by Robin M Helm
Sensing that Xander was not finished, Jonathan asked, “Is that all you wanted to talk about, Xander?”
“Actually, no. I have been thinking about our schedule. Jonathan, you, Elizabeth, and I are already tiring, and we are only halfway through the tour. If we decide to travel this much again, a tour bus driven by a professional with cots in the back would be better for us. Since it is inconvenient to purchase one now, as well as having the additional concern of what we would do with my car and your van, I think that we should consider flying to the last three cities. It is at least a sixteen hour drive from here to Denver, seventeen hours from Denver to San Diego, and twenty-two hours from there to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, not allowing stops for meals and bathroom breaks. Crew members could drive our personal vehicles. The trucks are handled by professional drivers, and crew members could drive the vans and other vehicles in shifts so that they could sleep on the way. Charlotte could fly with us, and Dave could stay with the caravan to handle any problems. What is your opinion?” Xander asked.
“I have been thinking along the same lines, though not in as much detail. The drive back from Texas to Spartanburg is sixteen hours, but we’ll be finished then and can take our time. We might split that drive into two days. If you agree, I’ll have Dave arrange for the tickets today. He can drive us to the airports, and we can share a taxi from the airports to the hotels when we arrive in each city. Dave, what do you think?” asked Jonathan, looking at his manager.
“I think it’s a good plan. I was beginning to think we might have been a bit too ambitious in spanning the whole country this summer. If you guys can preserve your energy in this way, we should be fine.”
Xander looked at Elizabeth, and then at Charlotte. “Are you in agreement, ladies?”
“Definitely,” said Charlotte quickly. She had been dreading the sixteen hour drive on the coming Saturday.
“Let’s see. A few hours on a plane, or every weekend spent driving in a car? Um. Yes, Xander, I like your idea, as usual.” She smiled as he squeezed her hand under the table. “If we fly out on Friday nights, we could sleep on the plane and have Saturdays and Sundays free.”
Dave thought a moment and replied, “That could probably be arranged. I’ll get right on it this morning while we’re at the arena.”
Michael and Gabriel, as well as Lexus and Edward were pleased. It would be easier to guard their charges on a plane rather than the interstate. The warriors remained stoic, as usual.
~~oo~~
Xander, thinking ahead as always, had arranged an outing for Elizabeth and him the following Saturday in Denver. Jonathan and Charlotte had made other plans. The four of them had been unable to make the night flight because the rallies had ended after the departure time of the last non-stop flight for the day, so they had flown out of Chicago just after seven on Saturday morning and had arrived in Denver by ten. After they had taken a taxi, guardians flying overhead, to the hotel and checked in, they had a late breakfast together and discussed their itineraries for the day.
Xander had already checked with Elizabeth before he had proceeded with their plans, and she was very excited to be spending an active day outside with him. There had not been much time for outdoor exercise and sightseeing during the past month, and she was looking forward to spending the afternoon riding the South Platte River Trail, especially since it connected with several other trails allowing for off-road biking. Coffee shops, restaurants, bookstores, and other places to shop were accessible from the main trail, so there was no need to pack a lunch, and they could park the bikes and relax whenever they tired.
After Elizabeth and Xander had changed their clothes, they took a taxi to a bike rental shop located adjacent to the trail. There, they chose bicycles for the day after listening to the advice of the proprietor.
Gabriel and Michael flew above them as they began their outing. They had been riding intermittently for about two hours when Michael spied a child-sized demon in a park to their right. The demon was playing tag with a human child, and ran toward the bike path with the little boy in hot pursuit. Thinking that Elizabeth was the target, Michael flew in front of her bicycle and Gabriel took a position behind it. Xander, looking to see that Elizabeth was properly protected, misjudged the speed of the human child as the demon passed harmlessly in front of him. He jammed on the brakes, swerving to avoid hitting the child, and skidded on some loose gravel, sending himself headfirst into a tree to the left of the path.
