AFFLICTION.

Chapter 20

"Lianna!" My mother screamed. "Stop it! We're going to fall out!" With her eyes wide and lips pursed, she grabbed my hand roughly to stop me from swinging the carriage. Her black hair blew in the wind, whipping me gently in the face. I took hold of her hands and kissed them softly.

The year was 1933. We were at Le Havre theme park and I had just turned fifteen. I wore my best summer dress with blue flowers which lined the hem and my hair in two separate plaits. We were riding the Ferris wheel and I began to swing the carriage when my mother stopped me in a panic.

"Sorry mama..." I giggled and she nudged me playfully.

"You're a crazy girl." She ran her hands across the two thick plats that lay either side of my shoulder.

When the ride came to a halt, my mother ran to the exit, pulling me behind her.

"Ice cream?" She asked and I nodded frantically, already licking my lips at the thought of the sweet and creamy dessert melting on my tongue.

It was a hot day for May. 20 degrees. There was still a slight chill in the air but I didn't care.

We both ran to the ice cream truck where my mother purchased two cones. Vanilla for her and chocolate for me. I licked at the ice cream which began to drip down my hands and onto my dress. Turning to me, my mother laughed and began to wipe the bits of chocolate that had made their way onto my chin and into the corners of my mouth. I grinned at her sheepishly and she shook her head, her thick dark hair swaying against her face.

"Viens, petit papillon."

Come, little butterfly.

She took me by the hand and we both ran to the next ride.

-

Harrys features had paled over completely. Red, thick blood stained parts of his face and clothes. Whether or not it was his or another soldiers, I had no idea. He was holding a machine gun in his right hand and Fergus in the other. What had happened to Fergus? Harry and Pete were supporting him between them. Fergus' head was drooped and his feet were dragging behind him.

I brought my hand to my mouth and tried to ease the rising bile in my throat. I turned my eyes to Harry and whimpered. He who had once looked so calm and clean now looked bloodied and frightened. Harry dropped his machine gun when his eyes crossed mine. He placed Fergus on a nearby bed, where a soldier who had only died minutes ago still lay. Pushing the dead soldier off, Pete and Harry adjusted Fergus' feet and body.

Harry's skin was white, like a ghost. His mouth was turned down and his pink lips were now pale. His hands were trembling and his chest was heaving. His eyes though. His green, emerald-like eyes were still warm and sparkling. I ran to him and in a swift and desperate attempt to feel his body against mine, I jumped on him, embracing his shaking body. He pulled me close to his chest and shut his eyes, resting his chin on my head. His hands caressed my cheeks and my braid. Harry was alive. I was alive. The wave of relief that shook my body caused my knees to buckle beneath me. Harry's arms around my waist stopped me before my knees could touch the hospital floor.

"Fergus.." He mumbled. His voice was hoarse and rough. I pulled away from Harry and ran to the bed in which Fergus lay. I took to examine him and noticed two bullet wounds, one in his leg and the other in his shoulder. He had passed out from the pain and lay bloodied and pale in the mess of the sheets.

The bullet wound in his leg was a clean exit. Good. I would just have to disinfect and patch up the area, but the wound in his shoulder was what worried me. The bullet was still lodged in there. I would have to retrieve the bullet, clean and disinfect the wound, then stitch It up. It would be a tricky process but I assured myself that I could manage.

All troops who I had treated today, I hadn't been able to save. They slipped from my unsteady grasp and into the hands of death. I felt like a failure. I could not let Fergus die. I could not fail Harry.

When Harry took a seat by Fergus' side, I noticed his rucksack on his back.

"Put pressure here," I ordered Harry, pointing to Fergus' leg. He complied and placed two hands against the bloodied wound.

With forceps, I attempted to retrieve the bullet from Fergus' shoulder. Harry's eyes were transfixed on my every movement. On my third attempt, I recovered the bullet in its whole form. The hardest part was over. If Fergus' wounds did not fester now, he would live. Fergus was groaning and moaning underneath my touch.

"Fergus? Can you hear me?" I asked him, disinfecting the shoulder wound before stitching it together. He screamed grabbing onto my arms. With one hand, Harry pushed his friend back down onto the bed, allowing me to finish my handy work.

"I'm sorry..." I trailed off, moving down to the wound on his leg. "This is going to sting." Pushing Harry's hand away I began to clean and disinfect Fergus' wound as he lay shrieking and yelping on the bed. Harry had to hold him down.

An hour had passed and Fergus' wounds were cleaned, stitched and hopefully on the process to healing.

"I think he's going to be okay," I said with a reassuring smile and both Harry and Pete shut their eyes in relief. When Harry opened his eyes, they were on mine. He walked towards me and pulled me to his chest for the second time that day. He brought his lips to mine and kissed me. Our lips melted against one another's, seeking safety in each other's arms.

The hospital had slowed down completely. No more men were coming in. Few soldiers had survived and were being treated by Valerie and the other nurses. Harry, Pete and I sat next to Fergus' bed, watching his chest rise and fall.

"Are any of you hurt?" I asked turning to Pete and Harry. They both shook their heads.

Harry rested his elbows on his knees and dangled his head low between his shoulders.

Walking over to the basin, I wet a piece of thin cloth and walked back to Harry.

"Sit on the bed," I ordered him, and he sat at the far end, near Fergus' feet.

In slow and gentle strokes, I began to clean the thick and dried blood from Harry's face. He opened his legs and I positioned myself in between them, pressing myself into him. He winced every now and then as I brushed over a cut or graze, but kept quiet most of the time. I ran the cloth across his lips which were now returning to their normal pinkish hue.

Harry's eyes met mine and I leaned in to kiss him. Just as I pressed my lips to his, I heard Daisy's familiar screech from behind. She was hysterical and panicked. I pulled away from Harry quickly and turned to face her.