Stars

Chapter 36

The fight was won almost as quickly as it was started. With no rangers left, Isabella ran down from the attic to her friends. She embraced Ben, a feeling she had been craving for months. How she wanted to stay in his arms forever.

"Where's Abe?" She asked, breaking away from the hug.

"Oh god." Caleb said, thinking the worst.

"I'm sure that didn't happen. I'll go look for him." Isabella offered. She began walking towards the beach where the rangers probably came from.

As she made her way down to the beach, he came running back.

"Abe! What are you doing?" She shouted at him.

He simply held his neck with one hand and the bag of money with the other.

She understood immediately. "Let's get you back to the wagon." She put her arm around him to keep him stable.

When the two rejoined the others, Ben looked concerned. "What happened, Abe?"

"I chased down the ranger that took the money and he almost killed me." Abe kept out the part where an unknown man killed him because he was afraid people would think he was crazy.

"We'll get some rest in the wagon and we'll take you back to camp where you can get treated properly." Ben said.

Ben and Isabella helped Caleb into the wagon and then did the same for Abe. Abe eyed the body of his father that was covered by a tarp and closed his eyes.

Isabella hoisted herself onto the back of the wagon and Ben locked it all up so nobody would fall out.

He took his place on the bench and nudged the horses to go. Soon, Isabella would be back at camp. Never had she missed camp so much.

~~~

The wagon steadily rolled into camp and Isabella was immediately taken away from her friends and to her tent where she could be treated. She didn't plan on telling anybody what happened to her in that prison but Anne forced it out of her.

"Oh you poor girl," Anne said, hugging her.

"Please, don't tell anybody. Please. Especially not my uncle, Hamilton, Lafayette, or Ben." She begged the older woman.

Anne sighed, "I won't. But don't make a habit of me keeping secrets."

"I won't, Anne, I promise."

Anne finished bandaging Isabella up and left her tent so that she may have visitors.

Her uncle was the first to visit. It was exactly what she expected. I scolding for running away and then him telling her how glad he was that she was okay.

Then came Hamilton and Lafayette. They were overjoyed to have her back and she was happy to see them again. They vowed that they would make the British rats pay for what they did to her.

Just when she thought the one person she wanted to see wasn't coming, she heard a knock on the wooden post of her door. "Isabella, it's Ben. May I come it?"

"Of course," She said. She placed her hair expertly so it wouldn't show her bruises and cuts.

"How are you doing?" He day at the edge of her cot. She moved so that she was sitting next to him and he put his arm around her.

"I'm alright. I can't be as bad as Caleb. How is he?"

"You are the most selfless person ever... and Caleb is doing just fine. The doctor said the medical attention you gave him probably saved his life."

Isabella smiled and looked down. Ben put his fingers under her chin and tilted her head up so they were eye to eye.

He placed his lips on hers and pulled her closer. The two kissed passionately. Ben broke away from the kiss and muttered "God, how I've missed you."

Isabella kissed him back but gasped when he moved his hands up her back to the cut Anne had just bandaged.

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" He asked, worriedly.

"No, no don't worry." She responded too quickly.

"Isabella are you hurt?" He said with authority.

"No." She said back with equal authority.

He didn't believe her. At all. He moved her hair out of the way to expose the small cuts and bruises all over her neck and back. He uncovered the section of her back that Anne bandaged.

"What did they do to you, Bella?" He asked, worry evident in all of his features. "Did they... take advantage of you at all?" He asked gently.

Isabella stayed silent and willed the tears not to flow. She didn't want to tell Ben they didn't and lie to him but she didn't want him to worry.

"They did. Didn't they?" He asked and stated all at once.

The tears came. Isabella couldn't hold it back anymore. She nodded and threw herself into Ben's arms. He hugged her to his chest and kissed the top of her head lightly.

"I will never let another bad thing happen to you as long as I live. Isabella Washington, I love you more than words can express and with every power in me, I will keep you safe." He said to her as he continued to comfort the woman he loved.

"Thank you, Ben. I love you. I always have and it was idiotic of me to ever leave you. You mean the world to me and the months I spent without you were more painful than the days I spent in that prison." She admitted.

He held her closer and kissed her with as much passion as he could muster. And she did the same back.