living was fading away. He rose and crossed to the door , turning the handle before his fingers failed him. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.”
Nyra turned in surprise. “Already?”
Death nodded. “The life of an exterminator is demanding.”
She smiled a warm smile that ran through his body to the heart that pounded every time their eyes met. He closed his eyes for the briefest moment, holding onto that smile. It was for him, just him. It was the most precious gift anyone had ever given to him, and she gave it freely. He vowed to remember her smile for the length of his existence. He opened his eyes again and met her puzzled look. “Goodnight, Nyra.”
He closed the door behind him feeling lighter. He walked down the hallway and actually waved to the two nurses behind the main desk. He stared at his fading hand, a strange thing to do in the middle of the hospital with nurses watching. As casually as he could manage, he tucked his hand into his pocket and hurried down the hall.
Chapter Fourteen
ANGEL
Nyra stared after the man. He was strange, but he made her smile whenever he walked into the room. His visits were short, but it was obvious how much he cared about his brother. She had never known anyone who was an exterminator before. His job must be demanding to keep him out so often.
When Betsy arrived, Nyra walked down the street. There was nothing she could do in the room and Death never seemed to visit during the early hours of the morning. She looked up at the dark windows that stretched far above her, apartments and businesses with only a few lights on inside.
She wandered without a purpose until something told her to go inside an apartment complex.
She hesitated on the stoop, unsure what she was doing. The feeling felt like the same pressure she had experienced at the intersection. Uncertainty filled her as she stepped through the closed door into the entryway.
The apartment complex was old but maintained. Worn carpet ran up the stairs, but it looked as though it had been vacuumed within the last day or so. She made her way slowly up the stairs, wondering what she would find. The first landing was quiet as the inhabitants of the six apartments caught their last few hours of sleep before dawn.
She continued up to the second floor and heard the unmistakable cry of a newborn baby. The apartment next door to the baby had its television on and she could hear the grumbling of its occupants about the baby that kept them up. Nyra followed the pressure through the door to the apartment.
The baby’s cry intensified. In the first bedroom she found a little boy and a little girl sharing a mattress on the floor. The blanket was tattered but clean, and the serenity of sleep showed on their innocent faces. Smiles grew on their faces as Nyra’s presence brightened their dreams.
Nyra continued past the empty second bedroom with a bed whose blankets were still made and unslept in. A bassinet sat near the head of the bed that was also unoccupied. Nyra followed the hallway to the shared space that made up the kitchen and living area.
A young woman stood near the window with the crying baby in her arms. She rocked from side to side and sang to it, but the baby continued to cry. When Nyra drew closer, she saw tears on the mother’s cheeks.
“Sleep, little Tanner,” the mother said in a gentle voice. “You need your sleep.” Her voice broke, but she continued to smile down at the crying newborn. “It’s alright, my son. Close your eyes.”
Nyra’s heart went out to the mother. She stood near her, uncertain what she was to do. The baby sounded so tired as it cried as if they had stood there for hours. The young woman swayed gently from side to side in the natural rhythm all mothers shared.
“I don’t understand,” the woman said in her same soft voice. “Mia and Daniel never cried for so long.”
An image showed in Nyra’s mind. She smiled and set a hand on the woman’s arm.
The young mother paused