Hugged By An Angel Read online

  HUGGED BY AN ANGEL

  A novel by

  Roberta Capizzi

  Copyright 2013 Roberta Capizzi

  All rights reserved.

  Kindle Edition

  This book is also available in print (as of September 2013).

  Cover art © by Stephanie Mooney. All rights reserved

  Images: © Yuri Arcurs and © Kim Reinick

  Shamrock glyphs: © Gloria Rosazza (123rf.com)

  All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author.

  Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  To my guardian angel, who inspired this story. I miss you every single day, Dad.

  To my Mom, who helps me keep my feet on the ground when my head gets stuck in the clouds.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-one

  Chapter Forty-two

  Chapter Forty-three

  Chapter Forty-four

  Chapter Forty-five

  Chapter Forty-six

  Chapter Forty-seven

  Chapter Forty-eight

  Chapter Forty-nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty-one

  Chapter Fifty-two

  Chapter Fifty-three

  Chapter Fifty-four

  Chapter Fifty-five

  About The Author

  Other books by Roberta

  The Melody In Our Hearts – Chapter One

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Wow. My second book. It seems like yesterday I conquered my fears and published my debut novel and here I am again writing new acknowledgments seven months later.

  So many things have happened in these seven months as a published author. I feel I’ve grown up so much both as a writer and as a person. I’ve met lots of wonderful people along the way; people who share my same passion for books and for writing and who’ve been supportive and helpful. For this reason, I want to thank God for making my path cross with theirs and for supporting me on this amazing journey that keeps getting better with each passing day.

  I’d also like to thank my editor, amazing Lauren McKellar, who’s been extremely patient and very professional, and helped me turn a raw gem into a true diamond. I’m in love with the book now even more than I was before. Thank you for telling me how to show—and you know exactly what I mean! I’ve loved your useful suggestions and your funny comments and I look forward to working with you again. PS: How’s life Down Under? LOL!

  A huge Thank You (and a virtual hug) to my Beta Readers (in alphabetical order): Karen Harper, Dawn Martens, Natalie Mae Trantham, H. A. White, Fiona Wilson. I really appreciate all your support and your precious feedback and I’ll surely need your Beta Reading services for all my future books, so consider yourselves warned!

  Thanks to all the bloggers around the globe who helped me promoting my books and gave me and my books a chance even though I was—and still am—an unknown author. A special Thank You goes to Mel at Girls Heart Books Tours who’s been super quick and efficient in the organization of events, even on short notice.

  Thank you to every single reader who bought my debut novel, The Melody In Our Hearts, and who helped make my dream come true. Thank you to those readers who took the time to leave a review and gave extremely constructive criticism, helping me make the book better than before.

  And thank you, reader—yes, you, who are reading this now, because if you are, it means you bought the book and this is enough to brighten up my day. I hope you enjoy Kathleen and Colin’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I can’t wait to read your thoughts!

  Happy reading,

  Roberta

  Prologue

  I had just turned twenty-three when I nearly died.

  I was in my car on the way to Dublin airport where I should have been taking a direct flight to New York with my brother and best friend, Declan. I had plans to start a new life there; I’d spent my college years organizing everything down to the last detail and I was just a step away from making my dream come true.

  But I never got to the airport.

  I never boarded that plane.

  On a cold January day, the day I’d waited so long for, fate took everything from me, leaving me hollow and broken.

  On that cold January day, my life lost its meaning—although, back then, I didn’t know it would all make sense when the time was right.

  I was twenty-three when I met an angel. He didn’t have wings, he didn’t have a halo, but he healed my soul when it had been torn apart and gave meaning to my life again.

  Chapter One

  Kathleen

  January 5, 2012

  I woke up in a bed that didn’t feel like my own. I opened my eyes and the white light was so bright it stung, so I quickly shut them again.

  I couldn’t remember where I was and I felt weird, as if something were wrong, although I couldn’t quite define what or why.

  I took a deep breath and suddenly realized there was something stuck in my nostrils. Instinctively I brought my hand up to touch it; but when I did I felt a piercing pain in my arm. My eyelids fluttered open and my eyes slowly adjusted to the bright light. I saw a needle piercing my skin and I shivered. I had never been a fan of needles and the sight of one pulsing fluids into my arm was enough to give me the creeps.

  I looked away and noticed a screen next to my bed from which a steady, rhythmical beep came, echoing in the empty room. Okay, I was in hospital; it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.

