The Lieutenant's Nurse

by Sara Ackerman

  Brandy whined.

  “I guess we don’t have a choice, do we?”

  Eva turned up the road. The rockfall had taken out the old route, but someone had cut a path around it. Just dandy. Though the sun was shining, the high walls kept them in shadows. Mud caked onto the wheels, bogging them down. It was just the kind of adventure Ruby loved. Exploration with a hint of danger. Eva wanted nothing to do with it right now.

  Ten minutes in, the valley split into two. There was little sign of human activity but for a trampled-down grassy area on the left where someone might have parked, which could have also been bedding for wild pigs. To the right, the stream ran swift and wide. Had Clark mentioned the split? She couldn’t recall.

  There was no road, only an overgrown trail. They hopped out of the car and followed the trail up a ways, batting at mosquito clouds and ducking under vines the size of her forearms, only to find that it dead-ended at the water’s edge. They’d have to cross if they wanted to go any farther. Getting to a bunker surely would require an easier route. Brandy drank happily, careful not to get her feet wet.

  “Let’s try the other way,” Eva said, turning around.

  Back where they started, Eva gathered her pack, slipped in the gun for good measure and moved the car behind a bush. Anyone looking would see it, but they would have to drive all the way in there. What had once been a road had been mostly reclaimed by the jungle. It was so dense you could scarcely see the blue sky above. A narrower stream cut through. She’d expected a clearly marked road, signs, soldiers, while this had the feel of an abandoned mine.

  Chirps and tweets and trills sailed around them. A gray blur here, a red flash there. The forest was a symphony of birds. As they trudged deeper in, Eva kept reminding herself that Hawaii had no snakes or poisonous creatures, no crocodiles or alligators, and no man-eating mammals. Anywhere else in the world, this would be the kind of place the forest swallowed people whole.

  Brandy pressed her nose to the ground, darting ahead and into the bushes, but always coming back. Her white paws were now caked brown. Eva scanned for signs of recent footprints, but the mud had been trampled by pigs, and where there was grass, it was impossible to tell. At some point, it seemed a vehicle had come through, but it was hard to know when. She got the distinct feeling this was a wild-goose chase. No one in their right mind would think to come here unless an invasion happened. Or they were mad with fever.

  If the beach was hot, the jungle was sweltering. Though there was no sun, there was also no wind. The cliffs took care of that. Eva’s blouse was drenched in no time. The smell of rotting fruit and decaying leaves simmered in the heat. With every snap of a twig or creaking branch, she jumped, nerves working double time. But as far as she could see, no one was following. Hopefully, she’d given Mr. Model A the slip, if indeed he had been after her.

  Every now and then Eva called out, “Hello, anybody out here?”

  Only the birds answered.

  They finally reached a clearing along the stream. This time, tracks were more visible. Off toward the bottom of the cliff, next to the stream, a concrete bunker hid beneath a mass of vines. Pinpricks of sun lit the leaves. No one had been tending this place, that much was clear.

  “Hello?” Eva said, louder this time.

  Silence.

  Disappointment slammed into her. If Clark wasn’t here, where on earth would he be? Not his house, not any other hospitals—Grace had checked. The only alternative was that he had been kidnapped. She hopped from grass patch to grass patch, avoiding the mud as much as possible, though her shoes and ankles were already layered with it. Halfway to the bunker, Brandy began sniffing and snorting all over the ground.

  “Stay with me, Brandy.”

  It wasn’t until Eva reached the entrance that she spotted the jeep. She froze. Her hair stood on end. Someone was here and not answering. Maybe he was out. Or hiding. Or dead. She felt for the gun in her pocket, cool and heavy and reassuring. That she was in the jungle carrying a gun, running from bad men, running toward trouble, seemed as unlikely as walking on the moon. Yet here she was.

  “Is that you in there, Lieutenant Spencer?” she said.

  Still no answer.

