Chapter 1

It was eerily quiet for a hospital, Andrew only saw a few staff members walking to a new destination before leaving the hallway completely abandoned. Strong fluorescent lights glistened on the beige linoleum floor that took every step the angel made and turned it into an echo for the empty hall. Andrew was beginning to second guess himself, thinking he must have heard his directions incorrectly when he finally saw her. Sitting with rigid posture in an uncomfortable blue plastic chair was Tess, her hands were mindlessly fidgeting with a small object. For as loud as he felt walking through the hospital, it seemed as if Tess could not hear him. It wasn't until he reached her side that he knew something was terribly wrong, her face was the image of distraught. She was still blind to his presence, drowning in her own thoughts. Andrew did not want to scare her, whatever it was that caused her current state was enough fright for one night. He decided the best way to snap her out of herself was through speech, not touch.

"Tess?"

His voice was soft but, he could not hide the worry or questioning in his tone. Her name seemed to ring like a bell in her ear and she finally lifted her eyes to Andrew. When their eyes met, Tess stifled a sob.

"Oh, Andrew!"

Her cry and instant embrace startled him. Desperately she clung to him, tears falling onto his shoulder. He held onto her in silence, understanding that she needed physical support before she would be able to verbally express herself. He rubbed her back as her body expelled sob after sob. With each moment that passed, Andrew could feel anxiety gripping his heart. Never had he seen Tess so upset, it was unsettling to see his strong and brave mentor rendered speechless by tears. Questions pestered his mind: Why was he there? Why was Tess so upset? Where was Monica? He tried to suppress the multitude of questions and start off simple. When her sobs subsided and her grip on him loosened, Andrew dared to ask, "What's going on, Tess?"

She looked up at him suddenly, despair flooding her eyes. "The Father didn't tell you?" Andrew shook his head, concern furrowing his brow. Tess pulled away from him, sitting once again in the blue chair, tears streaming down her face. She stared at her open hand, which held two delicate dangling pearl earrings.

"It's my Angelgirl, Andrew."

She only managed that heart wrenching sentence before she closed her hands around the earrings and openly cried. He noticed that she was holding on to Monica's earrings as if they would somehow summon the little angel. Trying to keep a level head, he took the seat beside Tess and put his arm around her.

"Tess, where is Monica?"

He tried not to assume anything. His worst possible nightmare was that she had fallen, chosen a path which he and Tess could not follow but, that was not like Monica. She was a strong angel of light and truth, she could not have fallen. With the worst possible scenario being that she was gone forever, Andrew felt prepared to hear what Tess had to say. He wasn't.

"Here."

He thought he misheard her. If Monica was at the hospital, why was Tess such an emotional mess?

"Here? At the Hospital? Did something happen between the two of you?"

Tess offered no explanation, she just sat and cried while clutching Monica's earrings. Andrew knelt in front of the older angel placing his hands on her shoulders which forced her to look at him.

"Tess, You've got to help me out. I'm in the dark here. Please, give me anything."

Tess took a few deep breaths to compose herself. She looked at Andrew, swallowed, then averted her eyes to the jewelry in her palm.

"You said Monica is here?" He gently probed. She nodded, forcing herself to remain composed. "I don't understand why you're upset. If Monica is here with you then what is the problem?"

"She's not here with me, Andrew. She's a patient. She was brought in a few hours ago, I didn't know where she was until the Father led me here."

Andrew was trying to wrap his head around what exactly Tess was saying. It made no logical sense that Monica was admitted to a hospital let alone that she had been a patient for multiple hours.

"The doctor gave me these when I came to see her. It's all she had when she was brought in and the doctor said I could hold onto them for her." Tess wiped away a few tears. "They almost didn't let me see her, but the Father gave me what I needed. He made that baby legally mine, so I could be with her."

Andrew was now completely confused. "Legally yours?" Tess nodded. "As in, you are legally Monica's mother?" Tess nodded again, rubbing her thumb over one of the pearls.

"Only family is allowed in the ICU." It was a simple statement but it only added to Andrew's infinite questions. He rubbed his hands over his face and exhaled.

"Tess, how can Monica even be in the ICU? She's an angel." He had struck a chord. Tess couldn't hold back her tears any longer.

"I know she is baby but, something happened. She got so scared and now I think she's trapped in human form."

Andrew ached for Monica. He didn't want her to be suffering, especially in a human body which was practically foreign territory. Only something monumentally terrible could have caused this situation and Andrew was beginning to worry whether he was ready to know what had happened.

"How did this happen, Tess?" his voice was timid and sad. He watched Tess close her eyes and steady her breath before beginning a story she still couldn't believe herself.