“Amen.” Kenni sipped water and sighed. She had stopped crying but the turmoil she felt threatened to have her in tears all over again.
Jeb looked up at her and then sat in the chair beside her. He lovingly took her hand in his, gripping it snugly. “What happened?”
Kenni recounted all that had transpired only moments before. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about this last night, Sweetheart,” she confessed. “I didn’t see what good it would do for both of us to worry, and I was hoping it would turn out to be nothing.”
Jeb kissed her cheek. “I wish you had told me, but I understand.” He sighed. “I kept something from you, too. I saw her going to Bernie’s office yesterday morning. He and I talked later and I knew she was up to no good, but I never dreamed that whatever it was would make it all the way to Parmenter—or that he would act on it.”
“He’s an idiot!” Kenni spat with a scowl. “I’m hurt and angry, and I have no idea what to tell Angela. We do spend a lot of time together, the poor child is going to think I don’t care about her anymore and it breaks my heart. I don’t know if I can deal with this right now, and go back downstairs and act like nothing is wrong.”
“Nothing says you have to, Baby. You’re so busy caring for everyone else that you ignore your own needs. That’s not a good thing.”
Kenni squeezed Jeb’s hand. “I need to do something for our baby today,” she said mysteriously while Jeb looked at her curiously. “I’m very tired, I didn’t sleep well last night and I don’t think a high stress level is good for pregnant women.”
“Something for our baby?”
Kenni smiled for the first time. “I honestly don’t feel well enough to work and I’m going home. I’ve had enough for one day.”
“I like that idea.” Jeb grinned as he touched the smoothness of his wife’s cheek. “I really like that idea.”
***
Kenni and Jeb lived in a modest, three-bedroom, ranch-style home on a cul-de-sac located in a stylish, manicured neighborhood within a few miles of the hospital. Wright’s Landing was an upscale subdivision built in the eighties—tasteful and exceptionally nice, but not pretentious. Many of their neighbors were on staff at Brannan’s Point Pediatric and they looked out for one another’s safety. The ages of the residents were of a diverse mix ranging from grandparents and retirees to newlyweds and singles, and families with children of all ages.
Kenni wasn’t used to being home during the day. She showered with lavender aromatherapy gel and tried to relax. She let her hair fall freely down her back before she put on her favorite, pastel pink thermal pajamas and then slid into bed. The coolness of the smooth, freshly-laundered sheets immediately lifted her spirits. She clicked on the TV with the remote and searched for something to watch. The talk shows featuring hideous people intent upon airing their extremely dirty laundry in public did not interest her, nor did the court judge programs as she found them irritating. A trip through all the channels did not produce anything she wanted to watch, so with a sigh, she turned off the TV and leaned back against the pillows.
With the TV off and the vertical blinds drawn, the room was dark and soothing. Kenni began to relax and rid herself of the morning’s tension. She longed to let it all go, to simply rest and be comfortable. Her eyes grew heavy. Soon she welcomed the irresistible urge to close her eyes, to give in to the inviting, welcoming warmth that preceded sleep.
Moments later, Kenni opened her eyes to find a peculiar, golden glow filling the room. To her surprise, a large golden-brown teddy bear sat at the foot of her bed. She didn’t remember moving Daisy from the chair to the bed, and this one did not wear a hat. When she sat up and looked across the room, she saw Daisy complete with her straw hat, perched on the chair where Kenni had left her.
Startled, she looked at the teddy bear at the foot of the bed. It glowed like golden sparklers or glitter, and her eyes widened. “Don’t be afraid, Kenni,” she heard a gentle voice say. Kenni clutched the covers tightly as she looked around the room in search of the source of the voice. “What’s going on here?” She reached for the phone on the night table beside the bed.
“Kenni, who will you call?” the voice asked. “I won’t stop you, if that’s what you want to do. But consider this: what could you possibly say when you’re not sure you believe what you see and hear?”
Kenni gasped as she realized that the teddy’s mouth had moved. “How are you able to talk? Where did you come from and how did you get in here?”
