Beneath the Apple Leaves(83)

Lily hid her face, the embrace so tender, so protective, that she leaned against a thick tree for support. “Lily.” Andrew’s appeal was nearly inaudible, as he did not want to startle the child in his arm. She looked up and he motioned with his head for her to come closer. “It’s all over now, little one.” He comforted her, repeated, “I’ve got you now.”

Anna sobbed. “They hurt Fritz.”

“Where is he, Anna?”

She pointed to the woods and Andrew could see the shadow of large shoulders and curved back as it rocked between the thorny bushes. He handed Anna to Lily, the little girl wrapping her legs around Lily’s waist.

Andrew ducked deeper into the brush, the thorns catching his shirt and drawing him back. With effort, he reached the giant man who had buried himself within the nasty prickers. Fritz’s shirt was ripped in lines across the back, the bloodied gashes slim and curved. The weapons, a few dripping willow saplings, lay cracked around his hips.

Andrew touched Fritz’s shoulder with no response and inched around to face him. The amount of blood stopped him cold.

Andrew steadied, tried to keep his voice calm. “How bad are you hurt, Fritz?” As if out of a dream, Fritz put his head up, looked at the new face as if he couldn’t put the voice and image together.

“I not hurt.” He shook his head fiercely as he rocked. The body moved back and forth while his head turned from side to side in opposition. “Fritz not hurt. Anna hurt.”

Andrew inspected the bloody face, sighed with relief. The blood stemming from a cut at the forehead hadn’t been wiped away, just left to spread down his eyes and cheeks. Besides that, his lip swelled and a front tooth was missing. Andrew knew it could have been much worse.

“I need you to listen to me,” Andrew said sternly but with compassion.

The man shook his head, rocked into his internal dream.

“Anna is all right,” Andrew assured Fritz. “But she’s scared for you.”

He put his head up. “Fritz not hurt.”

“I know.” He fixed on the man’s eyes so he would understand. “I know. But you have a lot of blood and it’s scaring your sister. Come to the creek and wash up and then we’ll show Anna and she’ll feel better.”

“Make Anna better?”

“Yes.”

Fritz unfolded like a sleeping giant and plowed through the twisted bittersweet to the creek. He plunged his face in the water and shook it hard, reared up and then submerged his face again. He turned to Andrew with dripping face. “Better?”

Andrew nodded. Fritz looked much better, didn’t even seem pained by the lashes on his back. The cut above the brow line began to bleed again. Andrew scanned the low limbs and found one covered in tent worms. He pulled the webbing off and shook off the tiny caterpillars.

“I’m just going to stop the bleeding, Fritz. Might hurt for a second.”

But the man didn’t flinch as Andrew stuck the webs across the cut, clotting the crimson flow instantly. They walked up to where Lily and Anna sat.

“Fritz!” Anna fell on her brother and wrapped her arms around his thick middle.

“Fritz not hurt, Anna.”

She smiled at him, struggled to touch his face, but he was too tall. He bent down low and she looked at the cut and his swollen lip. Her chin quivered. “You lost a tooth.”

Fritz smiled widely. “Like a jack-o’-lantern!” The little girl hugged him harder.

“We should get home,” Andrew recommended. A sudden thought rushed and chilled his cells. The people who had done this might come back. He glanced at Lily, wondered what they’d do to her if heartless enough to steal a child’s wig. The very idea shot fire up his body, the commitment staunch—he’d never let anyone hurt Lily, ever.

Lily gathered Anna by the shoulders, but the girl stepped back. “I can’t go out there,” she cried. “My hair.”

Lily took her handkerchief from her pocket, wrapped the blue square over the bald head and tied it behind Anna’s ears. She held the wet cheeks in her hands. “Better?”

Anna touched the fabric, nodded in confirmation. Lily reached over and pulled Andrew’s handkerchief from his back pocket and tied it around her own head. “Mine’s not as pretty as yours, but I’d say we look pretty good.” She flashed a smile to Andrew. “What do you think?”

He met the lovely faces, one and then the other. “Think you’re about the prettiest women I’ve ever seen in my life.”

In the buggy, Andrew and Lily acted as bookends to little Anna, keeping her still and sheltered between their steady forms. Fritz sat on the backseat, mute and scarred with a memory that his mind couldn’t understand.

“There’s Pieter!” Anna pointed. As they turned the right to their road, Pieter was already coming toward them, his gait severe.

“Let me talk to your brother first.” Andrew stopped the horse and gave the reins to Lily, jumped off the sideboard.

Pieter hurried his pace, no different from a bull charging a red cape. Andrew blocked his way, put a firm hand against his friend’s chest. “Hold on, Pieter.”

He slapped the hand away. “What did those bastards do to my sister?” he shouted as he tried to move again.

“You wait.” Andrew grabbed him harshly by the arm. “They’re scared enough as it is, don’t need you rushing at them. Got to calm yourself first. All right?”