The Lost Princess [Hamliza Anastasia AU]

Chapter Twenty Six: Follow The Train Tracks

Thursday, March 10, 1927. New Jersey. 

Beth hit the ground and rolled several times, John counted to three to ensure he didn't land on her, then jumped. The ground was hard, still frozen probably, and it was a painful shock to hit. Remembering what Alex had told him years ago, he took the fall on his forearms and rolled. Snow collected in his curly hair and soaked into his pants, which weren't thick enough to protect him from the wet. When his head had stopped spinning and he got his breath back, John stood up to assess the damages.

No blood or broken bones, thankfully. His elbows and knees were sore and would probably bruise, but he could live with that. Brushing snow off his coat, he looked around for the others. The tail end of the train still cut off his view of Alex and Aaron, but Beth was a few feet away. She was also on her feet, trying to finger comb clumps of ice out of her black hair. It fell partway down her back, and the roll after her fall had allowed a significant amount of snow to collect. 

"Are you ok?" John called to her. 

Beth turned to him.She must have landed on something, because a cut sliced diagonally across her left temple. It didn't look very deep, but it bled heavily and dark blood was smeared across her cheek. Despite it all, though, she grinned. "I'm perfect. We're finally out John! No more New York. No more communism!"

"No more King George!" Someone whooped, and John turned to see Alex and Aaron standing on the other side of the tracks. Thankfully, they didn't look too hurt by the fall. Aaron's pants had torn, and one of his knees was scraped and bleeding, but it couldn't have been that bad, because he was smiling. 

Alex must have noticed Beth's injury, because he raced over to her, concern written all over his face. "Are you alright?" He demanded, taking Beth by the shoulders and examining her face closely. "Don't worry. There's a town just up ahead. We can get you to a doctor there."

She laughed and pushed him away. "I'm fine, Alex. All I need is a bandage. Head wounds bleed heavily, you know."

Alex looked at her. "They do?"

"Yes," Beth told him. "I lived with nurses for ten years, remember? Martha was a field nurse during the Great War before she found out she was pregnant again. I know what I'm talking about." Her gaze shifted to Aaron. "Sit down and let me see that." 

"In the snow?" He looked at her incredulously. "It doesn't hurt that bad."

Beth crossed her arms. "In the snow. If there's dirt in that, we have to get it out now."

Aaron grumbled, but he sat, and Beth crouched next to him, examining his knee with a practiced eye. 

"If there's another world war, they should hire her," John commented, pointing to Eliza.

Alex raised his eyebrows. "A second? How would that happen? The Treaty of Versailles destroyed Germany, and the League of Nations should prevent any country from starting a war."

John rolled his eyes. "I didn't say it was realistic, Alex. If it was a possibility, it wouldn't be funny."

"Fair point," Alex agreed, then turned to Beth. "How is he, Doctor Schuyler? Is Aaron going to live? It would break my heart if we made it this far only to see him die on New Jersey soil."

Beth stood and glared at him. "You laugh now. You'll sing a different tune if you ever get an infection. And yes, Aaron's ok. We'll need to get him some bandages at that town you mentioned though."