Free Fallen Angel by Patricia Puddle

already connected, but as soon as she
saw the little tube in her arm, she retched like she was going to
throw up.
    A nurse grabbed a bowl.
“Here, use this.”
    After wiping Eloise’s
face with a damp wash cloth, the nurse pulled the blanket around
her shoulders. “Try and rest. Doctor Allen will be giving you a
pre-op medication that will relax you, then before you know it, it
will all be over.”
    “ Nurse, can I
please have my undies back? They’re only operating on my
stomach.”
    The nurse smiled. “It’s
okay. You don’t need them.”
    “ But they’re
really small.”
    “ You don’t
have to worry, you’ll have a sheet over you,” said the nurse.
“Doctors operate on people all day.”
    As the nurse took the
bowl away, Eloise tucked her blanket tightly around her body,
obviously afraid it would fall off.
    “ I’ll be back
in a little while,” said the nurse, heading out the
door.
    Nathaniel chuckled. At
least Eloise had tried to save her modesty. When he glanced at the
clock, he realised it was nearly time for her operation. At least
then she’d be out of pain, even if it was only until she
woke.
    After checking the
monitors, Doctor Allen asked Eloise her name and birthday, then
checked her vital signs. The sedative entering her bloodstream
through the IV needle seemed to be taking effect and she closed her
eyes. But as soon she was wheeled through the large double doors
into the operating theatre, she glanced around, her eyes
wide.
    “ It’s okay,”
said Doctor Allen, administering the anaesthetic through the
intravenous tube. A second later, her eyelids fluttered and she
drifted off again. After checking to make sure she was unconscious,
Doctor Allen inserted a thin soft tube into her nose and pushed it
down into her stomach to suck out any fluids that might interfere
with the operation. Nathaniel had seen this done many times, but he
never liked it. Nor did he like watching the pliable tube that was
connected to a ventilator being pushed down her throat and
windpipe, but he knew it had to be done in order to help her
breathe throughout the procedure.
    Though he hated the
sadness in hospitals, he loved the excitement and energy of new
births and recovering happy patients. Having the company of angels
would have been a bonus, but Eloise’s safety came first. He didn’t
think he could bear it if anything happened to her and he felt
privileged to be her guardian. Although he sometimes felt a twinge
of envy knowing other guardians got to travel and go on night
flights, there was no way he would risk her safety, especially now
that Devlin had threatened to kidnap her. Nathaniel loved guarding
Eloise more than any ward he’d ever had and he’d never risk her
safety. Gazing at her under the bright lights, he sighed. The poor
girl was going to be in pain for a while until she recovered from
the operation, and he prayed it would all go smoothly.
    When all the monitors
were checked and the doctors were satisfied that Eloise was
breathing properly, the surgeon began to mark where the incision
was going to be in her abdomen. Nathaniel glanced around the room.
For some strange reason he had a horrible feeling of impending doom
and he prayed it wasn’t because Devlin and Lucifer were hanging
around in dark hidden corridors, though he couldn’t smell the vile
stench of Lucifer.
    Hovering above the
operating table, he gazed down at Eloise. She seemed to be totally
unconscious, yet she was making the strangest murmuring sounds. He
tried to enter her mind to see if she was still in pain, but for
some reason he couldn’t get in, which made him worry even
more.
    As the surgeon inserted
the knife into Eloise’s flesh, Nathaniel turned away and cringed.
He couldn’t understand it. He didn’t normally get squeamish during
operations, but for some reason he couldn’t bear to see Eloise’s
body being mutilated like that. Closing his eyes, he pressed his
fingers to his temples, hoping to clear his mind. Angels