Prisoner in Time (Time travel)

by Petersen, Christopher David

  “Hey, there’s Dell Casey,” he said, jumping to his feet. “I’ll see you guys,” he shouted over his shoulder as he rushed off, relieved to have evaded the uncomfortable topic once more.

  Before the two could respond, Geoff was already gone. Doc and David watched him rush up behind the teen and shake his shoulders with a jolt, momentarily scaring Dell. The two shoved each other for a moment in play, then settled in by the fire. Even at their distance from the two teens, Doc and David could hear them laughing.

  Doc looked back to David, his face looked thoughtful and sympathetic.

  “I believe young Geoffrey is still very much tormented by his brother’s death,” he said.

  “I know. I saw the look on his face when I talked about his whole life ahead of him. What do you think that means?” Doc wondered.

  “I don’t know David, but whatever’s going on in that boy’s mind, we better keep a close watch on him.”

  David stared back at Geoff and watched him still laughing with his friend. He nodded and said, “Agreed.”

  -----*-----*-----*-----

  May 30, 1864

  By the end of the second week, word of the Battle of Dallas reached the marching column of men. The bloody battle had seen heavy casualties on both sides of the engagement. With Gen. Thomas’ army transitioning through the region, his medical corps was now ordered back to assist with the wounded. Marching in double-time step, the small detachment of men rushed to the nearby medical encampment set up just west of Dallas GA., and four hours north of their position.

  Saying goodbye to his friend, Geoff felt sadness that he might not see Dell again. He extended his hand and Dell gladly accepted it. In a gesture modern only to Geoff, he pulled his friend close and hugged him. Instantly, Dell recoiled.

  “Blazes Geoff! I ain’t no gal,” he said, pulling back in shock, his head darting around, looking to see if they were observed.

  “Relax Dell, it’s ok. Where I come from, men hug in friendship,” Geoff said, now laughing.

  “I ain’t never seen that before. Is it new?”

  “You don’t know how new,” Geoff said cryptically.

  Dell’s mind processed his feelings and logic about the subject. His face turned puzzled, then accepting.

  “Well, just the same, I prefer a shake,” he said nodding agreeably.

  “Shaking works for me,” Geoff replied, extending his hand once more. As Dell grasped his hand again, Geoff added, “Just remember what we talked about: fight like you’re going to live.”

  Dell smiled back in understanding. “Don’t worry about me. Ain’t no Reb gonna whoop ole Dell Casey is all I’m gonna say,” he boasted proudly.

  “Well, just the same, be careful,” Geoff responded in a worried tone.

  “It’s them Rebs that’s gotta be careful,” he joked.

  An authoritative shout, called out from nearby.

  “Casey! Fall in, NOW! You’re holding up our picket,” shouted his sergeant standing menacing with his hands on his hips.

  “Yes Sir sergeant,” he shouted back over his shoulder.

  “More drilling. I hate drilling,” Geoff said in sympathy.

  “It ain’t so bad. Beats fighting anyway,” he retorted.

  “You always say that,” Geoff joked.

  “That’s ‘cause it’s always true,” he countered.

  The two smiled in friendship. With a purposeful nod, Dell turned and hurried off. Geoff watched him for a moment. Suddenly, an uneasy feeling overcame him as he watched his friend disappear from view.

  “Good luck Dell,” he said quietly to himself.

  -----*-----*-----*-----

  “Geoff! Hurry with that chloroform!” David shouted as he desperately tried to fix the tourniquet on the writhing wounded soldier.

  Within minutes of arriving at the medical encampment, Gen. Thomas’ medical corps quickly got to work. As horse-drawn ambulances arrived on the scene, Doc and David assessed the wounded and began work on the most serious of injuries.

  “I’m on it,” Geoff responded.

  Moving quickly, he tried to place the cone-shaped breather to the soldiers face. Each time, the wounded man shook his head in reflex, knocking the apparatus to the side.

  Crying out in agony from the gaping wound in his leg, he shouted, “Lord it hurts. Doc stop the pain, PLEASE!”

  Geoff stared into his eyes. He saw agony and torment registering in them. Swallowing hard, he forced his emotions into his throat.

  “David, isn’t there something we can give him,” he shouted in desperation.

  “Just get him under. That’s all we can do,” David shouted back, still struggling with the man’s leg.

  Looking down sympathetically, Geoff said to the wounded man, “Hang in there buddy, we’re doing our best. I know it hurts. Try to lay still so I can put this thing on you. You’ll feel better afterwards… I promise.”

  Suddenly, Doc shouted from the ambulance next to them.

  “David, I’ve got two bleeders over here. Can you break free?”

  David looked up, an exasperated expression stretched across his face. “Doc, you gotta be kidding me.”

  “I’m not kidding you David. These two will bleed out shortly unless we take action immediately,” he replied, his tone desperate.