“My name is Brownie, and I’m an angel from God.”
“You’re a…what?”
“You heard me correctly, I’m an angel.” Brownie laughed softly. “Ah, it is so much easier to talk to children. They still believe in miracles, unlike their more sophisticated and complicated adult counterparts.”
Kenni shook her head. “What are you talking about?”
Brownie stood up and walked across the bed to sit beside her. The mattress shifted with his footfalls across the comforter. “I visited with Angela the other night. She’s a lovely child, such a lonely little soul, though. She thinks you’re very special, Kenni.”
“Are you really an angel?” Kenni asked and realized that she was no longer frightened.
“Yes.”
“I never pictured myself encountering an angel who looked like a stuffed bear,” she breathed and studied him closely. “I never thought I would encounter an angel at all! And if I had, well, I would’ve expected someone in human form…with wings.”
Brownie chuckled softly. “Wings aren’t required to be an angel,” he told her. “It’s amazing what you humans have managed to conjure up in your imaginations.”
“There’s a lot we don’t understand. Even with the Bible, it’s subject to a lot of interpretation.”
“That’s because God gave your kind the ability to reason.”
“I’ve found that it can be a double-edged sword,” Kenni observed thoughtfully, studying Brownie. He had an incredibly sweet face, toy like, yet real. The more she looked at him, the less he looked like a stuffed animal—he even had fingers and thumbs.
“Go ahead. You can touch me,” Brownie encouraged.
Kenni gently petted the fur on his face and then his paw. He was soft and very warm. She laughed. “You feel like a cat!”
“Angela said that I reminded her of a creature named Lovebug.”
“Her cat’s name is Lovebug,” Kenni cried in surprise. “At least he was. Who knows what happened to the poor thing?”
“Oh, he’s alive and well, and living in Cincinnati at her grandmother’s house.”
She folded her hands in her lap as a thought crossed her mind. “Brownie, why are you here? Am I dying? Or more importantly, is my baby in danger? Is Jeb okay?”
“You’re fine, Kenni, all three of you,” Brownie reassured her. “You have not had a very good morning and are a little out of sorts. I know it’s hard when things don’t go the way we think they should.”
“Then you know what happened with Doctor Parmenter?”
“Sadly, I do. I want you to know that you and Angela were not put together by accident. God always has a reason for whatever He does. He won’t allow you to be removed from Angela’s life. She loves you a great deal, and she needs you.”
“But how do I do it?” Kenni asked. “I’ve been removed from her care team and have only restricted access as of today.”
“Yes, but you’ve not been removed from Angela’s heart. Despite what the doctor with the cold eyes said to you, he isn’t the one in control; he just thinks he is!” Brownie looked intently at Kenni. “Do you trust in Him?” he asked as he raised his hand-like paw and pointed toward Heaven.
Kenni nodded. “I admit that I have a hard time sometimes trying to understand what He’s doing, but yes, I trust Him.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful. He does so love to hear that, especially in the tumultuous world you live in. He knows how difficult it is for His children. That’s when you must let your faith guide y
ou.”
Kenni leaned her head back against the pillows, stifling a yawn. She was suddenly very relaxed, as if she didn’t have a care in the world and sleepy warm all over again. “What is it He wants me to do?”
“For the moment, Kenni, you need to remember what we talked about as far as Angela is concerned. And don’t be afraid.”
“Somehow I doubt that I’ll forget.” She smiled. “As for Angela, that’s easy; I love Angela.”
“Angela is easy to love. Her mother, on the other hand is not, and she’s the one who needs help the most.”
“Morgan Cole doesn’t like me, Brownie. I didn’t realize just how much she disliked me until today. I’m sure, though, that she could use a friend. I know this has been very hard for her and her husband.”
“Precisely,” Brownie agreed. “Morgan most definitely needs a friend—one named Kenni Hastings. Tell me, Kenni, are you up to the task of doing what God is asking?”
Kenni had become exceptionally drowsy and told herself she could not have heard correctly. I could swear I heard Brownie tell me to be a friend to Morgan Cole.
