In An Angels Foot Steps Ch. 01

Rebekkah frowned for a second thinking she'd felt someone touching her face, caressing her cheeks then her eyes. Resolving herself to one more try she opened her eyes.

"Wow," she said quickly when she saw a rather large stranger standing beside her bed. From the worn concert tee shirt he wore she seriously doubted he was her doctor or even her nurse.

"You can tell Royce that if he doesn't have the time to sit with me, it isn't necessary that he leaves on of his 'friends' behind," she said suddenly, her feelings of hurt reflected in her dark blue eyes. "If you'd just tell him that I'm awake when you leave, I'd appreciate it," her voice trailed off as she closed her eyes only to snap them open remember what a struggle it had been to get them that way.

"I think you've got me mistaken for someone else," he said quietly, his voice soothing. "I know no one by the name of Royce; unless you're referring to the gentleman who was in a hurry by the way he kept checking his watch."

"Are you an undercover police officer, sent to question me as soon as I wake up?" she asked almost positive she was wrong yet again.

"I wasn't sent by any one nor was I asked to wait by others," he explained slowly. "I heard you calling for someone to help you, to help you understand, so I came."

Before she could say anything she noticed another man standing near the door. "This seems to be getting as busy as Grand Central Station," she forced a laugh, not at all comfortable to the expression on the other man's face.

"Since when have you decided to take on the role of a guide?" the tall thin man asked, stepping forward.

Gabe knew Dirk was approaching long before he'd entered the room. Swearing to him self when he realized he'd be found there.

"Dirk you should know me well enough after all these centuries, being a guide is something I'd never consider no matter the circumstances," he said flippantly knowing it would get under the other man's skin.

"I think a better question would be what are you doing here? Even though I don't have a degree in medicine I'd think it would safe to say that this woman doesn't look like one who's ready to trade life in for her soul to rest," he laughed. "She's been having some rather unique conversations berating herself for not being able to open her eyes."

Dirk leaned casually against the wall glancing at the young woman lying in the bed staring from one to the other of them. Smiling he winked at her, laughing when she frowned at him.

"If you'd paid as much attention during instruction as you did questioning everything you'd know what it isn't out of the ordinary for one of us to visit someone who's slipping into a coma to offer them the release from what ever troubles or haunts them," he said seeing Gabe's dark glare turn his way.

"You've become ambulance chasers?" Gabe laughed loudly, startling the woman from her own thoughts as she tried to absorb what was being said.

"Would someone tell me who's chasing what ambulance? Who's in a coma and finally offer me what and take my soul where?" she said her voice rising in panic.

"The doctor did say something about head trauma earlier, that has to be the reason behind all of this," she muttered rapidly, her pulse beginning to accelerate, the monitor showing the change.

"I could only be hallucinating tall dark and hunky here and the other guy has got to be a side effect of what ever drugs they're giving me. Where's my nurse? Surely to god they've got someone in this hospital that can hear me and can help me," she said her voice rising.

Stepping forward Dirk shouldered Gabe from his place at her bedside. "Rebekkah it's okay, calm down please," he said his voice as smooth as honey. "I've only come to ask you of your choice. Not to make choices for you, but to respect your wishes," he finished despite the snort of anger from Gabe.

"Why is it he doesn't seem to believe you?" She asked, her eyes moving from one to the other. "And I don't have any idea what you're talking about 'choices'. Do you think it was my choice to some how end up in a hospital where no one seems to care what's happening to me? The doctor said I'd been physically and mentally victimized," she said her voice dropping to a whisper when she listened to what she was saying out loud.

"I think that was his nice way of saying I'd been raped," she said quietly, tears traveling run unnoticed over her bruised and battered cheeks. "You think I can make choices like this?" she asked, closing her eyes trying to reabsorb the pain she felt wanting to literally explode from her mind and heart.

With a nod of understanding, Dirk stepped back. Glancing at Gabe he turned toward the door. "If circumstances change, you know I'll have to be back," his voice faded as he seemed to fade from the room.

Gabe stood still for a moment watching her as she struggled mentally to regain the hold she'd had on herself. Moving silently back to the chair he'd been sitting in; he waited until she was ready to talk.

She felt a slight shift in the air and knew without looking he'd moved away from the bed. Suddenly a feeling of panic seemed to roll over her as if a wave from the ocean. Snapping her eyes open she looked for him.

"Please don't leave," she said her voice trembling. "I really don't want to be alone right now, even though I don't have a clue, who you are."

