by J. R. Ayers
“That’s done,” she said. “That should hold you until morning.”
“Will my head need an operation too?”
“No, of course not.”
“What about Campbell?”
“He will require surgery too. There’s nothing more I can do for him at this point.”
Before Nurse Brewster left Jack took more laudanum and shortly fell asleep. He slept heavily for several hours then woke sweating and disoriented. He’d been dreaming of battle and blood and the eyes of dead men staring up at him milky white and as void of life as a granite stone. It was not yet daylight but he heard a rooster crow and the sound of a bell clanging somewhere across town. He listened to the night birds singing in the trees beside the hospital and thought about Marie Hayes before drifting off to sleep.
Chapter 12
It was extremely bright in the ward when Jack woke a short time later. For a moment he thought he was back in the barracks in Brownsville preparing for another patrol into the hills above the river. Then he moved his shoulder and remembered he was in a hospital in Corpus Christi waiting for a surgeon to make him well.
Nurse Brewster came in a few minutes later and said, “Good morning, Corporal, did you have a good night?” She wasn’t as pretty in the harsh light as Jack remembered. She looked tired and older and thinner than she had the day before.
“Yes, I’m still breathing,” Jack said. “You think I’ll get to see a doc this morning?”
“Your nurse friend Marie Hayes is here,” Nurse Brewster said. “I already don’t like her much.”
“Marie’s here?”
“Yep, checked in this morning. Seems some priest helped her get a transfer. You happy now?”
“My, that’s. . .that’s unexpected. Why don’t you like her?”
“Because she’s prettier than I. And Mrs. Styles likes her.”
“You’ll like her too, when you get to know her.”
“That’s unlikely. It doesn’t matter anyway; I’ll still do my job to the best of my ability.”
“The doctor?”
“He’s coming. There’s also a barber on his way to shave Corporal Campbell’s face so the doctor can do a thorough examination.”
“What about my face?” Jack whined.
“You look better with whiskers. They fit that roguish personality of yours.”
The barber arrived fifteen minutes later. He was about sixty and wore a thin mustache under a long narrow nose. He spoke little and went right to work lathering up Campbell’s face and honing his razor on a rawhide strop. Campbell grumbled and complained and breathed a few curses when the barber took hold of his chin.
“You be careful with my face, damn it,” Campbell snarled. “Can’t you see I got two big holes in it?”
“Oh please, I’ve shaved much worse,” the barber sniffed. Then he set about shaving the thick black whiskers from Campbell’s face.
Jack watched him work slightly amused. “Got any news for us?” he asked a moment later.
“News about what?”
“The war.” The barber glanced sharply in Jack’s direction then went back to his barbering.
“I think the Union will prevail,” he said a moment later. “At least I hope they do.”
“Ah, you’re a sympathizer then?”
“Not really. But the Union will win. It was extremely foolish to secede in the first place.”
“That’s a matter of opinion, sir.”
“Yes it is. So I suggest we suspend our conversation and let me finish shaving this man.”
When he was finished Campbell tried to pay him but he refused the money. “The hospital administrator will see to my pay,” he said. “It will be gold, I don’t trust those brassy coins you Rebels use.”
“Get the hell out of here before I forget I’m wounded,” Jack said coldly.”
“As you wish,” the barber said gathering up his barbering tools. He went out leaving Campbell’s money lying on the table.
Nurse Brewster came in and Jack said, “That barber must be a damn Yankee. He wouldn’t even take Carl’s money.”
“Not everyone in Corpus Christi supports the Confederacy, Corporal Saylor.”
“Well, they should.”
“They took a vote. Forty or so of the citizens voted to remain in the Union. We still live in a democracy you know.”
“How do you live with the overbearing bastards?”
“By minding our own business. And they do the same. Now get up, your breakfast will arrive soon.”
“And a doctor?”
“Yes, and a doctor. My goodness, you’re a persistent boy.”
“Just want to get better so I can chase you around the ward.”
“What about Nurse Hayes?”
“Oh yeah, her. Forget what I just said.”
“I already have.”
Jack heard someone coming down the hallway. He looked up and saw Marie Hayes walking toward the ward. She came into the room and walked over to his bed.
“Hello, Jack,” she said smiling. She looked fresh and bright in a new dress and younger and more beautiful than he remembered.
“Hello,” Jack said. Nurse Brewster fussed with the dirty bed clothing for a moment then turned and left the room without a word.
As soon as she was gone, Jack took Marie’s hand. “I’ve missed you,” he said huskily. “Did you miss me?”
“I missed hearing you tell me you love me. Though I know a word of isn’t’ true.”
“Oh, it’s true my dear, it’s true, every word. How did you manage to get here so soon?”
“Father Conner convinced Major Weaver I was needed in Corpus Christi. My status as a nurse’s aide helped as well. The major would prefer to have fully qualified nurses on his staff. So, here I am.”
Campbell stirred on his bed and Nurse Hayes asked him how he was feeling.
“Better,” he said. Then he covered his face with his hand in a vain attempt to hide his bloody bandage.
