Four-Footed Angels

by J. T. Livingston

  “It will be quite a while before he wakes up,” the doctor replied. “It’s been a long night, folks. Why don’t you all go home and get some rest? I’ll be here the rest of the night and will keep a close eye on your friend. Come back tomorrow morning. I’m sure it will do him good to see all of you then.” He turned to leave but looked back at them. “He’s lucky to have all of you…good-night, now.”

  _____

  It was almost two o’clock when the group arrived back at the Heavenly Grille. Amanda looked longingly at the steps leading to her apartment. “I’m sure Buster is about to burst, so I had better let him out to pee.” She looked over at Tyler and asked, “What have you decided to do?”

  Tyler had told the others about everything that was going on at the Abbott Ranch. He had also spoken with his father about the situation, while they waited for news about Amos. His father was working with the authorities on a new plan. “Well…” Tyler began but stopped when he saw shadows moving toward them from behind the café’s building.

  Max squinted into the darkness and was the first to realize what the shadows were. “More dogs…” he sighed as he walked toward the large Golden Lab and the two smaller dogs that hid behind it. “Come here…” he whispered. “Come…you don’t have to be afraid…”

  The Lab moved slowly forward, but the two smaller dogs scampered off and cowered behind a large bush. He dropped his head and stood still when the black man with the kind voice began to stroke his head. He lifted his head and stared into the black man’s eyes. He conveyed to Max, telepathically, their story and how the large dog, named Sam, had told them to come to the café for help.

  Max rubbed the dog’s head again and whispered into its ear. “Everything is going to be all right; tell your friends to come out now.” He stood and walked back to Bertie and the others.

  Tyler met him half-way. “I recognize that dog…” he pointed to the Golden Lab, “But…he looks much better than the last time I saw him. I was going to treat his wounds earlier tonight, that is, until Little John took me to the cabin and gave me new instructions. Little John has been using him, and those two little ones, as bait dogs to train Czar; their mild temperaments make them easy prey for the fighter dogs.”

  Bertie exhaled deeply and grabbed Doug’s arm. “Come on, handsome…I have a feeling this night isn’t over for us yet. Help me get some coffee and food ready for Tyler and Amanda.” She looked over at Amanda and winked. “Go let that mutt of yours out to pee, and then you and Tyler come inside to get some food to take with you to Brooksville. I’ll watch Buster while you’re gone.”

  “We’re going to Brooksville?” Amanda raised her brows and looked back and forth from Bertie to Tyler.

  Tyler nodded. “Looks that way…gotta get these three dogs to my Dad and go over whatever he and the authorities have come up with for a new plan. Just so I’m back at the Abbott Ranch before seven o’clock tonight. You don’t have to go, Amanda. I mean…I know you’re going to want to be at the hospital early to check on Mr. Brown.”

  “Is that your polite way of saying you’d rather I not tag along?” Amanda threw back at him. “Because, if it is…then, that’s too bad…I’m coming with you.” She looked at Max. “Amos is going to be all right, isn’t he?”

  Max nodded. “Yes, Amanda. You don’t have to worry about Amos. I’m sure he will have a good story to tell you when you get back.” He looked at Tyler. “I think it’s a good idea if she goes with you, Tyler. It’s already been a long night and it’s not over yet. You haven’t had any sleep and if there’s one thing our Amanda can do, it is talking. She can help you stay awake.”

  Tyler offered an apologetic look to them both. “Sorry…I didn’t mean that I didn’t want her to ride with me; no…it will be good to have the company. I just know how close all of you are to Mr. Brown.”

  Amanda hooked her arm through Tyler’s and shivered at the jolt that coursed through her body. She smiled up at him and said, “Great! Now that all that is settled, you can help me get Buster situated and then we’ll meet Max inside to get some coffee and food for our little road trip.”

  Tyler had felt the same course of excitement travel up and down his own arm when Amanda touched him. He glanced, nervously, at Max and winced when the old man winked at him. He closed his eyes and allowed Amanda to steer him toward the stairs that led to her small apartment over the café. “Why do I feel I have absolutely no control over my life anymore!” he groaned inwardly.

  Max heard his thoughts and turned his head so that Tyler would not see him smile in acknowledgement!

