Earthbound

by Melora Johnson

  “Okay.” I knew that much to be true.

  “The other thing is, you know I died for a few minutes, right?”

  “Yeah, the priest told us.”

  The ghost of a smile hovered around her lips. “Father Patrick, he’s a nice guy, he means well, but I haven’t decided how much I can tell him yet. Okay, I saw the tunnel and the white light, just like they talk about, but there was something more. A message for you.”

  I felt my eyebrows raise.

  “There was an angel. He said, ‘Tell her she must choose carefully who to work with and trust. Though she is no longer with us, still we are with her always.’”

  “How did you know he was an angel? And how do you know he meant me?”

  “Who else do you know, besides angels, that have wings?”

  Griffins. A Pegasus? My lips twitched as I scrutinized the floor.

  “Oh, stop it,” Jen mumbled. “I’m too tired for this. And, well, it was as much a feeling as a thought that the message was for you.”

  I frowned contritely. “I’m sorry. Of course I believe you, and I’ll remember what you said.”

  Jen blinked once, slowly. “Just be careful out there. There’s something going on. I almost feel safer in here, even with what they’re about to start doing to the burns.”

  I wanted to hug her so badly, but I didn’t know where to touch her.

  “It’s okay,” she said. “I’m just tired right now. We better let Mom come back in for a few minutes before visiting time ends.”

  “Right.” I went out to the hall. “Denise, she wants you to come back in now.”

  It wasn’t long before they came to kick us out. “I’ll be back tomorrow,” I said.

  “Sounds good,” Jen replied. Her lips barely moved, and her eyes had already closed.

  I took one last long look at my friend. I couldn’t help feeling responsible. If what she said was correct and not something she had hallucinated, some kind of supernatural creature had gone after her. I didn’t know if it had followed her from my house, somehow smelled my scent on her, or was a sentient being. Did it know who and what I was, and that she was my friend? I had a feeling it had come here, to this town, because of me. I’d be very grateful if anyone could prove me wrong.

  There lay my best friend, hurt because of me, badly burned. She would likely never be the same, though it appeared she would survive. I prayed the priest was right, and she would thrive too. I hoped I would survive to see it.

  Denise leaned over her and kissed the area of Jen’s skin not bandaged on her face. I leaned over to do the same. As I did, I closed my eyes for a moment, picturing healing golden light coming from within me and passing into Jen. I felt the little shock as I kissed her cheek. It wasn’t much, but it was all I could give her at the moment, both because I didn’t want to draw attention to what I was and also because I didn’t have much to give in my own weakened state. Jen’s eyes opened. She sighed, then her eyes closed again. If I could give her just a little bit every time I visited, I could speed her healing and ensure success without it being called a miracle. It was a plan, and I felt better for having one.

  We left the room, wrapped in our own thoughts as we walked down the hallway and joined a small contingent of a half dozen people stripping off their scrubs. A middle-aged, African American gentleman with a small mustache caught my eye and gave me a look of commiseration. “They’re really good here,” he said in a deep voice. “My son’s been here for three months, they’ve made amazing progress with him. We’re halfway to taking him home.”

  His wife nodded in agreement and summoned a smile. She seemed bone weary.

  I returned her look as I cringed inside. Three months and only halfway through the treatments he would need. Would it take that long for Jen? Not if I could help it.

  We all filed out, and I gave Denise a hug before I went to find Matt in the waiting room. He was the only one there. His head came up, and that beautiful smile crossed his face. It made me catch my breath every time I saw it. I was grateful to have him here.

  He joined me at the door. Standing close, he smoothed a lock of hair out of my eyes, the rough texture of his hand speaking to his work with animals and the outdoors. I loved the feel of it against my skin.

  “How is she?” he asked.

  “Wrapped up like a mummy, but she’s in good spirits. She told me something interesting.”

  “How so?” Matt asked.

  A couple nurses passed us in the hallway.

