Valkyrie (Kate O'Hearn) - By Kate O'Hearn Page 0,65
Archie has friends and people who care about him. I won’t let you take that away.’
‘You can’t stop me,’ the angel said softly.
‘Actually I can, and you know it,’ Freya said. ‘Valkyries get first pick of the dying. You cannot reap until we go. I will not leave him to you.’
‘But you cannot stay here indefinitely. You have your own duties to attend to and will have to go eventually. When you do, I will be waiting.’
‘We’ll see about that,’ Freya challenged.
The Angel of Death chuckled softly, bowed and walked through the wall. Freya could feel him waiting just outside.
‘I don’t think he’s going to go,’ Orus said. ‘He could still cause some trouble for us.’
Freya shook her head. ‘I don’t care. I am not going to let him take Archie.’
True to her word, Freya remained with Archie all through his surgery. As long as she was there, the Angel of Death had to stay away. She watched the surgeon slowly putting her friend back together again and then followed him into the recovery room.
Freya stayed with Archie as he was wheeled into the Intensive Care unit. As the long night wore on, she kept a vigil at his bedside. He was hooked up to so many machines she could barely see his bruised face under all the tubes that fed into him. The sighs of mechanical breathing mixing with the beeps of his heart monitor were the only sounds breaking the silence in the room.
Several times throughout the night his surgeon, Dr Taylor, came to check on him. Freya stayed beside Archie’s bed and could feel the doctor’s deep concern for his patient.
The world outside seemed to still as night turned into day and then back into night again. As yet another dawn approached, Freya still refused to leave. She couldn’t risk it. Gazing towards the door, she saw Archie’s Angel of Death, patiently waiting to enter. He would nod to her when she gazed in his direction. He was leaning casually against the door frame with his arms folded neatly across his chest. Never moving, always just watching and waiting.
‘He’s almost as determined as you are!’ Orus said. ‘Do you want me to go and peck him?’
‘No, he’s just doing his job,’ Freya said tiredly. ‘At any other time we might have been friends. He can’t help what he is any more than I can.’
Late in the afternoon, Freya heard a voice she recognized. She looked up and saw Tamika standing outside the unit. Curtis was with her, holding her hand. The nurse pointed to Archie’s bed and said, ‘You can stay a few minutes.’
‘Greta, are you here?’ Tamika called softly.
‘I am,’ Freya answered.
‘Where? I can’t see you.’
‘I’m here, in the corner up by Archie’s head.’
‘How is he?’ Curtis asked.
‘I don’t know,’ Freya answered softly. ‘It’s like this terrible waiting game. As long as I am here, Archie will live. But if I go, the Angel of Death is waiting to take him.’
‘The Angel of Death is here?’ Curtis asked fearfully.
‘Yes,’ Freya answered. ‘He’s standing right beside the door. He can’t come in with me here. He’s looking at us right now.’
Tamika looked at the doorway. ‘Please go away,’ she called softly. ‘Archie has to live.’
The angel smiled gently at her, but shook his head.
‘He still won’t go,’ Freya said.
‘Greta, you can’t stay here all the time,’ Curtis said. ‘You’ll have to go eventually. What about food?’
‘I won’t leave Archie,’ Freya said stubbornly. ‘I will eat when the angel goes and I know he’s safe.’
Curtis looked down at Archie. He was deathly pale and unmoving in the bed. It seemed that only machines kept him alive. ‘Maybe it’s his time,’ he said softly. Tears sparkled in his eyes.
‘No,’ Freya shot back. ‘I won’t allow it. I can’t lose him.’
‘Has his mother been told?’ he asked. ‘I know this is very difficult for you, Greta, but it’s probably her decision whether to turn off the machines or not.’
‘She doesn’t have the right to make that decision,’ Freya spat. ‘Not with the way she neglects him. It doesn’t matter anyway; no one knows where she is.’
The nurse entered the unit. ‘I’m sorry, but you must go now. Archie needs his rest.’
Tamika was reluctant to leave. She whispered, ‘Don’t leave me, Archie – I’ve had enough people die on me.’ Wiping away tears, finally she called, ‘Bye, Greta, see you later.’
‘Who’s Greta?’ the nurse asked as she escorted them out, Curtis with his arm around Tamika.