  This so-called bunker had a screen door and was more like a concrete box with a window, also screened in. Without them, a person would be one big mosquito bite. Eva pressed her face to the door and saw an empty cot with a crumpled army blanket. She stepped inside and Brandy darted past her, nose down, tail wagging. A backpack leaned against the wall, its contents scattered on a small table. Pills, bandages, alcohol. Eva bent down to have a better look. Next to the pills was a watch. She blinked in the dim light. The letters CS were engraved on the inside.

  Eva shot up. “Where is he, Brandy? We have to find him,” she said, now having no qualms about regularly consulting the dog. It was keeping her sane.

  Outside, Brandy took off down a narrow path between tall, shaggy bushes laden with red berries. Eva followed. The rush of water moving on rocks grew louder until it was almost a roar. When they reached the stream, a shaft of sunlight shone down so brightly it hurt her eyes. And she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Eva crouched down behind a boulder.

  A man.

  Prone on the riverbank.

  Naked.

  No mistaking: Clark.

  THE McCOLLUM MEMO

  EIGHT-ACTION PLAN

  7 OCTOBER 1940

  9. It is not believed that in the present state of political opinion the United States government is capable of declaring war against Japan without more ado; and it is barely possible that vigorous action on our part might lead the Japanese to modify their attitude. Therefore, the following course of action is suggested:

  A. Make an arrangement with Britain for the use of British bases in the Pacific, particularly Singapore.

  B. Make an arrangement with Holland for the use of base facilities and acquisition of supplies in the Dutch East Indies.

  C. Give all possible aid to the Chinese Government of Chiang-Kai-Shek.

  D. Send a division of long range heavy cruisers to the Orient, Philippines, or Singapore.

  E. Send two divisions of submarines to the Orient.

  F. Keep the main strength of the US fleet now in the Pacific in the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands.

  G. Insist that the Dutch refuse to grant Japanese demands for undue economic concessions, particularly oil.

  H. Completely embargo all US trade with Japan, in collaboration with a similar embargo imposed by the British Empire.

  10. If by these means Japan could be led to commit an overt act of war, so much the better. At all events we must be fully prepared to accept the threat of war.

  —From a six-page memo to President Roosevelt from Lieutenant Commander Arthur H. McCollum.

  UNTIMELY

  December 10

  Clark lay with his arms stretched out as though trying to make snow angels, only he was on hard black rock, not snow. One foot floated in the clear water. If she hadn’t known better, Eva might have thought he’d slipped and fallen from the cliffs above. When Brandy saw him, the fur on her back ridged up and her leg lifted in a point.

  “Stay,” Eva whispered.

  It was hard to tell if he was breathing from this distance. Eva squinted into the blinding sun. A fly buzzed around his head. Her pulse sped up as she mustered the courage to go to him.

  She cleared her throat. “Lieutenant Spencer?”

  No reaction. She stepped toward him, careful to skip the mossy rocks. This was the part where he was supposed to sit up, call her over and kiss her under the waterfall. “Damn you, Clark, wake up!” she said.

  Once by his side, she squatted down and placed her hand right over his heart. The sunlight had warmed his skin. Either that or he was hot with fever.

  “Oh, Clark,” she sighed, voice drowned out by water p
ounding on rocks.

  One of his hands came up fast and grabbed her wrist, burning into her skin. His eyes blinked open and he squinted to make out her face. At first she thought he didn’t recognize her, but then he said incredulously, “Eva, what are you doing here?”

  She was suddenly furious with him. “I could ask you the same question.”

  “How did you know to find me?”

  “A lucky guess.”

  Eva forced her eyes to remain on his face.

  “Damn, it’s good to see you. But you shouldn’t have come,” he said.

  Her voice went up an octave. “Me? What about you? You think it was smart for you to come traipsing out into the jungle in your state? If that shrapnel comes loose, you’re—”

  “Did anyone follow you?” he interrupted.