  “Not here,” I replied, inclining my head in the direction of the nurses. “Let’s head home.” I turned to walk down the hallway. He fell into step beside me. It felt so natural to have him with me, so close, yet at the same time, odd.

  It was nice to finally have someone to trust who I could tell who and what I really was. I trusted him more than I had anyone in my life since my father. Words echoed in my head, Tell her to choose carefully who to work with, and a tiny shadow of doubt crept into my brain. Who had they been referring to? I studied Matt. Should I be telling him this stuff? I had assumed the message Jen gave me was to trust him, but what if it wasn’t? It might not have been an angel giving Jen the message at all. She could have imagined it, or it could have been a demon. Shit.

  I glanced over at Matt again, his face a pleasant mask. Was he just trying to gain my trust for some purpose of his own? I didn’t really know him. I had no idea if he really came from New Zealand or was even a veterinarian. He could have given false credentials to get the job. Hell, he could even be one of the demons that had been sent to lead people astray. I walked a little further away from him, putting a few more inches between us.

  His hand slipped into mine, holding me in a firm yet gentle grip. A feeling of peace and warmth flowed through me. He looked over and gave me a crooked smile. “You’d know if I was evil.”

  Damn his green eyes. I suddenly felt very warm, in more ways than one.

  We walked back out to the car hand in hand, and Matt offered to drive once again. Emotionally and physically exhausted, I readily acquiesced. I handed over the keys, settled into the passenger seat, then turned on the seat warmer.

  Chapter 9

  Apparently, I dozed off, because I woke in the car parked at my house and found those mesmerizing green eyes watching me.

  “We’re here,” Matt said softly.

  “How long have I been out?” I asked. I checked the clock on the dash. It was off, which meant we’d been sitting there for at least ten minutes while he watched me sleep. Blood rushed to my face, suffusing it with heat. I hope I wasn’t drooling.

  I unbuckled my seat belt and started to open the car door. A small jolt of apprehension made me stop and look around before I completed the movement. I didn’t see anything strange, but I knew that didn’t mean there was nothing there. I took a breath and got out.

  It was still daylight, though the sun was setting, painting the sky with dark pink and smudgy purple. I took another deep breath, inhaling the clean country air, laden with spring moisture. A huge crimson dragonfly zipped through the yard and made a few circles, buzzing over the car.

  “What the heck,” I said, thoroughly confused. “It’s spring.” Dragonflies didn’t appear until summer at least, and usually late summer.

  Matt nodded. “Yes.”

  I watched it go, pondering. I’d once heard a legend that human souls could ride dragonflies back to Earth in order to visit. The things I was learning and encountering lately made me wonder just how many of the legends and myths were true.

  “Dinner?” Matt asked.

  “Yes, please,” I agreed. Matt still had my keys, so he unlocked the door and held it open for me.

  “I’ve never been much worried about locking my doors,” I said. “I’m rethinking that policy in light of recent events.”

  He chuckled. “Good, and there are some other things we can do to place protection around your home.”

  Inside, we shucked off our jackets. Matt took them to hang in the stai
rwell while I opened the refrigerator and perused the contents. “Salads with grilled ham and cheese?” I suggested.

  I glanced over my shoulder. Matt was rolling up his sleeves. “Lead me to the rabbit food. I’ll dice while you do sandwiches.”

  I chuckled. I loved the way he made himself at home. Can I keep him? The thought flitted through my mind as a joke, then lodged there. He had suggested we would be “partners.” Just how did he define that?

  Something must have registered in my expression because his eyes locked with mine. Attraction flared on his face, then it went carefully neutral again.

  He’d done that before—deliberately closed himself off. Damn. Why? He’s a man, I’m a woman. Why not?

