'Christmas Eve was always my Andy's favourite time of the year', said Mrs. Green. 'We loved putting the children to bed, getting everything ready and usually sat chatting most of the night. Sure it was always so special to us, it was the night that we first met'.

This little lady from North Antrim had been admitted to our ward a week before Christmas. A dainty little figure in a pale pink bed jacket, she wore her silvery hair plaited on top of her head. A student Nurse at the time, I was thoroughly enjoying night duty on the Female Cardiac Ward. When Staff Nurse and I had settled the patients down for the night, I switched off the main lights. The decorations glittered in the light of a massive ceiling-scraper of a Christmas tree in the centre of the two long lines of beds.

Peace was palbable - even the noise of the storm that had been raging all night was now only a faint background murmur. It was barely a half hour later that Staff Nurse left me for a few minutes as she had to go to the Pharmacy. No sooner had she left the ward than the whole scene changed dramatically. The balcony doors burst open, decorations blew everywhere, and the giant tree came to life and started swaying, waving its arms in a macabre dance above the sleeping patients.

I must have broken all records in my dash to close the doors. Standing with my back to them, I looked up the ward and weak with relief to see a motionless tree, standing demurely upright. As I shakily went on my way, Mrs. Green's small voice called excitedly 'Nurse, Nurse, look, Andy has sent her! It's to let me know he's thinking of me. He'd know how lonely I'd bet his night'.

After my episode of the dancing tree, my head wasn't the clearest and I was still in a bit of shock. Going over to her bedside I asked her, 'Sent who?'
'Don't you see thon wee angel?', she asked me, pointing to the bottom of her bed. I did see it. At the end of the counterpane stood a glittering apparition. Silver wings, glittering frock, the lot, shimmering in the lamplight. It was the fairy from the top of the Christmas tree who had landed on her bed. 'You're right', I said as I held her hand. 'He must love you an awful lot'. I sat with her and in a few minutes she was sound asleep with a smile on her face.

On Christmas morning the Hospital Choir arrived early to sing Carols, Mrs. Green called me over. 'Did you really see Andy's Angel too, Nurse?' she softly asked 'Or was I just dreaming?' 'I saw that Angel too', I said putting my arm around her. The choir started their first carol 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing'. The first verse wasn't even finished when the small silver head dropped on my shoulder. I knew without even looking down that Mrs. Green had answered her beloved Andy's invitation to join him for Christmas Day.