Jack slipped out of bed and took Maria Hayes’ hand and walked her to one of the open windows. Sunlight lay on the sill like golden paint. Birds sang in the nearby trees and out beyond the tops of the buildings clouds lolled in the sky like giant tufts of cotton.
“I’m glad you came to see me,” Jack said.
“It wasn’t a hard decision. After you left I knew I had to see you again.”
“But how did you get here?”
“On a boat.”
“A boat!”
“Don’t worry it was guarded. It was a supply boat flying the neutral colors of the Medical Corp.”
“Still, Marie, the Yankees patrol the waters along the coast.”
“Jack, relax, I’m here, safe and sound.”
“Come here you, give me a kiss.”
“No Jack, you’re not well enough yet.”
“Oh, yes, I am. Come here, let me hold you.”
“No, you’re not strong enough.”
“Sure I am.”
“Do you love me?”
“With all my beating heart.”
“I’m just glad it’s still beating.”
“Come on Marie, hearts don’t matter. I don’t care about just your heart. I want all of you.”
“Well, you have me. Now do you believe I care for you?”
“Yes, but do you love me?” She looked out at the town below and lowered her eyes.
“Please don’t rush me Jack,” she said. “I’m not as impetuous as you. Words mean things to me.”
“And my words have no meaning?”
“Yes, they do. But I’m not sure they always match your true feelings.”
“What am I going to have to do to prove I truly, honestly, sincerely love you, Marie Hayes?”
“Wait. Wait until I’m ready.”
“And when might that be?”
“After this God forsaken war ends.” She began to cry and tears shimmered in her eyes. “I’m afraid you’re going to be killed, Jack. I can’t truly give myself to y
ou until I know you’re safe.
“I’m not Charles, Marie.”
“Don’t you dare bring up his name!” she snapped. “Charles has nothing to do with us. Just please don’t say his name again.”
“So that’s what I’m going to have to compete with, huh? A dead man?”
“Do you want me to love you?”
“You know I do.”
“Then please honor my request.”
“Done. So, when can we be alone?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t even found a place to stay yet. Mrs. Styles has offered me a room in her house, but it’s only temporary.”
“Stay here with me. We can kick ole’ Carl out in the hallway.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she snorted. “What you need to do is crawl back in that bed and stay there until your shoulder gets better.”
“But, how will I see you?”
“I’m going to ask Mrs. Styles if I can be assigned to this floor.”
“Splendid.”
“We’ll have to be careful, though. Mrs. Styles doesn’t believe in fraternizing with patients. If we do meet, we have to watch our selves in front of other people.”
“We will.”
“I should go now. I have to get settled into my new duties. Mrs. Styles will be wondering where I went off to.”
“You’d better come back.”
“I will, just as soon as I can.”
“Now, about that kiss.”
The kiss was quick and passionate and then she was gone waving a quick goodbye to Corporal Campbell on her way out.
Chapter 13
At last, the doctor arrived. He was a thin little man whose bright green eyes reflected the regret he felt for having to see so much carnage brought on by the war. After a quick peek at Jack’s shoulder, he went right to work on Corporal Campbell’s jaw. He took his time laying out his instruments—scissors and probes and clamps and diagonal cutting pliers and tiny hammers and needles and ligature sutures and a host of small lenses which he used to peer into Campbell’s wide stretched mouth. Before continuing, the doctor administered chloroform using a wire cup filled with cotton cloth. Nurse Brewster came in after Campbell was asleep and stood by the doctor’s side prepared to assist as needed.
The procedure began with the removal of the black lifeless skin at the edge of the bullet holes just below Campbell’s cheekbones. Then the doctor sewed each hole together with a curved needle and silk ligatures. The procedure was effective in closing the holes but the tight sutures drew the skin together giving Campbell’s face an awkward prune like appearance, almost as if he was continually sucking on a straw. Finally the doctor used pliers to remove three broken teeth and applied a thick paste of tartaric acid to Campbell’s damaged gums. Then he swabbed his entire face with alcohol and instructed Nurse Brewster to apply fresh bandages.
Jack, fascinated by the doctor’s performance, was less than anxious when the doctor moved to his bed. “Do I get some of that stuff in the cup?” he asked nervously.
“That won’t be necessary,” the doctor said. “Nurse Brewster tells me she suspects a bullet fragment. I’ll just probe around a little to make sure there is nothing in there that shouldn’t be. I’ll give you a small amount of laudanum to take the edge off if you like.”
The probing was quick and extremely painful. The wound began to bleed freely and the doctor applied a styptic powder to coagulate the blood. “Yes, I feel the fragment,” he said a moment later. “That will definitely have to come out.”
“When?” asked Jack.
“Tomorrow morning. The sooner the better. Infection will just keep getting worse if we don’t get that piece of lead out of there.”
Satisfied with his prognosis, the doctor turned Jack over to Nurse Brewster, packed up his instruments, and removed a small notebook from his breast pocket. “I need your name and regiment,” he said flipping open a fresh page. “It’s for the records, in case you expire on the operating table.”