"I'm not going anywhere Rebekkah," he said hesitating. "You don't mind if I call you by your given name do you? I just think Ms. Sparten would be rather rigid sounding," he smiled at her.

"Its fine, how do you know my name? Better yet how did that man know it?" she asked suddenly realizing there was so much going on she didn't understand.

Taking a deep breath he put his hands together before he met her eyes. "Well first off, I know your name because it's on the door. As for Dirk I think it would be easiest explained that knowing such things is his job," He explained praying she didn't ask anymore than that at the moment.

"I can barely see you sitting in the corner like that. I feel like my arms and legs are weighed down with lead. Can you either raise me up or move a little closer?" she said quietly.

He stood, walking to the end of the bed. "I think it would be better for me to do the moving until the doctor says you can without anymore harm being done," he told her seriously, glancing at the monitors to see if there had been any changes.

"I don't know how long I've been here but I can tell you everything sounds the same," she said forcing a weak smile before wincing. "Can you get me a mirror so I can see what was done to my face?" she asked quietly.

He shook his head knowing through years of experience that vanity would crush what little spirit she was redeveloping if she were to see the massive dark bruises, cuts and bandages covering most of her face.

"I don't think now would be the best time," he said with a chuckle. "Now if you like the kaleidoscope effect of colors due to your healing bruises then I'd say sure. But something tells me it's not your favorite thing."

"From your use of the word 'kaleidoscope' instead of rainbow, I'm thinking there's more fragmenting then I'm ready to see?" she asked with a sigh. "If you could just tell me, when I heal will I be something that will create nightmares in small children? I ask because I make a living with children. If I'd scare them I might need to think of a new line of work."

He braced his hand along the footboard of the bed, looking at her intently for a minute before smiling, chuckling when she let out the breath she'd been holding.

"I think your profession is safe. It might take some time for you to heal totally, but if anything remains I think it will just help add character," he winked at her. "What is it that you do that involves children, if you don't mind my asking?"

Rebekkah hesitated for a minute; she'd never been one to open to strangers since she'd moved to the city. It hadn't taken her long after she'd started her relationship with Royce, to realize that people in and around the city were seldom what they portrayed themselves to be.

Gabe noticed her hesitation, walking over, he grabbed the chair he'd been sitting in and moved it closer to the bed.

"I work with physically handicapped children and young adults," she said with a sigh, suddenly wondering what was happening at the school since she wasn't there. "I teach different aspects of the arts."

"So you're a teacher," he said with a smile, now understanding her less than jaded views. People, who worked with children if they were lucky, kept a slight hold on the innocence they projected.

"I'm not officially a teacher, I'm a therapist first," she said, hesitating wondering how much to explain to this tall stranger who sat so intently along her bed side.

Seeing the genuine interest reflected on his face, she took a deep breath. "Years ago my parents were in an accident, my little sister Grace was in the car with them. A drunk driver hit them head on. It killed my mother instantly, and my father went into a coma after he learned she'd died. He never woke up again," her voice faded off as she relived the feeling of loss she'd felt.

He moved his hand to gently touch hers as it lay at her side, "I'm sorry for your loss, but what about your sister?" he asked.

"Gracie had been the light of everyone's life," she said with a smile, one small tear escaping from her lashes as she closed her eyes. "The accident left her paralyzed from the waist down, the bones in her back had broken, severing her spine."

She sniffed, taking a ragged breath as she tried to regain her composer. "Gracie would kick my ass if she heard me explaining this like she was a victim," she chuckled. "The fastest way to piss her off is to treat her as though she has a disability."

"To summarize a long drawn out story, Gracie was eleven when the accident happened, I was sixteen and Jake our brother was nineteen. Jake was granted custody of she and I by the courts. One of our case workers that helped Jake make sure we had what we needed noticed how withdrawn Gracie was becoming" she said thoughtfully, remembering back.

"Gracie had been either in ballet or gymnastics from the time she could walk," she grinned. "She was amazing to watch, but after the accident she felt like she didn't have anything. Ms. Duncan suggested one day that I take Gracie to the studio so she could visit her classmates. That started a new direction for both of us," she explained.

"I started wheeling Gracie around following the other dancers as they practiced and they encouraged her to join them, using her arms to make the movements. After about a year of this Gracie performed with the group at a recital and the crowd loved it," she laughed, her broken bruised face glowing with pride that made him catch his breath.

