Crossroads

by Alexie Aaron [Aaron, Alexie]

“I’ll hold the other,” Magda said. “Oh, you have done the family proud. You remember my cousin Etan?”

  “I remember him not liking me much.”

  “He does. He is just reserved.”

  “He’s scary,” Lazar said.

  “Anyway, he is going to spend tomorrow evening with the Neyers. They are going to toast the health of you and your daughters. Hello, little one.” Magda picked up the larger of the two girls.

  “You’re holding Maeve,” Mia told her.

  “She is strong.” Magda was very impressed. Grzegorz stood beside her and made silly faces at Maeve.

  “Who are you?” Babcia asked the other twin.

  Mia was about to speak when her daughter burbled.

  “She’s telling you she’s Genevieve.”

  “She’s a very old soul, Mia,” Babcia said. “Lazar, don’t just stand there, give Mia our present.”

  Lazar walked over. Mia gave him a sympathetic look.

  He handed a gift bag to Mia. She was surprised by the weight. She carefully slid out a very large book. It was a Bible.

  “It took my father weeks to copy our tree into it. He added the girls’ names before we left from home into our book and his.”

  Mia was touched.

  “Now you are officially a Popov,” Grzegorz said proudly.

  “I’m honored, thank you,” Mia said, visibly moved.

  Magda scrutinized her son and Mia, still trying to see if they were up to nonsense.

  “Enos asked if he can stay at Woodlands for a while.”

  “Sure, why?”

  “Evidently, Paula and Noah Glynn are being haunted.”

  “They could stay with… Wait, the peninsula is the best place. Remind Burt to salt the sills.”

  Lazar picked up his phone and made a note.

  “Thank you for taking all this on. Ted’s a bit overwhelmed.”

  “Your Ted has a lot of family,” Lazar said.

  “I’m beginning to think that my family is bigger,” Mia said, looking at the multipage family tree.

  Babcia started singing in Polish. Grzegorz walked over and whispered, “This is a very old song. It’s a blessing.”

  Her voice was soft, but the tones were clear. The song moved out of the room. The nurses stopped talking and listened. Each person hearing the song felt a tingle as if something wonderful was happening.

  When Babcia was finished, the girls were asleep. Babcia gently laid Genevieve in the hospital bed. Magda did the same with Maeve. Grzegorz leaned down and kissed Mia on the forehead. “Come and see me when you are stronger. We will talk about where the Popovs came from and where we are going.”

  “I’d like that,” Mia said.

  “Lazar, we will wait for you in the car. Don’t be long,” Magda said. She put two fingers on her eyes and pointed them at Mia and Lazar before she left Mia’s room.

  “I’m so embarrassed,” Lazar said, adjusting his prosthesis.

  “Have they met Robin yet?” Mia asked.

  “I can’t do that until I’m halfway down the aisle.”

  “You mean, until Robin is. You don’t walk the aisle. Have you asked her?”

  “Too soon, Mia. I have to be able to support her first.”

  “You’re making excuses,” Mia pointed out. “You have a home of your own. Ted’s guaranteed your income for ten years. Robin loves playing in the symphony. She still commutes from Big Bear Lake.”

  “I’m not getting married just so my mother will stop giving you the stink eye.”

  Mia laughed. “Can’t blame me for trying.”

  “Lazar looked at the calendar on his phone. “Ted’s parents are setting off from Kansas the day after tomorrow. You’ll have one evening to yourself. Nope, you won’t. Ralph and Bernard are staying for a few days. Your father won’t be here until the day after the Martins arrive. He’s bringing the Coopersons.”

  “This is a lot of fuss.”

  “May I suggest you have the girls christened while they are here? This way, you don’t have to do this again in a few months.”

  “Excellent suggestion. Except I have a plethora of godfathers but no godmothers.”

  “Ted has sisters.”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll mention it to Ted. Who are the godfathers?”

  “Tom Braverman for Genevieve and Andrew Carmichael for Maeve.”

  “Good choice. Andy is a bit odd, but he is a good man.”

