Chapter 4
It was noon after lunch a week later when Andrew arrived at the ABA. He was walking distractedly along the corridor when he saw William pushing Natalia towards his office. He couldn't hear what they were saying as the choreographer's words were silent recriminations. They got into the office but let the door open, so the blond angel cautiously approached it to try to listen.
"What do you think you're doing, Natalia?" he began. "You're ignoring me!"
"I'm tired of this, William. I want you to leave me alone!" Natalia's words surprised Andrew but he was pleased to hear them.
"Tired of what?"
"Of you treating me like rubbish. I don't deserve that!"
"Oh, you don't, huh? Who's been talking to you? Your new teacher, right?"
"Leave him out of this! It's just me finally realizing you don't love me!"
"But I do! I love you, you know that."
"That's not love, William."
"Then what is it, huh? What was the first time I kissed you, the first time we..."
"I don't know!" she interrupted him. "I don't know what all these two years have been!"
Andrew couldn't see them, but he could hear William's muffled pacing. He was sure he didn't expect this.
"I've helped you, Natalia. You're so ungrateful. You don't know how much you're hurting me, honey."
The blond angel knew this was the critical part: if he managed to convince her, then what he had told her would mean nothing.
"Don't try that this time, William. I'm not believing your lies this time."
"What lies can be when I tell you I love you and that I'd do anything to help you?" he was trying to be cute but he was failing miserably.
"I don't need help. I can get all by myself!"
"You think so?" Andrew could clearly distinguish the sudden change in the tone of voice of the choreographer. "I want you to try to get the last of the roles if I don't want you to."
"What?" Natalia's voice was full of surprise and fear.
"I'm warning you, Natalia. I can destroy your career if I want and I will, if you keep doing this, saying you don't want anything with me anymore!"
"Leave me alone!" she was fighting him and the blond angel supposed he was grabbing her by an arm to threaten her.
"I want you begging for my forgiveness! Saying you're sorry!"
"I don't want to see you again!"
"You're mine, Natalia, and I'm not letting you go!"
"I'm not yours! I will never be again! You're despicable!"
The sound of a slap and a soft cry made Andrew jump and it was all he needed to get into the office and help the ballerina. "Leave her alone!" he shouted grabbing the choreographer by the shirt and pulling him away of her. The angel turned to see if she was ok and William took advantage of this. All of a sudden, Andrew felt a fist connecting with his upper jaw and he almost lost balance. He felt something hot running from his nose, but William was already lifting him to hit him again and he would've done it if Natalia hasn't gotten in the middle. Her cry and the noise made some other teachers and students go to the office to pull the angel and the choreographer apart.
"What are you doing, William?" Jonathan Michels asked as he stood between the two fighting men.
"He attacked me!" the choreographer yelled.
"No, he didn't!" Natalia's voice interrupted him. "You attacked him!" She was covering her nose to try to stop the bleeding.
"You leave her alone, William!" Andrew warned him. "Come on, Natalia, I'm gonna take you to the hospital." Natalia walked obediently.
"I'm gonna tear you apart, Andrew!" William shouted and was stopped by Mr. Michels from trying to hit the angel again. "You can be sure and you too, Natalia!"
The double door of the ER flung open as the chief of psychiatrics and her assistant ran into the guard immediately leading to the exam room where a doctor and a nurse were already working on Natalia.
"Oh, my God!" Mary Ann exclaimed when she saw her daughter still bleeding. "I didn't want to believe this! Honey, what happened?"
"It was an accident, at the ABA," she managed to answer though her voice wasn't clear.
Something told Monica to turn towards the next room and there she saw Tess taking care of an also injured Andrew. She left without being noticed, her worried eyes immediately focusing on his bruised face.
"Oh, Andrew! Are you ok?" she said taking the hand he had offered. She wanted to hold him as if it were what it would take to make him heal, but she restrained herself as she didn't know how badly hurt he was.
"I'll be fine," he said. "It's just a bruise."
"It's just that this time," Tess informed him finishing to clean the blood from his nose and pushing a little enough to make him complain. "But you will not be 'magically' cured this time, Mr. Halo. You'll have to go through the normal process. That'll teach you to be a little more careful."
"It was not my fault, Tess," he tried to argue. "William hit her, did you want me to stand there and just watch?"
The older angel was about to ask but Monica's voice interrupted her. "William hit Natalia? I can't believe this! Mary Ann has to know it!" She was about to leave when Andrew's strong hand stopped her.
