The last bit of Angels Among Us

Actually, the name has been changed to "The Impact Book 1 The Impact of Friendship", due to the fact that it's going to be a Trilogy.

Here's the rest


Chapter 14
Christmas Eve

The next day, Christmas Eve, around one, Vanessa, now with her permit, hopped in the car with her dad and headed to the hospital.
“Dad?” Vanessa asked while they were stopped at a red light. “I’ll call you when I’m ready to come home. This-This could take a while.”
Her dad nodded; he understood what it was like to want to spend all possible time with someone.

When they arrived, Vanessa hopped out and her dad took the wheel. He rolled down the window,
“Honey? Take as much time as you want. You should be in no rush.”
“Okay.”

She walked in and immediately saw Elizabeth. However, instead of being her normal happy self, she was trembling as a doctor sat next to her. Vanessa only caught the end of the conversation.
“S-So you mean?”
“What I mean,” began the doctor, “Is that the blood infection might shorten his life span.”
“B-But don’t you people test blood transfusions?”
“Yes, we do. This was just one of those freak coincidences.”
The doctor left and Vanessa approached the slowly crumpling Elizabeth. Sitting down next to her, she gave her a hug. Elizabeth began,
“T-They say that the blood transfusion was contaminated. They say that this will shorten how long he lives. God, Vanessa, I’m so worried.”
“Shh, it’s going to be okay, Elizabeth.”
“V-Vanessa, why are you here?”
“Mike called me yesterday.”
“Oh, that’s right, I gave him your number.”
“Yeah, I told him that I would come today and tomorrow.”
“Why tomorrow?”
“Elizabeth, it’s Christmas.”
“Already???”
“Yes.”
“Vanessa, I need to get my mind off of this blood thing. Can I come and see Mike?”
“Of course.”

When they walked in, Mike was awake and sat up when they came in. Vanessa looked at him. He looked better than before, but Chad and his friends had defiantly caused about ten times the damage as the first cafeteria fight.
“Vanessa, it’s so good to see you.”
Vanessa began to cry and Elizabeth rubbed her lightly on the back.
“It’s really nice to meet you Mike.” Elizabeth said, shyly.
“I want to thank you for watching over Vanessa for me.”
“My pleasure.”

Before they had the chance to talk about anything else, the same doctor that had been talking to Elizabeth about Josh walked in.
“Miss. Hudson, can you come here for a minute?”
Elizabeth nodded and left, leaving Vanessa and Mike alone.
“Vanessa, I’ve really missed you.”
“Mike, I have too. I have waited for a month to see you.”
They sat there, looking into each others eyes, just soaking up the beauty. Mike had been waiting and longing to stare deeply into those vibrant green eyes. Vanessa tried to ignore the bruises and swollen parts of Mike’s face and focus on the sky blue eyes that shown, clear and sparkling.
“Vanessa, I have been meaning to tell you this for a long time.”
Vanessa just kept on staring into his eyes. He returned the constant stare.
“I really, really like you.”

That night, Vanessa considered what Mike had said, about liking her. She liked him, it was obvious to her. They had certainly been through a lot together and knew a lot about each other. She knew a few crushing guys at school, such as Chad, but there was no way that she would ever give those idiots a chance. But Mike; she thought Mike did deserve a chance. She liked him, he liked her. Why not? The next thing was to tell him she liked him back.




























Chapter 15
Christmas

The next day, Christmas, was a happy, yet cold one. Vanessa spent the morning with her dad and made calls to her grandparents. Then, about noon, she grabbed a wrapped present and jumped in the car with her dad.
When she got to the hospital, which was like a second home to her by now, she walked into the normal waiting area and saw Elizabeth.
“Elizabeth, is everything alright?”
“T-they don’t expect him to live much longer. He just has to make it through the New Year. He was born at exactly midnight, you know? And if he can live to be seventeen, it-it would be really great.”
“Elizabeth, don’t worry. He’s going to make it.”
Elizabeth nodded.
“Oh, and Merry Christmas, Vanessa.”
“Same too you.”
“Are you going to go and see Mike?”
“Yeah. You going to see Josh?”
“No, they won’t let me in.”
Vanessa gave Elizabeth a look of general sympathy.
“Would like to come on with me to see Mike?”
“No, thanks. I’m going to go and see one more time if I can go and see Josh.”
Vanessa left and walked into Mike’s room. He was sitting up, for the first time since the day in lunch when the fight had happened.
“Hi, Vanessa.”
Vanessa nodded and pulled up a chair. Sitting down, she put the present on his lap as the exact same moment he put one on hers. They smiled at each other and started opening up the presents.
Mike couldn’t believe what was in that box, wrapped up in layers of tissue paper. A small porcelain schipperke pup, painted black, with green eyes the exact color or Sparky. It was beautiful, and he put it on the little side desk in his room. He, to express his gratitude, kissed Vanessa’s fingers. She blushed about 12 deep shades of purple. Then, she turned her attention to the gift that Mike had handed her.
Inside was a picture frame, elegantly carved with swirls and hearts. Framed, was the picture that Mike’s mom had taken of them before the Snowflake Ball. Tears sprang into Vanessa’s eyes, blurring her vision temporarily. It didn’t even look like her. She then realized why people at school thought they looked like a couple. She hadn’t really realized that they looked really, well, cute, together.
When Mike realized that she was silently crying, he kissed her fingers again. She smiled and looked at him.
“It-It’s so beautiful.”
Mike let her cry it out. Then, he suddenly remembered something.
“Weren’t you and Elizabeth going to go and see Josh today?”
“We can’t. Josh has taken a turn for the worse, and the doctors won’t even let Elizabeth in by herself to see him.”
“Tell her I’m sorry. And you really should go and see her now. She needs you more than I do.”
“Are you sure?”
Mike nodded.
“Well, alright, then. I’ll make sure to call you later.”
“Oh, and Vanessa?”
“Yes?”
“Come on New Years Eve?
Vanessa nodded and left.