  “Shall I contact Father Santos?” Mia asked.

  “Why, when I’m right here,” Father Santos said, standing beside Angelo just inside the door.

  Mia blushed. They entered and closed the door behind them.

  Lazar turned around. “Mia and I were discussing that it would be a good idea to have the christening early, since Ted’s folks and Dr. Cooper will be here.”

  “Just tell me when. Mia, I’m surprised. Normally, I have to twist your arm.”

  “Ah gee,” Mia said, “I’m coming off Demerol, and it sounded like a good idea.”

  Angelo, who was dressed in a very expensive suit, gazed down at the sleeping girls and looked over at Mia. “I have the medallions,” he said aloud. He pushed to say more silently.

  “Thank you,” Mia said, opening her mind and letting him in.

  “They could have been mine.”

  “If this is too hard, have Nicholai do it or Victor.”

  “It’s my honor to do so. Do you want to strip me of my honor too?”

  “No, I just don’t want you to be mad at me.”

  “I could never be mad at you, Little Bird.”

  Angelo cleared his voice and asked, “Lazar, could you hold Maeve? Paolo, please hold Genevieve.”

  The girls opened their eyes when Angelo bared their chests. He spoke in a language Mia had yet to learn. He gently laid the charms on each child’s chest. They sunk in and disappeared. Angelo kissed each girl’s forehead.

  Father Santos brought Genevieve over to Mia and carefully put her into Mia’s waiting arms. Lazar was surprised when Angelo asked to hold Maeve.

  “Well, if you will excuse me, I have people waiting for me in the car.”

  “Are you going to the bar?” Mia asked.

  “Yes, after I drop off the family. Father Santos, Angelo, Ted is having a party at the Big Bear Bar and Grill to celebrate the twins’ birth. You’re welcome to join us.”

  “Thank you,” Father Santos said. “But we have another stop tonight.”

  Angelo was too wrapped up in Maeve to be his normal gentlemanly self and wish Lazar a good journey.

  Father Santos pulled a chair over and sat beside Mia. “I was so happy to get Ted’s call. I don’t understand why you didn’t call yourself?”

  “Look under the covers,” Mia said, her face pinched.

  Father Santos pulled them away, exposing the two casted legs.

  “I was rather busy. I take it you didn’t hear about the accident.”

  Father Santos turned red. “My secretary took Ted’s message. I only heard that you delivered early.”

  “I have a story for you then.”

  Angelo traded Maeve for Genevieve.

  “He’s reading them, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, he’s not afraid of making you mad anymore. But I think he is purposefully provoking you. Be patient with him,” Father Santos advised.

  “I was driving to pick up Brian when…”

  Angelo turned his head and looked at Mia as she told the story of her twins’ arrival in the world. Father Santos’s mouth dropped open when the Countess moved the van.

  “I couldn’t give birth at the crossroads.”

  “You never cease to amaze me that you’re always thinking. Mia, I owe you an apology. We will go over and shake the hands of these young men,” Father Santos promised.

  “Maybe buy a round?”

  “Do you think I’m a rich man?” Father Santos asked.

  “No,
but he is.”

  “I am. Where was Sariel?” Angelo asked.

  “I don’t know that he wasn’t there. The wheels of the van stayed on the ground. The obelisk didn’t crush me. So many right things happened. It was either that or I’m a lucky devil.”

  “Mia,” Father Santos warned.

  “I’m a lucky duck.”

  “Sariel and I had an agreement. I would keep my distance as long as he was watching out for you,” Angelo said.

  There was a light tap on the door, and an unfamiliar nurse walked in.

  “Excuse my intrusion, I heard you had a priest visiting. Father, I work in the ER, and we have a patient who is asking for last rites. Father David is with a hospice patient who is passing.”

  Father Santos got up. “Mia, I will be back. Angelo, I will need you to bring my bag from the car.”

  “Yes, Paolo.”

  Both men left. The nurse took a moment to look at the babies. “I heard you were in the accident. This man, they think he may have been in the same accident and wandered away. The night guard at the cemetery found him battered and dying.”

