The Chinese takeout in the dining room had been cleared away. The kitchen and living room were spotless as usual in their barely decorated way. Looking about, I suddenly remembered the night I had hallucinated and wondered how much damage I’d done.
I gasped as I entered my room. It was under construction. Obviously, I’d completely destroyed it. The windows were replaced with thick plastic sheets and the carpet had already been pulled up. In the corner of the room, a new bed had replaced my old one. My heart nearly skipped a beat when I caught sight of Thayde, asleep on his stomach in the middle of it. Apart from a pair of white Hanes jockey shorts, he was completely naked.
He didn’t move when I reached the edge of the bed and stood over him. Every time I saw him without his shirt off, he took my breath away. His body was like a bronzed statue, smooth and muscled. No wonder women continually made passes at him
My gaze stopped when it reached his back. Scars littered the hills and valleys made by his muscles. My mind wandered back to the time I’d met Troen and he’d rescued me from being lost at sea. He’d taken me back to his girlfriend’s house in Jamaica and Thayde had found me there. His torso was covered in cuts from fighting with Lot. His wrists were scarred from the ropes that had held him when he’d gone through The Judgment.
Thayde had been through a lot for me and I had treated our relationship too carelessly. I felt like a spoiled little girl and right then and there, vowed I would never again give in to my anger and hurt the one I loved.
Thayde’s arm twitched, snapping me back to reality. His beautiful face frowned and relaxed as he dreamed. His eyes moved rapidly under his eyelids and his breathing quickened; he was having a nightmare. His hands tightly gripped the new quilt he lay on and I held my breath waiting for it to rip. All the muscles in his back and arms tightened and suddenly his eyes opened. When he realized it had just been a dream, his body relaxed and he pulled himself up and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Damn it,” he breathed, grabbing his chest where a darkened area from Limus’ judgment remained. He rubbed it gingerly and looked about the room. A slight smile teased the corners of his mouth. Standing, he cracked his back and made his way to the bathroom. I followed close behind, feeling a little shy. Was it right to watch him when he was completely unaware I was there?
After brushing his teeth, he turned on the shower and I turned away as he pulled off his shorts. When I heard him close the door, I watched through the distorted glass. Placing his palms on the shower wall, he leaned into it and allowed the warm water to run down his back. He stayed like that for a while before grabbing a razor and beginning to shave. I thought it strange he didn’t used a mirror - rather, he shaved by touch.
I knew he was going to return to the hospital to be with me. As I left the apartment, I glanced at the clock. 4:10 in the morning. What an awful hour to be awake! Getting back to the hospital took much less time than when I left - it only took a few minutes. It was getting easier, being in limbo. I was beginning to get the hang of it.
Entering my hospital room, I was shocked to see a beautiful woman hovering over my body. Dressed in white, she shone like a star. I felt as if I were looking into the face of pure kindness and love.
“You are not supposed to be here,” she said.
The hairs stood on the back of my neck. “Who are you?” I asked.
Ignoring my question, she glided toward me. “Morgan, you must go back.”
“How do you know my name?”
“I know everything. If you don’t go back, you will die.”
“I don’t know how,” I stammered.
“We are sending someone who will help you with the transition. You must do as she says and be willing to face much in order to learn your destiny. We will also send you someone later who will help you learn our ways. For now, you must go back.”
“How do I get back?” I pressed.
“You already know.”
“I don’t!”
She looked back at my body. “You must lie down in your body and bring yourself back.” She started to disappear before my eyes.
“Wait!” I cried and she hesitated. “Who are you?”
“I’m your angel.”
“Angel?”
“It’s not your time to come home. You have much work to do here on earth. You must take care of your species.” She smiled. This was unexpected. I hadn’t even considered a higher power, let alone figured that it would even be interested in me. I looked behind her to my body, wondering how the heck I was going to ‘come back’ and as I did, she disappeared.
It’s amazing the amount of weight you lose when you’re in the hospital. I was a shell of a person. My skin had turned a light green color and frankly, I looked like a corpse. On occasion the heart monitor beeped and if I didn’t know better, I’d think I was on my way out. I wondered how much time I had left and felt anxious. Just how was I supposed to do this?