Chapter 5

Washington 11:00 p.m. One week later

"Oh, Andrew, how I wish you were here with me," the little Irish angel murmured looking at the star filled sky Andrew loved so much in the balcony of the hospital. A single tear crossed her cheek and she wiped it away distractedly still thinking about her beloved blond angel that was so far from her now.

"Monica?" Gloria's voice made her turn and forget her silent meditations. "Are you ok?"

"Yes, Gloria, I'm fine..." she answered cleaning her last tears.

"Any news from Andrew and the others?"

"No," Monica replied looking down. "It's been a week since they went to the jungle and I haven't gotten a word from them."

"But it's been also a week without more cases," Gloria added. "I wonder if it is finally the ending..."

"I hope so too... I just can imagine how desperate their families must be feeling."

"You're right. It must be horrible to be fearing if your beloved ones are dying or not..." the younger angel said adjusting her gown around herself at a sudden and chill blow of wind. Only then she noticed Monica wasn't wearing hers. "Aren't you cold, Monica?"

"It's pretty hot tonight, isn't it?" she replied and then turned to face her friend. Gloria saw the sweat drops shinning on her forehead.

"Oh, my God! Are you alright?" the angel asked touching her forehead. "You've got a fever!"

"I'm fine..." the Irish angel argued weakly. "I've gotta go check on Alice," and then disappeared on the hallway.

Meanwhile Tess reached Robert, who was leaning over the window of the isolated room where now his whole family was fighting against death. "When did they let you know?" the dark skinned angel asked a man that barely resembled to the proud senator that had denied help to Monica.

"The people from my office just told me day before yesterday. I came as soon as I could."

"Now do you believe what Monica told you?"

"Yes..." he accepted with aching regret in his voice. "But it's too late."

"It's never too late to do the right thing, baby... especially when big apologies are needed. Alice told Monica everything about you and Mike," the older angel explained to the unspoken question she saw in his eyes. "You do love Alice and you do love your son."

"Mike is not my son."

"Yes, he is," Tess argued. "He's always been your son from the very moment you thought of him like that and you started to love him that way."

"But he doesn't have my blood!" he shouted.

"Now listen to me, Robert Grimsley," Tess said in her commanding tone. "A father is not necessarily the one that gives life but the one that raises a child to become a good man. St. Joseph and Jesus are a good example! What you have with Mike is something that can't be broken that easily. It's a shame it has cost you so much to realize it."

"Even if I accept that, it won't serve of much! I can't do anything!"

"What do you mean by you can't do anything? Weren't you having a meeting with other Health Ministers?"

"Yes, but they won't send any help to The Congo. It's too late".

"Why?"

"Because they consider that the priority is national security and with all the 40 cases and the 5 deaths confirmed here, they don't want any of the experts in these viruses away from here," Robert said finally meeting Tess' eyes.

"You mean that all the people out there in Africa will keep on waiting for...?" the angel couldn't continue.

"...for help that will never arrive? Yes."

"Jesus help us!" Tess couldn't help but exclaim. But when she was about to ask for more, she saw Gloria coming to her with a worried expression.

"Senator Grimsley," she greeted. "Tess, I'm glad I've found you."

"What is it, baby?" the dark skinned angel asked fearing what as to come.

"It's Monica... I'm afraid she has a fever..."

"What?! Monica?!" Tess and Robert asked at the same time and almost ran to her office, Gloria right at their heels.

"Angel girl, are you there?!" Tess knocked at her door. When she got no answer, she opened the door and ran to her charge.

"Monica, are you alright?" Robert asked.

Monica was leaning over her desk, her head resting on her arms. She seemed to be asleep and didn't respond to Robert and Tess' callings. The older angel touched her forehead. "She's burning with fever!" she screamed when she felt Monica's temperature. "We need to take her to a room immediately!"

"Andrew..." the little angel murmured.

"Shh... shh, angel baby, you'll be alright," Tess said stroking her hair.

"Andrew..."

"I think she's calling someone," Robert offered feeling himself very useless at the moment.

"Andrew, please come..."

"He will, baby," Tess said holding Monica's head against her chest and brushing her damp strands of hair away of her face. "But now you have to get better soon, sweetie, you have to!"

Impfondo, 11:00 a.m. The next day

"All right now, let's start descending him," Jack ordered to Adam, Rafael and two other men that were helping him to guide a line from where Andrew was hanging. They had been tracking the earlier cases of Ebola and had found out it had been a monkey the first to be sick and to die for it. Even more they had found some dead monkeys in the jungle and in a cavern over a big cliff, and Jack had insisted on collecting samples to analyze them. Andrew had offered to go pick them.

"Easy, guys!" Jack shouted. "Andrew, you have to help us maintain your weight by walking over the rocks and then letting the rope go out little by little, ok? Like that, yes, go on...!" the dark skinned man directed him.

The blond angel was already hanging about 10 feet when the sound of a car coming closer interrupted them. "Hey, watch out!" Jack told the men when he saw them turning to see a jeep. "Andrew, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" the angel shouted from the cliff.

"Then keep on descending! We need the samples for today!"

Still, Adam and Rafael turned too when they saw Henry getting out of the jeep and running to them. "Good we found you fast! Where's Andrew?" the angel for special cases asked.

"Down there, why?" Adam asked.

"What's going on?" Andrew asked when he noticed they were not helping him to descend now.

"What's happening, Henry?" Rafael asked noticing the angel's concern.

"It's Monica," he answered flatly. "I'm afraid she..."

"What?!"

"No way!" Rafael and Adam exclaimed at the same time. "Monica cannot be infected!" the angel of death said.

Andrew couldn't hear all the conversation but he heard Adam's last words. "What?" he asked incredulously. "Oh, no, Monica no!" he said and he decided to get up immediately. But by not telling the others, they were not prepared for the change in the pulling ropes so they tripped and released their holding. "Aaaaaaaargh!" they heard Andrew screaming.

"Andrew!!!" Jack, Henry, Adam and Rafael shouted at the same time and ran to the border of the cliff. Before they arrived they heard the sound of Andrew's body hitting the soil and the shout of pain from the angel.

"There he is!" said one of the other men that were working with them. Andrew was lying at the bottom of the gorge, his left arm in an awkward angle in respect to his body. He had been wearing a white shirt which was now all covered in dust and blood.

The next thing the angel knew was that he was standing in the middle of a beautiful forest. He could hear not too far from there the sound of a stream and everything around just smelled good, like fresh rain in a hot day. He inhaled deeply and the scent brought a sense of relief and peace to his heart. He then felt a pair of small hands slipping around his waist and the weight of a head resting on his back.

"I've been waiting for you," Monica's soft voice told him.

He turned in her arms so he could hold her tightly too, only then realizing they were both dressed in white. "I've missed you," he said simply and leaned down to kiss her with abandon. "Let's go Home," he suggested when they parted and they started to walk hand in hand.

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