Arms of Deliverance

by Tricia N. Goyer

“Eddie, what happened? Where were you?” She folded into his arms, the baby pressed between them. “Oh, thank You, God. I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  His trembling fingers brushed the hair back from her face. “Shhh … we’re all right now. I’ve been following in the distance in a truck Sister Clarence managed to commandeer. She’s a smart one, all right.” Eddie wrapped his arms around her and baby Samuel. “I’m so glad you’re okay too.”

  After a minute, he pulled her shoulders back and looked into her face. “God is watching over us. I know that now more than ever. Not only did we get rid of that officer, but the Germans will no longer be hunting us. They think they got me, Mary. And”—he waved with a flourish at the old truck parked behind them on the side of the road—“we have a vehicle and fuel that will hopefully get us as far as St. Vith.”

  Mary stood and looked at Eddie. “Well, I suppose things did work out … but from now on I’m not letting you out of my sight. I can’t handle this escape business alone.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Lee stood watching the sleek, streamlined press pumping out news stories to be sent to the front lines—updating the boys of the war, encouraging them to keep up the good fight, and informing them to look out for a very important person.

  At least the Germans did something right as they fled this part of Belgium, leaving this beautiful machine behind. Makes our search for Mary easier.

  The scent of paper and ink was heavy in the air. Around Lee, circulation men took the paper as it slid off the rollers, and bundled it. Within the hour, she knew, it would be packed into jeeps and trucks and carried off in the early morning darkness, toward the flickering red of gun blasts in the northern sky.

  And just maybe someone somewhere will have news about Mary. Surely she didn’t simply disappear into thin air.

  Lee pulled one paper from the stack. The top story was written by Donald Miller, telling about his daughter lost somewhere in Belgium.

  “Hey, mister, you can’t go in there!” Shouts emerged from behind, and Lee turned to see a thin man running into the room. His arms were stretched out to her, and his face was set in determination.

  “What’s going on?” She took a step back, and two soldiers who manned the news office caught the man, grabbing him by his arms.

  “No, no!” the man shouted, dragging his feet. “A-mer-ri-ka Sweet-heart. Lee, talk to Lee.”

  Lee cocked her head, unsure if she’d heard right. Yet her heart pounded with hope. She hurried to him. “Sir, what did you say?”

  Instead of repeating himself, the man shook free and unbuttoned his shirt collar. Glimmering on his filthy neck was a gold chain and a pendant from the 1939 World’s Fair in New York.

  Lee took the man’s hand in her own, heat rising to her cheeks. “A woman with blonde hair. She gave this to you?”

  The man nodded.

  “How long ago? Where is she?”

  The man pulled his hand free and hurried to the map spread on the wall. He found Belgium right away.

  “She is here.”

  “Here? She’s here in Belgium?”

  “Yes.” The man nodded, then his brows furrowed.

  “Where, tell me where?”

  He shrugged and looked at her with confusion.

  “It’s the map,” one of the office workers said. “It’s in English. Here …” He hurried to the dusty shelf and pulled out an atlas the man could read.

  The man’s face brightened as he took it and flipped through the pages, then turned to Lee and pointed excitedly.

  St. Vith.

  “St. Vith. Is that where?”

  “Yes, yes. Going there,” he said.

  Lee studied the map. “That’s only thirty miles from here. How long ago was she there?”

  The man looked at her, confused.

  “How long?” she said slower, pointing to her watch.

  He studied her lips, as if hoping she’d say something he’d understand.

  Lee hurried to the calendar on the wall, pointing to December 17. The man nodded his head and smiled.

  “Today? She will be arriving there today?”

  “Yes. Today.”

  He nodded again, unclasping the necklace and holding it out to her. Lee took it in her hand, sure she’d never seen a more beautiful piece of jewelry in her life.

  Lee hurried to find Patrick, who was packing film and other supplies in another room. “It’s Mary! She sent for me.”

  Patrick swung the camera bag over his shoulder and hurried to her side. “Mary? You found her?” He whooped and lifted Lee up in a bear hug. “You’re amazing. I knew you’d find her.”