Chapter 16
New Years Eve

The next five days, Vanessa would be caught up in the world of love and sadness. Love because she knew that Mike liked her and she really liked him back. Sadness because she didn’t want Elizabeth to lose her best friend. She was upset that she didn’t have Elizabeth’s phone number; she desperately wanted to know what was happening.
As for Mike, he was worried about Josh a little bit, sure, but he was more thinking about Vanessa and how much he liked her and how much he wanted to show her he did and how much he wanted her to like him back. He figured that maybe he would find out more the night of New Years Eve.
Elizabeth spent almost all of her time at the hospital, pressuring the doctors to let her see Josh. She had too. But they weren’t caving in as they had when Chad had pressured them into letting him and Vanessa see Mike for the first time. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t crack them.

New Years Eve, Vanessa walked into Mike’s room to find the television on and Mike grinning.
“What are you up to now?”
“Nothing. Just happy.”
“That’s good.”

As the night went on, Vanessa and Mike spilt their guts on what they were worried about. Finally, Mike said,
“I’ve just been thinking about how much I want you.”
Vanessa took a deep breath,
“Mike, I have to tell you something.”
“Yes?’
“I-I really like you too.”
Mike just smiled.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth cracked the doctors into letting her see Josh and she was allowed to go in and see him. It wasn’t anything physical like from the accident. Seeing him so sick made her break down. She couldn’t believe it. Crying, she pulled up a chair and sat down, burying her head in Josh’s chest.

When the clock struck midnight, Mike leaned over and kissed Vanessa.

And Vanessa kissed him back.

Elizabeth leaned over and kissed Josh lightly.

The full moon gleamed brightly through the windows.

And Josh’s heart monitor went blank.

Chapter Thirteen--Friend Disputes---Angels Among Us/The Blessing

Chapter 13
Friend Disputes

Vanessa pulled out her cell phone and punched her father’s number in. She was furious; how could she have been so stupid? To think that Chad had really changed that fast had been wishful thinking on her part.
“Hello?”
“Hi dad, it’s me, can you come and pick me up?”
“Sure, I’ll be there is about five minutes.”
“Ok, see you then. And dad?”
“Yes?”
“Hurry.”
“Alright, see you in a minute.”
“Bye.”
She pressed the red button and hung up. After putting it back in her purse, she began praying fervently that Chad wouldn’t find her
And he didn’t. But Elizabeth did.
“Vanessa! What’s the matter? What did you mean by…”
“By me saying that he couldn’t have changed so quickly?”
“Yeah.”
“It all links back to why Mike is here, ok? Chad beat Mike up, ok? He beat him up so bad; he’s been here for a month. After the accident, he began feeling guilty, or so I thought, because his best friends had beaten me up. Apparently, however, I was mistaken. It just makes me angry that he is thinking about himself right now, and that he doesn’t seem to understand how much I care about this situation.”
Elizabeth stood there, now knowing and understanding why Vanessa had gotten so furious. She couldn’t believe that Chad had been the one who had landed Mike in the hospital.
Just then, Vanessa’s dad drove up and she jumped in the car. She waved by to Elizabeth and jumped into the car.
It was that night, a Saturday that Vanessa talked to her dad about the situation with Chad. The result was a very interesting conversation,
“Have you ever thought that maybe you could change Chad? Remember when the youth minister a few years ago that you should try to turn someone from their evil ways? And I remember you telling me that you would never know anyone who would be evil enough for you to change. Well, you now have a person to turn from evil.”
“But-.” Vanessa stopped short. She was about to argue, but had realized that she didn’t have anything to day, because her mother made perfect sense. As the phone rang and her mother ran out of the room, she began thinking about how she would be able to ‘convert’ Chad.
Then, she realized that there was one thing that she knew he didn’t know. She had even complained about this. He didn’t know the pain that she was going through. She went to her room and began to think up of ways to show Chad pain in a way that he would always remember. Just as she was pulling her notebook out so she could jot down ideas, there was a knock on her door.
“Come in.”
Her dad walked in,
“The phone’s for you.” He said.
Vanessa put the phone up to her ear,
“Hello?”
“Hey, Vanessa, this is Chad.”
“How did you get my phone number??” “Mike.”
“Just now?”
“No. It was a while ago.”
“What do you want?” Vanessa asked roughly.
“Can’t you use a nicer tone with me?” Chad asked.
“What?! Tone?? Who are you, my mother or something??”
“No.”
“Well, then what the hell do you want!!??”
“I wanted to say that I’m sorry.”
“For what? For making me feel like no one else except Elizabeth knows what I went and am still going through? You know what? I hope that someday, someone beats you up. Then, you can come to me and I’ll ask you one question. How does it feel? And then, if Mike is still alive, you can go and talk to him. And he will ask you the same question.”
Right before Vanessa was about to hang up on Chad, he said something,
“Wait! Don’t hang up on me yet. What do you mean by, ‘if Mike is still alive’?”
“Oh, don’t pull this with me! You know perfectly why!”
“No, I don’t, seriously. Tell me.”
“Because he’s in a coma! Haven’t you been wondering at all why he hadn’t woken up yet! Was your whole goal to cause skull and spine damage?? Because if that was, you certainly met it!”
With that, Vanessa hung up and flung herself down on her bed. Into her pillow, she screamed, then cried, then screamed, then cried some more. The thought that Mike could come out of that hospital with more physical disabilities than before the fight hurt her inside.

The phone rang again, and this time, she picked it up from her phone.
“Hello?”
She was surprised when she heard a weak voice at the other end of the line.
“Hey Vanessa.” It seemed to whisper.
Vanessa was confused.
“Who is this?” She asked, confused.
There was a long silence while the person on the other line had a fit of coughing. “Mike.” He said, weakly.