He could not morph into angelic form with the entire park watching, so, in front of Elizabeth’s horrified eyes, he took the fall as a human. As she watched, everything seemed to slow to a crawl; time stood still. Xander felt himself sliding until he stopped suddenly, striking his head on something very hard. He heard Elizabeth calling his name in anguish, but it seemed far away. He felt great pain, saw a flash of light, and then there was blackness.
Elizabeth, watching the accident from across the road, saw Xander glimmer for a moment, seeming to change shapes. She supposed that the bright sunlight was causing her to see an optical illusion, and she squinted her eyes. When she fully opened them again, he no longer glowed.
He returned to consciousness a few minutes later, and Elizabeth’s tear-streaked face was the first thing he saw. His world was upside down, and in his confusion, he did not understand why the sky was above and behind her. People had gathered in a circle around them, and he could hear a siren in the distance. He saw Michael and Gabriel behind Elizabeth, looking down at him with grim expressions, and he thought with wonder how beautiful they were, shining in the bright sunlight. Xander dimly remembered Elizabeth, but he could not think of the names of the two glowing men.
“My head hurts. What happened?” he asked in a whisper. His pupils were fully dilated, making his eyes look nearly black.
“You slid on the gravel while we were riding bicycles and hit your head on a tree,” Elizabeth answered, trying to calm herself for his sake.
“Who are those men?” His eyes were directed past her face, behind her.
She looked behind her but saw only family groups, mainly women and children.
“I don’t see any men, Xander,” she answered gently, rubbing his forehead.
Gabriel spoke into his mind, We are your brothers. I am Gabriel and he is Michael.
We are angels, Xander. You are an angel, too, added Michael.
Xander became agitated and struggled vainly to sit up. “Have I told you that I am an angel?”
Elizabeth smiled tremulously, “Yes, you have. You are my angel.”
“They are angels, too.”
“Who, Xander? Who are angels?” She tried to understand him so that he would calm down, and she fought the fear rising in her mind. He’s seeing angels. Dear Lord, please don’t take him from me.
Michael put his hands on Elizabeth’s shoulders, but did not speak to her. She hears Xander’s voice and knows that he can put his thoughts into her mind. What will she think if she hears me now? he asked Gabriel.
Xander heard Michael’s thoughts and looked at him, puzzled. He tried again to get up, but she put her hands on his shoulders. “Don’t move, love. Someone called 911, and the ambulance is coming.”
“The light hurts my eyes. What happened?” he asked her, his blue eyes tormented.
She patiently answered him again.
Gabriel feared that approaching Xander might make him say more about their being angels, so he stood back. What should we do, Michael? We cannot speak to him again, and you should not speak to her. Elizabeth has not called us, and we cannot simply appear. We must limit our thoughts; he can hear us even now.
Michael saw a guardian with a woman who stood near them. He nodded to the angel and spoke. Tell your charge to ask Elizabeth if she has contacted his family.
Xander looked past Elizabeth again. “They are talking to me in my head. Can you hear them, too?”
“Xander, no one is talking to you except me.” She leaned to his ear and whispered, “Remember that y
ou can hear my thoughts and those of everyone else? That’s all you’re hearing – the thoughts of all these people.”
“I see another one,” said Xander, looking at the woman’s protector.
Elizabeth quickly wiped away the tears that spilled down her cheeks. Please, Father. Please don’t take him from me.
The guardian immediately did as Michael had commanded, and his charge approached Elizabeth.
“Miss, are you his wife, or have you contacted the young man’s family?” asked the woman, touching Elizabeth’s shoulder.
Elizabeth looked up into her kind face, smiled through her tears, and answered, “No, we are not married. Thank you for reminding me to call his brothers. Do you know which hospital is the closest? I need to tell them where he will be.”
The lady answered her question as Elizabeth reached into her pocket for her cell phone. Xander had programmed in all the numbers for her the week before. It’s a good thing he thought of giving me these numbers. It’s almost as if he saw this coming. She quickly called all three numbers, leaving a message in each place.
