Saving Grace: A Novel (Healing Ruby Book 3)

by Jennifer H. Westall

  The knife moved down to my coveralls, and he began to cut them open. Hot tears streamed down my cheeks, despite my best efforts to remain calm. I looked the soldier in the eyes again and steeled myself for the inevitable.

  And at that moment, a gentle peace came over me. Something wonderful, and terrifying, filled the entire tent. The hair on my arms prickled, and my racing heart slowed. I saw that poor, broken soldier for what he truly was: a lost sinner with no idea of mercy. And no matter what he did to me, he could not take my soul.

  I closed my eyes again. “You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.”

  “Stop it!” he yelled.

  My voice rose again, as if it were no longer me speaking. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand!”

  He slapped me across the face, and my cheek stung. “Stop it! You will stop that now!”

  I brought my gaze back to his furious eyes, knowing now I was no longer speaking from my own lips, but delivering a message from the Lord. “The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright; their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.”

  He grabbed me by my shoulders and flung me to the cot. As I fell onto my back, my head striking something hard, I closed my eyes and prayed for mercy.

  Matthew

  Henry and I had maneuvered around several enemy patrols on our way back east, so we’d concluded that the hospital would be under Japanese control by the time we reached it. We decided to head back to Cabcaben, and follow the path we’d been taking to see the girls each week. And the first of many miracles that night greeted us as we circled around Cabcaben. Our beat-up shell of a truck we’d used to travel through the jungle was still sitting right where we’d left it.

  “You know, Henry,” I said as he turned the ignition. “Salvaging this might have been the smartest thing you’ve ever done.”

  He eased the truck along the path we’d carved out over the weeks and grinned at me. “Nah, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

  We bumped along at a snail’s pace in the fading sunlight. I’d been worn completely out up to that point, but knowing we were so close to the hospital had sent a shot of adrenaline through me. I prayed all the way to the river that Janine was safe on Corregidor and that we’d be able to sneak Ruby away from the hospital.

  At the river, we climbed out and crossed the fallen tree, then we snuck along parallel to the path leading to the nurses’ quarters. I hadn’t actually expected to find Ruby there, but I was disappointed all the same. That would’ve been the easiest thing in the world. But clearly all the nurses were gone. A few random items still hung on clotheslines, undergarments and such. The sun had almost set by then, but we decided we could see well enough to cut through the jungle.

  As we neared the main hospital clearing, we saw patrols monitoring the perimeter in certain areas, but the hospital was so large that they were spread pretty thin. Most of the Japanese stood around talking and laughing, while the Americans went about their business caring for the patients.

  I knelt beside Henry and whispered. “Any idea where Ruby might be?”

  “Ain’t too sure. Bet they moved her close by to keep an eye on her, though. That’s what I’d do.”

  “Let’s make our way along the outside of the main wards. Maybe over by the barracks.”

  He agreed, and we crept through the foliage as quietly as we could. I remembered helping to build the barracks, so I was able to find my way there in the fading light. Once we were in sight of them, I lowered myself to a crawl, and slid beneath low hanging palm leaves. Henry crawled up beneath the large leaves of a tree to my left, and together we scanned the area.

  “There,” I whispered, pointing to a tent about twenty yards from the barracks, and about ten yards from a ward. “Bet that’s where she’s staying.”

  We crawled along the ground with the bugs and spiders until we were positioned just off the left side, and about ten yards behind the tent. “Let’s wait till it’s dark,” I said. “Then we’ll see if she’s in there.”

  “What if it ain’t her?” Henry whispered. “We’ll scare the holy hell outta some poor soul.”

  “It’s her,” I said. “I know it’s her.”

  My gut was uneasy. Something didn’t feel right, something beyond the normal thrill of sneaking up on the enemy. Ruby was in danger here. Something dark was lurking around this place. Something evil.

