Eyes still on Nick, she stood.
Nick stood.
Still looking directly into his face, she walked over to him.
“It was you.”
“Hope—”
“Oh, my God. It was you.”
“Hope, I don’t think you understand.”
“I thought I was just bereft and seeing things. But even though it was for a split second, I’ve never forgotten that look in your eyes.” She leaned closer. “It gave me a couple of seconds of joy.”
“Look, you’ve been through a lot—more than I can imagine.”
Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around him so tight he could barely breathe.
“Don’t leave! Whatever you do, don’t vanish again.”
“I won’t, but—”
“I’ll really go insane if you do. Maybe I already am.” She pinched his arm.
“Hey!”
“Okay, I guess you’re real. But am I?” She smiled. “You pinch me!”
“I’m not going—”
“Fine.” She reached up. As though avoiding a punch, Nick backed away. But then with both hands touched his face. Tracing the outline of his jaw, she gazed at him in wonder.
For a long moment.
At first, Nick meant to pull away. But instead, he reached up and gently grasped her fingers. A tingling sensation ran through his being. For the first time in a century he felt the very real, very human sensation of touching, and being touched by a human.
His head felt light.
39
HE’D LOST TRACK OF HOW MUCH TIME had passed. When you haven’t been touched by a woman meaningfully for over a hundred years, it takes you by surprise when it finally happens again.
Finally, Hope pushed away just a bit, averting her gaze but not for long.
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s… quite all right.”
“I don’t make a habit of touching strangers like that.” She let her hand slide down his neck, around the curve of his shoulder. “But you’re not really a stranger, are you?”
Nick tried with no success whatsoever to collect his thoughts.
“I don’t know what you mean,” he said, backing away slightly.
“We met. The day Chloe died.”
Still dazed by the effects of their contact, he could hardly think. How did humans bear this without absolutely losing their minds?
“Chloe… Yes, I remember.”
“You touched me. We looked into each other’s eyes.” She took a small step back, her eyes ever widening in recognition. “But it was so brief I always thought I’d imagined it. Yet here you are.”
Regaining a little of his composure, he took a wobbly step back toward the chair.
“Are you quite all right, Hope?”
“I think so.” She touched her stomach, brushed his concern aside with a tentative smile. “May I ask you a few questions?”
“A few?” Nick nearly fell back into the chair. His head felt as though it was somewhere in the clouds. “I don’t know if I’d make it through the first.”
Hope tightened the belt of her robe, came over to the edge of the chair, and knelt so she could look up into his face.
“First question. What’s your name?”
“Not sure I should tell you.”
“Why?”
“Is that question two?”
She smirked.
“Okay, next. Where did you come from?” She narrowed her eyes scrutinizing him.
“That’s, um… classified.”
“Fine.” She gave him an appraising look. “That brings us to question three.”
His throat gave out a tired groan, like an old St. Bernard rolling over in its sleep without waking up. Nick had never before made such a sound, and Hope picked up on it.
“Are you quite all right, Clive?” she said, imitating his English accent.
“Never better.” He reached for the other trash can and put his face into it, making a queer sound that was a cross between a grunt and the noise people make when punched in the gut. Of course nothing came out since he neither ate nor drank. Yet here he was, mirroring his subject.
When the feeling of nausea subsided he opened his eyes and found Hope looking at him with concern.
“You’re looking awfully pale,” she said.
“Are you done with your questions?”
“I have one more.”
Nick placed his hand on her shoulder and sat up straight.
“Let’s have it, then.”
Again she looked him straight in the eyes.
“What are you?”
40
NO TURNING BACK NOW. Nick was committed.
And this time his rashness had forced him into a situation that sabotaged his future. Yet somehow, he didn’t care.
Which was why, with Hope gazing up at him expecting a truthful answer to her final question, he decided to give her one.
“Don’t you know what I am?” he said.
“I have an idea,” she said. “But it’s crazy.”
He knew that expression on her face—part wonder and part fear. He’d seen the fear in nonbelieving humans who just found out they’d sorely miscalculated their beliefs, or lack thereof during their wretched mortal lives.
And the wonder? That was for those who’d always believed and looked forward to the next step towards eternity—about which Nick’s knowledge was incomplete, since he’d never been allowed to board the trains that took souls to their final destination.
“I’m what you would refer to as an angel,” he said.
“An angel. Yes.” She stood up, went over to the bed and sat on its edge. “Now I understand. You really were there when Chloe died.”
“I was.” Nick went over to sit beside her. Her eyes filled with tears.
“Please, do you know if she…I have to know about my little girl.”
“She’s just fine,” he said. “I accompanied her to the Terminus—it’s where all souls go to get sorted out before they take the long trip to eternity. I’m sure Chloe went to heaven. I saw her off myself.”
Hope buried her face in his chest and sobbed. For a good minute or so. Something about a beautiful woman weeping always softened Nick’s heart, no matter how firm his resolve.
He put his arms around her and patted her back. Hope lifted her head and wiped her eyes with a Kleenex from the nightstand.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“When Chloe died, all that was worth living for died with her. You just gave me a glimmer. Will I see her again?”
In the time that elapsed—which according to the clock was all of one second—Nick considered her question. Saw the purity in her eyes, the innocence, the desperate need to be rescued, protected, loved—how could she possibly be a hell-bound danger to humankind? And even if that were the case, hadn’t he broken laws of his own? Was he any less a menace?
“I wish I could tell you,” he said. “Just know that Chloe is safe, happy, and in the best place she could be. You and I ought to focus on the here and now.”
“I suppose.” She wiped her tears with the back of a hand.
“We might start by leaving this place,” Nick said. “You’ve made a beastly mess.”
“I have, haven’t I?” She laughed, which brought a smile to Nick’s face.
“I’ll send for housekeeping,” he said.
“Wait a minute.”
“What now?”
Hope eyed him with the suspicion of a precocious girl he once knew, once loved dearly—arguably more than his own life. It was a look of absolute wit, sharp and quick.