Blood Is Thicker Than Water
Hey all, it's me with another story! It's a Touched By An Angel story, and I hope you like it. I only own Katie and any other characters you don't know from TBAA. Monica, Andrew and the crew belong to all those lucky people on CBS and all. Please R/R!! Hope you like!! -LadyTiger06
By the way, I used Andrew in this story like someone else used him in theirs, but I assure you that the roles are completely different so I did NOT copy off of that person!
P.S. Sorry that the format was a little messed up, but I hope it's fixed!
P.P.S. SO SORRY ABOUT THAT CLIFFHANGER!! I had a major writer's cramp!
A tall girl with long, dark brown hair pulled back at her neck looked around for a place to sit. She spotted an empty table in the corner and headed toward it. On the way there she brushed a tough-looking girl sitting with a group of friends, laughing loudly. As the girl brushed past her, the tough-looking one jerked up and stood. She spun around and glared at the other girl.
"You just shoved me." She snarled. "What were you thinking?"
"It was an accident." The other, tall girl said coolly, not looking affected.
"Accident, huh? Starting a fight, more likely." The tough girl said. She planted her hands on the tall one's shoulders and shoved her backwards. The tall girl dropped her plate with a clatter.
"Hey, stop it girls!" A teacher called. The tall girl jumped up and glared angrily. The tough girl looked outraged at her nerve and drew back a fist. The tall one was quicker, though. She swept out a foot and caused her to trip and stumble as she lunged her body into the punch. As she regained her balance a teacher grabbed her arm angrily.
"You, and you - to the office, NOW." The tough girl sulked away, the teacher not easing her grip even a bit, as the tall girl walked coolly with her head high on the teacher's other side.
"Is she our assignment, Tess?" asked an unseen woman, standing in a corner with two others who were also invisible to passerby. She had a beautiful Irish accent as she spoke smoothly.
"Yes, baby. The tall one, actually, not the tougher-acting one." A dark-skinned woman replied. "Andrew, you may know her."
"Yes, sadly, I do." A tall, blond man said quietly. He met Monica's, the Irish-accented woman, glance. "Her mother is not doing very well."
"No, she isn't." Tess said simply. "Monica, you and Andrew will be the ones mainly handling this assignment. She is very fragile, more than she will let on, than you may think. Be careful."
After school was over, the tall girl left the building and began her walk home. Unseen, the angels Monica and Andrew followed. A group of girls passed her, offering comments as they walked by.
"Ooh, the teacher's pet starting fights at school?"
"Gee, Katie, didn't know you had that side to you."
"Tsk, tsk, shape up, girl."
"Better watch it, Miranda is going to be stalking you for a while, Katie."
At the last comment several girls laughed and the tall girl, Katie, held her head high in defiance. The angels exchanged sympathetic glances.
Katie was dreading walking in the door. Her father would get angry with her and manage to make up something about how it affected her mother. She was also nervous because her father had never done anything abusive or harmful to her. But two nights ago he had grabbed her arm hard enough to leave a deep bruise and had slapped her across the face hard enough for her to see stars.
He's just so tense about Mom. She thought. Since she's not doing very well at the hospital and all. But still.he's never hurt me before.
Hesitantly she pushed open the door. She shut it quietly behind her.
"Dad?" she called softly. She dropped her backpack on the floor and hung up her jacket.
"In the kitchen, now." A voice with stains of hurt and sadness in it called. Katie entered the kitchen nervously. Her dad looked up at her from his chair at the kitchen table. Katie bit back a gasp. He looked like he hadn't slept, and he smelled like alcohol.
"Dad, have you been drinking? You never-"
"You got in a fight at school." He said, his voice hoarse. "What's it to you, daughter, if I drink?" Katie jerked back like she had been slapped. He had never been so harsh as to call her "daughter" like that.
But then, he never hurt you before, either, idiot. She thought bitterly at herself.
"Your principal called. You shoved into a girl and tripped her after she got up."
"I.that's not-"
"Shut up." He screamed at her. Katie recoiled.
"Mom would have never imagined this would happen to her husband." Katie spat, throwing her darts of speech at him angrily. But inside, her heart felt as though it had been ripped in two. Her dad had hurt her terribly with his own words.
"Don't you dare talk about me or your mother that way!" He shouted jerking up from his chair. He jumped at her and grabbed her arm, twisting it painfully. She cried out and pulled away, but he only drew back to shove at her.
"Get out!" He screamed. Katie darted away, up the stairs to her room, choking back tears until she was safely on her bed, and then she cried her eyes out, sobbing silently.
Throughout the exchange, the two angels, Monica and Andrew, stood silently in the shadows, desperately wanting to help but not allowed to interfere with human affairs. Quietly, as Katie's father began to scream at her and grab her arm, Andrew drew Monica into his arms. She buried her head into his warm embrace as she cried silently. It never grew easier to watch such things. As Katie darted away, they each prayed silently for her safety and for the Lord to help her.
The next morning, Katie put on a long-sleeved shirt and applied some makeup to cover the marks and bruises as best she could. If someone asked, she had excuses ready. She went through the school day like normal, and people stared at her and whispered about how she had strange marks and bruises and about how she had gotten into a fight the other day. She refused to acknowledge them, though she hurt inside.
"Back off." She finally snapped to someone who dropped a rude comment and kept staring pointedly during math.
"Katie." Her eighth period teacher warned. Katie saw no point in arguing and spent the rest of the class sketching pictures of her horse in her notebook.
After what seemed like forever, the bell to end class rang.
"Lesson 74 for homework." The teacher called to the leaving students. Katie left last, and hurried to her locker so she wouldn't be late for next class. She dropped off her math book and snagged her sketchpad. Last period was her nice, end-of-the-day study hall and she usually was a teacher aide for the guidance counselor, who didn't often have much for her to do. She used the time to draw, write, or do her homework.
As she headed down the hall to the counselor's room, she wondered what excuse she should use to get her out of her dad's anger so she could go riding. She used to take private riding lessons, and had become good enough friends with the lady who owned the stable, the lady let her go out any time and ride their horses. Several months ago, she had saved enough money, after a long time, and had bought her own horse. Her friend stabled and fed the horse free, as long as Katie helped out often enough.
Katie came to the door of the counselor's room and pushed it open. To her surprise, someone new was sitting behind the desk. She stopped short and gave the person a friendly, but somewhat fake, smile.
"Um, hello. My name is Katie, and I usually help out Mrs. Almandine during this period. I didn't realize she was gone." Katie said hesitantly.
"Hello Katie. Mrs. Almandine is taking off several weeks to take care of her newborn. My name is Andrew."
"Well, I guess, uh, if you need help, that's what I'm here for." Katie said. She sat down on one of the comfortable chairs that Mrs. Almandine kept in her office to make it feel like a more normal environment for people happened to be there for "counseling." Now that she thought about it, she had never thought of having a man as a counselor. But then, what would boys think of having a woman for a counselor? Maybe she just felt that way because she had never had any good experiences with men, being around her dad so much lately.
"Well, if you have some free time this period, I have to unpack a few things. Just things like books and things to make this feel more like me. If you could help me, I'd appreciate it." Andrew said with a smile. Katie nodded and helped unpack some boxes.
At one point, she had to reach behind a bookshelf, and so she rolled up her sleeve so as not to rip her shirt. Of course, as would be typical, and being a guidance counselor, Andrew saw the bruise from her dad grabbing and twisting her arm from the previous night.
"Oh, what happened to you?" He asked, voice full of concern. Katie glanced up at him and did a double take in seeing the real concern on his face. Of course, it's been a while since anyone's felt that way towards you. Katie thought bitterly at herself. She glanced at her arm and went pale to see that it looked a lot worse than she had thought it was. As soon as she saw it and registered the black and blue, the pain immediately jolted through her arm. It looked like a dog had chewed on her arm and twisted it in the process. She had an excuse, though shaky, ready, though.
"I ride horses a lot. Last night I fell off a horse different from mine that I wasn't used to. I fell off when she checked in the middle of a jump. She rolled over it." Katie attempted to lie lamely.
"Why didn't you tell someone?" Andrew asked.
"I didn't want to look like a klutz." Katie said, trying to grin through the insistent, painful throbbing. "I've never fallen off before." Andrew gave her one of those "I don't believe you at all" looks. She returned it with one of those "If I wasn't in this much pain maybe I'd care" looks. He stood and walked to stand beside her.
"May I look at it? I may be able to help." He asked. Katie hesitated, but then held out her arm while supporting it with her other arm. Andrew held it gently, and flexed it to test it. She winced as he applied a little pressure to an area near her elbow, and she cried out in pain as he tried straightening her arm and wrist.
