nothing ever stays the same."

"It won't ever," Andrew said gently. "The only thing that even remotely comes close to staying constant is God."

Christina nodded as he reached over and squeezed her hand gently. "I know you're right, but why am I having dreams like this? Andrew, what is happening to me, I feel like I'm coming completely unglued?"

"I don't know," was his only response, but after a few moments had passed, he released her hand and put his on the steering wheel. "Do you want to go to the fair, Christina, or should we find a place and have a talk?"

"No, I think I'm OK."

Andrew nodded and started the car.

*****

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the fair and got out of the car. As Christina looked around, she could smell the scent of candied apples and buttered popcorn in the air and she looked at Andrew as she remembered when she had come to this place with him and Lindsey over 12 years ago. As she remembered that day, she smiled weakly, but after a second, she could see that the angel had a look of contemplation on his face, and she started to wonder if something was really wrong.

Dismissing this, the two of them walked towards the entrance. Once there, Andrew put his arm around his friend's shoulders and they walked through the entrance and out onto the midway, but Christina could not enjoy the sights and sounds of this place, simply because she started to feel increasingly uneasy and could not understand why.

"Christina, is everything OK?" Andrew finally looked at her at one point, but she did not answer. Sighing sadly, he could see that the people were now brushing past them and finally he went and bought some tokens so that they could ride the Ferris wheel.

As he returned to where she was standing and waiting for him, he took her hand and they went and to get into a line. Within five minutes of getting in the line, they were soon seated together in a small round seat, and Andrew looked at her. "Christina, please talk to me."

"Andrew, I'm so scared," Christina finally managed to admit to him; all the while she shook her head despondently.

"Why?" He looked at her and when she responded by merely shaking her head, he reached over and touched her shoulder. "It's OK, whatever it is, we'll get through it."

"When we get off this ride, I just want to go home," she said softly.

Andrew inched closer to her and when he touched her face, he could tell that she was nervous, but he had no idea that her nerves were having such a drastic physical reaction on her. He put his arm around her and pulled her up against him so that her head gently rested against his shoulder. "OK, we'll leave, maybe we can visit the fair another time when you're feeling a little better."

She nodded and once the ride stopped, he helped her to stand up and they walked slowly through the midway in the direction of the car. One they reached it, they wordlessly got in and Andrew drove them back to the house.

Upon arriving, Christina's face lost all its color when she noticed that two police cars were parked on the curb in front of it. "Oh my God," she whispered, but before Andrew could say anything to her, he watched helplessly as she quickly scrambled out of the front seat, closed the door and ran up the sidewalk in the direction of where two of Jeremy's colleagues were in the process of ringing the doorbell. Upon recognizing them as friends of Jeremy's she smiled weakly, but addressed them.

"Excuse me, guys, w-what are you doing here?" She asked weakly as they were ringing the doorbell. Her voice caused them to turn around and she could immediately see the tiredness in both of their eyes.

"Christina?" One of them asked.

"Yes, what is it?" She asked.

"You may want to sit down," the policeman said.

"No, just tell me," she said softly.

"We're here about your husband," one of the men said, and she cast a fleeting glance in Andrew's direction. The angel sighed deeply and approached.

"What happened?"

"Your husband went with us this morning on a case. He was sent to draw some composites," one of them began, and she could tell that he was beating around the bush.

"Just tell me?" Christina pleaded with them.

"We're so sorry, Christina, but Jeremy, he got shot when the suspect returned," the policeman said softly. "He's been taken to the hospital and we were asked to come and tell you."

Anything else that the policeman could have said went ignored by Christina, who simply slid to the ground, and could feel the tears streaming down over her face. "Oh my God…"

"We're so sorry," one of them said and looked at Andrew as the angel approached and the officer recognized him as being a family friend. "Can you contact the family?"

Andrew nodded as he got down on the ground next to his friend. "I'll let them know," he offered as he took her in his arms and held her tightly. "Don't worry," he addressed Jeremy's colleagues. "I'll get her to the hospital."

"Thank you. I hate being the bearer of bad news," the policeman said softly, but once he realized that Christina was in good hands, he and his partner left.

Once they were gone, Andrew looked down at the woman who was now on the ground weeping in his arms. He brushed his hand through her hair as she continued to sob. "Oh God, tell me it's not true, oh please."

"Shhhh," Andrew cajoled her softly, his voice all the while gentle. He glanced up and could see that four other angels were now present. They were in angelic form, and Christina could not see them, but Andrew could see that she was too hysterical to even recognize their presence.

"We'll stay here with the twins, Andrew," Monica said softly and Gloria nodded.

"I'll go and tell Sebastian and Laura," Adam said and Tess nodded before the four angels disappeared and went off to fulfill their respective parts of the assignment.

Once they were gone, Andrew looked down at Christina as she wept in his arms. "Everything is going to be OK, my little angel," he consoled her gently, but all the while, he hoped that he could believe those words even after they had emerged.

"No, it's not OK, it's never going to be OK," she sobbed hysterically. "My husband…"

Andrew took a deep breath, and took her face in his hands and held it still, his green eyes seeking her own. "Christina, it's going to be OK, you're not alone, sweetheart, God is with you and I'm also here, and you know that I'll help in any way I can."

Christina nodded numbly but her body collapsed in his arms, and she took a deep shuddering breath, her hands gripping the front of his shirt in her fists and her body literally trembling in his embrace. "I shouldn't have told you," she whimpered.

"What shouldn't you have told me?"

"H-how I felt," Christina sobbed. "N-now God's mad at me for having feelings for you when I should have held them only for Jeremy."

"No, sweetheart, no He's not," Andrew took her face in his hands and made her look at him. "He's not mad at you."

Christina shook her head her eyes downcast and she realized that she was now unable to even speak. Her head felt dizzy and she closed her eyes as she felt Andrew's hands brushing the tears from out of her face. After a few moments, she could feel his arms wrapping around and holding her tightly in his comforting embrace.

*****

Twenty minutes later, they came into the hospital, and Andrew approached the information desk. "Excuse me, but we need to know the room for Jeremy Lowery?"

The nurse on duty entered the name, but looked up after a few moments. "Are you friends or family?"

"His wife is here," Andrew said.

"I see, well, he's in ICU and probably won't be released anytime soon," the nurse said, "but, it's family only."

"I understand," he said gently and went back to where Christina was seated, her head was down, and she had tears rolling down her face. When he saw her face, he glanced skyward. Father, what can I do for her?

Be her friend, Andrew, The Father's voice resonated in him.

The Angel of Death sat down next to his friend and put his arm around her shoulders. "I found out where he is, Christina," he said softly.

She nodded and raised her head only slightly, her eyes not meeting his, her dejection emanating her entire being and after a few seconds, she stood up and allowed him to lead her slowly from the room and down the hall. As they reached the elevators, she finally found the courage to look up. "Is he…?" Her voice trailed off, but she shook her head as denial enveloped her.

"I-I don't know Christina, I'm not the angel assigned to the case, Henry is," Andrew said gently.

"Oh God," she began to tremble once again upon hearing his official sounding meanderings. Sensing this, Andrew rested a gentle hand on her shoulder as the elevator reached the floor and they came out into the hallway.

"Christina," Andrew said her name, thus causing her to turn and look at him. "You're not alone, my friend, even if you can't see me, I'll be with you through all of this."

She nodded numbly, but walked towards the desk and waited until the nurse on duty glanced up. "Yes?"

"My name is Christina Lowery, and my husband was brought in today, his name is Jeremy," she said softly.

The nurse on duty smiled gently, looked down at some paperwork and nodded. "Yes, please go in."

Christina thanked her and walked numbly through the doors and down the hall until she reached another desk and waited until she was allowed into a room where her husband lay. She walked into the room, her eyes coming to rest on Jeremy as he slept. Next to the bed, she saw a stranger standing, an angel, she guessed because he was dressed in a beige suit and appeared to be wearing some old fashioned style spectacles. Swallowing the ever-present lump that lodged itself in her throat she reached over and touched Jeremy's gaunt face, her fingertips stroking his cheek, all the while the tears streaming from beneath her eyes.

"Jeremy, I love you, please don't leave me," she pleaded softly as she leaned over and kissed his unmoving lips. As she backed away, she remembered the first time she had met him, the memories flooding back to her and overwhelming her.

Christina's Flashback

As she followed Paula into the kitchen, she could see another man seated at the table one of his hands holding tightly to a cup of coffee, the other holding a newspaper.

"This is my brother, Jeremy Lowery," Paula said. "Jeremy, this is Christina Thomas."

The man looked up, his eyes were as blue as the sea and his dark brown hair fell comfortably over his brow. Christina was immediately taken with the suave young man, and she smiled warmly at him.

When he made eye contact with her, it appeared as though he suddenly recognized whom it was that he was being introduced to. "You're the lifesaver, right?" he asked his eyes twinkling.

Christina blushed and Paula spoke. "Listen Jeremy, you're embarrassing us, now cool it and drink your coffee before it turns into mud."

Jeremy smiled coyly but stood up. "I think what you did was very nice, and we are all grateful to you." His voice emerged soft and gentle, but with traces of flirtatious mischief.

"I couldn't have done otherwise, Jeremy," she said smiling.

He offered her his hand and she took it and felt her face flush when he squeezed it. When he released it, he went back over to the table and sat down.

Christina, by this time, was blushing, but she managed to sit down next to him.

"So, what do you do when you're not playing angel and saving people's lives?" he asked as Paula went into the kitchen and began to make another pot of coffee.

