Butterfly Jumper - Touched by an angel fan fiction by UnderscoreNation.

Andrew stares intensely at a long metal bridge overlooking the setting sun.
"When someone loses their faith, it can be hard to help them onto the right track again. People around here always say that life is full of wins and losses, but for some, death can be a win, an opportunity to run away from themselves."

It was a dark evening, the wind was howling, the downpour of rain seem to seep into the hearts of the lonely, the sky was covered in shadows, while the trees shifted in the wind

On a lonely bridge stood a thin pale figure, his eyes sunken, his voice horsed. He walked to the railing, climbed over and held his arms behind himself, holding onto the rail, as he looked over the edge and down below to see the passing lights of cars, his end awaited.

"This is the day that it will finally be over"; he thought to himself, no more trying, no more fighting, no more bullying or stares, no more pain.
As he prepared to let go, he heard a voice call out loudly:
"You don't have to do this Christopher!"

Christopher looked to his right and behind himself he saw a bright light, there beside him stood Andrew.

"How...how do you know my name?" he asked.

"God has sent me to you."
"I am an Angel, usually I am the one taking people home, but I had hope that I would not have to take you today."

"You're death?" Christopher asked looking bewildered.

"Yes" Andrew confirmed.
"Please come away from here." he said as he reached out his hand. "I don't want to do this."

"No, I can't, it's over for me, there is nothing left," replied Christopher.

"That's not true! there is hope, there is love." Andrew insisted.

"Yeah? who? my old man can't even accept who I am, and my brother won't even talk about it."

"God loves you and he understands." Andrew informed him, trying to comfort. " Please! It is not your time, you still have work to be done here."

"To be what? A dishwasher? What life? All I ever wanted was to fit into my own skin, to belong." Christopher said with tears filling his eyes like heavy rocks.
"God! All I asked for was love, and acceptance, I never asked for this, I never asked to be different."

"God is waiting to give you strength Christopher, to make a path for you, all you have to do is turn to him and open your hands. Please know his way is sure, and if you take my hand I promise you, you will see." Andrew pleaded as he outstretched his hand again.

"No, I can't!
Where was God when my brother disowned me?
Where was God when I needed freedom from my mother who allowed me to be abused?
Do you know she locked me away in a room!?" Christopher said while shaking.

"Yes" Andrew confirmed.
"I know what was done to you,
but today you can do something about that pain, you can choose to fight, and move forward from it. God wants to help you Christopher, he is waiting to fill your heart with love, with peace, with healing, just give me your hand and I will show you."
Andrew said as he reached out his hand a third time.
"You don't have to give up"...

Christopher takes one last look at the beautiful angel before him as he says; "I already have".
With darkness and loneliness in his heart he jumps from the metal bridge into passing cars below. The wind and rain await the ground before him as the sun sets into the darkness of the night.

Andrew meets Christopher at the bottom of the bridge with sorrowful eyes he says: "I'm here," He bends down and holds Christopher's hand trying to comfort the young man. In the distance a woman screams, and a man beside her calls the paramedics from below on the other side of the bridge. Another woman gets out of her car, and runs over to Christopher and begins talking to him, her words are inaudible to him.

Cars crash to a halt, everyone manages to walk away with only minor scrapes and bruises. Christopher however breaks several bones but manages to survive on the way to the hospital.

Andrew meets Monica at the hospital, she was working on another assignment. "Hi there!" She said while walking up to him beaming brightly, and proceeds to talk about how wonderful things have gone on her assignment. Seeing Andrews face however causes her to stop in mid sentence, studying his face, realizing that something is wrong, she asks; "What's happen?" Andrew too sorrowful to reply simply points to one of the waiting rooms and Monica walks over to see what has come to pass.

In the waiting room Dr. Cornelius delivers the news to an waiting family. "How is she?" An older heavy set man asks.
"Can we see her?" a younger man next to him questions the Doctor. "She has broken both legs, her left arm and rib cage," The Doctor replied. "In addition to this, she has sustained massive head trauma. We have done all that we can do to try to stop the bleeding" Dr. Cornelius states with sadness. "You may go see her, I will have a social worker meet with you shortly to go over the final affairs."

