True North

by Melissa Lynne Blue

  “—and orderlies,” he acquiesced with an exaggerated nod. “But I draw the line at Dr. Schaffer.”

  Grace smiled, his dry humor not lost on her. “Thank you, Dr. Connors.”

  He leaned close once more. “What happened to calling me Everett?”

  Heat rose in Grace’s cheeks. “Forgive me, I shouldn’t have been so forward.”

  He winked at her. “I like forward women, Grace. They know how to get things done.”

  Grace’s heart skipped a beat as she found herself smiling and gazing into his handsome face.

  What was happening?

  She seemed to be making progress with Dr. Connors, but was it the type of progress she wanted? He seemed to have other things in mind.

  “I plan to drive out of town later to check on young Cody’s mother, would you join me?”

  ~*~

  “Those two look awfully cozy,” Sarah Walters commented to Dr. Schaffer while they rounded together in the second story ward.

  He came to stand beside her at the window. “Is that Connors and Nurse Sinclair?”

  Sarah glared down at the pair standing intimately close. Dr. Connor’s had a hand on Grace’s arm with his face angled toward hers. “It certainly is.”

  “What do you suppose they’re conspiring about?”

  “Conspiring? Dr. Schaffer, that sounds ominous. They look more like lovers than conspirators.” Sarah crossed her arms and smirked. “I wonder what Colonel Dayhuff would think of them fraternizing in his hospital?” She hadn’t forgiven Grace for the reprimand earlier that day. She’d be more than happy to get a little revenge.

  Schaffer scoffed. “I doubt he’d believe anyone would fraternize with Connors.”

  “Or Nurse Sinclair,” she clipped bitterly. “She’s so stiff and unapproachable.”

  Schaffer glanced over to Sarah and raised a questioning brow. “Are you cross with the head nurse?”

  “She scolded me this morning after I walked out on Dr. Connor’s surgery. I assured her that I’d only walked out on a reb, and that I’d never have done so for a Union soldier, but she was very angry. She actually told me that all soldiers, no matter which army, should be treated equally.” Sarah ground her teeth. “She threatened my position.”

  Schaffer shook his head, disapproval evident in his expression. “Connors is a Grey Back lover too. I don’t trust either of them.” He leaned close to Sarah and dropped his tone. “Let’s keep what we’ve seen here between us, and for now we’ll keep an eye on those two, shall we?”

  “I don’t follow?”

  “If we catch them doing something nefarious then we can present Colonel Dayhuff with irrefutable evidence and be rid of them both. I’d be second in command of this post and you could be the next head nurse.”

  A slow smile spread over Sarah’s lips as she turned back to the window and watched Dr. Connors break away from Nurse Sinclair. Life without Connors and Sinclair would certainly be much easier.

  ~*~

  Grace said, yes! Everett couldn’t keep the grin off his face. She’d actually agreed to accompany him to town that evening.

  She had also called him Everett.

  His given name from her lips… music. Another unexpected bright spot in his day. He’d found her attractive since being transferred to the hospital a few months ago. Unfortunately, she remained a mystery to him. She kept to herself, and quietly went about her work. He appreciated her competence, but in the weeks since she’d stepped into position as the head nurse, he’d come to respect her knowledge and work ethic on a new level.

  He’d considered courting her in earnest, but the army frowned on fraternization within the hospital—not that he gave a damn what the army thought, but Grace might. Moreover, after their conversation by the pond, he poignantly realized the need to adjust his behavior. The stark truth was that Grace, along with every other staff member of the hospital, detested him. It wasn’t an unfair assessment. Everett was direct to a fault, and the frequent lack of sleep and deplorable work conditions left his temper on an ever shorter fuse.

  He raked a hand through his hair.

  If there was any hope of Grace giving him a chance he’d have to start playing nice with the others. Hell… this was going to be a challenge.

  “Connors!”

  Everett paused in his trek back toward the large brick building and glanced up to a second story window.

  Colonel Dayhuff stuck his head out of his office window. “Get up here,” he barked. “I need a word with you.”