Vanessa couldn’t believe it. Mike was calling her.
“H-how did-.”
Mike seemed to know what he was saying,
“Elizabeth gave me your phone number.”
“Did you just wake up?”
“Yeah; Elizabeth was there and introduced herself. I was so confused. She said that you and Chad had argued, though she didn’t say why, and that you had left. Then, she gave me the phone number. I didn’t even ask; she just seemed to read my mind.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.” Was Vanessa’s reply.
There was a long pause, during which Vanessa searched her mind for something to say. She didn’t want to elaborate on the argument. Thankfully, Mike began first, and Vanessa breathed a sigh of relief,
“Who is Elizabeth?”
“She…I…We met when I came to see you.”
“Oh, she said that she met Chad first.”
“Yeah, she did. I-I sorta fainted when I first saw you. Chad carried me to the waiting area, where he met Elizabeth.”
“Oh.”
“She’s here because her friend is there also. We hit it off because we were both really worried about people who were there.”
“Oh,” Mike said again.
While Mike contemplated whether to bring up the argument, Vanessa wondered if he would.
“Did they do anything to you?” was Mike’s next question.
“Who?” asked Vanessa
“Chad.”
Vanessa gulped
“Uh, y-yeah.”
“How badly?” Mike asked, softly.
“The doctors said pretty bad.”
“I swear, someday, I’m just going to…”
“Mike, please,” Vanessa pleaded, “Don’t start with the whole, ‘I’m going to get him someday’ thing. Wait until you get better and then we can talk about it.”
“Okay. Say, how have things been at school lately?”
“Uh, Mike, it’s, um, sorta Christmas break. Christmas is on Wednesday.”
“Oh! What day is it now?”
“Monday.”
“Already? You’re kidding me! I guess I woke up just in time.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Mike sensed that something big was on Vanessa’s mind.
“You okay?”
“I guess. I-I just wish that you wouldn’t have to be in the hospital for Christmas.”
“Oh, yeah I kinda wish that I could be with a certain someone this Christmas.”
“Who?”
“You.”

“Y-You wish you were with me?”
That one word had sent shocks down her. He wanted to be with her! Someone needed her.
“Well, yeah. You’re my best friend. Of course I do.”
In a way, Vanessa felt stupid that she hadn’t come to that conclusion herself. However, after he said it, she could see the logic in his thinking. Then, she felt stupid that she wasn’t there. After thinking about just how much Mike wanted to see her, she made a conclusion that would, hopefully, be just right for the both of them.
“Okay, I think I have a solution that would work for the both of us. I’ll come by tomorrow to see you and to see Elizabeth and ask her about Josh. Then, I’ll also come Christmas day.”
“That sounds really good. That way, I won’t be all alone. But wait, who’s Josh?”
“He’s Elizabeth’s friend.”
“Alright. Listen, I have to go and call my parents. They don’t know that I’m up. See you tomorrow.”
Vanessa said bye and then hung up. She couldn’t believe that Mike had called her before his own parents.

Chapter Twelve--The truth about Josh Clarke---Angels Among Us/The Blessing

Chapter 12

The truth about Josh Clarke

Josh Clarke had never thought that he would be faced with anything as terrifying as he had on the day of the accident. He cared about Elizabeth so much and he had been telling the truth when he had told her that he hadn’t thought about saving her, he had just done it. There was something about her, and it had taken him an incredible amount of time to find out what attracted him to Elizabeth.
She was incredibly head-strong. Perhaps it was losing people in her life who she cared about so much. She really valued human life; more than most people. The only reason Josh could think was because she knew that anything could happen at any time. That, at any time, someone you care about with all your heart, mind and soul, can leave this world and never come back. He had never experienced death before, and it had taken him a while to realize that it was because of that saddening experience that she was the person she was.
It was because of the personal sacrifice in Elizabeth’s life; having to endure the heartache of losing loved ones, the Josh didn’t hesitate with his response to seeing the truck advancing towards the car, spinning out of control. She meant so much to him, and since they had been friends for what seemed like forever, it was like they were family. Elizabeth was at Josh’s house constantly; and if she wasn’t at his house, he was at her house. They did everything together; school, talking, homework, social activities, parties. The after-football-game parties were the best.
People at school thought that they were an item. Elizabeth had received numerous comments in the lunch room or in classes; saying either that she and Josh were perfect for each other or exclaiming that they were denying the fact that they were really together. At first, Elizabeth would laugh at the prospect or angrily defend her position that they were just ‘friends’ and that not every group of one guy and girl were necessarily ‘dating’. However, after a while, it got so old, she just began to ignore it.
Josh had experienced the same thing. Even though he defended his thought that Elizabeth and he were friends, and would always be, he knew that he wanted her. That had been one of the reasons that he had thrown himself on top of her. She thought that he had done it because she was his friend, and that was partially true. However, it was also because he cared about her more than she thought.
Because of that, he was iffy on whether or not she had bought his excuse; or at least, he thought it was an excuse. She had seemed uncertain, but for now, it would have to suffice. She would figure it out eventually; when the time was right.
It was because he felt like Elizabeth was so different from other people because of her experiences, that he was surprised when he met Vanessa. Here was a girl, different life, different ambitions, yet, he almost immediately saw the similarities in the both of them. They had the ability to have a worn look on their faces that showed they had gone through things that no one should ever have to go through. Yet, when Elizabeth introduced Vanessa to Josh, she was smiling and so was Vanessa, and he saw the same thing in their faces. The look of relief that something happy and great was happening, instead of something awful and heartbreaking. When Josh would learn why Vanessa was here and what had happened in her life so far, he would understand why she was like Elizabeth.

