Chapter Thirteen: June Jitters

* “Serena.” He whispered. The languid body that had been lying on the bed beside him stirred, and then Hiiro saw her muscles convulse and become rigid. Her long blonde hair had been let loose out of the knotted bun she usually wore it in, and it fanned about her on the bed and dripped to the floor in a cascade of golden honey. Her pale face was a great deal thinner than he remembered it being, and she seemed a great deal more helpless than he memory served him. Still, there was no mistaking that this woman was her, the woman whom he had traveled time with. Serena.

“Serena.” He tried again. He had seen her response to his voice when she had tensed, but knew she was not coherent enough to understand him yet. “Serena!” He implored her again. She shifted again, and this time moaned.

“Don’t touch me animal…” She whispered.

“Historian!” he tried once more. This time he received a better response.

“Hiiro…” She muttered and barely turned her head in his direction. Hiiro felt the need to stand, to look her in the eye and tell her he was glad she was alive, that he had thought she had died almost three months ago. He wanted to look her in the eyes and thank her again… but if he stood, and the Doctor returned…

“Serena, wake up!” He curtly jolted her into reality.

“Hiiro,” She groaned. “You’re real! I thought…” He could see a tear trail from the corner of her eye and down her thin cheekbone.

“I know what you thought. I thought you were dead too. They think you’re German again.” He informed her, trying with all his might to soften his voice for her. He didn’t want her to be upset, or think he was upset.

“What about…” She whispered.

“Play along. It’s nearly June Serena.” Then the doorknob turned, and Hiiro closed his eyes once more, unable to explain what his words meant. He could only hope she had picked up what he had been thinking.

“June, June…” She muttered. The Doctor immediately dropped his things and walked over to her.

“You’re awake again my dear!” He celebrated. “What about June?” Serena, though groggy, shook her head and switched to German.

“My birthday is in June…” And then her eyes fluttered shut. For a few more moments the Doctor observed her, writing notes in a journal, examining her vitals and the IVs he had attached under her skin. And then he returned his attention to Hiiro, who played that he was just waking from his concussion.

“You’ll be fine.” The Doctor told him sternly as he rapidly and ungently wrapped the few cuts on Hiiro’s body that were still leaking blood. Then the guards were called in, and Hiiro was escorted back to his cell.

As he was thrown in, Hiiro stumbled, but caught himself on the far wall and managed to stay on his feet. Suddenly he felt his arms being supported by both Evans and Nicks. The two men grabbed his arms and laid him down on the one bed they had, telling him to breathe and take it easy.

“You stupid son of a bitch! What were you thinking? ‘Hit me’? Why’d you say that?” Evans shook Hiiro’s shoulders slightly.

“Did they give you anything for pain? If this were a real POW camp, they’d have used the Red Cross supplies… but for some reason I don’t think this one’s even on the map.”

“Just bandages.” Hiiro told them, trying to think of a way to ease their concern over him. They really shouldn’t care about him. He wasn’t what they thought he was, and now that he knew Serena was alive and on the way to recovery, he knew they wouldn’t be staying in the camp much longer.

“Just bandages? Now what was that all about son?” Nicks asked as he used his medical eye to look over Hiiro again.

“Nothing.”

“You started a fight, then stopped it, and then asked them to hit you. That isn’t nothing boy! Private, you answer when an officer is speaking to you!” Evans yelled.

“Yes sir.” But Hiiro’s heart and mind weren’t listening to the two men… they were planning an escape. June was five days away, Normandy eleven. If they left soon, they would be able to make it to Cherbourg with time to spare, but now there was a new question.

Did they really want to be in Cherbourg so near the invasion? No doubt it would be hit hard with the B-17’s and invading forces. In fact, the city would be caught between German occupation forces, the landing parties, and of course, the B-17’s. They would be lucky to survive it if they were anywhere around it. But Hiiro knew he and Serena couldn’t stay here for much longer. He was going to go stark raving mad if they did, and Serena was obviously uncomfortable in the German’s possession.

