Fated Memories, page 15
Gruber stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “Wait Reiger, you don’t need to do that. Stay here with your wife. I’ll walk with her.”
“Thanks Gruber, I appreciate it.”
***
After a last congratulatory hug and kiss to her little family, she left with her bodyguard for the hospital. The half-moon shone enough light that they could make their way along the path holding hands, their shoulders brushing. The closeness of him made her earlier musings return. Though he hadn’t captured her heart, he’d certainly stimulated her other parts.
Kitty found an empty isolation room for her bed and stood awkwardly at the door waiting for Gruber to make a move. As he stepped closer, tingles of anticipation rippled through her body. But instead of a repeat of the passionate embrace they’d shared earlier, he placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. “Goodnight, Miss Kitty.” He turned and left.
Okay then, she sighed. After another extended coughing fit, Kitty sat on the bed with her back propped against the wall in reflection. With so many consequences to consider, it was just as well he left. Without penicillin, STD’s were rampant and, even if she didn’t catch anything, what if she got pregnant? That thought made her shudder.
She’d fallen asleep in that same position until a new round of coughing spasms woke her. Her damp clothes stuck like a second skin from her profuse sweating. Stripping down to her chemise she made herself more comfortable in the bed.
Kitty slept fitfully, her body alternating between extreme bouts of heat and shaking chills. Images of Richard Delaney came to her in her dreams. They’d met at Beth/Gen Hospital and were lovers until the day he’d tired of her and asked her to move out. In her dream, though, everything was still perfect between them. Wrapped around each other in the bed, his tongue left damp tracks over her whole body that made her squirm with anticipation. Her chest hurt from the pounding of her heart. His smiling face wavered in front of her as Kitty reached out to touch him. When reality threatened, she willed herself back, the dreams becoming more intense each time. Her shuddering climax was so strong it forced her eyes to flutter open and returned her to consciousness.
***
Maggie sat beside her on the bed, caressing her head with a cool, damp rag. She smiled as Kitty focused on her worried face.
“Are you okay there, Ethel?”
Her vision clearing, Kitty saw that the camp hospital had replaced Richard’s apartment. This confused her because Richard’s wandering kisses were still damp on her skin. “I’m… wet,” she said, her deep, gravelly voice surprising her. “And naked.”
Maggie cleared the sand from Kitty’s eyes with the cool cloth. “You have pneumonia, Kit. Your fever spiked so high, for a while we thought we might lose you. You scared the crap out of us. You were burning up so Lulu and I took turns bathing you with cool cloths to keep it under control. Are you in any pain?”
“My head hurts, and it feels as if someone’s sitting on my chest.” Maggie’s words finally registered in her mind. “I have pneumonia?” She’d cared for several patients with pneumonia. They’d all died for lack of antibiotics. The sadness in Maggie’s eyes confirmed her fear. “I’m dying?”
“If you do, it certainly won’t be my fault.” Doctor Freeman leaned against the doorway of the small room with his arms crossed, watching them.
Maggie gave him a sideways glance, her lips thinned in agitation. “You can leave us now, Doctor.”
Kitty’s tears were hot on her face. “I don’t want to die here, Mags, I want to go home.” A sob caught in her throat and turned into a painful cough.
“Shh, I’m not going to let you die.” She wiped away her tears with the cool cloth. “The doctor tried to use his archaic medicine on you that even I knew would do more harm than good, so he’s angry at me. Pay no attention to what he said.” Maggie returned the cloth to the basin, her eyes fixed on Kitty’s. “You are a fighter, Kit, and you’ve got me in your corner. No, we don’t have antibiotics, but with common sense and determination we’ll beat this. I’m not giving up on you and you need to promise me you won’t either, okay?”
Kitty only nodded, her lips trembling too hard to speak.
“Max sent over a pouch of Hilda’s tea for you. Do you think you can sit up to drink it?”
Maggie propped up the pillow behind Kitty as she scooted her aching body back. At first the liquid warmed and soothed her throat, that is until a spasm of wracking coughs made her gag and throw up a wad of disgusting green stuff.
Maggie patted her back as Kitty hung over the basin. “That may not feel good right now, but getting the crap in your chest moving up and out will help. We’ll work on that. Keep trying to drink this tea and I’ll ask Lulu to get you a bowl of soup from the commissary. A fighter needs to keep up his strength.” She kissed her cheek and went off in search of Lulu.
