Page 18 of The Secrets We Left Behind
“No, help him. His leg seems pretty bad.”
Elise’s stomach churned as she considered what she might be about to deal with, but she tried not to let it show on her face. She forced herself to put one foot in front of the other, wondering whether her measly bowl of hot water was going to do her any good.
“Do you have any medical training?” she asked the soldier.
“No. Do you?”
She sighed. “None. But I’ll do my best.”
“I’m Harry,” he said. “We are part of the”—he paused, grunting as he adjusted his weight—“wewerethe Royal Norfolk Regiment.”
Elise was grateful that he was talking, because it was taking her mind off what she was about to do, although she could hear the rasp of his voice and knew that he must be in terrible pain. “I’m Elise, and that’s my youngest sister Adelaide out there.”
Speaking of Addy, what was taking her so long? There must have been more blood ingrained into that doorstep than she realized.
“Were you really thinking about leaving us out there?” He hissed out a breath as he adjusted himself, and she winced for him, hating that he was hurting so badly. “After what you saw them do to us?”
Elise bristled. “And here I was thinking you were about to thank me.”
He dipped his head then, and she hoped he had the good sense to keep his mouth shut.
“I just didn’t expect a woman to turn away injured men. Especially Allies.”
This time she did more than bristle. “I’ll have you know that the life of my sister, and protecting her, is more important to me than anything else in this world. So instead of judging me, how about you thank me and then sit quietly.”
His nod told her that he’d heard her, and she took a deep breath and refocused. There was so much Elise wanted to know, wanted to ask, but after their little exchange, she decided to sit on her questions until later. She was curious to know how they were still alive. Had they been hiding elsewhere or had they just miraculously survived the slaying outside the barn? Where was the German army stationed now? And what had happened to the French army?
But instead of asking, she dropped to her knees in front of the other man, hoping he could tell how badly she wanted to help him. In between his rantings he was moaning,groaningas he moved, big tears raining down his cheeks. She’d never seen a man look so broken; not even her father had looked like that when her brother had died.
“Soldier, I’m going to roll up your trouser leg and take a look,” she said, in the softest voice she could muster. “I’m going to see what I can do for you.”
“His name’s Peter,” Harry said. “I think his leg might be badly broken.”
Elise carefully lifted his trouser leg, fast realizing that she was either going to have to cut the fabric off or figure out a way to get him out of his pants. The sight that confronted her was heartbreaking, and as she stared at his lower leg, she felt the most helpless she’d ever felt in her life.
No wonder his foot had been dragging. She stared in horror at the piece of bone sticking out from his lower leg, jagged and sharp. Elise sucked in a breath, hands hovering, not knowing what in God’s name she was supposed to do.
“You were right about the break,” she said, her voice low as she angled her body for Harry to see past her, forgetting her anger toward him. “It’s bad.”
Peter was moaning and still mumbling to himself, and Elise was loath to touch him, knowing that whatever she did was going to cause him so much pain.
“How’s it all going in here?” Addy’s warm, sunny voice was at odds with the gruesome sight Elise was still staring at, and she stiffened as she felt her sister standing behind her.
“What the ...” Addy gasped, before making a sudden retching sound and turning around, one hand on her stomach and the other covering her mouth.
“He has a very badly broken leg and we’re going to have to do something to keep it still,” Elise said, trying to sound like she knew what she was doing even though inside she was floundering. “Addy, is the doorstep clean?”
“Yes,” Addy called back from the kitchen.
“Well, wash your hands and pull yourself together then,” Elise said. “I need another pair of hands in here.”
She wanted to walk away and vomit herself; she’d never had to deal with anything like this and she’d never felt so physically sick before either, but they’d opened their home to these men, and that meant they were as good as responsible for them. If she had to go for help, it would mean involving someone else, and she couldn’t risk it.
“Am I right that you need help?” Harry asked.
She fixed him with her stare, not liking his tone. “The last thing I need is you collapsing in a heap, so you just stay put.”
He nodded. “Fair point. But can I ask you something?”