“Kerry!” Evans shouted.

“What?” Hiiro finally spat back. Pushing the officer out of his face, he stood easily and stalked over to the far corner of the tiny room.

“Boy, are you right in the mind?”

“Yes.”

“You shouldn’t be standing Kerry…”

“I don’t give a rat’s ass what I should or should not be doing.” Hiiro let his temper get the better of himself for a moment. Immediately he regretted it. Only animals could not control their emotions. He was not an animal like these men were, he was better. He was certainly not human, but he was better than the human animals that they were. Finally, not knowing what else to say, Hiiro turned around and let his gaze travel to the forest that was visible through their tiny window.

“Well. I think that’s the first time he’s given us a decent answer.” Nicks shook his head at Evans.

“You’re telling me.”

>>>)(<<<

Serena cracked her eyes open slowly. The first time she had awoken a quick German tongue had been flapping in her face, and she hadn’t been able to keep up with it. The concentration had made her dizzy, and she had immediately fallen back asleep. Then she had woken again to Preventer Zero’s, Hiiro’s, soft voice. The recognition had coaxed her out of her shell, and the slower words and familiar language had been refreshing to hear. But then that same Doctor had appeared in her face, with his outlandish German… ruining the moment of relaxation she had found in the middle of this insane adventure.

Now she was awake for a third time, in three months she gathered from Hiiro, and prayed to whomever was watching out for her well-being that she would be left alone to think this time. Hiiro had been so calm, but she had glimpsed red out of the corner of her eyes, she had seen the blood. They must have been recaptured, and put into a prison camp this time. But they were both alive, and from what Hiiro had said, she gathered he was working on an escape plan already.

But she was so tired… how would she ever be able to keep up with him? The coma that she had been trapped within had not given her rest, as she thought one might. Instead she felt twice as tired as before she had been shot. Her mind could barely keep its facts straight, and she was having trouble switching from her English to German to eavesdrop on the soldiers that were coming in and out of the medical facility she was in. If Hiiro had already planned an escape, she feared he might leave her behind.

No, she decided, he would not. He could have left, she bet, at any time in the last three months if he had wanted. But he had not, he had waited for her to heal and wake up. Why would he leave her now, when she was awake enough to know what was going on? The answer was he wouldn’t. Suddenly Hiiro wasn’t as fearsome, as menacing, as he had once been in her eyes.

In fact, Hiiro was quite the gentleman. He had helped her when she had been sick, held the wolves at bay when they had hit on her, protected her numerous times from danger, helped her escape, and had been rather nice about the whole thing. As a matter of fact, she couldn’t remember the last time he had frowned or growled at her on purpose. It was nice to feel wanted and useful, and to be treated with respect like that. Never had she ever been shown that much respect.

“Is she awake Doctor?” German voices pounded in her ear. Serena had the urge to jump up and smack the man who had spoke, to tell him to be more polite to a wounded human being. But her fear kicked in, and she tensed on the bed, hoping they wouldn’t touch her, poke her, or prod her any more. More than anything she hated being unable to control what happened to her, and here she was, lying helpless on a bed, for anyone to take advantage of.

“No, she’s back asleep. I can’t understand it. She’s only been awake twice since we brought her in, and still, she sleeps as though she hasn’t in years.”

“Maybe being in a coma makes you tired?”

“How could it?” Serena didn’t know, but she agreed with the other man—comas made you tired.

“Well, let’s leave her alone for a while longer. How long until we ship the prisoners out on the train?” Now Serena’s ears perked up, and she hoped she could stay coherent long enough to learn what this was all about.

“We’re shipping the infantry out on the last train tomorrow night, and the air divisions out early the next morning. They’re going to proper camps, and then that afternoon we break camp here and burn it. We’re to move more inland and set up a new facility somewhere near closer to the Rhine Land.”