Kitty slept on and off for the next three days, surprised at how much stronger she was each time she woke. Maggie and Lulu brewed gallons of tea for her, some from Max’s stash, some from dandelions gathered from the field, and as much willow bark as they could find.
At times Doctor Freeman stopped in to check on her, but only if Maggie wasn’t in the room. He eyed her with caution and always kept his distance. Kitty wondered if he hoped she’d die just to spite Maggie and prove her wrong. The thought made her more determined than ever to survive.
As sitting up to talk and drink her tea became easier, she told Maggie about the strange dreams she’d had at the peak of her fever. Maggie blushed a deep crimson red as her hand flew to her mouth. She laughed until she cried.
“What? Is it that funny I’d have an erotic dream?”
She struggled to get the words out and couldn’t meet Kitty’s eyes. “No, no. But that explains it. Please don’t be upset, Kitty, you were out of your mind with fever and had no idea what you were doing.”
With slow, rigid motion, Kitty put the cup on the table next to her bed. From the way Maggie hesitated, she knew she had to prepare herself for something awful. Is that why Doctor Freeman has been keeping his distance from me? Did I let loose a barrage of profanity on him like I did with Gruber? Good God, I hope I’m not going from this hospital bed to the one in the cuckoo’s nest. “Go ahead, tell me. What did I do?”
“Well, for a while you were so delusional that you… um… called Doctor Freeman Richard and… you groped him.” Maggie giggled again. “Did you know that’s really his first name?”
Kitty’s body melted deep into the bed as she buried herself under the blanket. Why couldn’t she have only cursed him out? Okay, universe, you win. I don’t want to go home anymore. Just let me die right here, right now.
CHAPTER 16
In spite of, or as punishment for, her embarrassing gesture, Kitty lived. The diligent nursing care and the gallons of tea helped her body fight off the infection. Just in time, she returned to work at the hospital being careful to avoid Doctor Freeman at all cost. The cold, rain, and food shortages over the winter months kept the clinic hopping and Maggie and Kitty fell into their beds exhausted every night. Aside from the usual nasal miseries and miscellaneous infections, several men suffered from frostbite and trench foot. The sight of these maladies gave the women the skeevies more than any of the battle injuries. They’d even heard stories of men dying in their sleep from the cold.
Their tent, shored up with logs and mud, stayed cozy with the wood stove and the extra quilts and blankets Carole Brunswick sent them. None of them suffered any more weather afflictions worse than the common cold. And, though they were obviously thinner, at least they didn’t suffer the ravages of malnutrition either.
***
With budding trees and warmer temperatures signaling the advent of spring, the time came for the company to break camp and get ready to move on to another battle campaign. Encouraged by a series of Union victories along the Mississippi, the Union strategists planned to end the war by taking the Confederate Capital. Only the three of them knew for sure that wouldn’t be the case. The company’s new commander, General McClellan, planned to go by ship from Alexandria to Fort Monroe in Maryland. From there they’d advance overland meeting up with reinforcements somewhere close to Richmond for what the brass thought would be the final definitive battle.
For the women, there was only one minor complication. They sat outside mending their sparse wardrobe getting ready for the next journey when Maggie told Kitty the news.
“I’m pregnant.”
“What? Oh my God, Mags, are you sure?” Kitty’s heart stopped for a moment, and she hesitated before gasping her first thought. “It isn’t Leahy’s, is it?”
“Not a chance. That happened way too long ago.”
Thrilled to the bone, Kitty reached over and hugged her with all her might. “That’s such wonderful news. You and Simon will be the best parents in the world. And I’m going to be the greatest aunt in the world. How far along are you?”
“Oh, it’s still early yet, but I’m two weeks late which is weird because I’m never late. You can almost set your watch by my cycles.”
“Well this is a good sign at least. I’m sure Simon must be excited, isn’t he?”
Maggie looked around everywhere except at Kitty’s face. “I haven’t told him yet, he doesn’t know.”
“Oh, but you’re going to, right? I mean you have to tell him. And soon. The regiment is gearing up for another battle.”