"Monica, no. Look," the blond angel pointed to the other room: Natalia and her mother were alone now and it seemed the girl was at last telling Mary Ann what had happened.
"What happened, Andrew?" the Irish angel asked.
"I saw him pushing her to his office. He told her she's been ignoring him and she told him she didn't want to see him again. He threatened her again and then I heard a cry and the sound of a slap. I got into the office and he hit me. When he was about to hit me again, Natalia got in the middle. Luckily some other teachers got there on time."
The three angels saw Mary Ann taking her daughter and walking to leave the exam room.
"I better go back to the academy," Andrew said at the end. "I think I should talk to Jonathan Michels before William can put everything in the way he wants them." He stood up and gave Monica a distracted peck on the cheek before leaving.
The Irish angel waited a long time before going back to her office. She knew Mary Ann would want time to talk to her daughter so she covered the rounds and check on any new admittance. When she finally went to the office, Natalia seemed to be much calmer though it was pretty obvious she'd cried.
"I'm sorry," Monica excused herself when she opened the door and both mother and daughter turned to see her. "I just need something from my desk and I'll be gone."
"Oh, no, Monica, please you can stay. Look I want you to meet my daughter, Natalia. This is my new assistant , Monica."
"Hi," the little angel said shaking the ballerina's hand.
"You know? Monica has a friend at the ABC, you may know him, honey," Mary Ann said wanting to find something to make her daughter talk to the angel.
"Oh, yeah? Who's that friend of yours?"
"Andrew, your new Drama teacher..." Monica watched carefully at the girl's reaction. Her mother didn't notice but the angel could clearly see a light blush in her cheeks and a quick hint of surprise in her dark eyes.
"He's the guy who defended you, right?" Mary Ann asked.
"Yes. One of my fellow students was pestering me and Andrew made him stop," Natalia explained to Monica, but the angel knew that was not the truth and that the girl was trying to justify herself without having to say she was dating the choreographer of the company. Monica met Mary Ann's gaze briefly and she saw her chief had accepted her daughter's story as a confirmation of her suspicions.
"He's been so kind with me since he arrived," Natalia's voice full of optimism interrupted Monica's thoughts, "but I guess you must know that, right Monica?"
She managed to smile and say "yes, that's who he is," but deep inside something was bothering her and it was not only the fact that Natalia was still lying to her mother after what had happened today.
"I hope I meet him soon so I can thank him for his help," the doctor said.
"I'm so sorry he got beaten because of me..." the ballerina offered and then remained silent for some moments.
'You should be at least!' the little angel thought feeling a knot of disgust on her stomach remembering the sight of Andrew bleeding, but none of the other woman noticed her upset face.
"I think I should go and tell him I'm sorry," the girl said not noticing Monica's wide open eyes.
"But you said you were not coming back today," Mary Ann replied with a note of disappointment in her voice.
"Mom, you don't want him to be considering me as a very rude person, do you? I'll see you at night," she kissed her mother on the cheek before leaving. "Nice to meet you, Monica."
"Nice to meet you too." The angel looked at her chief once more, but she only shuddered her shoulders and sighed.
To his relief, Andrew had talked to Jonathan Michels as soon as he had come back to the academy. The teacher had told him they had had problems with William before and he would see his contract to be abrogated by the end of the year. The blond angel went back to his classroom. He had decided to take the rest of the afternoon to prepare his class before heading back to the hospital to invite Monica to have dinner.
"Andrew?" Natalia's voice surprised him.
"Natalia, I thought you'd stay with your mother. Come in."
"I just wanted to say thank you. It was very kind from you to help me."
"I couldn't have done different." The angel stood and circled his desk and took a seat on the corner near his student.
"I'm so sorry you got beaten. Does it hurt too much?" She came near him and touched his bruised jaw slightly.
"Don't worry, it'll be fine in a few days." He was feeling quite uncomfortable with this...
"You didn't have to do this. But I'm glad you arrived on time." She hadn't taken her hand back and Andrew was starting to suspect what she wanted.
"Natalia..."
"Please, don't say anything," she asked and the angel was more than taken by surprise when he saw the ballerina taking his face between her hands, leaning over and kissing him on the lips.
He took her by the wrists immediately to free himself but what helped him more was the sound of a voice by the door that he recognized at the moment.
"Andrew!"