"I'm a writer and Child Psychologist," she replied.

"You're a shrink," he asked.

Christina took a deep breath and smiled at him. "No, I'm a psychologist, and if you don't want the Angel of Death to pay you a visit, you'll keep that in mind."

"Why, is your boyfriend one?" Jeremy asked coyly.

"No," Christina said, deciding not to mention that her best friend happened to be an Angel of Death. "But, I have my ways to get someone to come and take care of me, if you don't behave yourself." She knew she was flirting with him, but somehow she found his sense of humor to be similar to Lindsey's and this was something that she really liked about him.

"OK, I'll behave," he replied.

Christina's Flashback End

After a few moments, lost in her own memories, she glanced up and could see that Henry was still in the room and he was regarding her with compassion. "W-will he…" she managed to stammer, but her voice broke as the emotions got the better of her and the tears began to stream from beneath her eyes once again.

Henry came over and rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I don't know, Christina, but God is with him, and He will stay with both of you through all of this."

She nodded, but could feel her strength giving out. "I want to believe."

"I know," the Angel of Death said softly.

"You know you're not alone," Andrew's voice emerged, and she turned towards the doorway to see her long-time friend was now standing next to her. This time, she was the only one who could see the two angels in the room. Within seconds, the doctor entered the room, his voice interrupting the words Andrew was trying to convey to her.

"Mrs. Lowery, my name is Richard Mason, I'm the surgeon that operated on your husband," the tall man introduced himself to her.

"Do you think he's going to wake up, Dr. Mason?" She sniffed as she managed to look at the doctor.

"I don't know yet, but my faith is strong, Mrs. Lowery, and I think God will take good care of him regardless of what happens," the doctor answered. "Now, why don't you go and I'll see if I can get someone to bring you some coffee or something, OK?"

"I don't want to leave him," she whispered.

"I know you don't, but he's in good hands, I promise you that," the doctor said smiling gently. "There's a phone in the waiting room if you need to call your family."

"I have friends who are calling them," Christina said softly.

"Then maybe you should get some rest."

Christina nodded and as the doctor helped her to stand up, the two angels watched as he helped her out of the small room and out into the hallway.

"How is he?" Andrew asked once the two humans were gone.

"Not good," Henry said softly. "The bullet punctured his right lung."

"Henry, do you know what exactly happened?" Andrew asked.

"Last night there was a hold up at Parker's Jewelry Store, and the victim's niece remembered what the suspect looked like," Henry began. "As she had been traumatized by what had happened, the police sent two officers as well as a sketch artist, that was Jeremy, out to the store. While they were there, the suspect came back with the intention of harming, Erina, the niece who had identified him. When he got there, he was going to murder the young girl, but Jeremy stepped between him and the girl, thus he ended up getting shot."

"The Father hasn't said to you whether Jeremy will live or die?" Andrew asked.

"No, He just said that I should be there with him, and that if it gets too iffy for Jeremy, that I should take him to God's country and await instruction," Henry said. "Andrew, I honestly thought that I would be taking Erina home, but Jeremy was so brave and he put that little girl's life ahead of his own."

Andrew nodded and squeezed Henry's shoulder. "Let me know if anything changes with him. I'm going back to sit with Christina."

Once he left the room he walked slowly down the hallway and when he reached the waiting area, he could see that Christina was trying unsuccessfully to lay down on the sofa, her eyes filled with tears and Andrew could see them falling onto the cushions as she drifted off to sleep.

*****

It was late in the evening when Christina awoke again, her vision somewhat blurry as she stared across the small waiting room and could see that Andrew was still in the room, his head was down as though he was in prayer. After a few moments had passed, he looked up and his compassionate green eyes met her own.

Andrew could clearly see that she was sitting up on the sofa, her eyes drooping as though she was tired but was unable to go to sleep and his gentle heart went out to her.

"You're awake?" Andrew said softly as he stood up and walked over to where she was sitting. She nodded mutely as he made himself comfortable on the sofa and smiled gently at her. "You feeling any better?"

"Not really, I'm feeling so tired, but I can't sleep, I keep thinking about Jeremy and about the last breakfast we had together, or that last time we went for a walk in the park. I just can't stop thinking about all of this."

Andrew smiled gently at her. "I know and I wish there was something that I could do to make things easier for you. Do you want me to get you a cup of tea or something?"

"No, just hold me," she whispered as she felt herself falling into his arms her own wrapping tightly around his neck as she buried her face against the front of his jacket. As she felt his comforting embrace, she looked up at him. "Andrew, I'm so scared," she whispered as she breathed in the scent of him, his clothing smelling of lilacs and soft spring flowers.

"I know you are, but you're never alone, sweetheart," he said gently as he stroked her cheek with his hand, his fingertips brushing along her face as his words seemed to reach deep into her soul that she longed with all that was in her to hear him continue to speak to her, the flow of his words offering her comfort, but also reminding her of how special she was to him.

"Andrew, you won't leave, will you?" She whispered, her voice hoarse as she reached up and touched his face and after a few seconds of silence passed between them, she closed her eyes and snuggled up against him, her head resting against the crock of his arm.

Seconds later, she could feel that he had leaned over her, his hands gently taking her face and making her look up and into his eyes. His breath gentle against her cheek as she could suddenly and unexpectedly feel his lips pressed firmly, but gently, against her own, the kiss long and sweet…

*****

At that moment, she jolted awake, and looked around the room as she realized where she was, and how alone she felt. She was by herself in the room, had been lying on a sofa, and shivering from the coldness of the dimly lit and depressing waiting room. Instead of going down the hall to get a blanket, she wrapped her arms around herself and tried to get comfortable.

Andrew was not there, she realized and he had not actually kissed her as was depicted in her dream. Sighing deeply, it dawned on her that this had only been the manifestation of her mixed up feelings, extensive fantasy, and nothing more. She could feel the isolation building up in her and although she had been thinking about Andrew just now, she wished with all her heart that Jeremy would walk through the door and into the room all the while bringing her into a reality that she could, at least, live with.

She glanced around the room, her eyes filling with tears as she tried to come to grips with how wonderful that dream had been, but at the same time, how tragic her present reality truly was. After some time had passed, she could see that Andrew had returned, and she could not help but wonder where the angel had gone. Deep inside, she guessed that he had gone to call her parents and have them pick up the twins and bring them over to spend the night with them so they wouldn't have to be alone during this particular night.

Christina wiped her hands over her face and tried to rub the sleep out of them. She looked up at him as he took a seat across from her. "What time is it?"

"It's nearly midnight," Andrew said softly. "Maybe you should try and sleep some more, you look completely exhausted."

She shook her head, "after the dream I just had, I couldn't sleep, not for anything in the world."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Andrew offered gently.

She shook her head. "I don't know what to say about it that wouldn't make me feel stupid. Andrew, I just can't believe that all of this has happened."

Andrew stood up and went over to sit down next to her. As soon as he was seated, he put a gentle arm around her shoulders. "You need a blanket, you know, you're freezing cold."

Christina shrugged her shoulders, but instead of getting up to retrieve one, she remained seated, but watched as he got up and went instead to get it for her. When he returned, he unfolded it and wrapped it snugly around her just before sitting back down. Once he was comfortable, he drew her gently into his embrace.

"Better?"

"Uh-huh," she said softly, her voice more or less a sigh, but when she felt his arms around her she rested her head against his upper arm, her eyes closing and she could feel him stroking her hair gently. "Andrew?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for being here," she said softly.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, Christina, I think you know that," he said gently. "Why don't you try and get some rest? There probably won't be any change tonight, and Jeremy probably needs rest as much as you do."

"I don't think I could sleep, I just had this really strange dream," she whispered.

"You want to talk about it?" Andrew asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me," he said gently.

"I'd rather not, it's too embarrassing, besides, I have much more on my mind than these silly dreams anyway. I am thinking about my children, and…" She tried to offer him a weak smile, but all the while she realized that he would probably not want to hear her talk about a dream where he had kissed her. In fact, she figured that he wouldn't want to, and she was not about to subject him to a middle-aged woman's insane fantasies.

"Christina?" He spoke her name and she looked up at him, her eyes filled with pain and sadness. "Monica, and Gloria are with the twins, so you shouldn't worry about them, OK?"

She nodded. "And Laura?"

"Adam and Tess went to tell her and Sebastian about what has happened," Andrew said. "Everyone knows, and you are going to be OK."

"OK? You call this OK?" She asked weakly. "You can't read my mind, Andrew, you don't even know how scared I am, how hard these past few months have been for me. I feel like Meggie in the movie 'The Thorn Birds', I'm losing everyone I love one by one; first Patrick, then Simon, and now…" She looked at him, her eyes a depiction of agony. "How much more am I going to have to take? Tell me, please, because I don't think I can take anymore without completely loosing my mind. Andrew, I just can't…." Her voice trailed off and she began to weep bitterly her entire body shaking in grief.

"I know you're scared," he said gently.

"That's the understatement of the year," she continued sobbing. "I'm not just scared, I'm terrified, horrified, frightened...just pick an adjective, just don't pick scared anymore because…" she took a rasping breath. "…Scared doesn't even begin to glaze over how I feel right now. I feel completely abandoned."

"You know that that's not true, Christina," Andrew said softly.

"But it is…" she whimpered and looked up at him. "I'm scared that Jeremy is going to die and I'm going to be some mad woman aging with twenty cats, a shelf full of romance novels, and having dreams of angels or people that don't want, or can't, have me. Maybe I should write a novel, it seems my real life has more fantasy in it than anything else..."

