When September Ends

4. Worried

August 22nd

Skyla opened her eyes the next morning to the sun shining in the window. She could hear the birds chirping loudly in the trees. She stretched as far as she could and yawned. She had slept well the previous night despite her obvious hatred for the place. Their beds were comfy. She had to give them props for a fluffy mattress. Skyla picked up the remote and turned on the television. She was sure she could find something to watch. She couldn't wait for her mother and Isabella to arrive. Tim had to work early all the time lately, so she didn't figure he'd get to see her. She turned to look at the door and gasped, her hands flying over her mouth.

There in the chair to her left was Michael. He was sleeping soundly, and from the looks of it, he'd been there all night long. Skyla slowly got out of bed and walked over to him. She didn't have anything but socks on so the noise wouldn't be a problem. She laid her hand on his shoulder and shook him gently. Her touch jolted him awake. His eyes flew open immediately.

"I didn't mean to scare you," Skyla whispered. "Did you stay here all night?"

Michael sat up right away. He hadn't meant for her to see him. He had planned to watch over her throughout the night and then slip out early this morning. Michael hadn't realized how tired he was. Was it even normal for angels to get tired?

"Yeah," he revealed. "I felt guilty about leaving you alone. I made my way back in here about midnight after everybody was off the floor for a few minutes."

Skyla smiled. "You're so sweet."

Michael gave her a lop-sided smile. "Why are you whispering?"

"I don't know," Skyla said in a normal tone. "I guess just because it's early." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's just a little after seven."

"I should probably go," Michael said suddenly. "I don't want your mom to freak out or anything."

"I'm surprised the nurses didn't wake you coming in all hours of the night," Skyla told him. "They were driving me nuts."

Michael frowned. "How so?"

"They kept waking me up to see if I was sleeping okay."

Michael laughed. Skyla slapped him playfully. "It isn't funny."

"You have to admit it was a little funny," he teased her.

"Haha," she said crossing her arms.

"You better get back into bed," he warned her. "You'll get a chill."

Skyla didn't protest. She walked back over to her bed and plopped down carefully. After all, the whole back was out of her gown. She didn't even think about it when she checked on Michael. She covered herself up, her cheeks growing hot. She looked over at Michael and started giggling. He had closed his eyes. The perfect gentleman.

"You can open your eyes now," Skyla announced.

He opened his eyes and she was staring at him strangely. He shrugged his shoulders. "What?"

She smiled. "There's something different about you. If you had been half the boys at our school they would have fallen out of their chairs trying to see my backside, but you just closed your eyes and waited."

"It's what a gentleman does," Michael told her. He was taught girls were precious and needed to be treated with respect.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The door to her room opened abruptly, and in walked Pauline and Isabella. Pauline noticed Michael right away. She smiled at him. "You're up early."