  _____

  Cardiac patients were kept in the new North Tower addition on Archbold Memorial Hospital’s campus. It had been a critical addition for advancing patient care, as well as being the hospital’s largest capital investment in patient care and safety in 85 years. The eight-story, 247,000 square-foot tower boasted a larger Emergency Department with five more exam rooms, four fast track rooms, and two trauma rooms.

  The new North Tower addition was, also, where Izabelle Ghent, known as Izzie to all her friends, spent the majority of her volunteer hours. Izzie had been a registered nurse for forty years. She had retired, reluctantly, four years ago at the age of sixty-five. Since that time, she had remained a constant source of delight throughout Archbold Memorial, serving in a volunteer capacity. She rolled the flower and magazine cart from floor to floor early Thursday morning, but stopped abruptly when she approached the closed door to Room 317. She felt a flow of warmness spread throughout her entire body when her hand wrapped around the door handle. She glanced at the patient’s name outside the door…AMOS BROWN. She checked her list of newly admitted patients and saw his name at the bottom of the page. She ran her finger over his name and felt the strange warmness flow through her again.

  She pushed the door open slowly and peered into the semi-darkened room. She moved closer to the patient’s bed and sighed at all the machines he was hooked up to. “I think we could use a little light in here, Amos Brown…” she spoke softly within the confine of the small room as she moved to the window to adjust the blinds. She was careful not to allow too much sunshine into the room. “There now…that’s so much better…” she whispered as she closed her own eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the sunshine as it flooded over her face.

  “Better…than…you…could…ever…imagine…” Amos whispered back to her.

  _____

  Tyler held the café door open for Amanda. It was a little after ten o’clock and neither of them had slept any over the past twenty-four hours. “After you…” Tyler smiled down at the young woman who had somehow managed to crawl under his skin.

  Amanda smiled back and touched his arm. “Thanks…God, I can’t remember the last time I felt this tired…what I wouldn’t give for a hot shower and eight hours of sleep.”

  Tyler shook his head. “That’s not going to happen, I’m afraid. Well…” he lowered his head to her shoulder and sniffed openly, “Maybe we can make time for you to get that shower…”

  Amanda threw back her head and laughed. “You know…we could save time, and water, if we showered together!”

  “AMANDA TURNER! I heard that, young lady!” Bertie’s boisterous voice boomed from across the room.

  Amanda raised her hands in mock defeat. “Kidding, Bertie! Just kidding! Hey, what’s the news on Amos?”

  Bertie glared at Tyler who had the decency to blush. “Have a seat, Romeo. I’ll get you both something to eat.” She grabbed Amanda in a bear hug and said, “Max just got off the phone with the head nurse on the cardiac ward. She said that Amos had a peaceful night and that he was awake now.”

  “Then we need to get over there ASAP!” Amanda rushed. “How about Buster? Where’s my little fella?”

  “Calm down, Princess,” Doug smiled at them from behind the counter. “Amos is in good hands, and he knows that some of us will be there soon. Buster is in the kitchen with Max. What about the two of you? Did you get everything worked out with your
father, Tyler?”

  Tyler nodded. “Yeah, I think so…at least, I hope so. Could we get some coffee, please?” he asked Doug as he sat down on one of the counter stools. “Some with lots of caffeine would be great…” He spent the next few minutes telling Bertie and Doug about his father’s plan to rescue Tim Breydan and Ross Taylor. “All I have to do now,” he sighed, “Is to keep them both alive long enough for the authorities to carry out the new plan. The authorities got wind that Abbott is moving the fights up a week, so they’re working on moving everything up at their end, too. The fights and the bust will take place this weekend rather than next weekend.”

  Bertie walked over to Tyler and placed his handsome, tired face between her palms. “You look so very tired, Romeo…here…this should help…” she said as she closed her eyes and continued to hold his face firmly between her palms. “Close your eyes…and no peeking!”

  He had no clue as to why he complied with Bertie’s order, but he did. Tyler felt a soft humming sensation that began in his toes and inched its way slowly upward to the top of his head. The sensation enveloped every square inch of his body, leaving it refreshed and energized as if he had rested for eight hours or more. He kept his eyes closed until the humming ceased, and when he opened them, Bertie released his face, looked him square in the eye, and punched him hard against the shoulder.

