Can't live (if living is without you)
The trip back to Monica's house was a very quiet one as the little angel didn't talk much except to reply to the occasional questions of her 'boss' and to give Gregory directions to arrive. When the male demon stopped the car in front of Monica's door, they noticed Andrew was opening it, a big bouquet of roses in his hands.
"Looks like we spoiled a surprise," Jamal commented. "See you tomorrow, Monica."
"T-thank you, Jamal," the little angel replied.
"Remember what we talked about, dear," Kathleen added and all Monica could do was to nod in understanding.
"What?" the man asked noticing his secretary nervousness.
"Women talking!" Kathleen covered. "I gave Monica some advice regarding men!"
Monica chose not to say anything as she got out of the limousine, just murmuring a "See you tomorrow."
Andrew had just opened the door when he noticed Monica coming to him. He smiled and offered her the roses. "These are for you," he murmured and stroked her cheek before pulling her for a kiss.
"Andrew... you didn't have to," Monica murmured smelling at the blossoms. But although she was pleased with his gesture, her stomach was tied in knots knowing he was in danger.
Gregory took a minute to start the limousine again, allowing Jamal and Kathleen to see the two angels kissing.
"Let's go inside," Monica suggested and Andrew couldn't avoid to feel her a little nervous.
"How was your day?" the blond angel asked reaching to hold her from behind when she was going to set the flowers over the table. He moved her hair to a side to uncover her neck and kissed it lovingly.
Monica knew she was lost the moment his lips touched her skin. She couldn't resist him, nor that she wanted to. Bending her head to a side so he could have a better access, she closed her eyes and moaned quietly. "So, how was your day, baby? You didn't answer," Andrew insisted.
Monica turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Let's not talk about it, please," she murmured almost touching his lips. "I just want to be with you tonight." She then crossed the small distance and kissed him, letting him to control the kiss at his own will.
Hours later, not even the monotonous sound of crickets could make Monica sleep. Andrew was fast asleep by her side, one of his arms wrapped lovingly around her waist, the other serving her as a pillow. She was drinking in his features, stroking his cheek with a feather like touch. Her hand descended to his bare chest and rested over his heart, his steady heartbeat under her palm. "How am I supposed to do it?" she murmured in a barely audible whisper. "I can't live if living is without you, Andrew." She continued to look at him, unaware of the tears that were rolling down her cheeks.
Monica knew she couldn't deceive Andrew much longer. That morning he had noticed she had cried during the night and although he had prepared her favorite breakfast, she hadn't been able to eat but two or three tastes. Arguing she would be late for work, she had managed to convince him that they would talk in the afternoon, and that deadline was all that was in her mind during the morning, until people at the office started to talk about a special report on TV.
"Have you seen the news?" Kathleen asked getting into Jamal's office when he was dictating a letter to Monica. "There's a man trapped at the top of the Golden Gate!" The demon turned on the TV in the office and both the man and the angel came closer.
A small multitude had gathered by the shore of the beach and on the highway right by the base of the tower. They were all looking upwards towards the very top of the main tower, 746 feet away from the water.
"Hey, look, that's Gregory!" Jamal exclaimed when he recognized his driver." He was supposed to go get my documents to the bank, not witnessing a stupid worker trapped!" the man complained although his amused smile was saying he was having a good time watching his worker on TV.
But Monica's heart had started to beat faster when Jamal saw Gregory there fore she knew who had to be at the top with the trapped man. She turned to see Kathleen and the proud smile in the demon's face proved her to be right. Andrew had to be there... Gregory was there menacing to catch him if he by any chance could fall. The camera shot the man at the top by the time a helicopter arrived to the place and a rescue man was descended to the tower. The little angel recognized him immediately and joining her hands, she prayed silently, her eyes fixed on the screen.
A collective "Oooh!" made her heart jump when Andrew seemed to lose his balance on the basket where he was seating. For a long minute, the blond angel was practically hanging from the basket until he could seat safely again. Two big tears where shinning at the brink of her eyes until they ran free after the man was seating by Andrew's side and they were lifted to the helicopter.
Jamal celebrated the end of the incident with a joyous expression as if he had just seen a football match. "What a rescue, huh? W-what's up?" he asked when he saw how pale Monica was and how she was wiping her tears away.
"I-I... Nothing," the Irish angel said still standing where she had seen all the rescue.
"Oh, come on, Monica, you're impressed!" the man said walking to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders squeezing her gently. "Both are ok! They'll go back to have dinner with their families tonight and we'll make Gregory tell us every detail as soon as he's here!"
She nodded and freed herself from his embrace. "I-I'll go get the letters typed," she said and walked out of the office.