Andrew took her hands in his, he could feel them trembling from beneath his touch. Father, what should I do? What can I say to help her? I have no idea what I'm supposed to do or say.

When no answer came, he sighed deeply and looked down at her. "Maybe we should talk some more about what we both said in God's country," he said gently.

"What's there left to say that wasn't said there?" She whispered.

"Christina," Andrew shook his head.

"No, I mean it, what more is there left to say?" She cried. "You can tell me only so many times that God loves me, that I am just supposed to keep the faith that things will turn out for the best. Well I can't anymore…"

"Christina," Andrew said sternly, his voice demanding her attention, and when she did not stop speaking, he reached over and rested his hand against her lips, thus cutting off the flow of words. "Now listen, I know it's been hard for you, but I want you to come with me, we're going to talk about this, and I think you know that there are a few things that I need to say to you."

"Scold me, just like a school girl," Christina spat out. "I don't need to be preached to, my husband lays in a coma and all I hear from you is 'God loves you' or 'He has a plan and you should trust Him'." She stood up with the intention of leaving and Andrew reached out and grabbed her hand.

"No, and you know perfectly well that that is not how it is," he said.

Christina nodded numbly, and after a few moments, she watched as he stood up and came over to her, his arms wrapping her into his embrace. In his arms, she could feel the tears streaming from beneath her eyes. "I" her voice trailed and she stared down at the linoleum floor.

"Shhh, do you remember the day that you got married?" Andrew asked.

Christina nodded. "I remember…"

Christina's Flashback

The service went beautifully, and halfway through it, Lindsey and Simon stood up to perform the song Lindsey had composed for this special day and she smiled broadly as she looked at Christina and Jeremy as her music began.

How many ways can I thank you

A beautiful life you gave me

The sunshine warmness on my face

For the love that guides my path

The love of your saving grace.

Lord, I want to thank you

For the time you give to me

And the love that will always be

You are the reason we're alive

The love that shines divine

And we walk with you today

We thank you in every way.

How many ways can I praise you?

A wonderful life is a gift

From the heights of heavenly grace

For the love that makes me see

The beauty that is in me

Lord I want to thank you

For the time you give to me

And the love that will always be

You are the reason we're alive

The love that shines divine

And we walk with you today

We thank you in every way.

Dear Father,

As we say our prayer

We hold you in our heart

Your blessings stay with us

As we vow to have and to hold

Until we reach our heavenly home

As the song came to an end, Christina had tears streaming down her cheeks and Jeremy smiled as he glanced skyward. I'm blessed; he thought to himself, this song says our vows better than we can. As the people applauded, he went over to Tess at the piano. "May I see the score?"

The angel nodded and handed the music to Jeremy.

As he walked back over to the minister, he looked at Christina, and after a moment, he turned around to face the guests. "I know this is probably irregular, but anyone who knows me, knows that I am anything but normal. Just ask my sister." Everyone laughed, and even the minister cracked a smile. "However, since hearing Lindsey's beautiful song, I would like it if instead of us saying 'till death do us part', I think I would prefer it if we said, 'even after we reach our heavenly home'." He looked at Andrew, and smiled.

The congregation began to applaud once again, and he returned to Christina's side and the couple exchanged their vows.

Christina's Flashback End

"'Our heavenly Home', that's what Lindsey's song said," Christina could feel the tears streaming down her face. "Andrew, I'm sorry."

"No, you have no reason to apologize, you have had more than your share as of lately, and I know that the feelings you've had are real." He took her face gently in his hands as he looked at her. "Christina, I know that you are having some very difficult challenges, and I wish that I could say the right thing, or help, but sometimes even an angel doesn't have all the answers. I wanted to tell you that you're one of the most precious people I have ever known." He took her hand in his and squeezed it. "Let's go to the chapel."

She nodded numbly as he led her down the hall towards the elevator. Once they had come down the stairs, they walked towards the chapel and Christina opened the door and they went inside. Aside from them, the room was empty, and they sat down in the front, near the altar.

"This place never changes," Christina looked at the candles that were placed in the front of the room, but after awhile, she drifted off to sleep and Andrew held her through the night.

*****

As the morning sun was shining into some of the stained glass windows of the chapel, Christina woke up to see that Andrew was still seated next to her, his hand stroking her hair gently and she began to rub her eyes, trying to get the sleep out of them. "Hi," she greeted him as she looked up.

"Good morning, Christina," Andrew said gently as he brushed his hand through her now tangled hair.

"You know, it's funny how I remember this place and how it looked when I was ten, how I had fallen asleep in your arms, and how scared I was. It was just after Bryan's accident."

"Yes, I remember that," Andrew said softly.

"I remember how Patrick had been in here a few years ago and how he was screaming to God saying 'I hate you' with all that was in him. It was terrible to see him feeling that way, that lost, but after he died, I realized that I felt lost too. So, I tried to help Simon get through his situation, but I was hiding, Andrew, I was hiding from everything and everyone."

"I know, I could see it coming, but I wasn't in the position to remind you of that," he said softly. "It was something that you had to do for yourself.

"I'm so lost, Andrew, I lost Patrick, and I wanted to let go so badly, but it was because you had told me that I should, but it was so hard for me to do it. I think helping Simon was just an excuse for me, it was something that would keep me from talking about how devastated Patrick's death has been for me."

Andrew put his arms around her as she continued to speak.

"I wanted to scream after Simon was killed, I wanted to say something that would make things right, or make me feel better, yet, I couldn't, because no matter what I said or did, I still felt lost. And now this…" her voice trailed as she tried to get her emotions in check. "Oh God, why did this have to happen to Jeremy?"

"H-he saved my life," a voice emerged and Christina turned around and stood up. Standing in the back of the room, she saw a young girl with curly brown hair and she watched as the girl came hesitantly down the aisle. "After they arrested the robber, I was told that your husband was here. My name is Erina, and my uncle owns 'Parker's Jewelry Store'. I was the witness that saw the hold up the other night."

"You were?" Christina looked at the young girl all the while taking in her appearance. The girl looked to be 12 or 13-years-old, and her eyes were the color of a deep sapphire stone. She stood sort of nervously, not knowing what to expect, and Christina wondered if she could even see that Andrew was still seated next to her.

Behind Erina stood a man and woman, but neither of them said anything, they looked to be still in shock from the events that had taken place. The teenager came slowly down the aisle and over to the pew behind the one where Christina and Andrew were sitting. She slowly lowered herself onto the seat, but as she did, her eyes closed and she began to speak, her voice barely above a whisper and Christina had to inch closer in order to hear the words.

"Everything happened so quickly," she began. "I was cleaning up the back room for my uncle that night. He had promised me a new dress for my middle school dance if I had done a good job," the teenager smiled weakly. "I had been working for over an hour when I heard this man came in with a gun, I could see his face in the reflection of a mirror, but he had seen me too, and vowed to come back and 'get' me if I breathed a word of this to the cops."

"Afterwards, I was too scared to leave the store, as my family lives upstairs from it, and I thought that he was going to be coming back for me. My uncle finally had to call the police yesterday afternoon. He knew that I wouldn't talk about it at the station, I was looking around every corner, I was so scared. So, after that, they said that they would send two officers to the store and would take my statement and their sketch artist would draw a composite. It was your husband who came with them, and we had been working on the composite for about an hour, when the guy came back to the store and rather than coming inside, he started shooting randomly into the store from outside." As she spoke, her words broke as she remembered these events. "The front window was shattered, and there was glass everywhere, but instead of shielding himself, your husband tackled me from one side as the man aimed the gun at me, and when the gun went off…" her voice trailed and she could feel the tears streaming from beneath her eyes.

Christina looked at Andrew, who nodded. She stood up and walked around to where the girl was sitting, the fear filled eyes of the teenager breaking Christina's already wounded spirit. After a few seconds, she sat down next to Erina and rested a hand on the distraught girl's shoulder, thus causing her to look up. "I don't blame you."

"You don't?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't," as she spoke the tears streamed down her face and this time she did nothing to stop them. "Jeremy made a choice to protect you, and I'm so proud of him for doing it."

"He's very kind," Erina said softly. "He knew I was scared."

"I know, he's always tried to look out for children," Christina smiled weakly as she reached for the girl's hand. "I want to thank you, Erina for coming here and talking to me about this."

The girl nodded numbly, but once she stood up and started to walk away, something made her stop and she turned back around to face Christina. "Mrs. Lowery, do you believe in angels?"

Christina smiled weakly, "yes, I do." Her voice seemed to be caught in her throat, but she nodded all the while affirming the truth she needed to hear. She glanced over at where Andrew was sitting for a split second.

Erina nodded, walked up the aisle, and disappeared outside. Christina glanced down at her lap. "Andrew?"

"Yes?"

"She saw you when she was in here, didn't she?" Christina's voice was cracking as she spoke.

"No, she didn't see me at all, she simply carries the faith of a child. Even after this event, Erina still believes that the world is internally good. This simple faith is what she is grasping onto, the same kind of belief that you once had. What happened to you, Christina? What happened to your faith?"

She looked down at her lap, all the while remembering what she had said the night before in the waiting room. She could remember the dream as though it was the most vivid and real thing in the world, but she had not found the courage or the willingness to pray. She was right now so angry with God for all the trauma that had taken hold of her family that something inside of her made her just want to forget, to cast it all aside, and run away.

