Patriots: Boston

Chapter Fifteen The Miracle

   Slow and tough weeks past. I worked my tail off for the Harolds', and they did not treat me well at all. Philip would stop by from time to time. After a while he got fed up with me for being sour whenever he came by and asked me about my behavior privately.
  "What is your problem?!" He whispered harshly as he pulled me into the kitchen.
  I hadn't told him that he had shot my best friend because I was afraid it would expose who I was, what my father's business was, who Zeb was in relation to me and the rebellion, and who Isaac was. Should I lie or tell him the truth? If he said he was a deserter, why would he shoot at any rebel even if he was in the battle? If he was just saying he was a deserter, he could get us killed for treason!
"Something you did!" I said angrily.
"Something I did?! What have a ever done to you?!" He asked, annoyed.
"You shot my friend at Lexington!" I shouted.
"Really? You knew that boy? It was an accident! I swear! I was being shot at and I fired two shots without aiming!" Philip explained.
"If you're a deserter who doesn't want to hurt anyone, why did you fire?!" I asked angrily.
"I can't blow my cover by being a coward! I have to still look like a soldier! I never meant to hurt your friend. Is he alive?" He asked.
"Well, I haven't heard that he's dead yet. Everyone says he is supposed to die," I said.
"I understand why you're mad at me, Betty. Can you ever forgive me?" He asked apologetically.
"Maybe," I said. "When you stop being a coward and fess up about who you are to your girlfriend who apparently doesn't know!"
Philip just stormed out of the kitchen. Amaka came in laughing.
"Trouble with your boyfriend?" She laughed.
"He's not my boyfriend, he's someone I thought I could maybe trust, and he's a coward," I said sadly.
"You don't need no boy," Amaka laughed. "You are a strong independent woman."
"I don't want him!" I shuttered. "Cordelia can go ahead and have him. Thing is, she's being lied to."
"That all sounds like a bunch of teenage drama that I don't need," Amaka laughed. "Trust me, I've had my share."
Amaka was always my comfort when I went to the Harolds'. She was always so kind and happy no matter how tired or sad she really was. The weeks passed until it was late May. Mrs. Harold would ask for me to come earlier and stay later everyday, so I had no time to see Isaac. Also, my parents were watching me very closely when I was home, so there was no early morning or very late night sneaking out. I never received any news from Doctor Warren's about Isaac.
  "He's probably dead," Zeb would say, "Do you really think the Doctor would send for us just so that we could watch him die, especially with the way you bawl your eyes out every time we see him?"
  I only knew a few things about what Doctor Warren was doing at this time. The siege violence had gotten closer to his place, so instead of having his children come home to him to visit, like they were supposed to, he sent them to live with his fiancé outside of Boston until the fighting stopped and it would be safe. He had not contacted us for anything, and we had not seen him in the streets lately, mainly because I was always traveling at dawn of in the dark at night.
I missed the excitement of the Sons' meetings and the revolution. I missed Isaac. I missed riding through town and Uncle Tad's fields with him by my side. I missed the fun we used to have when we were young and the war hadn't hit us so hard. But, because I wanted the freedom to have the fun I used to have, it made me want to keep fighting. I just wished freedom didn't come with the price of my best friend, and as much as I disliked to admit it, my love.
The more I thought about the strange change that seemed to happen that night at Uncle Tad's farm the more hopeless I felt. We had almost kissed that night he left for Lexington until my stupid sisters had interrupted it. I was angry at first, but then I thought it may have been for the best. If my parents had walked in on us kissing, that would have been worse. The words we spoke to each other when I had gone to visit echoed in my head, each time breaking my heart more. Occasionally I would let a few tears escape as I worked at the Harold house.
"What's your problem?" Mrs. Harold would scold. "Don't let your tears stain the woodwork!"
Billy would often ask when Isaac was coming back. Every time I began to lose more hope, but still I would say, "Soon."
Dolly would pester me about my always saying "soon."
"You said that last week and he hasn't come back! What day is he coming back?!" She asked me.
"I don't know the exact day," I said.
"Are you lying to us, Liza? Is he never coming back?" Constance asked.
"He might come back," I said. "I haven't heard from him in a while."
  "When people get shot, they don't usually survive. Don't be stupid," Eleanor said.
  "Shut up!" I shouted, filled with rage. "What do you know?!"
  One night came home from work late. It was probably around midnight. I had miraculously gone without being seen by anyone. It was technically illegal to be out past the city curfew time. Zeb was waiting in the shop.
  "When are you going to quit? You seem to come home with more and more bruises every week! You need to get out of that place!" He said.
  "I can't quit. It's not as bad now, and I've made a friend," I said.
  "That British bastard?" Zeb asked angrily.
  "Of course not him! The slave woman in the kitchen is my friend," I said.
  "Still, how many pennies have you brought home since you started working?" Zeb asked.
  "15, 3 per week," I said.
  "That's not enough for the amount of work you do for those awful women!" Zeb said.
"Amaka is doing it for free!" I said.
"Well, Amaka isn't being hit, is she?" Zeb asked.
"No," I said.
"They are treating you worse than they treat their slaves!" Zeb pointed out.
We seemed to have the same conversation every night! This was getting annoying. Yes, I hated work at the Harold house, but I felt like I still needed to help feed my family. It also distracted me from my extreme worry that might actually cause nervous break downs if I was able to think about it 24/7!
"Zeb, we've talked about this before," I said rather calmly.
"And you still won't quit!" He said.
"I'm not quitting," I said. "Besides, they'd just hire and torture another poor servant, quite possibly a slave. Better me than anyone else."
"Liza, they've had other servants before you. They probably quit! That's the best thing to do! Don't inflict yourself with this!" Zeb said angrily.
