0 comments/ 3627 views/ 1 favorites The Gigolo and the Angel Ch. 01 By: JTQuinton The woman's purple tinted hair blew slightly in the breeze. She sat, her green eyes watching through the front window for the little black car. Tonight was the night she was going to say something to her friend that had been on her mind for months. She was scared, but that was nothing new when dealing with her life. She glanced over at the small form laying in Finding Nemo pajamas on the couch. Scott, her three year old son had been the center of her world since the moment he was born, there was nothing in this world that would ever change that. She would do nothing to cause that little boy harm. A sound brought her attention back to the window just as the car she had been waiting for pulled to a stop at the curb out front. Standing Angel walked to the door and pulled it open just as the man dressed in long shorts and a ICP t-shirt reached the top step. As he always did James leaned forward and gave her a hug. "Sorry I'm late. You know how things are with me right now." "Yeah I do. Was it the ex-girlfriend or the ex-wife?" she asked pulling back and softly closing the door behind him. James glanced at the child on the couch, "The ex-wife. She wanted me to pick her up from work." He sighed, "You know sometimes I am too nice of a guy." She fought back the urge to wrap her arms around him, now wasn't the time. "I know you think that, but the rest of us are glad you have those moments. There have been a few times that nice guy inside you has saved me from more grief than I wanted to deal with." She told him leading the way over to the other couch on the far side of the room. "Maybe; but there are still too many people that walk all over me." He grumbled sitting down next to her and flipping on the television set. Angel shook her head, nothing had changed so she was just going to have to bite the bullet and open her mouth. "James, we need to talk." He turned away from the television and looked into her eyes, "What's up?" "Why do you have to be a gigolo?" she asked without stopping to let her mind think about what she was asking, and whether or not she would offend her friend. He coughed and sputtered for a moment, "Because I haven't found a reason not to be." "What about the effects it could be having on your life." She asked with a hitch in her breath. He looked at her. "Other than people like the soon to be ex what effects?" he asked clicking the remote to change the channel to something that might look better to him. She shook her head and laughed to herself. "Never mind, you're never going to change and it's a crime." She stood up and walked over to check on her little boy. It was easier than letting him see how much his way of life hurt her. As she came back over to the couch a few moments later her cheeks were still wet from the tears she hadn't been able to keep from falling. "Angel what's wrong?" he asked reaching up and wiping away one of the remaining tears from the silken skin of her face. "What did I do to make you cry?" She snapped her head back out of his reach, the touch of his fingers actually hurting. "Listen James, I know you are what you are and you can't change, but that doesn't mean I don't wish in my heart you could. Now if you still want to hang out today we can, but..." she paused; her heart was breaking and there was nothing she could do about it. "Oh okay." He stammered as he stood up and started to pace around the room. He looked at her, and with emotions tightening around his heart he turned toward the door. There wasn't anything to say in his own defense so he simply walked over and opened the door. Angel felt the tears falling down her face again as she watched him walk through the door without a word of goodbye or anything else. It swung shut behind him leaving her in the room with her broken heart at her feet. She stumbled her way back over to the couch and collapsed onto it with her face pressed against the back of it where his back had been leaning. * * * * The car spun wildly through the curve, it's tires slipping off the edge of the road into the wet grass at the top of the ravine. James tried to correct it and pull back onto the road, but the car was going faster than he thought. The tires simply spun in the air as the car sped from the road and into the air. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes knowing there was nothing he could do to save himself. It was all in the hands of the Gods. By the time the car came to a rest wedged between the tops of two trees he had passed out do to the fear running through him. The next sound he heard was someone's voice asking if there was anyone in the car. He tried to respond. "Yes, help me." The words came out no more than a whisper as he realized that he couldn't feel his legs and the fear suddenly had a death grip on his heart. What would he do if he could never walk again. "Help me." He tried again, but his voice was no louder. "Damn it." He sat there for a moment listening to the voices under him. "I don't think anyone could be in that." One voice said. "No one could have made it through that crash." Another voice replied. They sounded like they were getting farther away, and James knew he had to do something to let them know he was in there. Inspiration hit with a clarity that could only come from knowing you are on the edge of death. His head was pinning his hand against the driver's side window. He slowly moved his head away from the window hoping he wasn't doing any more damage to his body and rapped his hand against the glass. He could hear it, but didn't think the voices below him would so he tried again. This time he hit the window with more force than he expected and his hand with through as the glass shattered raining down on the forest floor beneath him. "What in the hell? There is someone up there." He heard one of the voices yell through