Chapter 5 – Of fairy tales and other things
"Teresa?"
"Yes, darling?"
"Why does the lady with the red hair always call me angel?"
Lisbon smiled at the candid question. All the members of her team had gotten used by now to the little girl prowling around the bullpen, and each of them had his own way to address her. From Grace, who had nicknamed her "my sweet little angel", to Cho, who simply called her "kid" – yet went as far as smiling as he said so.
"The red-haired lady's name is Grace, Daisy. And I think you really look like a stray angel, who can't find his way home".
The girl mused a bit, then shook her head.
"I'm not an angel. But I think that he is", she said pointing her finger at Jane – who was currently sitting on his brown leather couch, sipping a freshly brewed cup of tea.
"Really?", Lisbon asked, more than a hint of amusement in her voice. She surely wouldn't describe Jane as that.
However, Daisy looked perfectly serious. "He's my angel, though his wings are broken. But maybe he'll be able to fly again, someday".
Now Lisbon felt deeply moved. Perhaps the child could see through him better than they all did.
For Jane had indeed a heart of gold, despite the fact that he usually chose not to show it.
If only he could forgive himself for what had happened to his family…
"So, if Jane's an angel… what about Grace? And Wayne, the one who always brings you sweets? And what about our silent Mr. Kimball?"
"Oh, that's easy. Grace is a princess, and the big cop is her servant. The Asian man is a knight who fights against dragons and monsters".
Trying to figure how Cho would look like in shining armor, Lisbon threw in: "Then who am I? The captain who leads his soldiers in battle?"
"Oh, no. You're an angel too".
"Me?", she countered in disbelief.
"Yeah. You're their guardian angel. Especially Patrick's. You know, his eyes are different when you're around. He feels… safe. Even happy, maybe. Just like me when I'm with him".
This time Daisy's words actually stunned her. She had never thought that her mere presence could make someone feel happy and safe. Least of all Jane.