"I can take it, Zeb. Others can't," I whispered.
"I don't want you to take it, Liza! I want you to be happy! You are not happy in that house, I just know you are not!" Zeb said passionately.
"I'm fine!" I lied.
"Don't go tomorrow, Liza. I'm going to tell your father what happened at tea that day," He said.
"Have fun explaining that you almost got arrested!" I snapped.
"Goodnight," Zeb sighed. "I'm going to bed. You go to bed too."
"G'night," I said tersely.
I sat alone by lamplight. The silence made me realize just how tired and stressed I really was. I felt helpless and scared and just distraught. A tear trickled down my cheek as I stared into the dark of the room for no apparent reason.
Suddenly I heard a shout from outside. There was a loud thud on the front stoop, like something had fallen. I heard a groan. I decided to see what it was. I feared it might be a robber or British soldier, but why would they be at the door of our little general store at half past midnight? I approached the door cautiously with my lantern in hand. I opened it slowly and quietly. I looked down at my feet to see a person, lying at my feet, not moving!
I shined the light in this person, as I was quite shocked. I saw and felt curly light brown hair. I gave the body a poke and flipped it over.
"Oh no! No! Don-" it struggled to say.
Too late! I shined the dying light in the face of this person who had collapsed on my front stoop. I saw my favorite sight that I had not seen in so long. The beautiful deep brown windows to a brave and resilient soul, the soul of my best friend, Isaac North!
"Isaac?" I chocked. "Isaac! Isaac! Is it really you?!"
"Yep," He breathed.
"Oh thank the lord!" I cried, sliding my hand under his head and neck and bringing his upper body close to me.
"Ow, ow that really hurts!" He winced.
"Oh, I'm sorry," I whispered, tears of joy and relief streaming down my face. I set his head in my lap, "How did you get here? You still seem hurt."
"Well, the thing is, I'm not that sick anymore. Doctor Warren had more patients to attend to and then he had to see his children, so I decided I might as well try to go home. It took all day, but I made it," he smiled weakly.
I shined the lantern light around a little. I saw his right arm was still in a sling, and his left leg was still bandaged. There was a wooden crutch lying beside where he had fallen.
  "You didn't hobble all the way here from Doctor Warren's using a crutch on your left arm and hopping with your right leg, did you?!" I asked in disbelief.
  "Yes, I did. That's why it took all day," he said, looking up at me. He wiped a tear out of my eye. "Why are you crying? Aren't you happy to see me?"
  I lost all control. I started full out sobbing. "I-I just can't believe you're here and h-how you hobbled all the way across town like this! Last time I saw you you were inches from death and I've just been s-so worried about you! I-it's a m-miracle!"
  "Well, you don't need to cry about it. Girls are weird," he whispered, trying to tease.
   I shined the light a little nearer to his face so I could see it better. Really, he had tears from his eyes too.
  "Am I hurting you?" I sobbed, smiling.
  "No, not anymore than it already hurt before," he breathed.
  "I don't think you have any right to make fun of me for crying," I smiled.
  "Alright, you caught me," he smiled, stifling a sob. "I thought I'd never see you again!"
  "I thought the same thing! It killed me to think that though!" I cried.
  "I would have never forgiven myself for never telling you something very important!" He sobbed, but still smiling.
  "What is this?" Zeb called from up above.
  I looked up to see Zeb leaning out the loft window right above us. "Liza, are you mental? Who are you talking to?!"
"Isaac!" I whispered loudly.
"Alright, you are mental," Zeb shook his head.
  "No, I'm really here!" Isaac called up.
  "Oh my god!" Zeb breathed. "Liza, I hear him too!"
  "He's really here!" I laughed, still crying.
  Zeb climbed down from the loft and ran out the ought he store. He stopped in his tracks to see both of us on the front stoop.
  "Isaac," he breathed in shock.
  "Zeb! It has been so long since I've seen you!" Isaac coughed.
  "You scared us half to death, kid! Are you seriously here?! Are you alright?! How did you get here?!" Zeb asked laughing half maniacally.
  "Miracles!" I sobbed out of pure joy.
  Zeb bent down and hugged the both of us. It was the first group embrace we had had in forever. Nothing felt better than Isaac's good arm wrapped around my shoulder and Zeb holding our faces to him, our tears wetting his shirt. He didn't seem to care.
  "I-I don't even know what to say!" Zeb shouted in ecstasy.
  "Shh! My parents!" I shushed him.
  "Right! Parents! Oh god! Um, inside!" Zeb said, his brain obviously scattered.
  "Zeb, he still can't walk," I whispered.
  "Oh, right, come here, we'll try to get you up into the loft, Isaac," Zeb said.
  "Be careful, he's fragile," I warned.
  "You two are talking about me like I'm a priceless piece of crystal or something!" Isaac laughed.
  "You can't even be compared to something like that!" I cried. "We spent so much time fearing your death, if I was crazier, I would just k-"
  In my heart I wanted to try again with that kiss we almost had the night before the whole saga began. However, I felt now was still too soon and sudden, and it might ruin our moment of pure joy, so I didn't.
  "Wow, alright, Liza," Zeb laughed. "I'll try hoist you up the ladder, Isaac. Liza, you pull him up at the top. Then we'll get you up into bed and you can rest. Ready? Go!"
  Zeb lifted Isaac up carefully, much to Isaac's discomfort. Last time we had done this he was unconscious, so he didn't know it was happening. Now he seemed embarrassed. Zeb and I just laughed. I room the crutch inside and scurried up the ladder to the loft. Zeb carried him up the ladder and I held him steady on the last rungs. We got him into bed and flopped into the bed ourselves. I don't think we had ever been happier in our lives, even though we had no idea how Isaac was here with us right now, and in better health! I had one explanation: A Miracle.