the tinkling of glass. Without warning, the darkness was tugging him back under as he heard people getting closer to the car and yelling for someone to call for an ambulance. * * * * Angel opened her eyes as she felt her son's tiny hands touch her shoulder. "Mommy are you hurt?" he asked in his sweet little voice. Her eyes stung from the tears she had shed laying there. She turned her head to look at him, "No baby. Mommy's fine." She reached out and picked him up into her arms for a big hug. "Are you ready to go to sleep sweetheart?" "Where's James?" he asked. "He went home." She answered carrying him to her room. Tonight she needed the company more than he needed the rule of having to sleep in his own room. "I thought we were going to his house Mommy?" he asked with a big yawn. He had always liked hanging out at James' house with the dogs. Angel traced her fingers over his face. "So did I baby, but he left without us tonight." She carried him into her room just as the phone rang. With a discussed look she just walked past the thing where it sat on the hall table. There wasn't anyone she wanted to talk to tonight. She was just pulling the covers up over her and her son when there was a light knock on the bedroom door. "Angel sweetie, there's someone on the phone for you." Her mother's voice called from the hallway. Angel wasn't even upset that her mother had answered her cell, it sometimes happened when she was busy with her son and her mother had a free moment. "Who is it, and if it's James tell him I don't feel like talking." She snapped suddenly more angry than hurt. "It's not James. It's an officer Sampson." Her mother told her stepping in and handing her the phone. The Gigolo and the Angel Ch. 02 Angel looked at the phone like it was a monster ready to strike. Something was very wrong on the other end of it and she wasn't sure she was ready to know what it was. Slowly she put the device to her ear and spoke, "Hello, this is Angel Havershi." The words were some of the hardest she had ever spoken in her life. The voice on the other end of the line was soft and caring, "Ms. Havershi, my name is Officer Remi Sampson. I work with the East Edge Police Department." He paused to let her get her bearings, he had always hated doing this by phone but he was needed on other things tonight and couldn't spare the time to drive all the way out to the address that was on the card he had found in James' wallet. Tonight was looking like one for the record book as he had already been on six calls since starting his shift only three hours before. "I understand, but why are you calling me?" she asked sitting up on the bed and looking out at the inky blackness through her bedroom window. "There was an accident tonight," he swallowed, "a rather bad one. The man who was injured has your name listed as next of kin on his hospital paperwork." Angel felt her lungs start to constrict, "Who?" she squeaked out on a rapid breath. The fear in her heart was beginning to cause flashbacks to when her mother told her that her father had passed away. "Who was killed?" Remi sighed, "No one is dead. I am sorry if it came out that way. I am just calling because your friend, James Oliver is in the hospital after a bad car accident." He knew he was completely screwing up this phone call but lack of sleep and frustration at his superiors was getting the better of him. Angel let out a sigh of relief, "Thank God. What hospital?" she asked starting to relax a bit. "He's in East Edge Memorial." "Thank you." She didn't ask for any more information, alls he wanted was to get off the phone and get down there to see him. She hung up her cell and all but ran out of her room to where her mother was sitting quietly on the couch. "Mom, can you..." her voice cracked. Her mother stood up, "Don't worry, I'll watch the boy, you just go check on James." The older woman smiled, stepping over and hugging her daughter. * * * The hospital was quiet and sterile to Angel's mind. The place had never been one of her favorites, but she knew enough to deal with it. She walked up to the information desk forcing the muscles of her face to smile at the young blonde woman sitting there. "Hello, I am wondering if you can direct me to James Oliver's room?" she asked politely. The woman's face dropped and her eyes filled with tears. "I am not allowed to send anyone in there. He's in critical condition." Angel swallowed. "I am his next of kin. Officer Sampson called me and told me that I was needed down here." "Your name?" the woman asked getting a funny expression on her face. "Angel." She said her voice barely above a whisper. "Oh follow me." The lady smiled as she stood up and headed down the hallway toward the back of the hospital. "He will most likely not be awake, but ever the doctor has left orders that you are to be allowed into his room for as long as you want to be there." She passed through the heavy doors leading to ICU. Angel was right on her heels as she turned into the first room on the ward. Angel's breath caught in her chest at the sight of him laying on the bed. His normally handsome features were pale, there were tubes in both of his arms and for a moment her eyes wondered how badly he was hurt for all of the areas of him that were bandaged. She turned away as the door behind her reopened. "You must be Angel." A masculine voice said from the depths of a blood covered set of hospital scrubs. "Yes, has he asked for me?" she asked simply turning back and forcing herself to take another step closer to James. The Doctor cleared his throat. "No, he has been unresponsive since he came in. They said he came around once in the ambulance, but all he said was that he was sorry. They didn't have any idea what he was talking about." Angel felt the color drain from her face. "Oh James, why?" she said more to herself than to anyone else as she forced her feet to take her to the edge