Guardian Angel - Chapter Four

02.15.2008 | Author: Chark | Posted in Novels, Writing

Chapter 4: Just who are you?

The first week of her guardianship was a week of slow adjustments. Jessica found a routine in the long days and even longer nights. And as the days passed and Jessica watched, listened and learned about Gabriel, the more her preconceived notions about the typical Hollywood actor were permanently changed. Her actor was not a boozing, whoring party animal the tabloids would have lead you to believe. Instead, he was a quiet, serious man who cherished his most intimate friends — many of whom were from various other occupations and had been friends with Gabriel through college or had worked with him prior to his achieving success in acting. These friends had come to the actor’s home two nights out of the past seven for a small dinner party where they had engaged in insightful and intelligent conversations. Gabriel himself prepared the meals and then during dessert, they would gossip and talk of more personal matters.


Jessica listened and smiled at the antics of the group. When the night was over after one of these events, Gabriel was lighter in step and went to bed with a smile on his face. During the first week, Gabriel was home almost the entire time and was constantly reading through script after script. Jessica realized that he was between roles and was preparing for several upcoming auditions, two for television and three for movies. His last role on a television show had been murdered off at the last minute as producers had decided to not renew his contract as they didn’t have the budget to meet his monetary demands as his popularity had increased. He’d received hundreds of letters from his outraged fans that his agency had already screened, and when he wasn’t preparing for auditions he was reading and responding to the letters with the help of his assistant, Karen.

Jessica found many of the letters light-hearted and fun and was always pleased to see Gabriel laugh with abandon at some of the suggestions his fans had for retaliation for his being bumped off the show.

She well understood why his popularity had skyrocketed; when he was at ease, his face glowed and his voice was soothing like honey. She was sure he could make reading the dictionary a hit.

But part of her was still concerned, he’d shown no marked interest in any of this female friends. However, it had only been a week and she had no idea how long the job would last.

It was midday, and both Gabriel and his assistant had been at work for hours, when Gabriel threw down one of his letters and sighed. “Karen, I’m feeling a bit pinned in this afternoon and I’ve got a hankerin’ for a slurpee, so I’m just gonna run out to the corner store.”

“Literally or figuratively run?” Karen asked, as she picked up the letter Gabriel had tossed onto her desk.

“Literally. I’m gonna stretch my legs. Be back in half.”

Never having had to do more than walk or ride with Gabriel wherever he went, keeping up to the man as he jogged was a conundrum as she watched him go. To Jessica, jogging as an angel seemed ridiculous, and flying seemed over the top. So instead she willed her body to float like a feather carried on a stream of air. Along the way, it was nice to see people wave at Gabriel and not clamor for his attention. They arrived at the store in short order and Gabriel wasn’t even winded by the jog. Having all that exercise equipment in his home seemed to be more than just for show.

They entered the tiny corner store and Gabriel headed straight for the slush machines. She shook her head as he played eenie, meenie, minie, moe to select a flavor and then laughed when he didn’t like the choice he’d landed on and went straight for the cola instead. Jessica turned to the sales clerk when she heard him snicker as well. He too had been watching the actor in his antics; it was probably something he did often.

“Hey, Gabe. How goes the hunt for a choice new role?” the clerk asked as the other man finished filling his cup.

“Slowly, Gary. Slowly.”

“How many auditions this week?” Gary punched in the total for the drink on the till as Gabe sat the cup down on the counter.

“Three and all of them are just before the weekend. After those, I might head out somewhere and just get out of town.” Gabe handed Gary a dollar that he’d pulled from his front pocket of his black sweatpants.

“Yeah, I hear ya. Good luck, man! I’m sure you’ll do well,” the clerk said sincerely, which caused Jessica to grin again. It really was a nice supportive, friendly neighborhood.

As Gabriel and his angel turned to leave, the door to the store was yanked open and a man wearing a mask entered waving a gun. Jessica thought it was all so surreal and something straight out of the television shows and movies. She could do nothing but watch and listen.

The robber waved his gun towards Gary, who had moved further down the counter and demanded that he clean out his cash drawer and put it all in a plastic shopping bag, and after that to throw in some cigarettes. Once he was done with his demands, he turned his attention to the other lone occupant of the store; Jessica could tell when recognition set in.

