A Partisan's Fight - COMPLETED!

Chapter Thirty-Eight

I wasn't sure if I should put a warning for this chapter or not. In any event, if you're squeamish of blood or visualize things as you read then the first few paragraphs are a bit graphic. My apologies in advance! Love you guys! Enjoy :)

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Washing his hands, Aldrik glanced up at Mina. She still hadn't regained consciousness. He wasn't surprised though. It was going to be a long night. As soon as he dried his hands off, he grabbed a needle and thread. The baby hadn't been very big, in fact he looked to be weeks early from his size, but the trauma had been enough to tear Mina.

He was thankful she was unconscious for the application of stitches. It was hard to tell what he was doing, fixing wherever it looked to be bleeding out of the norm. The lighting wasn't good and he didn't have help, but none of that deterred him. He'd do what he could to help his friend, and if that meant getting a little up close and personal — stepping out of his comfort zone — then so be it.

Finishing up, he cleaned her the best that he could before covering her with a loose fitting sheet and patchwork quilt. He walked over to the side of the bed. Bending over her, he carefully felt her forehead. Scraping the hair out of her face he whispered, "You are going to be okay, Mina. Your baby is okay too."

He knew she could hear him. It was just a matter of if she was listening. He'd done all that he could do for her at this point. Giving her one final look, he pulled his way out of the room, finding his way to a shelf in the nearby bathroom.

He pulled a small jar from the hand carved shelf and clasped it tightly. Meperidine. She was going to need the pain-killing narcotic when she woke up. He might as well be prepared with it. He'd nearly gotten caught stealing it from the containment camp infirmary, but even weeks ago when he had been taking it he knew that they'd need it eventually. The risk had paid off.

Holding the glass jar tightly, he brought it back into the room. Setting the bottle on the nightstand, he sighed at Mina's still figure. "You better be okay, Mina."

First Lotte, now possibly Mina. He couldn't deal with that loss. He wouldn't accept it. He couldn't lose the woman he loved, then his best friend. It would be too much of a blow. Too much of a change for his mind to comprehend. He'd watched Mina lose her brother, lose her mother, lose her father, forced to kill her fiancé. She'd barely blinked when she'd pulled the trigger. He wasn't nearly as strong as her. She'd barely pulled through everything, biting and clawing her way to the surface to survive. He knew he wouldn't be able to do that. If her life ended so would his.

He pushed the negative thought from his mind, focusing on what more he could do. There wasn't anything more though. The only thing left was to be patient. To wait for her to awake.

Cautiously, he left the room to check on Markus. He hadn't made his way back to bother him so things must be going all right. Approaching the living room, he could make out the relocated furniture. Markus had pushed the chair in front of the fireplace. He was cuddling the baby close; a bottle that Armina had graciously given them was in his hand. The baby was sleeping peacefully.

Glancing up, Markus barely acknowledged Aldrik before refocusing on the baby. "He was hungry so I found that goat's milk that the neighbor gave us. It took a little bit, but finally he started to drink it."

"Smart thinking." Aldrik stared at the baby. He could all ready see pieces of Mina in the youngster's face. Overall, the small thing looked very comparable to his mother. There was no doubt that he was her baby.

"How is Mina doing?" Markus's expression was one of pure, legitimate concern. He even paused his rocking as if that would hinder Aldrik's response.

"Honestly, I do not know. I think she should be alright, but I have never dealt with complications in this situation before." He rubbed his face, not fully ready to deal with the fact that things might not be all right.

"What kind of complications?" The question was relevant and should have been expected, but it threw Aldrik over the edge. He was barely holding it all together.

"She lost a lot of blood, Markus! Obviously there was some kind of a complication. I am not a doctor! I never claimed to be! I am only doing what I know to do." He tried to slow his quickening pulse, pulling his panic under control.

"Hey, calm down. It's going to be all right, Aldrik. She's going to be fine." Markus stood up, advancing toward the man slowly. It didn't take much to recognize the worry in his eyes.

Aldrik sighed, taking a step back. "I am sorry. I just need some air."

"You need rest. You look exhausted." Markus's worry didn't seem to dissipate from his voice. He looked ready to give orders.

Aldrik wasn't sure he liked that. Granted, maybe Markus giving orders was what he needed right now. The man had proved to be trustworthy. He couldn't forget that. Maybe he just needed to take a step back to recollect himself. Nodding, he sighed again. "You are right. We have to be up in a few hours to head out. Are you going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine. I'll make sure the neighbor can stay with them. Are you sure we should be leaving before we know what's happening?"

"We do not have a choice. If we are found to be insubordinate then we risk not only our lives, but also this mission. We do not have a choice, Markus, we have to work." He hated to admit the need, but there were no other options. There'd be harder choices than this in their future. He had to be able to leave someone behind for the greater good. In this case, he'd be able to come back and see how Mina was doing at the end of their shift. In the future, that option might not be so easily available.

"Then get some rest and I will take care of what needs to be figured out." Hearing him so calm reminded Aldrik of just hours ago when Markus had been less than calm. Panicky might have even been the right word for him. Something had changed in his demeanor the second he had that baby in his hands.

That thought reminded Aldrik of the conversation he'd tried to have with Mina not so long ago about Markus's changing feelings toward her. He nodded again toward the man before staggering toward his room. The feeling hadn't been off. Worrying about Mina had been a given for both of them, but having a complete demeanor change over taking care of her baby was something. It might have been a small something, but he knew he wasn't off on his assumption. Markus did have feelings for Mina. Perhaps the baby was a way to tie them together subconsciously. He couldn't shake the feelings. Wasn't sure how to feel about it either. He couldn't help but not like it, yet if it got their jobs done and they were all happy who was he to stand in the way? It was all too much to think about. He had enough other things on his mind. He needed rest.