It was Monica.
It was noon after lunch a week later when Andrew arrived at the ABA. He was walking distractedly along the corridor when he saw William pushing Natalia towards his office. He couldn't hear what they were saying as the choreographer's words were silent recriminations. They got into the office but let the door open, so the blond angel cautiously approached it to try to listen.
"What do you think you're doing, Natalia?" he began. "You're ignoring me!"
"I'm tired of this, William. I want you to leave me alone!" Natalia's words surprised Andrew but he was pleased to hear them.
"Tired of what?"
"Of you treating me like rubbish. I don't deserve that!"
"Oh, you don't, huh? Who's been talking to you? Your new teacher, right?"
"Leave him out of this! It's just me finally realizing you don't love me!"
"But I do! I love you, you know that."
"That's not love, William."
"Then what is it, huh? What was the first time I kissed you, the first time we..."
"I don't know!" she interrupted him. "I don't know what all these two years have been!"
Andrew couldn't see them, but he could hear William's muffled pacing. He was sure he didn't expect this.
"I've helped you, Natalia. You're so ungrateful. You don't know how much you're hurting me, honey."
The blond angel knew this was the critical part: if he managed to convince her, then what he had told her would mean nothing.
"Don't try that this time, William. I'm not believing your lies this time."
"What lies can be when I tell you I love you and that I'd do anything to help you?" he was trying to be cute but he was failing miserably.
"I don't need help. I can get all by myself!"
"You think so?" Andrew could clearly distinguish the sudden change in the tone of voice of the choreographer. "I want you to try to get the last of the roles if I don't want you to."
"What?" Natalia's voice was full of surprise and fear.
"I'm warning you, Natalia. I can destroy your career if I want and I will, if you keep doing this, saying you don't want anything with me anymore!"
"Leave me alone!" she was fighting him and the blond angel supposed he was grabbing her by an arm to threaten her.
"I want you begging for my forgiveness! Saying you're sorry!"
"I don't want to see you again!"
"You're mine, Natalia, and I'm not letting you go!"
"I'm not yours! I will never be again! You're despicable!"
The sound of a slap and a soft cry made Andrew jump and it was all he needed to get into the office and help the ballerina. "Leave her alone!" he shouted grabbing the choreographer by the shirt and pulling him away of her. The angel turned to see if she was ok and William took advantage of this. All of a sudden, Andrew felt a fist connecting with his upper jaw and he almost lost balance. He felt something hot running from his nose, but William was already lifting him to hit him again and he would've done it if Natalia hasn't gotten in the middle. Her cry and the noise made some other teachers and students go to the office to pull the angel and the choreographer apart.
"What are you doing, William?" Jonathan Michels asked as he stood between the two fighting men.
"He attacked me!" the choreographer yelled.
"No, he didn't!" Natalia's voice interrupted him. "You attacked him!" She was covering her nose to try to stop the bleeding.
"You leave her alone, William!" Andrew warned him. "Come on, Natalia, I'm gonna take you to the hospital." Natalia walked obediently.
"I'm gonna tear you apart, Andrew!" William shouted and was stopped by Mr. Michels from trying to hit the angel again. "You can be sure and you too, Natalia!"
The double door of the ER flung open as the chief of psychiatrics and her assistant ran into the guard immediately leading to the exam room where a doctor and a nurse were already working on Natalia.
"Oh, my God!" Mary Ann exclaimed when she saw her daughter still bleeding. "I didn't want to believe this! Honey, what happened?"
"It was an accident, at the ABA," she managed to answer though her voice wasn't clear.
Something told Monica to turn towards the next room and there she saw Tess taking care of an also injured Andrew. She left without being noticed, her worried eyes immediately focusing on his bruised face.
"Oh, Andrew! Are you ok?" she said taking the hand he had offered. She wanted to hold him as if it were what it would take to make him heal, but she restrained herself as she didn't know how badly hurt he was.
"I'll be fine," he said. "It's just a bruise."
"It's just that this time," Tess informed him finishing to clean the blood from his nose and pushing a little enough to make him complain. "But you will not be 'magically' cured this time, Mr. Halo. You'll have to go through the normal process. That'll teach you to be a little more careful."
"It was not my fault, Tess," he tried to argue. "William hit her, did you want me to stand there and just watch?"
The older angel was about to ask but Monica's voice interrupted her. "William hit Natalia? I can't believe this! Mary Ann has to know it!" She was about to leave when Andrew's strong hand stopped her.
