This is the sequel to "Death Is My Friend".
Once again Leigh has stepped in and done the beta reading. You are doing a great job for us Leigh.
Disclaimer: I don't own the angels Tess, Monica and Andrew. They all belongs
to Martha Williamson.
Death is my Friend part 2.
It had been ten years since Nancy first saw her friend Andrew and had begun working at the hospice. Every day Nancy thanked God for her blessings and she walked with light steps to work. True, there were people that she never got through to, but most of them responded very well to what she had to say. Every now and then Andrew turned up at her doorstep and they had dinner together. Sometimes some of his angel friends joined them for dinner. That had all stared a few years back when one of the patients had been a very troubled young woman. Her family had also had problems, taking their relative's sickness very hard. The problems for the family had been so great, that God had sent reinforcement in the form of two angels.
By then she knew Andrew so well, that it didn't take her long to sense that 'something special' in the two new women on the hospice. If she had been asked, she would not have been able to define what it was. She just knew that there was something special with angels. She had asked Andrew if they were angels and he had, smiling, confirmed her assumption.
After their assignment had been completed they had all had dinner together. Ever since then they tried to have at least one dinner together every year. For Nancy, these get togethers were very precious. Ever since her father had died when she was still in her teens she had been alone. These dinners with the angels reminded her that she still had a family - God's family. Now it was time for yet another of these dinners. Andrew and Tess were in the Kitchen when she came home from work. Delicious smells met her in the hallway as she opened her door. Monica had laid the table for five so Nancy made the deduction that Adam was to come later. Nancy and the angels knew each other so well by now that they hardly ever bother to come by the front door. So it was no surprise to Nancy to see Adam sitting in the couch when she returned to the living room after having said 'hello' to Tess and Andrew in the kitchen. An unspoken rule said that they did not talk shop during these dinners, nor did Nancy ask them any specific 'angel' questions. She didn't need to. She saw what she saw and some things she just knew in her heart without having to ask about it.
The dinner was fun. Tess and Adam kept on telling the others stories about Medieval Europe and of famous people through history that they had met. This was also a conversation to which Monica and Andrew could contribute. Nancy just sat and absorbed it all. Her head spun with all the fantastic things her friends were talking about. The time, as always, flew and soon everyone was helping with cleaning and dishwashing. Tired but happy, Nancy went to bed.
As Nancy woke up the next morning, she could feel that it had been really late last night when she finally got into her bed. But that was okay. The evenings with the angels were too wonderful for any regrets. After a short breakfast, she got ready to leave for her job. It was summer and Nancy decided to walk to the hospice. It was a warm day and she had plenty of time left so it would be wonderful to get some fresh air instead to sit in a stuffy bus.
It wasn't very far to the hospice and on her way, she passed a kindergarten. The kids were playing outside. They run around, tried to catch each other or played with their toys. Nancy stopped a moment and watched the kids. She wished she could have some of her own, but the doctors told her few years ago, that she could never have children. As she watched the kids, she remembered the day when she got that news. It was also one of the days when the angels showed up for dinner. They never told her if God had sent them or if it was just a coincidence. But deep in her heart, she knew that God knew that she could need some friends that evening. She remembered how Tess took her in a loving embrace and let her cry the whole evening and how she told her that she shouldn't be sad about this. She didn't knew WHY Nancy couldn't get kids of her own, but she reminded her that God has a plan and that she should trust Him and how much He loved her.
Nancy dropped that train of thought as she felt a familiar presence behind her. As she turned around, she saw that Andrew stood there. He wore his beige suit and had a glowing light around him. Nancy knew that she was the only one who saw him and so she made sure that nobody was around them. The look on Andrew's face told her that something terrible was going to happen. "Andrew?! What are you doing here?" And with a look behind her she added, "Oh no! Don't tell me you are here because of the children!"
The angel had tears in his eyes. Nancy knew that it wasn't always easy for her friend to do his job. She had often seen him sad when he came for one of his patients, but she had NEVER seen him like this.
"I ... I don't know for sure, at least yet. I ... I only know that I should be here and wait." And with a meaningful glance to the kindergarten, he said "But it seems like I'm here for one of the wee ones."
Nancy got a queasy feeling in her stomach. It was one thing to see her friend coming to take one of her patients home, but in this case ... What should she do? Andrew wasn't sure about why he was sent here, even if he had been sure, she couldn't just walk into the kindergarten and tell the people there that she met the Angel of Death outside and he said that he was there for one of the kids! She would get tossed outside faster than she had gotten inside.
The screeching of tires and the wailing of sirens made her look up. It seemed that a car chase was heading this way. She glanced at Andrew, was her suspicions correct? He nodded. "Yes Nancy this is probably how it will happen."