Maggie bent to pick up the errant button that had slipped out of her hand. “And that’s the reason I can’t tell him.” She gazed off to where the troops practiced their formations. “We can’t leave the army yet, Kit. We’re not ready and, if I really am pregnant, we need their support.” Her eyes came back to the task at hand and her voice took on a stern, lecturing tone. “I can’t be traipsing around the countryside with no money and no home in that condition. Simon has to stay with his regiment and do whatever is necessary until we’re in a position to leave.” Maggie broke the thread with her teeth, plopped down Simon’s shirt, and plucked the next piece to be mended from the basket.
The words came from the practical Maggie that Kitty loved, but her actions spoke to an underlying anger and frustration.
Maggie’s hands shook so hard Kitty had to help her thread the needle. “And I’m not even sure that this thing is a reality yet. I mean, there are so many reasons why I might be late. Malnutrition for one, we’ve been eating crap for months. Or maybe just this once I’m late.” She took the threaded needle back, calming her voice. “I needed to tell you so we could discuss it, but I can’t tell Simon. He worries about us so much already, especially after what happened when he wasn’t around the last time.” She still shuddered at the memory. “I can’t give him anything else to stress over now. Please, Kitty, promise me you won’t say anything either.”
“All right, no problem, I won’t. This is between the two of you anyway.” Kitty tried to be upbeat to ease her mind. “I’ll just keep my fingers crossed. Aunty Kitty, that sounds awesome. I hope it’s a girl. You can teach her to sew and I can teach her to fight. We’ll spoil the crap out of her.”
Maggie glanced back at the troops. “Yeah, we will.”
***
Three days later the regiment left Langley for Alexandria where they boarded the ship taking them downriver. The cruise was short and, since they all stood the rocking seas without getting sick, they disembarked in good spirits.
“This place is the largest stone fort ever built in the United States.” Simon lectured with pride as their ship arrived. “It was built in the early eighteen hundreds to protect the Hampton Roads and inland water from attack by sea.”
The sprawling complex housed numerous barracks, a balloon airfield, a naval port and a hospital. After being stabilized at the front line of nearby battles the sick and injured Union soldiers and Confederate prisoners wound up at this hospital for treatment. The patient capacity of the main building and the surrounding wings seemed overwhelming to Maggie and Kitty. Nurses here had their work cut out for them. But, after living in tents for so long, even the stark real living quarters they’d seen were like the Waldorf in comparison.
After his briefing, Simon joined Maggie and Kitty on the grass in front of the main building. “So what’s the scoop, Simon, what are we doing?” Kitty asked.
Simon picked a blade of grass, hesitating before giving them the news. “The command told us this is only a staging area, so we’re moving out again tomorrow.” Simon talked faster now, blurting out the rest. “Look guys, don’t get upset, I know you’re used to going wherever our regiment goes, but this time I want you two to stay here where you’ll be better protected. I’m sure the hospital can use your help and this way I won’t be stressed over your safety.”
Kitty’s heart jumped for joy. It would be nice to live indoors for a change. But Maggie’s face went dark and her hands shook. “And you think we won’t be concerned for yours?”
Well aware of what she meant, he grasped at any argument to convince her. “At least you won’t have anyone shooting at you while you’re distracted with worry. Besides, look at the clouds. There’s another storm brewing, and that means more heavy rain. It may be a long, wet slog through muddy roads before we get to Richmond.”
Kitty had been trying to stay quiet and let the two of them talk it out, but she hoped that last statement caught Maggie’s attention the way it caught hers. She’d done enough ‘slogging through the mud,’ and, if this pregnancy turned out to be real, Maggie needed to take better care of herself for the health of the baby.
Maggie paused for a moment before voicing her appeal. “Please Simon, tell me you’ll be careful and not take any unnecessary risks. I lost you once. I couldn’t bear for it to happen again.”
Simon took her hand and brushed her knuckles with his lips. “I love you Maggie McGrail Reiger, and there’s not enough hell fire on this earth to keep me from coming home to you. I just need to know you’re safe.”
Maggie glanced over at Kitty and, for a split second, it seemed as though Maggie might tell him about the possible pregnancy. But she didn’t. Even if they couldn’t go, he had to, and fighting a war was enough of a burden.