  I watched the tent for a few minutes as the final rays of sunshine disappeared behind the tree line, waiting to see if Ruby entered or exited the tent. But there was no sign. A few of the doctors and medics went into the barracks, but not much else stirred. I was about to tell Henry to prepare to move toward the tent, when I saw a group of four Japanese soldiers coming our way.

  They stopped outside the tent, spoke for a moment, and then all four slipped inside. My heart raced, and my first thought was to rush in. “We gotta get in there,” I said.

  “What if it ain’t her tent?” Henry whispered. “What if it’s their tent?”

  I knew it wasn’t, though. My chest constricted, and my mind raced through all the options. If we rushed into the tent, what could we do? We’d be killed for sure. We’d have to go in there with the intent to kill those soldiers. Could I do that? Sure, I’d fired a gun at an enemy dozens of yards away, but this would be close quarters. I’d have to look them in the eye as I killed them.

  “Let’s wait and see what happens,” Henry said. “Maybe it’s nothing.”

  At that moment, loud voices came from inside the tent. A female voice floated out over deeper murmurings and laughter. Was it distressed? “I have to get closer,” I said. “You keep an eye out for any more Japs.” I removed the bayonet from my rifle, gripping it as I crawled out into the clearing and ducked behind a large tree. Holding my breath, I sat with my back against it. Someone was approaching the tent from the direction of the barracks. I couldn’t see who it was because the tent was blocking my view.

  “What’s going on in there?” a male American voice called.

  I crawled around to the side of the tent. I heard the sound of rustling as the entrance flap opened. Another voice spoke up with a thick Japanese accent. “Nothing. You go.”

  There was a pause. “There’s a nurse in there,” the American said. “She sounds upset.”

  That had to be Ruby for sure. There was some kind of shuffling at the front. “Go!” The Japanese voice ordered. “No business!”

  Footsteps moved away from the tent. Low voices murmured inside. Then the female spoke again. My heart thundered, as I knew without a doubt that this was Ruby’s voice. I couldn’t hear the exact words, but I heard her fear, and my body tensed all over. And then she shouted, clear as a bell.

  “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand!”

  I looked around again. No one was coming. This was my chance. I prayed the Lord would give me swift hands, and a decisive mind. I motioned for Henry to crawl around the opposite side of the tent. Then I crawled around to the front entrance. I could see just beneath the front flap two sets of boots. Guards. Two of them. How would I get them out of the way?

  Quickly and soundlessly I slipped the flap back just enough to peek at them from the ground. They were watching something at the rear of the tent. I tried not to think about it. I had to focus on these two first. They were distracted. I could get one for sure, but not both.

  Henry crawled around the other side of the tent and signaled he was with me. I showed him two fingers, and then I showed him my bayonet. He nodded and flashed his bayonet back at me. Slowly we rose to our feet on opposite sides of the tent opening. There was scuffling around inside. I prayed the Lord would keep anyone else away. Then I used my fingers to count to three.<
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  Simultaneously, Henry and I pulled back the flap and stabbed up into the kidney of each guard. Both dropped to the ground, almost at the same time. We stepped into the tent, and what I saw sent hot fire through my entire body. Ruby lay on the cot, exposed, the front of her coveralls flung open while one of the apes gripped her hands above her head. Another Jap was bent over her, fighting to grab hold of her as she kicked her legs around. He punched her in the stomach, and she gasped. It was the last thing he ever did.

  I flew at him with all my might, driving the bayonet up into his abdomen, under the ribcage, and into his heart, just like I’d been trained to do. But there was no remorse, no hesitation in taking his life. His black eyes met mine, and the life drained out of them. I dropped him to the ground and turned to find Henry pulling his bayonet out of the back of the other one. Blood spilled everywhere, all over the ground. And Ruby sat up, gasping for air.

  I went to her and pulled her into my arms. “Are you all right?”

