"Even guardian angels need a helping hand sometimes. "

☆

“Hey…. Adam. How are you feeling?” 

Adam opens his eyes to see Jojo by his side. It takes a moment or two to recognise it is the Jojo he knows. Her usual neat brown ponytail is not on show, with her loose hair cascading over her shoulders in the brightest blue. If she wasn't an angel already, Adam would have called it. “Isaac….” He begins. The urge to know the boy and man was ok, was all that matters. More so than his own aching heart, or the raw pain from his lost wings, leaving the scars open and sore as they stung his back. He tries his best to sit up. 

“Relax. You succeeded Adam. Isaac is well. Look.” With a whip of her hand, a fluffy white cloud appears over the bed, with a break in the cloud revealing the image of a familiar face. She looks at Adam with a smile. “See. He is more than well.” 

Adam pushes himself forwards on the bed. He looks at the image of Isaac before him. He looks a little different. His body is more muscular, his hair a slightly shorter cut, but that isn't what surprised Adam the most. He lifts an arm to reach out, pointing at the moving image. “Is he… is he playing football?” He furrows his brow as he takes in the image. 

“He sure is.” Jojo laughs. “He is part of the local team.”

“You don't say?” Adam lowers his hand as he smiles to himself. “So I guess his heart?”

“His heart is strong. You really did well Adam.” She places her hand inside the image and creates a swirl. “You did so well in fact, look.”  She moves her hand out of the way for Adam to see. 

“Ian?” He sees the male smiling, with a woman by his side. Linked arm in arm, they are walking down a country path with a small dog on a lead. 

“Your actions that night did not only change the course of one person, but two. The once broken family is now at peace. Ian and Isaac are a part of each other's lives.” 

“So I guess everything has turned out as it should.” Adam deduces as the cloud of images slowly fades away. “But why can I still remember him?” Adam taps his right temple with his forefinger. “If we never met, why do I still remember our time together?”

Jojo rests on the end of the bed. “You have heard of the tree of life, yes?” Adam slowly nods. The symbol of the tree was evident everywhere around The divine, like a religious sign.  “If you imagine, when we are born, we start life at the root. Just a tiny innocent seed in this world. A simple road to take to begin with, but as we grow, just like all living beings, we learn and develop, we find ourselves having to face many choices, which leads us away from the that sure and steady trunk to our first of many branches, and in turn, these lead off to the finer elements as we continue to make our choices and pave our way.  But those other branches still exist. The choices we didn't make, the experiences we didn't have. You changed Isaac and Ian's course but you didn't change your own up to that point. You remember because that moment still exists for you. A parallel existence. Locked in time as without it, we wouldn't be here at this moment.” 

Adam stares at the space where he had just seen the happy images of the two males, living their new lives. “So, what is there for me now?” 

Jojo takes his hand in hers. “I suggest a holiday. I hear Paradise is nice this time of year. You deserve it. You have been earthbound for a long time.” 

“And Zander. Where is he?” Adam looks around him, but cannot see him. 

“Next case I imagine.” Jojo rolls her eyes. “I sometimes wonder if his inability to slow down is a blessing or a curse. He neglects his own mind sometimes. And as for me…” Jojo gets up from the bed. Time will tell if I am done with you yet.”

“What do you mean, done with me?” Adam looks at the lady in confusion. 

“Even guardian angels need a helping hand sometimes. Miss Fine had her work cut out with you it seemed. She watched you from afar from that first night until her time was over. When she signed you over to me I will be honest, I wasn't sure what I was letting myself in for.” She laughs.  

“So Miss Fine was…”

“She was old school but she has been there for many of us over the years. Me included.” Jojo clears her throat. “Anyway. I'll let you rest.” She gets up from the bed, choosing to ignore her sixth sense, which was itching at her side. That small truth that she chose not to mention. The part where Zander had not returned. Not because he was out on a new mission, but because something subconscious in Isaac's mind was somehow keeping him back on Earth….