“Sleep now. When you wake up, you’ll remember our conversation, and what it is God wants you to do. Sweet dreams, Kenni.”
Kenni nodded. “Will I see you again?”
Brownie nodded and patted her hand with his paw. “Yes, but you mustn’t tell anyone about me, not even Jeb—at least not yet.”
Kenni let out a girlish giggle. “I don’t imagine my husband would believe me if I told him that I’ve met a special teddy bear angel named Brownie in our bedroom, not without asking me what kind of drugs I took!”
Her eyelids felt as if heavy weights had been fastened to her eyelashes. Her eyes fluttered and she looked briefly at Brownie. Even in her drowsy state, she couldn’t help but marvel at what had happened, and fleetingly she wondered if she had actually been asleep the entire time, if it were just a strange dream.
Chapter 6
The house was dark when Jeb arrived home. He knew exactly where the switch on the wall in the hallway was located, and as he came in from the garage he flipped it on and called out to his wife. “Honey?”
Kenni was not in the living room, and the only sound he heard was the rattling of the vents as the heated air from the furnace blew through them. He walked quietly to the bedroom, stood by the bed and smiled down at his sleeping wife, feeling like Prince Charming about to awaken Sleeping Beauty. The soft glow of a pink night-light illuminated Kenni's face. He gently touched her hair, then leaned over and planted a slow, tender kiss on her cheek, near her ear.
He whispered, "Kenni,” not wanting to startle her. “Hello, Mrs. Sleepyhead.” He laughed. “Mr. Sleepyhead is home.”
Her sooty eyelashes fluttered in response to his voice and sleepy eyes opened slowly. She yawned lazily and rolled over onto her back to look up at him. She had no idea what time it was, but guessed it was early evening. “Hmmm,” she purred, with a cat-like sigh as her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit bedroom. “Hi there, husband, or should I call you Mr. Sleepyhead? I had the most wonderful…dream.” She caught herself just as she was about to blab to Jeb about Brownie.
“And what did you dream about?” Jeb asked as he touched her face, his warm fingers sliding along the line of her jaw to her chin. He marveled at how soft and smooth her face felt beneath his fingertips. Taking his time, he gently kissed her.
Kenni kissed him back. She treasured the intimate moments she and Jeb shared which had nothing at all to do with sex, when their souls and minds came together in marvelous, non-verbal communication. There was no other human on the face of the earth whom she felt closer to.
“I was in this wonderfully delicious, warm place. It was still and quiet, and all my cares and worries just floated away.”
Jeb had been concerned about his wife after she left his office and was relieved to find her feeling better. “I’m glad you took today off. If you need more time, then take it. The hospital will survive without you for a few days. There is more to Nurse Hastings than hospital life.”
After her encounter with the amazing Brownie, Kenni felt secure and more at peace than she could ever recall feeling before. Knowing that their baby was fine made everything else in the world manageable. She was filled with a new determination not to place worries about hospital politics or anything else above her husband and unborn child.
Kenni looked at the clock. It was nearly seven, which meant she had been sleeping for almost eight hours. Her stomach rumbled so loudly that Jeb heard it, and they both laughed.
“I think the two of you are ready for supper,” he decided, placing his hands on Kenni’s stomach, savoring the warmth and promise of the precious life growing within her. “Any flutters from our little butterfly yet?”
Kenni’s hands were warm as she placed them on top of his. “I’m not sure. I may have had one this morning, but it only lasted a second.” She chuckled softly. “It also could have been gas.”
Jeb playfully kissed her nose. “What sounds good for supper?”
“I was thinking leftover spaghetti,” Kenni replied, the very thought of food making her suddenly ravenous. “It always tastes better the night after. I bought fresh spinach and Italian bread and thought a salad would be good with it. And there’s still some cheesecake left for dessert.”
“There was cheesecake.” Jeb smiled, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “I’m sorry, cheesecake is no longer on the menu; I ate it this morning.”