  But why was I there? I tried to remember where I had been or what I’d been doing before everything had gone black but, as much as I tried, it was all blurred. I attempted to turn my head to check if there was a clock or something that could give me a clue as to what time it was but my neck felt constricted and I noticed I was wearing a neck collar.

  Grand. So I had a stiff neck, too. I really needed to find out what hospital I was in and why, because the uncertainty was driving me crazy.

&nbs
p; I could hear distant voices outside the room echoing down a corridor, but I wasn’t sure they would hear me if I called for help. I needed to get out of bed, but when I tried to move my legs something just didn’t feel right. It took me a couple of seconds to realize I couldn’t feel them; it was as if my body ended just below my waist. A chill ran down my spine, taking my breath away.

  With shaking hands I slowly lifted the sheet covering the lower part of my body and I squinted, not sure I was ready to see if my legs weren’t there anymore. But they were, just where they’d always been, so I opened my eyes wider and touched my thigh with the tip of my finger.

  Nothing.

  I pinched the bare skin, but it felt weird, as if I were touching someone else’s leg. I couldn’t feel my thigh, although my fingers were still pinching as hard as they could. Panic overcame me and I propped myself up on the bed using my arms to support my weight; however I wasn’t as strong as I thought and when my left arm, the one the IV was attached to, gave in, I slipped and fell, crashing to the floor. I pulled everything attached to my body down with me except for the oxygen tube that was wrenched out of my nose.

  I didn’t feel pain though; at first I didn’t feel anything at all. Then sudden despair took hold of me as I lay there, facedown on the tiled floor of a hospital room, and my first thought was how much I needed my brother Declan to wrap me in his arms right now.

  “Oh, dear, what happened to you?”

  A woman came rushing in wearing a pair of those green rubber slippers only doctors and nurses wear. She turned back toward the door and I heard her shout: “Colin, come here now, will ya? I need help.”

  A minute later, I saw another set of feet in white sneakers and two strong arms lifted me up; shortly afterwards I was back in bed.

  “Trying to sneak out, were you?” a soft, deep, male voice said and, as I looked up to match a face to the sound, I was a little taken aback by the unexpected vision. A young man was standing by my bed and my first impression was that he reminded me of Declan.

  His eyes were blue, the same shade as my brother’s, and he had brown hair just like him—only his was wavy and tousled and it slightly curled up on the back of his neck, while Declan’s had always been short.

  The nurse fixed the nasal cannula back into my nose, checked that the needle was still in my arm and, when she looked at me again, I noticed she had a friendly smile. She looked in her mid-fifties, and her face was round and rosy; her uniform seemed a little too tight for her generous curves and her manner was somehow reassuring, very motherly. It was silly, but it made me feel a little better.

  “I’m Judith, by the way. I’m the head nurse in this ward and you can call me whenever you need anything.” She smiled and I nodded. “Good, now I’ll leave you in the capable hands of our best physiotherapist. He’ll keep you company until Dr. O’Donnell gets here. You don’t mind, Colin, do you?” the nurse asked, turning toward the man in a white t-shirt and pants. He smiled and nodded; then the nurse looked at me and said she’d be back later.

  I didn’t say a word; besides being in shock, I was too scared to find out if I’d lost my voice, too.

  I looked away, taking a long, deep breath as I stared at the gray-paneled ceiling, wondering what was going to happen next.

  “So, you’re Kathleen, right?”

  I winced at the sound of my name: I didn’t know many people who called me by my full name. I had always been Kathy to everyone in my family and circle of friends—even the teachers at school used to call me that.

  “How are you feeling? Did you get hurt when you fell off the bed?” he asked, checking the screen and looking down at me. He was tall, just as tall as Declan, or maybe he looked taller because I was lying in bed; even so, he wasn’t intimidating, not like any doctor I’d met before.

  His gaze was soft and he was smiling gently at me in a way that made me temporarily forget the reason I’d fallen out of bed. I was momentarily dumbfounded, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his face, from his smooth, gentle features.

  “Kathleen? Can you understand me?”

  His words shook me out of my reverie, and I nodded, feeling stupid. I was stuck in a hospital bed and all I could think about was how cute the doctor looked.

  “I’m Colin Byrne, I’m a physiotherapist here,” he said, stretching out his hand toward me and letting it fall to his side when I didn’t take it. “From what Dr. O’Donnell told me, I guess we’ll be spending quite a lot of time together over the next few weeks.”

  I frowned, not sure I understood what he was talking about, and he smiled.

  “I help people with rehab therapies. I try to get them back on their feet, or at least to a normal life.”

