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 Scintillatingly, the horsts of sun light cantered through the window, their banners and armour showering the room in light and warmth. Supporting the sight, acting as the drums, horns and hoof beats for the horsts, the birds sung with their irrepressible elation. Harmonising, the natural beauty of bird song and the placating sunlight would raise even the most disheartened of people.

For someone as high on excitement as Mr Daniels already was, it was almost enough to make him giddy on euphoria. Like the clouds after a storm, the melancholy and solitude of the countless dawdling months he had drifted through, rather asleep or in a drug induced stupor, seemed to drift away under the charge of the beautiful morning, growing anticipation and immense relief that the anticipation was drawing to a lengthy end.

If he could, Mr Daniels would have jumped out of bed and danced and sang his heart out, joining his truest of delights to the magnificence of the morning. Such a serene start to a day, unlike any Mr Daniels had experienced in many years, could only augur the absolute enchantment and liberation of all of his worries and mournfulness in the hours and weeks and hopefully months and years to come �" though even months seemed too much to hope for.

“I see you are exceptionally happy this morning” a voice said softly from across the room. Turning his head, he found Mandy standing in the doorway, a silver tray in her hands. Lances of the mounted knights of sunlight caught the metal and fractured across the room, kind of like a disco ball.

“I am at peace for the first time in months, my dear” Mr Daniels replied in a soft voice, for once not strained from pain or drowsy from drugs. To Mandy’s attuned ears, he sounded clearer than she had ever heard him. Quite contrary to each other, it could rather be a very good or a very bad sign.

“That’s nice to hear” Mandy said sweetly, heading across the room towards him. Placing the tray on the bedside table, she lowered herself into the chair by the side of the bed. “I have your favourite: sausages, bacon, boiled egg, beans, and a glass of orange juice.” Always orange juice; Mandy had tried to get him to drink other juices but he never consented.

“Oh, how wonderful. Thank you Mandy. A perfect breakfast for a perfect day. Would you mind helping me sit up?” Standing up, Mandy reached over and took Mr Daniel’s hands, and together, they managed to get him into a sitting position. Holding himself up, he let Mandy pack pillows behind him so he could lean back slightly in comfort while being able to feed himself.

“There you go.” Slowly, Mr Daniels leaned back into the pillows. Once he was settled, Mandy handed him his plate and knife and fork. Mandy might do most things for him, but he was determined to at least feed himself. Placing the tray on the cover over his legs, he started to cut up his food, the knife in his right hand and fork in his left. Despite being incredibly ill, his hands were exceptionally steady.

“What do you have planned for today when I’m gone?” Mandy asked, sitting back down in the chair. It was only ten O’clock and her shift didn’t end until 12 O’clock, when the other carer took his shift.

“Spend time with my family” Mr Daniels answered between bites of sausage. Mandy’s cooking was always exceptional, though he couldn’t remember  much about what food was like before Mandy started cooking for him so it didn’t mean much. “Today is the day.” Oh, yes it was. Finally.

“That’s nice” Mandy said, though she knew no one was coming to see him, especially not any family member. Since she had been caring for Mr Daniel, she had never seen any of his family and the carers before her had never seen any of Mr Daniels family members either, making her suspect that he had none left. That was one of the reasons she cared so much for him; he was such a nice man, but it seemed he was all alone.

“Yes. Yes it is. It has been so long, my dear. Today is the day.” For the next half an hour, while Mr Daniels ate his breakfast, they talked about loads of random things, such as the weather, books and the government’s involvement with other countries - through means such as the army. On the topic of the army, Mr Daniels said un-expectantly that the army was doing a lot more than they were claiming to be trying to put an end to.

Mandy was going to question him about it but the look on his face made her infer that it was a topic he wished never to talk about. “So, my friend was wondering if she could come by during my next shift to use your lovely old fashioned house as a base for her new painting she is working on.”

“That would be lovely. I have always said that this style of house should be represented in more works of art. You should have seen it when it was first made; what a sight it had been.” At that moment, a bang, bang, bang resonated through the house. Someone was knocking on the front door. Could Mr Daniels have actually been telling the truth about a family member coming to see him? Surely not; why would a family member come now after such a long time?

“I’ll be right back” she said to Mr Daniels, whose eyes were suddenly very bright. Anticipation, curiosity and even some anger, coursed through her as she entered the passage, heading for the door. Even from here she could make out the shape of the person standing on the other side of the two doors. He/ she were of an equal height to the door frame.

Opening the two doors, she came face to face with a large man, both in height and width. He looked to be about six foot five, with large muscles evident beneath his shirt and top. His right arm was in a sling, which gave him a kind of fierce and rough look. A large brown bag was slung over his left shoulder, bulging with its contents.

“May I help you?” Mandy asked, feeling very small in front of this man. Mr Daniels was tall, but he was stooped and so couldn’t stand at his full height, unlike this young man, who seemed to be so big he exerted his own gravitational pull. His entire being seemed to be made of perfectly sculptured muscle, and since muscles weighed more than fat, you could bet that the young man was as heavy as he looked; Mandy was surprised that the frail porch could hold his weight.

“I’m looking for Mr Daniels.” Looking up into the man’s face, Mandy couldn’t determine anything about him from his facial expression or tone of voice; he may as well have been carved from marble, with a robotic voice. Despite everything, Mandy couldn’t help but think that his toneless and emotionless voice and unreadable facial expression, and even the well guarded eyes, didn’t suit him.

With gorgeous deep blue eyes that seemed to be filled with complete innocence and all the love of the world, dark brown hair that just accentuated his eyes, and soft chiselled features, this man was the definition of beautiful, handsome, gorgeous, hot, sexy, babe, and out of this world.

“I’m looking for Mr Daniels.” It was only now that Mandy realised she had been staring, open mouthed, without making any response. Feeling highly embarrassed and hoping she wasn’t bright red, she tried desperately to sort through her thoughts, which were going crazy, to put words together and make a coherent sentence.

“He lives here” she finally managed to spurt out, feeling as if her throat was closed. “Unfortunately he is unable to answer the door.”

“I know” the man said, smiling kindly, which did nothing to help Mandy’s heart rate or chaotic thoughts. “I wish to see him.”

“I don’t-.”

“Let him in” a small voice called from down the hall, barely loud enough to be heard.

“Come on in, then” Mandy sighed, moving aside to let the stranger in.

“Thank you.” With long strides, the man passed by Mandy and headed down the hall towards the last door on the left…Mr Daniels’ room. Closing the doors, Mandy quickly rushed after the man, wondering how he knew where to go. By the time she reached the open door to Mr Daniels room, the stranger had dumped his bag by the door and had moved to stand by the bed.