Raguel was seated in the living room, wondering where Michael went. He wanted to have a discussion with Michael but when he went outside the house, he could not find him. He kept his fingers linked together and waited patiently for Michael to return.
He glanced where his daughter was seated. He could see how worn out she looked. He missed his daughter's smile and he wished there was something he could do to bring back her smile. He could only hope that the superior Angels would revive Grey. He shook his head and averted his eyes from her.
Raguel suddenly heard a loud crash that caught his attention and that of the entire family. He stood up immediately and rushed to where the sound came from. He was surprised to see Michael on the ground. He quickly rushed to his side.
Raguel scanned Michael's body with a deep frown on his face. "What happened to you? Where are you coming from? Who did this to you?" He blurted all at once.
"Raguel, now is not the time for all these questions," Raphael quickly intervened. "Let me heal him first."
Raguel stepped aside and allowed Raphael to heal him. When the bruises were completely healed on Michael's body, Raguel helped him up and led him to the couch. Michael rested his head on Raguel's shoulder with his eyes closed.
"Where did you go?" Raguel questioned softly.
Michael opened his eyes and smiled warmly at him. "I have news for you."
Raguel gave him a confused frown. "I don't think I will like this news of yours. You should have seen the way you looked a few minutes ago."
Michael shook his head. "Don't be too sure, Raguel." Michael was finding it difficult to keep his eyes open. Though his wounds were healed, he still needed to rest.
"Go upstairs and rest Michael. We will talk later."
Michael was about to protest but Raguel shook his head at him. "I do want to know what happened to you but right now you need to rest."
Michael nodded his head and Raguel led him upstairs. He left the room after Michael drifted off. When he went downstairs, he saw Elena staring into space. A sigh escaped his lips as he made his way to where she was seated. He wrapped his arm around her and sat down.
"I'm tired of not being able to do anything to save our daughter and Grey," Elena whispered painfully. "I can't lose my daughter, Raguel."
"We are not going to lose our daughter. Everything will be fine."
"I don't know what to believe anymore. I'm so scared." Tears jogged down her face as she hugged her husband tightly.
Raguel sighed softly. He wanted things to go back to the way it was before. He held onto his wife and whispered soothing things in her ears.
An hour later, Raguel heard footsteps. He glanced at the stairs and saw Michael walking down the stairs with a smile on his face.
"How are you feeling?" Raguel asked.
"Great." Michael sat down and cleared his throat. He was feeling very energetic after taking a rest. "I'm just going to tell you where I went earlier on. I went to Heaven to see the superior Angels."
Raguel frowned at him. "Why would you do that? You are not an elder Angel. I guess the injuries you sustained were a result of you entering there without authorization."
"Yes, but it turned out well," Michael smiled at him. "Grey is going to regain consciousness," he announced with a smile playing on his lips.
"What?" Elena sat up straight and stared at Michael with wide eyes. "Are you serious?"
"Yes, I am." Michael glanced at Raguel who was still quiet.
Raguel stood up immediately and pulled Michael along with him outside. "What did you do to convince the superior Angels?"
"I just talked to them. That's all."
Raguel stared at him. "Are you sure?"
"Well, I was asked to be a Guardian Angel to humans."
"Why did they ask that from you? Is it an exchange for Grey to be well again?"
"No, Raguel, it's just another job I will do on Earth."
Raguel quickly pulled Michael into a hug. "Thank you. I appreciate what you did."
Michael smiled and patted Raguel's back gently. He lied when he said it was just a job. It was more than a job. It was partly an exchange for Grey's life and another thing.
Flashback
"Do you know why you are assigned to be a Guardian Angel to humans'?" one of the superior angels asked him.
"For humans' safety," Michael answered softly.
"That's part of it but that's not all. It's an exchange for Grey's life and for the abominable act you committed against Heaven. You need to start paying for your wrong-doings by doing good."
"But I have been punished by Heaven. I have been deprived of one thing every Angel desires to have," Michael whispered softly. He didn't want to think about what he had lost out of his carelessness. He felt tears threatening to spill from his eyes. He blinked them away and waited for the Angels to continue.
"We know you have been punished Michael. But this is what you have to do. It's all for the best."
Michael nodded his head and watched the superior Angels leave.
End of flashback
Michael pulled back from the hug and smiled at Raguel. He was glad he found a friend in him. He didn't want Raguel to feel indebted to him. "I'm happy you have a smile on your face."
"Let's go inside," Raguel grinned widely at him as he led the way to the house.
***
Ariel was seated in her bedroom, staring outside the window. She felt so weak. Tears formed in her eyes as she glanced at her soulmate. She traced her fingers down to his hands and kissed him. She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes.
"Ariel."
Her eyes snapped open at the sound of Grey's voice. She looked at Grey who was staring at her with a smile on his face.
"Grey," she whispered with tears spilling from her eyes. She hugged him tightly. "I'm so happy you are awake. You scared me."
"I'm sorry," he whispered as he pulled back from the hug. He started at his soulmate. "It's good to see you."
Ariel immediately captured his lips with hers. Their kiss was sweet and gentle. Grey wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Tears rolled freely from their eyes as they continued to taste the sweetness of their mouth. Words can't describe how happy and relieved they both felt. They poured their words into the kiss. Their bodies pressed together as they slowed down the kiss.
"I love you," Ariel whispered against his lips.
"I love you too."
He is finally up! This story is gradually coming to an end.