“Good. I suppose she’ll have to be up by then, but that isn’t a problem yet. I’ll let her sleep another day or so.” The conversation between the men died, but Serena already knew enough information. They were moving the base, shifting camps, and dividing the prisoners up! How would she tell Hiiro? She didn’t know… but… she was getting so… sleepy…and then she yawned for the last time and closed her heavy eyelids, unable to keep awake any longer.

“Serena.” A deep voice rattled her awake in the dead of the night. Gasping silently, Serena shifted wildly on her bed until she felt a strong arm hold her down, and a hand cover her mouth. Only one person knew her name.

“Hiiro.” She whispered into his hand. Quickly he removed it, and she looked up into his shaded face. He must have been kneeling on the floor beside her, and he was looking at her so intently, even through the dark, that she felt a blush rise to her pale cheeks.

“We need to move out. Are you up for running?” Was his quick question. Serena shied back a moment, and then remembered everything that Hiiro had already done for her.

“It doesn’t matter, we have to leave. Tomorrow night they’re taking the infantry soldiers to a train station and shipping you to a different camp. The air divisions are going to leave the next morning, and then they’re going to pack up camp and leave.” She whispered. A fearful headache was coming on, but she could not lift her arms to rub her temples the way she usually did.

“I’ve assumed Kerry’s identity…”

“Kerry from the Ivy division?” She clarified. Hiiro noticed she was having problems concentrating and frowned. Not good, if she didn’t feel well enough to concentrate lying down, how would she do it running? Gently, almost tenderly, he reached a cool hand up and laid it against her feverish brow. She was so warm to the touch…

“Your hands are cold.” She shivered.

“You’re warm.” He contradicted her. But he did feel bad that he was causing her to be cold. He made to move his hand away, but she stopped him.

“No, leave it. It feels good.” She whispered sleepily with a tired and gentle smile.

“Serena, I’ll be back for you tomorrow night. You need to be dressed and ready. You need to be awake. Can you do that for me?” He asked her, his voice wavering just a little with sympathy. He knew how tired comas could leave a person; simply exhausted.

“Alright…” But he knew she was already asleep. Running his hand down her face, he brushed her blonde bags out of her shut eyes and then carefully stood, not wanting to disturb her.

Quietly Hiiro slipped back through the halls of the camp, careful not to be caught by any of the guards, and then back into his own cell. Shutting the door and praying it didn’t creak, he then looked at Evans and Nicks, who were fast asleep.

It had been so easy to unhinge the door and slip out; he didn’t know why he hadn’t done it sooner. Of course, Hiiro knew all about the tunnels that soldiers had tried to dig to get out of the prison, but in his eyes, it seemed a foolish waste of time. Cave-ins, time wasted, not enough room… all disadvantages of digging a way out. Not to mention, the German soldiers were always looking for tunnels and roads out of the prisons—they never bothered to look around them enough to catch a shadow like Hiiro slipping in and out around them.

The problem was, Serena was not nearly as experienced with slipping in and out of places, and she was certainly not in the best shape to learn how by attempting it. In fact, she could possibly be shot if she was caught sneaking around outdoors and no one stopped to look at whom they were shooting at first. He hoped that wouldn’t happen though. Then it would be his fault; he would be responsible for her death, again. Wait. Wasn’t she responsible for it no matter what he did?

Hiiro distinctly remembered telling her, warning her, about the dangers of time traveling and what would happen if everything went wrong. And she had still made the decision to come along for the ride. That made her responsible for anything that happened to her here. But try as he might, Hiiro could not banish the guilty feeling that rotted his stomach through for not better caring for someone weaker and more helpless than himself.

Not that Serena was helpless, no, she wasn’t completely helpless anyway. In fact, she was rather ingenious for surviving this long. Hiiro shook his head trying to clear out his insane rambling thoughts, and then shut his eyes. Sleep… *