  “There you go! Now you can go get that hot shower you wanted,” she ordered. She glanced idly over at Amanda, pursed her lips, and said. “He can use Doug’s shower, and you can use your own, young lady.

  28. Izzie and Amos Bond

  Tyler and Amanda used his truck to drive to Thomasville to check on Amos, while the three angels remained at the café to work the lunch crowd. It was just past noon when Amanda softly pushed open the door to Room 317. She was surprised to see that Amos was not alone; a beautiful, older black woman, sat by his bedside and held his hand. Their eyes were closed and they appeared to be in silent prayer.

  “Oh…” Amanda gulped.

  The woman’s head lifted and turned toward her. She was even more beautiful than Amanda had first thought. “Hello, there…you must be Amanda. Amos told me a little about you. Come on in, dear. I can leave and let you visit with him…”

  Amanda held up her hand in protest. “Oh, no…please…stay.” She looked at Amos, who had lifted his left hand weakly in welcome.

  “Mighty good to see you, Miss Amanda,” he smiled. “Mighty good, indeed…hello, Mr. Tyler…”

  Tyler closed the door behind them and walked over to shake hands with the woman sitting at Amos’ bedside. “Hello, I’m Tyler Foster…” He smiled down at Amos and said, “Hello, Mr. Brown…well…it looks like you’re in good hands.”

  Amanda nodded to the woman but focused her attention on Amos. She moved to the side of the bed not occupied by the woman and laid her hand on top of Amos’ arm, careful not to disturb the needles inserted in his left hand. “Oh, Amos…you gave us all quite a scare. We’ve been so worried about you, but the doctor said that you’re going to be just fine…” She lifted his left hand and brought it gently to her lips. “I don’t know what I would have done if anything had happened to you, too…”

  Amos smiled back at Amanda and nodded. “Oh, I think you be right about that, Miss Amanda…I done went and seen the lights of Heaven, and they were the most beautiful lights I has ever seen…I gots to see Andrew…and my Mama…and my Daddy, too…”

  Amanda glanced at the woman who had yet to introduce herself. “What kind of drugs do they have him on?”

  Izzie stood up and stretched to her full height of five feet, two inches. She walked over to Amanda and put an arm around her. “My name is Isabelle Ghent, Amanda. I’m a volunteer here…worked here as a registered nurse for 40 years before I retired 4 years ago…you can call me Izzie…my friends call me Izzie.” She glanced down at Amos and her face lit up with what could only be described as sheer affection and adoration. “Trust me, dear…that is not the drugs speaking…I believe Amos is telling the truth…I believe he visited Heaven when he died on that operating table.”

  Amanda looked back and forth among the other three people in the room. Strangely enough, they all had the same look of acceptance, and belief, on their faces. She shook her head and sighed. “Well…if that’s what Amos says he saw…then…that’s what Amos saw.” She looked down at Amos again, at the restful and peaceful expression on his face, and smiled. “So, Amos…how is Andrew doing these days?”

  _____

  Training was in full swing at the Abbott Ranch, and Clint Meacham was overseeing the current crew of dogs being tossed into the makeshift ring with Czar, the 110-pound, brown Mastiff that had defeated Little John’s previous winning dog, Spartacus. A small pile of deceased dogs lay outside the ring, and four more had been tossed inside the ring with the massively-built Czar. Saliva drooled from his open mouth, and he pawed the ground with eagerness to get at the four mid-size dogs cowering in the far corner.

  Clint shook his head and yelled out to the dog crew. “These dogs are worthless; there’s no fight in any of them. We could sit here all day and watch him dispose of every single bait animal we have. We need to see how he’s going to perform with one that will give him a real fight…”

  “We could put the big, black dog in there with him,” the crewman named Bubba mumbled. He was the one who Sam had attacked the day before. “Wouldn’t mind adding him to that pile over there…” he nodded toward the pile of deceased dogs.

  Clint looked over to where the large, black dog was crated next to Spartacus. A shiver ran up and down his spine when the dog immediately stopped his rapid pacing and seemed to glare at him. “Yeah, I’m sure that one would be able to hold his own against Czar, but…the boss doesn’t want to pit them against each other until after the fight tomorrow night. Czar is already a champion fighter, and, the black one…well, something tells me he might be one, too, before long.” He glanced at Bubba and nodded toward Sam. “Have you trained him against the bait dogs yet? We don’t have much time left since the boss decided to move the fights up a week.”