"Ow!" She protested. Every instinct told her to jerk her arm away, but she held it steady with her other arm. "Well, what's your diagnosis, doc?" She mocked, gritting her teeth against the pain. Andrew offered a smile.
"It's not broken, but no horse did this to you unless you tried to stick your arm down its throat." He said quietly, eyes searching her face.
Katie met his glance, but broke away, unable to stand the penetrating look. She shrugged and jerked her arm away, rolling down the sleeve. Refusing to speak, she sat back down on a chair and pulled out her sketchpad. She avoided his glance as he sat back down at his desk with a silent sigh. She flipped through pages already covered with drawings and came to a blank page.
Hmmm, what should I draw today? She wondered. After thinking for a while, she decided to free her hand and let it draw whatever it felt like drawing. She seemed to drift in and out of consciousness as she concentrated on her drawing. After what seemed like forever, she jerked back into reality at the gentle hand that rested on her shoulder.
"The bell rang." Andrew said as she jumped and glared up at him. "You didn't seem to notice. You were drawing, it looks like." Katie ignored his unspoken questions.
"Well, thanks. I'll see you tomorrow, I guess." Katie said, closing her sketchpad pointedly without even looking at what she had drawn. She rose, waved casually, and walked out the door.
After she had left, Andrew looked to his left at the angel that had just joined him.
"She will be a tough nut to crack." Andrew said. "She refused to talk to me at all."
"Katie will come around, angel boy, just give it time." Tess said simply. "Trust in the Lord, and when the time is right, she will be in desperate need of talking."
Katie was relieved to get away from the school and into fresh air. That new guidance counselor substitute had made her uneasy. A nice, long, hard ride will cure that. She thought with a sigh. Opening the door and walking in with a trained quietness, she was relieved to realize that no one was home. She dropped off her backpack and headed out the door. The stables where she kept her horse were not too far away, so she had nothing against walking there on such a nice day.
Katie broke into a jog as she headed down their driveway. She kept in shape pretty well so her muscles wouldn't get so sore from riding.
As she approached the stables a lady in her thirties hailed her.
"Hey, my favorite - and best - rider!" She called, grinning.
"Hey Kim-bo!" Katie called back, waving. "How's it going today?"
"Things are going well. And with you?" Kim replied. Even though she wasn't as young as some, she held on to that youth and never lost a sense of fun, though she was very stern, though kind, when training people to ride.
"Nothing special." Katie replied as she halted just short of Kim.
"Yeah, well, Emily, my personal assistant, you know, decided to run away to get married. She and her husband are moving to Hawaii, so I had to find a replacement."
"And?"
"Well, I found someone who is very willing and kind, but she is still learning about horses."
"That's cool. Maybe I'll meet her sometime."
"Yeah, she's here pretty often." Kim said, as she put a hand to Katie's elbow and tugged her toward the stables. "Come on, Shadow has missed you."
As Katie entered the stables, she inhaled deeply the scent of hay and horse. She never tired of that peaceful smell. She approached a well-kept stall with a beautiful black horse standing there.
"Hello, Shadow." Katie said, reaching out to stroke her nose. "Miss me?" Shadow tossed her head, seeming to say both "yes" and "I want to run" at the same time. Kim helped Katie tighten the girth and adjust the bridle on Shadow.
"The going's pretty slow today, Katie, so you can ride all you like." Kim said as she followed Katie, who was leading Shadow out of the stables.
With ease of practice, Katie leaped up onto Shadow's back without assistance.
"Turn up the music, won't you?" Katie asked, leaning down a little from the saddle.
"Sure, any particular music you want to hear?"
"Do you have CDJ's CD?"
"Sure, I'll put it in."
"Thanks."
"Anything for you." Kim said with a grin. Katie offered a hint of a smile back. As Kim headed up to the stable equivalent of a press box and turned on the music, Katie eased Shadow into a walk, then a trot. As one of her favorites, "I Don't Want You To Go" came on, she settled Shadow into the good, four-beat rhythm of a gallop.
Invisible to Katie and Kim, Monica and Andrew leaned against the fence, watching Katie.
"Kim's personal assistant, is it?" Andrew teased Monica. "You don't know the first thing about horses."
"Well, considering Katie is here so often, I thought it was a good way to get closer to her." Monica said.
"Good thinking."
"Did you have any luck with her at school?"
"No, she's shut everyone out. It'll take a lot of work to get her to say more than 'hi' to me." Andrew said with a sigh. They both glanced sadly at the girl who would have to lose so much and go through so much pain before she could heal.
About an hour later, Katie eased Shadow into a cool-down trot, then a walk.
"Done already?" Kim called from the jumping area where she was practicing with one of her own horses.
"Yeah, I have to get home." Katie said with a sigh. She swung off of Shadow with ease and grace of practice and led her toward the stables. As she began washing her off, a cheery voice greeted her:
"Hello. You must be Katie." Katie turned from her horse and turned off the hose as she looked over the new person.
"Yes, that's me. I don't know you, though."
"I'm Kim's new assistant. My name is Monica." Katie held out her hand, and Monica shook it. Monica was dressed casually, in jeans and a t- shirt, and she had a beautiful Irish accent.
"Nice to meet you. I'm around pretty often."
"That's what Kim told me. You really love these horses, don't you?"
"Yeah, but that's an understatement." Katie said with a half-laugh.
"Does it take away from your time at home to be here so often?" Monica asked as Katie knelt and rested one of Shadow's hooves on her knee, beginning to clean it with a hoof pick.
"Not really." Katie answered vaguely. Like she would admit to family problems to her friend's assistant. But she found herself not tossing away the idea: Monica made her feel a lot more secure than she had ever felt in a long time. Just like Andrew did. Shaking her head slightly at the comparison, thinking that the two had probably never even met, Katie moved on to the next hoof. Monica didn't go away, just stood and kept her company.
"So," Katie began, making conversation, "How long are you usually around here?"
"Often enough. I have little else to do." Monica replied. The two continued to make small talk as Katie cleaned up Shadow. Monica would often lend a hand if Katie needed it.
"Well, thanks for keeping me company. I have to take off." Katie said.
"Alright. Maybe I'll see you here again." Monica said with a smile.
"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if you did." Katie said, waving as she left the stable.
As she left, all Monica did was turn and meet Andrew's sad look.
Katie ran into Kim, who was heading out to her car.
"Do you need a ride up to the hospital?" Kim asked, wincing at how cruel it sounded. Yes, she did know about Katie's mom. Kim was one of the first people Katie told about it.
"Do you mind? My dad will meet me up there." Katie said gratefully.
"No problem. Hop in."
They pulled into the hospital parking lot about ten minutes later.
"Give me a call on my cell if you need a ride home, alright?" Kim called as Katie got out of the car and walked away. Katie waved vaguely in response. She had other things on her mind.
Katie signed in at the front desk of the hospital and headed down the hall to her mom's room in the oncology unit. Her dad wasn't there, somewhat to her relief, but the day nurse was. She was new, so it looked to Katie. Katie looked at her mom's pale face, wincing at how different she looked from before she had been diagnosed.
"How is she?" Katie whispered to the day nurse, not wanting to wake her mom. The nurse turned and gave her a smile.
"She just came out of radiation a while ago." The dark-skinned woman held out a hand. "I'm Tess, Clarice's new full-time nurse." Katie shook her hand, and couldn't help but smile at Tess' incredibly friendly and loving nature. "You must be Katie, her daughter." Katie nodded and reached to squeeze her mom's hand gently.
"Hey Mom." She leaned over and placed a kiss on her mom's forehead.
"Well, I'll leave you two be." Tess said quietly, walking out.
Katie pulled up a chair and sat next to her mom, waiting silently for her mom to recover from the radiation treatment. It didn't take too long - her mom soon opened her eyes, squeezing Katie's hand.
"Hi sweetheart." Katie's mom said hoarsely. "This treatment just keeps getting rougher and more aggressive."
"Yeah, but you're doing great Mom." Kate said, smiling. "You look really good."
"More white lies. I must be doing pretty bad if I'm getting so many of them from so many people." Her mom said tiredly. Katie smiled.
"Mom, I need to talk to you about something." Katie said quietly, breaking the moment. Her mom nodded.
"I'm listening."
"Look, I." Katie hesitated. "Well, if you die, I just.don't want you to go, leaving me not knowing where you went. And, well, I'd never forgive myself if I found that you didn't go to heaven and it was because I never said anything about my belief to help you out and help to show you the way."
"I'm getting really bad if people are preaching to me." Katie's mom said, glancing away. "I don't want to deal with this right now."
Katie desperately wanted to press the issue, praying quickly to God and asking what he wanted her to do. She felt him tugging at her heart to keep quiet for now, that was enough. She might push her mom farther away.
"Alright." Katie said, rising. "I have to get on home. It's getting late."
