A Girl Out of Place

Chapter 4: Ambushed

She sat across the path outside of the MPs tent. The wooden stool the right size for her average young adult frame. I could see her through the opening of his office door. My personally assigned Military Police Officer, Henry Griffin, shuffled through the new reports. One handed since the other was bandaged and in a sling.

The rest of the military camp had grown accustomed to calling him my personal babysitter behind his back. However, that was meant to insult me. Henry held a lot of respect among the soldiers. He outranked everyone in the camp. Highly decorated he had accepted early retirement at the age of 30. His young age allowed him to have his pick of assignments. For some reason he accepted the, not so cushy, job of my bodyguard. As head Surgeon of he most prominent London Hospital, and a General in the British Military for a Father, this granted me some favoritism.

Oh. I am also a woman and that apparently merits additional protection.

"They want the cuffs back on her." He shuffled through the last of papers.

My jaw tightened, "You can't be serious."

"The Colonel received orders to transfer her while they continue to search for her identity."

"She is a patient, not a spy. Look at her," I motioned again to her across the road. "How can they consider her a prisoner? She's not a danger to anyone."

"She took out five full grown soldiers with her bare hands."

"She saved my life."

"Which is why I've been able to keep her here as long as I have," he sighed. I allowed the pause to linger for a moment as I watched her. A jeep rolled by kicking up more dirt into the air, but she remained still.

"She's just a teenager, with a name the villagers made up." I whispered. Henry stepped up beside me and folded his arms across his large chest. He was much more casual with me when we were alone, a quality I appreciated.

"Actually," Henry picked up the long duffle bag Ryn had carried over her shoulders. He unwrapped the top revealing two rusted sword hilts. On the end spelt in English, R.Y.N. "Apparently they're her initials."

I nodded, "Korean girl. English writing. Are those swords?"

He wrapped them up tight, "possibly antiques."

I shook off the oddity, "But she's very sick."

"Yes, but that's not enough to keep her here."

I rubbed my brow with the palm of my hand. Trying for force any thought to the surface that might keep this young woman from being lost in the sea of bureaucracy.

"I received permission to take her with us." Henry stated. My eyes must have widened to the size of dishes, "We're not headed into a war zone. We're merely going to village to check on a pregnant woman and I suggested that Ryn's doctor recommended a change of scenery could stimulate a new response. Wouldn't you agree?"

I looked at him a bit skeptical. For various reasons, "Your sensitivity is showing."

He scoffed, "I'll be more careful next time," He scoffed. "This is her last chance though. They will transfer her as soon as we return."

I understood. It's better than nothing.

*. *. *.

Private Jeffers drove down the sparsly traveled road to the small village. In the backseat I held onto Ryn's hand as we progressed. The farther we got from the MASH Unit, the more relaxed she appeared. Really the only indication was her blinking became less sluggish, but I counted that as something.

At the appearance of our medical Jeep everyone shuffled out of their homes. We were flooded with children and adults speaking quickly in a language I still failed to understand. The most urgent of the crowd was an older man who directed us to a nearby hut where a young pregnant mother was having contractions. The old man forced all other out of the home and allowed me to examine her in solitude.