Bedeviled

by J. Ashburn

  Caleb watched Micah, studied him, his dark hair, as black as raven feathers, his strong, lean body, his green, glimmering eyes. There was something majestic behind those eyes, something fiery. He leapt from treetop to treetop and glided down the other side of the woods. His wings faded and his eyes returned to normal. He was at an intersection of flashing yellow lights. He took one last look behind him, thought of Micah and walked on.

  ###

  Micah stood at the sink scrubbing his hands and sanitizing so he’d be ready for the next call. His head was spinning, still wondering exactly what happened out there. He remembered the car coming right at him, the screeching tires and then a man, a strong man with a warm body. It all happened so fast. His heart still fluttered over the experience. He had escaped death by seconds thanks to this mysterious stranger, he only wished he could thank him.

  “Micah, c’mon,” Nicki called. “We need to replace the shit in the ambulance. We just got another call.”

  “Did you see what happened out there?”

  “I know! Close call, right? If you hadn’t been on your toes you never would have jumped out of the way.”

  “I didn’t jump out of the way. Didn’t you see him?”

  “See who?”

  “The guy? The guy who saved my life?”

  “There was no guy. You pushed yourself out of the way.”

  “No.” Micah shook his head and dried his hands. “He pulled me out of the way and saved my life. I didn’t see the car coming but he did. He dove into me and pulled me out of the street. How could you not have seen him?”

  “Micah… you sure you didn’t hit your head? There was no one there. Just you and me.”

  “You’re wrong. You must have been checking on the accident victims. This muscular, strong dude came out of nowhere and pulled me out of danger. He was awesome, like a hero or something. Big arms around me, brown hair…I think…I…he smelled amazing.”

  “So you do think about guys and sex after all.”

  “Shut it, I’m being serious. I know he was there. I can still feel him.”

  “Okay, whatever you say. We gotta go.” Nicki zippered up the company jacket and headed for the ambulance again.

  Micah followed behind, his thoughts still lost in the man who saved his life.

  ###

  It was the dead of night when Caleb strolled into Blackstone’s downtown. It had stopped raining and he decided to enter the more rundown side of the city. Storefronts were boarded up or had bars on the windows. Graffiti adorned most of the surfaces from trash bins to alley walls. Police sirens echoed in the distance, even at this time of night.

  Alcoholics, addicts and petty criminals hung out in dark corners and beneath shadowed awnings. A sense of sadness and misery saturated the area. Caleb could feel it flowing inside of him. It stopped him… he was torn between relishing in it and weeping over it. But his heart broke for them, no matter how wretched these humans were.

  Caleb approached a random alley. A group of young men huddled to the side of it, against a wall and near a crumpled trash bin. The men looked up and scattered at Caleb’s presence, except one. The young man fell to his knees, his clothes smelled damp, he reeked of cigarettes, and his body twitched. He looked up at Caleb with glassy blue eyes and cried.

  “It is all right,” Caleb said. He bent to the boy and put his hand to his cheek. He felt him tremble from head to toe. “You are such a young soul.”

  “Don’t hurt me…I wasn’t doing anything…I swear…” The boy’s skin was pale and his body was gaunt.

  “No one is going to hurt you anymore.” Caleb removed the boy’s baseball cap and placed his hand on the top of his head. He closed his eyes and focused his dark angelic powers. When he reopened his eyes a red light enveloped the young man.

  The boy’s body quivered and twitched until a clear, viscous liquid eased out of his pores. It drooled down his body to the alley floor. His eyes cleared, his skin color shifted. Black spittle slipped from his lips and he moaned.

  Caleb picked him up, standing him on his feet and embraced him. “You are healed. No longer a slave to your vices. Begin your life anew.”

  The young man reached around and hugged Caleb back, basking in the warmth and healing the fallen angel had bestowed. His eyes widened and he looked at Caleb. “Thank you…” he muttered.