"Ok, bye, sweetheart." Her mom said, giving her a hug. "I love you."
"I love you too, mom." She said, heading out the door, but on an impulse, she turned back a moment. "And so does God." She smiled, opened the door, walked out, and closed the door behind her. She walked out to the waiting room and collapsed on one of the chairs in anguish.
"Oh, dear God," She whispered, praying, "Please help my mother. Show her your love, even if it's not through me. I want her to go to heaven when she dies. Amen."
The three angels were sitting in chairs not far from Katie, though they were invisible once more.
"I see that we're the answer to her prayers," Monica said, "But I'm having trouble seeing what our assignment is. I realize the trouble with her father and mother, but I also realize that we can't directly interfere with abuse and death."
"Monica," Tess said patiently, "There is one thing to do when you don't know what to do. Ask the Lord."
In reply, Monica shut her eyes and asked the Father for answers. After a moment she opened her eyes and sighed quietly.
"He tells me that we must be there for Katie and listen to her." Monica said simply. "But I wish I knew more." She immediately regretted that last part as Tess turned her reproachful look on her.
"You will know what you need to know when you need to know it."
"Poor Monica," Andrew said with a grin. "Always getting on the bad side of Miss Supervisor here."
"Don't even make me start on you." Tess said, turning her glare to Andrew. Monica laughed, amused, as usual, by Tess. She glanced up at Katie and saw her turning off her phone and walking outside to meet Kim, who was giving her a ride home.
"Well, we'd better follow her." Andrew said, suddenly all business. Tess shook her head sadly and said a prayer for the poor girl.
A couple of weeks went by, and an evening came where things would get worse. As she always did, Katie was dreading walking in the door to her home. Her dad had always come to see her mom unless he was drunk or out somewhere and had lost track of time. If he was drunk and at home, he would beat her, and if he was out somewhere, when he got home, he would beat her. Either way, it didn't look good for Katie.
The beatings were getting progressively worse, and Katie was beginning to have trouble hiding the bruises, even with all the makeup. If he hit her face any more, the guidance counselor at school, who had begun to notice, would urge her to talk about what happened, and might even set up counseling meetings for after school or something.
Well, Andrew already noticed my arm, and that was covered! He'll definitely notice anything on my face, even if I use all the makeup in the world! And that's all I need - my dad going to court or being arrested, and my mom is dying. Oh this will be fun. Katie thought bitterly.
Her worst fears were confirmed - her dad was home and incredibly drunk. Katie thought about seeing if their neighbors could help her out, but decided against that because no lights were on in the nearby houses and she didn't really know anyone. She decided to face his rage if she had to and do the best she could.
But why don't you just walk out and find someone to help you? They'll put you someplace better than this. A small voice echoed through her head. No! She thought fiercely, I don't need someone else's help or pity! And that's what I would get. She thought stubbornly at the "little voice." She didn't realize that the "little voice" was the voice of an angel, Andrew, who stood next to her, trying to help her.
Katie, unaware of the angel who stood by her, walked inside. Andrew stopped outside, unwilling to watch the abuse again. Katie flinched as her dad staggered into the living room as she entered it, unsuccessful at getting up to her room unnoticed.
"Where were you?" He demanded, his slurred voice giving away his drunkenness and anger.
"I went to visit Mom again. She gets lonely." Katie said, refusing to back down from her father. Her stubbornness, refusal, and, of course, mentioning her mom, just angered him all the more. And so he bore down on her and slapped her again and again across her face, punching other parts of her body, and screaming at her the whole time. Katie curled up in a ball and tried, in vain, to protect herself.
Just when she thought she wouldn't be able to take any more, her father passed out on the ground.
Monica had stood alone to watch Katie, though she desperately wanted to leave. God, however, was going to use her to help Katie survive another day. The Lord had instructed her to shield Katie's body from the blows that would have fatally injured her. Even though tasks like that usually fell to angels of other departments, Monica was there for Katie, an invisible shield to protect her.
Even so, after Katie's father passed out, Monica began to feel emotionally overwhelmed over what was happening to this poor girl. She had never seen humans get so violent and cruel, it hurt her deep inside, and she ran from the house, hands over her face to hide the tears welling in her eyes, straight into someone's arms.
"Hey, hey, it's alright. Sshh, you're okay now." Andrew quietly soothed and comforted Monica, holding her gently. His heart went out to this sensitive angel who felt so hurt by the actions of humans, and so he held her, letting her cry into his embrace. Even angels need to do that sometimes.
After a few minutes, Monica quieted, and the shuddering and tears turned to slower, deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down.
"I'm sorry, Andrew." Monica whispered feeling a little embarrassed. Andrew smiled a little, even though she couldn't see it.
"Hey, even angels need a shoulder to cry on. Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, not letting go of her since she didn't pull away. Monica hesitated.
"I think I need to." Andrew released her and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders, keeping her close. They walked and talked for a while, Monica glad that there was someone who would listen to her and let her talk about her troubles, Andrew glad to listen, and the angels were comforted simply by being in the presence of one another.
After the beatings had suddenly stopped, Katie just laid there for a moment, as if wondering if she was still alive. Then she sighed quietly and did a self-injury check that she had taught herself to do after such beatings. Starting with her feet and hands, she moved each part of her body to see if anything was wrong. To her amazement, she felt little injury, except that she saw the usual bruises. Quietly she rose and tested her weight on each leg to see if either was broken. Neither was.
She looked around and saw her father lying on the ground, with broken, gasping breaths. He was unconscious.
Now is your chance! That same voice she had heard earlier was speaking once more. You can call someone to take him to the hospital, and while he can't find out until it's too late, you can show someone how he treated you! She roughly pushed the thought away, though. Not pity again! She thought angrily. She turned and headed up the stairs and stuffed some stuff into a backpack without a glance at the mirror to see how she looked.
Katie headed out the door and down to the stables, hardly glancing at her father, still lying on the ground. If no one find's him, too bad. I really don't care at this point. She thought angrily to herself.
Monica started to wave as Katie entered the stables, and then saw the look on her face, not to mention the just-swelling bruises.
"Katie! What happened to you?"
"Where's Kim?" Katie replied, ignoring Monica's concern forcedly.
With a sigh, Monica reluctantly surrendered the answer: "Out training the most stubborn horse." Her words were aimed pointedly at Katie to carry a double meaning. Katie frowned, but said no more, only headed outside. She saw Kim trying to push a young colt into a fenced-in area with room to run but without a way out if the gate was closed.
"A little help here, Katie?" Kim gasped out. Katie dropped her backpack, came up and threw her own weight against the stubborn horse, and between the two of them, they got the colt into the fenced-in area, where he immediately stopped fighting.
"Thanks." Kim said, grinning. "That's Dancer's colt. Inherited her stubbornness." She looked over Katie, and then saw her face. Her eyes traveled over the rest of her bruises and the backpack sitting a few feet away. This had happened before, though never quite as bad, and they had an unspoken agreement.
Now Kim didn't know exactly what went on, but she was careful not to ask, because when she had once, she had pushed Katie far away. So by simply helping her this way, she kept Katie open for others to reach her.
"Come on, let's go inside. We'll have dinner in a little bit." Kim said, gesturing to Katie to follow her. It was a Friday evening, so she could spend the weekend at Kim's. Her dad hardly even noticed her absence. Sighing to herself, she turned and followed Kim inside.
Dinner was a silent affair. Katie stared at her plate, not daring to look Monica in the face for fear of not being able to keep her secret. Kim bustled back and forth with plates filled with delicious foods, making small talk with Monica. Kim's husband had died of a heart attack a couple of years ago, so Kim lived alone. That is, except for the animals on the farm, and Monica.
"So, Katie, will you be keeping me company for the weekend?" Kim asked, passing her the sweet potatoes.
"Yeah, I guess." She replied, taking the plate and then passing it to Monica, hardly looking up.
"Great. You can help me out with Dancer's new colt."
"Cool."
Kim seemed to realize that Katie really wasn't in the mood for talking, so she turned to talk with Monica. After a couple of minutes of awkward conversation, Katie excused herself.
"The second bathroom is all yours, hon." Kim called to Katie's retreating back.
"Thanks." She called back absentmindedly. Monica watched her, and quietly sighed. Kim glanced up.
"She might listen to you. I've tried, but I just push her away." Kim said, nodding meaningfully at the direction Katie had gone.
"I'm sure she appreciates it." Monica smiled gently. "I think I will try to get something out of her, though." She got up and headed down the hall to Katie's bedroom.
Katie had started to read when a knock on the door interrupted her.
"Come in." Katie called reluctantly. The door opened, and instead of Kim, whom she had expected, it was Monica. Katie sat up abruptly.
"What?" Katie asked, somewhat suspiciously.
"Katie, you really need to talk to someone about this."
"About what?"
