by Katie Ashley
The man quickly told me. I turned back to translate to the receptionist. “She’s been running a fever all day, and now she’s completely unresponsive.”
The receptionist eyed the little girl before calling a nurse to the door. When the nurse started to usher the man back to an examining room, he grabbed my arm.
“Uh, I don’t think I’m—”
He shook his head wildly. “You must to translate!”
Reluctantly, I trailed behind him. Abby stayed glued to my side, barely releasing my hand as we slid behind the “Authorized Personnel Only” doors. Just as I focused on the nurses and doctors hovering over the little girl, a panic crept up my throat, cutting off my air supply.
Abby’s emotions criss-crossed through me as her grip on my hand tightened. For someone so small, she had the grip of someone twice her size. But then I realized her panic. The last time she’d stood in the emergency room was the day her mother had died. She, Chaz, and her father raced to the hospital to find out what had happened to Victoria and Hannah. When they were whisked back behind those same “Authorized Personnel Only” doors, the news had been life-altering.
I squeezed her hand reassuringly. Her eyes, frozen on the floor, flickered up to meet mine. A shadow of a smile stretched across her face.
The doctors and nurses started flinging questions left and right at the father. Quickly, I translated back and forth as fast I could.
Once they had the information they needed, Abby and I were ushered outside to wait in the hallway. We leaned back against the wall, waiting anxiously for news. Abby broke the silence Abby finally spoke. “What language were you speaking with that man?”
“Ukrainian.”
“How do you know Ukrainian?”
“My parents spent a year there doing missionary work,” I lied.
“You sounded pretty fluent for just a year,” Abby said.
“I have a special little talent for languages.”
Abby smiled at me. “I think you have a little talent for everything.”
I blushed. “I don’t know about that.”
“You’re just modest,” she countered, nudging me playfully.
“Whatever,” I murmured.
Finally after what seemed like a small eternity, the doctors and nurses began exiting the room. My heart rattled to a stop as I feared the worst. When the father followed behind them smiling, I exhaled in relief.
“They say she will be fine. She just needs some fluids, and they will be able to bring her fever down.”
“That’s wonderful,” I said.
The man smiled knowingly at me. “I prayed for someone to help me just before I saw you in the parking lot.” He tentatively reached out to touch my arm, as if making sure I was real. “Bless you, Maleck Yahweh.”
I didn’t argue with him. Instead, I merely smiled. “I really need to get my friend home, but I’ll send my brother, the chaplain, to check on you in a little while.”
“Thank you.” The man extended his hand. He turned to Abby and shook her hand as well. Then she and I headed back out to the waiting room. As we swept through the mechanized doors, Abby turned to peer up at me, a questioning look etched across her face. “He called you an angel, didn’t he?”
My foot caught on the door, and I tripped forward. “W-what? I mean, why would you think that?”
“I heard him say “Maleck Yahweh”. That means ‘angel of the lord’, doesn’t it?”
Beads of sweat popped out on the top of my lip. I didn’t even begin to know how to get out of this one. “Uh, yeah, I guess it does.”
Abby shot me a funny look. “Don’t you believe in angels?”
Once again, I tripped over my own feet. Would you get a hold of yourself? Abby is going to think you’re some kind of klutzy spazz! “Sure, of course I believe in angels. Do you?”
“Oh, yeah, I believe in them.”
Our footsteps echoed along the silent pavement. “What do you think they look like?” Abby asked, breaking the silence.
I shrugged. Somehow I thought the less I said the better. She already had too much hold on me that I feared I might just blurt out, “I’m an angel!” Finally, I murmured. “I dunno.”
Abby lifted her head to gaze up at the sky. “Do you think they look like all the paintings? You know, with big, billowing wings and muscular bodies?”
“Hmm,” I replied, nosily shifting the change in my pocket.
“Or do you think they look like us? Like where it says in the Bible that you might entertain angels unaware?”
“Maybe.”
“Aren’t there supposed to be like a bunch of levels of angels?”
“Nine,” I quickly murmured.
Abby looked at me with interest. “So you do know a lot about angels?” I started to shake my head, but she pressed me. “Oh, come on, tell me what you know.
“Well, uh, each of the nine levels is divided into levels of three. Some angels in the highest tier, like the cherubim and seraphim, stay in the presence of God all the time while the lower level of archangels and angels are sent out among the world to guide and protect man.”
“That’s a nice thought—you know, though, thinking there’s angels watching out for us. There could even be some watching us now.”
I smiled. “Yeah, there could.”
Chapter Fifteen: CASSIE
After our first full week of rehearsals, things still weren’t good between me and Lauren. So, I after my Friday evening shift at the hospital, I drove past the coffeehouse, searching for Lauren’s car. Luckily, I saw it parked in one of the spots on the side of the building, so I pulled in front of the shop and hopped out.
When I stepped inside, AJ immediately spotted me. “Hey Cassie! Nice to see you back again.”
I smiled. “Hi, AJ.”
