A Partisan's Fight - COMPLETED!

Chapter Fifty-Two

Content Warning: Character Discomfort.

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Mina found her way back to Ruth's home. It was easier to stumble to in the early morning light. It terrified her not knowing what she'd find. Anything could have happened. Markus could have died in the few hours they were gone. Ruth could have decided the man wasn't worth saving and finished the job that had been started by others. She didn't know.

As she approached, Ruth was dumping out a bucket of bloody water. She looked up at her and offered her a tight smile. "Welcome back."

Mina's returned smile wasn't as tight as Ruth's, but it was tense. Her face was just as expectant as her voice. "How is he?"

"He is alive." Ruth nodded her head, holding open the door for Mina to enter. "But we need to move him to a bed. The kitchen counter is no place for him to lie."

Nodding her agreement, Mina allowed the woman to lead the way back to the kitchen. The bruises on Markus's face were more noticeable now having been given the time to appear more. A tear dripped down her face as she heard his wheezing breathes and took in the blood seeping through the bandages.

She wasn't sure what to say or do. She had never had to deal with someone in this condition before.

"Talk to him." Ruth stood right behind her, drying her hands with a towel.

"I do not know what to say." Mina's shoulders dropped. When she was angry she never had a problem coming up with something to say, but when she actually needed to talk nothing came to mind to save herself.

Ruth slipped her hands around Mina's shoulders, gently guiding her to Markus. "The words will come to you." With that she left the room.

Mina watched her walk away, following her with her gaze even after she was out of sight. She pulled her focus back to Markus. She wanted to touch him, to reassure him that everything was going to be all right. Fear of further hurting him kept her from reaching her fingers out to him. These feelings were new. It was a far cry from how she felt when they first met.

She choked out a quiet laugh as she wiped away the tear sliding down her face. "You know, this is probably how I would have wished you would have gotten hurt after my father died. Now... now I just wished you would have come home last night like you always do. I could have growled out some complaint to you before handing Hans over for you to hold. Instead, we were up all night trying to find you... trying to save you."

She ran a shaky hand through her hair before crossing her arms over her chest. "Now I will have to go to work exhausted. It was hard enough trying to think straight without you pulling a stunt like this. This is all your fault, you know?"

Groaning, she leaned against the counter facing Markus. "I do not get it. I do not get why I care if you live or die. I hated you. Why did that have to change? I could be getting ready for work right now without any thought as to whether you lived or died. It would be so much easier that way."

She shook her head as she forced herself to look at him again, wishing he'd open his eyes up and look at her. She just wanted him to see how worried she was. Maybe it'd be enough to convince him that getting hurt like this was a terrible idea.

"Ruth?" Mina gently called out. She didn't want to wake anyone in the house. It was time they got Markus to a bed. He deserved to be comfortable, not sprawled out on a kitchen counter looking like someone cut him open.

"Yes?" She quietly sauntered into the kitchen, watching Mina with a lot more calmness then she'd seen on the woman since meeting her.

"Help me bring him to a bed. We cannot wait for Aldrik." Time was ticking by too fast.