An air raid siren sounded.
Ruth’s adrenaline surged. “Hurry!”
The soldiers lifted the stretcher containing Lucette and maneuvered their way through the hordes of troops and refugees who were waiting to flee the harbor. Ruth walked alongside, holding tight to the belt around Lucette’s leg, and Jimmie and Aline followed close behind. At the entrance to the dockyard, a BEF soldier stood guard with a rifle.
Luftwaffe planes appeared above the harbor, and machine gun fire erupted from the Hurricane fighters.
People ducked and searched for cover.
“Keep going!” Jimmie shouted to the soldiers carrying the stretcher.
The guard glanced at Lucette, waved for the group to go through, and peered upward at the aerial dogfight.
They made their way down the pier, maneuvering around scores of uninjured soldiers, who appeared to have refused to leave the area after failing to get on a vessel.
A Stuka siren howled, and a bomb detonated in the harbor, fifty meters from a troopship. Water sprayed high into the air. The Hurricanes veered toward the enemy planes and fired their guns.
Ruth’s heart pounded in her chest. “Go!”
The group struggled to push through the crowd, growing denser as they traveled down the pier.
“She’s full!” a young Royal Navy midshipman shouted, blocking the entrance to the gangway. “No more passengers!”
Oh, God. No! Ruth’s legs turned weak.
The soldiers stopped and put down the stretcher. They wiped sweat from their brows and rubbed their arms.
Ruth gathered Jimmie and the soldiers. “We need to get Lucette on board. She’s lost a lot of blood and we don’t have time to wait for another ship.”
“It’s full,” one of the soldiers said.
“I don’t care,” Ruth said. “She’s getting on board, even if I have to carry her myself.”
The soldiers nodded.
Jimmie glanced at the naval officer, arguing with soldiers who were trying to talk their way on board. “We likely have one shot at this. Let’s try to get Aline on board with her.”
“Okay.” Ruth’s mind raced, fighting to come up with a solution. She kneeled to Lucette and loosened the belt around her wound.
Lucette’s eyes met hers.
“We are going to try to get Aline on board with you.”
Lucette nodded and touched her knee, as if she understood what Ruth was thinking.
Ruth carefully ripped away a strip of bandage, saturated with blood. She approached Aline and said, “I’m going to wrap your hand.”
“Why?” Aline asked.
“They’re only taking injured people, and it’s full. We’re going to try to squeeze you and Lucette on board the ship.”
Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes. “What about you and Jimmie?”
“We’ll take the next boat.”
“Non,” Aline cried. “Come with us.”
Ruth shook her head. She clasped the girl’s hand and wrapped the bandage around her left hand and wrist, and then hugged her tight. “Everything is going to work out—I’ll see you in England in a day or two—I promise.”
Aline released her and nodded.
Ruth wiped away the girl’s tears. “I need you to get on the stretcher with Lucette and be still.”
“Wait.” Aline pulled away, and she darted to Jimmie and hugged him.
Jimmie, using one arm, squeezed her tight.
The ship’s horn sounded. Hairs prickled on the back of Ruth’s neck. “We’re running out of time.”
Aline slipped away from Jimmie, took off her backpack, and removed Piglet.
“Please keep him,” he said.
“Non,” Aline said, holding out her hand. “He’s your good luck charm, and he’ll keep you and Ruth safe. If you want, you can give him back to me when I see you again.”
“We need to go,” Ruth said.
Jimmie reluctantly took Piglet and stashed him in his flight jacket.
