ANGEL IN THE NIGHT

Like a ghost, she slipped into his room. Though the precaution wasn't necessary, he was in a deep sleep, she silently closed the door behind her, mostly out of habit.

For a slow minute, she simply watched him as he slept, drinking in the sight of her love. It was deathly quiet, and the air hung heavy with all that was unspoken between them. Finally, wordlessly, she lay beside him, his back to her. She rest her head on his back, slipping her arm around him, holding him tight. She lay in silence, her eyes wide open, peering into the night. She listened to his breathing, felt his warmth through his nightshirt, and pressed her nose to his shoulder to smell his scent. She thanked God above for giving her this small gift of time.

Finally, she spoke in a soft, cracked whisper, "She figured it out." She laughed quietly, lifting her head to look down at him, "She knows you got her that dog, the one she saw in Lucy's Pet Shop around the corner. She's smart. I keep telling you that." She lay her head back on the pillow, whispering, "She's already got a name for him. Togo, just like her stuffed animal."

Silence enveloped the room again. Mrs. Drew closed her eyes and cried inaudibly into the back of her husband's shoulder. Carson lay still, never stirring. He never did. She yearned for him to hold her one more time. To tell her it will all be well. To kiss away her tears and calm the racing in her heart. To gaze into the depths of her soul with those dark…dark brown eyes and show her that she was loved…loved by him. The truth was…she was afraid. Oh, she knew it would all be gone, the grief and fear, as soon as she left him and returned to her true home, but right now, right here, as she still sat on earth…she was terrified.

"I'll always watch you," she whispered in a tone much more reassuring than she felt, "I'll always be here. He's given me that, and so much more. Oh, will you ever know?" She rubbed her tearstained cheeks against his palm, "We will be together again. He's told me we will. One day, we will. I know it."

Reluctantly, she rose, feeling that familiar tug in her chest. It was time to go. Her last time to go. She bent down to kiss the hair that grew funny beside his ear, whispering, "Make tomorrow special for her."

She backed to his door and left as silently as she'd come, but not before one last utterance, "Carson…I will always love you."


Mr. Drew stirred. Slowly, his eyes blinked open. Light didn't filter in through his curtains just yet. It must be very early, he thought, pinching the sore spot on the top of his nose between his eyes. He'd slept more soundly last night than he had since she'd died.

He sat up, swinging his feet over the side of their bed. Glancing at the clock, he read the time, but didn't register it. Not really. Something was strange. He almost felt as if she were still here. He thought could smell her scent lingering in the air, but that was ridiculous. She hadn't been in this room in more than four years. Yet…he could swear that something inside him shifted. He felt as if he could reach out before him and just barely touch the silk of her nightgown. Like he could hear, faintly mind you, her light laughter floating through the house.

After a moment, he shook his head, hoping to clear his mind of her. When it did, he realized that he should have stayed in that moment as long as he could have. But she was gone. He had to remind himself of that every day. She was gone.

"Dad?" Nancy's soft voice stirred him from his clouded haze.

"Nancy!" he beamed, "Good morning, my little pumpkin! Come here." She pushed his door softly open. Her little feet padded silently across the off-white carpet in his room. With a somber expression, she sat in his lap, remembering the night before...in another lap.

Noticing her dreary mood, he decided against sympathizing, instead choosing another method to bring her out of her stupor. "Now," he said in a bright voice, tinted with mock concentration, "Wasn't there something special about today?" His daughter gazed up at him, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly. He looked down at her, "Or was that tomorrow? No no, I think it was yesterday. Oh, that's right. Already happened. Nevermind."

"Daddy! It's today! It's my birthday!" She smiled at him now, squealing as his tickled her tummy.

"Is that so?" he gasped, "Nope, I distinctly remember that happening last year."

"It happens every year, Dad," she rolled her eyes, jumping up from his lap and turning around to face him, hands on her hips.

"No!" his eyes widened in surprise, and his voice was thick with shock, "Really?"

"I'm eight now," she beamed proudly.

"Oh," he said matter-of-factly, "in that case, I have something for you. Wait right here!" He dashed out of the room to retrieve the family's latest addition, a small black dog, apparently named Togo.

Carson shook his head, but how did he know that? Nancy hadn't even seen him yet. He didn't have a name. But the name had come to him as clear as if he'd been bound by the title all along. Just before he returned to his room, he heard Nancy's quiet whisper.

"Eight now…old enough to be without you," her last word was nearly inaudible. She quickly wiped a tear away, nodding her head, "Goodbye."

"I found her like that this morning," Hannah whispered, startling Mr. Drew, "Such a mood. It's just not right for a girl her age." She shook her head, walking back toward the kitchen.

Carson stared at his normally radiant daughter from his doorway, unsure of what to say. She hadn't noticed him yet, the velvety ball of fur hanging from his hands. Togo looked up at him with eyes blacker than night and cocked his head to the side. A noise something like a whimper escaped from the dogs wet muzzle, drawing the girl's attention. Life instantly filled her gaze as she ran to her father.

"A dog!" she squealed, taking her new pet from Carson, "A dog! Daddy!"

"Happy birthday, pumpkin," he rustled her hair before kissing the top of her head. "You'll have to think of a name for him."

"Togo," she said without hesitation, running joyfully into the next room in search of Hannah. Carson shook his head in amazement, following after her.