  Caleb let him go and the young man started to walk off. “Hey,” Caleb called. “Start by getting something to eat.” He reached out to the young man’s hand, turned it over and slipped money into his hand, money he’d conjured from the pockets of drug dealers. “Then go home. Tomorrow is a new day.”

  The man took the money and nodded before vanishing into the streets.

  Caleb smiled and walked to the end of the alley. He turned to the corner and continued deeper into the streets. He noticed a woman in very tight clothes standing on a street corner in front of a closed coffee shop.

  He approached her slowly, looking her up and down, sensing the lost little girl she tried to hide deep inside of her. The fear emanating off of her was palpable. Caleb crossed the street and stepped up to her corner.

  “Hey baby!” Her smile was wide but fake. “You looking for some fun tonight?”

  “I am afraid you cannot give me the type of fun I require,” Caleb said softly.

  “Then fuck off! I’m trying to work.”

  “So much anger, so much fear. Marla, go home to Alabama. Your family is worried sick about you. This life is not for you. You do not belong here.”

  “How the hell do you know my name?”

  “I know many things. I know that you thought you would find true love here. You thought the man on that internet site was honest and that he loved you. He lied. Your family loves you and they are looking for you, everyday. Go back to them. Your real life is back there waiting for you.”

  Tears rolled down her cheeks and Caleb reached out, touching her shoulder. “I miss them so much,” she wept. “I had no money when I got here and these men told me they could help me….the other girls showed me what to do. I wanna go home but I’m afraid…”

  “Do not fear, Marla. Your mom, dad and brother just want you to home. They do not care about anything else. They love you. They will take you back.”

  She cried onto his shoulder and he brushed her hair. “It is all right. No more tears. A plane ticket is waiting for you.” He took her hand and slipped cash into it. The cash had come from the pimps that tried to control her. “Go now, take a cab and pick up your ticket. Home is waiting for you.”

  “T-thank you…” She clutched the money in hands and looked at him once more. A smile lit up her face. Caleb mirrored her smile and watched her run off, away from the past, away from the misery and to the cab that waited for her at the next block.

  A warm feeling washed through Caleb and as he walked on, a man appeared in his mind’s eyes…it was the hero whose life he saved earlier that morning.

  ###

  Micah tossed and turned. His dreamed were filled with the stranger that rescued him that morning. The stranger no one saw but him, the stranger no one seemed to believe existed. He felt his arms holding him again. He smelled him… a scent unlike anything he’d ever smelled before.

  They were together now, holding one another, kissing, staring into each other’s eyes. It was such a happy, joyful sensation and it felt so real. Micah wasn’t sure if it was a dream. He only knew he wanted it to last forever…

  Loud knocking woke him from his dream. He sprung up in bed as Nick and Rick burst into his bedroom.

  “Hey dude!” Rick called. “You all right? You were yelling in your sleep?”

  “I was?” Micah rubbed his eyes then his face.

  “Yeah,” Nick said. “You kept shouting a name over and over… Caleb.”

  “Caleb?” Micah thought hard but didn’t recognize it.

  “Hot dream date?’ Nick asked.

  “I guess so. Sorry guys… I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “No
biggie,” Rick said. “But keep your sexy dreams to yourself next time.”

  Micah chuckled. “Sure, will do.” He pulled settled back in bed, pulled the sheets up and tried to get back to sleep. “Caleb.”

  4

  “There he is.” Nicki nudged Micah. One of the doctors passed through the ER lobby and made his way to the elevators. “He’s the new guy.”

  “Oh yeah,” Micah replied with little interest. “Seen him before. He’s ok.”

  “Ok? He’s hot. Moved here from the down south. Tennessee I think. The hospital really wanted him. He’s supposed to be a brilliant ER surgeon.”

  “Ok.”

  “What is wrong with you? Do you have a pulse… the man is gorgeous.”

  “So ask him out.”

  “I wish. He plays on your team. That’s the word around the hospital, any way.”

