Chapter 8

Richard and Mary Ann stood up quickly and quite scared when they saw their daughter running across the ballroom and towards the door. They tried to stop her and just then Adam and Tess saw Monica and Andrew getting in a hurry behind the ballerina. All the six finally gathered at the main entrance where Natalia was no where in sight.

"Baby, what happened?" Tess asked to a rather pale Monica.

"She saw us, Tess," Andrew started to explain.

"Saw what?" Mary Ann and Richard have also came near the angels.

Monica blushed deeply and looked away, unable to resist her boss' sight. Andrew noticed this and took her hand reassuringly. "Natalia saw us together," he said slowly, already dreading the doctor's response.

"Monica!" Mary Ann almost shouted to her assistant and then turned to see Adam. "But how? I thought you..."

"No," the older angel of death said understanding what she was thinking. "Monica and I are not dating... if that was what you were thinking."

"Andrew," Richard interrupted. "Are you and Monica...?"

"Yes, Richard," the blond angel said tightening his grip on the little angel's hand.

"Oh, my! But why didn't you say anything about this?!" the man shouted running a hand through his hair. "How did you dare to make her think you cared about her?!" He faced the angel and everybody could see a barely repressed fury in his expression.

But before the angel could try an explanation, Mary Ann's voice interrupted any argument. "This is all my fault! Oh, God, what have I done? Monica, I'm sorry, really sorry!"

"Mary Ann, what...?"

"I asked Andrew to do this, Richard!" She explained to her husband, a horrible feeling of guilt filling up her heart. "I asked him to keep on visiting her even when I knew she had a crush on him and he had warned me he was in love with someone else. I... I didn't know it was you, Monica. I'm sorry. I saw you with Adam the day you took Natalia to the hospital and I assumed he was your boyfriend."

"Are you crazy, woman?!" Richard snapped at her wife.

"I needed to give her some illusion! She had lost hope, she wanted to die!" the woman started to cry and her husband wrapped an arm around her shoulders feeling somewhat guilty for shouting at her.

"A lie never ends well, baby" Tess admonished her looking at Andrew with a face of 'we'll discuss this later, Mr. Halo'.

"I know, but I was desperate..." she murmured, her face buried in her husband's chest. "Is that so hard to understand?"

"No, Mary Ann, it isn't" Monica's secure voice made a contrast with her previous ashamed expression. "We all made mistakes. You, Andrew and me. But instead of blaming each other what we have to care for is Natalia."

"I'll go ask if someone saw her leaving" Adam offered.

"I should've listened to you, Andrew," the psychologist continued. "Now, what am I going to tell my daughter?"

"The truth," Monica answered looking into Andrew's green eyes. "We all have to tell her the truth... God will help us to."

A minute later, Adam came back and Mike, Jonathan and even William reached the group. "The man at the door says he saw her leaving and the guys of the valet parking say she crossed the street and headed towards Central Park," the angel informed.

"What's going on?" Jonathan asked.

"Natalia left the theater and we don't know where she is," Richard said. "We have to find her."

"We'll help," William offered with a convincing worried tone even if Andrew was watching him in distrust.

Once they had decided to go to different places, the four angels headed towards Tess' Cadillac. The supervisor and Adam were going to the lake in Central Park while Andrew and Monica had decided to go to the south part, but a "not so fast, Mr. Halo," made them stop. "I think we have some points to make clear, angel boy," Tess added. "I don't want to believe you really told her you were falling in love."

Monica's unease was obvious for Andrew. "Of course I didn't, Tess! I can't lie, remember? Mary Ann asked me to keep on visiting her. At that moment I couldn't see another way to be near my 'assignment' and I accepted, that was my mistake! I never promised her anything, there's no way I could do that!"

His pleading eyes and the fervor in his voice moved the old angel, who knew her angel boy was telling nothing but the truth. "I know, baby," she said hugging him. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to bother you. Now let's move. Only God knows where that girl is and what she's thinking right now." They got into the car and the supervisor took the street. "I'll drop you on 65th street and we'll meet at the cross with the 5th Avenue in an hour, ok?"

Monica and Andrew saw the red car going away and the blond angel sighed in concern. "Ok, why don't you go to West drive and I'll go towards the lake. It's not too late and I hope she's not too far if she's here."

Monica saw him walking away and sighed feeling somewhat guilty for the worry in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Father," she murmured looking at the sky. "I've been selfish and I didn't help him the way Tess told me I had to. Please, let me help him now, let us find Natalia."

The little angel walked and walked around the park but couldn't find the ballerina. She kept on praying, longing to hear the Father's voice telling her where to go. Almost one hour later she reached the Lehman gates where Andrew had told her to meet him and waited a couple of minutes for him. She saw him walking towards her, sweating after the long walk. "Anything?" she asked him.

"No, nothing," he sighed heavily. "God, I wish I knew where to go!"

Suddenly he felt her soft hand in his and he turned to find her eyes fixed on his face. "Andrew, I'm sorry. I made this time so hard for you."

Her slightly trembling voice did him and he didn't waste a minute in holding her tightly. "This is not your fault, Monica. I should've told you..."

"I didn't give you much of a chance... I've always told you I trusted you and it didn't seem like I do this time... I was jealous," she added after some moments.

He chuckled quietly at her childlike tone. "You know you have no reason to be jealous," he pulled apart and pinched her nose tenderly.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, her eyes bright with joy. "I know it now," she kissed him slightly on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said holding her tightly.

They stayed there for some minutes, content in their embrace. Finally, never releasing her hold, Monica murmured, "Tess and Adam should be here already."

"You read my mind" Andrew added reluctantly pulling away. He checked his watch and he saw it was 15 minutes passed the hour they had said they would've been meeting there. "It's strange."

"Yeah..." Monica turned around looking for their friends.

A feeling of unease started in Andrew's heart but he forced himself to think it was because there were less and less people on the street. He reached for Monica's hand not wanting her to be far from him, but this didn't bring peace to his heart.

As the minutes passed he felt even more anxious and when he heard the siren of an ambulance, he tightened his grip on Monica's hand. "Oh no, Father, please!" he murmured.

"Andrew?" Monica asked in concern. "What's going on?"

They saw the ambulance passing along the 5th Avenue and he said in a hurry: "We need to go."

Monica and Andrew spotted the red Cadillac on the parking lot and hurried into the hospital. When they reached the ER ward, they saw Tess hugging a crying Mary Ann. Both angels froze at the sight, Andrew knowing what had happened and Monica foreboding it. Adam approached them as soon as he saw them and read the fear in his partner's face.

"Adam?" Monica was the first to speak. "What happened? Is it Natalia?"

"Yes, baby girl," he answered quietly and then looked at Andrew. "Her mother found her in her bathroom. She... tried to commit suicide."