  “Who’s Dr. O’Donnell?” I asked, trying to ignore the fact he’d just talked about rehab. I wouldn’t need any therapies; even though I couldn’t feel my legs now, surely I’d be fine soon.

  “He’s the head physician in this ward, and a great orthopedic surgeon. He’s been taking care of you since you were brought up from the ER. I’m sure he’ll pop in later on when he comes out of the operating room.” His accent sounded unfamiliar to my ears and, although I knew it had nothing to do with the conversation we were having, the words tumbled from my mouth before I could stop them.

  “Are you American?”

  He seemed amused by my question and his lips curled up in a smile.

  “I can’t disguise it, can I?”

  I shook my head and couldn’t help smiling weakly at him.

  “Byrne is a very Irish family name, though.” I added, aware I was starting to sound intrusive, although he didn’t seem to mind.

  “My father grew up in County Sligo; then he met my mother, who was American, and they moved back to the States where I was born and grew up. Hence, the American accent.” He winked as he said it and I blushed.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry,” I said apologetically. I’d never been a prying person, especially with strangers; but with this guy, well, I couldn’t help wanting to know more. Maybe it was because I wanted to keep my mind off my condition, off the fact I couldn’t feel my legs. Or maybe because he was the first friendly person I’d met.

  “No worries. It happens all the time. I’m used to it.”

  “How long have you been here, then?” I asked, wanting to keep the conversation going.

  “Almost fourteen years, so I’m kinda mixed up right now. I’m not sure if I’m more American or more Irish. A bit of both, I guess.” He smiled and shrugged; then he stared at me and his expression changed, as if he’d realized he was there to do his job and not make small talk with a patient. “Now, back to you. How are you doing?”

  “I can’t feel my legs.”

  Saying it out loud made it even scarier and my heartbeat sped up, echoing in the room through the machine next to my bed.

  “We’ll have to carry out some more tests; sometimes the numbness is only temporary. I know that while you were unconscious they carried out a magnetic resonance of your spine and a brain scan. We’ll know more once we get the results later on today.”

  “You mean I could be paralyzed?” I whispered, staring at him as if he’d just told me the moon was pink.

  “Like I said, we won’t know for sure until we carry out some more tests and have a better idea of your prognosis. But I won’t lie to you, Kathleen, I never lie to my patients; it’s a possibility you have to consider.”

  I felt as if he’d slapped me hard on the face.

  Paralyzed.

  I might never be able to walk again.

  Tears filled my eyes; I tried to fight them but it didn’t work, and they rolled down my cheeks. This couldn’t be true. I was only twenty-three, I’d barely started living my life and he was telling me I might be confined to a wheelchair? How could this happen? Why did it happen to me?

  “How did it happen? How did I end up in here? I…I don’t remember…Where are we, anyway?” I asked, unable to keep my thoughts to myself any longer.

 
“You’re in Beaumont Hospital, in Dublin,” he said, softly. “You were brought here over five hours ago but you’ve been unconscious the whole time. Your parents should be here shortly. They’re downstairs…with your brother.”

  My brother? Which one was he talking about? Was it Declan? Or was it David? No, David would never waste his precious time with me, when he could be with his friends. I wondered if Maggie was here too, but then again, we’d never really gotten along, so she was probably back in Galway by now. But why were my parents downstairs with one of my brothers? Were they simply having a coffee while they were waiting for me to wake up? Or was it something worse? A million questions shot through my mind.

  “My brother?” I finally dared ask, my voice hoarse and sounding barely more than a whisper.

  He nodded, scrutinizing my face. “He was in the car with you.”

  Car? What car? I frowned, trying to recall, but my mind was blank. He must have noticed my confusion because he pulled a chair and sat next to my bed, his gaze turning softer.

  “Don’t you remember the accident, Kathleen?”

  “Accident?” I asked, feeling panic grow inside of me again.

  He nodded, as if he’d expected my reaction. “Sometimes the mind shuts out bad memories to protect itself. It’s a survival mechanism; it’s not unusual in cases like yours. Don’t worry if you can’t remember now; it’ll all slowly come back, as soon as the shock wears off.”

  “What accident?” I asked more firmly this time, ignoring his last comment. I couldn’t care less about how my mind worked; I just wanted to know what had happened to me and my brother.

  He didn’t seem to mind my lack of politeness and took a deep breath, looking at me.

  “A car crashed into yours. The driver was drunk and he didn’t see the traffic light. Your parents said you and your brother were going to the airport. Does it ring any bells?”