Chapter 7: Where the Heart Is
They say home is where the heart is. If the exception proves the rule, I guess that true.
-Dixie Chicks
AUTHOR'S NOTE
So, yeah, I know it's been a while. Let's just say finals came and then I got sick, and, yeah, I know you don't need to hear excuses... So, I'm very sorry and I hope some people are still interested in this story. It's in the wrap up stages now, but there are still a few chapters to go. It depends on how inspiration strikes me... I have an idea for a new story that I want to start soon, but, for now, I'll be continuing with this one. Thanks for your patience. ;)
"So, how much further?" Abby asked, hobbling alongside Carter with her trusty crutch in hand.
"I'm not sure. Hopefully there'll be a clearing or something when we reach the village," Carter replied, intently focused on the compass in his hand.
"Did you hear that?" Abby stopped and whispered.
"What?" Carter stopped too.
"It's sounds like someone is crying...behind those trees over there." Abby began to slowly walk over.
"Careful, Abby..." Carter warned.
Abby peaked around the trees and spotted a little girl hiding. Her knees were pulled up to her chest and she had her head down. Her arms were tightly clutching her legs and she was sobbing softly. She looked no older than six and like a native of the Congo. Abby thought she'd try speaking some French to the little girl.
"Escusez-moi," Abby began softly. The little girl looked up. Her eyes were filled with terror. "N'ayez pas peur. Je suis un docteur américain. {Do not be afraid. I am an American doctor}." Abby tried to assure the girl. The girl looked a little more trusting, but not much. "Où est ta maman? {Where is your mom?}" Abby asked.
The little girl shook her head. "Je ne sais pas. {I don't know}," the girl replied. "Nous allions à Tinga, mais je l'ai perdue. {We were going to Tinga, but I lost her}," she continued with a sniffle.
"Mon ami Jean et moi sont sur notre chemin à Tinga aussi. Aimez-vous aller avec nous? {My friend John and I are on our way to Tinga also. Would you like to go with us?}" Abby asked, offering her hand to the girl. The girl took Abby's hand and hugged her unexpectedly.
"Oui, merci beaucoup. M'aiderez-vous à trouver ma maman ? {Yes, thank you very much. Will you help me find my mom?}" The little girl spoke into Abby's shirt.
"Oui," Abby answered, crouching down to the little girl's eye level. "Je m'apelle Abby. Quel est ton nom?" she asked the girl.
"Aurélie," the girl answered with a smile.
"Your French really is terrible. You totally butchered her name," Abby said to Carter as they were walking along a few hours later. Aurélie was fast asleep in Carter's arms.
"Is that why she was giggling?" Carter asked, looking down at the little girl in his arms. "I thought it was because she liked me."
"Well, I don't doubt that," Abby said with a smile.
"So, it not Aura-Lee?" Carter asked.
"No," Abby replied with a laugh. "It's pronounced aw-RAY-lee," Abby sounded out for him in perfect French.
"Maybe I could just call her Ray..."
Just as the sun was beginning to set, Carter, Abby, and Aurélie came to a clearing in the woods. They kept walking slowly and they noticed that there were buildings and houses, indicating some sort of village. They looked around for a few minutes.
"Is this it?" Abby asked.
"I don't know. I think so," Carter replied as they continued walking. "Look over there," he pointed. "That looks like some sort of medical clinic. Maybe someone from the alliance is there."
"It's worth a shot," Abby replied as they made their way toward the clinic. Just then, Aurélie began to stir in Carter's arms and looked out to see where they were.
"Nous sommes ici, Aurélie. {We are here.}" Carter whispered to her.
Upon entering the clinic, Abby and Carter noticed Gillian cleaning some cuts and bruises on a woman's face. Aurélie was the first to say anything. "Maman!" she screamed as she leapt out of Carter's arms and ran over to the patient, who was obviously her mother. The woman's eyes shot open at the sound of Aurélie's voice, and her face lit up as she ran to hug her little girl.
"Oh, mon petite fille, my little girl. Merci, Dieu! Thank God you're all right..." the overjoyed mother cried as she held her daughter tightly.
"Jean et Abby m'ont aide {John and Abby helped me}," Aurélie pointed to Carter and Abby. The woman approached the two of them while still holding her little girl close to her heart.
"Bénissez-vous. God bless you. Merci beaucoup," the woman said with tears in her eyes.
"De rien," Carter replied. "You saved our lives as well." Abby looked closer and finally recognized her as the bound and gagged woman who had escaped from the rebels so that she and Carter wouldn't be captured.
"Oh, de rien," the woman echoed his previous sentiment and turned to whisper to her daughter privately.
Just then, Gillian captured Carter and Abby in a fierce hug. "We thought you two were dead," she sobbed.
"Nope, you can't get rid of us that easily," Carter replied with a smile. Gillian gave him a teasing punch in the shoulder, as Andrew and Gui entered the room to join in what was quickly becoming a group hug.