  Everett raised a hand in acknowledgement, but grumbled under his breath. No doubt Schaffer had made good on his promise to tattle to their commander. Everett’s commitment to playing nice with others would have to wait until after this confrontation. Keeping his eyes forward, he quickly traversed the hospital, and arrived at the colonel’s door. Squaring his shoulders, he rapped on the wooden panels.

  “Come in,” Colonel Dayhuff called gruffly.

  Everett opened the door and strode into the cluttered office. Books and anatomical diagrams littered the tables, shelves and walls of the office. A tall coat rack stood in the corner of the room with various jackets, shirts, and two hats stacked up on it. A large wooden desk sat against the far wall with Colonel Dayhuff hunched behind it, pouring over a thick ledger. The colonel was a career army surgeon, and despite the general disorganization of his office, he possessed a particular sense of how things should be done.

  “You wished to see me, sir?” Everett slowly approached the desk.

  For several seconds Dayhuff’s softly curling gray head didn’t move. He scribbled a few lines into his ledger before setting his quill aside, and lifting stern eyes to Everett. “I understand that you took one of Dr. Schaffer’s patients under the knife without consulting him.”

  “That’s correct,” Everett replied without remorse.

  Dayhuff’s lips tightened in a thin line. “May I ask why?”

  “One of the nurses came to me this morning with a report that Private Thomas was declining. She’d changed his dressing that morning and found the wound to be gangrenous and festering. She asked me to come see the patient as Dr. Schaffer had not yet arrived for duty. I took one look at the leg and ordered him to be taken to surgery. It simply wouldn’t have been prudent to wait, sir.”

  “This nurse wouldn’t have been Sinclair would it? Schaffer seems to think she has the nurses conspiring to undermine him.”

  “It was not,” Everett replied. “Nurse Harrison alerted me to the concern.”

  Colonel Dayhuff’s terse expression eased slightly. “That sounds reasonable enough.” He stabbed a finger at Everett. “In the future, if the attending is not available you will consult me, or Dr. Smith before taking a patient that is not yours to surgery. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Perfectly, sir.”

  The colonel’s eyes narrowed. “I mean it, Connors. I will not tolerate another incident like this. You are a damn fine physician, but you continually overstep and shirk the chain of command. You’ve been a thorn in my side here in Tennessee. If there is one more complaint, if you so much as look at me or anyone else in a manner I don’t like, I will have you thrown out of the army.”

  Everett bit his tongue so hard he tasted blood.

  “Understood?”

  “Yes, Colonel.”

  “Good.” Dayhuff hunched back over his ledger. “Now get back to work.”

  Frustrated, Everett quit the office and went to check on Private Thomas in the Confederate ward. He didn’t trust Schaffer to take care of the boy or any other rebel soldiers. Years ago, back in England, Everett’s mother and sister had been left to die for no reason other than they were Irish. He’d be damned if anyone he knew befell that fate again.

  Three

  Two hours later, Everett collected his medical bag and waited for Grace in the blessed shade cast by the thick canopy of oak leaves beside the pond. The heat of the day ebbed and a sweet evening breeze rushed over the back of his neck. He was tired
after the wearisome day, yet strangely energized by the prospect of spending some time with Grace.

  If she came.

  The thought that she might stand him up had gnawed at him all afternoon. He wouldn’t blame her if she did. How could he? His behavior had him closer to being kicked out of the army than endearing himself to a woman. He had much to remedy.

  He rocked back on his heels. If she wasn’t here in five minutes he’d leave without her. Or maybe he’d give her ten. She was very busy after all with—”

  “Sorry I’m late,” Grace’s sweet voice interrupted his pensive train of thought. “I took a moment to freshen up.”

  Everett turned and his eyes fell upon her. His breath hitched. Grace was a vision bathed in the early evening sun. She’d changed from the drab dark gown she wore about the hospital into a becoming ensemble of deep burgundy. A thick ribbon encompassed her slender waist while thick skirts flared at the hips and flattered her extremely feminine figure. Her rich dark hair, usually pulled back in a tight chignon, was lightly braided over one shoulder with a few wispy tendrils left out to frame her heart-shaped face. She was beautiful. Absolutely lovely.