  “Doc, I’m in the middle of something here,” David responded. “Throw a tourniquet on them and I’ll be there shortly.”

  “They won’t last that long David. I can save one, but not the other.”

  As David wrestled a tourniquet to his patient’s leg, he glanced over to investigate. Instantly, his face dropped and his stomach churned at the sight. Blood poured from one man’s thigh as blood streamed out of a large hole in the other man’s side. With their skin moist and ashen and their eyes losing life, David knew they had only moments to save them.

  “Geoff, take over here.”

  “WHAT?” he shouted in disbelief. “What do you mean, take over here?”

  “Exactly that... you need to amputate this man’s leg. It’s too far gone. It has to come off,” David shouted bluntly.

  “No way, man. I’m not doing that. I can’t,” Geoff protested.

  “Yes you can. You’ve seen me do hundreds of these. You can do them in your sleep. I know you can. You can do this,” he said assuredly.

  “David, I can’t. I just can’t.”

  “Geoff, look at this man. Look into his eyes. He needs you. He needs your help. I know you can do this. I’m absolutely confident of your ability.”

  “David, I just don’t know…”

  “Geoff, look at me,” David said calmly. In a low deliberate tone, he said, “You can do this.”

  Geoff looked down at the wounded man, then back to David.

  “Geoffrey, David, hurry! I’m losing this lad,” Doc shouted frantically.

  Geoff stared into the scared eyes of the wounded man. Sorrow and sympathy ripped through him as he searched his mind for an answer.

  Looking up, Geoff reluctantly nodded.

  “I’ll be right next to you watching. If you need any help, just ask,” David assured.

  As David rushed to help Doc, Geoff took a deep breath to calm his nerves. His heart pounded wildly and his hands shook with fear. Holding the chloroform in one hand and the applicator in the other, he moved it over his patient’s face.

  “What’s your name?” Geoff asked the man as he writhed on the gurney.

  “Tasker… Jimmy Tasker,” the man said through clenched teeth.

  “Jimmy, I know you’re in pain. If you let me put this device on you, you’ll be asleep in seconds and the pain will be gone.”

  “You gonna take my leg Doc,” the frightened private asked.

  Geoff smiled at the slip in title, then responded, “I’m sorry, Jimmy. It’s just too far gone. If I don’t, you’ll bleed to death. I’ll try to save as much of it as I can. You’re pretty lucky though. The wound is really low on your leg, so I won’t have to take too much. When I get done with
you, you’ll barely need a prosthesis.”

  “What’s a prosthesis?” Jimmy asked through clenched teeth.

  “A wooden leg… but you’ll almost be able to run with yours,” Geoff said encouragingly. “Will you let me help you?”

  The young man nodded reluctantly. “I’m ready Doc.”

  He clenched his fists, bit his lip and braced himself. Geoff placed the device over his nose and mouth and poured several drops of chloroform into the waiting cone.

  “Now breathe in deeply,” Geoff said, faking a pleasant smile to reassure his patient.

  The wounded man breathed in the gas. Moments later, he closed his eyes. In seconds, his fists relaxed and his body went limp. Geoff exhaled heavily, then moved to the man’s wound.

  “You’ll be ok Geoff. It’s a very simple amputation. Just cut through the skin, pull it back, then pull back the muscle and cut the bone... piece of cake,” David shouted, deliberately forcing a calm tone in his voice.

  Geoff breathed in again and exhaled loudly. He shook out his shaking hands, then reached for a scalpel.

  “This is scarier than war,” Geoff said aloud.

  “Only at first. Once you get past the first cut, you’ll be fine,” David assured.

  “You’ll do just fine, Lad,” Doc shouted, as he worked to control the bleeding of his own patient.

  Geoff looked down at the tray of surgical instruments. He had handed David and Doc thousands of them in the previous two months and could name them by heart. Now, they all looked so confusing.

  In his mind, he heard David’s words, ‘scalpel’. He scanned the tray for the long bladed instrument. His eyes located it, but moved away instinctively rejecting it. Forcing himself to focus, he picked the instrument from the tray and moved over his patient’s leg.

  He took a deep breath and angled the blade against the skin, just as he had seen hundreds of times before. David glanced on from the other wagon and nodded. Geoff felt his hand move and realized he was now cutting. Surprise swept through him as he watched himself rotate the scalpel from the top of the leg to the bottom. Blood oozed from the incision and he wiped it away with his fingers to inspect his work.

  He nodded in approval then looked up. Staring back, David smiled proudly.

  “Excellent work Geoff. Now incise the other side,” he said.

  Before his mind fully registered his actions, he had already completed his work on the opposite side. He placed the scalpel in a pan of hot water and grabbed the dissecting tool. Slowly, he inserted it between the upper layer of skin and muscle and separated the tissue several inches back up inside the leg.

  He placed the bloody instrument in the pan of hot water and grabbed the pre-threaded needle from the tray. Pulling on the skin, he stitched it back, now exposing the muscle.

