AN ANGELL WITHOUT WINGS.

NOTE: I DO NOT OWN CSI:NY, OR CSI: MIAMI. CBS HAS THAT HONOR.

It was just a normal day for Timothy Speedle, up in the sky, with his brothers and sisters who had died in the line of duty, like he had himself. After that incident, he had met the Lord, who had moved him to a special section made up of only officers who had died like him. He ad been given the task of watching over certain individuals on Earth, ones that could possibly join him in his division. He answered directly to the Lord, who gave him his assignments. Currently, Speed was watching Detective Jessica Angell, in a diner, escorting a person set to appear in court and testify. The officer was currently on the phone until a semi truck came through the front window and two men jumped out, guns in hand.

"Hey, Boss!"

"Yeah, Speed?"

"This NYPD cop I'm watching, is it her time to go?"

"Who, Angell? No. Why?"

"Cause she's in the middle of a shootout in a diner over some witness, and she's about to get shot."

"Well, make sure she lives to see tomorrow."

"You got it, Boss!' With that, Speed fades from his division in Heaven and lands in the diner in front of Det. Angell. The gunmen are taken aback by the sudden appearance of a person in a bullet-proof vest, but they keep their heavy rate of fire up long enough for their comrades to grab the witness. Speed lets off rounds to cover Angell, but she receives the wound to the shoulder. He makes a move and jumps in front of a second round aimed for her midsection. The round strikes his vest and knocks Speed to the ground. However, the gunamn is not so lucky. He gets two rounds in the chest, plus a round in the leg.

Speed yells over his shoulder, "You okay back there Det.?"

"I'm hit! I could use some help over here!"

Speed scrambles back to her position to get a look at her wound. "Well, it could certainly be worse. You just took one to the shoulder." As he speaks a second gunman fires two rounds, striking both officers.; Det. Angell's is far more serious. Speed fires at the retreating coward, then looks at Jessica's second wound. The bullet struck her in the lower chest, just above the abdomen. She is losing blood rapidly. Speed gets to work on keeping Jessica Angell on earth, making sure that this Angell does not earn her wings today. As he works, Det. Don Flack runs into the diner.

"Hey, who the hell are you and what are you doing to Jess?"

"If I'm sucessful, I could just be saving her life, fella."

"That still doesn't tell me who you are."

"Save it. Right now, she needs a hospital. She could still die."

"Okay, but I want an explanation."

"And you'll get one. Just help get her to the hospital." Flack and Speed pick Angell up and carry her to the nearest unit. Speed hops behind the wheel and drives like a man posessed. They reach the hospital in record time. Flack races out the door with Angell in his arms.

"I need a doctor over here!"

"What do we have?"

"NYPD officer, multiple gunshot wounds."

"Alright, I'll take her into surgery immediately. You, sir, will have to wait here, unfortunately."

Flack wearily takes a seat in the waiting room. Speed silently sits beside him.

"Well, here goes that explanation I owe you. I have to warn you, though: you will either not believe me or think I'm crazy. It really doesn't matter to me what you think because what I am about to tell you is the honest truth, God as my witness. You see, four years ago, going on five, I was a criminalist for Miami-Dade Police Department Maybe you have heard of my boss, Lieutenant Horatio Caine."

"Yeah, a friend of mine, Mac Taylor, who heads up our Crime Lab here, told me about Lt. Caine. Sounds like a good guy to work under."

"He was, and still is. See, I was good at my job, but a little sloppy with my gun maintenance."

"What, were you fired for not cleaning your gun?"

"I wish it was that little of a punishment. No, I was killed because of it. Took one in the chest during a shootout in a jewelry store."

"Wait a minute. You honestly expect me to believe that I am talking to a dead man right now?"

"Well, actually, yes. After my death, I met the Lord. He put me in a division of what could be considered guardian angels."

"Okay, now you're really starting to make me think about putting you in the nearest mental hospital."

"I tried to warn you. I mean, you can give Lt. Caine a call. You can even give my Boss now a call, all you have to do is pray. He'll hear you, there's no doubt."

The pair continue talking until the team shows up. Then, before, introductions can be made, a surgeon comes out the door, visibly exhausted.

"Are you the friends and family of Det. Angell?"

"That's right. How is she?"

"Remarkably well for someone who suffered the wounds that she did. It's almost as if she had a guardian angel watching over her. She is resting, but I think that a group this size would possibly be allowed just this once to see her."

Speed gets up and walks toward a desk. He writes something on a small piece of paper, then walks over to Flack. He shakes Flack's hand, leaving the slip of paper. Then, his cell phone rings. He checks the ID.

"Ooh, gotta take this. The Boss." He walks away, and, amazingly, fades from sight. Flack looks at the paper in his hand. Written on it:

Lieutenant Horatio Caine, MDPD
Phone No.: 314-563-2149
Ask about Timothy Speedle.

Stella looks at Flack and asks, "Who was that guy, Don?"

He simply kept looking at the slip of paper, and simply says, "Jess's guardian angel."

The team continue to stare at the spot where Speedle had disappeared in amazement.

BACK IN HEAVEN:

Timothy Speedle wals back into his division after saving the life of Det. Jessica Angell. He continued to watch over her until she came out of the hospital and returned to active duty. He felt satisfied that the matter had come to the conclusion that it did.

THREE DAYS LATER:

Flack had been incredibly busy with paperwork after Jess' shooting. The leads he and the team had accrued immediately following had led to the successful arrest of three of the individuals. The fourth had been gunned down in a shootout with Don himself. Don reaches in his pocket and pulls out a folded slip of paper, dialing a number and sighing.

"Who is this?"

"Is this Lt. Caine, MDPD?"

"Yes, but who is this?"

"My name is Det. Donald Flack, NYPD. I called to ask about one of your officers from a few years ago, a Timothy Speedle. Could you help me out?"

"What do you want to know about Speed? Unfortunately, he passed away almost five years ago."

"I know, sir, and that's why I'm calling. You see, I saw him three days ago."

"That's impossible. He died in my arms."

"That was my reaction when he told me his story: this can't be happening. The thing is, I really think it was him. Let me tell you a story. Three days ago, my partner, Jessica Angell was transporting a witness to the courthouse for him to testify. They never made it. The witness was snatched, and Jess was shot in the process. The wierd thing is, she tells me aobu this guy who came out fo nowhere and helped her out. He saved her life more than once, as a matter of fact. After Jess made it out of surgery, your officer gave me a slip of paper with your name, rank, number, and instructions to ask about him. Now you see where this is going, don't you?"

"I do, indeed. I don't know how it happened, but I am convinced that you did see CSI Speedle. Thank you for calling."

The end of the call marked than just a finished conversation. It marked the end of period of worry.