“Josh? This is Vanessa. Her friend, Chad, is coming in a minute.”
Josh slowly sat up. He looked like he was still in a world of pain and it hurt Elizabeth to see it.
“Hi, Vanessa.”
“Hi.” Was Vanessa’s reply. Her voice seemed small and high pitched in her ears. She knew why she was so nervous. She was worried that she would have to see this or something worse, when she would see Mike.
“Vanessa, “continued Elizabeth, “is here to see her friend who is here.”
“Why is he here?” Josh asked, directing the question to Elizabeth as well as Vanessa. Elizabeth looked at Vanessa uneasily. She didn’t want to tell Josh and seem so open over the subject while Vanessa was in the room.
“I’ll tell you later, okay?”
Josh nodded. Just then, Chad walked into the room
“Oh,” said Elizabeth after an odd pause, “Josh, this is Chad, Vanessa’s friend.”

Chad’s first initial reaction was the same as Vanessa’s had been; what if Mike looked like this. The damage to Josh looked horrendous. Chad could tell that Josh had taken a double beating, because he had saved Elizabeth’s life. Then, he asked a question. He didn’t mean to say it out loud; and he didn’t realize he had until it was too late.
“Why does this kind of thing happen? I mean, it just doesn’t seem right that it happens to all the people who don’t deserve it. The people who make a difference in the world or have lived through unbelievable circumstances go through more than those who are bad and who deserve it. People like Ma-.”
Chad stopped short. He was about to say Max. However, he had been like Max before. He realized that he really had been bad and caused pain. Then, he thought about all the people he had teased or hit. He wondered how much pain, physical or not, they had been in. The guilt that had hit him after seeing Vanessa and then Mike hit him all over again. He just wanted to go and say sorry to all those people; tell them that he didn’t know what they had gone through and that he hadn’t thought that something really bad would happen.
However, all the people in that room; Josh, Elizabeth, and Vanessa, looked like they understood. Chad thought they were doing it just to make him feel better. He was beginning to feel more and more like people’s reactions and facial expressions weren’t the truth; and that the world was shunning him. Anger erupted from deep inside of him; anger that had been held inside too long.
“You guys don’t have to act as if you understand! Alright? I get it now! I know that the way that I used to be was bad, ok? And I know that people didn’t exactly like me. But you don’t have to act like you understand or that you think my behavior is ‘normal’, alright? I know my mistakes, so if you don’t agree with me, don’t act as if you do!”
Chad took a deep breath and looked at the floor. When he raised his head, all eyes were on him. He had expected them to look angry or disappointed; anything but how they did look. He realized them that, even though he had let them know about not agreeing with him, it would have to sink in. Then, Vanessa spoke softly,
“We aren’t saying stuff just because we feel guilty. Human’s make mistakes, okay?”
Elizabeth supported Vanessa’s statement by nodding her head slightly. But Chad wasn’t going to buy it that easy,
“You might, you might not. But I feel that way. It is like the whole world, including you guys, is against me or something. And don’t tell me that you aren’t, because I’ve already heard all that stuff. I don’t care whether people are or not, I feel that way. I-.”
“You know what?” Vanessa began, cutting Chad off, “That’s your problem! It’s you, you, you! I thought that when you were being nice when you would ask the doctors about Mike and would be all nice to me, but I should have known better. You couldn’t have changed your selfish ways so quickly. But you know what? It was mean; you acting as if you cared. You don’t know, do you? How would you have reacted if you had been in my place? Or in Elizabeth’s, even? If you had watched someone struggle to live or watched someone you knew almost kill your best friend, how would you feel? In a way, I am glad that I’m not you. Because if I was, I would hate the feeling of the guilty conscience you must have right now.”
With that, Vanessa left. Chad stood there for a second before running out after her. As the door slammed, Elizabeth and Josh looked at each other, dumbfounded. Elizabeth was the most shocked of them all. When she had met Chad and Vanessa, she had thought that they had been really good friends, considering the fact that Chad had seemed so compassionate after Vanessa had fainted.

Chapter Eleven--A meeting of soon-to-be friends---Angels Among Us/The Blessing

The original book ended here, but I decided to combine the first and second books together.

Chapter 11

A meeting of soon-to-be friends

Once outside, Elizabeth came very close to breaking down again. Now that Josh couldn’t see her, she felt no shame in crying. But she tried to shake it off when she approached Vanessa and Chad.
“Hey, you guys.”
“Oh, hey,” began Vanessa, “soo, how did it go?”
Elizabeth bent down and whispered in Vanessa’s ear.
‘Can I talk to you privately??’
Vanessa nodded and rose. Then, she turned to Chad,
“I’ll be right back, ok? If there is any new information about Mike, come and find me right away.”
Chad nodded in reply and Vanessa followed Elizabeth.
Once they were around the corner from where Chad waited, Vanessa turned towards Elizabeth,
“What’s the matter?”
Elizabeth explained to her how the conversation with Josh had gone. She expected Vanessa to have the same reaction to the ‘Are you alright’ question. However, much to Elizabeth’s surprise, Vanessa didn’t. She actually seemed to understand why he had said that. Then, Vanessa saw the look in Elizabeth’s eyes and knew why she had asked to privately speak to her. She was confused. And Vanessa knew just what to say to her.
“Listen. I understand if you can’t see the point in Josh asking you that. But there is one thing that you have to be able to see. It is very hard to understand and to explain, so think of it this way. Imagine if you were in his situation. Imagine if you had thrown yourself on top of him. When he would walk into your room, wouldn’t you be wondering if your efforts hadn’t been in vain? Wouldn’t you be wondering if he was alright?”
Elizabeth nodded. The way that Vanessa had explained the reasoning behind the comment made more sense to Elizabeth then the way that Josh had explained it. Or maybe she didn’t want him to say that. Maybe she felt guilty that he was saying it, but she wasn’t. The amount of confusing emotions that were swirling around in her head were confusing her as she followed Vanessa back to the lobby to fetch Chad.

Chad, like Vanessa said, was willing to go and see Josh with Elizabeth and Vanessa. He rose and went with them. On the way, he leaned over and whispered in Vanessa’s ear,
“They haven’t told us anything yet…if you want to go and see him later, I’ll go with you.”
Vanessa nodded. However, right now, she didn’t want to worry about her problems; it was Elizabeth who needed the support right now, and she was going to give it to her.