  The lass had freshened up for him!

  The realization lifted his spirits in no small measure. “I thought you wouldn’t come.”

  A twinkle glittered in her eyes. “I made a promise, Dr. Connors, and I never break a promise.” She shrugged. “Honestly, I haven’t been away from the hospital in weeks. An outing, even to check in on another sick person, sounds wonderful.”

  “I understand.” He pointed across the way. “I have a horse and buggy waiting just over there. Shall we go?”

  “Yes. I haven’t stopped thinking about that poor boy all day.” She fell into step beside him. “What do you think ails his mother?”

  “I think she may be anemic,” he replied as they crossed the yard to the buggy.

  “Oh?”

  “Yes. According to the boy, she gave birth a few weeks ago and has been pale and suffering severe fatigue ever since.” He paused beside the conveyance and extended a hand out to Grace.

  With a shy smile, she slipped her slender fingers into his much larger palm. Lightning shot up his arm. A jolt of pure awareness that shocked him to the core. For a moment he stood still, staring at their joined hands. His response to her was primal. Base. Unlike anything he’d experienced with a woman before. It was unsettling, perhaps even a little frightening, and, more importantly—he liked it!

  Her wide dark eyes flicked to him, unreadable beneath the shadow of her thick feathery lashes, and she lifted her skirt to climb onto the seat.

  Everett gave himself a mental shake, and handed her up into the buggy. He clenched his left hand into a fist, desperate to resist placing a hand at the small of her back. Once she was in, he steeled himself and climbed into the seat beside her. He collected the reins and tried to ignore her burgundy skirt wrapping around his leg. Impossible. He was so aware of his presence beside him she may as well have been in his lap. He wanted her in his lap.

  “Do you plan to treat the anemia with iron?”

  “Pardon?”

  “Cody’s mother, do you plan to give her iron.”

  “Oh.” Everett shook his head to clear it. “Yes. I gave the lad iron supplements for her this morning.” He looked over to her, impressed. “How clever you are.”

  “Not particularly,” she replied. “My husband had some luck with it in his practice before the war. It takes a few weeks, but we saw many women improve with the treatment.”

  Everett nodded. “I’ve had similar experience. Not all of my colleagues believe in the merits of iron, however.”

  “Medicine is an evolving science. It needs more forward thinking physicians.”

  Everett grinned. “Was that meant to be a compliment?”

  From the corner of his eye he saw her trying to suppress a smile. “I suppose it was.”

  Grace and Everett fell into companionable conversation on the brief drive out of town, primarily speaking of their work around the hospital and past experiences with patients. It didn’t take long for Everett to find the small farm on the outskirts of town that Cody had described.

  “The farm could use some work,” Grace observed sadly.

  Before Everett could reply, a man hobbled out the front door on a crutch. He was haggard and thin with ill fitting clothes. His sandy hair was in dire need of a trim and fell in clumps over piercing blue eyes. “Why are you here?” he demanded, distrust emanating from his tense figure.

  Everett raised a hand in greeting. “Forgive the intrusion, sir. I am Dr. Everett Connors, I spoke—“

  “I know who you are,” the man interrupted. “My son shouldn’t have come to you.”

  Everett cleared his throat. “I gave the boy some medicine, but I had hoped to examine his mother—your wife, I presume.”

  “No Yankee doctor is laying a hand on my wife. Now get off my land before things get ugly for you and your lady friend.”

  Grace slipped her hand around his arm, giving him a gentle squeeze. “Everett,” she whispered, “we should go. These people don’t want us here.

  Everett shook off her touch, and fought for patience. “Sir—”

  The man pulled a pistol from behind his back and aimed it straight at them.

  Dread pooled in his gut, and Grace seized his arm in pure panic.

  Bloody Hell. How had a well intentioned house call come to a potential shootout? “Very well,” Everett relented, stuffing his anger down. “We’ll leave.” He tugged on the reins to maneuver the horse around. “If you change your mind, or her condition worsens, send word to the hospital.”

  Silently seething, Everett urged the horse to a quick pace. Grace, clearly frightened, kept a firm hold of his arm.

