Cathy Glass - The Night the Angels Came

Cathy Glass

SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

The Night the

Angels Came

The heartbreaking true

story of a young boy's loss

Copyright

Certain details, including names, places and dates, have been changed to protect the family’s privacy.

HarperElement

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published by HarperElement 2011

Copyright © Cathy Glass 2011

Cathy Glass asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library

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Source ISBN: 9780007442621

Ebook Edition © JULY 2011 ISBN: 9780007445691

Version 2016-08-15

Contents

Cover

Title Page Cathy Glass SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR The Night the Angels Came The heartbreaking true story of a young boy's loss

Copyright

Preface

Chapter One - It’s a Cruel World

Chapter Two - Proud of My Children

Chapter Three - Are You Going to Die Soon?

Chapter Four - So Brave Yet So Ill

Chapter Five - Treasure

Chapter Six - Lonely and Afraid

Chapter Seven - Comfortable

Chapter Eight - Michael’s Daddy

Chapter Nine - A Prayer Answered

Chapter Ten - A Child Again

Chapter Eleven - Friends and Neighbours

Chapter Twelve - Good and Bad News

Chapter Thirteen - An Evening Out

Chapter Fourteen - ‘May Joy and Peace Surround You’

Chapter Fifteen - Boyfriend

Chapter Sixteen - An Empty House

Chapter Seventeen - Attached

Chapter Eighteen - News and No News

Chapter Nineteen - The Power of Prayer

Chapter Twenty - Hospital

Chapter Twenty-One - Support

Chapter Twenty-Two - Improving

Chapter Twenty-Three - Worry Mode

Chapter Twenty-Four - The Night Sky

Chapter Twenty-Five - Staying Positive

Chapter Twenty-Six - A Few Days’ Rest

Chapter Twenty-Seven - Premonition

Chapter Twenty-Eight - Time with Dad

Chapter Twenty-Nine - The Stars Glow Brightly

Chapter Thirty - The Meeting

Chapter Thirty-One - The Right Decision

Chapter Thirty-Two - Heaven

Chapter Thirty-Three - Leaving Michael

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

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Preface

Children usually come into foster care as a result of abuse or severe neglect. Very occasionally, and sadly, it is as a result of one or both parents being very ill or even dying. This is the true story of Michael, whose courage, faith and strength in the face of so much sorrow will stay in the hearts of my family and me for ever.

Chapter One It’s a Cruel World

‘Cathy,’ Jill said quietly, ‘I need to ask you something, and you must feel you can say no.’ ‘Sure, go ahead, Jill. I’m good at saying no,’ I returned light-heartedly.

Jill gave a small laugh but I now realized she sounded subdued – not her usual cheerful self. Jill is my support social worker from Homefinders, the agency I foster for, and we get on very well.

‘Cathy,’ she continued, ‘we need a foster home for a little boy called Michael. He’s just eight. He has been looked after by his father for the last six years since his mother died when Michael was just two.’ Jill paused, as though steeling herself for something she had to tell me, and I assumed it would be that the child had been badly neglected or abused, or that the father had a new partner and no longer wanted the child. I’d answered the telephone in the sitting room and I now sat on the sofa, ready to hear the details of the little boy’s suffering, which would still shock me even after hearing many similar stories in the nine years I’d been fostering. However, what Jill told me shocked me in an entirely different way.

‘Cathy,’ Jill said sombrely, ‘Michael’s father, Patrick, is dying. He has contacted the social services and asked if a carer can be found to look after Michael when he’s no longer able to.’ ‘