After the Fall

Naomi stood at the entrance of Sunrise Haven. She couldn’t believe that in a few minutes, she would be with Welita again.

“Nervous?”

Jeremy looked down at her with the same tender expression that he had at the hospital. She didn’t know what to do about it, especially now, when he was going against protocol and allowing her to see Welita. She owed him so much. She didn’t want to hurt him.

“A little.”

She felt a quiet calm when he placed a hand on her cheek. “Want me to go in there with you?”

She gazed into his eyes and saw the love he had for her. He cared...too much. She turned her head and took a step back, feeling a stab of pain when she did so. She hated hurting him this way after he’d been so kind to her.

“No. I’ll be fine.”

“It doesn’t look like Megan will be leaving the hospital anytime soon, and Chuy is with Lalo. I’ll watch over Megan for you, so take your time.”

He turned and started to walk away.

“Jeremy.” She grasped hold of his arm before he could leave. “Thanks for letting me do this.”

She watched his broad shoulders stiffen at her touch. When he turned back to face her, his face was somber. His eyes held hers for a moment, and he swallowed. Then his face shifted, erasing the pained expression and putting on his normal, flirtatious twinkle. “Let’s just call it my gift to my future sister.”

He winked, and then he was gone.

Naomi closed her eyes and sighed. It was going to be more difficult than she thought, working so closely with Jeremy. She loved Jeremy; he was so sweet and caring. She wanted so much to be close to him, like a true sister. Maybe if she had a talk with him, aired it all out in the open, they could find a way to be like family, without all the awkwardness.

I’ll have a talk with him when the assignment is over. Now, she needed to see Welita.

She headed toward the glass doors, and they slid open as she approached. She really didn’t have to use the entrance. It was a habit. She still couldn’t get used to being an angel. She could’ve easily just made herself appear anywhere in the building, although she didn’t know exactly which room Welita was in.

She glided down the halls, listening carefully for any signs of where Welita might be. She heard the muffled sounds of women talking to each other and dishes clattering. In one room, she heard an older woman cooing and the sounds of a baby giggling, making her smile. She thought about going into the room so she could see, but then thought against it, reminding herself that she shouldn’t abuse her angelic abilities. The family in the room that the happy noises were coming from deserved their privacy.

In that moment, she realized Welita would never have a chance to hold her child, and the thought saddened her.

Then she heard a loud and familiar voice that chased the thought away.

“Ay, Dios mio! No, Pablo! Don’t listen to her. She’s lying to you. Maria slept with your brother. She’s carrying his child, not yours.”

Naomi chuckled at Welita, yelling at the television. She always did that when she was watching her favorite show—a telenovela about Pablo Rivera, the handsome ranch owner, and Maria, his maid turned movie actress.

She followed Welita’s voice until she found the place it was coming from. She stepped into the room, and her hand flew to her mouth, stifling a cry, when she saw Welita sitting on a small sofa. Her brown wrinkled hands stroked Bear’s fur while she stared intently at the TV screen.

“Oh, Welita,” Naomi sobbed. “What’s happened to you?”

Welita’s raven hair was now almost entirely white. Her once-strong hands were like brown toothpicks, ready to break at the slightest touch. She was so frail. It was as if the life in her that made her rock solid had been zapped away, leaving her a shell of who she once was.

Naomi’s eyes shifted to the walker beside the chair. She must’ve been really bad off to even allow something like that in her presence. Welita had always been so proud to be independent and to use her own two feet to get around.

I did this to her. If she had been there, she could have helped Chuy get Welita the best health care so that she would’ve never needed the walker in the first place.

Better yet, if she had stayed with her and never left with Lash, Welita would’ve never had a heart attack. She would still have her home. She’d be watching Pablo and Maria in her own living room in Houston, not in some one-bedroom apartment in an assisted-living home in North Texas.

Naomi took a step closer. Bear’s head jolted up; her ears perked straight up like two furry antennae, and she barked.

“Not now, Bear.” Welita patted Bear’s head. “Wait for the commercial.”

Bear’s brown eyes looked straight at Naomi.

“Can you see me, Girl?” Maybe she could. She recalled Lash saying that sometimes animals could see angels.

Bear sniffed the air and then leapt off Welita’s lap, yapping. She ran in circles around Naomi’s feet, whining, as if she were crying. Her tail wagged so fast, it was a blur.

“Oh my God! You can see me! I missed you too.” She laughed as she reached down to pet her. Her hand went through Bear’s body, and Bear shivered. “I’m sorry, Girl. I wish I could touch you.”

“Ay, Bear! Why are you crying? I’ll let you out during the commer—”

Naomi watched as Welita turned slowly in the direction where she stood. “Who’s there?”

“It’s me, Welita. Can you see me?” Of course she couldn’t. Why should she? Welita was able to see Rebecca, but that was because she had shown herself to Welita. Rebecca was her guardian angel. Naomi wasn’t. “I wish you could see me.”

Welita closed her eyes and reached up for something on her chest. Naomi went over to her and looked down, wondering what she was doing.

Her hand flew up to her mouth, and she sobbed. It was her necklace. Welita was wearing the necklace Naomi’s father had given to her on her graduation night. “Oh Welita, I miss you so much.”

Welita opened her eyes. Looking up, she smiled. “Naomi,” she breathed.

She knows! She knows I’m here. Tears streamed down Naomi’s cheeks.

Naomi knelt in front of the sofa, placing her hands over Welita’s. If only she could feel her touch, feel the strength of her hands, the hands that always guided her when she was lost, the hands that soothed her when she was in pain, the hands that always reached out to her with unconditional love. “Oh, Welita, there’s so much I wish I could tell you. If only...if only...”

The air became a buzz of energy, and she felt a warmth rush through her body. A tingle deep within her started to grow. It began in the pit of her stomach and slowly spread up to her chest, making her heart pound faster. Then her arms and hands began to tingle as if they’d been asleep. The sensation intensified and spread to her legs. It felt like a thousand needles pricking her all over her body.

Then she felt her knees hitting against something hard, and she looked down.

The floor! I can feel the floor!

She felt soft fur rub against her forearms, followed by a wet lick.

She looked down to see Bear licking her arm. She can feel me!

“Mijita!”

Naomi looked up, and Welita’s hands flew out and cupped her face. “I can see you! Mejita, I can see you!” She sobbed.

“Welita!” She threw herself into her arms. She didn’t know how she was able to make herself appear in human form to Welita. She was never shown how to do that. It didn’t matter. For now, she wanted to cherish the moment.

After a few minutes, Naomi pulled back, sniffling and brushing off tears with the back of her hand. She went to the corner of the room where there was a portable table covered in a cheap plastic yellow table cover, and took a chair. Placing it next to Welita, she sat down and scooped up Bear.