AJ’s smile faded as Lauren walked past him with a tray full of coffees. He glanced helplessly between the two of us, and by his expression, I could only imagine he thought Zach was in trouble for having two girls in the same place.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s okay, AJ. I’m not here to see Zach.”
His dark eyebrows arched in surprise. “Oh, you’re not?”
I shook my head.
“So if you’re not here for Zach, is it you couldn’t get enough of me the other night?” he asked, an impish grin spreading across his face.
“How did you guess?” I replied.
“I’m irresistible.”
I grinned. “Well, even as irresistible as you are, I really came to talk to Lauren.”
Mock concern flashed across his face. “You guys aren’t gonna have like a bitch fit or something over that darling brother of mine, are you?”
I wasn’t exactly sure what a “bitch fit” was, but it was pretty obvious what he was imagining by the mischievous smile on AJ’s face. I shook my head. “We’re both in West Side Story, and I wanted to talk to her about it.”
He nodded. “She’s set to go on break in about ten minutes. Go ahead and have a seat, and I’ll send her over.”
“Thanks, AJ.”
“Zach’s gonna be on in about thirty minutes. He’s warming up in the back. Well, he’s supposed to be working in the storeroom, but he usually blows that off to warm up.”
“Okay,” I said, heading over to the table Zach and I sat at the other night. It would give Lauren and me the privacy we needed.
When she saw me sitting there, she rolled her eyes. “What are you doing here? Stalking Zach?”
“Actually, I wanted to talk to you.”
She shook her head, making her dark ponytail swish back and forth. “Well, I don’t wanna talk to you.”
I fished around in my purse and pulled out a ten-dollar bill. “AJ said you had a break coming up. I think that’ll buy a little of your time, don’t you?”
Sighing with exasperation, she plopped down in the chair next to me and swiped the bill from my hand. “So what is it you want?” When I didn’t reply at first, she glanced to see if anyone wa
s around us before saying, “Does this have something to do with me and the bathroom this afternoon?”
I nodded. “I’m worried about you.”
“Look, you don’t need to worry about me. I told you it was no big deal.”
“But I think it was. I mean, you’re telling me you’re fine, but I have this feeling that deep down you aren’t. Like there’s things you’re holding in that you really want to talk to someone about, but you won’t let yourself.”
Leaning back in her chair, she smirked at me. “Wow, so what are you, some kinda singing psychic who sees her cast-mates’ deep, dark secrets? I didn’t know you were that talented.”
“You’re not denying what I have to say. So does that mean there’s some truth in it?”
She rolled her eyes. “Look, I’m not denying you saw me make myself throw up. But it’s no big deal. It happens all the time with people before they go out on stage. So why are you getting all ‘let’s have an intervention’ with me?”
I shook my head. “That’s not your problem and you know it. I’ve seen you, Lauren. You make yourself throw up on purpose. What I can’t understand is why you do it. That sort of thing can lead to horrible problems later on.”
For a brief moment, her eyes flashed in horror at my revelation. She couldn’t hide from me anymore, and she knew it. But just when I thought I had cracked her shell, a veil of defiance wafted over her. “Jeez, you sound like some video we’d watch in health class or something.”
“I’m serious, Lauren.”
“Look, for me, it doesn’t cause any problems; it solves them.”
“How can you say that?” I countered.
Lauren narrowed her eyes at me. “Yeah, I’m sure it’s easy for you to sit there and pass judgment. You’re this goddess with a perfect body. I’ve never had that. Guys never noticed me until I dropped twenty pounds two years ago. So, it’s not a problem; it’s called weight maintenance.”
Leaning in, I propped my elbows on the table. “You really think that badly of yourself?”
A small crack appeared in Lauren’s tough veneer, and I saw tears glisten in her eyes. “And what if I do? Are you going to do something about it? Save me or something?”
“I’d like to make you see differently about yourself—to make you like yourself a little bit more.”
She raised an eyebrow questioningly at me. “Why? Why would you want to help me?”
I didn’t know if I had an answer I could give her. I certainly couldn’t tell her she’d been assigned to me, but then of course there was this huge mix up. I searched within myself to find some common ground to connect us. “Because I know what it’s like to feel all mixed up inside and not be able to be comfortable in your own skin. And I know what it feels like to wish for a different life because you don’t know how to live the one you have,” I answered honestly.
Something about my response seemed to resonate with her.
“So could you give me a chance?” I asked.
“For what? Like friendship or something?”
I nodded. “Yeah, why not? We’re going to be spending a lot of time together on the play.”
Her whole demeanor opened up like I was offering her the one thing she needed so badly.
At that moment, Zach strode out of the back with his guitar in hand. His face registered the same kind of disbelief AJ’s had when he saw the two of us sitting together. His eyes scanned us, silently gauging our emotions, before a small smile spread across his lips. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
“I came to see Lauren. You know about the musical.”
“Oh, I got ya,” he replied. He looked back and forth between us with a hopeful expression. “So are you guys, like, friends now or something?”
Lauren raised her eyebrows. “Why are you asking?”
Zach shrugged. “I was just thinking it’d be really cool to all hang out together.”