Chapter Ten--A sight to remember---Angels Among Us/The Blessing

Chapter 10

A sight to remember

Poor Elizabeth. Poor, poor Elizabeth. She hadn’t imagined that Josh would look like this. She and Josh had known each other for so long. But the effect that the sight of Josh would have on Elizabeth’s life would affect everything she would do, including her career after high school.
There must have been a dozen machines around him. Maybe more. The show ER on the NBC network had portrayed the Emergency Room scene very efficiently. The I.V’s, the machines, everything. The heart monitors, the donated blood. ‘God’, Elizabeth thought, ‘And the show is so interesting. Yet, when it is happening to someone you care about, it is scary.’
She approached Josh with caution, as if she was afraid to be near him. She touched his hand, which was seemingly smaller than she had remembered previous to the accident. She could feel tears coming; they felt hot behind her eyelids. She squeezed them shut and a tear fell onto Josh’s hand. It only took one tear for Elizabeth to start sobbing. And as she sat on the bed next to him, she wondered why; like so many people who found themselves in the same situation as Elizabeth. Why? Why had this happened? On what had seemed like a simple, normal day, this just had to happen. But it was the cause of Josh’s extensive injuries that plagued Elizabeth the most.
The truth was, she had been the cause. Not necessarily because she had been the driver of the truck that had hit the car that Josh had been in, but because Josh had saved her life. He and Elizabeth had been sitting in the back seat of his mother’s car when a truck being driven by a drunk driver had hit their car.
They had been driving home from school on a Friday afternoon. The buzz of the upcoming football that evening was getting to them and Josh was buzzing, either from the caffeine from the recent cappuccino, or the excitement, no one knew. ‘He must have seen the truck first,’ Elizabeth thought. He had yelled and Elizabeth had turned around, only to see the truck advancing upon them like a shark ready to strike on unexpected prey. Then, she had felt something. Something heavy on top of her.
When she had regained conscience, she had thought about the heavy feeling she had experienced and wondered why she was still alive. Surely the truck, or part of the vehicle, had landed on her. But yet, she didn’t have one scratch on her. What had happened that had caused this miraculous event, not even the doctors could figure out. And then, something hit her. What if the heavy thing that had landed on her had been another human being? And when she told the doctors about her suspicion, they knew that was what had happened. The reason Josh’s injuries were worse than the doctors had predicted was because he had thrown himself on top of Elizabeth.
The fact that someone had almost died trying to save her sent Elizabeth down the road of confusing emotions, including mental questions to herself that began mental debates with herself that would keep her up for hours at night. And this went on for the next week, while she was being kept at the hospital for tests and observation. But the one question that had stumped her was if she would ever have a friendship in which, if she had to, she would sacrifice herself for a friend.

That question was still on her mind as she sat next to Vanessa and Chad in the waiting room. Would she ever be as selfless as Josh had been; to almost die for a friend? It was then that it occurred to her, why were Chad and Vanessa here? They had acted like such good friends, and yet she and Chad had only met earlier on that same day. Turning towards them, and wiping the tear streaks from her face, she asked the question.
“Chad, Vanessa, why is Mike here?”
At first, she looked at them both. And they looked very unsure about it.
And they were. Vanessa was worried about telling Elizabeth about it because Chad was right there. On the contrary, Chad was terrified of telling Elizabeth that he had been the cause for Mike being in the hospital, because he didn’t want to come across as someone who had done something unspeakable. Imagine what kind of influence that would have on their friendship. But he knew that it would have to be done. She wouldn’t be told by a reluctant Chad until much later. For now, she just sat there, not caring whether or not Chad or Vanessa would reply. Anyway, she had taken the hints from the silence that it was pretty personal.

Oh, but Elizabeth would have a good enough friendship to try to save her friends life later on. It would happen a year later, after experiencing a tragedy of her own. But she still had Josh on her mind when she made up her mind that, if the time ever came, she would try to save a friends’ life. The doctor approached her asked her,
“Would you like to see Josh now?”
Elizabeth jumped to her feet.
“Yes. Yes, right now.” Then, she turned towards Chad and Vanessa, “Would you guys like to come also?”
They looked at each other and then back at Elizabeth. Vanessa shook her head and spoke for the both of them. Chad nodded in acknowledgment of Vanessa’s decision. Elizabeth shrugged and walked towards Josh’s room.
Vanessa knew, and later explained to Chad, that it would be much easier for Elizabeth to talk to Josh and not feel awkward with them not in the room. However, Chad couldn’t understand, so she had to put it in lay-man’s terms for him.
“Think of it this way, Chad, would it be strange if we had a person we had just met in the room when we would visit Mike? Wouldn’t it be better and the atmosphere more relaxed if it was just you and him or just me and him?”
The light-bulb clicked on in Chad’s head and he nodded.
“Yeah, I can see now what you mean. It would be kinda strange if someone was just sitting in the room. I wouldn’t be able to have a ‘normal’ conversation without feeling self-conscience.”