The crowd moved back as the ambulance pulled up. As soon as the vehicle had stopped, paramedics got out and came to Xander to examine him. After noting his dilated pupils, sensitivity to light, and disorientation, one of the paramedics put a neck brace on Xander and told Elizabeth that it seemed to be a severe concussion, while another one called it into the hospital and two others went to get the gurney.
Xander’s feet hung off the end of the gurney, and it took four men to lift him into the ambulance. When Elizabeth started to climb in after them, one of the paramedics stopped her. “No one can ride with him, ma’am. Sorry.”
“But I have no way to travel, and I’m alone. We’re here with SoulFire Ministries for the rallies at the arena.”
The driver turned upon hearing what she said. “You’re El Bennet? Is that Xander Darcy? My kids are in the SoulFire camp this week.” The man’s guardian stood by the ambulance, ready to fly over the vehicle.
She nodded, “Yes, I’m El. I’m his girlfriend.”
“Let her in, guys. He would want her to be with him.”
Xander looked from one to the other, his eyes wide. The men helped Elizabeth get into the back of the ambulance, and she sat beside the gurney, holding Xander’s hand. She watched the paramedics closely, answering their questions to the best of her ability and moving out of their way as they cleaned and bandaged his abrasions. The background noise of the men communicating with the hospital was constant.
Xander could hear the thoughts of the EMT’s, Elizabeth, and the people in the crowd; he had heard Gabriel and Michael earlier. Normally, he selected voices to hear and knew the difference between angelic and human voices; however, his mental impairment kept him from remembering how to separate and categorize the thoughts he heard, adding to his general confusion.
“Do you know that I am an angel?” he asked her.
“Yes. You’re my angel,” she answered.
“I was not supposed to tell you,” he wailed, becoming agitated.
“It’s all right, Xander. Everything is fine,” she said in a soothing voice, trying to hold her tears.
“What happened?” Xander asked.
She repeated the story, telling him how he hit a tree.
He was quiet a moment, looking around the ambulance, confused by the noise of the siren.
He looked back at Elizabeth.
“Have I told you that I am an angel?”
Not wishing to upset him again, she thought, Please forgive me for lying, Lord. “No, you haven’t.”
“You are lying to me? Why would you do that? I wanted to tell you.” His eyes filled with tears.
“I know, love. You are an angel. It’s okay,” she whispered, holding his hand and stroking it.
Above the ambulance, Michael and Gabriel flew with the other guardian, their faces somber. They have never attacked Xander before. I supposed that they were trying to harm Elizabeth, Gabriel telepathed to Michael so that others could not hear. He is my charge. I have failed him and our Master.
Gabriel, he will be well. There is no death angel here. I never imagined that the target was Xander either. You have failed no one. Xander would have expected you to protect Elizabeth. He would have been livid if you had not done so. Michael replied privately, trying to reassure his brother.
I will make no more assumptions. He is my charge, and I will protect him, declared Gabriel.
There is a more serious problem right now, thought Michael. He changed forms briefly when he was hurt. What if he does that again? We must get Elizabeth away from him somehow.
I doubt that she will leave him willingly. We may have to insist upon it as Xander’s brothers. I do not wish to hurt her. Gabriel was grieved, and his expression showed his anguish.
Michael was silent.
“I hear them again,” said Xander, looking at Elizabeth. She stroked his head and tried to ignore the look of confusion in his eyes. It unsettled her to see him less than strong and confident.
As Xander leaned over the rail of the gurney to vomit, the paramedic was ready with a basin.
Elizabeth took out her cell phone and called Jonathan to tell him what had happened. Jonathan promised to meet her at the hospital as soon as he could.
Xander leaned back and allowed the paramedic to wipe his mouth while he stared at Elizabeth with a baffled expression. “Are we dating?” he asked.