They say home is where the heart is. If the exception proves the rule, I guess that true.
-Dixie Chicks
AUTHOR'S NOTE
So, yeah, I know it's been a while. Let's just say finals came and then I got sick, and, yeah, I know you don't need to hear excuses... So, I'm very sorry and I hope some people are still interested in this story. It's in the wrap up stages now, but there are still a few chapters to go. It depends on how inspiration strikes me... I have an idea for a new story that I want to start soon, but, for now, I'll be continuing with this one. Thanks for your patience. ;)
"So, how much further?" Abby asked, hobbling alongside Carter with her trusty crutch in hand.
"I'm not sure. Hopefully there'll be a clearing or something when we reach the village," Carter replied, intently focused on the compass in his hand.
"Did you hear that?" Abby stopped and whispered.
"What?" Carter stopped too.
"It's sounds like someone is crying...behind those trees over there." Abby began to slowly walk over.
"Careful, Abby..." Carter warned.
Abby peaked around the trees and spotted a little girl hiding. Her knees were pulled up to her chest and she had her head down. Her arms were tightly clutching her legs and she was sobbing softly. She looked no older than six and like a native of the Congo. Abby thought she'd try speaking some French to the little girl.
"Escusez-moi," Abby began softly. The little girl looked up. Her eyes were filled with terror. "N'ayez pas peur. Je suis un docteur américain. {Do not be afraid. I am an American doctor}." Abby tried to assure the girl. The girl looked a little more trusting, but not much. "Où est ta maman? {Where is your mom?}" Abby asked.
The little girl shook her head. "Je ne sais pas. {I don't know}," the girl replied. "Nous allions à Tinga, mais je l'ai perdue. {We were going to Tinga, but I lost her}," she continued with a sniffle.
"Mon ami Jean et moi sont sur notre chemin à Tinga aussi. Aimez-vous aller avec nous? {My friend John and I are on our way to Tinga also. Would you like to go with us?}" Abby asked, offering her hand to the girl. The girl took Abby's hand and hugged her unexpectedly.
"Oui, merci beaucoup. M'aiderez-vous à trouver ma maman ? {Yes, thank you very much. Will you help me find my mom?}" The little girl spoke into Abby's shirt.
"Oui," Abby answered, crouching down to the little girl's eye level. "Je m'apelle Abby. Quel est ton nom?" she asked the girl.
"Aurélie," the girl answered with a smile.
"Your French really is terrible. You totally butchered her name," Abby said to Carter as they were walking along a few hours later. Aurélie was fast asleep in Carter's arms.
"Is that why she was giggling?" Carter asked, looking down at the little girl in his arms. "I thought it was because she liked me."
"Well, I don't doubt that," Abby said with a smile.
"So, it not Aura-Lee?" Carter asked.
"No," Abby replied with a laugh. "It's pronounced aw-RAY-lee," Abby sounded out for him in perfect French.
"Maybe I could just call her Ray..."
Just as the sun was beginning to set, Carter, Abby, and Aurélie came to a clearing in the woods. They kept walking slowly and they noticed that there were buildings and houses, indicating some sort of village. They looked around for a few minutes.
"Is this it?" Abby asked.
"I don't know. I think so," Carter replied as they continued walking. "Look over there," he pointed. "That looks like some sort of medical clinic. Maybe someone from the alliance is there."
"It's worth a shot," Abby replied as they made their way toward the clinic. Just then, Aurélie began to stir in Carter's arms and looked out to see where they were.
"Nous sommes ici, Aurélie. {We are here.}" Carter whispered to her.
Upon entering the clinic, Abby and Carter noticed Gillian cleaning some cuts and bruises on a woman's face. Aurélie was the first to say anything. "Maman!" she screamed as she leapt out of Carter's arms and ran over to the patient, who was obviously her mother. The woman's eyes shot open at the sound of Aurélie's voice, and her face lit up as she ran to hug her little girl.
"Oh, mon petite fille, my little girl. Merci, Dieu! Thank God you're all right..." the overjoyed mother cried as she held her daughter tightly.
"Jean et Abby m'ont aide {John and Abby helped me}," Aurélie pointed to Carter and Abby. The woman approached the two of them while still holding her little girl close to her heart.
"Bénissez-vous. God bless you. Merci beaucoup," the woman said with tears in her eyes.
"De rien," Carter replied. "You saved our lives as well." Abby looked closer and finally recognized her as the bound and gagged woman who had escaped from the rebels so that she and Carter wouldn't be captured.
"Oh, de rien," the woman echoed his previous sentiment and turned to whisper to her daughter privately.
Just then, Gillian captured Carter and Abby in a fierce hug. "We thought you two were dead," she sobbed.
"Nope, you can't get rid of us that easily," Carter replied with a smile. Gillian gave him a teasing punch in the shoulder, as Andrew and Gui entered the room to join in what was quickly becoming a group hug.