Gone with an Angel

Chapter Ten:

White, bright, shining, radiant white light. So overwhelming that it was the first thing I noticed. My eyelids were covered in crust, showing evidence of a deep sleep. Somewhere in the distance a rhythmic beeping sounded. I recognized this as a hospital monitor, and the white brightness was the hospital room. Why was I in a hospital room?

I wiped the crust from my eyes and bolted up from the hospital bed, when I heard a voice coming from my right.

"Shhh, Kris, calm down." Sure enough, James was lounging in an identically ugly mint green chair to the one I sat in when watching over Shaylee.

"Calm down?! Why am I here, James? What happened? Weren't we supposed to be going to get my things from my dad's house?" I demanded at James.

"Kris! Really, everything's okay. I don't really want to explain it all right here, right now. We already went. Don't you remember?" He was looking at me like I was insane. I wouldn't have been surprised if I was.

"Why don't you want to tell me right here? Right now? It is pretty important to know. Everything doesn't feel okay; I don't even know what's going on!" I was on the brink of yelling and throwing a fit, when a nurse walked in and saved me from it. At the immediate sight of her I paused my rant. I settled back into the hospital bed pillows and pretended like I hadn't just almost had a break down.

"Hey, Kristina! How are you feeling?" An all too happy nurse said a bit too enthusiastically, while I winced at the use of my real name.

"Fine...Hey, uh, why am I here? Some people won't tell me anything." I said as I shot a sidelong glance toward James, whose eyes were trained down on the shiny linoleum floor.

The nurse held up a clear plastic clip-board and glanced down at the sheets of paper stacked there. "Shock, it seems. Temporary short term memory loss. You have few surface injuries, just minor cuts and bruises that we've simply cleaned up and made sure it doesn't get infected. You should be out of here very soon, we're basically just keeping you to make sure you're emotionally and mentally stable. You're lucky this guy was here." She said as she tilted her head towards James, who turned the slightest shade of scarlet, and walked out of the room door.

Before I could even begin to continue firing more questions at James, it all came flooding back to me in short little flash backs. Walking inside the house, James sitting by the door, packing my belongings away, my father's face in the doorway, the knife, his drunken slur, him coming towards me, and then...the sudden comfort? The last thing I remembered was being enveloped in what felt like someone's arms.

What? There was no time to call the cops. No time for anyone to have saved me. I screamed too late.

My brow knitted in confusion, and I stared at James, who simply raised his eyebrows back at me. I knew if I tried and asked more here, he just wouldn't answer me. So I lay back and waited until a tall man with graying hair walked in the room.

"Kristina!" His voice boomed. "You're free to go home, all is okay! I'll see you..." he trailed off, probably because he realized people didn't just pay regular visits to the hospital…unless you have a comatose sister. "...next time." he finished awkwardly and hurriedly rushed out of the door.

As soon as the door slammed shut, I jumped out of bed, grabbed James' hands, and pulled him to his feet and out of the door. "Now it's your turn for an explanation." I said as I pulled him through the parking lot towards the bus stop. "Pick where you want to talk, I don't care." I finished as we fall into two bus seats close to the front.

We didn't stop until we got to our house. "What about Ty?" I questioned.

"Ty knows," is the short explanation he gave me.

Knows what?

When we entered the house, I plopped down on the couch and made myself comfortable, as he lingered kind of awkwardly in the door way. "So..." I started.

He removed himself from the doorway and walked into the kitchen, pulling out snacks to eat and then started talking, jumping right into it. "Those arms you felt were mine. The cops came because I called them right as we left the house and I warned them just in case to go ahead and come. It must not have been on high priority though, because I realized it was already too late. I didn't see your father wake up, but I guess when he was in your room I just sensed something was wrong. So, I came to your rescue. Ty knows because he's just...aware."

"So, you're like superman." I ventured, with a hint of a smile in my voice. How could possibly anyone normal be able to do all of that?

"More like an angel,” he said. His voice held no humor, just flat monotone. With no smile at all, and eyes that seemed to bear into my skin.

“Right…” I said, unsure of what was going on right now. All I really wanted to know was how he actually did that. The fact that he was an angel? Straight up bull. That was all I thought, how could any of that be possible? What, he just popped into my room without me noticing and saved the day? I was glaring at him with the "you-must-think-I'm-stupid look" while he stared sternly back at me and I felt like maybe, possibly, somehow, he was telling the truth.

"An angel..." I repeated.

He rushed on nervously. "Not like an angel as in God's and Heaven and harps and wings and things. Nothing like that. It's just...something you're born with. And you just know. Angel's usually get placed in homes or families where something is wrong, or something will go wrong. And/ or around a person who needs help. We don't know what exactly we're here for, but we figure it out as we go along. All I know so far, is I was here for Ty. Our parents left, and when they did I started to piece things together. Also, when Ty was diagnosed with autism. Then later on, when I met you. When I first saw you in the DMV, there was this odd connection. I figured you might have something to do with it, and turns out I was right. That's why I was so calm when you told me about your sister being in a coma. The puzzle pieces fell even more into place when you tumbled into my house running from your father. Angels can only do certain things, at certain times. And we don't always know until it happens. We're guardian angels, if it helps you think of it."

I slowly blinked my eyes at him, and our eyes remained locked. He was telling the truth. I just felt it, knew it, and believed it. Still, that was a lot of information to gain in under five minutes.

Still sensing some of my disbelief he turned towards me with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face as he whispered, "want me to prove it?"