Later, after everyone was gone, Jack lay in his bed staring at the flies on the ceiling. The laudanum had made him queasy and his shoulder throbbed and he was disappointed that Marie Hayes hadn’t stopped by to see him. The afternoon had turned quite hot and the air inside the ward was sticky and unsatisfying to breathe. Jack was about to make his way to the window in search of fresher air when four doctors walked into the room and gathered around Corporal Campbell’s bed. Great, Jack thought. Couldn’t get one doc to come by for twenty-four hours and now the damn place is crawling with them.
It seemed a show and tell was in progress, a training session for the new surgeons no doubt. They took turns poking and prodding Campbell’s face who, thankfully for the doctors, was still out from the chloroform. When Jack sauntered their way in hopes of a second opinion, the doctors ignored him and moved on to a vacant corner of the ward all the while tossing around medical terms and nodding and uh huhing and generally presenting an air of educated superiority.
“Gentlemen, could someone take a peek at my shoulder?” Jack called. They all turned to look at him and the doctor who’d examined him earlier said,
“There’s nothing peculiar about your wound, Corporal. I will see you in the surgery tomorrow.”
“But there’s four of you. Surely four sets of eyes and four trained medical brains are better than one.” The doctors all looked at each other and nodded and stroked their chins and adjusted their glasses and finally walked as a group to Jack’s bed. “Let’s have a gander,” the green eyed little doctor said. He stripped off the bandage and the other doctors leaned in for a look. A doctor with an impeccably trimmed blonde mustache cleared his throat and said,
“It was a rather clean shot. Through and through was it?”
“Yes, through and through,” green eyes said.
“You’ve probed?” another doctor asked.
“Of course.”
“And found a fragment?”
“Yes.”
“Treated for infection?” another asked.
“Absolutely.”
They all stood upright as one and the man with the blond mustache said,
“You’re very fortunate to have had such a good physician, Corporal.” The small green eyed doctor beamed with pride and the group moved on toward the door.
Chapter 14
That night the room was very dark and outside the sky was clotted with gray lacey clouds and the moon was a mere sliver above the eastern horizon. Marie Hayes came to Jake in the quiet of midnight and settled under the blanket beside him. She whispered in his ear that they must be very quiet lest they be discovered by one of her colleagues A breeze came with the night and they could hear the doves cooing on the roof top across the road and the sounds of street merchants announcing half price goods in an attempt to close the selling day with a decent profit.
Jack was worried they would be discovered but Marie assured him Campbell was asleep and the other nurses were preoccupied with their respective duties. Her skirts were long and voluminous but he managed to raise them and soon was loving her and she was breathing hard on his neck and his shoulder throbbed but he cared not because she was giving herself to him and that was all that mattered at that precise moment.
Afterward he fell asleep and when he woke he heard her coming down the hallway. She sat on his bed looking fresh and lovely her face aglow with the aftermath of recent lovemaking. The sun rose over the house tops as they sat sharing the biscuit and honey she’d brought with her.
“Do you regret it?” asked Jack.
“No.”
“It wasn’t your first time, was it?”
“You know it wasn’t. Was it yours?”
“No.”
“The Mexican prostitutes. Lord I hope you haven’t given me a disease.”
“Marie, please. Don’t ruin it. It was a beautiful thing. Wasn’t it?”
She looked pensively out the open window.
“I suppose.”
“Come back to bed, then.”
> “No, I mustn’t.”
“Didn’t we have a beautiful time together?”
“Yes. It was nice. Now you won’t want me anymore, right? Now that you’ve had me?”
“Of course I want you. What’s the matter, Marie?”
“You haven’t said you love me since. . .”
“I do, I do love you. We’ll be married when we get back to Brownsville. The priest will do the ceremony.”
“Are you sure?”
“I promise. I promise on my life.”
She fell silent for a while, her eyes downcast. When she looked up her eyes were calm and focused.
“We’ll be getting you ready for surgery soon. I shall help, but Nurse Brewster will be in charge. You like her don’t you?”
“No. Not like I like you.”
“You love me, remember?”
“Of course.”
“She likes you too. But she despises me.”
“No one can despise you, Marie.”
“She does. She’s jealous, and she lacks self confidence. She’s older than me too.”
“Marie, none of that matters.”
“No I suppose not. Are you ready for your operation?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be. I need more kisses first though”
“No,” she said. “I have to fix you up for surgery.”
“You don’t really love me or you’d kiss me some more.”
“You’re such a baby.” She kissed him quickly on the lips.
“What do you have to do to get me ready?”
“Not much. But it’s necessary. I don’t want anyone else touching you.”
“You mean Nurse Brewster?”
“Especially Nurse Brewster.”
“They have other nurses.”
“Yes, too many.”
“It appears to be quite a big hospital.”
“It is, and they have so many nurses. I’m afraid they may send me back to Brownville before you’re well.”
“Maybe the war will be over by then and we won’t have to be worried about being separated. It can’t go on forever.”