After a few seconds of silence passed she finally found the courage to look back up at him. "I don't know what happened, Andrew. I just don't know…" As her voice trailed off, he could see the pain in her face, the agony she had carried for so long starting to come to a head, as she began to wail, her voice becoming hysterical. "Why don't I know anymore?"

Andrew stood up and went over to where she was sitting. As he sat down next to her, he gathered her in his arms, pulling her onto his lap and holding her as he had done when she was ten-years-old and frightened. As he held her tightly in his arms he leaned down and kissed her forehead gently, his words not coming because he could feel the tears streaming from his own eyes.

As she sat there cradled in his arms, her hysterical cries faded until she was left sobbing, her body shaking as she wept. "I'm going to loose him."

"You don't know that yet, Christina," Andrew said gently.

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with pain, "Why else would you be here?"

"I'm here because you're my friend, Christina. Ever since you were a little girl, you've been my friend, you have accepted what I am with the innocence of a small child, you have embraced me over the years helping me to realize that when I come here, I am surrounded by friends and am not just an Angel of Death." He brushed her hair out from in front of her eyes as he smiled gently at her. "You taught me a long time ago about what it means to hold on. That was when the Southside school shooting happened; you helped me find my faith again after I had lost it. Whether you believe it or not, you do make a difference not just to me, but also to many. Yet, even though you know that, it is obvious that you feel you must always be strong. Somewhere in all of this, you have forgotten that you can always hold on to the Father and know that His love will help in every thing you face."

She shook her head stubbornly, but could still feel the tears as they washed down over her face. "Andrew, forgive me, but I can't."

"There's no reason to ask forgiveness from me, sweetheart," Andrew said softly, his voice filled with his own brand of gentility. "Tonight has probably been the hardest night of your life, and I'm so glad that I was sent to be with you through it."

"You are?"

"Yes, I am, Christina, you should never ever believe for an instant that I would stop caring for you, and all the things I said when we were in God's Country, well, they were the truth," he smiled weakly at her. "God isn't punishing you for having feelings, my little angel, He gave you those feelings, and yes it may not be the best thing for an angel to love a human being, but know this, my friend: As much as I can love a person, I do love you, and I do care for you, but the love is very much like that which God gives all of us. Christina, to have feelings of love is one of the things that make being human special, but that is something, which sets you apart from me. With you and Jeremy, it's a precious gift."

"But what if I lose him, Andrew, what will I do?" Christina looked at him.

The Angel of Death shook his head. "I don't know if there's anything that I could say or do that will make a difference, but I think you know that you're not alone, you're never alone."

*****

There was little change in Jeremy's condition and Christina remained at the hospital until late in the afternoon when Donna and Daniel left the twins with Monica and Gloria and drove over to pick her up. She was reluctant about leaving, but finally Andrew persuaded her telling her that she needed a lot of rest. He assured her that he would stay on and if there was any change, he'd come get her himself.

She still did not wish to leave, but she finally consented to going back to the house, but only for a shower and a change of clothes.

Andrew was sitting in the chapel that afternoon after Christina had left; the place seemed empty without her presence. He sat staring at the candles at the front of the room, their light flickering and this somehow giving him a sense of peace, even in the extent of the chaos that was happening all around him. He knew about Christina's dream, he had sensed it when he had spoken to her the other night, and could see that she was holding back on her feelings only for the sake of protecting him.

All this time, he thought sadly. She has always put other people ahead of herself and this time she was putting him ahead of her. Sighing deeply, he glanced down at his lap as the door opened and someone came into the chapel. He turned around to see that it was Erina. The young girl was alone and she was hesitantly walking towards the front of the room. When she was close enough to the altar, she sank down on her knees as she stared at the flickering light of the candles burning in front of her.

"God?" She spoke softly, her voice filled with sadness as she tried to find the words to speak. "Forgive me, please."

Andrew sat up straighter upon hearing the heartrending words emerging from the girl. Instead of speaking, he continued to listen as she prayed, her voice cracking.

"It's all my fault. I should have died; Mr. Lowery shouldn't have gotten hurt. Oh God, please help me, help me to not be so afraid. I sat in my room last night, and all I could think about was that poor woman whose husband is here, and he's hurt, and it's all because of me. She's losing everything and I've got nothing. I had nothing before, so if I had died, then what difference would it have made?"

Andrew continued to watch the young girl, his heart going out to her. The guilt she obviously carried was so intense that his resolve was to go and offer her his comfort. She looked so sad, he thought solemnly as he stood up and slowly started to walk towards the altar.

"It's all my fault," she repeated, this time her words were muffled by her tears.

"It's not your fault, Erina," Andrew said softly as he got down on his knees and was sitting down on the floor next to her. "No one here blames you."

Instead of listening to the truths that were emanating in his words, the young girl backed away from him, her eyes filled with sadness as she stared at him, and shook her head in denial. "I am at fault. No one can change that…"

"No, that's not true, Erina, you are not at fault," Andrew rested his hand on her head, his fingers brushing gently through her hair. "Look at me, sweetheart." He brushed his hand along the side of her face, his fingers as soft as velvet.

The young girl could feel the angel's hold on her and instead of feeling the comfort he was trying to offer, she felt the guilt enveloping her, as her sapphire eyes met his. "H-how do you know my name?"

"I know a lot about you, Erina. I know that you are frightened of something you have no control over, I know that you are trying to take on all this blame because you feel responsible for what has happened to Jeremy Lowery."

She looked at him, and covered her face with her hands trying to block her from seeing him. "W-who?"

Andrew reached over and touched her face with the side of his hand. "I'm an angel, sent by God to tell you that you don't need to blame yourself for all these things that have happened," he said softly as he began to glow, the light of God's love engulfing him and lighting the otherwise dark and somber room.

"W-why?" She managed to stammer when she saw the light, and she tried to once again back away from him, her fear starting to overwhelm her.

"No, sweetheart, don't be afraid, I'm not here to hurt you. My name is Andrew and God heard your prayer, and He wanted me to tell you that He loves you, and that you're not to blame for what happened." Andrew brushed a lock of her hair out from in front of her eyes.

"B-but it's all my fault," she shook her head despondently.

"No, you did not cause anyone to get hurt that day," Andrew began, but he could see that she was breaking down. "You had someone watching over you, or in this case, you also had someone watching out for you. There is nothing that you could have done to change what happened, Erina, and do you know what?" She shook her head as he continued to speak. "The man who saved your life did so because he cares. There's no other reason, except that someone wanted to see you experience life for the beautiful and wondrous thing that it is."

She shook her head. "No, it can't be…" As she tired to formulate her words, she could feel herself overcome with emotion.

Within seconds, he inched closer to her and wrapped her trembling body in his arms and pulled her firmly but gently onto his lap. "Yes it can, and deep inside, you know that it is true. God hears all your prayers, and He loves you, sweetheart. His love is the greatest treasure that there could ever be, but He doesn't blame you for what happened, Christina Lowery doesn't blame you, and neither does Jeremy."

"Why?" She could feel his arms holding her up and she eventually allowed her weight to give way and she collapsed in his embrace, the tears streaming from beneath her eyes.

Andrew brushed his hand gently through her hair. "Shhh," he cajoled her gently. "You don't have to ask why, Erina, all you have to do is embrace the gift that God gave you. Embrace your life, and know that it is the precious thing." He took her chin in his hands and tilted it up so that she would be looking at him. Once she was looking into his eyes, he ran the palms of his hands against both sides of her face, his fingers wiping the tears away.

After a few moments, Erina closed her eyes and leaned up against him, his comfort helping her to deal with the guilt that seemed to overwhelm her. Seconds later, she could hear that the door had opened and someone had joined them in the front of the chapel and this person had rested a gentle hand on the weeping girl's head.

"W-who?" Erina asked as she looked up to see that a woman she had never seen before was now kneeling next to them, her hand brushing through the girl's hair. When Erina made eye contact with her, she could see that the woman carried a loving, almost motherly, look on her face.

"My name is Paula Davies, I'm Jeremy's sister," the woman said.

Upon hearing this, Erina wanted to run, but when she felt Andrew's hands holding her and preventing her from getting off the floor, she looked at him, her eyes filled with fear, and she began to tremble as her voice emerged and she made eye contact with the angel. "Please, let me go."

"It's OK," Andrew cajoled her gently as he looked up and made eye contact with Paula. "Hello, Paula."

"Hi, Andrew," Paula said smiling weakly.

"It's nice to see you again, but not under these circumstances," Andrew said softly.

"I know and believe me, I think I understand what you mean better than most," she said sadly.

"How are you?" Andrew asked gently.

"Still working through the pain," Paula said softly. "It all seems so hard to believe, first my son, now my brother. If it's not one thing it's another."

Andrew looked at Erina, "Paula's son was killed three weeks ago."

"I don't know if I can stay here…" the young girl began to cry hysterically, but Andrew held her tightly and she realized that she was not sure she wanted to leave. She was desperate to feel someone showing her they cared and not overburdening her with guilt. It no longer mattered to her that the one who seemed to care was the Angel of Death.

"Shhh," Andrew whispered softly, his arms still wrapped around the young girl, his hand gently stroking her hair. When she stopped struggling, her body gave out and she continued to weep in the angel's arms.

"Is she OK, Andrew?"

"She feels guilty about what happened to Jeremy. Erina is the child Jeremy tried to protect," Andrew said softly.

Paula rested her hand gently on the head of the sobbing girl. "Everything is going to be OK. You know, my little brother's a fighter. He's going to fight with every last drop of strength that's in him. Believe it, I grew up with him, and as he says, 'it's not over till it's over', that's not just a stubborn person's way of getting their way, it's like his philosophy."