"The dance instructor and Ms. Duncan suggested that I might be interested in training to become a physical therapist and working with people with disabilities," she looked at him, meeting his eyes to see if she'd managed to bore him to tears or to sleep yet. "I chose children and young adults after a year or so of working with adults and finding that the baggage they weren't able to let go of after a life altering event such as paralysis was both physically and mentally depressing."

"I imagine your brother is proud of both of you," he said with a smile. Seeing the shadow of a frown that passed over her face he squeezed her hand gently, encouraging her to continue talking.

"You're right Jake was proud of us, and last year when he and I were able to see Gracie dance at her wedding, he cried like a baby," she said, her voice catching as tears began falling freely. "Jake passed away from cancer less than three months after Gracie's wedding. We knew it was coming; his battle had been going on for a few years. But he refused to give up until he knew she and I were settled in our lives."

Gabe moved from the chair to sit gently on the edge of her bed. Lifting his hand slowly so as not to scare her. He brushed his fingers gently along the less injured side of her face, her tears wetting his finger tips.

"I know you feel as if you lost him, but you didn't," he said softly. "His physical presence might be gone but everything that made him the man he'd become is still here with you, looking out over you, worrying about you," he said slowly, already feeling the tingle of anger that had begun filling the room moments before.

Without turning he knew if he did he'd find the shadowy image of her brother, the soul that had spent its physical time being her protector.

"I'm sure right now his feelings would be both anger and fear, at what has happened to you and also how strong you are to over come this," he said feeling the radiating anger diminish slightly.

"I don't understand why the police haven't been here to question me," she said softly. "It isn't as if I could tell them much because when ever I try and remember what happened I get such a migraine I can't think."

"You're not ready to remember or you will," he said gently, trying to reassure her. "Things happen for a reason, seldom do we know that reason, but it's there," he said, wondering what had been the driving reason for his hearing her cries.

"You need to rest so you can heal and regain your strength," he said, smiling at her when she frowned. "I know not what you want to hear, but it's the truth."

"I'm worried about my studio and the students," she said with a heavy sigh. "The one thing I do remember was that I was leaving the studio after a late art class when this happened. Everyone was gone or I pray to god they were and none of them got hurt," her voice trailed off as she felt a rush of panic for her students.

"Why don't you give me the address and while you're getting some sleep, I can go and make sure everything's okay. I'll come back and let you know what I find out, if that will make you rest easier," he said standing up, moving the chair back to the corner of the room.

He knew the general area of her studio; the neighborhoods had been undergoing intense renovation for the past few years. Standing near her bed, glancing at the monitors that had yet to change, even when she was mentally conscious, he could still feel the radiating anger engulfing he room.

With a sigh he turned, facing the shadowy figure. "If you think I am the reason she's here, please think again," he mentally expressed, startling the figure. "I heard her cries of distress from this same room, and I came to se what comfort I could offer. I am not a guide as you yourself have experienced."

"He is not a guide, nor is he a sinister soul you need to worry about," Dirk said softly as he shimmered into view. "I've known him our entire lives and he offers what he says he does, comfort."

Gabe nodded his head silently in thanks before turning back to the shadowed vision of Rebekkah's brother. "Jake, you're projecting anger and discontent. What she needs to comfort and to feel your love. Please adjust your feelings before you bring her more harm than good," he said quietly as the shadowy figure vanished from the room.

"Still being an ambulance chaser or do you think to come in here and convince her that her time is really at an end Dirk?" He asked turning to face the other man.

Dirk shook his head smiling, "Just observing, and learning if you will. Her physical wounds will heal. They are not threatening her choice to go on with life. Her mental condition has yet to be met head on though," he said expressively, letting it be known he knew more than he was telling.

"I must commend you; you did very well with her brother. I've known for a few weeks now his agitation which we both known above is an oddity, has been growing. I wasn't sure of the root of that agitation until after this heinous act had been committed," Dirk said leaning casually against the door, watching her take the slow steady breaths of sleep.

Gabe forced a laugh, "Since when have you spent any time seeing about the well being of those you guide? You've always prided yourself on your detachment, and ability to convince those to take your hand for the journey."

Shrugging his shoulder, his eyes meeting to lock with the crystal green of Gabe's, "A friend once told me that it took more to have a true soul, than I offered," he said quietly before shimmering from the room.

Glancing back one last time, making sure she was resting peacefully, he moved from the room. His mind encouraged that someone he'd thought of as a friend had listened and considered something he'd said.