***
The women stood in the pouring rain before dawn the next morning, to say farewell to Simon and their friends. Lulu gave them a tearful hug before leaving with her husband. As Kitty turned to say goodbye to John Gruber, he embraced her longer and tighter than the others as he whispered in her ear. “I hope when we return from this battle you’ll let me call on you, Miss Kitty.”
She’d have to check with Maggie later, but it sounded as if he’d just asked her for a date. “Sure, that would be nice. You just be careful and come home safe.”
The bugler called the troops to formation so, after a quick chaste kiss, he ran off to take his place leaving Kitty to stand under the tarp with Maggie for their mutual support.
“What was that all about with you and Gruber?” She asked as Kitty joined her. “He ran off with such a huge smile on his face, if I didn’t know better, I’d swear you promised him more than a hot meal when he came back.”
“I did no such thing. He said he wanted to ‘call on me.’ I think that’s a date, right?”
“Sounds like it. And you said yes, right?”
“I said he could call on me, nothing more.”
“Good for you.”
The drums started their cadence, the pipes and flute their song, and more than a hundred thousand men, horses, and wagons began their march onto Richmond. The women pasted their stock fake smiles of bravery on their faces, and ignoring the heaviness in their hearts, stood under a leaky tarp like drowned rats and waved, what for some would be their last goodbye.
***
Maggie and Kitty had changed into their whites and reported for duty to their new boss. As head nurse and administrator, Mrs. Dickson oversaw the operations of the entire hospital, from budget and supplies to staffing and logistical issues—a formidable job. If appearances meant anything, she no doubt had the skills to handle it. A woman in her mid-to-late forties, she wore her grayish-brown hair parted in the middle and drawn up in a tight bun in the back. Her stern face showed dark, deep-set hooded eyes, thin lips and heavy jowls. A slender woman, tall for her time, she matched Maggie in height and wore a plain black dress with a narrow white collar. The overall effect spoke of no-nonsense efficiency. Maggie and Kitty hurried to keep up as she escorted them to one of the post-op wards. Mrs. Dickson gave them a brief, but firm, rundown of the policies she had instituted concerning discipline and expectations of conduct, then handed them over to the nurse in charge, leaving her to explain their specific duties.
The fast-talking young woman pumped their hands as she introduced herself. “I'm glad to meet you. My name is Rory, we’re so grateful that you’re here to help us. For the most part we've had male attendants looking after our patients, so it's wonderful to see more women around here. Wow, you're really tall, aren't you?”
A dizzying little bundle of energy, Rory had dark hair tucked under a white cap and plain, but not unpleasant, features. She dug through a drawer of linens as she spoke, at last coming up with the goods. “Ah, here they are.” She gave them each the same starched, upside-down cupcake-holder caps she wore, telling them that, as part of their uniform, they had to wear them every day. “Unless your name is as distinctive as mine, we've gotten into the habit of calling each other by our last names as the men do, so what should we call you two?”
Rory had been talking nonstop since they met her, so they waited a beat to be sure she had finished before answering. They'd been Simon's wife and his sister at the other camps, so everyone assumed they had the same last name, but that would be too confusing here. “I'm Kitty Trausch and my sister is Maggie Reiger or if you'd rather...”
“Okay, well there are forty men in this ward, all of them amputees of some sort and needing care.” Rory continued her instruction as she led them down the aisles between the two rows of beds, pointing out specific care duties as they walked. “Every morning we give the men their morphine to ease their pain and check the stump sites for signs of healing. If any of the men develop fevers, we need to tell doctor right away so the soldier can be moved to the isolation ward. So make sure you make an entry in the logbook on what you saw, and if you gave any medication, for the doctor to see. It's good that you're here now to get acquainted, 'cause I expect we'll be getting many more patients once General McClellan reaches Richmond.” That was not a comforting thought. “By then they'll need to move this ward to a bigger room, but for now, here we are. There are supply closets at either end of the ward. The locked one is for linens and bandages and such, and the other for stocks of medicines. You’ll find the quinine, morphine, laudanum and medicinal whiskey in there. Just make sure you knock before entering any of the closets. Any questions? Okay, well I have an appointment now, so Sloan there will help you with anything you need.” And with a rustle of skirts she disappeared.
“Thanks Gruber, I appreciate it.”