  “But how did she know where I’d be?”

  “She has you figured out; she knew you’d be in the thick of the action … despite your fears. She’s a reporter, after all. Knowing people is part of her job.”

  The journey to St. Vith was worse than Mary had imagined. Panzer tank divisions filled the main roads, spreading as far as they could see. Thankfully, no one paid too much attention to the small truck weaving through the country roads that cut through the thick forests.

  Eddie drove as fast as he dared, and she could tell his arm was bothering him by the way he favored it—and by the beads of perspiration forming on his brow. They were down to their last bottle for Samuel, and the sky had begun to lighten with the dawn. She didn’t want to ask him again how much farther, so instead, Mary sat holding the baby, glad the motion made him sleep and praying as she never had before.

  “Eddie?” There was one thing that bothered her, one thing she had to ask about. “It’s bad enough we’re racing panzers to the front lines, but what will we do when we get there? I mean, will there be American guards posted on the roads? Will they shoot at us as we approach? Or worse, what if we get in the middle of the attacking Germans and defending Americans?”

  Their truck turned a curve, and he slowed. “I guess we’re about to find out.”

  Up ahead an American tank halfway blocked the road; the other half had slid into a ditch due to the ice and snow. Mary’s heart raced. Americans!

  Eddie stopped the truck. Someone from the tank shined a flashlight toward the cab, and Eddie raised his hands so they could see them.

  “Mary, I need you to lay Samuel on the seat and climb from the cab as slowly as possible. Keep your hands where they can see them. Keep quiet; I’ll handle it.”

  “Who goes there?” an American soldier called, approaching them with a gun. He squinted against their muted headlights. “Password?”

  Eddie climbed from the truck. “I don’t know the password. I’m an American B-17 navigator. Our plane went down—”

  “Don’t listen to him, Charlie,” someone called from his position behind the tank. “He could be a German in disguise.”

  “Password!” Charlie called again.

  “My name is Edward Anderson. 0-565390. I was part of the crew for the B-17 Destiny’s Child. I was the navigator. I—”

  “Don’t listen to him, Charlie,” the man from behind the tank said again, his rifle pointing at them.

  Mary stepped forward, her feet crunching in the snow. “Yes, listen to him. He’s telling the truth. And I’m Mary Kelley, ETO war correspondent.” She continued forward despite the fact the man’s weapon was now trained on her. From the cab behind them, Samuel started to cry. “Our plane was shot down, we—”

  “Wait,” said the soldier called Charlie. “Did you say Mary Kelley? Are you the daughter of Donald Miller?”

  Mary’s knees buckled, and she lowered her hands. “How—how did you know?”

  Samuel’s cries escalated. She turned, wondering if she should get him. And still questioned if she’d heard the soldier right.

  “Heck, lady, it’s all over the radio. And in the paper that just arrived. Your daddy’s looking for you. He’s offered a big reward. Hey, Howie!” he called back. “This here is Mary Kelley. It looks like we’ll be rich soon, my friend.”

  Eddie lowered his hands
too and approached. “Wow, I wonder how much the reward is?” He pulled her into his embrace with a chuckle. “I just might have struck gold here.”

  Mary punched his chest softly and pulled back, hurrying to get the baby. “Forget the reward!” she called. “My dad is worried about me. More than that, he’s looking for me!”

  Deciding the tank was stuck for good, Charlie piled into the small truck and headed back to St. Vith with Eddie and Mary to get more help. Samuel’s bottles had run out, and his diaper was soaking.

  Soon they were pulling into St. Vith, just as the sun crested over the tall trees on the edge of the city. German planes flew low overhead, appearing to be the main threat, and drawing the attention away from the men and machines that Eddie knew were filling the forest.

  The soldier directed them to the command center. He ran inside to report the mounting attack while Eddie and Mary parked the truck. In the distance they could already hear the sound of a big gun firing on the sleepy town. Fog had begun to roll into town, and the snow fell in large white flakes as they hurried inside.