In Josh’s room, Elizabeth was trying to regain her composure long enough to hold a simple conversation with him; but she couldn’t. She walked in and Josh asked her a question. The question was a normal one to ask, but when Josh asked it, it seemed ironic, because of the situation he was in.
“Elizabeth, are you alright?”
And even though Elizabeth knew that the question was meant to make her feel better, and that it was just a common courtesy question, she burst into tears. Josh had a strange look upon his face, as if he didn’t quite have a reaction to Elizabeth’s reaction. She had something to say, but wasn’t sure if she wanted to bring up the topic during the present situation. But then, her mouth opened, as if not controlled by her brain.
“Josh, how can you ask such a question at a time like this? I know that question was meant to make me feel better, but it makes me feel guilty. You’re the one who almost died trying to save my life and yet you are asking me if I am alright? I should be worried about you not vice-versa.”
“You shouldn’t feel guilty, Elizabeth, just think of it this way… I didn’t have to think about one thing before saving you.”
“So you mean you didn’t have to think about? You just did it because-.”
“Because you’re my friend,” Josh began, “And that’s what friends do for each other.”
Elizabeth turned and looked at Josh, bit her lip, and tried to smile. Then, she nodded,
“Yeah, I guess. I just never thought that I would go though something like this and that I would be experiencing all these really weird feelings.”
Josh nodded and then changed the subject.
“Elizabeth, who were those people who were in the room with you when you came in earlier?”
“You were awake?”
He nodded,
“Yeah.”
Elizabeth stuttered,
“O-Oh. Well, I met them this morning. Do you want to meet them?”
“Well, I guess.”
“Ok, I’ll go and get them, okay?”
Josh nodded and Elizabeth gave him a light hug before leaving. She had been dying to throw her arms around him since she had found out that he hadn’t died. But she didn’t want to cause any more pain than she already had. So, for now, a light hug would have to suffice.

Chapter Nine--What doesn't kill us makes us stronger---Angels Among Us/The Blessing

Chapter 9

What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger

Elizabeth Hudson had experienced a hard life. But it was that hard life that made her the kind, strong person she was. The long string of terrifying events had started on September Eleventh, 2001, when her father had been killed. Most people had watched the twin towers fall and said, ‘Thank God that no one I knew were in the buildings or in one of those planes’. But Elizabeth hadn’t been one of those people. Her father, a very successful business person, had been on one of the planes that had been hijacked. And that was only the beginning.
The next thing that happened was not necessarily awful, but the results would tear Elizabeth apart. When the war in Iraq started, her oldest brother, Ian, had just graduated from high school. He decided to enlist and was gone and deployed in what seemed like just a day. Everyday, Elizabeth would pray to God to keep him safe. And, for a while, God seemed to do just that; until the next year. Elizabeth’s other brother, Derek, decided to follow in the courageous footsteps of his older brother and enlist also. Now, Elizabeth had two people to pray for at night.
For a while, God seemed to watch over the Hudson brothers, until the beginning of Elizabeth’s eighth grade year. She was doing her homework after school when someone knocked on the door. She went and answered it. There, on the doorstep, were two very official-looking men, standing there, sullen, in their military uniforms. Elizabeth could still recall calling her mother to the door and then watching her mother fainting. When her mom got back up, she told Elizabeth what had happened.

Ian and Derek had been working together when a suicide bomber had blown himself up while standing in between them.

Elizabeth had felt like God had betrayed her. She had prayed so fervently to God to bring her brothers home safe. And God hadn’t listened to her.

It had torn the Hudson household apart. Elizabeth and her mother didn’t talk to each other for days. They had trouble eating. Elizabeth didn’t go to school. Her mom didn’t go to work. For two weeks, life was a blur; Elizabeth and her mom went through life like zombies.

But what really woke up Elizabeth from the zombie-like state she was in was what she attempted two and half weeks after she had gotten the horrific news. She went up to her mom’s bathroom and got the pills that her mom sometimes used for an occasional case of amnesia. She grabbed the bottle and opened it. She dumped the remaining pills into her hand and swallowed them.

She was lying on her bed, listening to music and waiting for the pills to kick in and end the miserable life she was leading, when a certain song came on. And the refrain went like this:
“I’ll be your crying shoulderI'll be love suicideI'll be better when I'm olderI’ll be the greatest fan of your life”
Something happened at that moment. At first, the lyrics had made it sound like the first line said “I’ll be your crying soldier” instead of the actual lyrics. And that did it. She would later find out that it was “I’ll be your crying shoulder”, but that didn’t matter. Just the fact that the words “soldier” and “crying” were in the same stanza of a song was enough. She began crying. For her mom, her brothers, her dad and herself. That’s when she realized something. Her father and brothers wouldn’t want her to do this to herself. And as she thought of it, what her mother do if she lost another love in her life? Elizabeth went to the bathroom and stuck her finger down her throat. As she saw the pills swirl down the vortex of water as the toilet flushed, she felt as if all the despair and hopelessness that had overwhelmed her for just about half-an-hour ago leave her. And not just her. But the whole world.
And that’s when she made a vow to herself. She would live her life for her brothers; two people who never made it past their twentieth birthdays. Everything she did, she would do for them.

And that’s what she was thinking about as she stood in front of her best friends’ hospital room. ‘I have to be strong for Ian and Derek’ she thought. ‘And for myself’ she added a few minutes later, when the doctor came out and said that she could go in and see him now. She was so nervous for what she would see when the door would open. But then, she remembered what Vanessa had said. About how they had both gone through the same thing. She looked at Vanessa and received a reassuring smile and nod. She nodded in return and walked in.

Chapter Eight--Elizabeth Hudson---Angels Among Us/The Blessing

Chapter 8

Elizabeth Hudson

The doctor opened the door and Vanessa nearly passed out. Mike wasn’t conscience, but that didn’t change Vanessa’s reaction to the look of him. It had only been two days after the dance, and this had come of it. Then, as she looked at the sad face and the bandages wrapped around his head, she remembered the mental conversation that she had experienced in the restroom at the Snowflake Ball. The one in which she had blamed herself for the misfortune that Mike had experienced at Chad’s hand, and how she had blamed herself for his problems. And what Mike’s reaction had been, telling her that things just didn’t work that way. ‘Yeah, right’ Vanessa now told herself angrily. She wasn’t necessarily angry with Mike for trying to console her and tell her that she wasn’t being positive, but she was angry at herself for actually listening to something like that, which she knew wasn’t true.