I wasn’t sure Lauren was ever going to give me a chance at friendship until I saw her eyes light up at the prospect of spending more time with Zach. Her skepticism over my offer quickly turned to acceptance as she said, “Yeah, Cassie and I are kinda becoming friends.” Instead of seeing my reaction, she looked to Zach.
He grinned. “Hey, that’s awesome! After my set, we should plan something to do this weekend.”
“Yeah, we should,” she said, a little more enthusiastically for his benefit.
Zach glanced at the clock over the counter. “Well, I guess I better get going. I’ll sing something for you guys.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet of you,” Lauren murmured.
I nodded in agreement.
“Catch ya later, then,” he said as he grabbed up his guitar and headed for the stage.
Lauren watched him go. “He seems different.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Yeah, he’s not as depressed like he used to be. He seems almost…happy.” Her eyes narrowed almost accusingly at me. “What did you do to him?”
I cocked my head, watching as Zach got comfortable on the stool. “I don’t think it was really anything I said or did.”
“It had to be something. It wasn’t me,” Lauren said, her voice strained.
Before I could protest, she bolted from her chair and sprinted to the bathroom. I sat in shock for a second before hurrying after her. When I pushed open the door, I had such a feeling of Déjà vu come over me. This time she wasn’t in a stall. Instead, she hung her head over the sink, sobbing.
“Lauren?” I questioned, tentatively.
“Just leave me alone.”
“No, you’re upset.” My hand hovered over her back, unsure of what to do. Finally, I pressed my palm onto her shoulder. “Please don’t cry. It’s going to be all right.”
My words only made her sob harder. For the millionth time since being a guardian, I felt completely helpless. “Just tell me how I can help.”
Lauren shook her head. “That’s just it. You can’t help. No one can.”
“I could try,” I protested.
She threw her head back. “I’m in love with him, don’t you get it? He thinks we’re just friends, but I love him with everything in me.”
Deep down, I knew she had a crush on Zach, but until that moment and even with my file, I didn’t realize the depth of her feelings. Her pain made me think of Elijah and how he probably loved—rather than liked—Abby.
Using the back of her hand, she wiped away the heavy mascara staining her cheeks. “I’ve done everything I can to get him to like me that way. I even started sleeping with him because I thought it might change things between us.”
My brows furrowed. “Well, there’s nothing really wrong with him sleeping over when things get bad at his house.”
Lauren snorted. “I don’t mean sleepovers, Cassie. I’m talking about sex.”
Heat rose in my cheeks at the thought of Lauren and Zach together in that way. I hated being so naïve that things like that went on.
Her sniffles brought me out of my thoughts. “I just want a boyfriend so bad—I want someone to love me.”
“But you do have people that love you. Your mom and dad—”
She sighed exasperatedly. “Yeah, my dad really loves me. He loves me so much he walked out on us two years ago to shack up with some bimbo!”
“No matter what happened between your parents, I’m sure he still loves you and wants to be a part of your life.”
“Whatever.”
I chewed on my bottom lip before continuing. “Maybe you could try to talk to him or go see him?”
Lauren shrugged. “What does it matter? I mean, you think if I see my dad and forgive him everything else in my life is just going to fall into place?” She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”
“It might. You won’t know until you give it a chance.”
“But don’t you get it? I don’t really care about my dad right now. I want a guy’s love. Someone who is crazy about me. Somebody I get up for in the morning and
go to sleep thinking about at night.”
Feeling overwhelmed and defeated, I leaned back against the wall. Not only were the issues with Lauren and her father problematic, but finding someone to fit her requirements, especially if it was Zach, seemed as elusive as finding the Fountain of Youth. “But what if there’s someone else out there for you besides Zach?”
“There’s no one out there like him,” she protested.
Okay, so it was pretty easy to see what choices I had. It was going to be hard to get Lauren to think better about herself—to get her to stop trying to make herself into the perfect girl—until Zach liked her as much as she liked him. And even though I had angelic powers, playing Cupid and making people fall in love with each other was not part of the deal. Besides, her problems were the kind that needed real professional help—the kind that was out of my realm of angelic assistance, but the kind I could find and get for her. But there was no way I could do that until she trusted me more. So in the mean time, there were things I could do to get Zach and Lauren together—to get him to see how great she was and that if he had a brain in his body, then he would want to date her.
I drew in a deep breath, preparing myself for what I was about to do. “What if I tried to get you and Zach together?”
Lauren stared at me with a dumbfounded expression. “Huh?”
“You know, what if I tried to get you guys to date? Like go out together in groups for a while, make little hints to get Zach to see what a wonderful catch you are.”
She reached past me to grab a paper-towel. The sound of her blowing her nose echoed through the quiet bathroom. Finally, she met my gaze. “You’d really do that for me?”
“Of course I would.”
“But why? I mean, I kinda thought you had a thing for Zach.”
I shook my head. “I promise. There’s nothing between us.” She still looked skeptical, so I sighed. “Well, there’s definitely not any feelings there for me.”
Lauren leaned back against the sink. “So you’re really willing to help Zach and me get to together?”
