Jimmie approached Ruth and Lucette, and he held his cast-covered arm to his chest as he traveled alongside them. “It appears that the Luftwaffe has set its sight on the British naval evacuation. It’ll likely get worse as we get closer.”
Ruth nodded.
A woman and two teenage girls pushed their way back through the crowd, like fish swimming against a tide.
Jimmie looked at Ruth. “It might be best if you and Aline backtrack to Donges, and then make your way to Toulouse. I’ll carry on with taking Lucette to Saint-Nazaire for medical help.”
“Non,” Ruth said.
Lucette strained to lift her head. “Take Aline.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Ruth said. “We need to stick together, remember?”
“One of the soldiers can apply pressure to my wound,” Lucette said.
Ruth glanced at Aline, lugging her backpack as she walked beside the soldiers at the front of the cart. Her heart felt torn. I don’t want to abandon Lucette, but I need to make sure that Aline is safe.
“It’s all right,” Lucette said. “Go with Aline.”
Ruth struggled to come to terms with leaving her friend, but deep down she knew that she—as well as Lucette and Jimmie—would each risk their life to save Aline. She felt sick to her stomach. “I hate leaving you, but—”
Bomb blasts echoed from behind them.
Lucette flinched.
Ruth turned, while continuing to press her hands tight to the bandage.
Smoke plumes rose from Donges, several kilometers behind them. High in the sky, three German bombers veered around and flew away.
Ruth’s skin turned cold.
The soldiers pulling the cart glanced behind them and quickened their pace.
Aline scurried to Jimmie and walked beside him. “They’re behind us, too.”
“They are.” He put an arm around her shoulder. “It’s going to be okay.”
Aline nodded, despite a fear in her eyes.
Lucette clasped Ruth’s sleeve. “It’s your call.”
Her mind raced as she scanned the area. We’re surrounded on three sides—two by the Luftwaffe and one by the German Army to the north. The river is far too wide to cross, and even if Aline and I made it through Donges, we’ll likely be plagued by air raids on the journey to Toulouse. She considered the choices and, before she changed her mind, she looked at her friend and said, “The enemy has us fenced in. I say we go to Saint-Nazaire and try to board a ship.”
Lucette swallowed.
“We’re out of options, and we need to make sure that Aline is safe and you receive medical care.” Ruth’s chest tightened, and her mouth felt dry. “I’m sorry you won’t see your parents. They’ll understand. I’m sure they would want you—and all of us—to do everything possible to remain safe. You’ll see them again.”
Lucette drew a breath and squeezed Ruth’s arm. “All right—let’s get on a boat.”
* * *
An hour later, they arrived at the harbor. The area was swarmed with tens of thousands of people, the majority Allied soldiers, who were lined up near a dockyard that was partially destroyed by bombs. Ruth had expected to see a large fleet of ships that were loading evacuees. Instead, the harbor contained a mere three vessels.
Two troopships—packed with soldiers standing on their decks—had already departed the docks and were making their way to the Atlantic Ocean. The last remaining vessel at the dockyard was a British hospital ship, covered in white paint and several huge, red cross emblems. While injured soldiers were loaded onto the vessel, three RAF Hurricanes patrolled the sky above the harbor.
“We’re here,” Ruth said, leaning to Lucette.
Lucette, her face pallid, lethargically tilted her head and peered toward the harbor.
She’s getting weaker, Ruth thought. She buried her trepidation and said, “We’re in luck. There’s a hospital ship at the dock.”
“We made it,” Lucette said, her voice faint.
“We did. Try to stay awake.”
Lucette gave a subtle nod.
The cart stopped, and Ruth scanned the masses of troops and refugees in search of a medic and found none.
Jimmie and a few of the soldiers who’d pulled the cart ran to the dock. Minutes later, they returned with a stretcher.
“Lucette,” Ruth said. “I’m going to use a tourniquet to apply pressure over your leg while we transport you to the ship.”
“All right,” she breathed.
Ruth tightened a belt around Lucette’s leg, and the soldiers helped them to place her on the stretcher.
“Thank you,” Jimmie said to the soldiers. “Let’s get her to the dock and loaded—”