  Anger seared through her. “Let me finish. I had no idea if you were dead or alive. Did you ever think about that? You could have told one of us nurses, or even left me a note. I’ve been half-mad with worry over you.”

  He gave her an amused look. “You’re even prettier when you’re angry, has anyone ever told you that? Your eyes fire up.”

  Part of her wanted to splash him in the face, the other wanted to lean down and bury her face in his neck. “Stick to the matter at hand, please,” she said, trying to remain levelheaded. One of them had to be.

  He must have suddenly realized he was naked, because his hand moved to cover his privates, though he made no move to sit up. “The two guys came to Tripler for me. I saw them from the window,” he said.

  “Which two guys?” she asked.

  “Feds. They stopped me a couple of days before the attack and threatened to put me underground if I talked about the radio signals. I could tell they meant business. Them snooping around the hospital could have only meant one thing,” he said.

  “You really think?” she asked.

  “I know.”

  “But they’re part of our government, they can’t do that.”

  He sneered. “They’re above the law, Eva. Anything can be justified in the name of national security. It’s all part of the deal.”

  A branch snapped nearby. Eva spun around but only saw layers of trees and a mess of branches. Her spine tingled as she thought about the man in the Model A. “There was a note on my pillow, it must have been from the same folks.”

  Clark sat up faster than he should have. “What did it say?”

  “They told me you were a spy and they knew what I knew, and that if I told anyone, we would both be dealt with as spies and...” She let her voice trail off. Clark didn’t know about Tommy Lemon or the name change, and she hated to get into that now.

  “And what?”

  She turned the focus back on him. “Well, are you a spy?”

  “Do you really need to ask?” he said.

  They sat there with eyes locked. No one had ever made her feel this way—all stirred up and yet firmly rooted at the same time.

  He swatted at a mosquito. “I’m not a spy, Eva. These are bad people, trying to cover up a big secret or mistake or whatever mess they made.”

  She fought back a sob. “I know you’re not. I’m sorry, it’s just that the world is unraveling around us and I’m scared.”

  “You’re brave for coming out here,” he said.

  “Or stupid. I left with only you in mind, but a man in a black Model A passed me on the way out and then I passed him later outside of Haleiwa town.”

  In the distance, thunder rumbled.

  Clark craned his neck skyward. “We should get back to the bunker.”

  A drop of rain landed on her shoulder. Eva turned away as he dressed, if you could call wrapping a dingy towel around your waist dressing. She hollered for Brandy, who, from the sound of it, was splashing her way downstream. Despite his wounds, Clark moved lightly along the trail. The rain picked up in earnest and blotted out the sun. They were both soaked by the time they made it back, but the warmth of the rain was more refreshing than anything.

  Clark handed her a shred of cloth to dry off with. “Did you get a look at the man in the Model A?” he asked.

  “Nope, and I sped off so he didn’t see me turn in here. I’m sure of that.”

  He stepped closer, and his presence was like a hot wall of fire brushing at her edges. The room fell away. Eva stood transfixed as Clark bent down slowly and kissed her. The dark curves of his face met hers. Soft lips, hard body. She gave way against him. The way he touched her face, as though she was the world’s most fragile piece of glass, caused a beautiful ache swirling downward.

  “Billy and I are done,” she whispered between breaths.

  Her words switched on something inside him and the kiss grew fierce. One hand clutched at her waist, the other held her face. He was so tall that Eva had to tippy toe with her neck craned up, but she didn’t mind. She could have stood there forever tasting river water and peppermint and man. His lips opened and closed, tongue brushing her lips, neck, collarbone. Heat coiled around them. Eva felt herself panting with longing.

  When they finally pulled apart, he wiped his lips and said, “That was twelve days and a whole ocean of wanting you all built up inside. Sorry if I was out of line.”

  “Did I seem bothered?” she asked with a smile.

  Something wet bumped against her leg. Eva looked down to see Brandy sitting patiently, wagging her tail and dripping water all over the concrete floor.

  Clark reached down and scratched behind her ear. “Looks like someone is feeling left out.”