"Monica, no. Look," the blond angel pointed to the other room: Natalia and her mother were alone now and it seemed the girl was at last telling Mary Ann what had happened.
"What happened, Andrew?" the Irish angel asked.
"I saw him pushing her to his office. He told her she's been ignoring him and she told him she didn't want to see him again. He threatened her again and then I heard a cry and the sound of a slap. I got into the office and he hit me. When he was about to hit me again, Natalia got in the middle. Luckily some other teachers got there on time."
The three angels saw Mary Ann taking her daughter and walking to leave the exam room.
"I better go back to the academy," Andrew said at the end. "I think I should talk to Jonathan Michels before William can put everything in the way he wants them." He stood up and gave Monica a distracted peck on the cheek before leaving.
The Irish angel waited a long time before going back to her office. She knew Mary Ann would want time to talk to her daughter so she covered the rounds and check on any new admittance. When she finally went to the office, Natalia seemed to be much calmer though it was pretty obvious she'd cried.
"I'm sorry," Monica excused herself when she opened the door and both mother and daughter turned to see her. "I just need something from my desk and I'll be gone."
"Oh, no, Monica, please you can stay. Look I want you to meet my daughter, Natalia. This is my new assistant , Monica."
"Hi," the little angel said shaking the ballerina's hand.
"You know? Monica has a friend at the ABC, you may know him, honey," Mary Ann said wanting to find something to make her daughter talk to the angel.
"Oh, yeah? Who's that friend of yours?"
"Andrew, your new Drama teacher..." Monica watched carefully at the girl's reaction. Her mother didn't notice but the angel could clearly see a light blush in her cheeks and a quick hint of surprise in her dark eyes.
"He's the guy who defended you, right?" Mary Ann asked.
"Yes. One of my fellow students was pestering me and Andrew made him stop," Natalia explained to Monica, but the angel knew that was not the truth and that the girl was trying to justify herself without having to say she was dating the choreographer of the company. Monica met Mary Ann's gaze briefly and she saw her chief had accepted her daughter's story as a confirmation of her suspicions.
"He's been so kind with me since he arrived," Natalia's voice full of optimism interrupted Monica's thoughts, "but I guess you must know that, right Monica?"
She managed to smile and say "yes, that's who he is," but deep inside something was bothering her and it was not only the fact that Natalia was still lying to her mother after what had happened today.
"I hope I meet him soon so I can thank him for his help," the doctor said.
"I'm so sorry he got beaten because of me..." the ballerina offered and then remained silent for some moments.
'You should be at least!' the little angel thought feeling a knot of disgust on her stomach remembering the sight of Andrew bleeding, but none of the other woman noticed her upset face.
"I think I should go and tell him I'm sorry," the girl said not noticing Monica's wide open eyes.
"But you said you were not coming back today," Mary Ann replied with a note of disappointment in her voice.
"Mom, you don't want him to be considering me as a very rude person, do you? I'll see you at night," she kissed her mother on the cheek before leaving. "Nice to meet you, Monica."
"Nice to meet you too." The angel looked at her chief once more, but she only shuddered her shoulders and sighed.
To his relief, Andrew had talked to Jonathan Michels as soon as he had come back to the academy. The teacher had told him they had had problems with William before and he would see his contract to be abrogated by the end of the year. The blond angel went back to his classroom. He had decided to take the rest of the afternoon to prepare his class before heading back to the hospital to invite Monica to have dinner.
"Andrew?" Natalia's voice surprised him.
"Natalia, I thought you'd stay with your mother. Come in."
"I just wanted to say thank you. It was very kind from you to help me."
"I couldn't have done different." The angel stood and circled his desk and took a seat on the corner near his student.
"I'm so sorry you got beaten. Does it hurt too much?" She came near him and touched his bruised jaw slightly.
"Don't worry, it'll be fine in a few days." He was feeling quite uncomfortable with this...
"You didn't have to do this. But I'm glad you arrived on time." She hadn't taken her hand back and Andrew was starting to suspect what she wanted.
"Natalia..."
"Please, don't say anything," she asked and the angel was more than taken by surprise when he saw the ballerina taking his face between her hands, leaning over and kissing him on the lips.
He took her by the wrists immediately to free himself but what helped him more was the sound of a voice by the door that he recognized at the moment.
"Andrew!"
It was Monica.