  “Our orders are to hold the town,” the CO was saying to the soldier. “I don’t care what your sources told you about the amount of metal heading this way. We’re going to stay and fight.”

  Eddie handed the screaming baby to Mary and strode up to the CO, explaining who they were and their current situation.

  “That’s quite a story. Welcome back to friendly territory, but I have a mounting situation here I need to take care of. I’ll make sure a report gets sent back to England with news of your safe return.”

  One of his officers approached, and the CO excused Eddie with a nod.

  “Sir, if I can interrupt again, you may want to ensure the road leading out of here is held. I know you’re going to fight to defend this town, but we don’t want to get trapped here. In fact, I’m trying to find a way out for the war correspondent with me.”

  Eddie didn’t mention Samuel, and he wasn’t sure if the CO had noticed the infant in Mary’s arms.

  “I’m sorry, Lieutenant.” The CO’s voice was terse. “But your needs are at the bottom on the list of my concerns. The battle’s waging out there, and you’re—”

  Suddenly an artillery shell exploded not too far from their building. The foundation under Eddie’s feet rocked and tilted. Glass from a far window shattered, blowing in on screaming men. Eddie found himself planted on the cement floor. He got to his feet and found Mary, and the baby protected in her arms. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” She moaned and allowed him to pull her up. “I found some milk in the kitchen, and a towel I could rip up for a diaper. But there’s no one who can give us a ride out. Looks like we’ve gone as far as we can for now.”

  When Patrick failed to talk the soldier guarding the road into letting them pass, Lee climbed out of the vehicle, flipping her wool scarf over her shoulder and stomping up toward the guard.

  “Sir, is that St. Vith I can see in the distance?”

  “Hey, lady, what are you doing here? Don’t you know these are the front lines?”

  “Actually”—Lee pointed to the small village ahead—“that is, and I need to get there, understand?”

  “Yes, ma’am, but I can’t let you through. Orders say authorized personnel only.”

  “I am authorized. Authorized to report on this battle.” Lee focused on the young soldier’s eyes and smiled. “Of course, I fully understand you are only trying to follow orders, and I commend that. GIs like you should be applauded for their duty.”

  She pulled a notebook from her pocket and motioned to Patrick. “Pat, can you get a photo of this brave young soldier?”

  Patrick nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” He pulled his camera bag from the vehicle.

  “Does your father read the paper?” Lee asked the soldier.

  “Every day.”

  “And what is your name?”

  “Willy. Actually William Bookman. Are you going to put my name in the paper?”

  She placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’d love too, I really would, but in order for me to do that, I need to get into the town for just one hour—otherwise I’ll have nothing worthy of writing a story on. Will you let me in?”

  Willy looked back over his shoulder. “One hour?”

  “Yes, and whatever you do, hold this road. From the look of things the battle’s heating up, and we’re going to need a safe way out.”

  Mary hunkered down in the corner of the command center. Next to her, Eddie was attempting to rock a content and clean Samuel to sleep. Her eyes were growing heavy despite the pounding of the guns outside. She let them drift shut.

  Suddenly she felt a kick to her foot.

  “Hey, sleepyhead.”

  Mary recognized the voice and smiled. “Lee! I knew you’d find me!” She reached up a hand, and Lee grasped it and pulled Mary to her feet.

  Lee cocked one eyebrow at Eddie and Samuel. “My, have we been busy. How long exactly have you been missing?”

  Mary slugged Lee’s shoulder. Dirt puffed off her field coat. “Did I just see that?” Mary took a step back and shook her head.

  Lee’s hair was tucked underneath an army cap. Her face was smudged with dirt.

  “Lee O’Donnelly, you’re a mess. What have you done with yourself?”

  “Hey, coming to a fellow reporter’s rescue isn’t the most glamorous work, you know.” She pointed outside. “Especially under these conditions.”

  Another shell hit close, causing the room lights to flicker and plaster dust to fall from the ceiling.

  Eddie climbed from the floor in slow motion, so as to not wake the baby.