of his bed. She turned to look at the doctor who was now standing at the end of the bed reading over his chart. "Can he hear me?" "Honesty we don't know. There has been a lot of damage done. He lost a lot of blood before they got him." He told her making a few notes in the chart. "Being next of kin you can stay in here as long as you want, however I would suggest you take a couple of minutes every hour or so to step out and collect yourself." Angel waved him away as she sat down in the chair next to the bed and reached out for James' hand where it lay on the faint blue of the sheet. "How did you manage to get yourself in this mess?" she asked hating the feel of his cold skin under her fingertips. "You can't die you know. Who will I crash with if you die? Who will help with the munchkin?" she rambled, "Damn it James open your fucking eyes and answer me." She lowered her head to the side of the bed and closed her eyes. For the first time in a long time she really prayed that everything would work out. Without knowing how she relaxed and drifted off to sleep with her head on the bed next to him; only to be woken a couple of hours later by the feel of a hand brushing lightly across the back of her head. "Krys, babe." She sat up in the blink of an eye and stared into his eyes, almost instantly getting trapped in their depths. "What happened?" she asked reaching up and carefully touching his face doing her best to avoid the bandages covering most of it. "I wrecked my car." He said simply, the anger in his voice causing her heart to tighten. "I heard, but you know I really could care less about your car. That is as long as you get up and walk the hell out of here." She snapped, she wasn't even going to bother to try and keep her own temper under control. She was pissed and even if he had nearly gotten himself killed he needed to know that. What little color he had in his face drained out at her last words and he turned his face away. "Get out." The words held no heat only pain and something that she couldn't explain. "James you don't mean that." She could feel the tears starting to run down her face. "I mean it Angel, get out. I don't want you here and I don't want this." He told her with a flash of something in his eyes. She took a deep breath, "Fine if you want me to go then I will, but know this you stubborn ass. I will be here if you need me." Spitting out the last words she stood up and stomped out of the room. The Gigolo and the Angel Ch. 03 "Oh god what have done?" he asked himself as the door closed behind her leaving him alone in the hospital room. "I haven't called her Krys in years. Not since before..." his voice faded out as the darkness wrapped around him again. The monitors surrounding him kept close count of his vitals, but he lay there unmoving and unresponsive once again. Angel stood just out of sight of the windows behind the nurses' station. Her eyes were still full of tears, but there was nothing she could do. There was no way that she would force her way back into his hospital room. She was watching him through the window as the doctor walked back up to her. "Angel?" he asked softly. "Yes." "Would you come with me please? There are some things we need to talk about something." His words were soft and his eyes kind; her heart sank to the bottom of her shoes. "Okay, were do you want to talk?" she asked stepping in behind him as he walked away from where she could see the window. "I was hoping my office would be good with you. There are some really important things we need to go over." Again his words held a comfort that did anything but comfort her. "I understand. Can you tell me how he's doing?" she asked as they walked. Before he could answer her he stopped and pushed open the door to a small office. Motioning her to enter before him he smiled. "Please have a seat and relax." She sat down in the chair opposite his desk, "What do you need to talk to me about?" she asked reaching up and brushing away what she hoped would be the last of her tears for awhile. She wasn't to be that lucky; his next words ripped her heart out. "We have done as more tests than we wanted to have to do when he came in, and as his next of kin you have the right to know what is going on. At the moment he is in a drug induced coma. We did this in order to let the majority of his wounds heal. However there will be some permanent damage." He paused to let her settle her mind with that before going on. She took a deep breath. "What kind of permanent damage?" The doctor closed the file folder in front of him; he had read it enough times to know it by heart. "James will never walk again. He will in fact be lucky to be able to live on his own for a long time. He will never get the use of his legs back. His back was broken in the accident and until we can let him out of the coma we will not know how high the paralysis goes on his body. We do know that when he came in he was complaining that he couldn't feel anything below his chest." Angel dropped her head in her hands, "Does he know that he will never walk again?" she mumbled from her hands. "No. We have not told him. There are a few choices that need to be made while he is in the coma, and I am sorry to say that those choices fall to you." It took all of her strength to lift her head. "What choices do I have to make?" "Well, first would be how much of the scaring we are going to deal with before he wakes up." Angel felt her breath catch. "Scaring?" The doctor sighed, "Yes there will be a good deal of scaring on his legs and lower torso." He put his hand on the file folder in front of him, "If you want I can show you what damage has been done and you can help us determine the best course of action." "I don't want to make any of these choices. I still don't understand why I am next of kin. All we are is friends." Her eyes remained misted with the unshed tears. The doctor pushed back from his