Erina looked at her. "I'm sorry."

"You have no reason to be sorry, you're alive, and that's a blessing," Paula said softly. "Jeremy has always been the type of person who will put everyone else ahead of himself. He's a comedian of sorts, but he's a really caring person. You know, I talked to Christina this morning, and everyone seems to be caught up with his or her favorite Jeremy moment. I think my favorite was when my son, Robert has his eighteenth birthday and how Jeremy came into the house and he looked at my son and he said. 'Now, I can't call you 'Bobby' anymore because today, you're a man.' On that day, Jeremy started calling him Bob, and today, my grandson is Bobby."

Andrew smiled and nodded. "I remember that day."

"I figured you would, you were there, you had come back to see us all, because you were going to see Christina and Jeremy get married."

Andrew nodded as Paula began to relate the story to Erina. He noticed that the young girl was listening attentively.

Paula's Flashback

"I was asked to bring you your present, my dear nephew, on this the day you reach adulthood." He smiled brightly at Andrew and Lindsey, who had to cover her face with her hand and stifle a giggle. "Laura, my dear, would you do us the honors and be my beautiful assistant?"

The little girl looked a little fearful, but when she saw Jeremy's winning smile, she nodded and extended her hand towards him. In her hand, Jeremy placed a small wooden box, and indicated that she should take it and give it to Robert.

After a few moments passed, she nodded and walked over to Robert and though she was nervous, she looked at the teenager shyly as she extended the box to him.

Robert smiled weakly, accepted the box, and opened it. Inside was a watch and Robert's eyes widened when he saw it. "How did you know?"

Jeremy sat down. "Christina told me that since you're an adult now, Bob, that your gift had to be something that should be symbolic of that. When I turned 18, my dad sat down with me and gave me a similar gift as well as a long drawn out speech, which I can't remember half of anyways. All I do remember him saying to me was, 'OK, Jeremy, you're an adult now, but you'll still need to be on time'. I looked at him and I asked him the one question that seemed to be ravaging its way to my mind. This question proved to be one of the most significant questions to date. I mean it goes right up there with why people eat ketchup on their fries. I asked him if it was OK for an adult to show emotion and to be sad when things don't always go the way you want. Your grandfather looked at me and said, 'only the strongest of men can do this and not feel badly about it'."

Vincent came into the room to hear his words, and he smiled. "He told me the same thing when Paula and I got married."

Robert looked up. "Dad, you're here? But I thought you had to work."

"Are you kidding, Robert? This is your day," Vincent said smiling and he looked at Andrew and Lindsey. "Welcome back, Andrew, hi Lindsey."

The young woman smiled and Andrew nodded.

Robert could feel tears in his eyes and he looked at his parents. "I wish I had known Grandpa." He looked at Andrew. "He died when I was two, and I don't remember him at all."

"Well, his spirit does live on in Jeremy, Robert, and there is a part of him that also lives on in you. You just may not realize it right now," Andrew said as Paula nodded.

"I see things in both you and Simon that remind me of Papa, your kindness towards others and the depth that you contemplate things, and then Simon's understanding and sometimes shyness reminds us of him, as well," Paula said. "He was a good man, there's no question about that, but he always remembered that you were his first grandson, and he was so proud of you."

Paula's Flashback End

Erina looked at the angel. "You've been friends with this family?"

"Mm-hum," Andrew nodded and smiled weakly. "I met Christina when she was seven-years-old and ever since then, this family has held a very special place in my heart."

Paula looked at Erina and smiled gently contrary to the sorrowful feelings she had cursing through her body. "You know, I could tell you some stories about how special this particular angel is to all of us."

Andrew blushed slightly, and looked down at the young girl he held. "They all know who I am, and they accept me, just as they accept you and they know that you are not at fault for what happened here. A friendship is a very emotive gift, Erina, and the sacrifice that Jeremy made for you is a part of that. From now on, you're going to be connected to this family, and they are going to be connected to you. They have said countless times that they accept all the love that you can offer them. This is powerful gift, it's beautiful, but it's a reminder to you that God is with you, because He is the one who blessed you with having this family pass through your life at this particular time."

Paula nodded. "None of us would ever for an instant believe that you're at fault for what happened. Jeremy would simply not have it any other way. He did what he did because he's a loving and caring person and he would have felt horribly if you had ended up in this hospital. Shows how selfless my brother is."

Erina nodded but looked at Andrew before getting to her feet. "Thank you."

"No reason," he said softly. "Paula, do you know what time it is?"

"It's almost seven," she said.

Erina's face paled. "Oh God, my uncle's going to kill me."

Paula shook her head. "Don't worry, honey, we'll talk to him and explain everything."

The girl nodded and Andrew looked at Paula. "Do you know if Christina has gotten back yet?"

"Yeah, she asked me to tell you that she met with the doctor and went up to Jeremy's room," Paula said. "I take it there is still no change?"

"None that I know of," Andrew said.

Erina took a deep breath. "I guess I should get home," she whispered more to herself than to them. "I'm so tired."

Andrew looked at the young girl. "Do you have a way to get home?"

"I was going to take the bus," she said.

Before he could offer a response, Christina came into the chapel, her face a depiction of exhaustion. She went over, sat down on a seat and stared blankly at the candles, which were still burning in the front of the room. "Christina?" Andrew spoke her name, thus causing her to look up and turn around.

Upon seeing the angel going to sit with his friend, Paula and Erina excused themselves and walked slowly out of the chapel.

"I saw him, Andrew," Christina whispered.

"And?"

"He's still in a coma," Christina said softly. "I saw Henry in there, too."

"Did he tell you anything?" Andrew asked.

"No, he said that Jeremy's condition was the same, he also said they have already been to God's Country twice since he was brought in," Christina shook her head. "I'm going to loose my husband."

"Christina, no, you can't give up," Andrew touched her shoulder.

"What's the point?" She looked at him, her eyes filled with pain. "You tell me to keep the faith, you tell me that God loves me, well if He loved me so much, then tell me why?"

"Andrew can't tell you why, Christina, not any better than I could," a strange voice emerged and they both turned around. Sam was standing in the back of the room, his eyes serene, and he was looking at the two of them. "Andrew, I want you to go and take Erina home, Christina and I need to have a little chat."

"SamI…" Andrew's voice trailed off.

"I mean it, Andrew, get yourself outside and let me tend to this little situation," Sam said. Andrew stood up and walked slowly out of the chapel without looking back. Once he was gone, the elder of the angels looked at Christina; there was an obvious look of intimidation in her eyes. She hadn't seen this particular angel since the school shooting, and seeing him again made her get goose bumps.

*****

Outside in the corridor, Andrew met Paula and Erina and he offered them a warm smile.

"Is Christina in there alone?" Paula asked.

"No, she's got someone with her," Andrew said but he looked at Erina. "Come on, I'll get you home and then we can talk some more."

Erina looked at Paula and she leaned down and smiled encouragingly at the girl. "You need to talk to him, let him help you, Erina and take my word for it, Andrew won't ever hurt you, he's the gentlest and kindest of angels."

The girl nodded and started to walk with the angel down the hall in the direction of the exits. As she walked slowly some steps behind him, she could not bring herself to look up or say anything.

As they reached the door leading outside, Andrew finally looked at her. "Are you OK?"

"Were you there?" She asked weakly.

"No, I wasn't, but Henry was," Andrew said softly and after a few moments he spoke again in the hopes of bringing her out and getting her to talk to him, "Do you know what?" She shook her head sadly, and he continued. "There was more than just one angel with you and no matter what would have happened you would never have been alone. God always sends an angel to be with those who are in need of His love and understanding."

"There was someone there?"

"Mm-hum, his name is Adam, but right now, he's in Germany with Christina's daughter," Andrew smiled weakly, but when he could see that she looked as though she was about to jump out of her skin, he continued to speak to her, his voice gentle. "Erina, you know, you have nothing to be afraid of. I won't hurt you."

The girl nodded. "I feel so guilty…"

"You have no reason to feel guilt. Paula has said this, Christina has, and even I have," Andrew smiled gently at her, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder. "You know, this entire situation could have been prevented had one man not decided to go on a shooting spree. You had no control over what you saw or what he did. You saw a man holding up your family's business, but don't you see, this was his choice, his decision, not yours?" He took a deep breath as he continued to speak, his voice filled with kindness. "Erina, I know you feel guilt because Jeremy was shot when someone was trying to harm you, but what happened, happened for a reason, and none of us understand why." Andrew led her across the courtyard and when they reached the parking lot, he could see that she was still upset.

As they got into Tess' red Cadillac, he could see the sadness in her eyes. Sighing deeply, he continued to speak once he was seated behind the wheel. "Erina, we can take comfort in knowing that God knows why this happened, and even when we don't understand, God does, and He will tell us when the time is right." He smiled gently at her.

Erina nodded numbly, her eyes filled with sadness, but all the while, she could not bring herself to look at him.

Sighing deeply, Andrew drove back in the direction of town. He did not know what to say, and whether what he had said to her would make a difference. He hadn't made much of a difference to Christina, and now he doubted his own ability to help someone like Erina. He shook his head wearily as he pulled up to the curb in front of the shop.

"Andrew?" Erina looked over at him, her eyes filled with fear.

"What is it?"

"I was just wondering if you would come in with me and explain to my uncle what happened and why I'm late," she whispered.

"Sure, I'll come," he cut the motor and they got out of the car. Seconds later, they walked across the street towards the door leading inside.