  Lee extended her hand. “You must be Edward Anderson. You have a buddy back in Paris who’s going to be mighty happy to see you again. Vinny Rosario. Does the name ring a bell?”

  Eddie’s face broke into a grin. “Vinny? He made it out? Hallelujah.”

  Patrick strode through the doors. “Hey, I found someone to watch our truck.” He quickened his pace to Mary, sweeping her up in his arms. “There you are, kid. Glad you’re alive. Lee wouldn’t give up. You’ve been her main assignment these past few weeks, you know.”

  “Well, we won’t stay alive for long if we don’t get out of here. Ready to go?” Mary turned to Lee.

  “Hold on, will you, gal?” She was striding over to the kitchen. “Let me grab us something for the road. I don’t know about you, but I’m starved.”

  Eddie approached Mary, and she slipped her hand into his and gave it a squeeze. “Boy, has Lee changed since I’ve been gone.”

  Patrick chucked Mary’s chin. “So have you, kid. I can see something different in your eyes. A beautiful glow.” He reached a hand to Eddie.

  Eddie slipped his hand from Mary’s grasp and shook Patrick’s hand.

  “Edward Anderson? I’m Patrick Jessup. I can’t wait to hear your side of the story, especially how you ended up with that little one. Is he a refugee?”

  “Not anymore,” Eddie answered.

  The two men strode to the door while Mary waited for Lee.

  “It’s quite a story,” Eddie continued, “but let’s wait until we get out of this place and I’ll tell you all about it. If I could, I’d stay and fight, but I’m afraid my current assignment isn’t over.”

  “Don’t worry.” Patrick placed a hand on Eddie’s shoulder. “Lee made sure the road would be held for us. And no one—I mean no one—messes with that girl. I’ve never met a woman like her.”

  Eddie glanced back over his shoulder, winking at Mary as they headed for the door. “Oh, I know someone who could give her a run for her money. Has Lee ever caught a ride with a group of Nazis?”

  Their voices faded as they hurried outside.

  Lee came back, handing Mary a stack of K rations. “What was that about?”

  “Well, if you room with me when we get back I’ll share all the details.”

  Lee placed her arm around Mary’s shoulders, and they moved toward the door. Then she paused and p
ulled something from her pocket. “Oh, and I think this belongs to you.” She held up Mary’s necklace.

  Mary paused, clasped the necklace around her neck, and patted the pendant against her skin.

  “You’re going to share all the details?” Lee asked.

  “Of course. I don’t have anything to hide. Not anymore, that is.”

  “Okay.” Lee sighed. “But I might have to hear the story in pieces. I’m heading back to the front as soon as I drop you off.”

  “Seriously?” Mary pulled her jacket tighter around her as they stepped into the chilly air. “I don’t think I ever want to see danger again.”

  “Funny thing,” Lee commented as they jumped into the vehicle. “I feel just the opposite. I’ve realized lately that these stories aren’t about me or what I can prove being a woman in this business. They’re about these guys fighting and dying and making heroes of themselves.”

  They climbed into the truck, Lee in front and Mary onto the backseat next to Eddie.

  “Hit it, Pat.” Lee placed her hand on the photographer’s shoulder. “I have a story to get back and write. There’s one Willy Bookman whose daddy needs to hear how he was the hero of the day.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Lee jumped out of the vehicle as soon as it stopped at the command center at the edge of Paris. She glanced in the back and noticed Mary curled against Eddie, fast asleep. The baby softly snored on Mary’s lap.

  “I’ll take this film inside to get processed; then I’ll come back to help you with your things, Lee,” Patrick said as he climbed out and headed toward the building.

  Lee opened the door to the backseat, then ducked her head to peer inside.

  “Hey, Eddie. Before you wake Mary, I have just one thing to tell you. She deserves the best, you understand? I don’t want you breaking her heart.”

  Eddie grinned. “Yeah, well, I was going to tell you the same thing about Patrick there. I’ll promise to give Mary all my love for all my life. But that guy’s falling for you hard. Promise not to break his heart?”