  I sighed and pushed the concern from my mind. Concentrate on food. I started pulling out lettuce, celery, cucumbers, carrots, and radishes for a salad, along with the different dressings I had on hand. I was more of a blue cheese girl, but I did Italian often enough and occasionally a buffalo wing ranch. I’d once had a Vidalia onion dressing I liked, but every brand I bought after never tasted quite right.

  I set out bowls and the cutting board for Matt, then got out the sandwich makings and started slathering mustard on the inside of the bread. I added thick slices of cheddar cheese and ham before coating the outside with butter. They went in the preheated cast iron skillet, covered, so everything could melt and crisp up. When I started smelling the fried bread, I flipped the sandwiches.

  Matt placed the bowls on the table. I brought plates of diagonally cut sandwiches along.

  “What would you like to drink?” I asked.

  “Milk?”

  I got out the half gallon with the cow on the side then got myself a glass of seltzer water.

  We sat down to eat, and both reached for the blue cheese dressing at the same time. “Oh, go ahead,” I said.

  “No, you first,” Matt insisted, picking up his sandwich and taking a bite. “Mm, delicious.”

  I retrieved the bottle. “Thanks.”

  “So, how was your visit with Jen? You said she had something interesting to say? About how the accident happened?”

  I capped the bottle and set it closer to him. “Yeah, it was very odd.”

  His eyes flicked to mine as he picked up the dressing, then he looked down to pour some on his salad. “In what way?”

  “Well, there were two things. First, like Denise said, Jen claimed she hadn’t been drinking, something just picked her car up and flung it at the trees.”

  “Like a tornado or a microburst?”

  “Not exactly. More like a… thing.” I paused to swallow around a sudden lump in my throat.

  “Thing?”

  “Yeah, a big, red humanoid monster with large, curving horns, like a ram.”

  Matt set his fork down. “Any chance she could have picked that image up from somewhere else?”

  I shrugged. “There’s always a chance, though she was adamant, and also adamant I not tell her mother or anyone because they’d think she was crazy.”

  “Hmm, well, the fact she knows that suggests she’s fairly in control of her faculties.”

  “There’s more.”

  Matt folded his hands in his lap. “Do tell.”

  “She said she died and met an angel. It gave her a message; she was pretty sure it was for me.”

  “What did the angel say?”

  I briefly considered how much to tell him. Something made me hold back. “It said, though she is no longer with us, still we are with her always.”

  Matt’s expression didn’t change as we regarded each other across the table.

  “What do you make of that?” I asked.

  “Interesting.” He picked up his fork and resumed eating his salad.

  Puzzled, I watched him for a minute, but he focused on his dinner. Hello? Strange. I picked up my sandwich and started eating, confused by his reaction, or lack thereof. If I pressed him on it, would he just lie to me? He kept me so off balance, I didn’t know how to react.

  I snuck peeks at him as we ate, trying to formulate what I wanted to ask in my mind.

  Finally, he caught me at it. “What?”

  “I’m not sure how to say it.”

  He shrugged. “Just say it.”

  “Okay, why are you here?”

  “For the same reason I started searching for you. After stumbling across the articles about your fantastic success rate with rehabilitating birds, then the article about the demon’s death when you were a child, I had a feeling I was supposed to find you. There had to be some kind of divine intervention here. And if I could find you, then maybe the demons would too. I needed to protect you.”

  I sighed. “Unfortunately, you weren’t wrong.”

  “Chin up.” He winked. “We’re stronger together.”

  I wasn’t sure what help I would be to him. Maybe there was some way I could help, if only as bait.

  After we finished our meal, I yawned as Matt got up and started clearing our dishes. “I’ll do these, you go on to bed.”

  I wanted to protest because he was a guest in my house, but another yawn forced me to cover my mouth. I peeked over my hand sheepishly. “Okay, you talked me into it,” I said meekly.

  He grinned. “You’ve had an exceptionally full day, and your body is probably still healing internally from your own ordeal.”

