"Excuse me?"

He looked up to find an angelic face and big cornflower blue eyes. If heaven was real, it must have sent her.

For him?

He cleared his throat. "Yes, Miss?"

She giggled, then blushed. "I... I'm not a miss, at least, not yet. I'm only fourteen."

Garrulous, aren't we? Darien thought. But why am I not irritated?

"Do you need anything?" he asked, trying hard not to stare at her oh-so-gold hair. Her mild perfume was also invading his nostrils and she could feel himself starting to react strongly to someone who's barely a... miss!

Crap, Darien! Will you get a hold of your lib-

"I... I think I'm lost. I asked the guard and the receptionist... but I guess... I really have no sense of direction. My friend Molly is confined here and I'm going to visit her. do you know where the patient's wing is?" She was sniffing the pink carnations on her right hand. A school bag was also slung over her left shoulder.

Really talkative. Again, why isn't he annoyed? She's engaging...

Several wings were assigned to patients. There was an easy way to this.

"What's her room number?"

"Two-o-five," she replied, beaming up at him.

Doesn't take much to make her happy, does it? Darien could almost shake his head in disbelief.

Then she looked lost. Again.

"Where... where is that?" she asked hesitantly.

He stood up before he could help himself.

"I'll take you there."

"Why? Are you also visiting a sick friend?" She looked at him sideways as they began to walk.

He shrugged. "Something like that." Amy was his sister. Raye was sick. Maybe he could go to her room and drag his sister so they could go home. He really thought Amy was going to be quick, that was why he was waiting for her at the lobby.

The girl squinted her eyes at him.

"Oh! Something like that, huh? You mean your girlfriend?" she teased.

This time, he really shook his head.

Right. She wished. Wouldn't Raye be happy to see and hear this bright bundle of joy and sunshine beside him? If only to be referred as his girlfriend...

"We're here," he announced. "Room 205."

"So, we are!" she declared. "Here."

She was offering him a single carnation, white, with pink edges to the petals.

He stared at her. "Whatever for?"

"Thank you. And you shouldn't visit your girlfriend without flowers." She raised a perfect eyebrow. "Trust me." She winked at him and entered the room after a quick knock.

She was gone before he could utter a reply.

He looked at the white blossom in his hand.

Could he afford to let go of something bestowed upon him by an angel?

Present time

Darien woke up with the memory of that encounter a long time ago. And he smiled upon realizing that the beauty who had saved him that afternoon when he really felt so dead-beat was the same woman he married. He could never thank heaven enough for sending her an angel he could wake up to every day of his life.