She took his hand to hold it. “Yes.”
“How long have we been dating?”
“About four months.” Elizabeth smiled at him tremulously.
“Have I told you that I love you?” he asked.
“Yes, and I love you, too.” She put her hand on his head, running her fingers through his curls and pushing his hair back from his forehead. Then she leaned over and kissed his brow tenderly, keeping her face close to his.
“Do you know that I am an angel?” Xander’s eyes were tormented.
“Yes, you are my angel, Xander,” she said evenly.
“Have you forgiven me?” Xander’s voice rose in pitch.
“Of course.” She glanced at the paramedic and saw that he was occupied with cleaning up the vomit. “It is our secret.” She tapped her head to indicate that she knew about the mind reading and made a conscious effort to think into his mind. I love you.
He heard her, and his eyes widened. “You really know, and you still love me?”
She nodded and kissed his cheek.
“My head hurts. What happened?”
As she told him about his accident again, the ambulance pulled up to the ER entrance. One of the paramedics opened the back door and hopped out, turning back to Elizabeth to help her out.
The crew lowered the gurney to the pavement and rolled it into the ER entrance, giving all their information to a nurse who met them at the sliding doors. An orderly took the gurney into an examination room, followed closely by Elizabeth, Gabriel, and Michael.
The nurse asked Elizabeth for Xander’s insurance card and helped her roll Xander to his side so that she could get his wallet from his back pocket. Her picture was the first thing Elizabeth saw when she opened it, and then she found his credit cards, personal information, and insurance cards neatly filed in the leather slots. Xander watched in confusion as Elizabeth pulled the card from his wallet and gave it to the nurse.
“My head hurts. What happened?” he asked.
Elizabeth told him about the accident while the nurse left to copy his insurance card. A doctor came in to examine him while she was talking.
You go change while I stay with Elizabeth and Xander, Gabriel said to Michael.
Michael went through a curtain and into a closet, transformed into his human form, and walked to the front desk. He gave the startled clerk his name and told her he was there to see his brother. When she had recovered her power of speech, she told him how to find Xander.
The imposing angel walked through the curtain and extended his hand t
o the doctor. “I am Michael Darcy, Xander’s brother.” He nodded at Elizabeth in greeting, and then focused his attention on Xander. Xander, you can hear my thoughts. That is as is should be. Do not speak of it. Gabriel, you can go change forms now.
I will not leave him again. Gabriel was adamant.
Xander looked from Michael to Gabriel and back again. Can you hear me? Xander asked.
We can, my brother. Gabriel looked into Xander’s eyes. Do not speak of it.
Some part of Xander’s mind heard and understood. He remained silent.
You must go now, Gabriel. My warriors will arrive with Charlotte when she and Jonathan come, and they will be with Xander. Charlotte should meet both of us in case we need to be around her in the future, Michael thought reasonably.
He is my responsibility. I will not leave him again. Gabriel’s face was anguished.
My brother, none of this was your fault. You must go now and return in human form. Michael issued the command as Captain of the Host, and Gabriel could not go against it. He did as he was ordered to do.
The doctor introduced himself and told Michael that they were taking Xander to have a CT scan, X-rays, and a neurological exam. He left the room to order the tests, telling them he would return after he had reviewed the results.
Michael stood beside the bed across from Elizabeth and put his hand on Xander’s shoulder.
“What have you gotten yourself into this time, little brother?” he asked, smiling.
Xander looked at him, wrinkling his brow. “You are my brother?”
“I am Michael. Gabriel is right behind me. When we got the message, we were already in Denver on business. We had planned to see you tonight or tomorrow.” Michael gazed straight into his eyes, willing him to understand.
“He has been so confused, Michael,” said Elizabeth, looking at Xander anxiously.
“Were you there? At the accident?” asked Xander. “I thought I saw you.”
“No, Xander. He wasn’t there. I was there with you,” answered Elizabeth, stroking his forehead.