"Your father. What he does to you." Monica looked at her imploringly.
"How do you know about that?" Katie said, rising angrily.
"I see the bruises on your face. And I know that you mother is in the hospital."
"So? No one needs to hear about my problems. No one cares."
"If you won't talk to me, I suggest you go to your school guidance counselor on Monday. Your father won't be there to threaten you to lying. And I know for a fact that your current school guidance counselor is a very good listener."
"How do you know all this about me?" Katie started, looking up from her book, but realized that she was talking to thin air. So Monica does know Andrew. Go figure. Sighing, imagining a conspiracy, Katie went back to her book.
Monica was heading out to the barn the next evening to fetch something for Kim, walking through the dimly lit stable.
"Monica?" A voice called her from the shadows. She jumped, surprised, and spun to face.Andrew.
"Andrew? What's wrong?" She searched his face and saw that he looked terribly upset. She reached forward to grasp his hand and realized he was trembling. "Oh, Andrew, what happened?" She whispered comfortingly, guiding him to sit on a chair in her assistant's office. He was in his Angel of Death attire, showing that he had just returned from an assignment. He sighed quietly, waiting to get his emotions under control before he could speak.
"I just took Katie's mother Home. And her father before that."
"Oh.Andrew.no."
"Yes. And you won't believe what I was just told."
"What?"
"I'm going to be the one to tell Katie about it."
"Oh, Andrew, I'm so sorry."
"I know. But at least I have some thought to comfort me."
"What's that?"
"Well, her father saw me and recognized me as the Angel of Death. He had been a faithful, loving Christian before Clarice got sick, and he realized in his last moments that he could still go to Heaven. And he made the right choice, calling back to God again. But I don't know how that will comfort Katie."
"How did he die, Andrew?"
"He drank so much alcohol.there was too much in his system.and.well." Andrew stopped, glancing at the ground.
"I'm sorry." Monica whispered, wrapping a comforting arm around his shoulders, and they prayed.
As Katie rose on Monday morning and put on her clothes and makeup, nothing felt any different than it usually did. She didn't suspect the death of either of her parents. Kim was acting a little different but Katie suspected it was the effects of unsuccessful attempts at training Dancer's stubborn colt.
When Kim had been notified of Katie's parents' deaths near midnight that evening, she had gone into shock and had to be comforted and cared for by Monica. Though she had recovered by the next morning, she was angered that she couldn't tell Katie herself.
"I know you really wish that you could," Monica said gently, "But that responsibility falls to whomever the authorities see fit. Since she has no living relatives, they have decided that her school guidance counselor will tell her."
"Oh, all right." Kim said grumpily. "But I will be applying for legal guardianship whether 'the authorities' like it or not." Monica smiled.
Katie went through her school day like normal. No one else knew because it hadn't been in the paper or anything. She only received the usual stares from her bruises.
She was, however, considering what Monica had told her about speaking with her guidance counselor. She felt like she could really trust Andrew, but she was still hesitant because she knew her father might be arrested if Andrew told anyone else.
As the bell rang for eighth period to end, she hurried to her locker and upstairs to the guidance counselor's office. But instead of a smile mixed with concern that usually greeted her, Andrew looked upset.
Katie's words faltered in her mouth and she slowly set her backpack down on the floor.
"What happened?" She demanded, worried. Andrew was silent for a moment, looking at her with a look that was filled with reluctance and concern.
"Katie, you should sit down. I have some news that you will not be happy about."
"Andrew, what happened?" She said, standing anyway. He sighed, glanced at his desk, and the up again.
"On Saturday, both of your parents died."
Katie's mind didn't seem to register it. She froze, not knowing how to react.
"You're lying. You have to be." She whispered, desperately wishing that she was dreaming or that he was making it up, though she knew in her heart that he was telling the truth.
Andrew rose from his chair and guided her to the couch.
"Katie, it is the truth. I'm so sorry, but it is."
"But.how?"
"Your mother-"
"I know! What about my.the person who called himself my father?"
"Alcohol overdose."
"I hope he went straight to Hell."
"Katie!"
"God, Andrew, don't you see how he treated me?" Her voice was rising frantically. "He beat me, Andrew! He nearly killed me! He deserved to die!" She was nearly shouting in her anger, though her mind was still numb from shock.
"It is not for you to say that he deserved to die, Katie. Judgment is reserved for the Lord only."
"Oh, don't you tell me about God." Katie said angrily, rising. "I prayed for my mother, that she might be able to learn about God. She died. I prayed for my dad. He died. I prayed for myself, that I wouldn't retaliate against my dad. Look where all that got me!"
"God was listening, Katie." Andrew said, standing beside her, and praying to God to see if now was the time.
"And who are you to speak for God?" Katie snapped.
"I'm an angel, Katie. Sent by the Father." As the light of the Love of God glowed all around him Katie recoiled, backing away until she was against a chair. She curled up in the chair into a ball, trying to shrink away from Andrew as much as possible.
"Please.don't hurt me." She whispered, cowering.
"Oh, Katie." He said gently, approaching slowly. As he got closer he knelt down so that he was on eye level. She flinched as he touched her shoulder. "I'm not here to hurt you. God doesn't want to hurt you. He loves you. He wants you to trust Him."
"I've never been able to trust a 'him.' They've all hurt me." She whispered, staring at the ground.
"God won't hurt you. He knows how much pain you are feeling. He wants you to know that even now, He holds your father, and yes, your mother, in the palm of His hand. Both of your parents realized the mistake they had made and asked God to forgive them."
"But how?" She gasped.
"I'm the Angel of Death, Katie. I took your parents Home." Andrew placed two fingers under her chin and forced her to look into his eyes.
"So you're really an angel." Katie said, struggling to hold back the tears as those loving green eyes searched her face. Andrew nodded.
"And angels are really good listeners." He said, smiling.
"I." She choked as a tear raced down her face.
"Oh.come here.it's okay." Andrew whispered gently, wrapping his arms around her. She trembled in his embrace as she cried out the tears for her lost family and for herself that she had been holding back for so long.
There were several court decisions that had to be made. After a trial that determined that Katie had had nothing to do with her father's death, and that proved that had her father lived he would have been proven guilty of abuse, Kim gained legal guardianship of Katie. Katie was happy, though she knew that some scars would take time to heal.
After that day when Andrew had revealed himself as an angel, Katie hadn't seen him, or Monica. They had just left. She had wished that they would have waited to give her a chance to say goodbye, but she guessed that angels were too busy.
She settled in with Kim easily and loved the chance to be able to work around horses more.
When she went back to school, though, she missed seeing Andrew every ninth period. And whenever she passed the assistant's office in the stable she missed Monica's friendly presence.
"Oh, now I have to go find another assistant!" Kim had said, somewhat annoyed. "Sure, an angel has places to go and things to do, but jeez, so do I!"
"So you knew that Monica was an angel?" Katie asked, surprised.
"Oh, of course. She introduced herself the night your parents died. Oh - I'm so sorry!" She realized and looked at Katie apologetically.
"No, it's all right." Katie said, offering a half smile. "I know they've moved on. I had an angel helping me out, too." She glanced off into the sky. "Um, do you think you could drive me out to the cemetery this evening?"
"I'll take you now. Come on."
Kim dropped her off and then made an excuse about having to go to the grocery store so Katie could have some time.
Katie had gone to the memorial service, but there had been so many people there who seemed to think that Katie couldn't be alone. She'd never gotten a chance to really say goodbye.
She walked quietly through the empty cemetery until she reached the two graves side by side that proclaimed her parents' names and dates of birth and death. One of her favorite sayings was inscribed in the gravestones, at her personal request.
On her father's gravestone there was a line that said, "Blood is thicker than water." and on her mother's gravestone the continuation was ".But love is thicker than blood."
Katie sighed to herself and reached out to brush the words with trembling fingers.
"See you later, mom and.dad." She smiled as a single tear dropped and splashed on the stone. She stood and turned to go, but nearly ran into someone standing there.
"Andrew!" She said, throwing her arms around him. He returned her embrace, laughing quietly.
"I'm sorry I left so quickly." He said, smiling, "But I had an assignment. I just got the chance to stop by."
"I'm glad." Katie replied.
"You look better." He said. "I'm glad you're feeling better."
"Thanks to a certain angel." She said, smiling.
"Thanks." He said, briefly squeezing her shoulder. "I have to go."
"I'll see you around, right?"
"Maybe, I don't know. But I hope it's not so I have you as an assignment."
"Me neither." Katie admitted. "Well, thanks, Andrew. For everything."
"You're welcome, Katie. Goodbye." He gave her one last hug, and turned and walked away, seeming to just disappear into the sky.
"'Bye, Andrew." She smiled. She heard a soft cooing and turned her head just in time to see a dove fly past, on its way Home.