  Eva wasn’t in the mood to share him right now. “Go lie down, girl.”

  At the tone in Eva’s voice, Brandy’s ears drooped and her body wilted. Eva immediately felt awful and scratched behind her other ear. “Now you have both of us, are you satisfied?”

  After a minute or so of undivided attention, Brandy had apparently had enough and meandered around the room, finally settling in the far corner on a woven mat. Clark pulled Eva with him as though he couldn’t bear to let her go for even one second and they sat on the cot with their backs against the wall, shoulders and hips and legs touching. Her feet came to his ankles.

  “I suppose I should tell you my real name is not Eva Cassidy, it’s Evelyn Olson, but I’m not an outlaw or anything like that,” she said.

  He rested his hand on her thigh. “Just tell me it doesn’t have to do with a man.”

  “Well, it does and it doesn’t,” Eva said, as she began to tell him the whole ugly story. She kept her eyes on a lizard on the wall as the words poured out. Clark listened without interrupting and his warm palm was reassuring on her skin.

  Reliving Tommy Lemon’s death is a true nightmare.

  When she finished, he squeezed her leg and said, “Dr. Brown sounds like a top-notch jerk, not to mention a liar. You did the right thing, coming out here. Look how many lives you’ve already saved, knowing what you know about anesthesia. Mine included.”

  A warmth swelled in her chest. “You think?”

  “One hundred percent, Eva—Evelyn.”

  “You can call me Eva. I don’t mind.”

  He shifted so he was facing her. “If it weren’t for Brown, you wouldn’t be sitting here next to me in this bunker, so in a roundabout way, I’m grateful.”

  It was hard to argue with that, but for Ruby. “I just worry about my little sis. I wanted her here so badly, but now that won’t happen.”

  “Ruby is going to be fine. I’ll go get her myself if I have to,” he said with such confidence that she had no choice but to believe him. “And while I’m at it, Dr. Brown and I will have a talk.”

  Clark wouldn’t be going anywhere for a while, but she held her tongue. Just the thought of someone sticking up for her was enough. Especially a man like Clark. They sat in silence and Eva contemplated the peculiar nature of life and all its twists and turns. How one
event could spiral out into the future in unimaginable ways, branching down pathways you never even knew were there. Strangely, it gave her a small measure of hope. The familiarity she had felt that first day when she saw him on the gangplank, that had been no accident. That was her heart already recognizing him.

  “You know what?” she said.

  “What?”

  “My father used to say that important encounters were planned out by heaven and if you were observant enough, you could see them plain as day. Just before we set sail, I saw you stepping onto the Lurline and you seemed so familiar to me. Now I know why.”

  He twisted a lock of her hair around his finger. “Our meeting wasn’t chance, that was clear from the minute I walked into the dining hall. You stood out like a neon sign.”

  She laughed. “Most of the ship was in bed that night.”

  “If every soul had been in there, nothing would have been different.”

  Wind blew down the valley, shaking trees and swirling rain in through the screen. The jungle felt wild and alive. Doing its best to weave a spell around them. She wanted to get him out of here, back to hospital safety, and yet she wanted to savor the moment.

  “You should lie down,” she said, unable to tell if the sweat on his brow was from illness or the humid and sticky air.

  “I’m not going to break, Eva.”

  She refused to lose him just because he was as stubborn as an old mule. “You’re in a precarious position with that shrapnel, Lieutenant. You had better listen to your nurse.”

  “I made it out here all right.”

  Eva threw up her hands. “You lost blood, there’s metal lodged in your chest and you think you can just waltz around as though nothing happened?”

  “Okay, okay.” He lay down and pulled her with him. Propped up on one elbow, Eva looked down into those endless blue eyes. The dimple was there, too. “Is this better?” he asked.

  “Better.”

  He traced her lips with one finger, and the ache started up again. “That last day on the Lurline, I put on a good face, but I was broken at the thought I might never see you again.”