All God's Children by Anna Schmidt Page A

secret agents stepped forward and looked at the insignia on Josef’s uniform.
    “I have orders to take this woman and the rest of the family. I need to examine them, and unless there is a need to quarantine them owing to the woman’s coughing up blood, they are to be questioned—a matter involving her husband.” He jerked his head in the man’s direction.
    The mention of quarantine had the desired effect of making the agent step back, opening the way for Josef to hustle the family into the station. “Keep your mouth covered, I told you,” he ordered harshly as Anja started to cough again. The blood stains on the white cloth were obvious, but the agents had followed them inside and were now conferring. It was clear that one of them had his doubts.
    “Stay back,” Josef barked at the stationmaster and waiting passengers. They were attracting far too much attention, but he didn’t know how else to get away from the agents. He shoved Anja and her husband, who still carried their daughter, through the door that led to the street, then roughly pushed the boy after them and closed the door behind him.
    To his relief a streetcar headed in the direction that led to the hospital was just pulling to a stop across the street. “Hurry,” he urged the family. “If they come after us, we will get off at the hospital. You’ll be safe there.”
    It was a lie intended to get them moving when upon seeing the agents following them from the station, the husband froze.
    Anja herded her son onto the car, soothing him as he finally gave into the stress of the last several minutes and began to shake with fear. Josef shoved the father, and the man handed Anja the baby as he found a seat and wrapped his arms around his son. Josef stood in the aisle, blocking them from the view of other passengers and hoping the agents would take his position as one of authority over them. His mind raced as he tried to come up with his next move. This was insanity. Why was he risking everything for these strangers?
    Anja continued to cough, and Josef knew that she was no longer faking to fool those around her. A few of the passengers sitting nearby began to edge away from them and kept their eyes averted. One man cast a furtive and worried look toward Anja and murmured to Josef, “She sounds sick.”
    Josef ignored him. They were nearing the next stop, so Josef leaned over and touched Anja’s arm. “We’ll get off here,” he said. They were just across the street from the hospital.
    Once the streetcar had continued on its way, Josef checked to be sure no one was paying any attention to them. As usual people were going in and out of the hospital, but no one seemed especially interested in them.
    “I have rounds,” Josef explained. “Can you find your way back to the apartment?”
    Anja nodded.
    “I will get you some medicine for the cough, but—”
    “We understand,” Anja’s husband said. “Thank you for your kindness to my family.”
    Josef shook hands with the man, then turned his attention back to Anja. “Beth is waiting for you. Walk three blocks in that direction, and you’ll come to the alley that leads to the rear courtyard. Wait there until you see that it’s safe to go inside.”
    Josef could only hope that Beth would be watching for any sign of him, knowing that he would come back through the building’s rear entrance. If the family could make it to the professor’s apartment, they would be safe—at least for now.

    Beth looked up from the silent prayer she’d engaged in from the moment Josef left to find Anja and the children. Oh, how she wished there was someone else praying with her. Even one person would help. This was not the way she had been raised. Quakers placed enormous importance on taking the time necessary to come to a consensus. But no one had ever prepared her for something like this—when there was simply no time for gathering and contemplating and waiting.
    A sound from the corridor startled her. Was that a