Created in His Image

    An intensely bright light hit the clean white tiles and ricocheted to illuminate the beige wall tiles and in an instant the entire room flowed with the energy and life-giving light of the sun as it passed it's glory seamlessly through the window of hospital room 6A.  The nurse released her firm, experienced grasp from the edge of the curtain and moved to the John Doe's side, quickly grasping his wrist to check his vital signs.  Relaying the information to a petite, young nurse who was as nervous as beautiful, the head nurse turned on her heel and advanced to the next window as if performing an unusual dance under the guidance of an efficient machine. 

    Sonja took a deep breath, relieved that her robotic supervisor was once again outside of her comfort zone and, feeling her medical training return to it's upright position, verified the saline level in her patient's I.V. with great care and caution.  The light of the golden rays of the sun glanced off of the thin, healthy curls in her golden blonde hair and the refracted particles of ultraviolet light darted in every direction, some glancing off the closed eyelids of the man in the bed, causing him to stir.  The man's eyes opened, his pupils slowly taking in the sight of a woman with the blazing aura of an Angel.  The nurse's arm, close to the man's face, smelled of the sweetest flower despite its lack of perfume, and as she observed him, thier eyes met and he could see through the window in her eye that exposed her warm, loving soul. 

    Noticing that the man was awake, Sonja began her rehearsed series of questions, meant to test the alertness and mental orientation of the patient, "Sir, do you know your name?"  He replied as the words left her mouth, "Even your voice is perfect."  Sonja glanced from the man to the clock, then back to the man, having made a mental note in case intoxication was an issue.  She would later re-assess him and be able to determine wether he was mentally ill or an alcoholic or drug user.  "What year is it, sir?" The man inhaled deeply, looking at her arm, then shifting his gaze up to her face.  Her head perfectly blocked the sun, making her face hidden while her hair continued to glow.  The man sighed while Sonja waited for an answer.  She became more convinced of her diagnosis, but the elderly man with the perfect white beard and matching shoulder length hair seemed so peaceful, she didn't think he could be just another homeless druggie.  Sonja made a point of clearing her mind of any stereotypes, she couldn't let herself become like her supervisor, just another mindless, uncaring zombie in a building full of similar personalities. 

    "Sir, please tell me your name." she pleaded.  "Timothy," the patient said with a relaxed, tight-lipped smile, "Has he learned to love life?"  Sonja looked over both shoulders to check for hidden video cameras in case this was some sort of T.V. show, how could this stranger possibly know that her little brother had just ended a life of law breaking due do a diagnosis of lung cancer, to become a pastor at their church?  Coincidence, she told herself.  The man's eyes seemed to lung at her, eyelids closing into a focused glare.  "Coincidence?"  He shouted, "Nothing is coincidence!  There is cause and effect determined by human will and divine interventine, nothing more!" 

    Brittany, Sonja's friend and fellow student nurse slid over the well waxed floor, coming to a stop as she clicked the wall-mounted television on, oblivious to the pain as her shin met the base of the bed that Sonja's patient lay in.  "Soni, you gotta see this!"  Brittany gasped as the screen cleared and a newscaster's voice echoed in the small room, "An estimated 3800 are dead in India, 2200 in Russia, and 700 in the Canada after 3 meteors have hit the Earth in the past half an hour.  Austronaut James Clemms was quoted as saying that it's as if our protective ozone layer has vanished competely, allowing spacial debris that used to incinerate upon entry to the atmosphere to crash to the surace uninhibited." 

    Sonja allowed a single tear to escape her eye, catching the awe-inspiring light that had played in her hair all morning.  Her patient returned his gaze to her instantly.  "Why am I here," he asked, with an air of confusion in his voice.  "The doctor thinks you are suffering from memory loss, possibly due to a traumatic mental episode.  You've been showing signs of recovery and the doctor is very optimistic Sir, you're basically just here for observation at this point.  The man squinted at the television screen, trying to make out the sceen with the sun glaring out the details of the picture.  A fourth meteor grazed a house and burst into a gigantic ball of flames as it smashed into the Earth.  The man coughed loudly, then, catching his breath, inhaled and settled his gaze back on the image on the screen.  Sonja steadied her gaze on him with a sense of urgency in her deep blue eyes.  The man gasped, eyes opened wide and began to tremble when the young nurse grabbed his hand, squeezing.  The man's eyes shifted to her and asked "has this happened before?"  She quietly offered a slow nod.  "Is it getting worse?" He pleaded.  Sonja allowed her eyes to leave the comfort of the hospital room and gaze over the man's head, past the city and the hills beyond, into the red sun that was descending with meteors discecting it's radiance every few seconds, then she spoke.  "Yes, this is the time."  "Very well, my breath stops and another's begins," and the man closed his eyes.  Blaring heart rate monitors didn't disturb the nurse, she concentrated on holding the hand of the man who was passing from the sun to the light of the Heavens until the sound of a wailing newborn baby caused her eyes to spring back to life.  Sonja didn't know what force had compelled her to stay with the dying man, or what pushed her to rush to the aid of a mother in distress and her child, but when an Angel is placed in such a position, extraordinary things tend to happen, even when the Angel lacks wings.