  “What is this place, General Hospital? Give me a break.”

  “Micah, he’s a total catch. A doctor. You’re single. He’s single. Just give him a chance… better yet, give yourself a chance.”

  “You don’t know he’s single. You don’t know anything about him. You haven’t even spoken to him.”

  “Fine.” Nicki strutted across the hall and headed for the elevators.

  “Nicki…don’t… I mean it.” Panic swelled inside of Micah as he watched Nicki head straight for the new doctor. His pulse quickened and he thought of chasing after her but then sighed with relief. She’d missed him. The elevator doors closed and Nicki stopped in her tracks. She turned back to Micah, shrugged and grinned at him. She made her way slowly back to him.

  “Next time,” she said.

  “Don’t bother. I don’t want to date a doctor. They have no time for relationships. He’d be dedicated to his job instead of me, which is fine.”

  “You’re hopeless… oh I know!” Nicki’s eyes lit up with excitement. “You can ask him to the Fireman’s charity ball.”

  “Nicki.”

  “Or he can ask you. It’ll be fun… c’mon, you gotta get out of the house once in a while.”

  “I just did the other night with you.”

  “That doesn’t count and you know it. First gotta find out his name and then…”

  An emergency call broke Nicki’s train of thought and Micah hopped into action. “Thank God…” he whispered under his breath as the two headed for the ambulance.

  ###

  Caleb had watched the sunrise. It was one of the most beautiful things he’d seen in a long time…. in hundreds of years actually. He’d forgotten how magnificent it was, languishing in Hell a fallen angel never saw the sun rise or fall. The very sight of the sun coming up had put a huge smile on his face. He soaked in every moment of its radiance, its essence and its warmth. He marveled at just how amazing Father really was.

  Sadness crossed his withered heart and he stared up at the skies. Forgive me. He wasn’t sure the words would ever be heard but he had to keep trying. With tears in his eyes, he left the park he’d spent the night in and started down some of the busier city streets. There was a homeless shelter down on his left. He passed some coffee shops, expensive clothing boutiques and jewelry shops, such opulence in the same area as those seeking help and comfort, and noticed the store fronts grew emptier as he approached the shelter.

  He walked up the stone steps to the nondescript and humble building and opened its doors. Inside he saw a line of people waiting to be served breakfast. Caleb stepped around the line and strolled to the center of the room. Three women behind the serving counter looked up at him. The oldest one smiled, her raven hair was streaked with silver, there were bags under her eyes, her face had deep lines but it lit up with compassion.

  “Are you looking for a hot breakfast,” she asked him, piling scrambled eggs onto another waiting plate. “The line starts back there.” She gestured left with her oversized serving spoon.

  Caleb couldn’t help but smile. Her expression was just so joyful. “No, I am here to help.”

  “Oh, we could always use more volunteers.”

  “It’s more than just volunteering…it’s time your shelter shed all of its worries.”

  She cocked her head and grinned. “Lola,” she turned to the younger woman beside her. “Can you handle the crowd while I show our friend around?”

  “Of course.” Lola nodded and carried on.

  The older woman walked around counter and stuck out her hand, her apron smelled of bacon grease. “I’m Sylvia.”

  “Caleb.” He took her hand and shook it gently.

  She waved him to follow her as she walked down a long hallway to a back room. It was a combination prep room and kitchen. There were huge bowls of greens and lettuce leaves that waited to be washed for lunch. Loaves of bread waited to be made into sandwiches. Cutting boards were filled with vegetables and empty pitchers thirsted for ice-cold water.

  “It won’t be long before we need to get the lunch meals going and we still have to clean up breakfast. We always run out of bread. There’s barely enough lunch meat and not enough fresh veggies. The food pantries do their best but we aren’t the only shelter in the area or in the state for that matter. Sometimes we worry we won’t be able to feed everyone.”