“Oh?” Kenni laughed as she wound her arms around his neck and pulled him close. A faint trace of his cologne, a scent that reminded her of the ocean and was the only fragrance he ever wore, lingered from the morning but just barely. “I love you, Jeb Hastings, even if you did eat the rest of my cheesecake!”
He kissed her once more and then smiled. “To make amends and assuage my guilt, I stopped at the bakery and picked up some cheese Danish. How does that sound?”
Kenni faked a pout, crossing her arms. “It’s not cheesecake, but it’ll do.”
***
Charlie sipped idly from a mug of fresh coffee as he watched his houseguest sitting diagonally from him at the table, wringing out a tea bag. He was still getting used to the idea of having a teddy bear/angel living with him, but decided to simply accept it, to not think too much about it or question it as it was beyond his understanding.
“Oh, how I enjoy tea!” Brownie said happily. He smacked his lips after taking a satisfying sip from the cup as he placed it back on the table. “Delicious!”
“Help yourself to as much as you want,” Charlie invited, wondering what his furry friend was up to, and who else knew of Brownie’s presence. “What do you do all day?”
Brownie smiled at his curious host. “This and that,” he teased as he leaned forward with his short, furry arms against the table and drummed his hand-like paws on the table top. “Charlie, I can’t tell you where I go or what I do.”
Charlie couldn’t help himself. “Does anyone else know you’re here? Can you answer at least that much?” he persisted.
“Yes, my inquisitive friend, I’ve appeared to several people, and before my mission is finished there will be more. And before you ask, no, I can’t tell you who they are or what my mission is.”
“In that case, I will consider myself blessed to have an angel who loves tea staying at my house, and who disappears for hours at a time. I will try my best to keep my curiosity at bay.”
“Charlie, when my mission is complete I promise you’ll understand. If I’m successful, and I’m certain I will be, for God would not have sent me to do something without equipping me for it, everyone involved will know. That’s the way we do things, quietly and without rushing about. You see? All the glory for what will be done will be for God.”
Charlie was still curious and hungry for details. “Does He send angels here often?”
“It’s safe to say that we are among you far more than you could ever imagine.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes. God knows that His creations, His human creations, are often weak, and when necessary He sends angels to help.” Brownie sat back a bit in his chair. “I wish I could tell you more; I really do. You’ll just have to exercise the faith that we both know you have, and simply accept that when the time is right you will know.”
***
Across town, Clay Parmenter sat alone at a cozy table for two in a discreet corner of Chez Jacques restaurant. It was popular with many people from the hospital as well as his political and social circles, and he had been unable to persuade Morgan to meet him somewhere less frequented by mutual acquaintances. She was more than an hour late and Clay’s annoyance multiplied with each minute as he looked at his watch for what seemed like the millionth time. Where the hell are you, Morgan? He wondered silently what was keeping her. It’s not nice to play tricks on someone like me!
Clay’s focus remained fixed on the brick archway to the dining room in anticipation of her arrival, not ready to admit quite yet that she was not going to show up. Many attractive, well-dressed blondes came and went, but none of them was the one he longed impatiently for. Surely she will make her entrance any minute now, will float in like a queen with her presence that can instantly silence a room, he thought to himself. Morgan’s stunning blonde beauty, throaty voice and the provocative scent of her perfume had tempted him for months. His vivid imagination had conjured up explicit scenarios between them of a sexual nature, had challenged him to do whatever it would take to bring his fantasies about this woman to life.
The gold wedding ring on her left hand meant about as much to him as his own did. He was used to getting what he wanted, and the fact that Morgan was married to another man was immaterial. He wanted her, wanted to delight in his conquest, even if it meant that it must remain their little secret. In his mind, it took a special man to win a woman like Morgan, and if he succeeded, it would show the world that Clay Parmenter was still at the top of his game, a master when it came to charming any woman he desired into his bed. He had been certain that granting Morgan’s wish to get rid of Nurse Hastings would draw her gratefully into his arms, and ultimately to the consummation he planned almost painfully for their relationship.
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