  “I wasn’t sure we’d be received,” she said once they were clear of the farm, “but I didn’t expect it to go that poorly.”

  Guilt swamped Everett’s frustration. “I’m sorry, Grace. I never should have brought you here.” What a fool he was.

  “It’s not your fault, Everett, you couldn’t have known.”

  “But I should have. I was naïve enough to believe they wanted help when the boy showed up at the hospital.”

  She squeezed his arm again, gently this time… sweetly. “You did help, Everett. You listened to that boy which is far more than anyone else would have done, and then you gave his mother medicine.”

  He scoffed. “If that bastard let’s her take it.”

  “You wear the uniform of his enemies. It stands to reason he won’t harbor trust whether you carry a medical bag or a rifle.”

  Everett released a long breath and glanced over at her. “You are an insightful woman, Grace.”

  A hint of pink raised in her cheeks, and she bit her lower lip, not quite able to mask a little smile at his compliment.

  Everett shifted his attention back to the road, simply enjoying having her at his side on the drive back to the hospital.

  Once they arrived, Everett halted the the horses and set the wheel brake. He didn’t immediately exit the carriage and instead turned to Grace. He took her hand in his, stroking his thumb across the back of her fingers. “I’m sorry,” he said. “This outing was a disaster.”

  A twinkle lit Grace’s eye as she flashed a wry smile. “Just a bit.”

  “I don’t suppose you’d let me make it up to you?”

  She raised a brow. “What did you have in mind?”

  “Another rock skipping competition. I’ll even let you win.

  Grace laughed, the sound light and musical, it warmed him from the inside out. “That won’t be necessary.” She stood as though rising to the challenge. “I’ll beat you of my own accord.”

  ~*~

  “Nurse Harrison,” Grace turned to the petite silver-haired woman seated before her, “could you please tell me the medicinal uses for opium?”

  The mild mannered woman nodded shyly. “Opium is administered for pain, Nurse Sinclair.”
>
  “Very good. And what else?” Grace’s eyes swept the four women before her. When no one volunteered her gaze landed on Sarah. “Nurse Walters? Do you know the answer?”

  Sarah gazed coolly at Grace. “No.”

  Grace wasn’t sure what to do about the Sarah’s attitude toward her ever since their confrontation in the linen closet a few weeks ago. For the time being she’d chosen to ignore it, but the other woman’s grudge was growing wearisome. She shifted her attention away from Sarah. “Does anyone know another medicinal use for opium?”

  She was again met with silent stares.

  A figure filled the door at the back of the room and she glanced up to find Everett leaning casually against the doorjamb. He wore no uniform coat and the top two buttons of his white shirt lay open, leaving a tantalizing glimpse of the toned chest beneath.

  “Dr. Connors,” Grace said a little breathlessly. She cleared her throat, forcing herself to remain composed. “Thank you for joining us. Would you care to answer the question?”

  “Certainly,” he replied. “Would you be kind enough to repeat it?”

  “What are the medicinal uses for opium? Nurse Harrison correctly identified pain.”

  He nodded and took a step into the room. “In addition to pain, opium is used for the treatment of dysentery.”

  “Thank you, Doctor.” She grinned back at him. “All right, ladies, that’s all for today. I imagine you’re ready to find some supper and go to bed. I’ll see you all on the morrow.”

  The other women murmured their thanks and a chorus of good evening as they quickly shuffled from the room.

  Grace sighed and sat heavily in one of the chairs, battling frustration. She looked up at Everett. “I’m trying,” she said, defeat creeping into her voice, “but I’m afraid you were my most willing participant in tonight’s lecture.”

  He strode further into the room and her breath hitched just a little at the sight of him. He was so ruggedly handsome. His dark blue uniform trousers fitted snugly against his lean hips, and the simple cloth shirt stretched across the broad expanse of his chest and enhanced the masculine lines of his physique.

  She glanced down at her hands, desperate to stem the inappropriate train of thoughts. Thoughts becoming ever more present in her lonely mind. “I, uh, don’t think my counterparts care at all to learn more about medicines and surgical tools.”