  Mia couldn’t breathe. “Could you bring me to him?” she asked, ringing the nurse’s station. “I may know him.”

  “Yes, Mrs. Martin.”

  “I need to leave my room. Can you take the babies back to the nursery?”

  “Yes, Mrs. Martin.”

  Two nurses arrived and moved the twins in their beds out of the room. The ER nurse was surprised to see the two casts.

  “Maybe you should stay here.”

  “No. If this man is who I think he is, I’m his only chance. Me and that tall Italian who was just in here. Do you know the haunted room on the fourth floor?”

  “Room 452.”

  “Send someone there to tell Sister Agnes, her help is needed in the ER.”

  Father Santos entered the cubical and stared at the battered man dressed in a torn and dirty gown of some kind. It looked like it was too big for him.

  “Paolo, here’s your bag.” Angelo stared down. “Dear Lord in Heaven, that’s Sariel.”

  “Impossible, I would know.”

  “You haven’t seen him in his human form. I have. He stole dances from me in this form with Mia.”

  “Mia,” Sariel said, barely above a whisper. “I tried to save Mia.”

  “You did,” Father Santos said. “Rest easy, you saved her and her daughters.”

  “Faster, damn it,” Mia ordered the nurse. “I can feel him dying. Angelo!”

  Angelo moved quickly out of the cubical and found Mia. He picked her up like a child and carried her quickly to Sariel. Angelo held on to her securely and turned her to face Sariel.

  Mia touched Sariel the man and was amazed he was still living. “I’m going to stabilize him. Father, pray to Raphael and Michael. Let them know we’ve found Sariel, and he is ceasing to be. I’m going to do my best, but I have little grace to work with.”

  “Angelo, you may want to put me down. I’m not sure what this will do to you.”

  “I’m not letting you go, Mia.”

  Mia nodded. She reached her left hand upwards and connected with the blue star. The other hand she had imbedded in the angel’s chest. Mia became a conduit between what is real and what is divine. Energy flowed through her. The pain was incredible, and without Angelo constantly healing what her human body could not bear, Mia would have perished within seconds.

  Sariel open his eyes and tried to pull Mia’s hand off him. “She’ll die!”

  Voices from far away filled Mia’s head. She heard the chorus of angels, and she demanded they pray for their fallen comrade. Mia methodically boosted each of the angel’s organs to stabilize him.

  Father Santos felt a cool hand on his back. He turned to see Sister Agnes, the ghost of Green Ridge Hospital, standing beside him. “I will pray with you, but first, witness the miracle of love. Mia is sacrificing herself for Sariel, and Angelo is sacrificing himself for Mia. They may all perish tonight, but the love here will feed generations to come.”

  A brilliant green light filled the emergency room. Many of the staff were frightened. Father Santos walked out and greeted the Archangel Raphael and his angels as they rushed over to Sariel.

  Before he walked over to witness the miracle, Father Santos spoke to the physicians and nurses with a calm and fatherly voice. “Be not afraid, for God is with you. Care for your patients, the Archangel of Healing is with us.”

  Raphael took a millisecond to take in what Mia was doing. “The blue star will burn you out. Let it go. I am here now.”

  Mia disconnected and pulled her hand from Sariel’s body. Angelo cradled her to him and stepped out of the way. He felt a firm hand on his shoulder. Energy flowed into him, healing him and giving him strength.

  “Give me Mia,” Michael ordered. “Watch over her children.”

  “Yes, Michael.”

  Michael disappeared with Mia.

  Sariel opened his eyes and saw Raphael. “Mia?” he asked.

  “Michael has her. She’ll be fine.”

  “Angelo?”

  “Michael healed him before he took Mia.”

  “But…”

  “Mia would have insisted. My brother, however did you get in such a situation?”

  “Have you ever caught a van going 120 miles per hour?”

  “Can’t say I have. We’ll talk more. Right now, you need to bring forth your grace.”

  “But…”

  “My assistants will wipe the memory of the nonbelievers after they heal the sick and injured in this room. It’s good practice.”