Once inside, Erina's uncle Jessup Parker was waiting and he did not look pleased.

"Where have you been?" He demanded. "Your aunt and I have been worried sick about you."

"Mr. Parker, my name is Andrew, and I'm a friend of Erina's. She came out to the hospital to see how Jeremy Lowery was doing. She was worried about him," Andrew explained. "She needed some closure to what happened and she's been very frightened."

Jessup nodded. "Yeah, it's been a rough week." He looked at his niece. "You feeling OK, Erina?"

"Yes Sir," she whispered weakly as the tears continued to stream from beneath her eyes.

"Why don't you go on up to bed then?" He suggested and she nodded.

As she turned to walk towards the stairs, she stopped and turned around. Andrew was still standing there and she went over to him, and without warning, she hugged him, her tear stained face meshed against his jacket. Andrew raised his arms and wrapped them around her. "You're never alone," he whispered softly to her and once she nodded, she broke the embrace and left the room.

Once she was gone, Jessup looked at Andrew.

"She doesn't get close to people a lot. Not since her mom died," he said softly.

"Her mother died?" Andrew said softly.

"My little sister, yeah, she was good lady, and she was trying to bring Erina up when she got sick. Before she died, she asked Phyllis and me to take care of her. It's not been easy, but with the good Lord on our side, we figured that all would be OK. But, Erina always knew that her daddy didn't want her, and we tried to make up for that, but a little girl can't go through life very well, all the while trying to get over the rejection of her daddy." He shook his head sadly, his brown eyes meeting those of the angel.

"You are doing a wonderful job taking care of her, she's a very special child, and you seem to always remind her that she is one of God's children," Andrew smiled.

"I hope it wasn't too much trouble for you to look out for her today," he said looking at the Angel of Death.

"Oh no, I was glad to help," Andrew said as he turned to go. "Mr. Parker, please talk to your niece about what happened, she may need some extra help getting through all of this. The culprit may have been captured, but her spirit is still under a great deal of trauma."

"I will, thanks for bringing her home," Jessup said smiling warmly. "Keep us posted on how Mr. Lowery is doing. If he wakes up, he should be recognized as a hero."

"Jeremy is a fighter, Mr. Parker, I've known him and his family for years, and whatever happens, he will always be in God's loving hands."

"A-men," Jessup said smiling, his southern drawl emerging with his words, and he led Andrew to the door. Once the angel was gone, Jessup Parker smiled secretly. "God, did I ever tell you that you have some real nice fellows for angels?"

*****

At this time, Christina was still in the hospital chapel and she was sitting in silence with Sam next to her. When she did not speak, Sam finally took the incentive and looked at her. "You know, I usually don't get sent here unless an angel messes up and I have to go and be the bearer of truthful tidings, but now, I think the Father knew what he was doing in this regard. He's always in control, though sometimes, like right now, I must say that the strong, confident woman I met back when the Southside shooting happened has all but disappeared because it looks as though she has forgotten this."

Christina shrugged her shoulders, her eyes still on the floor in front of her.

"Christina, I have heard over the years so much about you I feel like I've known you better than an angel who has only seen you once would. You see, I have a friend in Records, a fellow by the name of Ronald, who has kept a lot of us informed over the events going on with you. Today, you need more than just an angel to put you back on track, you need the Father to come in and do some major renovating," Sam reached over and rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Come on, it's time for you to look up and face the world. Christina, face what has happened, and face each new day that God has blessed you with."

"Blessed me with?" Christina could feel herself losing her composure once again.

"Didn't you ever hear the words 'there is power in prayer'?" Sam asked.

She nodded.

"Well, my dear, these aren't just empty words," Sam said softly. "They were the truth, God's promise that He would see you through all the storms that come your way. You have depended on an angel, you have depended on yourself, but whom you really need to depend on is God, the Father. He's the one who will help you find your way, an angel is only sent as a messenger to you, but God is the real truth behind what we are doing. God is the one that will give you the help you need when you need it the most. He, not Andrew, and not me, will be the One who will get you through. He knows that your friendship with Andrew has grown into something very strong over the years. Hasn't it?"

Christina offered him a feeble nod. "I love him."

"I know you do, baby girl, the entire celestial realm knows you love Andrew, and he has behaved in the most loving and compassionate manner that he is capable of. He has even stepped over that line a few times in regards to this love and the devotion of friendship, which he holds for you. However, you have to understand something, Christina, and that is, Andrew was created out of love, just as God creates all of His children. All in love, and Andrew has a very fragile and gentle heart, because God made him that way. Because his heart is so delicate, it can be shattered in such a way that no human being can fathom. In everything he says and does, it is because his conscience is strong, but his heart, it is probably the most gentle and fragile I have seen."

"Why are you telling me this, now, when my husband lays in a coma, and my life is turning upside down?" Christina whispered, her voice hoarse.

"Because, it is in these kinds of moments that an angel is best suited to do his or her job, and that is of delivering truth. You may not feel as though you are ready to hear it, but before you go back upstairs, you have to know the truth. You have to know that the friendship you share with an angel will never be anything more than a friendship. You can have all the dreams you want, that's what makes part of the human experience so wonderful, but believe me, Christina, that dream will not be a part of your reality, it will remain a figment of your mind."

She nodded as she felt the blush creep up and color her face. Grateful for the somewhat somber and darkened room, she stared down at her lap as he continued to speak, his voice breaking into her thoughts.

"Tell me this, though. Would you really want to kiss an angel, when you have Jeremy in your life? Would you really want to pursue someone else when you have the closest thing to love that a human being can experience?" Sam smiled gently at her and he reached over and touched her head with his gentle hand. "Christina, you don't know this yet, but Jeremy is going to survive, and you and he will have many long and happy years together before Andrew or Henry come to take one of you Home." As he spoke, he pointed towards the door. There, she could see that Henry was walking by and before he came inside, she watched as the Angel of Death disappeared.

"Sam?" She looked at him; the tears were now streaming down her cheeks.

The wise angel smiled gently. "It's OK, Christina, I know what you are wanting to say, but don't thank me, thank the One who sent me."

She nodded numbly and looked at him. "Can I see Andrew before…?"

The wise angel nodded. "God has no intention of taking Andrew's friendship away from you, but remember, Christina, you were once the pillar of strength for Andrew, now that you have been through all of this, let him be there for you, not just as an angel, but as your friend. Let him be that friend that you had as a small child. Let him know that his words are important to you, and that his wisdom a treasure. He's not feeling exceedingly helpful to you during this time, but God has promised that after Jeremy comes home from the hospital, you will have your afternoon with Andrew and there will be adequate time for you to say what needs to be said."

Christina nodded and once Sam had disappeared, she looked at the candles that were placed on the altar in the front of the chapel. Once she knew she was alone. She got down on her knees on the floor, and looked up at the flickering light as it danced across the walls.

"Father, I'm sorry, I am really sorry that I haven't talked to you about all of this," she began to speak, her voice filled with sadness. "I have had a few days to try and sort everything out, but ever since this happened, all I could think of was Patrick and how he was sitting here and screaming 'I hate you' at the top of his lungs and me feeling so helpless as I watched him agonize here in this room where I am now sitting. Then I was here again after Simon died. I just could not continue because everything seemed like it was lost, like I had lost so much. I guess during that time, I thought that you had taken all these people away from me. I know it was wrong of me, that's why I hope you will forgive me, but life is not all it's cracked up to be, it's not easy, and sometimes I just want to throw my hands in the air and scream." She stopped speaking as she tried to take a gasping breath. "But, You did something for me, Father, you gave me a friend like Andrew, who knows my short comings, and he knows that I am hurting, but he loves me anyway, not in the way I had hoped, but in the way that was best for me."

She could now feel the tears streaming from beneath her eyes, and unbeknownst to her, she did not notice that Andrew had come back into the chapel and was standing silently in the back and was listening as she continued to pray.

"I made so many mistakes, I just stopped being able to count them all, but I remember how much it hurt when I thought you had abandoned me. Andrew always said that I wasn't alone, but I just didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to think that he was right because I felt so ashamed of how I felt." As she continued, she could feel the tears as they were making their trek down her face. "I just wanted to tell Andrew how I felt without him thinking I was stupid, I wanted him to know that his friendship has honored me, that he has been a pillar of strength to me." She shook her head sadly, but her voice cracked. "I don't think I'm even worthy of his friendship anymore. I've hurt him, I've gotten angry with him, I've been a poor excuse of a friend, but it's only because I'm so scared. Oh Father, I'm so frightened. I feel like everything is crashing in around me."

That said, she could feel the tears now were washing down over her face, her hands trembling as she tried with all her might to keep her emotions in check. "Forgive me, Father, please..."

Andrew walked down the aisle and crouched down next to her. Without saying a word, he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

As he did, she looked up to see him now towering over her. Instead of speaking, she closed her eyes and stared down at the floor, but within seconds, he had sat down next to her and once he was comfortable, he rested a gentle hand on her shoulder.

No words were spoken, but they sat together in silence, neither of them wanting to break the comforting and healing sensation that this solitude brought to them.

*****

Twenty minutes later, the doctor came into the chapel. "Mrs. Lowery?"

Christina turned around and made eye contact with him, her heart practically leaping to her throat and she managed to quickly stand up and come over towards the door where the doctor was. She tried to read in his expression something, but she could only look at him hoping that what he had to say would not be the harder than what she had already gone through.

"Doctor Mason?" Christina spoke, her voice emerging soft.

