A Partisan's Fight - COMPLETED!

Chapter Twenty-Eight

He was right. Mina couldn't argue that her body was fighting a battle of remaining healthy. A battle of growing the infant inside of her. It angered her with how useless it made her feel though. She wasn't some helpless woman that needed to be lying around and relaxing all day, every day. She had a mission to complete. She had a purpose. And she had lives to save.

Her swollen ankles couldn't take her any further down the sidewalk. She let herself lean against a wall and slide to the ground. She didn't care if someone saw her. Nobody would stop. They'd be too afraid of messing with the order of some invisible law.

Dusk was all ready quickly approaching. She hated being out past dark. Things happened when the light of day went out. She didn't have anyone with her to protect her. It was just her lonely self. She had the baby, but what good was a being that she didn't feel, hear, or see.

"Ma'am? Ma'am, do you need help?" A woman bent down to her level.

Mina shook her head, not bothering to look up at the woman. She had no need to make friends. No need to be poisoned by someone's opinion that was inevitable in coming forth. "I will be fine. I am just resting a bit."

The woman turned to walk away. Mina watched her shoes begin to leave her, but to her surprise they stopped and turned back toward her. "Do you not have a man to call? Or at least a friend? I have a phone back at my home."

Mina finally looked up, spite radiated from her gaze. She appreciated Aldrik, maybe even Markus to a degree, but they weren't helping her accomplish what she needed to do. They were hindering her. "Men do little to help me at this point. A man is the reason I am in this place to begin with."

The woman eyed up Mina's belly. "You know, a child is a wonderful gift."

"A child is a wonderful gift when it is a gift from someone that you love. It shouldn't be a punishment from something a woman has no say in." She was speaking out of term and she knew it, but no amount of fear could hold her tongue back.

Staring at her for a long moment, the woman reached down for her arm. "Come on. Get up. I am bringing you back home until you can walk home on your own. I only live a few blocks away from here."

"What? No!" Mina snapped yet allowed herself to be pulled up.

"I think you need someone to hear you. I will be that listening ear." The woman slid her arm around Mina and gently led her down the broken sidewalk. "My name is Armina Engel."

"My name is Mina Zw... Mina Sauer." She nearly slipped up. She preferred her maiden name to that of her treacherous ex-fiancee's, but it didn't mean she wasn't smart enough to take advantage of it. She felt like she should feel uneasy, but there was something in the way this Armina carried herself and spoke that made her feel like home. She was in the presence of a friend.

"Mina." Armina seemed to be pondering the name. "Is that short for Wilhelmina?"

Nodding, Mina allowed her body to lean upon the woman for support. It helped to take off the edge of trying to walk. The movement hurt, but she wasn't above not swallowing the pain. It was just another test of her strength, and one that she wasn't about to fail.

"Mmm, I thought so. It is a beautiful name. I am guessing that you are coming close to term? Six or seven months along perhaps?" Her words flowed casually. She asked the questions politely, but there was an air about her that demanded she be answered. It seemed to be a leadership skill, one that Mina knew she needed.

Forgetting how much she disagreed with Armina with how beautiful her name was, Mina's eyes widened. "I...I do not even know." She hadn't thought about the timeframe. She'd tried her hardest to forget the terrible memory. The idea that the only way to remember when her due date should be is to relive the awful moment was nauseating. Her sweet revenge days later was the only thing that made the thought bearable, but how would she tell her child what she did to his father? Swallowing, she vowed that she'd never speak of the gruesome act with the youngster. "I... I barely knew the man. He followed me one night and forced himself in me. I... I could not fight him."

"I am sorry, Mina. Men can be horrible beings." She gave her a sad a smile. "There are some good ones out there though."

She couldn't fight the sigh or the briefest smile. "I know. There are a few good ones out there."

"Was the man imprisoned? Justice served?" She didn't look at Mina, just held her close as they walked. She seemed to have other thoughts on her mind. It was like she wanted to hear the answer to decide whether or not to talk to Mina about something deeper.

"No." Mina couldn't hold back her opinion. "But he got what he deserved."

Armina squeezed her shoulder and pulled her to a stop. "This is my home."

The house wasn't anything special. It reminded her of Aldrik's, just a little smaller. It was perfect for a single woman or a small family. Mina allowed the woman to take the lead. She was fully capable of following behind her even if it was a struggle.

"Do you live alone?" Mina knew the question was a bit impulsive, bordering on the rude side, but she wanted to know.

"I do live alone, but rarely am I alone." She looked back with a smile, opening the door as she spoke. "There is always someone stopping by, or that I am bringing home. We women need to stick together in times like these."

Briefly flashing a smile, Mina followed her into the building. She hadn't spoken her agreement, but it didn't take more than a few seconds for her to turn to Mina with a comment.

"You stay silent, but am I wrong to assume that you also agree that women should have more rights?" There was an intensity in her eyes that demanded the truth. She quickly looked away as if needing to hide the expression, or, at the very least change it. "Excuse my blunt question. I have yet to know where you stand on that topic. I was speaking out of term. I apologize."

"You do not need to apologize." Mina offered quickly. The question had taken her a bit by surprise, but she would have answered it willingly. She had an opinion on where she stood and, given the circumstances, she wasn't afraid to share it.

Swallowing hard, the woman quickly pulled a chair out from the table. "Here, here. Sit down. You look exhausted."

Limping over to the wooden chair, Mina took her place on it. She watched Armina hurry to a seat adjacent to her. It felt good to sit and be off her feet. It reminded her of Markus's words earlier in the day. He was right. There was no denying that she needed to rest more. It still angered her that both men had been talking behind her back. She met Armina's curious gaze, passion flowing from her with every word she spoke. "I am for women to have more rights. Men should not be allowed to make all of the decision and put us in a place where we get in trouble for having a simple opinion. You are not wrong, Armina, I am for our freedom."