desk and stood up. He moved gracefully to the other side of the office and picked up a different file folder from the table in front of the glass wall overlooking the park behind the hospital. "That is simple, at least it was for us. However from the look on your face this paperwork might come as something of a shook to you." He smiled, his first actually friendly smile since they had entered the office, as he handed her the folder. Angel shook her head at him and looked down at the folder she now held in her lap. Her mind going to a secret she had been keeping for a little while. Taking a breath she pushed those thoughts aside for later and read the words on the folder. James Oliver. She looked back up at the doctor with questioning eyes. "What is this?" "It's his medical power of attorney. He gave you that power awhile ago. From the look on your face am I to assume you didn't know?" "No I didn't know anything about this." She was about to say more when there was a knock at the office door. "One moment Angel, I believe this is important." He told her walking over to the door and pulling it only slightly open. "Yes thank you. I am glad that part has been dealt with I will be sure she gets all of this." He pushed the door shut and turned back toward Angel with a large envelope in his hands. "This is James' personal effects. We think you should have them until he is able to go home again." He said simply as he handed it to her. She held her breath as she opened the envelope, something told her she really didn't want to know what was in it. A moment later she knew she had been right. His wallet, keys and a small box fell out of it as she turned it upside down over her lap. Without thinking she pocketed the box, and ran her fingers over the leather of the wallet. She knew the keys would be for the most part useless as the car had been totaled. "Do I have to make the choices about the scars now or can I wait a bit?" she asked getting back to the main topic of discussion. "You have some time. We can't do anything until some of the more serious injuries are healed. Until then you need to sit with him and let him know that there is someone out here that cares about him." There was a strange smile in his eyes as he spoke now. Something that made her think he knew something she didn't. "He told me to get out. How in the world do you think I should go back in there?" she asked the hurt of James' words still cutting into her heart. "Again that is simple to answer. I know that you care about him, I can see that from just talking to you. As long as he is out of it what would it hurt for you to be there with him?" he asked reaching out and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "As long as you don't think it will cause him any harm." The doctor turned away and walked over to the window. "No harm will come from you being in the room with him. Just sit there and talk to him. I know he won't answer you, but at least let there be a friendly voice in the darkness." Angel stood up and gathered herself together. "I will be there for him, but when you let him come out of the coma, I have to do as he asked and now be there." "That I can understand, but you may change your mind over the next few weeks. I will be in to check on the two of you when I can." Angel walked out of the office and back down to James' room. Her hands shook as she pushed the door open scared that he would be awake and send her away again. The tears filled her eyes as soon as she saw him lying there as still as death and she knew there was nothing that would keep her out of the room until the doctor told her they would be taking him off the drugs that were keeping him asleep. She settled into the chair by the bed and simply sat there watching his chest rise and fall with the steady rhythm of the machines. The Gigolo and the Angel Ch. 04 James felt the darkness of the medication wrap around him puling into a painless oblivion. Suddenly he felt like he was floating, he could hear a voice murmuring in the darkness, but he couldn't make out the words only the feeling of love. He was tired and knew that he had been in an accident. When he was awake the pain was unbearable, so he held onto the darkness. As he floated he began to think about the last things he could remember. All he could remember was that he had been planning on talking to Krys about something important. As hard as he tried he couldn't remember what it was that he wanted to talk to her about, or who she was. All he could think was that she had been important to him. So why couldn't he remember who she was? The darkness began to fade again as the pain returned. The voices were louder but make no more sense than they had in the dark. He could feel the touch of skin on his hand. With more effort than he thought he had he turned his head and opened his eyes. The woman sitting beside him was breathtaking. Her hair though obviously dyed was styled perfectly leaving two wings of red hair falling down her face. He tried to speak. "Hello." His voice came out more of a croak than his own silky voice. He wondered for a moment how much damage he had done to himself after all. Angel nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of his broken voice. He wasn't supposed to come out of the coma for a few more days. She didn't know what to do. So she simply replied, "Hello James. How are you feeling?" she forced her voice to remain calm even as panic gripped her heart. He drew a shaky breath, "Like I tried to blow up my car. Everything hurts." Angel smiled, "Do you want me to get the nurse?" she asked knowing she should go get them, but almost too scared to. "So I am in the hospital?" he asked his voice stronger but still rough. "Yes, there was an accident, you totaled your car, and nearly lost your life." She explained reaching over and pushing the call button for the nurse. It was only moments before the