At that moment a ball bounced into the street and Nancy and Andrew could hear a shrill child's voice piping "I'll get it!"
The little boy ran straight out into the street, right in front of the speeding car. Nancy's feet reacted before her brain could and, before she knew it herself she was right in the middle of the street pushing the boy away from the car. She felt the car hit her, but she felt no pain, not even when she hit the ground and everything went black.
She heard someone call her name. Slowly she came back to consciousness. She saw Andrew's worried expression and she remembered what had happened. "The boy Š is he alright?"
"Shh, don't talk, Nancy. The boy is just fine. He's had a good scare, but he's alright." Andrew's voice was full of concern.
"I'm dying ain't I?" Nancy could feel the pain now, intense, ever present.
"Yes, Nancy, you are and you know there is nothing to be afraid of." Andrew smiled and caressed her cheek ever so gently.
At that moment Nancy could hear people talking to her and touching her. She felt herself being lifted up on a gurney and into an ambulance. Somewhere she heard a familiar voice say "Nancy." All this didn't bother her at all. All her concentration was directed towards Andrew.
It was Andrew that reminded her who's voice it was by saying: "Nancy, Roger is here, and he needs your help to understand that death is nothing to fear."
Nancy turned her head and saw Roger sitting by her side with tears in his eyes. "Hey, Roger," she said with a faint smile. "Everything is okay. Don't be afraid of death, Roger. God is with every dying person. He sends His angels to be with us." She felt her strength falter and she saw the anxiety in Roger's eyes. She also felt Andrew's steadying hand on her shoulder.
"How can there be a God with all these bad things happening. Nancy, how can God allow you to die like that?" Roger was hurting and without knowing why, he just blurted out the things he had on his mind.
"God didn't kill me Roger, and you know that. Carelessness did. This was an accident, like so many accidents that you've seen, Roger. God loves His children and, yes, that means you too. He weeps when His children are hurt. Believe me when I say that no one dies alone, and that death is nothing to be afraid of." Nancy now was so tired that the last words came out as a whisper.
She turned her eyes to Andrew who nodded. "Yes Nancy, it's time."
A little tear appeared in Nancy eyes. It wasn't that she was afraid of death, but there was still so much on earth that she wanted to do. "I ... I always knew that there would come a day when you would come for me, but ... I just never expect that it would happen so soon," she whispered weakly.
Andrew wiped her tear away. "I didn't expect this either. But you know that something beautiful is waiting for you right now and it's time to meet Someone," he said gently.
Nancy choked, "Do ... do you know what I will miss most?"
Andrew shook his head, "No. What?"
"Our dinners."
Andrew laughed, "What makes you think that there won't be any dinners anymore? Nancy, I'll tell you a secret: I can cook so much better in heaven than on earth," he told her with a blink. "I promise you, there will be plenty more of them ... for all eternity." Andrew waited a moment and watched Nancy smiling at him, before he asked softly, "Are you ready to come with me?"
Nancy nodded and closed her eyes as Andrew took her hand in his and gently stroked her hair.
Roger watched the whole scene. He didn't see to whom Nancy was talking and this scared him more then anything else. Didn't she talk about an angel? For the first time in ages, Roger started to pray, "God? If you really exist, then ... please, tell me that Nancy is right about the angel. Tell me that she has really one at her side." As Roger opened his eyes, he could now see a blond man in a beige suit who knelt at Nancy's side. He held Nancy's hand, stroke her hair and talked soothingly to her. Roger could see a bright light that surrounded the man who looked now at him.
"Don't be afraid, Roger. Nancy is going to a beautiful place, I promise you. She will be happy there, and one day ... one day you both will see each other again," the man said gently. At that moment, the heart monitor started to give a constant tone.
Roger looked shocked at Nancy and called her name. As he looked back to the place where he had seen the blond guy and wanted to tell him that he should let her stay here on earth, but he was gone and so was Nancy.
Nancy stood, unseen to human eyes, next to Roger. She knew that he couldn't see her, but she still wanted to tell him something. "Roger, I don't want to go before I have thanked you. Thank you for your friendship and your understanding."
Nancy felt Andrew's hand on her shoulder. She smiled at him as she turned around. "Let's go. There is Someone waiting for you," the angel said with a bright smile as he put his arm around her shoulder.
Nancy nodded. It was a strange feeling to think that she would meet God soon.
"Did you mean it earnest ... when you told me that there will still be our dinners?"
"Nancy, I would NEVER promise someone, neither living nor dying person, something I didn't mean," Andrew answered as he led Nancy into the light. He started to chuckle as he listened to a voice, that only he could hear. "And ... we will start with a 'Welcome Home - Dinner'. How does this sound to you?"
Nancy laughed, "That sounds wonderful!"
With this, both disappeared into the light.