  “Thank you. How did you know I was in trouble?”

  “Mia had Father Santos pray before she connected with the blue star because her grace was weak. Angelo held on to her and continually healed her. I have no idea what kind of bonding that caused. Gabriel will be spitting nails.”

  “I fear Angelo will always be attached to Mia one way or the other,” Sariel said, sitting up. He morphed into his angel form. Raphael watched as the grace flowed out of his core and healed him as it did.

  “I remember a time when we couldn’t heal ourselves.”

  “I think we need to study the effects of the blue star before it burns out.”

  “How long do we have?”

  “A hundred thousand years. Therefore, we better get started.”

  Father Santos walked up to Raphael and Sariel and knelt.

  “Did you drop something, Paolo?” Raphael questioned.

  “No.”

  “Save this reverence for God. I’m going to leave you with a mess here. You decide how to play this.”

  “Yes, Raphael. Where is Mia?”

  “I expect in Michael’s lair. He will bring her back as soon as he can. In the meanwhile, I’m going to leave my assistant Mirror. She will pretend to be Mia until Mia is brought back.”

  “Mia is very irreverent,” Santos warned. “Her normal behavior may be outside your angel’s purview.”

  “Stick to her side. I understand, when you’re around, Mia tends to behave herself.”

  “I think you may have gotten bad intel,” Santos said.

  Raphael drew upon the light of healing and set his hand on Santos’s head. “You really must stay away from all those rich meals,” he said and then disappeared.

  Father Santos looked around, and except for a Mia facsimile sitting obediently in the wheelchair, all the angels had left.

  “Paolo, we better get Mia upstairs,” Angelo said.

  Father Santos watched as the ER returned to normal. A tone sounded, and it was announced that visiting hours were over. Angelo took control of the wheelchair, and the three worked their way through the exiting well-wishers.

  Chapter Six

  Mia opened her eyes. She wasn’t sure if she wasn’t still dreaming, but the concerned face, with the crescent scar, over her confirmed her situation.

  “We meet again, Mor
iarty,” Mia said weakly.

  “Honestly, I could just smite you,” Michael said. “What chaos you cause.”

  “I can tell you missed me,” Mia said. “Did you see my daughters?”

  “Not yet. I was busy keeping you and Angelo alive.”

  “How is he?”

  “Stronger than ever. You’re going to have to watch him. He has your blood in his heart and, now, a blast from the blue star.”

  “I already have five children, and I have to watch Angelo too? Somehow life isn’t fair.”

  Michael couldn’t hold his stern face. Mia was just too ridiculous at times. “I have to admit I’ve missed your hijinks.”

  “Hijinks like trips to Hell and fighting frost giants?”

  “You’re going to play that card today? I would have saved it for something important like…”

  “Saving my life? I owe Sariel. I didn’t see him, or he wouldn’t have been in the situation in the first place.”

  “I find it hard to believe that the lumber truck hitting you was just an accident.”

  “That’s for Tom Braverman to determine. I do know that it wasn’t an attack on me. It was too random. Too many factors to put together. Not even our buddy Roumain is capable of pulling that off.”

  “He’s your buddy, not mine.”

  “I don’t think he’s mine anymore. He doesn’t appreciate the pain in the ass I am like you do.”

  “Mia, concentrate on what I’m saying.”

  “K.”

  “I can take out the talons and the claws. I can get you to 25% less armor. The wings are what they are. Are you sure you wouldn’t like a dainty little pair?”

  “The wings saved the babies in the crash. The wings stay. Please take out the talons and the claws.”

  “I would like to replace your grace.”

  “I agree. The blue star is way too powerful for me.”

  Michael looked at her a moment. “Why are you being so cooperative?”

  “You’re making sense to me.”

  “You’re not suspicious of my intentions?”

  “That goes without saying. But beneath my armor is a heart that trusts you. It knows that you have thought all of this through and won’t harm me.”

  “I’m glad you feel this way. I love the baby weight, but I doubt you can keep any of it on. Already your metabolism is leaning you out, so I’m going get rid of this excess skin.”