Jenny in the Sky

Crutches

After everything had been explained, Jenny fell back against the armchair, and groaned. It was now that she was able to really feel her injuries. There was a dull ache across most of her body, and when she tried to shift her right leg, shoots of intense pain flared up. Her arms were covered in bandages, hiding wounds Jenny could only assume were burns, and there was definitely something wrong with her tailbone. She was swathed in an oversized shirt and trousers, and wondered who it was that had dressed her.

The men were still conversing in low Germen, glancing back to her ever so often, and muttering amongst themselves. Jenny felt panic begin to set in, as she finally realised where she was, and who these people were. Her eyes flickered around the room, as she desperately tried to think back to whether Wilson and Nemo were shot down too, but there were large chunks missing from her memory of the flight.

"What day is it?" she asked. The men paused their discussion and looked at her.

"Friday" said the blond one.

Friday. She'd been gone for three whole days. They would have written her off back home. Perhaps Phyllis and her mother were mourning her. They might have a funeral. The boys would have no doubt been upset, but death was such a staple part of their lives Jenny didn't expect it to hang over them for long. Wilson might have lost his job.

That fact didn't comfort her as much as she expected it to.

But what about her? What was going to happen now? She felt her anxiety rise the longer she waited for the men to finish speaking, until eventually the one who didn't know English and seemed to be in command got up and left, leaving the other with Jenny.

"My name is Nickolaus," he said, extending his hand.

Jenny looked down at her bandaged arms, and then back at him. He seemed to realise his mistake, and hastily retracted his hand, letting it swing by his side. He grabbed a nearby chair, and pulled it over.

"How are your injuries?" he asked.

Jenny frowned. "Not great."

"Of course, of course," he leant back, and looked at her shrewdly. "Let's say we believe this tale of yours. Let's say, you are just a harmless, what is the word, civilian, who got in trouble because of her friends. What are we supposed to do? Send you to a prisoner of war camp? "

Jenny shivered, and pulled her shirt around her tighter.

"That doesn't really work for you, though. Your situation is difficult. You're not a soldier, and you're underage, but you also tried to fly a plane into our territory. I've spoken to my head officer, and he's decided to ask those higher in control what to do. In the meantime, you can recover here. I asked the local hospital to look after you, but they refused. They said you may upset the other patients. They didn't agree with having someone British there."

Jenny began picking at a loose thread on her sleeve nervously.

"You will only be allowed in a few rooms, of course. We don't want you contacting home, especially with any useful information. You are unlikely to run away, not with a fractured leg, so you may walk outside when you like."

So the bone's broken Jenny though, with a sinking feeling. She'd never fractured a limb before, but she knew how long it would take to repair. She didn't want to have to wait months, or even years, before being in any state to return home. That was, depending on what they decided to do with her.

Nickolaus stood up, and opened the door. He shouted something down the hallway, and then turned back to Jenny.

"The men will be having their lunch for the moment," he said "We'll bring you something."