It wasn’t until Yvette collapsed and couldn’t get up, that Fitz stopped to catch her own breath. She slumped down on the cold damp ground beside Yvette. They lay there on the forest floor panting furiously, looking up through the tree canopy at the small shafts of grey light filtering through.
Yvette was wheezing heavily which started off a coughing fit. Fitz sat her up and patted her back. She wished she had some water to offer her.
‘I feel hot,’ said Yvette.
Fitz put the back of her hand to Yvette’s forehead and worryingly she did indeed feel like she was on the brink of developing a temperature.
‘Just sit here and rest for a moment,’ said Fitz. On the one hand she felt relieved they had escaped as she was sure a sick child wouldn’t be looked upon too favourably by their captors. On the other hand, Yvette developing an illness which Fitz was totally unequipped to deal with was worrying.
‘Where are we going?’ asked Yvette after her cough had subsided.
That was a very good question. Fitz had tried to maintain her bearings on the journey, looking out for landmarks and any signposts to give her a clue as to where they might be, but it had all been minimal. She knew they had travelled east and she suspected they were still in France, but only just.
Location wasn’t their immediate problem though. Safety was the priority. Finding someone who could help them. It was a risky business knocking on random doors. There was no guarantee she could trust anyone not to report them to the authorities. How could she possibly tell who was to be trusted, until it was too late?
Before that though, they needed food and water. That was their second priority. They were no good to anyone dead through starvation or dehydration.
Not wanting to stay where they were for much longer in case the Germans sent out a patrol to look for them, Fitz urged Yvette to her feet.
‘We’re going to head through the forest and look for food and water,’ she said. ‘The ground is sloping down and if there’s a stream, that’s where we’ll find it.’
‘And food?’ asked Yvette. ‘My stomach hurts.’
‘We’ll look out for berries,’ said Fitz. Although, she wasn’t entirely sure what they’d find in the middle of winter.
Fitz decided to head south, rather than continue east, as she thought there would be more activity and patrols the nearer they got to the border. Heading south, she might be able to get them into Vichy France where it would be easier to move around. How she was going to make contact with the resistance she hadn’t yet worked out but she knew she had to remain optimistic. Hope was the only thing they had right now.
It was harder in the forest to keep her bearings. Everywhere looked the same. She was also losing track of time and Yvette was finding it hard to keep up.
‘I’m so tired,’ said the little girl, before succumbing to another bout of coughing. ‘I can’t walk any further.’
‘You have to try. Just a bit further,’ encouraged Fitz. ‘We’ll soon be out of the forest and then we might be able to find a farm. I’ll be able to get us something to eat then.’ She had already decided that if it meant stealing, then she would. It went against her principles but at a time like this, when it was life or death, she had to ignore those morals.
The trees were definitely thinning out and it wasn’t long before Fitz could see the edge of a field. ‘Look, Yvette,’ she said enthusiastically. ‘We’ve made it through the forest.’
They stood at the edge of the trees looking down a valley. There was a stone cottage on the other side of the field and beyond that a small village.
‘Can we get some food now?’ asked Yvette standing beside Fitz and looking down at the buildings.
‘We have to be very careful,’ said Fitz. ‘We don’t know if there are any soldiers about. Stay with me. Don’t let go of my hand.’
Fitz had considered leaving Yvette at the edge of the forest and scoping out the village on her own but she was frightened that if she was caught, then Yvette would be left all alone and no one would know she was there. More than that, though, Fitz couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Yvette again. She’d done that once before and look what had happened. It was only by luck they were reunited. She wasn’t sure she’d be so lucky a second time. Her newly discovered desire to protect Yvette was riding high and although the strength of such emotion was a little unnerving, Fitz had no intention nor wish to run from it.
The rain had eased but their clothes were still damp. Fitz hadn’t felt warm for days. She was chilled to the bone. Yvette was coughing every minute or so now and her complexion was very grey. Fitz hoped she wasn’t developing a chest infection which could easily lead to something like pneumonia if left untreated. They were both in desperate need of dry clothes, hot food, and a good night’s sleep.
They followed the edge of the field that took them out onto a narrow road about a quarter of a mile from the cottage she had seen earlier.
‘I’m too tired to walk,’ complained Yvette, sagging to the ground.
‘Not much further,’ said Fitz. ‘Come on, try to stand up now.’
‘I can’t.’ Yvette began to cry which started off her cough again.
Fitz crouched down in the road next to the child. ‘Just a little further,’ she said. She took a hanky from her pocket and dabbed at the beads of sweat forming on Yvette’s brow. She definitely had a fever now. As if to underline this diagnosis, Yvette’s eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped to the side.
‘Yvette!’ cried Fitz, managing to thrust her hand under the girl’s head before it hit the ground. ‘Yvette. Wake up.’
Yvette gave a weak moan. Her eyes were half open but Fitz could tell she wasn’t focusing on anything. Panic swept through Fitz. Yvette was ill. Very ill. She needed a doctor.