The End
Once again Leigh has stepped in and done the beta reading. You are doing a great job for us Leigh.
Disclaimer: I don't own the angels Tess, Monica and Andrew. They all belongs
to Martha Williamson.
Death is my Friend part 2.
It had been ten years since Nancy first saw her friend Andrew and had begun working at the hospice. Every day Nancy thanked God for her blessings and she walked with light steps to work. True, there were people that she never got through to, but most of them responded very well to what she had to say. Every now and then Andrew turned up at her doorstep and they had dinner together. Sometimes some of his angel friends joined them for dinner. That had all stared a few years back when one of the patients had been a very troubled young woman. Her family had also had problems, taking their relative's sickness very hard. The problems for the family had been so great, that God had sent reinforcement in the form of two angels.
By then she knew Andrew so well, that it didn't take her long to sense that 'something special' in the two new women on the hospice. If she had been asked, she would not have been able to define what it was. She just knew that there was something special with angels. She had asked Andrew if they were angels and he had, smiling, confirmed her assumption.
After their assignment had been completed they had all had dinner together. Ever since then they tried to have at least one dinner together every year. For Nancy, these get togethers were very precious. Ever since her father had died when she was still in her teens she had been alone. These dinners with the angels reminded her that she still had a family - God's family. Now it was time for yet another of these dinners. Andrew and Tess were in the Kitchen when she came home from work. Delicious smells met her in the hallway as she opened her door. Monica had laid the table for five so Nancy made the deduction that Adam was to come later. Nancy and the angels knew each other so well by now that they hardly ever bother to come by the front door. So it was no surprise to Nancy to see Adam sitting in the couch when she returned to the living room after having said 'hello' to Tess and Andrew in the kitchen. An unspoken rule said that they did not talk shop during these dinners, nor did Nancy ask them any specific 'angel' questions. She didn't need to. She saw what she saw and some things she just knew in her heart without having to ask about it.
The dinner was fun. Tess and Adam kept on telling the others stories about Medieval Europe and of famous people through history that they had met. This was also a conversation to which Monica and Andrew could contribute. Nancy just sat and absorbed it all. Her head spun with all the fantastic things her friends were talking about. The time, as always, flew and soon everyone was helping with cleaning and dishwashing. Tired but happy, Nancy went to bed.
As Nancy woke up the next morning, she could feel that it had been really late last night when she finally got into her bed. But that was okay. The evenings with the angels were too wonderful for any regrets. After a short breakfast, she got ready to leave for her job. It was summer and Nancy decided to walk to the hospice. It was a warm day and she had plenty of time left so it would be wonderful to get some fresh air instead to sit in a stuffy bus.
It wasn't very far to the hospice and on her way, she passed a kindergarten. The kids were playing outside. They run around, tried to catch each other or played with their toys. Nancy stopped a moment and watched the kids. She wished she could have some of her own, but the doctors told her few years ago, that she could never have children. As she watched the kids, she remembered the day when she got that news. It was also one of the days when the angels showed up for dinner. They never told her if God had sent them or if it was just a coincidence. But deep in her heart, she knew that God knew that she could need some friends that evening. She remembered how Tess took her in a loving embrace and let her cry the whole evening and how she told her that she shouldn't be sad about this. She didn't knew WHY Nancy couldn't get kids of her own, but she reminded her that God has a plan and that she should trust Him and how much He loved her.
Nancy dropped that train of thought as she felt a familiar presence behind her. As she turned around, she saw that Andrew stood there. He wore his beige suit and had a glowing light around him. Nancy knew that she was the only one who saw him and so she made sure that nobody was around them. The look on Andrew's face told her that something terrible was going to happen. "Andrew?! What are you doing here?" And with a look behind her she added, "Oh no! Don't tell me you are here because of the children!"
The angel had tears in his eyes. Nancy knew that it wasn't always easy for her friend to do his job. She had often seen him sad when he came for one of his patients, but she had NEVER seen him like this.
"I ... I don't know for sure, at least yet. I ... I only know that I should be here and wait." And with a meaningful glance to the kindergarten, he said "But it seems like I'm here for one of the wee ones."
Nancy got a queasy feeling in her stomach. It was one thing to see her friend coming to take one of her patients home, but in this case ... What should she do? Andrew wasn't sure about why he was sent here, even if he had been sure, she couldn't just walk into the kindergarten and tell the people there that she met the Angel of Death outside and he said that he was there for one of the kids! She would get tossed outside faster than she had gotten inside.
The screeching of tires and the wailing of sirens made her look up. It seemed that a car chase was heading this way. She glanced at Andrew, was her suspicions correct? He nodded. "Yes Nancy this is probably how it will happen."