  “That’s fine work you’re doing there Geoffrey. I wish my lads were here to see this,” Doc shouted, trying to sound confident for Geoff while he frantically continued his own surgery.

  Geoff heard his words but somehow they never registered. Completely focused now, he grabbed a longer bladed scalpel from the tray and began to slice through the muscle just above the bullet wound. Slicing down to the bone, he cut through several layers of tissue, arteries and nerves, as the blood now oozed out and puddled under the man’s leg.

  He began to breathe freely as his confidence grew. His hands were steady and his concentration focused. His mind no longer wandered.

  Grabbing a strip of cloth from the tray, he wrapped it inside the incision that separated the muscle. He pulled on the ends and hauled the tissue up the leg, now exposing several inches of bone. Quickly he tied the end of the cloth higher up the leg to hold the muscle in place.

  “You’re almost home Geoff,” David shouted.

  Geoff could hear David’s voice crack. He looked up and saw him coated in blood. His hands moved from instrument tray to wound and back again swiftly. Geoff could see he was in a desperate struggle to save the man’s life and felt proud that he knew he would.

  Looking back to his own patient, he realized the simplicity of his operation. Confidently, he reached for the bone saw. Placing it over the bone, he made his initial cut. He pulled the saw away and inspected it. Satisfied with the line, he brought the saw back to the leg and now began to make his final cut. He pushed and pulled on the handle taking extra care not to bind the blade in the bone. Within seconds, he was nearly through. He placed his hand under the leg for added support and slowly continued with his final cuts.

  Suddenly, the foot rotated and fell to the side.

  Geoff stared at the amputated limb for a moment. A small wave of relief swept through him as he realized the worst was over. He tossed the bloody saw into the pan of hot water and reached for the separated limb. Reverently, he picked it up and placed it softly in a basket on the ground, filled with other rotting limbs. He stared at it, feeling a sense of loss.

  “Ok Geoffrey, just tie off those veins and arteries, and sew the flap over the stump end and you’ll be done,” Doc encouraged.

  Geoff snapped from his gaze and acknowledged Doc’s words with a simple nod. Back at the wagon, he now cut the strips of cloth and released the muscle down over the exposed bone. Grabbing a pair of forceps from the tray, he let them hover over the end of the muscle. Reaching up to the tourniquet, he released the pressure, allowing the blood to flow. He returned his attention to the stump end. As blood now trickled from the open arteries, he picked one with the forceps and closed off the tourniquet. Quickly, he grabbed another pair of forceps and began to work a knot in the end of the exposed artery. When finished, he released the tourniquet once more and checked for any leakage from the knot.

  “Nothing… no bleeding. Awesome!” he said to himself, excitedly.

  Geoff’s adrenalin now rushed through his veins as his heart pounded wildly. Continuing on, he repeated the process until the blood had completely ceased when he removed the tourniquet.

  “That’s great work Geoff. Now all you have to do is sew the skin flap over the end and you’ll be finished,” David said, still frantically performing his own surgery.

  “No problemo’,” Geoff shouted back, confidently.

  David smiled at Doc in satisfaction. Confident of Geoff’s ability, the two now fully concentrated on their own work.

  Geoff reached for the surgical scissors. Pulling the skin flap over the stump, he fitted it in place. Using the instrument, he trimmed up the ends to form a perfect closure. Next, he grabbed the needle and thread, and placed several stitches to hold the skin flap in place. Working meticulously, he took his time ensuring the wound was properly closed. Minutes later, with the leg now cleaned and bandaged, he stood back and examined his work.

  “Wow, that was so cool,” he said aloud.

  “Great job Geoff! I’m SO proud of you,” David shouted.

  “And I as well, Geoffrey. You must feel the pride of a job well done,” Doc added.

  “That was the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I just wish Bobby were here to see it,” he said in bittersweet happiness.

  “I’m sure he’d be just as proud as we are,” Doc responded.

  “Probably more, I’m guessing,” David said. Seeing the drained look on Geoff’s face, he added, “I’m betting you’re ready to collapse right about now, huh?”

  “You have no idea,” Geoff shot back, “Man, that drained every ounce of energy out of me.”

  “Why don’t you grab some coffee and take a break for a few minutes. I’d say you earned it,” David suggested.

  “The heck with rest, I’m ready for another one,” Geoff said in serious tone.

  David looked back at Doc and grinned.

  “What have we just done? We’ve definitely created a monster!”

  -----*-----*-----*-----

  The days of surgery carried on. Although Geoff still assisted in more complex surgeries, David allowed him to perform the less complicated procedures under his guidance. As the three worked round the clock, they wor
ked through hundreds of wounded men, exhausting themselves in a race to save them.

  Geoff stood beside Doc and watched him close. Handing him the instruments as requested, he marveled at the old surgeon’s speed and technique.