nurse came running in. "Is there a problem?" she asked as she came through the door, skidding to a halt as her eyes settled on James' open eyes. "Oh I see. I will let the doctor know. Are you in any pain Mr. Oliver?" James closed his eyes and tried to relax. As much as he hurt he didn't want to go back into the darkness. "Not enough at the moment for me to want anything for it." He tried keeping his voice even but knew his face gave away the pain he was in. "I understand Mr. Oliver. I will send the doctor in when he has a moment, if you decide you want something for the pain just press the call button and we will see what we can do for you." She smiled and stepped back out of the room with a simple glance at Angel. James looked back at the beautiful woman sitting beside him, "I am sorry, I know you must know me to be sitting here waiting for me to wake up, but for the life of me I can not remember your name." he felt his heart clench, but didn't know why. She took a deep breath and sighed softly, there was no help for it. "My name is Angel. We've been friends for about 4 years now." She told him as little as she could get away with and sent up a silent prayer that his memory would return and she would not be left having to restart her life. "I am sorry, but I don't remember you." He told her watching as a sad smile crossed her face. Something about her eyes caught his attention, but he couldn't place it. Angel shook her head. She was about to speak as the room door opened. "It's good to see you Mr. Oliver. We weren't actually expecting you to be awake just yet. How are you feeling? The nurse said you didn't want anything for pain." The doctor said stepping in and walking up next to the bed. He took James' vitals before writing a few notations in the chart and turning back to Angel. James answered the doctor even though he was facing Angel, "No I don't want anything for pain. I am tired of being in the darkness." He told him honestly. The doctor nodded, "I can understand that. You are awake because your body fought off the drugs and brought you out. Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked touching Angel on the shoulder. He had a feeling something in here was wrong, but didn't feel like asking since neither of them was saying anything. James reached over and pushed the button to sit the bed up farther. "I was actually hoping you might tell me why I have lost some of my memories?" he asked glancing from Angel to the doctor and back. The doctor turned back to James, "How much have you lost?" he asked suddenly concerned. This was not what he thought the problem had been. Angel spoke up before James could answer. "I can tell you he doesn't remember me." Her words were soft and unknown to her full of pain. The doctor stepped back over to James, "This might sound like a strange question, but knowing that you are having memory issues it needs to be asked. What day is it?" James thought about it for a long moment before saying anything. "The day I am not sure of, I have no idea how long I have been in that darkness, but it should be March of 2010." He answered. The doctor slowly shook his head. "I am sorry James, but that is incorrect. It is actually the end of May 2013." He waited and watched as the fear filled James' eyes. James swallowed hard, "You have to be kidding me right? There is no way it can be 2013." He felt panic start to overwhelm him. He forced himself to take a deep breath. "Doc. Please tell me that Krys is safe." The doctor felt his face go blank, even knowing it wasn't a good thing. "Who is Krys?" he asked carefully avoiding turning to look at Angel as he heard her faint gasp, he was really glad he had been standing directly between them and blocking James' view as he asked the question. James felt his heart sink, "She is a friend of mine, we had a fight. If I've lost three years of my life I need to know where she is, and if she is ok." He struggled to sit farther up, but the pain put him back flat on his back. "Oh god that hurts." He looked at the doctor, "Okay I would like something for it, but nothing that will put me back into the dark." "Understood. I will be right back, is there anyone I can call that might know where to find this Krys?" the doctor asked standing at that door. He forced himself to keep his eyes off of Angel, he knew if he looked at her it would all be over. He could only hope in the end she would make it through this. James let out a moan. "My mother might know." His voice was a whisper. "The nurse called her when you first came around tonight so she should be here soon. I will talk to her when she gets here. The nurse will be in with something for the pain shortly." He finished seconds before slipping out the door. Angel caught the sad haunted look on his face and knew things were going to only get harder. Angel couldn't bring herself to look up at James for a few moments. Knowing that he remembered Krys, but not that she was Krys was going to be the hardest part of all of this. "James." She finally spoke. "I'm going to step out for a moment. I will be back in a few." "Okay. I'll be here." He laughed. Angel stood up and walked out of the room, her heart in stomach. "Damn man." She mumbled when the door had closed behind her. The doctor was standing at the end of the hall and smiled at her. "I'm sorry Angel." He stepped forward and hugged her, "I would never have thought it would happen this way. I am out of my element here. I'm not sure how to move forward here. I have to ask how do you want to handle this?" She took a deep breath, "I am Angel; there is nothing that is going to change that. I have to be safe, even if that means James is confused and hurtful. I can move past it." She released him and stepped back. Now was not the time to fall apart. "I have to call and Check on Lucas and Scott." With that she simply headed for the waiting room and the phones inside it.