Hey all, it's me with another story! It's a Touched By An Angel story, and I hope you like it. I only own Katie and any other characters you don't know from TBAA. Monica, Andrew and the crew belong to all those lucky people on CBS and all. Please R/R!! Hope you like!! -LadyTiger06
By the way, I used Andrew in this story like someone else used him in theirs, but I assure you that the roles are completely different so I did NOT copy off of that person!
P.S. Sorry that the format was a little messed up, but I hope it's fixed!
P.P.S. SO SORRY ABOUT THAT CLIFFHANGER!! I had a major writer's cramp!
A tall girl with long, dark brown hair pulled back at her neck looked around for a place to sit. She spotted an empty table in the corner and headed toward it. On the way there she brushed a tough-looking girl sitting with a group of friends, laughing loudly. As the girl brushed past her, the tough-looking one jerked up and stood. She spun around and glared at the other girl.
"You just shoved me." She snarled. "What were you thinking?"
"It was an accident." The other, tall girl said coolly, not looking affected.
"Accident, huh? Starting a fight, more likely." The tough girl said. She planted her hands on the tall one's shoulders and shoved her backwards. The tall girl dropped her plate with a clatter.
"Hey, stop it girls!" A teacher called. The tall girl jumped up and glared angrily. The tough girl looked outraged at her nerve and drew back a fist. The tall one was quicker, though. She swept out a foot and caused her to trip and stumble as she lunged her body into the punch. As she regained her balance a teacher grabbed her arm angrily.
"You, and you - to the office, NOW." The tough girl sulked away, the teacher not easing her grip even a bit, as the tall girl walked coolly with her head high on the teacher's other side.
"Is she our assignment, Tess?" asked an unseen woman, standing in a corner with two others who were also invisible to passerby. She had a beautiful Irish accent as she spoke smoothly.
"Yes, baby. The tall one, actually, not the tougher-acting one." A dark-skinned woman replied. "Andrew, you may know her."
"Yes, sadly, I do." A tall, blond man said quietly. He met Monica's, the Irish-accented woman, glance. "Her mother is not doing very well."
"No, she isn't." Tess said simply. "Monica, you and Andrew will be the ones mainly handling this assignment. She is very fragile, more than she will let on, than you may think. Be careful."
After school was over, the tall girl left the building and began her walk home. Unseen, the angels Monica and Andrew followed. A group of girls passed her, offering comments as they walked by.
"Ooh, the teacher's pet starting fights at school?"
"Gee, Katie, didn't know you had that side to you."
"Tsk, tsk, shape up, girl."
"Better watch it, Miranda is going to be stalking you for a while, Katie."
At the last comment several girls laughed and the tall girl, Katie, held her head high in defiance. The angels exchanged sympathetic glances.
Katie was dreading walking in the door. Her father would get angry with her and manage to make up something about how it affected her mother. She was also nervous because her father had never done anything abusive or harmful to her. But two nights ago he had grabbed her arm hard enough to leave a deep bruise and had slapped her across the face hard enough for her to see stars.
He's just so tense about Mom. She thought. Since she's not doing very well at the hospital and all. But still.he's never hurt me before.
Hesitantly she pushed open the door. She shut it quietly behind her.
"Dad?" she called softly. She dropped her backpack on the floor and hung up her jacket.
"In the kitchen, now." A voice with stains of hurt and sadness in it called. Katie entered the kitchen nervously. Her dad looked up at her from his chair at the kitchen table. Katie bit back a gasp. He looked like he hadn't slept, and he smelled like alcohol.
"Dad, have you been drinking? You never-"
"You got in a fight at school." He said, his voice hoarse. "What's it to you, daughter, if I drink?" Katie jerked back like she had been slapped. He had never been so harsh as to call her "daughter" like that.
But then, he never hurt you before, either, idiot. She thought bitterly at herself.
"Your principal called. You shoved into a girl and tripped her after she got up."
"I.that's not-"
"Shut up." He screamed at her. Katie recoiled.
"Mom would have never imagined this would happen to her husband." Katie spat, throwing her darts of speech at him angrily. But inside, her heart felt as though it had been ripped in two. Her dad had hurt her terribly with his own words.
"Don't you dare talk about me or your mother that way!" He shouted jerking up from his chair. He jumped at her and grabbed her arm, twisting it painfully. She cried out and pulled away, but he only drew back to shove at her.
"Get out!" He screamed. Katie darted away, up the stairs to her room, choking back tears until she was safely on her bed, and then she cried her eyes out, sobbing silently.
Throughout the exchange, the two angels, Monica and Andrew, stood silently in the shadows, desperately wanting to help but not allowed to interfere with human affairs. Quietly, as Katie's father began to scream at her and grab her arm, Andrew drew Monica into his arms. She buried her head into his warm embrace as she cried silently. It never grew easier to watch such things. As Katie darted away, they each prayed silently for her safety and for the Lord to help her.
The next morning, Katie put on a long-sleeved shirt and applied some makeup to cover the marks and bruises as best she could. If someone asked, she had excuses ready. She went through the school day like normal, and people stared at her and whispered about how she had strange marks and bruises and about how she had gotten into a fight the other day. She refused to acknowledge them, though she hurt inside.
"Back off." She finally snapped to someone who dropped a rude comment and kept staring pointedly during math.
"Katie." Her eighth period teacher warned. Katie saw no point in arguing and spent the rest of the class sketching pictures of her horse in her notebook.
After what seemed like forever, the bell to end class rang.
"Lesson 74 for homework." The teacher called to the leaving students. Katie left last, and hurried to her locker so she wouldn't be late for next class. She dropped off her math book and snagged her sketchpad. Last period was her nice, end-of-the-day study hall and she usually was a teacher aide for the guidance counselor, who didn't often have much for her to do. She used the time to draw, write, or do her homework.
As she headed down the hall to the counselor's room, she wondered what excuse she should use to get her out of her dad's anger so she could go riding. She used to take private riding lessons, and had become good enough friends with the lady who owned the stable, the lady let her go out any time and ride their horses. Several months ago, she had saved enough money, after a long time, and had bought her own horse. Her friend stabled and fed the horse free, as long as Katie helped out often enough.
Katie came to the door of the counselor's room and pushed it open. To her surprise, someone new was sitting behind the desk. She stopped short and gave the person a friendly, but somewhat fake, smile.
"Um, hello. My name is Katie, and I usually help out Mrs. Almandine during this period. I didn't realize she was gone." Katie said hesitantly.
"Hello Katie. Mrs. Almandine is taking off several weeks to take care of her newborn. My name is Andrew."
"Well, I guess, uh, if you need help, that's what I'm here for." Katie said. She sat down on one of the comfortable chairs that Mrs. Almandine kept in her office to make it feel like a more normal environment for people happened to be there for "counseling." Now that she thought about it, she had never thought of having a man as a counselor. But then, what would boys think of having a woman for a counselor? Maybe she just felt that way because she had never had any good experiences with men, being around her dad so much lately.
"Well, if you have some free time this period, I have to unpack a few things. Just things like books and things to make this feel more like me. If you could help me, I'd appreciate it." Andrew said with a smile. Katie nodded and helped unpack some boxes.
At one point, she had to reach behind a bookshelf, and so she rolled up her sleeve so as not to rip her shirt. Of course, as would be typical, and being a guidance counselor, Andrew saw the bruise from her dad grabbing and twisting her arm from the previous night.
"Oh, what happened to you?" He asked, voice full of concern. Katie glanced up at him and did a double take in seeing the real concern on his face. Of course, it's been a while since anyone's felt that way towards you. Katie thought bitterly at herself. She glanced at her arm and went pale to see that it looked a lot worse than she had thought it was. As soon as she saw it and registered the black and blue, the pain immediately jolted through her arm. It looked like a dog had chewed on her arm and twisted it in the process. She had an excuse, though shaky, ready, though.
"I ride horses a lot. Last night I fell off a horse different from mine that I wasn't used to. I fell off when she checked in the middle of a jump. She rolled over it." Katie attempted to lie lamely.
"Why didn't you tell someone?" Andrew asked.
"I didn't want to look like a klutz." Katie said, trying to grin through the insistent, painful throbbing. "I've never fallen off before." Andrew gave her one of those "I don't believe you at all" looks. She returned it with one of those "If I wasn't in this much pain maybe I'd care" looks. He stood and walked to stand beside her.
"May I look at it? I may be able to help." He asked. Katie hesitated, but then held out her arm while supporting it with her other arm. Andrew held it gently, and flexed it to test it. She winced as he applied a little pressure to an area near her elbow, and she cried out in pain as he tried straightening her arm and wrist.
"Ow!" She protested. Every instinct told her to jerk her arm away, but she held it steady with her other arm. "Well, what's your diagnosis, doc?" She mocked, gritting her teeth against the pain. Andrew offered a smile.
