Sisters

They were fleeing through the woods, trying to avoid the gunfire and the barrage of shells.  But they got separated.  A man and his wife and her sister.  He wandered for days looking for his wife, but she was gone, either killed or perhaps worse, captured.  He had to remain hidden, and moved usually at night when the fear and the tears couldn't be easily seen.  One day he heard a sound, a soft call to him, using his name.  He looked, and saw his wife's sister.  They hugged, and held each other quietly.  Silent tears came and went, rains came and went, yet they stayed together.  Again they looked for his wife, her sister.  But there was no one there.  She was gone.  After weeks became months, they realized that his wife was gone.  They only had each other, and they found what little solace was left between the two of them.  There were nights when all that they could do was hold each other.  He decided to go on one last search.  He gave his wife's sister a final hug, and left on his search.  About two days later, he stepped on the mine.  The shrapnel tore his left leg off, and burned through his femoral artery on the right.  His strength was not enough to keep the pressure on the remaining leg, and he closed his eyes, and layed back to die.

Nearly four months later, as people were being moved between camps, his wife's sister saw her.  She recognized the soft brown eyes, lowered in sadness.  When she called the name of her sister, her eyes brightened and they ran to each other.  They were back together again.  His wife asked about her husband, but the sister could only look down and shake her head. She explained that he had left, looking for his wife, but had not ever returned.

They were able to live together, the wife and her sister.  The childless widow, and her sister.  And when the pregnancy began to show, it was only the two of them left.  The widow, and her sister, who was to bear the child of the dead husband.  She is nearly ready to deliver.