Lucilla--NaNoWriMo2014

Chapter Thirty-Three

American Army ambulances brought Mark and Lucilla down to the beach at Anzio, where they had established a make-shift hospital for the few casualties the army had sustained on the first day.

Now and then an artillery shell from one to the few German units in the area would explode here and there on the Anzio beach.  Army medics sat Mark and Lucilla down side by side and hooked up plasma to make up for their loss of blood.  Nurses and doctors worked fast in order to stop their bleeding.

Mark and Lucilla were in and out of consciousness when he looked up and said,"Doc, are not the American army units not moving off the beach and into the countryside?"

"No, the doctor said, "we are consolidating our defenses here on the beach first, and then the general says that we will go into the attack mode."

Mark held onto to the doctor.  "Doc, I warned headquarters that the General Kesselring has enough forces at Cassino, and he will not need to remove soldiers from there.  He has enough forces north of Rome.  He can have us surrounded by the day after tomorrow."

"It can't be helped," the doctor said.  "Let us fix up you and your wife, and then we are going to evacuate the two of you to Naples."

"Doc, get ready to be overwhelmed with casualties after tomorrow.  Those mountains and hills inland will be crawling with Germans.  They are going to rain death down here and turn this place into a quagmire."

The doctor took his hand.  "We are indebted to you and your wife have done.  We are going to get you both out of the war zone."

Mark and Lucilla were evacuated to Naples while the United States Army at Anzio were surrounded on three sides by the powerful German forces, who rained havoc for five months.

Mark and Lucilla recovered from their war wounds and were retained in Naples, given clerical jobs that helped the war effort. After months the Allied forces in Italy broke through the circle of Germans around Anzio and moved in the direction of Rome.  With the Americans behind them. General Kesselring pulled forces out of Cassino just at the time the Americans, British, Indian, and French forces were breaking through.

Rome was liberated on June 2, 1944.  The Allied invasion of Normandy, France, took place on June 6, 1944.  The war would go on in Europe for nearly another year.  Japan would finally sign their surrender aboard the American Battleship Missouri with American General Douglas MacArthur officiating.

At last Mark and Lucilla sat under an awning beside the  Ristorante Pizzeria Lo Zodiaco on the Isle of Capri.

"At last, Lucy, I have kept my promise."

"Oh, Mark, I did not believe you at first.  I believed that you would promise me anything just to get my help."

Mark reached his hands for Lucilla's.  "Tomorrow we will travel around to Marina Piccoli and begin our search for your time portal. From what you have told me, we may be able to find it even if any nearby houses in those days are no longer here."

"Oh, Mark, will you come with me back to Old Rome?"

"Are you sure that it is safe, Lucy?"  Mark kissed her hands.  "Emperor Commodus will be alive for another six or eight years in your time."

"If you are with me, Mark, I am safe.  Always. It is possible that no one will recognize me here, or they will assume that I escaped two years ago.  Either way, they will not be looking for me.  I still have my gold coins, which should be worth a small fortune in my time. We shoud be able to get safe passage away from Capri.  If I can contact friends, then they may be able to sell my late husband's estate.  That should give us a good life until my brother is assassinated."

"Lucy, you could also stay with me.  Let me take you to New Jersey with me. My family will love you.  You could be a historian, an expert of Roman times.  Think of it.  You can tell people things that serious scholars are dying to know.  You could work with me at the college."

"Let this not be our last night together, Mark."

"I never thought two years ago that I would feel this way.  But it is almost impossible to imagine life without you."

"Mark, I promise this.  Your God shall be my God. Wherever. I have always believed that this world did not just happen.  But the gods of Olympus and the ones we gave Roman names to have been an embarrassment.  They have come down to earth and have made trouble for humans.  They are not gods worthy of worship.  They never died because they never lived."

"Lucy, are you thinking what I am?"

"Yes, let us enjoy our love once more before tomorrow."

The next morning Mark and Lucilla took a boat ride around the island to Marina Piccoli.

"Mark, this is the old way to Villa Jovis, where I was living in exile.  There was a small village about half way up the slopes. They were on terraces.  Is this the place where we boarded a boat that took us out to meet the airplane?"

"Yes, Lucy.  I must have carried you a quarter of a mile down to the beach here."

They climbed higher.  Lucilla pointed to a ruin.  That is the place where Nerva lived.  That means the portal should be here somewhere."

Lucilla walked up to Nerva's old house with Mark following.  She then looked down toward to the the sea.  There were two rock near together.  "That is it, Mark!"

They ran to the rocks.  Lucilla then paused and took a scared breath. She then hugged Mark.  "I don't know what to do."

"Can you test it?"

Lucilla placed her hand into what she hoped was the portal.  Her hand disappeared as it entered the portal.

"Mark, this is it."

"Yes, Lucilla, this is it!"   A arm to the back of Mark's head rendered him unconscious.

There stood Petronius dressed in his Roman centurion armor once more.

"I hope you like my new but old look, Lucilla."

"You betrayed me, Petronius.  You killed my daughter.  Now you may have taken the life of the man that I love."

"Lucilla, take me through the portal with you, and I will let you go."

"What is to keep you from killing me after you cross back into our time?"

"This time it will be different.  We can go away together."

"No, Petronius."

"If I have to kill you and hold onto you and force you in ahead of me, it is what I shall do."

Petronius reached for Lucilla just as Mark was becoming conscious.  His stirring caused distracted Petroius.  As he looked back around at Lucilla, she had grabbed a rock and crushed it against his head.

She then helped Mark to his feet.  He looked at Petronius lying prostrate.

"Help me with Petronius."  She and Mark then held onto Petronius and pushed him unconscious throught the portal.  "I can handle him on the other side."

Lucilla then turned to Mark and embraced him.  They shared a long kiss.  Then Mark released her.

"Lucy, I love you. But it is up to you to tell me how you wish to spend the rest of your life.

Lucilla stood for an eternity.  She thought of Mark, the new Italy, her old world.

"Mark, I have made up my mind."