A Partisan's Fight - COMPLETED!

Chapter Thirty-Six

"She's been gone too long." Aldrik stood up abruptly. They'd been waiting for hours for Mina's return. It wasn't like her to be this late. "One of us should have gone with her to run those errands."

Markus sat in a chair toward the outer edge of the room. He wasn't sure what to think, other than that Aldrik was right. She'd been gone for too long. It didn't feel right. The air had been starting to warm up, but not enough to not worry about frostbite and hypothermia. It was hard not to have at least a little fear for the woman's life. He got up from his chair and walked over to the coat hanger. "I'm going to go look for her."

"No." Aldrik spoke sharply. "If someone stops you there's to much of a chance for them to detain you. It shouldn't happen, but I am not about to take that risk." He grabbed his coat and pulled it on quickly. "I will go and look for her. The dog'll find her."

As if knowing he was being spoken about, the dog jumped up from his spot in front of the fireplace. He walked over to the front door and sat down in anticipation. The burning fire accented the dog's random tan markings and made his black fur glow. He looked every ounce the fierce protector they've come to clearly recognize.

"Stay here. Wait for her." The command was all too stern and obvious, but Aldrik didn't seem to notice. Or care.

Nodding, Markus watched him leave the house. He'd do as he was ordered. He hated to admit it, but he was a bundle of nerves too. He was used to her being home at a certain time. Used to her being around. What if something really did happen to her?

Shoving his hands through his hair, Markus went back to sitting in his chair. He picked up a paper next to it and began reading it. He wasn't fluent enough to fully understand all of the German words, but he was able to depict most of them. Parts of the news tried to keep things upbeat with what Hitler was doing to create a better country. Other parts reminded him of the terribleness of the war — a bombing here, a victory there.

He sighed, tossing the paper back to the floor. It only entertained him for a short period of time before he stood up and began pacing in front of the fireplace, hands cupped behind his back. He stayed in that position, pacing and pondering, for hours.

He didn't know how much time had passed by. He really hadn't been paying attention. Until someone knocked on the door. He was immediately pulled out of his thoughts. His heart was racing as he took the necessary steps to get to the door. Swallowing hard, he reached for the doorknob and swung the bulk of a door open.

A small frame with a rounded belly caught his attention crumpled up on the doorstep. He moved outside. It took only a moment to notice someone walking away quickly.

"Hey! Hey! Get back here!" Markus yelled at the figure. He could see him turn briefly to glance back at him, but he couldn't make out any distinguishing features of the being's face. It was too dark. It took only a half a second to make the decision of either running after the figure or scooping up the body in front of him. Mina meant more than finding out who brought her there. He reached down and wrapped her up in his arms. Even with being pregnant, she was light to carry.

"Come on, honey. Let's get you inside." He breathlessly whispered, carrying the bundle into the warmth. He kicked the door shut. He could feel her stirring in his grip, but he wasn't about to set her down anywhere but in a bed where she'd be safe and sound. Somewhere where he'd be able to keep an eye on her.

She moaned in his grip, snuggling in closer to his warmth. She felt cold, yet her forehead felt like it was on fire. He brushed a few strands of hair out of her face as he laid her down in the warm bed. It took only a moment to grab an afghan at the end of the bed and pull it up over her.