Chad couldn’t believe it. Vanessa had told him that Mike would probably be in a worse condition then the fight Chad and Max had ‘participated’ in, but Chad hadn’t believed her. Now, however, he did, and the guilty feeling that he had experienced after seeing Vanessa, came back, with even more force. He had done this. He had caused all this pain and suffering. A month earlier, he would have never thought that he would be having these thoughts of sympathy and guiltiness. Yet, here he was.
Those guilty feelings became even stronger when he looked over at Vanessa and she was crying. The one girl he had wanted, and he had made her cry. What kind of friend was he anyway? He desperately wanted to hit a ‘rewind’ button on his life and rewind back to the day of the cafeteria incident. If he could, he wouldn’t even approach Mike and Vanessa while they were talking. He would just hang back and, at the most, snarl a snide comment about them to Max. But he would never begin the fight that would result in something as horrific as what had happened. He put his arm around Vanessa’s shoulder and held her. Then, she went limp in his arms.

“Vanessa? Vanessa?? Someone, help! P-please!” Chad shouted at the top of his lungs. The doctor that was standing right outside the door rushed in.
“What? What happened?” Then, he saw the limp Vanessa and he dashed over.
“What’s the matter with her?” Chad asked, getting more and more scared with every passing second.”
“She said she is a friend of Mike. Is that true?”
Chad nodded
“Yes. I am too.”
“Well,” said the doctor, “It could be the initial sight of her friend in this condition.”
Chad nodded. But the truth was, he hadn’t thought of that. He felt more stupid. Actually, he had felt increasingly senseless since he and Max had seen Vanessa the day after the fight. Chad took Vanessa out of the doctor’s arms and carried her out of the room. He walked slowly over to the waiting area and sat down, gently cradling Vanessa in his arms.

Chad was whispering softly to Vanessa, telling her how sorry he was and how he wanted to take back everything he had done, when someone came up to him.
“Just a question, is she alright?”
Chad looked up, surprised. There was a girl standing there. Her eyes were red, but she seemed to be hiding the thing that she had been upset about.
“Umm, it’s a long story. Her best friend is in there,” Chad motioned toward the door which guarded the haven in which Mike lay,” He is badly hurt after being beaten up three weeks ago.”
“Three weeks ago?? Well, what happened?”
“We-we really don’t know. We weren’t in the room barely a minute before she passed out.”
What’s her name?” The girl asked.
“Vanessa.”
“And yours?”
“Chad.”
Then, she asked one more question.
“A-And Vanessa’s friend?”
Chad struggled to get the words out.
“Mike.”
The girl sat down in the hard, plastic chair next to Chad and Vanessa.
“I’m Elizabeth; I’m so sorry.”
Chad shook his head, embarrassed by all the sympathy Elizabeth was giving him. And she didn’t even know him. He never thought it possible that someone you didn’t even know could be so nice. Then, a thought dawned on him,
“Elizabeth. Why are you here?”
Elizabeth suddenly got quiet. Then, she bit her lip and covered her mouth with her hand. Something was wrong, Chad could feel it. That’s why she had been crying. But Chad was going to figure out why Elizabeth was in that hospital.
“Elizabeth….”He began. But Elizabeth raised her hand and waved it, silencing Chad.
“I’m here to see my friend also.”
Chad was confused. Why wasn’t she telling him who her friend was, or what her name was, or-.
“He’s in there.”
Chad snapped out of his mental conversation and turned his head toward the direction that Elizabeth was pointing. He saw two large double-doors there, but didn’t know what was beyond them. He looked at her with a questioning look in his eyes, hoping that she would get the point and explain to him what was beyond that point. She did, and began to explain.
“That’s the E.R.” She said, “The Emergency Room.”
Chad nodded. He had heard of that term before. His mother watch a show called ER. Then, Elizabeth continued.
“There has been an accident and my friend is in there.”
“I’m sorry-.”Chad began, but Elizabeth put her finger to her lips, silencing Chad.
“Please, no. I have heard that enough. People think, for some reason, that saying that will take away all the pain. All the suffering; all the mental anguish that I am in.” Elizabeth paused and covered her mouth with her hand. “People think that saying ‘I’m sorry’ is going to take away everything that has gone wrong. But they don’t know. They don’t know what you are going through; because if they knew, they wouldn’t be saying anything.”
Elizabeth was now crying and Chad was feeling very sorry for her. But she had helped him realize something. Never to say ‘I’m sorry’ to either Mike or Vanessa or to anyone else, because, like Elizabeth said, he wouldn’t know what they were feeling.

“Chad? I-is that you?”
Chad looked down and almost exploded with joy. Vanessa’s eyes were open. And she had spoken.
“Vanessa? Oh, thank God. I was so worried.”
“Is there any news on Mike?”
Chad shook his head, sadly.
“No, the doctors haven’t talked, or even checked on us.”
“And they call themselves doctors??” Elizabeth exclaimed. “I swear, they shouldn’t be. They’ve been ignoring me also.”
Vanessa sat up and looked at Elizabeth. Elizabeth realized that she hadn’t properly introduced herself to Vanessa.
“Oh, sorry. I’m Elizabeth. Elizabeth Hudson.”
“And why are you here, Elizabeth?” Vanessa asked.
Elizabeth sighed and repeated the whole spiel that she had told Chad while Vanessa had been unconscious. At the end, Elizabeth was, amazingly, not crying. But, Chad and Vanessa could tell that she was choking up. Desperately not wanting to see her cry again, Chad made a quick and hasty decision.
“Hey, Vanessa, do you want to go and see Mike again?”
Vanessa nodded.
“Sure.” Then, she turned toward Elizabeth, “Elizabeth, would you like to come with us?”“I would be honored.”

