It's been a stressful few years for the little greenie I've come to care for like a daughter. She's got so many ideas about the work that we do and it's honestly changed the way I look at this job.shes turned into an inspiration to me. And the things she will do for that boy are truly amazing, she suffers through so much pain to keep him safe as best she can.
It's lovely Christmas time now.  The whole family is on the road to visit more family. This is always my favorite time of year for my charges. Even the broken ones. There's so much hope in the atmosphere, even if they can't feel it. It's Seraph's turn to ride in the car. So Jericho is flying in front of the car, looking as severe as ever, I have a suspicion she was guardian to Scruge. And I'm sitting on top of the car as we drive down the highway, safe, right?

Seraph shared her suspicions of an evil presence following her. I've been absently thinking on it in my spare time, what little spare time I have. It was just working its way into my train of thought when suddenly the wing picks up. I look ahead at Jericho who is struggling against the fierce winter elements. Before long a full on storm has erupted on the highway around us and we are forced to all squeeze into the car with our precious family as the snow becomes too thick to see through.

I had heard of the horror stories such conditions create On a human highway. I had seem first hand what could happen to an angel in a highway wreck. My brother had to have his wings clipped because the damage was so bad his wings can no longer support his weight. Even with an archangel healer's power and immortality he can never heal or fly again.

I like the kid's ideas about the job, but a grounded angel is worthless. So I brace myself to make a judgment call. And have to live with the consequences.

Seraph senses the danger a second before it happens. She puts up a makeshift shield around Tony, using her body where the shield is weak. I wrap my arms around my Emily, protecting the necessities, and then it hits. I had heard of how time seems to move slower, I'd fought many a Fallen before and knew how life or death situations affect the body, but this is like nothing before. The impact is deafening and the pain that comes as the car starts to crinkle and dig into me is sharp and deep. My precious charge is mercifully knocked out almost immediately. But it takes more than a shock to render an angel unconscious. And if the initial impact wasn't enough, the car isn't quite finished with its torment yet. We spin out of control and hit another vehicle. I hear the loud crack as my Emily's leg breaks and feel the searing pain as my arm fractures. I grit my teeth and shut my eyes, not wanting to see what else might be in store for us in this nightmare.

After what feels like a long time of pain and screaming and metal crunching. The car finally stops moving. Slowly, so slowly, I open my eyes to the scene before me. The car is upside down. Jericho is sprawled on the asphalt outside my window, but her human is safe and alive next to me. After quickly checking Emily, making sure she is fine, I let her go. She's beat up, but alive.

Carefully I crawl out of the car and look for Seraph. When I don't find her on the asphalt right away and get down onto my knees and arm, because my other arm is fractured for sure, and look in the back seat of the car. Tony is in a surprisingly good condition. But, in a crumpled heap on the inside roof of the car, which is against the ground, is Seraph. Her breathing is labored and irregular. With my superior hearing I can hear her frantic heart. I reach through the broken glass of the window and take hold of her upper arms as gently as I can. She tenses and a muffled scream escapes her pinched lips as I grab her and haul her through the window.

When her whole body is out of the car I gently let go of her and survey the damage. A tear slides down my cheek at the broken body of the girl I've come to know as a daughter or niece. Her shoulder is dislocated for sure. Her left lower leg is majorly broken. There are so many gashes and cuts in her once beautiful wings that I wonder if she will be able to fly again for months, maybe years, if at all. I have a feeling one of them may be broken near the top arch as well. She's bleeding from so many cuts and gashed that all I can see is the spreading of the crimson liquid and not it's origin. My recovery will be short and painful to say the least. Her recovery will take over a year, and though she's a tough little greenie, nothing will dull the agony she will live through.

"Grey," she coughs out in a raspy voice, blood slipping down the corner of her mouth, "is he-" That's all she manages to get out before coughing again. I smile graciously down at this resilient being before me, "He's fine. You saved him." Somehow she manages a smile and it stays on her face as she slowly gives in to her body's need to rest and heal, slipping into unconsciousness.

I hear the familiar flap of powerful wings behind me. One of the guardians from one of the other cars is behind me. "Is she-?" I hear the horrified voice of my sister-in-law, Hope, behind me. I shake my head in answer to her unfinished question. "That's almost worse. She's going to be recovering for a long time. I do not envy her. She has a long hard road ahead of her." I nod.

"It's not worse for her. She would much rather live through the recovery down here, and keep working too, than die here and recover in our realm. She's one tough greenie." I turn to face the angel behind. She's barely touched. Hardly a scratch on her. "What are you doing?" I ask her, knowing the answer already and feeling my blood boil at the thought.
"What are you talking about?" she asks, obviously confused. "How are you barely even scratched? Didn't you protect your charge?" I ask in an outrage. She takes a step back. "You know what would have happened to me if I had stepped in. Look at you, look at her. Remember your brother, my husband? There's no way I was going to risk that." I glare at her. She abandoned her post and comes out unscratched when Seraph is lying here crippled because she did her job. "You left your post, you're a coward. This child, not even a hundred and thirty years old, is the bravest angel I have ever met, including my brother. You mock her when you stand there justifying your own cowardice when she was willing to die doing her job. If she wasn't immortal she would have died." Hope lowers her head, not looking me in the eye, or not looking at the fury in them. I never did like my sister-in-law very much, but this was the last straw. "You'll be short handed while you three recover. I could help out before I go back." I shocked at her offer. This almost made up for her ignorance. Almost. "Fine. But don't get in the way." I see her roll her eyes, "Like I have a choice. He would never forgive me if I don't help you."

She takes a step closer to the limp form of Seraph. "We have to set her wing before it's too late. Better do it now while she's unconscious and can't feel it." I kneel next to Seraph's tiny frame while she kneels by the broken wing. I gently take hold of Seraph's upper arms and hold her as still as possible while Hope examines her broken wing. Seraph tenses when Hope's fingers come in contact with her damaged wing. Then she relaxes. Maybe she wasn't as out as we thought she was, but now she definitely is. I shift my position, turning so I can help Hope. We delicately take hold of her wing above and below the break. My halo ring burns as it's magic starts to reach out for the broken wing. I see both Hope's and my rings glow. A splint appears and hovers over the break, probably Hope's doing, we make eye contact and let out a gentle pulse of power from our rings. There's a sickening snap when the bone sets. The splint floats down to rest on the newly set break. I hold it steady as she pulls a wrap out of her satchel and starts to carefully wrap it securely on. Seraph won't be able to fly any time soon, but she might still be able to fly after it heals.

With her wing's major damage taken care of we quickly move on to her leg. When her leg's break is nicely wrapped we debate the best way to take care of her shoulder, not wanting to disturb her wings. Finally deciding on a course of action we carefully maneuver her body into a semi-sitting position, tucking her wing behind the arm of Hope who is holding her up. I take her wrist in one hand and rest my other hand on her shoulder. We count to three and I jerk my arms, pushing her shoulder back into it's socket.

The whole time we are doing this my breaks are slowly healing, a warm throbbing pain filling my body. But I ignore it. Seraph is more important right now.