"Fun is over. I'll go back to work too," Kathleen told the man and followed the angel. Once she had closed the office door, she grabbed Monica's arm and made her turn. "See? It ca be so, so easy. Next time, I promise Andrew will not be that lucky, dear!"
"You can't hurt him! He's an angel and God is watching over him!" Monica tried to defend himself.
"Oh, yes, for sure! But accidents happen all the time, honey, and sometimes even angels can't save themselves..." the demon added leaving the angel shaking with fear behind her desk.
For the 100th time in the night, Monica turned to see the cuckoo clock over the fake chimney in the living room. Andrew had to be there already, he was supposed to arrive two hours ago. Under other circumstances she wouldn't be that worried, knowing he might have been called in assignment. But since this morning she couldn't just seat and wait for him to arrive as she knew he was in danger. She walked back to the kitchen and turned on the radio, trying to find a way to get distracted.
"If you're just joining us now, we're giving a special report about a fire in a building in Lombard Street..." Monica started to pay special attention to the report. Lombard street was four or five blocks away from her house. "What a day, guys! First the worker trapped at the Golden Gate and now this! Tina McPherson is our special reporter sent to the place. Tina what do you have there?"
The voice of the woman was barely audible with the sound of the sirens of ambulances and firemen trucks that were obviously arriving there. "Well, good night, San Francisco. We are at Lombard street where a fire started in an apartment building about two hours ago. It started apparently by the sixth floor and the fire has already consumed all the five upper floors. Most of the people that lived here is out of the building, but we're sorry to inform you that there's a pregnant woman trapped at the last floor. Due to her advanced condition, she couldn't get out fast enough and she also can't jump through the window where firemen would try to catch her. They are waiting for a volunteer to reach her with a telescopic ladder but time is an issue here..."
"Oh, no, Father, please!" Monica barely murmured before she turned the radio off and ran towards the zone of the disaster. She could feel in her heart that Andrew was there, and if he was going to be the volunteer... only God could help him to be safe.
What she had imagined while listening to the radio was nothing compared to what she found at the place. Half on her way there, she could already see the orange shining of the flames over the roofs of the high buildings. No less than ten firemen trucks were lined, hoses sending thousands of gallons of water towards the immense flames that nearly devoured the building and were menacing to spread to the next ones. The evacuated people remained near by, seeing how their houses all but disappeared behind the flames. And at the very top, in a small window there was the slim figure of a woman.
"Poor her! Do you think someone will help her? I'm sorry for her child..." a voice said by Monica's side and the angel turned immediately to see Kathleen standing by her side.
"What are you doing here!" Monica asked with a mix of fix and anger.
"Don't you think we did a good job here?"
"YOU!" the angel asked unable to believe it. "But why! All these people and that woman!"
"Because... I have to fight for a soul that belong to us!" the demon replied facing Monica with a clear tone of challenge in her voice. "And if I don't get him tonight, at least I can get the one of a really good angel..."
"No... no! I told you to leave him alone!" Monica shouted.
"The choice is in your hands! I want Jamal's soul and I'll get it! TO save your stupid beloved angel is all up to you!"
The little angel kept silence for a minute knowing what the demon's game was: to make her weak so she couldn't fight for Jamal's soul properly. If they were so interested in the man's soul it had to be because he was special. Somewhere under the hard, cold cover, there had to be something really good, worth enough for the demons to fight so much for him. She couldn't give up on him, he was her assignment and the was God's child. The Father had trusted her with him. Her only option was to give up on Andrew so she could keep him safe, even if her heart would break in pieces.
"Look, they are going for her!" someone shouted among the crowd. Monica looked upwards and recognized Andrew at the top of the mechanic ladder, another man behind him.
"Oh, Father, please, help them..." the little angel prayed.
"Oh, there is someone to help him, dear, don't worry," Kathleen told her pointing at the man behind him. Gregory.
Monica's heart started to beat wildly and everything around her seemed to disappear. It was only Andrew, the woman and Gregory. No more the shouting, the heat or the people around. Every foot the ladder went up, fear grew up in her heart, making her feet feel like made in lead and her legs in jelly. She couldn't move, couldn't think about anything but the blond angel and his safety. Like in slow motion, she saw him reaching the window, moving to get into the burning apartment and helping the woman very carefully to seat on the ladder. Gregory was by her side now, but when the blond angel was about to climb back to the ladder too, it suddenly moved leaving him hanging from the window frame. His shout of pain when he touched the hot metal made its way directly to Monica's heart. There was no way in which he could resist. The frame must've been almost melting. He would release it. He would fall. And Kathleen would be there to catch him and take him with them...
After a second that seemed like an eternity for her, Monica saw Kathleen smiling again at her before she started to walk towards the building. The little angel lifted her face and saw how Andrew's hands finally released their grip on the frame and he started to fall...