"It's not broken, but no horse did this to you unless you tried to stick your arm down its throat." He said quietly, eyes searching her face.
Katie met his glance, but broke away, unable to stand the penetrating look. She shrugged and jerked her arm away, rolling down the sleeve. Refusing to speak, she sat back down on a chair and pulled out her sketchpad. She avoided his glance as he sat back down at his desk with a silent sigh. She flipped through pages already covered with drawings and came to a blank page.
Hmmm, what should I draw today? She wondered. After thinking for a while, she decided to free her hand and let it draw whatever it felt like drawing. She seemed to drift in and out of consciousness as she concentrated on her drawing. After what seemed like forever, she jerked back into reality at the gentle hand that rested on her shoulder.
"The bell rang." Andrew said as she jumped and glared up at him. "You didn't seem to notice. You were drawing, it looks like." Katie ignored his unspoken questions.
"Well, thanks. I'll see you tomorrow, I guess." Katie said, closing her sketchpad pointedly without even looking at what she had drawn. She rose, waved casually, and walked out the door.
After she had left, Andrew looked to his left at the angel that had just joined him.
"She will be a tough nut to crack." Andrew said. "She refused to talk to me at all."
"Katie will come around, angel boy, just give it time." Tess said simply. "Trust in the Lord, and when the time is right, she will be in desperate need of talking."
Katie was relieved to get away from the school and into fresh air. That new guidance counselor substitute had made her uneasy. A nice, long, hard ride will cure that. She thought with a sigh. Opening the door and walking in with a trained quietness, she was relieved to realize that no one was home. She dropped off her backpack and headed out the door. The stables where she kept her horse were not too far away, so she had nothing against walking there on such a nice day.
Katie broke into a jog as she headed down their driveway. She kept in shape pretty well so her muscles wouldn't get so sore from riding.
As she approached the stables a lady in her thirties hailed her.
"Hey, my favorite - and best - rider!" She called, grinning.
"Hey Kim-bo!" Katie called back, waving. "How's it going today?"
"Things are going well. And with you?" Kim replied. Even though she wasn't as young as some, she held on to that youth and never lost a sense of fun, though she was very stern, though kind, when training people to ride.
"Nothing special." Katie replied as she halted just short of Kim.
"Yeah, well, Emily, my personal assistant, you know, decided to run away to get married. She and her husband are moving to Hawaii, so I had to find a replacement."
"And?"
"Well, I found someone who is very willing and kind, but she is still learning about horses."
"That's cool. Maybe I'll meet her sometime."
"Yeah, she's here pretty often." Kim said, as she put a hand to Katie's elbow and tugged her toward the stables. "Come on, Shadow has missed you."
As Katie entered the stables, she inhaled deeply the scent of hay and horse. She never tired of that peaceful smell. She approached a well-kept stall with a beautiful black horse standing there.
"Hello, Shadow." Katie said, reaching out to stroke her nose. "Miss me?" Shadow tossed her head, seeming to say both "yes" and "I want to run" at the same time. Kim helped Katie tighten the girth and adjust the bridle on Shadow.
"The going's pretty slow today, Katie, so you can ride all you like." Kim said as she followed Katie, who was leading Shadow out of the stables.
With ease of practice, Katie leaped up onto Shadow's back without assistance.
"Turn up the music, won't you?" Katie asked, leaning down a little from the saddle.
"Sure, any particular music you want to hear?"
"Do you have CDJ's CD?"
"Sure, I'll put it in."
"Thanks."
"Anything for you." Kim said with a grin. Katie offered a hint of a smile back. As Kim headed up to the stable equivalent of a press box and turned on the music, Katie eased Shadow into a walk, then a trot. As one of her favorites, "I Don't Want You To Go" came on, she settled Shadow into the good, four-beat rhythm of a gallop.
Invisible to Katie and Kim, Monica and Andrew leaned against the fence, watching Katie.
"Kim's personal assistant, is it?" Andrew teased Monica. "You don't know the first thing about horses."
"Well, considering Katie is here so often, I thought it was a good way to get closer to her." Monica said.
"Good thinking."
"Did you have any luck with her at school?"
"No, she's shut everyone out. It'll take a lot of work to get her to say more than 'hi' to me." Andrew said with a sigh. They both glanced sadly at the girl who would have to lose so much and go through so much pain before she could heal.
About an hour later, Katie eased Shadow into a cool-down trot, then a walk.
"Done already?" Kim called from the jumping area where she was practicing with one of her own horses.
"Yeah, I have to get home." Katie said with a sigh. She swung off of Shadow with ease and grace of practice and led her toward the stables. As she began washing her off, a cheery voice greeted her:
"Hello. You must be Katie." Katie turned from her horse and turned off the hose as she looked over the new person.
"Yes, that's me. I don't know you, though."
"I'm Kim's new assistant. My name is Monica." Katie held out her hand, and Monica shook it. Monica was dressed casually, in jeans and a t- shirt, and she had a beautiful Irish accent.
"Nice to meet you. I'm around pretty often."
"That's what Kim told me. You really love these horses, don't you?"
"Yeah, but that's an understatement." Katie said with a half-laugh.
"Does it take away from your time at home to be here so often?" Monica asked as Katie knelt and rested one of Shadow's hooves on her knee, beginning to clean it with a hoof pick.
"Not really." Katie answered vaguely. Like she would admit to family problems to her friend's assistant. But she found herself not tossing away the idea: Monica made her feel a lot more secure than she had ever felt in a long time. Just like Andrew did. Shaking her head slightly at the comparison, thinking that the two had probably never even met, Katie moved on to the next hoof. Monica didn't go away, just stood and kept her company.
"So," Katie began, making conversation, "How long are you usually around here?"
"Often enough. I have little else to do." Monica replied. The two continued to make small talk as Katie cleaned up Shadow. Monica would often lend a hand if Katie needed it.
"Well, thanks for keeping me company. I have to take off." Katie said.
"Alright. Maybe I'll see you here again." Monica said with a smile.
"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if you did." Katie said, waving as she left the stable.
As she left, all Monica did was turn and meet Andrew's sad look.
Katie ran into Kim, who was heading out to her car.
"Do you need a ride up to the hospital?" Kim asked, wincing at how cruel it sounded. Yes, she did know about Katie's mom. Kim was one of the first people Katie told about it.
"Do you mind? My dad will meet me up there." Katie said gratefully.
"No problem. Hop in."
They pulled into the hospital parking lot about ten minutes later.
"Give me a call on my cell if you need a ride home, alright?" Kim called as Katie got out of the car and walked away. Katie waved vaguely in response. She had other things on her mind.
Katie signed in at the front desk of the hospital and headed down the hall to her mom's room in the oncology unit. Her dad wasn't there, somewhat to her relief, but the day nurse was. She was new, so it looked to Katie. Katie looked at her mom's pale face, wincing at how different she looked from before she had been diagnosed.
"How is she?" Katie whispered to the day nurse, not wanting to wake her mom. The nurse turned and gave her a smile.
"She just came out of radiation a while ago." The dark-skinned woman held out a hand. "I'm Tess, Clarice's new full-time nurse." Katie shook her hand, and couldn't help but smile at Tess' incredibly friendly and loving nature. "You must be Katie, her daughter." Katie nodded and reached to squeeze her mom's hand gently.
"Hey Mom." She leaned over and placed a kiss on her mom's forehead.
"Well, I'll leave you two be." Tess said quietly, walking out.
Katie pulled up a chair and sat next to her mom, waiting silently for her mom to recover from the radiation treatment. It didn't take too long - her mom soon opened her eyes, squeezing Katie's hand.
"Hi sweetheart." Katie's mom said hoarsely. "This treatment just keeps getting rougher and more aggressive."
"Yeah, but you're doing great Mom." Kate said, smiling. "You look really good."
"More white lies. I must be doing pretty bad if I'm getting so many of them from so many people." Her mom said tiredly. Katie smiled.
"Mom, I need to talk to you about something." Katie said quietly, breaking the moment. Her mom nodded.
"I'm listening."
"Look, I." Katie hesitated. "Well, if you die, I just.don't want you to go, leaving me not knowing where you went. And, well, I'd never forgive myself if I found that you didn't go to heaven and it was because I never said anything about my belief to help you out and help to show you the way."
"I'm getting really bad if people are preaching to me." Katie's mom said, glancing away. "I don't want to deal with this right now."
Katie desperately wanted to press the issue, praying quickly to God and asking what he wanted her to do. She felt him tugging at her heart to keep quiet for now, that was enough. She might push her mom farther away.
"Alright." Katie said, rising. "I have to get on home. It's getting late."
"Ok, bye, sweetheart." Her mom said, giving her a hug. "I love you."