  She wept into my chest, unable to speak for a long while. I wanted to hold her, to comfort her, but I knew we had precious little time to get out of there safely. I glanced over her head at Henry, who was wiping the blood off his bayonet on the Jap he’d just killed.

  “What do we do now?” I asked.

  Henry took a look around. “We put as much distance between us and this tent as possible before dawn.”

  Ruby pushed away from me. “No, wait. When they’re found in the morning, the others in camp will pay for this. We can’t let others die because of me.”

  “It’s not because of you,” I said. “They decided to assault you. They deserve exactly what they got.”

  “But the doctors here, the medics, they don’t deserve what they’ll get.”

  I pulled the blanket off her cot and wrapped it around her shaking shoulders. “Ruby, this is war. People fight. Soldiers die. There’s nothing wrong with doing everything you can to survive. We did what we had to in order to protect you.”

  “Fellas?” came a low voice from outside the tent.

  The three of us froze.

  “Y’all need some help in there?”

  “I know that voice,” Ruby whispered. “It’s okay.”

  Henry pushed open the flap and let in a large, fair-skinned medic covered in freckles. “You all right, Grace?” he asked.

  “Y-yes, George,” she stammered, a faint smile warming her pale cheeks. “Can you help us?”

  “Most certainly,” he said, taking in the scene around him. “Looks like we got us a burial detail.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Ruby

  April 10, 1942

  While I kept watch for patrols, George helped Matthew and Henry bury the dead about a hundred feet into the jungle, before straightening my tent and removing as much of the blood as possible. Matthew wiped spatters of blood from Daddy’s Bible and pushed it into his rucksack, but decided we didn’t have time to locate and dig up my suitcase. I did, however, retrieve my ring from the pocket of the dead Japanese soldier.

  George brought me a new set of coveralls from the barracks. They nearly swallowed my emaciated frame. My heart thundered the whole time, but it was as if God had put some kind of protective shield around us, and no one came near that section of the hospital that night. I prayed none of the Americans would suffer once I was discovered to be missing, along with four Japanese soldiers. Guilt weighed heavy on my mind as we said goodbye to George.

  “You’re a good friend,” I said, hugging his neck in gratitude. “Thank you for everything. I’ll pray for you every day until I see you again.”

  “Don’t worry about me at all,” he said. “You get somewhere safe and stick with your brother and husband.”

  I thanked him again, and he shook hands with Matthew and Henry. We crept out of the tent, and I followed them into the dark jungle, barely able to see Matthew’s form ahead of me in the moonlight. We hiked silently for what seemed like hours, circling around the northwest edge of the hospital, crossing the Real River, and then turning south for a long stretch. Every once in a while, Matthew would freeze and listen carefully for a few minutes before moving on again. I could sometimes hear voices nearby, but mostly I heard the chatter of monkeys and other creatures, like they were cheering us on. Or maybe alerting the enemy.

  Just as the sky was turning a light gray, we reached the East Road. We didn’t dare approach it, as we could make out multitudes of American soldiers trudging past in columns four across toward Lamao, away from Mariveles, with Japanese guards prodding them on like cattle. As the day wore on, we spotted Filipinos mixed in with the Americans. There were thousands of them. My heart broke, even as I cowered beneath the foliage. I couldn’t hold back my tears as I watched gaunt men limp by, some having to be supported by others. The Japanese guards were ruthless, striking the prisoners with fists, elbows, and rifle butts as they walked, for no apparent reasons.

  One American fell to his knees as he was hit, which seemed to bring even more emphatic strikes. I watched in horror as two Japanese soldiers beat the man until he was no longer moving, and then commanded that no one help him. If any Americans even looked like they were moving toward him, they too were beaten. Then I watched in horror as a Japanese truck drove over the motionless body.

  I met Matthew’s gaze and saw a rage in his eyes I’d never seen before. I felt it too. How could anyone be so cruel? I couldn’t watch any more of it, so I quietly slipped further away from the road. Eventually Matthew and Henry joined me, and we made a shelter beneath a group of low hanging palm leaves. No one spoke of the chilling sights we’d witnessed. Matthew pulled out two cans of spam from his rucksack and handed them to me.