At that moment a ball bounced into the street and Nancy and Andrew could hear a shrill child's voice piping "I'll get it!"
The little boy ran straight out into the street, right in front of the speeding car. Nancy's feet reacted before her brain could and, before she knew it herself she was right in the middle of the street pushing the boy away from the car. She felt the car hit her, but she felt no pain, not even when she hit the ground and everything went black.
She heard someone call her name. Slowly she came back to consciousness. She saw Andrew's worried expression and she remembered what had happened. "The boy Š is he alright?"
"Shh, don't talk, Nancy. The boy is just fine. He's had a good scare, but he's alright." Andrew's voice was full of concern.
"I'm dying ain't I?" Nancy could feel the pain now, intense, ever present.
"Yes, Nancy, you are and you know there is nothing to be afraid of." Andrew smiled and caressed her cheek ever so gently.
At that moment Nancy could hear people talking to her and touching her. She felt herself being lifted up on a gurney and into an ambulance. Somewhere she heard a familiar voice say "Nancy." All this didn't bother her at all. All her concentration was directed towards Andrew.
It was Andrew that reminded her who's voice it was by saying: "Nancy, Roger is here, and he needs your help to understand that death is nothing to fear."
Nancy turned her head and saw Roger sitting by her side with tears in his eyes. "Hey, Roger," she said with a faint smile. "Everything is okay. Don't be afraid of death, Roger. God is with every dying person. He sends His angels to be with us." She felt her strength falter and she saw the anxiety in Roger's eyes. She also felt Andrew's steadying hand on her shoulder.
"How can there be a God with all these bad things happening. Nancy, how can God allow you to die like that?" Roger was hurting and without knowing why, he just blurted out the things he had on his mind.
"God didn't kill me Roger, and you know that. Carelessness did. This was an accident, like so many accidents that you've seen, Roger. God loves His children and, yes, that means you too. He weeps when His children are hurt. Believe me when I say that no one dies alone, and that death is nothing to be afraid of." Nancy now was so tired that the last words came out as a whisper.
She turned her eyes to Andrew who nodded. "Yes Nancy, it's time."
A little tear appeared in Nancy eyes. It wasn't that she was afraid of death, but there was still so much on earth that she wanted to do. "I ... I always knew that there would come a day when you would come for me, but ... I just never expect that it would happen so soon," she whispered weakly.
Andrew wiped her tear away. "I didn't expect this either. But you know that something beautiful is waiting for you right now and it's time to meet Someone," he said gently.
Nancy choked, "Do ... do you know what I will miss most?"
Andrew shook his head, "No. What?"
"Our dinners."
Andrew laughed, "What makes you think that there won't be any dinners anymore? Nancy, I'll tell you a secret: I can cook so much better in heaven than on earth," he told her with a blink. "I promise you, there will be plenty more of them ... for all eternity." Andrew waited a moment and watched Nancy smiling at him, before he asked softly, "Are you ready to come with me?"
Nancy nodded and closed her eyes as Andrew took her hand in his and gently stroked her hair.
Roger watched the whole scene. He didn't see to whom Nancy was talking and this scared him more then anything else. Didn't she talk about an angel? For the first time in ages, Roger started to pray, "God? If you really exist, then ... please, tell me that Nancy is right about the angel. Tell me that she has really one at her side." As Roger opened his eyes, he could now see a blond man in a beige suit who knelt at Nancy's side. He held Nancy's hand, stroke her hair and talked soothingly to her. Roger could see a bright light that surrounded the man who looked now at him.
"Don't be afraid, Roger. Nancy is going to a beautiful place, I promise you. She will be happy there, and one day ... one day you both will see each other again," the man said gently. At that moment, the heart monitor started to give a constant tone.
Roger looked shocked at Nancy and called her name. As he looked back to the place where he had seen the blond guy and wanted to tell him that he should let her stay here on earth, but he was gone and so was Nancy.
Nancy stood, unseen to human eyes, next to Roger. She knew that he couldn't see her, but she still wanted to tell him something. "Roger, I don't want to go before I have thanked you. Thank you for your friendship and your understanding."
Nancy felt Andrew's hand on her shoulder. She smiled at him as she turned around. "Let's go. There is Someone waiting for you," the angel said with a bright smile as he put his arm around her shoulder.
Nancy nodded. It was a strange feeling to think that she would meet God soon.
"Did you mean it earnest ... when you told me that there will still be our dinners?"
"Nancy, I would NEVER promise someone, neither living nor dying person, something I didn't mean," Andrew answered as he led Nancy into the light. He started to chuckle as he listened to a voice, that only he could hear. "And ... we will start with a 'Welcome Home - Dinner'. How does this sound to you?"
Nancy laughed, "That sounds wonderful!"
With this, both disappeared into the light.
The End
