Chapter 5
"Abby and Mike are dead?" Monica confirmed in disbelief as she, Andrew and Tess sat around the kitchen table later that same night after Eliza was asleep upstairs. They had both calmed down a little since the reuniting that morning, but Monica still couldn't believe she had finally found her daughter and seen her as an eight-year-old. Andrew was right. She was beautiful and she looked just like her.
Andrew nodded in confirmation with a sympathetic expression as he reached across the table and took Monica's hand in his. Monica looked down and studied the table for a moment as she remembered that friendly, happy young couple Abby and Mike used to be. But then Tess' voice cut through her thoughts again. "The poor baby." She remarked sorrowfully, shaking her head as she contemplated that sad, lonely little girl sleeping upstairs. Both Monica and Andrew managed a small nod of agreement. But Monica was feeling this more deeply than anyone. After all, she was the one who decided she was going to help Abby and Mike in the first place. She was the one who got pregnant and gave birth to that beautiful little girl upstairs.
"So, what are we going to do?" Andrew inquired after a brief moment of silence, still not letting go of Monica's hand. But just then, before anyone could answer, a fourth voice interrupted them from the kitchen doorway. "Well, personally, I don't think there's anything to do." Sam commented quietly as he approached them from the doorway, seating himself in a chair next to Tess. Monica forced a miniscule smile at the newcomer and greeted him softly. Sam was a Special Forces angel and usually only came around when the situation took a violent shove into serious. But his opening line tonight was enough to get the angels thinking.
"So, we just let her stay with us?" Andrew confirmed, seeming a little perplexed at the remark, but Sam only shrugged helplessly and nodded. Now it was Monica's turn to ask questions, as she clearly had many of them. "But what about assignments and casework?" She questioned cluelessly as she gave her job some serious consideration. But Sam went on to answer that as well. "The Father has given you permission, Monica, to take a break from casework for a while until Eliza is ready for something like that. Until then, a replacement named Katie will be sent to handle your work." Sam explained slowly so they were all sure to understand. He then raised his hand, holding some sort of folder before dropping it on the table in front of them. At first they thought it was a case file, but when Monica reached over and pulled it her way, opening it before her, she realized what it truly was. Paperwork.
Noting Monica's unknowing glint in her eyes, Sam continued to explain. "There's nothing to do about it, because that's the paperwork stating that if anything were to happen to Abby and Mike Tucker, Eliza would be left in the care of the only relative she has, her birth mother. If you don't believe me Monica, check the document. Your name's on it." He assured her gently as he gestured to the folder in Monica's hands. Glancing down at the folder, Monica's eyes came upon the document and she confirmed Sam's statement with a nod and a helpless shrug. "Well, that's that then." She sighed as she slipped the folder shut and tossed it back on the table in front of her before glancing around at the others.
Without further or do, Sam stood to leave and bid them all goodbye for the night. "Well, I'm off. Will you guys be okay for tonight?" He asked caringly as he made for the front door. But all three of them nodded in response and, with that, Sam was gone. It was then that Monica sighed and stifled a yawn before standing from her own seat at the table. "You know, I think I'll head to bed then." She informed them with a small smile goodnight before turning and making her way over to the stairway. But Andrew suddenly stopped her as he called after her from the table. "Monica," he called quickly, stopping her in her tracks as she turned to look back at them with an expectant expression. He went on. "Goodnight." He told her simply, but in a voice so caring and loving that it told her everything was going to be all right and that he would be there for her the entire way. Monica smiled in response. "Goodnight." She replied quietly before turning and heading back up the stairs.
Reaching the top of the staircase, Monica started to turn down the hall to her room, but suddenly stopped and turned back in the direction of Eliza's room instead. Tiptoeing her way there so she didn't wake the child, Monica slowly and quietly opened the little girl's door and noted her petite figure sound asleep and perfectly still in the bed. With a tender, loving smile, Monica made her way over to the bedside and carefully seated herself on the mattress next to Eliza's sleeping figure. Reaching over, she brushed a stand of her daughter's golden hair out of her face and just sat there, staring at the wonder of God's creation. That was her daughter. One eight years ago, she never expected to have. But the truth was, she had her, and she was everything the angel could've hoped for. Leaning forward, Monica planted a loving kiss on her baby's forehead, something she never got the chance to do eight years ago.
"I love you so much." Monica whispered as not to wake her daughter, but she felt the need to tell her this now, whether she could hear her or not. "The night you were born, I wasn't thinking about you. I was thinking about me, but then I saw you and I realized this wasn't about me. I held you for the first and last time and I never wanted to let you go. But I thought I was leaving you with the best parents in the world, and I was. I never in my wildest dreams thought something like this would happen. But I promise that I will love and protect you with my life if you will let me." Monica paused momentarily as she choked back another set of tears for what must have been the millionth time that day. "Sweet dreams my little angel."
But there was a different air down in a place very different in a dark, abandoned alleyway in a place that was everything wrong with the world. Some called it Hell, but whatever you called it, it was still the 'mother ship' of evil itself and there, pacing back and forth in it with one of his demons, was Satan himself.
"I almost had her Gregory." The dark voice of pure evil growled through the night to address his servant. "That plane crash was perfect! How did she survive that? But I guess this is even better right? Now I've got them both together. I can 'kill two birds with one stone' so to speak." He consoled himself for his failure as he suddenly realized he had both Monica and Eliza practically on a platter already. He had wanted to get rid of them both originally anyway and now he had them both together and quite suddenly, things were looking up again.
Gregory could practically hear the wheels turning in his master's head and couldn't help but ask. "Are you going to do the same thing you did last time?" He inquired curiously, recalling the last time his master had attempted to get rid of the little Irish angel when she had been about five months pregnant. But the devil only shook his head no and completed cooking up the plan he was working out. "No, I'm going to go with a little more…human approach." But then suddenly he recalled what went wrong last time and reassured that it didn't happen again. "Wait Gregory, I have a job for you." He began, glancing back over his shoulder at the demon, who straightened with alertness immediately at his master's addressing. Satan continued. "Just make sure Angel Boy doesn't get in the way again. I don't care what you do, just make sure you dispose of him got it?"