"Jeremy is awake, he's had a rough couple of days, but he's going to be OK," the doctor began. "But, you're going to have to do some extra things for him when he goes home."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Jeremy won't have the same active life he did before this happened. He will have to go through a certain amount of physical therapy, and though he may be able to go back to work, his lifestyle will be changing somewhat."

"I figured," she whispered. "Can I see him?"

"Yes, of course, he's being transferred to another room right now, but in the next thirty minutes you should be able to see him. He won't be in ICU anymore, so your friends will be able to visit him, but this means that you will not have to stay the night here," he explained. "He's out of harm's way, so you can go home and do get some rest, Mrs. Lowery, you look as though you haven't slept in days."

"Would you be able to sleep?" Christina asked weakly.

"Touché," he answered with a friendly smile, but he patted her hand. "Now, he's out of danger, so you should take better care of yourself."

Christina nodded. "How long will he have to stay here?"

"At least a week, but I think by next Saturday, he should be ready to come home, but let's take it one day at a time, OK? We have to see how he takes to the medication," The doctor smiled. "Most people in his case tend to make a relatively quick recovery, but I don't like to guess, I figure the best thing to do is to put it all in God's hands.

"OK," she nodded, relief evidently showing in her eyes.

Once the doctor had left, she turned around and could see that Andrew was walking towards her, the doctor had not seen the angel, but she could and she looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears of relief.

"Andrew, he's OK," she whispered.

The angel could see that his longtime friend was now starting to waver so he rushed over to her and put his arms around her to keep her from sinking to the floor. "I've got you."

"Just like always," she whispered.

"We have a lot to talk about, but you need rest right now," Andrew said firmly. "Once you see Jeremy, I'm going to take you back home and you're going to sleep. Promise?"

"I promise," she said softly.

"Good, come and sit down," he said softly.

Christina did as he said and once they sat down she looked at him. "Andrew?"

"You don't have to say anything right now, I know," he smiled gently and reached for her hand. "I could never be angry with you, and I know that you have been through so much these past few weeks. You've always been strong, Christina, a strong and confidant person. You walked with your head held high, but a few years ago, you started to lose a part yourself in all the guilt and the pain." He reached over and brushed his hand gently against her face. "I know that sometimes living isn't everything it's cracked up to be, but I have always seen you emanate so much strength. You tried to be like an angel to others but you have forgotten that you should also do so for you."

"I did the best I could," she said softly. "I was so scared. I didn't want to hurt you."

"I know, and God knows," Andrew smiled at her. "What hurt me wasn't anything you said, it was that which you didn't say. I was glad when Sam showed up, but I thought I had failed you somehow. I believed that I had not said the right words, or that I had done everything wrong. It was a strange feeling for me, I wanted to give you the message you needed to hear, but I was trying to be the angel and not the friend. I wanted to have all the answers, I wanted to set your anxiety to rest, but deep in my heart, I knew I couldn't, because the Father didn't give me the ability to. He was the only one who knew how this story was going to end. I didn't know at all…"

"Andrew, I…" Christina began, but his voice cut her off.

"What I wanted to tell you was that you're not alone, but I know that those words were not easy to hear, not the way you were feeling," Andrew shook his head slowly. "I realized that no matter what I say or do, it's never going to change what I am, an angel first, and everything else comes after that."

Christina nodded as he stopped speaking. "I always knew that, Andrew."

"I know you did, sometimes you knew it better than I did, that's why you were in so much pain during all of this. You wanted to share the closeness with someone, maybe that's why you had that dream."

"Did Sam tell you?"

"No, I knew about it because God told me about it," Andrew said softly.

"And He still let you stay?" Christina asked.

"He understands love, Christina, all kinds of love. All feelings that human beings have are borne in them out of God's love. He would never take an angel away from a person because of feelings. He gave you those feelings, and they are as real as you are. The love that is in you is so powerful, it's beautiful, and I'm going to tell you that, nothing in God's universe is impossible. It's improbable, but not impossible. One of mankind's favorite phrases is: With God all things are possible."

"Where does our friendship stand, Andrew?"

"Right where it's always been, special, and the gift that it is," he said gently. "Nothing will ever change that. Our friendship will change and grow, but I will always be connected to you, spiritually, and one day, when I take you Home, our friendship will merely continue to grow as it has over the years here on Earth."

"You're not going to disappear after this and not come back until…" She asked weakly, but her voice trailed off.

"No, I won't disappear from you life, Christina, you're my friend," Andrew said gently as he watched the tears continue to tumble down her cheeks. "You need to go up now and see Jeremy, he needs you, and your strength," He squeezed her hand gently, his eyes shining brightly.

"Will you come too?" She asked weakly.

Andrew shook his head. "No, it's now your time, my friend, to stand up and to face all of this, not with me beside you, but with God in this place. He loves you, Christina, and He wants to see you rise above all of this. He knows you can, and I know you can, so take it and make it everything you ever hoped it to be. When you come back down, I'll be waiting here for you so you can fulfill the promise you made to me earlier."

"My promise?"

"Uh, yes, you said I could take you home so you could get some sleep."

"OK, I'll be down in a few minutes then," she said softly, but before she left, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Andrew, for being a pillar of strength for me during all of this."

Andrew smiled gently. "You're welcome, my little angel." Once she left, he could feel the tears beginning to stream down his own cheeks. Next to him, Sam appeared.

"You did well," he said.

"Thank you for helping her, Sam," Andrew said softly.

"I only told her what she needed to hear, she did the rest," the elder angel said and disappeared leaving Andrew alone in the chapel.

*****

Christina came towards the door leading into the room where Jeremy was. She took a deep breath before she walked slowly into the room. She smiled when she saw that he was sitting up in the bed, and Tess was next to him. Upon hearing her coming in, the angel turned around and smiled at her.

"Hello there baby," Tess said and looked down at Jeremy. "Christina's here, and I'd best be going and leaving you two alone."

"Thank you, Tess," Jeremy's weak voice emerged but his eyes brightened considerably when he saw his wife was standing in the doorway. After a few seconds, she managed to make her way over to his bedside. "Hey, honey."

"Hi Jeremy," Christina could feel the tears now falling.

"No more tears, sweetheart, it's OK, Henry and I had a little misunderstanding, I told him that he could just ride off into the sunset without me," Jeremy cracked a smile, but when he saw his wife still had tears streaming from beneath her eyes, he reached a hand out towards her. "Shhh, it's OK, you're still going to have to put up with me a little while longer."

"I thought…" Christina's voice cracked and she looked at him.

"You thought this was it," he reached over and took her hand in his and squeezed it. "You know, I got to see that place that you told me about, the meadow and all the flowers. It was pretty nice, but there was something really important missing there, and that something made me want to come back."

"Something?"

"You," he smiled and when she looked down at him, she could see that he was having trouble breathing. He was trying to conceal it, but Christina could tell that it must have been painful for him to inhale.

"Jeremy, I love you."

"I know, and I love you too," he motioned with his finger for her to come closer. "Give me a little kiss before you go home and get some rest."

Christina leaned down and offered the requested kiss, but after it ended, Jeremy had a strange look on his face. "Next time I lay in a coma, you'd better remember to brush your teeth, your breath could kill a horse."

Despite the tears that streamed from beneath her eyes, she smiled and covered her lips with her hand. "I promise."

Jeremy smiled. "Good girl. Now go home and get some sleep. The twins, Monica and Gloria were here. Tess is, uh working here, so I'm in good hands. Is Andrew with you?"

"He's waiting in the chapel."

"OK, then I know you're in good hands," Jeremy smiled. "Now get outta here."

"I love you," Christina straightened out after she kissed his cheek once again. As she turned towards the door, Jeremy's voice broke into her thoughts.

"Oh, Christina? Is Erina OK?" Jeremy asked. "I mean; she didn't get shot or anything, did she?"

"She's OK," she said softly. "You saved her life, Jeremy. You're a hero now."

Jeremy smiled, "just like when you saved Robert."

Christina shrugged her shoulders. "I won't ever forget that day as long as I live."

Jeremy smiled. "Me neither, but I'll tell you this, this is a heck of a way to get vacation time. Bad food, lousy service and mattress that must be more than ten-years-old."

"I'd be careful if I were you, Tess is on duty and you may be getting a dosage of her attitude before the smoke clears," Christina smiled at her husband, but when she reached the doorway, she could see that Tess was now standing and looking at her with her hands on her hips.

"You married a pill," Tess said, but her eyes were dancing merrily.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Christina smiled weakly.

"OK, now you get home and get some rest, I have things under control here, and that pill in there is going to have to get some rest too."

Christina smiled and nodded and walked down the hall in the direction of the elevator.

*****

Jeremy was released from the hospital nearly a week later, his doctors insisting that he remain on sick leave for at least another month. On the day of his homecoming, the house was full. Sebastian and Laura had come back from Germany, Paula and Vincent were present, Robert, Loren and their two sons, as well as Donna and Daniel with Brendan Andrew, Rachel, Bryan, Adam Joshua, and the twins. The two policemen who had informed Christina of her husband's injuries were also present, as well as Erina and her Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Jessup.

Once Jeremy was inside and seated comfortably on the sofa, he was warmly welcomed home by his three adopted daughters, and his older sister.

After awhile, Erina hesitantly came over towards him, her shyness evidently showing, and she found the courage to sit down across from him, her head was down, and Jeremy could see that she was unable to accomplish the simple task of making eye contact with him.

"Hey there, kiddo, you've got really pretty eyes, you really should look at people more," Jeremy said softly trying to get her over her initial shyness.