  Sylvia turned to her right and led Caleb back down the hall to a set of double doors. On the other side was a large room with rows of beds. Each of the beds was made with a plain sheet and blanket. They resembled cots in a military barrack. The blankets were either olive or brown in color, thin and some were moth-eaten. Pillows were missing their pillowcases here and there.

  “Not enough blankets and sheets, barely enough beds. In the winter, we only have so many wool blankets and comforters. Thank God for the heat and electricity but that state is making more cutbacks and the donations are not what they used to be.”

  “I can tell you love your job, Sylvia.”

  She shook her head and laughed. “It’s not a job, it’s a way of life.”

  “That’s wonderful.”

  “Glad you think so and you were saying about shedding all of our worries.” Now she was shaking her head. “My worries never end about this place. My home away from home. That was just a taste of what we go through daily.”

  “You won’t have to worry about any of those things any longer.”

  “Is this some sort of joke? Am I on camera?” Sylvia laughed again and looked around as if a cameraman was going to pop out of nowhere.

  “No, nothing like that.” Caleb reached out and took her hand. He slipped a piece of paper into it.

  Sylvia looked down at it. “What’s this?”

  “You now have an account at the co-op food market on the other side of the city. They will deliver enough food to you every week to cover all of your needs.”

  “I-I can’t believe…I…”

  “That is not all.” Caleb smiled, his heart was swelling. “There will also be a donation every other month to your foundation, anonymously of course. That will afford you all the beds and blankets you need and maybe even a larger place someday.”

  “I-I don’t know what to say. You’re a philanthropist… that’s it. That’s why you’re doing this.”

  Caleb shook his head. “It is not that simple. I have much more to do.” He started off down the hall.

  “Wait,” Sylvia took his hand. “You have to meet our director. He will bust a gut at the good fortune that has shined on our little shelter today. Please… it will only take a minute.”

  Caleb agreed and let Sylvia lead him through the shelter, the dining room where the breakfast line was nearly gone, and back outside. She turned around the backside of the building and walked down an alley to another street.

  She crossed the street to a large church with a huge white steeple and magnificent stained glass windows. The windows caught the sunlight in a dazzling array of colors that danced in Caleb’s eyes.

  He stopped dead in his tracks. Sylvia tried to pull him along but he wouldn’t budge.

  “Caleb, it’s okay.
Father Sullivan is our director…he’s wonderful man.”

  Terror slithered through Caleb. His heart pounded against his human chest, his legs grew weak. Mortal fear gripped him and he shook his head.

  “I am sorry, I cannot. I do not belong on such holy ground. I am not welcomed.”

  “God welcomes all of his children, Caleb. He loves all of us.”

  “Father has not loved me in a long time. My time has not yet come…” He turned and rushed from the sight of the church, icy cold tendrils ran through his body, wind howled in his ears and mocking laughter rang in his ears.

  Above the din he heard Sylvia’s voice still calling after him. “Caleb! Caleb wait! Caleb…”

  ###

  Dusk came in a sky filled with red and purple. Micah thought it was beautiful as he and Nicki stepped from the hospital and headed across the street to the Midtown Diner. It was the local greasy spoon serving up every imaginable comfort food and homemade dessert. Everyone at the hospital had frequented the place and tons of take out made its way to the hospital despite its cafeteria. Micah himself had had more blue plate specials than he could count when he was on the late shift, midnight meals of turkey pot pie and deluxe cheeseburgers wreaked havoc on his digestion and his sleeping habits. Thank God he was able to get on the day shift with Nicki.

  The Midtown Diner was more than just a greasy spoon. It was the social hang out for doctors, nurses, paramedics and other workers in the busy downtown area. Police and firemen joined in and it seemed like one big happy family, no titles, no hierarchy, just people eating good food, talking, laughing and drinking beer. Micah and Nicki ate there at least twice a week.

  The two friends got their usual booth and were nearly ready to order when Nicki saw the new doctor enter the diner. Nicki nudged Micah who looked over and shook his head.