"Wait, what? what are you saying?" Christopher's brother yells. "What the hell does that even mean!?" "she's... she's not gonna"...he is interrupted by Cornelius. "I am terribly sorry, we have done all we can, please see our chaplain for any final rights you may need." Dr. Cornelius says as he is paged to another trauma room, and slowly walks away.
Christopher's father stands there in shock for a few minutes before finally heading to Christopher's room, followed by the younger man. Monica follows them both, as she also calls Andrew over. They all go inside the hospital room, although the angels are not seen by anyone else.
Monica looks at the patient, seeing what appears to be a thin young man wrapped in bandages and arm and leg casts.
Confused she ask: She? I don't understand... why did they call.. Before she can finish her sentence Andrew replied; "Christopher is transgendered, born into a female body but he, himself is male."
"Is that possible? I don't understand."Monica states in confusion. "That makes two of us baby," Tess walks in, all the while Christopher's family is talking and trying to coach her back to wellness, still in denial.
"Why would God create someone who is one way on the outside, and another way on the inside?" Monica insisted that she did not understand but knew God must have a good reason.
"His ways are not always ours to understand baby." Tess replied as she patted Monica's back in comfort.
Andrew was quiet, and he seemed troubled to have to take this soul home.
The room fell silent as the chaplain walked in.
Seeing Andrew's frustration Tess says: "Look we can deal with the details later, right now we all have a job to do, so I suggest you hop to it. Tess comforts the Chaplain in his prayers, Monica comforts the family standing at the foot of the hospital bed, and Andrew stands opposite of the Chaplain comforting Christopher and holding his hand, while trying to prepare himself to take him. "God I don't want to do this." Andrew out cries his protest for the last time.

Christopher begins speaking causing the room to fall silent again. "Please everyone, just leave me alone here."
"You can't mean that!" his brother stated.
"I do" he said.
"After everything me and Dad have done for you!?" His brother shouted.
"Please! I was never allowed to live as a man, I would like to die as one." Christopher casted out with the last strength he had in his voice. With that his father took one last look, a squeezed of his hand, a small head nod and tears welding in his eyes, he left the room without a word.
His brother left in anger, Monica left to try to further comfort him. Tess left with the Chaplain, and the social worker met the family outside the room.

A nurse walks in to check the iv and asks:"Would you like me to administer your pain medication? It can make you more comfortable." "No" Christopher manages to answer.
"OK, I will just leave this button here in case you need it later."
With that the nurse walks back out to make her rounds.

Andrew pulls up a chair and sits beside Christopher, now fully seen by him.

"What is it like to take a life?"
Christopher asked him.

"It's beautiful and sad, like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly"
He said.

"What's sad about that?" Christopher asked as he begin having trouble breathing.

"Don't you miss the caterpillar?" Andrew asked.

"No, I always thought being a butterfly was better anyways."
He answers as he gasps for air.

Andrew could see that he was in pain, he also knew that his kidneys were already gone, and his heart rate was dropping.

"Will I be a man in heaven?"
Christopher wondered out loud.

"You will be completely whole, mind, body and spirit."
Andrew answered as he pleaded for Christopher to press the button to administer the pain medication, unlike himself to ask a human to do such a thing, but there was something about Christopher, that made him want to ease his pain.

"No, I want to die in pain, so I will always remember the day my life on earth ended."

Andrew places his hand on Christopher's forehead, a tear falls from one eye.

"Do you think God will be able to forgive me for this?"
Christopher asks the angel of death as he closes his eyes.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5
Yes, For God is love.
With that Andrew closed his eyes and death took over, Christopher took his last breath.

There was no screaming, or yelling, when everyone realized his passing, in fact their cries were soft, it wasn't that they didn't care, it was simply an inner peace that everyone felt in and around that room, even the Angels felt it.
No one fully understood this, nor did they understand who Christopher was, but God knew, and his peaceful rule over took that room in revelation.

Monica and Tess walk up to Andrew.
"Suicides are the hardest to come to terms with." Andrew said while looking over at the family.
"I wish there was something more I could do" said Monica.
"You can make every right choice baby, but it's their choice to take it or not." Tess said trying to comfort both angels.
"He just wanted his family to accept him, he just wanted to live as who he is." Andrew said.
"And no one knows that better than our Father." Tess says as she places a hand on Andrew's shoulder.
"You got to know that you did everything you could do baby, we can't make the choice for them."
"It wasn't his time Tess, that's what gets to me."
Morning was approaching, the glimmer of light glowed upon the hospital bed.
The room was being cleared, the family was making arrangements and talking with the Chaplain.
While Andrew was about to leave with Tess, Monica says: "Look!"
Andrew and Tess turn around.

A monarch butterfly appears resting on the pillow of the bed, catching a nurse off guard. They all stare for a moment, before it fly's away.
"Now you are a butterfly" Andrew said while a warm hopeful smile crossed his face as he walked with Monica and Tess arm and arm to their next assignments.

Story by Underscore Nation.