Erina shrugged her shoulders. "Y-you…"

Jeremy reached out and took her hand. "I think before you say anything, you should know that I think you would have done the same thing I did."

"I don't know if I could have," she whispered.

"Come on, you tell me. Look me in the eyes and tell me truthfully. Wouldn't you have helped someone else in that way as well?" He smiled impishly at her. "It can be our little secret and you can ask Christina, I keep secrets really well."

Erina looked at him. "Mr. Lowery…"

"Halt, stop," Jeremy smiled gently at her. "You're a guest in my home and I must insist that you leave the formalities at the door. My name is Jeremy and, Erina, you have no reason to feel badly about what happened to me."

"You're very kind," she said softly.

"Come here, I'm going to tell you something," Jeremy said, his voice filled with mischief but he patted the cushion next to him and she came over and sat down beside him. Once she was seated, he put a gentle arm around her shoulders and leaned towards her. "There are angels here in this house, and I know they have told you that you have no reason to feel guilty or sad about what happened. It happened so that I could help someone else find what life is supposed to be about. Now you tell me if it worked."

Erina shook her head sadly. "I don't know, but why are you telling me this?"

"It's called being honest, and the honest truth is, God wouldn't want you to feel badly and He wouldn't want you to think that you should feel badly about my lot in life. But, if you want to help me out, why don't you see if you can come by sometime and read me a story while I'm laid up here?"

"Read you a story?" Erina looked at him as though he was kidding.

"Sure, I haven't heard 'Winnie the Pooh' in years," he smiled.

Erina laughed out loud. "You want me to come and read you 'Winnie the Pooh'."

"This is not a trick question," Jeremy smiled. "You know, Andrew told me a few things about you when I was in the hospital. Now don't go assuming that he's got a big mouth or anything, 'cause he doesn't, he just cares for people so much that he tries to bring them together. You see my twin girls over there, Denise and Dawn; they're about your age, maybe a little older? They have a lot in common with you, they've lost both parents, and they almost lost God. If it weren't for the angels, they would have lost Him completely and it was during a time when they needed Him the most. It's a strange world, but that's why God gives us friends. He gave you your aunt and uncle, and they're good people, they love you and they also came to see me. My hospital room probably should have revolving doors on it, because so many friends came to see me during this time, so many that I didn't even know I had." He smiled, but when he could see that she was now openly crying, he feared that he had said too much.

Reaching over, he pulled her up against him and he could feel the moistness of the tears as they fell from her eyes and landed on his shirt. "Shhh, it's OK," Jeremy cajoled her, his voice gentle. "We know that you've been through a lot these last few weeks, and we know that all the things that happened to you were hard, but we're here if you need us, and the angels, well, they're around sometime too. They seem to like our family, but more than that, they are like a part of our family."

Erina drew back from the embrace and looked at him. "Why did you come to the store that day?"

"Because those two bozos over there asked me to," Jeremy smiled impishly as he pointed to the two policemen who were at the refreshment table eating doughnuts. "They came into the precinct house that afternoon and told me that there was a witness to what happened but that she was afraid to leave because the suspect was still at large. They asked me if I would mind going to your uncle's shop and drawing a composite from there? I realized it was important for me to go there, as I have over the last 20 years talked to and interviewed hundreds of witnesses and I know how scary this kind of stuff can be. So, it was my choice as well as my obligation to come to you and I want you to know, I would never have asked you to come to the station when you were as afraid as you were."

"You wouldn't?"

"No, and I would have preferred myself to have been shot, than to see such a pretty girl as you, lose her life," he smiled as he brushed her hair out from in front of her eyes.

Erina nodded, and as she saw the kindness in Jeremy's eyes, she knew beyond any doubt that all the words Christina, Paula, and Andrew had said to her were now the truth. She leaned over and kissed Jeremy's cheek. "Thank you."

Jeremy smiled and nodded. "It was my pleasure."

*****

Christina was standing out on the terrace at that time, her eyes filled with gratitude as Laura and Sebastian came outside. "Mom?"

She turned around. "Laura, Sebastian, it's good that you two made it home."

Sebastian smiled weakly as he looked at Christina. "I have to ask you a question."

"A question, huh?" Christina asked.

"Mom, while we were in Germany, Sebastian asked me to marry him," Laura said, her eyes shining brightly. "I said yes, but I wanted to ask you first."

Christina shook her head. "Laura, you don't have to ask me, you have a heart, and you must follow it. You know that. But, I have to ask you where you two will live, in Germany or here?"

Sebastian smiled as he held up a small piece of paper. "I got my green-card today, and Laura and I decided that we would be living here in town. She said that she couldn't stand the thought of being so far away from her family. She needs you as much as we need each other."

Christina could feel the tears beginning to stream from beneath her eyes and instead of speaking she opened her arms to them and could feel them coming into her embrace. When she felt them holding her, she began to cry, this time her tears filled with joy. Thank you, Father, were the thoughts going through her mind and when she looked up from their embrace, she could see that Andrew had come outside and was walking over towards them.

Laura turned around and when she saw the angel, she literally tumbled from her mother's embrace into Andrew's arms. "Hallo lieber Andrew," she said softly, her German words emerging with a thick accent, but her eyes were shining brightly as she regarded him with all the love that she had for him.

"Hallo, Laura," Andrew said softly.

"Sebastian and I are getting married," she said and her eyes met his. She held up her hand where a gold band wound her left ring finger. "We exchanged rings in Germany with his grandma, and then when we get married, we will put the rings on our right hand, that's the tradition."

Andrew smiled. "Congratulations."

Laura looked at him. "Would you be able to come?"

"I don't know," he said softly. "Whenever it is, I'll do what I can to be there."

Laura smiled and she went over to Sebastian. "I think we should tell my dad."

Sebastian nodded and the young couple went back into the house.

Andrew remained on the terrace with her. "Christina?"

"My baby's getting married," she looked at him. "Where has the time gone? It seems like only yesterday that you were here and she was six-years-old and the thought of getting married was 'gross'."

Andrew smiled. "Yes, the time has gone by very quickly."

"Everything has changed, more and more people come into my life, and more and more people go out. It's times like this when I wish I had been better about staying in touch with Lindsey, or calling Brittany and seeing how she's doing. I think about those times when I could have been talking to Scott more, or visiting Bryan and his family. I guess people can't help but ask sometimes where I am and what I am doing."

"You mustn't feel badly that people come and go in your life, that is the way of things, and the friendships that are real, will outlast everything, even death," Andrew smiled at her. "You have been reminded during these past few days how fragile a friendship can be, but you've also remembered how beautiful and special it is. There is nothing wrong with looking back on those times."

"Do you remember when Laura was little and I asked you if I could just go back to that time in my life when everything was innocent and easy," Christina shook her head. "You showed it to me, and I cried and said, 'I'm sorry, forgive me'. You told me that there was no reason to forgive me, and you said those exact same words again at the hospital. But, Andrew, there is a reason that I have to apologize to you; I haven't been this wonderful friend to you. The truth is, I haven't been a very good friend to so many people. Yet, all these horrible things happened, and I realized how much I needed you. I needed my friends to be there, and I discovered that aside from God, the only friend I had, who was there with me when Jeremy was in a coma, was you. Then, I tried to push you away, and I started to ask myself, how many other friends have I pushed away because I thought I was so strong that I could handle this and go it alone?" She shook her head. "After Sam came and talked to me, I realized so much about how I had been acting, and since Patrick died, a part of me had died along with him. But then Simon died, and I thought Jeremy would be next, and that I would lose everyone I loved one by one. Oh God, it scared me so much that I thought I was losing my mind."

Andrew wrapped his arms around her and held her. "I know."

"You told me that in the hospital, and I wanted to believe every word, I wanted to believe that God didn't abandon me that you were there that I wasn't just cracking up. I wanted to feel like I was special because lately I haven't felt very special at all. My whole life has been revolving around Jeremy, or the twins or Laura or someone else, but I haven't been able to even think about myself or accept the fact that Patrick is gone. Things have happened so fast that I thought I had to take control of it somehow, but it wasn't happening. Then Simon died…and Jeremy came so close…" As she spoke, the tears of despondency flowed from beneath her eyes and Andrew held her tightly in his arms.

"When all this happened, I remember asking the Father to help me find the right words to say that would make things easier for you, and He said 'Andrew, just be her friend'. I wanted to take the pain away and I wanted to help you find that which you had lost. Yet, I knew that I couldn't, and it pained me to see you so sad, so heartbroken over what had happened," Andrew whispered gently, his hand brushing through her hair.

"You did more than anyone else could have," Christina said softly, her voice cracking. "I put you under so much pressure and I'm so sorry, Andrew." She looked at him, but when he did not speak further, she closed her eyes for a moment wondering what he was thinking. Finally, after a few moments of silence, she opened her eyes again. "Please, Andrew, I beg you to forgive me. I think I honestly would understand if you didn't want to see me again or didn't want to be my friend any more."

"But, I do care, Christina," he smiled gently at her. "You know that I will always be your friend, and whenever you need me, you know that I'd do whatever I can to be there for you."

"You have, Andrew, you have in so many ways. I love you," Christina said softly and when she felt his arms tighten around her, she knew that she had said the right words to him.

Andrew smiled as he held her in his arms; now the Angel of Death knew that his friend was going to be just fine. The Father had worked yet another miracle in all of their lives and for this, he was eternally grateful.

As he held his friend in his arms, he smiled weakly.

The End

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