Kim had no idea how long she stood there, watching without seeing, as the medical team struggled to bring Gerald back from the brink.
Finally, one of the men stepped away and began removing his gloves. “We’ve lost him.”
Please don’t let him die!
The man stopped what he was doing and looked up at Kim. Until then, she hadn’t realized she’d prayed out loud.
“Get her out of here,” he demanded.
The woman in white came to her and took her arm to guide her out, but not before Kim saw them raise the sheet over Gerald’s face.
Exhausted, she allowed herself to be led to the bench across the hall. The woman with her was uttering words of comfort, but Kim didn’t hear them. Her ears were tuned to the room where Gerald’s body lay.
When the woman suggested she call someone to drive her home, Kim realized she hadn’t told her father or stepmother before rushing over to be with Gerald. She dug some coins out of her purse and rose from the bench.
Someone behind the closed curtain asked, “Did he just move? I could have sworn I saw that sheet move.”
As if to confirm the statement, the monitor once again began blipping, this time stronger and steadier than before.
The woman in white ran back to Gerald’s cubicle. Kim’s legs felt powerless to support her, and she sank back onto the bench.
“Let me see,” came the voice of the man who’d ordered her out.
A moment later, the blipping of the monitor became more rhythmic.
A woman’s voice spoke in quiet awe. “It’s a miracle.”
Jared became aware of the sounds around him first. The noise was loud and cacophonous, unlike the soft, melodious sounds he’d become used to “on high.” First he heard a deep male voice asking if he had a problem with hemorrhoids. Then a click and a woman complaining about tough, grimy stains. Another click and the sound of something hitting against a hard object, followed by uproarious laughter.
With effort, Jared opened his eyes, squinting against the harsh light that came from two long cylindrical strips in the ceiling. Laughter rang out again, and he turned his head to the source, a large box projecting from the wall, with images of miniature humans showing inside it. He’d heard that the Chairman of the Board had such a box, to watch the activities of those below, but something told him this wasn’t the Big Guy’s office. Something rustled beside him, and he turned toward it.
A lovely creature sat in a chair near him and pressed a button on a small black box every so often. Each time she did so, the noise and pictures emanating from the box on the wall abruptly changed.
A vision of femininity, she was so beautiful he didn’t think she could possibly be human. But she wore no wings, and instead of the traditional white robe, she was garbed in two layers of loose-fitting upper clothing, neither of which had sleeves. Her lower limbs sported two dark blue casings that appeared to be held on the wearer by a series of buttons below her waist. And her feet were encased in a soft-looking white material. Like the sandals he was accustomed to, these were also tied, but instead of leather thongs, they were held together by white strips of fabric with clear, hard tips on the ends. Printed on the flap that protruded from the top of the foot covering was the word “Adidas.”
His gaze was drawn upward to her face. The eyes, cinnamon brown framed by lashes of black, were trained upon the box on the wall. Her features were of a pleasing proportion, and the dark brows and sun-darkened complexion complemented the burnished brown locks that surrounded her face.
Jared felt a strange sensation in the pit of his being. She was more beautiful than any angel he’d ever seen.
His thoughts returned to the name printed on her foot covering. Adidas. He was familiar with Adonis, the Greek god, and had even beaten him at a hand of fenuki. Could this, perhaps, be a beautiful goddess, maybe even a heretofore unknown relation of her handsome male counterpart?
She turned in her chair and became aware of his steady perusal. “Oh, you’re awake.” Her eyes were filled with compassion and pity. But something else lurked there, as well. A wariness emanated from her, making her appear torn inside. “Maybe I should call the nurse.”
“What are you doing here?”
She leaned forward and touched his arm, which was covered by a clean white blanket. “We almost lost you. No matter what our differences, I couldn’t leave you here alone, Gerald.”
“My name is Jared,” he corrected her.
She tilted her head slightly and gave him a small frown. “Do you know my name?”
How could he not know it when it was emblazoned on her garments? “Of course.”
The goddess appeared relieved for a spare moment, then leaned closer. “Tell me who I am.”
Jared didn’t know what sport she found in this game, but he decided to humor her. “You’re Adidas.”
His response appeared not to satisfy her. If she’d tell him the rules of the game, perhaps he’d be a more worthy opponent. Nothing seemed to make sense to him right now.
With a clatter to announce her entrance, a young woman entered the room pushing a cart laden with trays. “So, Sleeping Beauty finally decided to wake up, eh?” She positioned a narrow, wheeled table so that it reached across the bed where he lay, then placed one of the trays on top of it.
Jared didn’t know what he’d done to earn such treatment. Here he was, lying upon a chaise of white, with a nubile young goddess beside him and a servant woman to feed him. But he didn’t understand why there were no palm fronds to shade him from the harsh light and no clusters of grapes to be fed to him one by one. He would have to speak to Nahum and find out what was going on.
“Here’s your lunch, honey.” Turning to Adidas, she added, “I’ll tell the nurse that he’s come around.”
Adidas thanked the servant woman and moved her chair closer to Jared’s chaise. “Are you hungry?”
Was he hungry? He’d never experienced such a need in all his existence. Only humans wanted for physical sustenance.
Then realization dawned. He was now a human serving his earthly apprenticeship. He looked around him at his stark surroundings, taking in the painting that tried desperately to cheer up a wall filled with hoses and silver-colored fixtures. Taking in the clear, fluid-filled bag that hung over his bed—not his chaise—and that dripped liquid into a tube that disappeared under the blanket near his arm. Finally, his gaze fell on the goddess beside him. Could she be a mere human? If so, he wondered why he’d been so reluctant to complete this portion of his training.
She watched him expectantly, and he remembered she was waiting for his response.
“I don’t know,” he admitted.
She picked up a cream-colored box beside his pillow and pressed a button. The bed vibrated and moved upward until he was in a near sitting position. Then she took the cover off his tray of food. “Mmm, vegetable soup. Why don’t you try to eat a little, even if you’re not hungry? It’ll help you get your strength back.”
Jared tried to lift his arm to pick up the spoon, but the appendage was much heavier than he’d anticipated. And when he put more energy into his effort, his arm jerked upward and flopped heavily against the tray, spattering orange soup on the white blanket.
“It’s okay,” said Adidas. “I’ll feed you.” She turned her chair until she faced him and dipped the spoon into the soup. Scraping the bottom