  “Here, you need to eat something,” he said, barely looking at me.

  I dug into the meat despite the trouble I had swallowing. My stomach seemed conflicted over the sudden introduction of something substantial, as though it had forgotten how to function properly. Matthew handed me a canteen of water, and I drank it down.

  “What’s the plan?” Henry asked.

  Matthew took the canteen from my outstretched hand and took a long gulp. “Can’t cross over here. At least not until dark. If I remember correctly, there’s a wharf not too far north of here. We might be able to get a boat across the bay.”

  “So we’re still heading to Corregidor?” I asked. “Why?”

  “Why wouldn’t we?” Matthew answered. “That’s where evacuations are going to happen. That’s your best chance to get away from this nightmare.”

  “Not anymore,” I said. “Don’t you hear that?” I paused so they could hear the erratic blasts I’d noticed in the distance. “They’re bombing Corregidor. The Japanese were setting up huge guns around the hospital pointed out to that island. It won’t last long.”

  “Then we’d better hurry,” Henry said.

  I shook my head and tried to stay calm as I thought of leaving Matthew again. “I don’t think we should separate. What if we find our own way to Australia? All three of us?”

  “What about Janine?” Henry asked. “I’m not leaving her here with those…those animals.”

  “He’s right,” Matthew said. “We go to Corregidor first. Then we make contact with Mike and get you and Janine to Australia.” He dropped his chin and eyed me with a hint of defiance. “That’s the plan. And we’re sticking to it.”

  I didn’t say anything more, knowing it would be useless. Besides, I could barely keep my eyes open any longer. I crawled across the grass to a spot next to Matthew, and curled up next to him. He slid his rucksack beneath his head and lay down behind me.

  “Guess I’ll keep watch for a while,” Henry said. Then he moved a few feet away and turned his back to us.

  I craved the safety of Matthew’s body surrounding mine, but I could feel so much tension in him, it was difficult to relax. He slid his arm along my waist, tucking me a bit closer. Then he leaned down and spoke into my ear.

  “Why are you so determined to make me crazy?�
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  “I’m not,” I said. “Why are you so determined to control me?”

  “I’m not trying to control you, Ruby. I just want to protect you. Do you have any idea what it was like for me to see that, that animal, trying to…to hurt you? I nearly lost my mind.” He turned me onto my back, and his voice thickened as he looked down at me in anguish. “I love you more than my own life. But I don’t know how to be a soldier and a husband at the same time. I mean, I can order men to climb a mountain, or charge into a battle that they may not survive, but I can’t even persuade my own wife to get on a plane to safety.”

  I reached for his face, and he covered my hand with his own. He kissed my palm, placing my hand back on his cheek. “Don’t you understand me at all?” I asked. “Don’t you see how much I love you? That the nightmare, for me, is being apart from you?”

  He leaned down and kissed me, sending warmth down my chest, rippling into my belly. “Ruby, please. Do this for me. If I can make arrangements with Mike, you have to get on the plane. Promise.” He slid his hand around my waist, kissing me deeper. “Promise,” he said again. “I need to know. I need to be able to trust that you’ll get to safety. If you love me, you’ll get on that plane.”

  My chest felt like it would split open. How could I say no? How could I promise to leave him? I couldn’t stop my tears, and I had no idea what to say. But my spirit knew. And a small quiet voice whispered inside my mind. Submit.

  “I promise,” I whispered, my throat aching. “I’ll get on the plane.”

  “No matter what?”

  “No matter what.”

  He pressed his forehead to mine. “Don’t cry,” he said, wiping my cheek with his thumb. “It’ll be all right. God will protect you. He’ll be our mighty fortress. Our shield. Our safe harbor. Have faith, Ruby.”