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In the Arms of an Angel> chapters 4-8
“That was a long sleep, lady,” a voice whispered in her ear. Gaby squinted hard and focused on the face near her. Rubbing her eyes slightly, his face began to take form. “Shane!” she exclaimed. “You seem shocked, Gaby!” he replied. “I thought I was having a dream or something,” she reasoned out feebly. The truth was she was so dizzy she actually forgot about him. “Are we near yet?” “Another 3 hours and we’ll be there.” “3 hours? How long have I been asleep anyways?” she asked him, looking at her watch and straightening up. He was ticking his fingers, counting the hours she has been asleep. “Um, let’s see…8 hours I guess. Yup! You've been snoring for eight hours while I watched all the shows that they’re playing over and over again. I've read all of these magazines, I've eaten 2 times. I've peed like 5 times and I took a nap three times.” “Wow! You did all that in eight hours?” she jested. “Sorry I fell asleep. I got tired. It must be the damn medicines I'm taking! They make my headaches go away but they make me so sleepy!” “Medicines? Are you sick or something?” he asked, looking concerned. He placed his hand on her forehead to check if she was getting a fever. “Nope, no fever.” Gaby sighed. She might as well be honest with this guy. If there's one thing she has learned in the past eight months is this: don't waste your time dilly-dallying and telling lies. Speak up. Tell the truth. You only get to say what’s on your mind once so better take all the chances you have. “I'm sick, yes. I have primary brain tumor,” she told him nonchalantly, as if what she has was just a simple fever. “Tumor?” he whispered, his voice tinged with fear. “Brain tumor?” She touched his face. “Yes, Shane, brain tumor. I had a tumor in my brain the size of a golf ball. Now there are just bits and pieces swimming inside.” “A golf ball? That's big! How can you be nonchalant about it? It's brain tumor! It’s brain tumor, for heaven’s sake!” he blurted out. Gaby sighed. A sense of déjà vu came over her. Sean, her then-bestfriend, reacted that way when she told him what her frequent dizziness meant. He freaked out and asked her why she was being unalarmed with the fact that she could die any minute. She told him she was so sick of being scared. Why should she be scared? She’s dying anyway. She can't defy nor stop it. It's written in the book. It's fated---destined to happen. She told Shane the same thing. He was, after all, now her friend. The instant connection they had was amazing. Gaby doesn’t usually hit it off that easily with people because she comes across as snobbish. And she’s shy. But with Shane, it was so easy. “So that's why you said you’ve been having a terrible life for the past eight months! It's because of the damn tumor!” he concluded. Gaby couldn't help but grin. “Yup, you got that right, Mr. Sherlock Holmes!” He was quiet, deep in thought. “Listen to me, I told you that because you’re my friend now---whether you like it or not! But I hope you won't treat me like I'm a fragile doll. I don't want to be pitied. I just wanna be normal again, no matter what it takes.”