Elizabeth followed Chad and Vanessa into the room where Mike lay. This time, Vanessa tried as hard as she possibly should to regain her composure as she took Mike’s hand. Then, she felt a strong, reassuring grip on her shoulders that sent a tingling sensation down her spine. Positive that it was Chad, she turned around. What she saw shocked her. The strong grip had belonged to Elizabeth, who was now smiling down at her. Vanessa just smiled back. She hadn’t expected Elizabeth to be so friendly to her. After all, they had only met just five minutes ago. But, in a way, she was really happy that Elizabeth was there. It made it a whole lot less awkward between her and Chad.
But something distracted Vanessa, Chad, and Elizabeth from Mike yet again. The doctor came into the room and walked up to Elizabeth.
“Elizabeth Hudson?”
“Yes?”
“If you want to see Josh now, you can.”
Elizabeth nodded, but then looked at Chad and Vanessa nervously.
“Would you guys like to come?”
Chad looked at Vanessa and then they looked at Elizabeth,
“Sure.
As they were walking toward the large double-doors that Chad had seen earlier, Vanessa was watching Elizabeth. And, even though she had seemed so reassuring when they were in Mike’s room, Vanessa could tell that Elizabeth was nervous.
“Elizabeth?” Vanessa began.
Elizabeth turned her head, while they were walking.
“Yes?”
“It’s going to be alright. I know that people must tell you that a lot, but you have to realize something. I am going through the some thing that you are. I have a friend who is in almost the same situation that your friend is in. We have something in common. And don’t you think that it gives me the privilege to say that to you?”
At first, Elizabeth didn’t know what to say. She was shocked. She had just given Chad her whole speech about people telling her ‘I’m sorry’, and yet, Vanessa made perfect sense. They were going through the same thing. Someone that they had a strong relationship with was in life-threatening peril. This time, Elizabeth didn’t say anything. She just kept on walking.

Chapter Seven--The Pursuasion pays off--Angels Among Us/The Blessing

Chapter 7

The persuasion pays off

When Chad left the room about a half an hour later, he left Vanessa deep in thought. She had spent some time, more like tons of time, thinking about her and Mike’s relationship, but never the way that Chad had put it, and know, she was thinking through the logic in Chad’s reaction to her and Mike. He had made a lot of sense. More sense than Vanessa would have thought would come from the head of someone jock like Chad. It was true; Mike didn’t act like someone he wasn’t, just to attract the girls. It was like he was trying to say, ’I don’t care what you see in me. What you see is what you get.’ And then, she realized that Chad had been right; that was the reason that she was ‘attracted’ to Mike. He was himself. Chad had always tried to impress her. And it wasn’t just Chad; it was all the guys who had ever liked her. But Mike just was there. Himself, no one else.

For the next week and a half worth of mornings, Vanessa would ask the doctors the same question and they would always have the same answer. We can’t tell you anything. And then, when Chad would come and visit about every other day, he would ask the same and question and the doctor would give him the same answer everyday. We can’t tell you anything. Then, Chad would come into Vanessa’s room can talk about things, mostly life
Then, three weeks after the fight, Vanessa was told she could go home. Her father wanted her home as soon as possible. At first, she refused.
“No, I won’t leave until I am allowed to see Mike.”
“Come on, Vanessa,” her father almost pleaded, “Let’s be reasonable-”
“Reasonable? Reasonable?? I have been in this confounded hospital for three weeks! It’s not that I don’t want to go. I have wanted to leave this place since I got here! But I have to see Mike! I have waited all this time and all I have heard is ‘We can’t tell you anything’. Can’t I just hear if he is alright before I have to go back to school and face sympathetic teachers and friends?”
“Don’t you want to be among your friends again?” Her Dad asked.
“Of course I do! But it won’t be the same without Mike, since he was my…my-.”
“Your rock? The rock that you cling onto when something was wrong or you were down?”
Vanessa spun around, looking for the person who had interrupted her. There, standing in the doorway, was Chad. Once Vanessa saw who it was, she nodded.
“Yeah. That’s what he is.”
Chad gave her a smile and Vanessa stood just a little bit taller.
Chad walked up to Vanessa’s doctor,
“Are you sure you can’t just let her see him before she leaves?”
At first, the doctor looked doubtful. But someone stared him down until he cracked. However, it wasn’t Chad. It was Vanessa.
“Ok, fine. Let me just go and see first.”
The doctor left and, as soon as he was out of earshot, Vanessa turned towards Chad,
“Thanks. I didn’t know what to say and you just put the perfect words into the air to convince the doc to let me see him.”
“But you aren’t the only one who wants to see him and to check if he is alright.”
At first, Vanessa was confused and then she realized. Chad was here for the same reason she was. He cared. She would have never been able to guess at the beginning of the school year that Chad would ever care about anyone except himself. It occurred to her at just that moment that she had seen a major reformation take place. She and Mike had taught Chad the lesson that not everyone is known for their greatness, or, in Chad’s case, meanness. ‘Oh, I can’t wait to tell Mike!’ Vanessa thought. And, as she said that, she remembered Mike. Looking up, she saw the doctor.
“Are you ready to go and see him?” The doctor asked.
Vanessa nodded,
“Yeah, but can Chad come too?”
The doctor sighed and nodded,
“Sure. Come on.”
Vanessa turned towards her dad and said,
“I’ll call you or mom when I am done here.”
Her dad, though doubtful, knew that there was nothing that he could do, and nodded.
“See you later, dear.”

The doctor led Vanessa and Chad down the hallway and, as they were walking, Vanessa got more and more scared. She had wanted to see Mike so badly, but now that she was actually going to go and see him, the thoughts she had been having the first day in the hospital came back to her. The ones that she had been thinking about when she had seen the damage that Chad and Max’s friends had done to her. She had looked worse than Mike had after the beating at the beginning of the school year. And she was worried how much worse the injuries would be to Mike this time.
She was still daydreaming about Mike and the mental conversations that she had been having with herself when Chad tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped and turned towards him,
“Yeah?”
“We are here. I just have one question for you.”
“Yes?”
“Do you want me to come in with you or would you like to go in by yourself?”
“I want you to come in with me.”
Chad nodded reassuringly and looked over at the doctor.
“We’re ready.”