"I love you too, mom." She said, heading out the door, but on an impulse, she turned back a moment. "And so does God." She smiled, opened the door, walked out, and closed the door behind her. She walked out to the waiting room and collapsed on one of the chairs in anguish.
"Oh, dear God," She whispered, praying, "Please help my mother. Show her your love, even if it's not through me. I want her to go to heaven when she dies. Amen."
The three angels were sitting in chairs not far from Katie, though they were invisible once more.
"I see that we're the answer to her prayers," Monica said, "But I'm having trouble seeing what our assignment is. I realize the trouble with her father and mother, but I also realize that we can't directly interfere with abuse and death."
"Monica," Tess said patiently, "There is one thing to do when you don't know what to do. Ask the Lord."
In reply, Monica shut her eyes and asked the Father for answers. After a moment she opened her eyes and sighed quietly.
"He tells me that we must be there for Katie and listen to her." Monica said simply. "But I wish I knew more." She immediately regretted that last part as Tess turned her reproachful look on her.
"You will know what you need to know when you need to know it."
"Poor Monica," Andrew said with a grin. "Always getting on the bad side of Miss Supervisor here."
"Don't even make me start on you." Tess said, turning her glare to Andrew. Monica laughed, amused, as usual, by Tess. She glanced up at Katie and saw her turning off her phone and walking outside to meet Kim, who was giving her a ride home.
"Well, we'd better follow her." Andrew said, suddenly all business. Tess shook her head sadly and said a prayer for the poor girl.
A couple of weeks went by, and an evening came where things would get worse. As she always did, Katie was dreading walking in the door to her home. Her dad had always come to see her mom unless he was drunk or out somewhere and had lost track of time. If he was drunk and at home, he would beat her, and if he was out somewhere, when he got home, he would beat her. Either way, it didn't look good for Katie.
The beatings were getting progressively worse, and Katie was beginning to have trouble hiding the bruises, even with all the makeup. If he hit her face any more, the guidance counselor at school, who had begun to notice, would urge her to talk about what happened, and might even set up counseling meetings for after school or something.
Well, Andrew already noticed my arm, and that was covered! He'll definitely notice anything on my face, even if I use all the makeup in the world! And that's all I need - my dad going to court or being arrested, and my mom is dying. Oh this will be fun. Katie thought bitterly.
Her worst fears were confirmed - her dad was home and incredibly drunk. Katie thought about seeing if their neighbors could help her out, but decided against that because no lights were on in the nearby houses and she didn't really know anyone. She decided to face his rage if she had to and do the best she could.
But why don't you just walk out and find someone to help you? They'll put you someplace better than this. A small voice echoed through her head. No! She thought fiercely, I don't need someone else's help or pity! And that's what I would get. She thought stubbornly at the "little voice." She didn't realize that the "little voice" was the voice of an angel, Andrew, who stood next to her, trying to help her.
Katie, unaware of the angel who stood by her, walked inside. Andrew stopped outside, unwilling to watch the abuse again. Katie flinched as her dad staggered into the living room as she entered it, unsuccessful at getting up to her room unnoticed.
"Where were you?" He demanded, his slurred voice giving away his drunkenness and anger.
"I went to visit Mom again. She gets lonely." Katie said, refusing to back down from her father. Her stubbornness, refusal, and, of course, mentioning her mom, just angered him all the more. And so he bore down on her and slapped her again and again across her face, punching other parts of her body, and screaming at her the whole time. Katie curled up in a ball and tried, in vain, to protect herself.
Just when she thought she wouldn't be able to take any more, her father passed out on the ground.
Monica had stood alone to watch Katie, though she desperately wanted to leave. God, however, was going to use her to help Katie survive another day. The Lord had instructed her to shield Katie's body from the blows that would have fatally injured her. Even though tasks like that usually fell to angels of other departments, Monica was there for Katie, an invisible shield to protect her.
Even so, after Katie's father passed out, Monica began to feel emotionally overwhelmed over what was happening to this poor girl. She had never seen humans get so violent and cruel, it hurt her deep inside, and she ran from the house, hands over her face to hide the tears welling in her eyes, straight into someone's arms.
"Hey, hey, it's alright. Sshh, you're okay now." Andrew quietly soothed and comforted Monica, holding her gently. His heart went out to this sensitive angel who felt so hurt by the actions of humans, and so he held her, letting her cry into his embrace. Even angels need to do that sometimes.
After a few minutes, Monica quieted, and the shuddering and tears turned to slower, deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down.
"I'm sorry, Andrew." Monica whispered feeling a little embarrassed. Andrew smiled a little, even though she couldn't see it.
"Hey, even angels need a shoulder to cry on. Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, not letting go of her since she didn't pull away. Monica hesitated.
"I think I need to." Andrew released her and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders, keeping her close. They walked and talked for a while, Monica glad that there was someone who would listen to her and let her talk about her troubles, Andrew glad to listen, and the angels were comforted simply by being in the presence of one another.
After the beatings had suddenly stopped, Katie just laid there for a moment, as if wondering if she was still alive. Then she sighed quietly and did a self-injury check that she had taught herself to do after such beatings. Starting with her feet and hands, she moved each part of her body to see if anything was wrong. To her amazement, she felt little injury, except that she saw the usual bruises. Quietly she rose and tested her weight on each leg to see if either was broken. Neither was.
She looked around and saw her father lying on the ground, with broken, gasping breaths. He was unconscious.
Now is your chance! That same voice she had heard earlier was speaking once more. You can call someone to take him to the hospital, and while he can't find out until it's too late, you can show someone how he treated you! She roughly pushed the thought away, though. Not pity again! She thought angrily. She turned and headed up the stairs and stuffed some stuff into a backpack without a glance at the mirror to see how she looked.
Katie headed out the door and down to the stables, hardly glancing at her father, still lying on the ground. If no one find's him, too bad. I really don't care at this point. She thought angrily to herself.
Monica started to wave as Katie entered the stables, and then saw the look on her face, not to mention the just-swelling bruises.
"Katie! What happened to you?"
"Where's Kim?" Katie replied, ignoring Monica's concern forcedly.
With a sigh, Monica reluctantly surrendered the answer: "Out training the most stubborn horse." Her words were aimed pointedly at Katie to carry a double meaning. Katie frowned, but said no more, only headed outside. She saw Kim trying to push a young colt into a fenced-in area with room to run but without a way out if the gate was closed.
"A little help here, Katie?" Kim gasped out. Katie dropped her backpack, came up and threw her own weight against the stubborn horse, and between the two of them, they got the colt into the fenced-in area, where he immediately stopped fighting.
"Thanks." Kim said, grinning. "That's Dancer's colt. Inherited her stubbornness." She looked over Katie, and then saw her face. Her eyes traveled over the rest of her bruises and the backpack sitting a few feet away. This had happened before, though never quite as bad, and they had an unspoken agreement.
Now Kim didn't know exactly what went on, but she was careful not to ask, because when she had once, she had pushed Katie far away. So by simply helping her this way, she kept Katie open for others to reach her.
"Come on, let's go inside. We'll have dinner in a little bit." Kim said, gesturing to Katie to follow her. It was a Friday evening, so she could spend the weekend at Kim's. Her dad hardly even noticed her absence. Sighing to herself, she turned and followed Kim inside.
Dinner was a silent affair. Katie stared at her plate, not daring to look Monica in the face for fear of not being able to keep her secret. Kim bustled back and forth with plates filled with delicious foods, making small talk with Monica. Kim's husband had died of a heart attack a couple of years ago, so Kim lived alone. That is, except for the animals on the farm, and Monica.
"So, Katie, will you be keeping me company for the weekend?" Kim asked, passing her the sweet potatoes.
"Yeah, I guess." She replied, taking the plate and then passing it to Monica, hardly looking up.
"Great. You can help me out with Dancer's new colt."
"Cool."
Kim seemed to realize that Katie really wasn't in the mood for talking, so she turned to talk with Monica. After a couple of minutes of awkward conversation, Katie excused herself.
"The second bathroom is all yours, hon." Kim called to Katie's retreating back.
"Thanks." She called back absentmindedly. Monica watched her, and quietly sighed. Kim glanced up.
"She might listen to you. I've tried, but I just push her away." Kim said, nodding meaningfully at the direction Katie had gone.
"I'm sure she appreciates it." Monica smiled gently. "I think I will try to get something out of her, though." She got up and headed down the hall to Katie's bedroom.
Katie had started to read when a knock on the door interrupted her.
"Come in." Katie called reluctantly. The door opened, and instead of Kim, whom she had expected, it was Monica. Katie sat up abruptly.
"What?" Katie asked, somewhat suspiciously.
"Katie, you really need to talk to someone about this."
"About what?"