He nodded, understanding everything. “I know,” he replied and
Gaby felt her soul soar up in the sky. He knows. He understands her. Thank
you, God, she thought. Thank you
for Shane. For this new friend who understands me. She reached over to touch his hands to let him know that she was grateful for what he just said. “So, what were you doing in the Philippines? Why were you pissed?” she asked, going for an off-tangent topic. He pouted for awhile. “I thought it would be cool to come back there alone, just me, just Shane Filan and not Shane Westlife. I wanted to go to the malls and to the beaches and try and get a ride with one of those colorful Jeepneys. But Ronan phoned me and asked me to come home. Some surprise, he says.” “It must be something amazing if he wants you to be there and can't tell you on the phone.” She turned around and flashed him a wide smile. “Ok, tell you what? When I go back home, I`ll take you with me and we’ll ride the Jeepneys. His face lit up like a child. “Oh!” he cooed. “That would be soooo awesome!! Promise?” “I promise,” she said, making the sign of the cross in her heart. “Are you still pissed that you have to go home?” He shrugged and then a smile flashed on his face once again. “I'm not pissed anymore. See, if he didn't call me, I wouldn’t have met you!” She laughed. “You're too sweet!” she pinched his cheeks and then leaned her head on his shoulder. He tilted his head and placed it above her head. “Friends,” he murmured. “Yeah,” she replied and took his hands into hers. Before they could utter another word, they fell fast asleep again. CHAPTER
5 Gaby said good-bye to Shane upon arrival to Sligo. She gathered her luggage and gave him a kiss and a hug. She was so excited to see Anya. When she saw her waving her hands frantically, Gaby started running and dragging her baggage. “Gaby! Gaby!” she squealed and then bear-hugged her. “You’re here!! Gosh!!” She snickered. “Anya!! I missed you so much!!! Where’s Aunt Beth? My mum said she'd come over for a week to stay with us.” She slapped her forehead. “Didn't I tell you? She's gone for the rest of your vacation! Her company sent her to Holland for a seminar, a symposium in 5 countries I can't even recall and then she's off to Germany for another convention. Her schedule is mad, I'm telling you! I was absolutely pissed at her!” “Woohoo!! Eight weeks? Just the two of us? Sounds fun to me!” They started walking to her car. She hasn’t changed that much. Well, maybe except for the hair. Her hair was longer than Gaby`s now. Gaby used to have longer hair. But because of the chemotherapy sessions she's done, she lost her thick locks. She had to wear a wig for six months before her hair started to grow. Now she has a crop hair, like that of Winona Ryder. But she didn't mind. At least, I have hair and I won't see anymore the ugly scar on my head, she thought thankfully, running her hand through her hair. “How are you feeling?” Anya asked, looking worried when she saw Gaby frowning. Gaby turned to face her. “Never been better.” She wasn't lying. She actually felt better. It must be the wonderful flight she had and the meeting with Shane. Anya doesn't seem to be buying it, though. “Look, Anya, before my whole vacation starts, I want you to promise me something.” She nodded hesitantly. “What is it?” “Treat me like I'm a normal person! Don't pity me! Don't treat me like I'm a poor weakling! Pretend I'm not dying!” Gaby said a tad louder than she wanted to. Anya let out a heavy sigh. “Gaby, I don't know…” she trailed off slowly. “Promise me now, Anya! Now! Or I`ll get myself a crappy hostel and live there for the duration of my vacation.” “You can't do that!” she protested. “Oh yeah?” she challenged her, her eyebrow rising. After several minutes of daring her, she gave up. “I`ll try. I won't promise anything. I`ll give it my best shot.” “I`ll try is good enough for me. You're the best!” she hugged her tightly. “Let’s go! I can't wait to see the whole of Sligo!” CHAPTER
6 Gaby walked quietly down the hallway. She couldn’t risk waking up Anya. If she did, she can say good-bye to her plans of exploring at least part of Sligo. With her backpack in tow, she stepped outside. The wind kissed her and the warm breeze enveloped her. A smile crossed her face. “I better hurry or else Anya will catch me!” With that she walked briskly, not letting any scenery pass her by, though. She must have looked like a mad woman because people were staring at her, whispering and chuckling. She didn't care. No one knows her. Besides, there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Several minutes later, she found herself in Hazelwoods, a nature trail park. The beauty right infront of her took her breath away. Absolute madness, she thought. Her pacing picked up and she was half-galloping, half-walking in excitement. “Oh! Wow!” she’d repeatedly say, disturbing the birds and making the dried leaves on the ground crunch really loud. “This is heaven! This is absolutely massive!” she said, panting and catching her breath. She wiped the sliver of sweat that formed on her face. She laid a small picnic blanket that she chucked from Anya`s and sat on it. Right before her eyes was a picturesque scenery so beautiful painting it into words won't do any justice. A beautiful