  Bubba nodded and rubbed the back of his sweaty neck. “Yes, sir…well, at least we tried to fight him, but all he does when you put him in the ring with the bait dogs is sit and stare at them. We even picked the bait dogs up and threw them at his feet, but…all he did was growl…at us…not at the dogs.”

  “Really?” Clint spat a wad of tobacco juice into the red dirt and smiled. “Well…maybe he won’t become a champion fighter after all; if that’s the way he’s going to be, then it will be an easy decision on where to place my bet tomorrow night.” He turned to walk away and yelled over his shoulder. “Keep a close eye on that black dog, and give Czar a few more samples to whet his appetite. No food for any of them tonight or tomorrow. Those that survive tomorrow’s fight can eat afterwards…”

  Bubba adjusted the cap on his head and answered back, “Yes, sir, Boss…” He looked toward Sam and mimicked a snarl. “Your time is almost up, mutt…I can’t wait to see you torn to pieces!” He looked at the rest of the crew and yelled. “Okay, let’s give Czar another hour or so before we load up the quicklime and cart these dead ones to the pit. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m looking forward to some drinking time in town tonight. The sooner we get this work done, the sooner we can get cleaned up and go make some women happy tonight!”

  _____

  Amanda and Tyler arrived back at the café around two o’clock that afternoon. Tyler was still feeling refreshed from whatever Bertie had done to him, but Amanda’s energy was almost depleted.

  “You look exhausted,” Tyler said before they got out of his truck. “Why don’t you go lie down for a few hours?”

  Amanda closed her eyes and sighed. “Maybe I can get Bertie to administer one of her refreshment sessions to me, too…”

  Tyler rubbed the back of his neck and continued to stare at the pretty young woman who leaned her head back against the headrest. “Yeah…about that…
I’ve been meaning to talk to you about what she did to me…and don’t tell me she didn’t do something, because, trust me…I could feel the change come over me…and it’s still there. I feel like I could go another 24 hours without sleep.”

  Amanda opened her eyes and shifted sideways to look at Tyler. “God, but you are handsome…” she grinned sleepily. She held her hands up when it looked like he was going to interrupt her. “Okay, okay…yes…Bertie learned that refreshment technique years ago from one of her customers who practiced holistic medicine or something.” The lie flowed freely from Amanda’s lips, so much so, that she could almost believe her own explanation. “It has something to do with generating warmth from the hands to special nerves along the face…I can’t explain how it works, but she used it on me once when I needed to stay up all night…”

  Tyler watched her face closely. She was lying and he knew it, but since he couldn’t fathom another explanation himself…at least one that did not involve the supernatural…he decided to let it go. “Okay, then…so…why don’t you go grab a few hours of sleep…or see if Bertie can refresh your cheeks, too!”

  “Hmmm…” Amanda pursed her lips together and looked at him through half-closed lids. “I’m thinking there is a possibility that you don’t believe the explanation I just gave you, but…I don’t have the energy to argue back right now, so…will you be here when I wake up?”

  Tyler shook his head. “Probably not, Amanda. I’m going to get a bite to eat, but remember…I have to meet with Abbott before seven o’clock tonight. I want to check on Sam and Spartacus, too. They were supposed to be training Czar today, and I don’t really trust Bubba and his crew not to use Sam before the fight. I’ll try to come back later tonight if I can.”

  “Okay, then…but don’t worry about Sam…trust me, he can take care of himself.” Amanda smiled and yawned. “Be careful, Tyler…don’t do anything stupid. I won’t be there to have your back, you know.” She yawned again and shook her head slowly. “Tell the angels that I’m going to lie down for a little while, and I’ll see them in a few hours.” She opened her door and ambled slowly across the parking lot and up the stairs to her room. She could hear Buster scratching at the door before she unlocked it. He bounced into her arms when she entered the room and gave her hundreds of puppy kisses. “Hey, sweet fella…oh…I missed you too, yes I did, but…you’re going to have to use your pee pads for the next few hours. Come on…take a little nap with mama…”