THE SWORD AND SICKLE

PART ONE

CHAPTER SIX

DEAD BODY IN THE OVAL OFFICE

Late in her night shift, Nurse Bailey walked to the waiting room where the First Lady was waiting.

The First Lady hopped to her feet. "Angela? What can you tell me?"

Angela answered, "Your husband's condition is stabilizing, considering everything that has happened, but he is still listed in serious condition. He is awake, alert, and knows you are here. The doctor is in the building to make his rounds and of course, he will start with your husband. He has requested that you meet him in the head nurses office. I will be glad to escort you there."

"You look very tired, Angela. My security will escort me." She walked over to her and gave the nurse a long and tight hug. "I want to thank you for helping save my husband's life. I take it that you are not the head nurse, but may I ask you what your specialty is?"

Angela answered, "I care for the dying. I am very pleased to say I will no longer be needed to take care of your husband." With those words, Glenna left, and Angela had the entire guarded area to herself. She felt very safe as she lay down on the sofa and fell fast asleep. She immediately entered the realm of deep delta sleep where no dreams disturbed her, and suddenly her mind became alert. In her sleep, her mind's eye envisioned an older man, in his late fifties, with white hair. She said to the man, "You are not supposed to be here; I am sound asleep! Who are you?"

"What you see is Levi Jackson, the current human representative of the Creator, and the one you call Yahweh, the almighty Lord and God. I am in every cell of your body and have been since the Great Unknowable decided to build the universe, and all that is within it. I am all incarnations known to humans and all beings created to care for all worlds. I appear to you, Angela Bailey, to tell you that you will give birth to a child whom you will name Athena, the virgin goddess of wisdom, war, and art. She will help Ariel, the Lord's Lioness, lead a nation when the time comes. I will protect you as you journey to Kootenay Valley, British Columbia; there you will give birth to Athena, and there the two of you will live in safety from the coming destruction of this nation. Your work here is completed. My angel, Alinda, will be with you always until the end of time. When you will never die again, for you are finished with the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. In the end, the Lord will instantly transform you into your true self, for I have known you since the creation of time. I know your life, and you have cared for those who die while under your watch; so, be of good cheer for I am coming soon."

"Who will be the father of my child?"

"I will be the father of your child. I will send my representative to you, in the middle of the night, and you shall conceive a girl."

Angela awoke with a start. Her head felt extremely heavy, and she was unaware of anything. She couldn't even remember that she was human, and her field of vision had narrowed to a tiny circle, about two centimeters in diameter. Slowly, she remembered who she was, what she was, and what planet she was on. Her field of vision widened, and her disorientation lessened. Finally, after several minutes, she became aware of the room, and everything came flooding back into her brain; it was like someone had clamped off her blood flow to her brain, and now it was filling back up. That moment, she felt more alive, but her heart was pounding in her chest, and she felt wobbly on her feet. She flopped back down on the sofa. She remembered reading in medical textbooks about a type of complex seizure, which produces a change in awareness. Have I suffered a seizure? Then she recalled her strange dream. She also remembered reading the medical chart for the President, where Hammett had mentioned to the doctor he had a change in awareness, where he felt he was locked in his body. She stood up and trotted to the nearest bathroom. In the bathroom, she peered into the mirror to see if her hair had turned white like the President's. Thank God, her Jamaican braids were still shiny black. She stood for a moment and watched to make sure her hair was not graying; then she returned to the waiting room and sat down again on the sofa, because she had much to think about. It could be possible for her to be pregnant as she recalled the love-making session she had over a week ago with Jake, her friend and occasional lover. She went to the medical supply closet and pulled out s pregnancy test. She went to the bathroom and peed on the stick. She waited for the results and was relieved to see she was not pregnant. She didn't want to bring a child into the world without a father to support them and be involved in their lives.

Returning to her station, she saw the doctor leaving the President's room. She walked over to him and inquired about the President's condition. The doctor replied, "He is comfortable, and his wife is by his side. I want to thank you for your work last night. You can be assured this will look very fine on your resume."