  I tried to think of anything I needed to do before I turned in. “Um, oh, the guest bedroom. It’s the one on the left down the hall upstairs. It has clean sheets, and there are towels in the bathroom closet.” Was there anything else he might need?

  “I can fend for myself, don’t worry. Scoot, off to bed with you.” He leaned over and kissed the top of my head.

  Utterly bemused, I got up. “Goodnight.”

  “Night.”

  He turned to the sink. I left, feeling awkward in my own home.

  Upstairs, I slid out of my clothes and tossed them on the chair in the corner, then rummaged in my drawers for something to wear to bed. My oversize T-shirt nightgown was probably not worth trying to clean and mend, if Matt hadn’t already burned it. The only other nightgown I had was a pink baby doll with lace cups; it wasn’t really for sleeping in.

  I got out an extra soft turquoise camisole made of a stretchy material and put it on along with a pair of lightweight summer sweatpants. That would do for tonight.

  I crawled into bed and was asleep nearly as soon as I drew my hand back under the covers after turning off my bedside lamp.

  I dreamed of Matt, but it wasn’t exactly a fun dream.

  Two demons gripped my arms in vice-like hands and dragged me along a path, rocks scraping the skin from my knees. I tried to resist; they were too strong. I didn’t know whether they really wanted me for some reason or if I was being dragged along as bait for Mattheus.

  Facing back the way we came, I saw a battle raging on, demon forces versus angelic ones. The cacophony of shouts and metal ringing on metal assaulted my ears while the heat made the air feel like flames in my lungs. Grit invaded my mouth from the cloud of dust raised by the combatants.

  Then I saw him. Mattheus moved steadily toward me through the battle, a long sword flashing with each swing as he engaged the foe, the occasional lift afforded by his wings aiding his down stroke, but his eyes almost never left me. He was coming for me.

  Having fought free of the battle at last, he took to the air and soared toward me on huge, white wings that shone with the power and majesty of his heavenly office. As he neared us, the demons dropped me and fled in terror. He set down fifty feet from me and continued approaching as he folded his wings away and sheathed his sword. Barely breaking stride as he closed the distance, he scooped me up and took off again, cradling me against his chest.

  I sagged against him, my strength spent, and realized I’d been wounded in the battle. “Am I going to die?”

  “Not if I can help it,” he growled.

  Sometime later, I roused to the feel of something solid beneath my body. His
hands cupped my face, and I felt his soothing lips on my forehead. “Hush now,” he said softly.

  My eyes would not open. I heard his footsteps recede, though not far enough that I couldn’t hear the conversation.

  “Can you heal her?” he asked.

  Another voice, higher, though not feminine, answered. “Only time can do that, and it will be long and arduous. It would be best if I sent her consciousness away, to a different land.”

  “Send me with her.”

  The other voice protested. “In case you have forgotten, there is a battle going on here. Every angel is needed. Besides, this is not a certain thing. She might not come back. You would both be out there, but where I could not say.”

  “Couldn’t you send us somewhere that would be fixed?”

  The other voice sounded wary. “What do you mean?”

  “Make us human for a season.”

  “That is not done, you know that.”

  “I have heard the reports the demons are hiding there, on Earth, in human forms. What better way to combat the situation than to send us?”

  Silence reigned for a minute. “No, no, I’m sorry. I take your point, but it cannot be done. There are agreements.”

  “That have been breached already.”

  “This is a complicated process. The intricate intertwining of His will with human free will and other influences. We can’t simply toss someone into the flow of time. It would cause chaos.”

  I felt a breeze upon my cheek, like a cool wind rising, growing stronger, sighing, ebbing and flowing, then it died away.

  “Very well,” the high voice said. “You can go.”

  * * *

  I opened my eyes and sat up, back in my own bedroom. “Mattheus?” I called. “Mattheus.”

  I heard footsteps, and my bedroom door flew open. Matt stood there, a blue towel in his hands. “What did you say?” He seemed anxious, as if not sure whether to believe what he had heard.