A wagon woke Sarah the next day. It was difficult to tell the time of day, which could have been either early morning, or late evening. Either way, she had wasted too much time. Every muscle in her body protested as she dragged herself from her cover and stumbled towards the road. She didn't have a planned, she just prayed that whoever was driving the wagon would not kill her. Although the way she was feeling, she wouldn't have minded a quick death either.
The wagon came into view as she staggered up to the side of the road. She blinked a few times, try to clear her blurry vision. When she tried to raise her arm to flag him down, pain shot through her left side. She cursed silently, realizing that something was definitely broken.
"Whoa," she heard the driver say. She almost cried in relief that he had even stopped at all. "Sarah Roe? Is that you?" The young man with the familiar voice hopped down and drew closer. "Sarah, it's me, Ben. You look half-dead, what happened to you."
"I… I…" She fell into a coughing fit, which engulfed her in blinding pain. When the coughing finally died down, Ben helped her onto the seat.
"You'll have to sit on the bench with me. Do you think you can manage that?" Sarah nodded, ignoring her aching body. Rubbing the last of the sleep from her eyes, she looked back and nearly fell off.
"What happened?" She rasped. The back of Ben's wagon was filled with people. Abe Woodhull lay on the floor, holding the hand of an old man, who was now dead. Anna Strong sat on the side, holding a bloody, lump of a man, whom Sarah barely recognized as Caleb Brewster. Ben sighed and urged the horses on.
"It's a long story."
Ben explained everything, from Caleb's capture by Benedict Arnold to the plot to exchange him for Woodhull that had gone catastrophically wrong. Sarah looked back at Caleb, who was mumbling and muttering to himself. It broke her heart to see such a strong, joyful man brought so low. Sarah in turn explained how she had come to be where she was, in the condition she was in.
They arrived outside the New Windsor camp the next morning. Ben and Anna carried Abe and his father into the barn. After several minutes, Ben came out alone and took Sarah and Caleb to the camp surgeon.
The tent reeked of blood and infection. Caleb was taken directly to the doctor, while Sarah was led to a nearby bed. The thin straw mattress could have been a feather bed for a good as it felt. A nurse came to inspect her wounds. Blood was crusted to several wounds, although only two of them required stitched. They concluded that she had most likely cracked one of her ribs, and the best thing for her would be lots of bed rest and prayer. She thanked the nurse.
The days slipped by and Sarah began to recover her strength. She was moved to her own tent, next to Caleb's. Ben came by every now and then to check on her progress.
"How is Caleb?" Sarah asked.
"He's right as rain, physically. But it's not his body I'm worried about. Caleb, he's… he's different. In his mind." Sarah nodded. She had seen men driven mad in Quebec from the long winters. It wasn't a pretty sight.
"Caleb is strong. He will rise above it."
"And how are you feeling?" Sarah laughed, which pulled at her stiches and made her side ache.
"I feel like hell. But I'll live."
"Is there anything I can get for you."
"I need to send a letter to Samuel Townsend."
"Are you sure that's wise? Those men may still be watching him, hoping to get their hands on you for revenge."
"Those men were cowards, deserters. But I do need to make sure that Samuel won't be implicated if someone should investigate the matter. That's what the letter is going to be. I'm going to name myself as the spy. Hopefully it will be enough to divert the blame." Ben nodded.
"I'll see that the letter is sent out myself. Anything else?" Sarah sighed and shifted.
"I can't stay here, Ben. There are people out there who know who I am, and what I am. I need someplace to hide until the war is over."
"Why this sudden urgency to leave?" Sarah looked around nervously. She hadn't wanted to reveal it just yet, because she still wasn't sure, and yet, she could feel the truth of it in her very being and it terrified her, and it thrilled her.
"I'm pregnant."