“Oh, ho. If it ain’t the mighty Gabriel McAllister. What are you doing here, man? Slumming?”

“No, I live in the neighborhood,” Gabriel spoke slowly and without arrogance. Jessica assumed it was to keep the situation calm and controlled. She knew that any sort of antagonizing would likely tip the man over the edge into doing something rash.

“Sure, whatever, man. Doesn’t matter.” The robber pointed the gun straight at Gabriel, when he made his demand, “Hand over your wallet and then get down on the ground, face down.”

Gabriel put his cup back down on the counter slowly, never having removed his eyes from the man with the gun and then reached for his wallet. Before he could remove it from his pants pocket, the wail of police sirens and the screech of tires startled the robber into pulling the trigger and Jessica watched in horror as Gabriel jerked and started falling backwards as the bullet hit him.

All Jessica heard from that point on was the echo of her own scream, and she went down on her knees. She was a guardian angel, but she felt so useless in not being able to prevent events like this from happening.

She reached out and touched the pale face, as her charge gasped in pain. “Hold on, Gabriel. Please, hold on!”

Jessica bowed her head and prayed for all she was worth; she asked that whatever was meant to be should accept, but that if Gabriel were destined to live then those entrusted to his care be speedy and gifted in the art of healing. The world around her faded away — the sounds of shouting, gun shots and windows breaking receded as her eyes and ears stayed focused on the labored breathing of the man before her.

Gabriel’s eyes were closed tight with pain and then he gasped. With fear in her heart, Jessica assumed that he was taking his last breath before dying and she brought her hands to grasp his face even though she knew it was more of a symbolic gesture than one she could physically carry through on. She watched as his eyes opened and the look of pain-laced fear was replaced with a look of awe.

“Gabriel, please hold on,” she asked of the man before her once again. Even though she knew he couldn’t see or hear her, she knew her presence would give hope and encouragement; that her own feelings of trust and faith would somehow get through to him.

Jessica looked around and saw that the man in the mask was down on the floor and was no longer moving. Policemen were coming through the now broken door. She turned back to Gabriel and spoke, “Help is almost here. Be strong and live. God willing!”

She moved back so as to let someone take care of the man she had come to admire, even though she wasn’t physically in their way. She continued to look into Gabriel’s gaze while he could keep his eyes open and when he was finally being placed into an ambulance, she imagined herself once more by his side. While the E.M.T.s worked, she bowed her head in prayer.

Throughout the entire journey to the hospital, she stayed in prayer with God, knowing that he was listening to her words. And as he was moved into surgery, she stood in the operating room as the doctors worked to remove the bullet. And then stood some more by his bed in recovery, for hours on end she prayed and held a silent vigil. Nothing was certain at this point, and even though his current status was listed as stable, during his surgery Gabriel’s heart had gone into cardiac arrest. The surgical team had raced against a ticking clock to bring him around. The steady beep, beep, beep of the heart monitor reassured her. She watched as people she’d not meet, but recognized from the photos scattered around Gabriel’s home, come and sit to visit. Gabriel’s family were the first to stay and talk to their son while he slept. His mother wept and prayed, while his father stood at her shoulder, supporting her and being strong.From looking at the two of them, Jessica saw bits and pieces that were characteristic of Gabriel. Their son had his mother’s eyes and his father’s chin, while the color of his hair was a mix of the two.The McAllister’s stayed through the entire time for visitation and hours after they left and thing had quieted in the ward, Jessica had moved to perch herself on Gabriel’s bed. She wished that she could stroke the hair on his head, to soothe him and even herself with the action, and by letting him know that she was there for him and would stay by his side for as long as he had need.

She settled instead to just sit, watch and wait.

Nurses came and went after checking Gabriel’s vitals, and all the while the angel sat and prayed for her charge’s safe recovery.As the clock on the wall inched its way closer to midnight, a moan and a faint rustling of sheets alerted Jessica that Gabriel was coming around. She lifted her head and stretched her shoulders to ease a tension not really present, but was more of a learned memory and behavior from previous times in her life before.Her eyes landed on the ones just opening sluggishly. She watched as pain flickered through them as he shifted his body to get more comfortable. Then when he blinked a few more times, she saw him focus and his eyes open in shock.

“Who the hell are you?” he asked, as he looked straight into Jessica’s eyes.

Similar Posts:

Leave a Reply