***
After a last congratulatory hug and kiss to her little family, she left with her bodyguard for the hospital. The half-moon shone enough light that they could make their way along the path holding hands, their shoulders brushing. The closeness of him made her earlier musings return. Though he hadn’t captured her heart, he’d certainly stimulated her other parts.
Kitty found an empty isolation room for her bed and stood awkwardly at the door waiting for Gruber to make a move. As he stepped closer, tingles of anticipation rippled through her body. But instead of a repeat of the passionate embrace they’d shared earlier, he placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. “Goodnight, Miss Kitty.” He turned and left.
Okay then, she sighed. After another extended coughing fit, Kitty sat on the bed with her back propped against the wall in reflection. With so many consequences to consider, it was just as well he left. Without penicillin, STD’s were rampant and, even if she didn’t catch anything, what if she got pregnant? That thought made her shudder.
She’d fallen asleep in that same position until a new round of coughing spasms woke her. Her damp clothes stuck like a second skin from her profuse sweating. Stripping down to her chemise she made herself more comfortable in the bed.
Kitty slept fitfully, her body alternating between extreme bouts of heat and shaking chills. Images of Richard Delaney came to her in her dreams. They’d met at Beth/Gen Hospital and were lovers until the day he’d tired of her and asked her to move out. In her dream, though, everything was still perfect between them. Wrapped around each other in the bed, his tongue left damp tracks over her whole body that made her squirm with anticipation. Her chest hurt from the pounding of her heart. His smiling face wavered in front of her as Kitty reached out to touch him. When reality threatened, she willed herself back, the dreams becoming more intense each time. Her shuddering climax was so strong it forced her eyes to flutter open and returned her to consciousness.
***
Maggie sat beside her on the bed, caressing her head with a cool, damp rag. She smiled as Kitty focused on her worried face.
“Are you okay there, Ethel?”
Her vision clearing, Kitty saw that the camp hospital had replaced Richard’s apartment. This confused her because Richard’s wandering kisses were still damp on her skin. “I’m… wet,” she said, her deep, gravelly voice surprising her. “And naked.”
Maggie cleared the sand from Kitty’s eyes with the cool cloth. “You have pneumonia, Kit. Your fever spiked so high, for a while we thought we might lose you. You scared the crap out of us. You were burning up so Lulu and I took turns bathing you with cool cloths to keep it under control. Are you in any pain?”
“My head hurts, and it feels as if someone’s sitting on my chest.” Maggie’s words finally registered in her mind. “I have pneumonia?” She’d cared for several patients with pneumonia. They’d all died for lack of antibiotics. The sadness in Maggie’s eyes confirmed her fear. “I’m dying?”
“If you do, it certainly won’t be my fault.” Doctor Freeman leaned against the doorway of the small room with his arms crossed, watching them.
Maggie gave him a sideways glance, her lips thinned in agitation. “You can leave us now, Doctor.”
Kitty’s tears were hot on her face. “I don’t want to die here, Mags, I want to go home.” A sob caught in her throat and turned into a painful cough.
“Shh, I’m not going to let you die.” She wiped away her tears with the cool cloth. “The doctor tried to use his archaic medicine on you that even I knew would do more harm than good, so he’s angry at me. Pay no attention to what he said.” Maggie returned the cloth to the basin, her eyes fixed on Kitty’s. “You are a fighter, Kit, and you’ve got me in your corner. No, we don’t have antibiotics, but with common sense and determination we’ll beat this. I’m not giving up on you and you need to promise me you won’t either, okay?”
Kitty only nodded, her lips trembling too hard to speak.
“Max sent over a pouch of Hilda’s tea for you. Do you think you can sit up to drink it?”
Maggie propped up the pillow behind Kitty as she scooted her aching body back. At first the liquid warmed and soothed her throat, that is until a spasm of wracking coughs made her gag and throw up a wad of disgusting green stuff.
Maggie patted her back as Kitty hung over the basin. “That may not feel good right now, but getting the crap in your chest moving up and out will help. We’ll work on that. Keep trying to drink this tea and I’ll ask Lulu to get you a bowl of soup from the commissary. A fighter needs to keep up his strength.” She kissed her cheek and went off in search of Lulu.
Kitty slept on and off for the next three days, surprised at how much stronger she was each time she woke. Maggie and Lulu brewed gallons of tea for her, some from Max’s stash, some from dandelions gathered from the field, and as much willow bark as they could find.
