Oh Suzannah, Don't You Cry For Me

Chapter Nineteen: Bully

Happy Easter season! The snow is finally melted and the temperature is finally warming up. I do apologize for the longer-than-normal wait. I got sick this last week and I've been busy with the end of the semester. Finals are in a couple of weeks, so that's fun. :/

Enjoy this next chapter! :)

Chapter Nineteen: Bully

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Alice's voice broke through the ringing in Suzie's head. Groaning in pain, Suzie forced her eyes open. The infirmary ceiling is becoming a recurring view that she does not enjoy. Alice stood above Suzie with her hands on her hips and eyes narrowed.

Good to see you, too.

"Have you lost your mind? That stunt you pulled on Lemay gave you a concussion. I thought you were stupid before, but now I know you're just reckless." Despite the harsh tone, Alice pressed a wet washcloth against Suzie's forehead.

Suzie opened her mouth to argue. Only a painful croak came out. Alice offered Suzie a glass of water and helped her sit upright by placing a pillow against Suzie's back.

The water eased some of the pain in her throat. It took several tries to force out a weak: "He was going to kill me."

"You think I don't know that? Lemay got disqualified and Stone is considering kicking him out of the army. That man has issues."

"His eyes..." Suzie muttered. She clutched the glass of water with both hands. An image of Lemay's crazed expression flashed through her head. Lemay's rabid facial expression sent shivers down Suzie's spine, stirring the water in the glass. She had no idea why Lemay and Garcia hated her. She did nothing to warrant such attacks. Yet, every time they met, they either taunted her and Richard or tried to kill her—twice now.

If she had a dollar for every time Lemay and Garcia tried to kill her, she would have two dollars. She could not buy much with two dollars, but the fact that it happened twice rocked her to her core.

A gentle hand settled on Suzie's shoulder, freeing her from the haunting memory of Lemay's large hands squeezing her life away.

"Hey, Stone wants to talk to you once you're better," Alice said. "Maybe he'll consider your statement and kick Lemay out. A man like that is not someone soldiers could trust on a battlefield. Honestly, he could be working for the enemy and I wouldn't even be surprised."

The enemy.

A splitting headache seared through Suzie's head and she doubled over. Her stomach twisted into a churning knot and she almost vomited over the sheets. Alice swiped a bucket from seemingly nowhere and set it on Suzie's lap.

Tears stung in Suzie's eyes as she clutched the bucket's edges and stared down at the rusting metal bottom.

The enemy. Could Lemay be working for the enemy? For the Nazis? For Hydra?

The knot in her stomach tightened. Travis' bloody body on the church floor and Ma's hand slipping from Suzie's grasp flooded her mind. The tears fell in little droplets that hit the bottom of the bucket with soft "plinks."

The Hydra man in the alleyway who bit a cyanide tooth had the same deranged expression as Lemay when he had Suzie pinned to the ground. Could Lemay be a spy? Did Hydra send him to follow her here to finish the job that they started in the church? What about Becca? She could be in danger and Suzie had no way of knowing or stopping it.

Fueled by the urge to protect her sister, Suzie shoved the empty bucket to the floor and flung the blankets off. She swung her legs to the side of the bed and managed a few steps before she collapsed to her knees. Alice joined Suzie on the floor, positioned between Suzie and the curtained entryway.