Page 7 of Freedom Fighters
Chapter Two
The young woman called Minnie seemed to have an endless supply of energy. She buzzed around Olivia like a small, determined whirlwind. However, things got done around her.
Minnie had knocked on the door of the big bedroom not long after Daniel had dressed in borrowed clothes, kissed Olivia on the cheek and told her he would be back…he had a wedding to arrange.
When the knockcame thirty minutes after he had left, Olivia called out a tentative “¿Hola?”
The door pushed open. A petite woman with short black hair, pale skin and enormous brown eyes stepped into the room, carrying a tray the same size as her. The woman was clearly pregnant, although not yet in the last trimester.
Olivia sat up, then winced and hissed in pain as her wounded fingers pressed against themattress. Then she had to grab the sheet and hold it up against her, for she was naked beneath it.
The woman put the tray next to Olivia on the bed. “I’m Minnie,” she said in English. “The breakfast tray is because you’re wounded and technically bed-ridden. I’m here because Duardo said you wanted a wedding inside the hour.”
Olivia could smell the coffee on the tray and her mouth flooded withsaliva. “Hello, Minnie. It’s good to meet you, although I’m confused. Duardo is arranging the wedding?”
Minnie picked up the coffee cup and held it toward to her. “I just met Daniel. Duardo never told me about him, so Daniel was a big surprise. Although Daniel is coverteverything, so I understand Duardo not saying anything about him, because Duardo is big on procedures. Well, all Vistarian menseem to have that honor thing going on, which is what I love about him…that and other things.” She winked.
Oliva felt winded. She sipped her coffee as she cast about for a response. It was good coffee. “Daniel told me about Duardo,” she said, “although he didn’t mention you.”
Minnie grinned. “He didn’t know about me until late last night. Duardo says Daniel took the news surprisingly well. Iknow they’re brothers, sort of, and that makes us sisters, sort of. If you’re determined to be married before noon, then I’m your girl.”
“You are?”
“Sure. Besides being married to Duardo, I’m also the civilian quarter-master around here. I can stand in as Matron of Honor, if you want one. I’m also the one who will pull this wedding together in under two hours. The priest is already on his wayhere. I wanted to see how tall you are. Daniel got a baffled look on his face when I asked.”
Olivia couldn’t help but smile. “Men tend to do that as soon as the talk turns to anything to do with appearance. I’m five ten. Why do you need to know?”
“You want to get married naked?” Minnie asked. “My cousin Calli is tall. I’ll see what I can find in her closet that is white, or do you want anothercolor?”
Olivia shook her head. “Anything at all will be perfect.” She reached for the muffin sitting on the tray and picked it up carefully with her bandaged fingers. It hurt to put pressure on them, although not enough to drop the muffin. “I’m starving,” she confessed and bit into it.
“Nick said you’d been through a lot,” Minnie said. “I saw what happened on TV. It was awful.”
Olivia noddedand swallowed. “It was and we’d still be there, picked off one by one, except for what Daniel did.”
“Is that why you want to marry him?”
Olivia glanced at her, startled. “It’s the last thing on the list of reasons, but it’s one of them,” she said.
Minnie stood. “Don’t mind me. I get direct sometimes. Just tell me to shut up if you need to. I won’t mind. Now, I will see about finding you somethingto get married in. Someone will be by in a minute with some water for you to wash with.”
That began a hurried preparation that lasted a little over two hours. Minnie came and went, always rushing, always talking.
Her cousin Calli, whom Minnie had mentioned, also stepped into the room to introduce herself. “I’m currently Nick’s Chief of Staff,” Calli told her as Minnie pressed trousers and dressesup against Olivia, checking for size and length. “We all do double duty around here.”
“What’s your other duty?” Olivia asked as Minnie raise her arm and measured another garment against it.
“I’m also Nick’s wife.” Calli grinned. “It provides some interesting moments of conflict. Daniel says you’re asking for citizenship.”
“On political grounds,” Olivia said. “It’s not quite asylum, becausemy country isn’t threatening me in any way. However, I’m marrying a Vistarian and I want to end this war and I want the Loyalists to get their country back. I have unusual connections you and Nick could use.”
Calli’s smile shifted and her eyes grew warmer. “I’m aware of those connections. I’ve been talking to your father since the raid ended, on and off. I’ve got him on speed dial now. He askedthat you call him when you’re ready. I’ve assured him you’re okay.”
“Thank you,” Olivia said. “Although, I want to be married and I want to be a Vistarian, if it can possibly be arranged, before I speak to him again.”
“It means that much to you?” Calli asked.
Olivia pressed her lips together. Then she sighed. “While we were trapped in the hotel, Daniel kept talking about Duardo, about his honorand how he was one of the best Vistarians Daniel knew. All I could see, that whole time we were held hostage and especially when he got us out, was that Daniel was just what he had been saying Duardo was. Honorable. Strong. Principled.”