lake littered with swans with an old man on his boat, desperately casting his rod. The wonderful smell of grass. The gentle breeze and the blowing of the wind that made the trees sway in a beautiful rhythm. “Could I have died and went to heaven?” she asked herself, laughing at her exaggeration. Up in the skies, crazy formations have started to configure. Gaby just had to look at them and partake in such experience. Lying on her back, her hands linked together to support her head, she began her cloud exploration. “Oh nasty!” she exclaimed when 2 round objects appear before her. “Breasts! Big, round breasts!” she laughed. Imagine that! Clouds are even naughty. She went on. Then there was an angel that was sort of lying, her wings spread wide and she was looking down. “A guardian angel,” she muttered and felt at ease. She knew that her angel was protecting her. Something good will happen today, she predicted. She closed her eyes for awhile, letting the wind caress her face and blow her hair. She saw herself, dangling from a cliff, desperately clinging on to a rope that was starting to fray. A scream escaped her throat, her legs flailing about as she painstakingly tried to move on up, to situate herself in a comfortable and safe zone. But she couldn’t. She was getting heavier and heavier. One more move and it’ll be over. She took a deep breath and waited for the inevitable to happen. Nothing. Her patience growing thin, she started climbing again, slowly, clutching the rope tightly, making herself as weightless as possible. SNAP. The rope gave up and she was falling, faster and faster. A loud shriek was building up inside her but it won't come out. She was going to die. CHAPTER
7 Mark was walking on the park he usually goes to everytime he's in Sligo. Nothing has changed, he thought. Everything is just as beautiful. A smile escaped his red luscious lips as his hand searched for his whistle tin. Putting it between his lips, he started to whistle and play the melody that's been bugging his head for a couple of days now. Ronan and Louis gave the Westlife lads two months off. The lads went lunatic when they found out that they have a vacation that long. But they knew they deserve a break that long. After the eight-week break they would be back in studios, recording for their sophomore album to be released in November. I wish I planned something, Mark thought to himself, maybe a trip to the South of France or Tenerife. I can't believe I didn't plan anything. “Well, at least I'm home. I can eat all the Irish stew I want. I can slob all over the house and play tennis and hang out with Rowen and my mates.” He needed to say it aloud to stop the nagging voice playing over and over in his head. He stopped. This was his mates and his spot. From this angle he could see the exquisite lake, the high, green mountains and the tall trees. He sighed. This is what I miss. This is heaven. He bent down and picked several grasses and started nibbling and tearing it as he stood there in silent motion. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a rampant motion, a struggling movement of some sort. He trotted to the direction not far from where he was and saw a girl whipping her arms, sweat dripping from her forehead. Mark reached over her shoulders and then he heard a loud scream. CHAPTER
8 The girl bolted right up and hugged him. “Don't let me die! Don't let me die!” she screamed, clutching onto his black shirt. Her face was buried in his chest, her tears soaking the fabric of the coat. Mark wrapped his arms around her instinctively. “I won't let you die,” he reassured her, stroking her back. She smells wonderful, he thought to himself as he inhaled the girl’s scent. Then he heard her sobbing again. Focus, Feehily! Stop smelling her and focus on her! The voice in his mind shrieked. He loosened her grip to see her face but she won't let him. “Please,” she said in a rough voice. “Just hold me. Please,” a gentle benediction that he accepted. He held her close to him, as close as it can get. He let her cry. He didn't say a word and hugged her instead. What could possibly be happening? He asked himself. Why is she crying? Questions flooded Mark but he didn't have any clue at all. He’ll wait. And then he’ll ask her when she's feeling fine. For now, he said to himself, settle in being a huge pillow.
Several minutes later, the sobbing was still going on. She was
shaking so bad, Mark thought she would shatter into pieces. What
the hell do I do now? he asked himself. Lost was he in pondering that
he didn't notice her calming down. She gazed up to him. Her eyes were
bloodshot, her nose was red as Rudolph`s and her lips were swollen. She
didn't look the least bit attractive but he was attracted. Wow,
he thought to himself. I would die
just to kiss her. Then the girl pulled him close to her and kissed him on the lips, hungrily. He kissed her back. It was a reflex. She rolled him on his back and deepened the kiss. Mark was lost now. He couldn’t stop. So he let her. “Sean,” he heard her mutter. “Sean, I love you,” she cried as she went on kissing him, clinging on to his mouth. Who the hell is this Sean fella? Mark asked himself, staring at her while he let her freely kiss him.
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