"Your father. What he does to you." Monica looked at her imploringly.
"How do you know about that?" Katie said, rising angrily.
"I see the bruises on your face. And I know that you mother is in the hospital."
"So? No one needs to hear about my problems. No one cares."
"If you won't talk to me, I suggest you go to your school guidance counselor on Monday. Your father won't be there to threaten you to lying. And I know for a fact that your current school guidance counselor is a very good listener."
"How do you know all this about me?" Katie started, looking up from her book, but realized that she was talking to thin air. So Monica does know Andrew. Go figure. Sighing, imagining a conspiracy, Katie went back to her book.
Monica was heading out to the barn the next evening to fetch something for Kim, walking through the dimly lit stable.
"Monica?" A voice called her from the shadows. She jumped, surprised, and spun to face.Andrew.
"Andrew? What's wrong?" She searched his face and saw that he looked terribly upset. She reached forward to grasp his hand and realized he was trembling. "Oh, Andrew, what happened?" She whispered comfortingly, guiding him to sit on a chair in her assistant's office. He was in his Angel of Death attire, showing that he had just returned from an assignment. He sighed quietly, waiting to get his emotions under control before he could speak.
"I just took Katie's mother Home. And her father before that."
"Oh.Andrew.no."
"Yes. And you won't believe what I was just told."
"What?"
"I'm going to be the one to tell Katie about it."
"Oh, Andrew, I'm so sorry."
"I know. But at least I have some thought to comfort me."
"What's that?"
"Well, her father saw me and recognized me as the Angel of Death. He had been a faithful, loving Christian before Clarice got sick, and he realized in his last moments that he could still go to Heaven. And he made the right choice, calling back to God again. But I don't know how that will comfort Katie."
"How did he die, Andrew?"
"He drank so much alcohol.there was too much in his system.and.well." Andrew stopped, glancing at the ground.
"I'm sorry." Monica whispered, wrapping a comforting arm around his shoulders, and they prayed.
As Katie rose on Monday morning and put on her clothes and makeup, nothing felt any different than it usually did. She didn't suspect the death of either of her parents. Kim was acting a little different but Katie suspected it was the effects of unsuccessful attempts at training Dancer's stubborn colt.
When Kim had been notified of Katie's parents' deaths near midnight that evening, she had gone into shock and had to be comforted and cared for by Monica. Though she had recovered by the next morning, she was angered that she couldn't tell Katie herself.
"I know you really wish that you could," Monica said gently, "But that responsibility falls to whomever the authorities see fit. Since she has no living relatives, they have decided that her school guidance counselor will tell her."
"Oh, all right." Kim said grumpily. "But I will be applying for legal guardianship whether 'the authorities' like it or not." Monica smiled.
Katie went through her school day like normal. No one else knew because it hadn't been in the paper or anything. She only received the usual stares from her bruises.
She was, however, considering what Monica had told her about speaking with her guidance counselor. She felt like she could really trust Andrew, but she was still hesitant because she knew her father might be arrested if Andrew told anyone else.
As the bell rang for eighth period to end, she hurried to her locker and upstairs to the guidance counselor's office. But instead of a smile mixed with concern that usually greeted her, Andrew looked upset.
Katie's words faltered in her mouth and she slowly set her backpack down on the floor.
"What happened?" She demanded, worried. Andrew was silent for a moment, looking at her with a look that was filled with reluctance and concern.
"Katie, you should sit down. I have some news that you will not be happy about."
"Andrew, what happened?" She said, standing anyway. He sighed, glanced at his desk, and the up again.
"On Saturday, both of your parents died."
Katie's mind didn't seem to register it. She froze, not knowing how to react.
"You're lying. You have to be." She whispered, desperately wishing that she was dreaming or that he was making it up, though she knew in her heart that he was telling the truth.
Andrew rose from his chair and guided her to the couch.
"Katie, it is the truth. I'm so sorry, but it is."
"But.how?"
"Your mother-"
"I know! What about my.the person who called himself my father?"
"Alcohol overdose."
"I hope he went straight to Hell."
"Katie!"
"God, Andrew, don't you see how he treated me?" Her voice was rising frantically. "He beat me, Andrew! He nearly killed me! He deserved to die!" She was nearly shouting in her anger, though her mind was still numb from shock.
"It is not for you to say that he deserved to die, Katie. Judgment is reserved for the Lord only."
"Oh, don't you tell me about God." Katie said angrily, rising. "I prayed for my mother, that she might be able to learn about God. She died. I prayed for my dad. He died. I prayed for myself, that I wouldn't retaliate against my dad. Look where all that got me!"
"God was listening, Katie." Andrew said, standing beside her, and praying to God to see if now was the time.
"And who are you to speak for God?" Katie snapped.
"I'm an angel, Katie. Sent by the Father." As the light of the Love of God glowed all around him Katie recoiled, backing away until she was against a chair. She curled up in the chair into a ball, trying to shrink away from Andrew as much as possible.
"Please.don't hurt me." She whispered, cowering.
"Oh, Katie." He said gently, approaching slowly. As he got closer he knelt down so that he was on eye level. She flinched as he touched her shoulder. "I'm not here to hurt you. God doesn't want to hurt you. He loves you. He wants you to trust Him."
"I've never been able to trust a 'him.' They've all hurt me." She whispered, staring at the ground.
"God won't hurt you. He knows how much pain you are feeling. He wants you to know that even now, He holds your father, and yes, your mother, in the palm of His hand. Both of your parents realized the mistake they had made and asked God to forgive them."
"But how?" She gasped.
"I'm the Angel of Death, Katie. I took your parents Home." Andrew placed two fingers under her chin and forced her to look into his eyes.
"So you're really an angel." Katie said, struggling to hold back the tears as those loving green eyes searched her face. Andrew nodded.
"And angels are really good listeners." He said, smiling.
"I." She choked as a tear raced down her face.
"Oh.come here.it's okay." Andrew whispered gently, wrapping his arms around her. She trembled in his embrace as she cried out the tears for her lost family and for herself that she had been holding back for so long.
There were several court decisions that had to be made. After a trial that determined that Katie had had nothing to do with her father's death, and that proved that had her father lived he would have been proven guilty of abuse, Kim gained legal guardianship of Katie. Katie was happy, though she knew that some scars would take time to heal.
After that day when Andrew had revealed himself as an angel, Katie hadn't seen him, or Monica. They had just left. She had wished that they would have waited to give her a chance to say goodbye, but she guessed that angels were too busy.
She settled in with Kim easily and loved the chance to be able to work around horses more.
When she went back to school, though, she missed seeing Andrew every ninth period. And whenever she passed the assistant's office in the stable she missed Monica's friendly presence.
"Oh, now I have to go find another assistant!" Kim had said, somewhat annoyed. "Sure, an angel has places to go and things to do, but jeez, so do I!"
"So you knew that Monica was an angel?" Katie asked, surprised.
"Oh, of course. She introduced herself the night your parents died. Oh - I'm so sorry!" She realized and looked at Katie apologetically.
"No, it's all right." Katie said, offering a half smile. "I know they've moved on. I had an angel helping me out, too." She glanced off into the sky. "Um, do you think you could drive me out to the cemetery this evening?"
"I'll take you now. Come on."
Kim dropped her off and then made an excuse about having to go to the grocery store so Katie could have some time.
Katie had gone to the memorial service, but there had been so many people there who seemed to think that Katie couldn't be alone. She'd never gotten a chance to really say goodbye.
She walked quietly through the empty cemetery until she reached the two graves side by side that proclaimed her parents' names and dates of birth and death. One of her favorite sayings was inscribed in the gravestones, at her personal request.
On her father's gravestone there was a line that said, "Blood is thicker than water." and on her mother's gravestone the continuation was ".But love is thicker than blood."
Katie sighed to herself and reached out to brush the words with trembling fingers.
"See you later, mom and.dad." She smiled as a single tear dropped and splashed on the stone. She stood and turned to go, but nearly ran into someone standing there.
"Andrew!" She said, throwing her arms around him. He returned her embrace, laughing quietly.
"I'm sorry I left so quickly." He said, smiling, "But I had an assignment. I just got the chance to stop by."
"I'm glad." Katie replied.
"You look better." He said. "I'm glad you're feeling better."
"Thanks to a certain angel." She said, smiling.
"Thanks." He said, briefly squeezing her shoulder. "I have to go."
"I'll see you around, right?"
"Maybe, I don't know. But I hope it's not so I have you as an assignment."
"Me neither." Katie admitted. "Well, thanks, Andrew. For everything."
"You're welcome, Katie. Goodbye." He gave her one last hug, and turned and walked away, seeming to just disappear into the sky.
"'Bye, Andrew." She smiled. She heard a soft cooing and turned her head just in time to see a dove fly past, on its way Home.