At times Doctor Freeman stopped in to check on her, but only if Maggie wasn’t in the room. He eyed her with caution and always kept his distance. Kitty wondered if he hoped she’d die just to spite Maggie and prove her wrong. The thought made her more determined than ever to survive.
As sitting up to talk and drink her tea became easier, she told Maggie about the strange dreams she’d had at the peak of her fever. Maggie blushed a deep crimson red as her hand flew to her mouth. She laughed until she cried.
“What? Is it that funny I’d have an erotic dream?”
She struggled to get the words out and couldn’t meet Kitty’s eyes. “No, no. But that explains it. Please don’t be upset, Kitty, you were out of your mind with fever and had no idea what you were doing.”
With slow, rigid motion, Kitty put the cup on the table next to her bed. From the way Maggie hesitated, she knew she had to prepare herself for something awful. Is that why Doctor Freeman has been keeping his distance from me? Did I let loose a barrage of profanity on him like I did with Gruber? Good God, I hope I’m not going from this hospital bed to the one in the cuckoo’s nest. “Go ahead, tell me. What did I do?”
“Well, for a while you were so delusional that you… um… called Doctor Freeman Richard and… you groped him.” Maggie giggled again. “Did you know that’s really his first name?”
Kitty’s body melted deep into the bed as she buried herself under the blanket. Why couldn’t she have only cursed him out? Okay, universe, you win. I don’t want to go home anymore. Just let me die right here, right now.
CHAPTER 16
In spite of, or as punishment for, her embarrassing gesture, Kitty lived. The diligent nursing care and the gallons of tea helped her body fight off the infection. Just in time, she returned to work at the hospital being careful to avoid Doctor Freeman at all cost. The cold, rain, and food shortages over the winter months kept the clinic hopping and Maggie and Kitty fell into their beds exhausted every night. Aside from the usual nasal miseries and miscellaneous infections, several men suffered from frostbite and trench foot. The sight of these maladies gave the women the skeevies more than any of the battle injuries. They’d even heard stories of men dying in their sleep from the cold.
Their tent, shored up with logs and mud, stayed cozy with the wood stove and the extra quilts and blankets Carole Brunswick sent them. None of them suffered any more weather afflictions worse than the common cold. And, though they were obviously thinner, at least they didn’t suffer the ravages of malnutrition either.
***
With budding trees and warmer temperatures signaling the advent of spring, the time came for the company to break camp and get ready to move on to another battle campaign. Encouraged by a series of Union victories along the Mississippi, the Union strategists planned to end the war by taking the Confederate Capital. Only the three of them knew for sure that wouldn’t be the case. The company’s new commander, General McClellan, planned to go by ship from Alexandria to Fort Monroe in Maryland. From there they’d advance overland meeting up with reinforcements somewhere close to Richmond for what the brass thought would be the final definitive battle.
For the women, there was only one minor complication. They sat outside mending their sparse wardrobe getting ready for the next journey when Maggie told Kitty the news.
“I’m pregnant.”
“What? Oh my God, Mags, are you sure?” Kitty’s heart stopped for a moment, and she hesitated before gasping her first thought. “It isn’t Leahy’s, is it?”
“Not a chance. That happened way too long ago.”
Thrilled to the bone, Kitty reached over and hugged her with all her might. “That’s such wonderful news. You and Simon will be the best parents in the world. And I’m going to be the greatest aunt in the world. How far along are you?”
“Oh, it’s still early yet, but I’m two weeks late which is weird because I’m never late. You can almost set your watch by my cycles.”
“Well this is a good sign at least. I’m sure Simon must be excited, isn’t he?”
Maggie looked around everywhere except at Kitty’s face. “I haven’t told him yet, he doesn’t know.”
“Oh, but you’re going to, right? I mean you have to tell him. And soon. The regiment is gearing up for another battle.”
Maggie bent to pick up the errant button that had slipped out of her hand. “And that’s the reason I can’t tell him.” She gazed off to where the troops practiced their formations. “We can’t leave the army yet, Kit. We’re not ready and, if I really am pregnant, we need their support.” Her eyes came back to the task at hand and her voice took on a stern, lecturing tone. “I can’t be traipsing around the countryside with no money and no home in that condition. Simon has to stay with his regiment and do whatever is necessary until we’re in a position to leave.” Maggie broke the thread with her teeth, plopped down Simon’s shirt, and plucked the next piece to be mended from the basket.
