The Archangel seemed strangely calm; Mercy was anything but. She hovered close to Harry, anxious to do what she could, awaiting word from Gabriel.

She could tell that Harry's strength was draining away. As she watched, the old man's eyes widened and he placed one hand over his heart.

"Gabriel," Mercy shouted. "Do something." Hurriedly she revised her request. "Can I help Harry?" And because she'd come to genuinely love this old man, she added, "Please."

Gabriel nodded. "Take him back to bed."

"Thank you," Mercy whispered, greatly relieved.

Harry's eyes widened again. Only this time it wasn't his heart that worried him. Standing directly in front of him in plain view was a woman dressed in white. A woman with...wings. An angel? She regarded him with a gentle, loving look.

"I could use some help here," he said. In other circumstances Harry might think he'd died. The continuing ache in his chest told him otherwise. The pain intensified with every beat of his heart.

The beautiful angel stepped toward him and silently slipped her arm around his waist. She didn't seem to have any trouble handling his bulk. The next thing Harry knew, he was in bed and his rescuer was gone. Vanished. She'd disappeared as quickly as she'd come.

Grateful to have averted a catastrophe, or what had seemed like one a few minutes ago, Harry tried to figure out what had just happened. The angel might've been a figment of his imagination except for one thing. He'd been slumped against the wall with no strength left, no ability to stand upright. His walker rested next to his chest of drawers, where it had been all along. But now he was safely tucked into bed, next to Rosalie.

Harry blinked to clear his eyesight and picked up his glasses. Maybe then he'd be able to see the angel a second time. He peered into the darkness, resisting the urge to turn on the light.

She was gone. Truly gone.

Still, Harry was convinced she'd been there. She'd helped him back to bed. What a beauty she'd been, too. He'd always wondered about angels, and now he knew with certainty that they were real.

"Will he be all right now?" Mercy asked, leaning over the slumbering Harry.

"Harry will sleep comfortably for the rest of the night," Gabriel told her.

"In the morning will he remember any of this?" Part of her felt it might be best if the incident was erased from Harry's mind. Then again, she wanted him to know that God was looking down on him, and that he was deeply loved. The mighty angel Gabriel himself had come to Harry's aid.

"He'll remember. This close to death, the separation between Heaven and Earth is only partially veiled," Gabriel explained.

"It's almost as if Harry has one foot in Heaven and one still on Earth."

"Exactly." The Archangel began to leave, then paused. "I'm proud of you, Mercy," he said.

"You are?" She beamed, but she wasn't sure what she'd done to warrant such high praise. Gabriel didn't issue praise often. He was a strict taskmaster but a fair one.

Apparently reading her mind, Gabriel elaborated. "You didn't take it upon yourself to make a decision on the matter. You turned to Heaven and to me for help. That shows a new maturity."

Bubbling with pleasure at his words, Mercy fluttered her wings. Thankfully the Archangel hadn't been around when she'd sent Shirley scrambling in the electric cart.

"You did give me cause for concern at the Safeway store, however."

So Gabriel knew.

As if his words had summoned her, Shirley appeared.

"I knew Mercy was responsible for that unfortunate event," she cried, glaring at her friend.

"It w-was all in jest," Mercy stammered, embarrassed now. At times, especially while on Earth, she adopted a more human nature than an angelic one. As a human might have said, Shirley had been asking for it.

"Shall we discuss this elsewhere?" Gabriel said, gesturing down at the sleeping Harry and Rosalie.

"By all means."

The three of them moved to the living room. When they got there, Mercy saw Goodness on top of the Christmas tree Harry and Rosalie's son-in-law had set up in a corner of the living room.

"Actually, I'm glad to see you, Gabriel," Shirley said. "I'm having the worst time with my assignment."

"Are you, now?" Gabriel asked, eyebrows raised. Mercy and Goodness exchanged a sly glance. They had both agreed that Shirley's was by far the least complicated of the assignments.

"It's Carter," Shirley said after a moment's hesitation. "He's found a stray dog."

"And the problem is?"

Shirley shrugged uncomfortably. "The problem is that his father still insists the family can't afford a dog. I was trying to work around that."

"How?" Gabriel asked.

"His father worked overtime this evening and that money will come in handy for Christmas." Shirley rubbed her hands together nervously. "Only..."

"Yes?" Gabriel pressed.

Mercy had to admit she was curious, too, and apparently so was Goodness, because she'd left the Christmas tree to join them.

"Rusty, that's the dog, followed bus number seven home, just like Carter instructed him to."

Gabriel frowned. "Do earthly canines generally understand such detailed instructions?" he asked.

"No," Shirley cried. "That's just the point! I was afraid you'd think I had something to do with it and I promise you I didn't."

"You didn't?" Goodness asked skeptically.

"I'm innocent," Shirley said.

Actually, Mercy would've thought better of her friend if she had been involved.

"Every bit of information I've received indicates that Carter is not supposed to have this dog."

"You're sure about that?" Gabriel murmured, and his brow furrowed. "Where's the stray now?"

"This is another problem," Shirley said. "Carter and his mother have put Rusty in the laundry room. Like I told you, David-that's his father-worked late on Friday night and Carter convinced his mother to keep Rusty hidden until morning."

"So the dog's inside the house?"