The words came from the practical Maggie that Kitty loved, but her actions spoke to an underlying anger and frustration.
Maggie’s hands shook so hard Kitty had to help her thread the needle. “And I’m not even sure that this thing is a reality yet. I mean, there are so many reasons why I might be late. Malnutrition for one, we’ve been eating crap for months. Or maybe just this once I’m late.” She took the threaded needle back, calming her voice. “I needed to tell you so we could discuss it, but I can’t tell Simon. He worries about us so much already, especially after what happened when he wasn’t around the last time.” She still shuddered at the memory. “I can’t give him anything else to stress over now. Please, Kitty, promise me you won’t say anything either.”
“All right, no problem, I won’t. This is between the two of you anyway.” Kitty tried to be upbeat to ease her mind. “I’ll just keep my fingers crossed. Aunty Kitty, that sounds awesome. I hope it’s a girl. You can teach her to sew and I can teach her to fight. We’ll spoil the crap out of her.”
Maggie glanced back at the troops. “Yeah, we will.”
***
Three days later the regiment left Langley for Alexandria where they boarded the ship taking them downriver. The cruise was short and, since they all stood the rocking seas without getting sick, they disembarked in good spirits.
“This place is the largest stone fort ever built in the United States.” Simon lectured with pride as their ship arrived. “It was built in the early eighteen hundreds to protect the Hampton Roads and inland water from attack by sea.”
The sprawling complex housed numerous barracks, a balloon airfield, a naval port and a hospital. After being stabilized at the front line of nearby battles the sick and injured Union soldiers and Confederate prisoners wound up at this hospital for treatment. The patient capacity of the main building and the surrounding wings seemed overwhelming to Maggie and Kitty. Nurses here had their work cut out for them. But, after living in tents for so long, even the stark real living quarters they’d seen were like the Waldorf in comparison.
After his briefing, Simon joined Maggie and Kitty on the grass in front of the main building. “So what’s the scoop, Simon, what are we doing?” Kitty asked.
Simon picked a blade of grass, hesitating before giving them the news. “The command told us this is only a staging area, so we’re moving out again tomorrow.” Simon talked faster now, blurting out the rest. “Look guys, don’t get upset, I know you’re used to going wherever our regiment goes, but this time I want you two to stay here where you’ll be better protected. I’m sure the hospital can use your help and this way I won’t be stressed over your safety.”
Kitty’s heart jumped for joy. It would be nice to live indoors for a change. But Maggie’s face went dark and her hands shook. “And you think we won’t be concerned for yours?”
Well aware of what she meant, he grasped at any argument to convince her. “At least you won’t have anyone shooting at you while you’re distracted with worry. Besides, look at the clouds. There’s another storm brewing, and that means more heavy rain. It may be a long, wet slog through muddy roads before we get to Richmond.”
Kitty had been trying to stay quiet and let the two of them talk it out, but she hoped that last statement caught Maggie’s attention the way it caught hers. She’d done enough ‘slogging through the mud,’ and, if this pregnancy turned out to be real, Maggie needed to take better care of herself for the health of the baby.
Maggie paused for a moment before voicing her appeal. “Please Simon, tell me you’ll be careful and not take any unnecessary risks. I lost you once. I couldn’t bear for it to happen again.”
Simon took her hand and brushed her knuckles with his lips. “I love you Maggie McGrail Reiger, and there’s not enough hell fire on this earth to keep me from coming home to you. I just need to know you’re safe.”
Maggie glanced over at Kitty and, for a split second, it seemed as though Maggie might tell him about the possible pregnancy. But she didn’t. Even if they couldn’t go, he had to, and fighting a war was enough of a burden.
***
The women stood in the pouring rain before dawn the next morning, to say farewell to Simon and their friends. Lulu gave them a tearful hug before leaving with her husband. As Kitty turned to say goodbye to John Gruber, he embraced her longer and tighter than the others as he whispered in her ear. “I hope when we return from this battle you’ll let me call on you, Miss Kitty.”
She’d have to check with Maggie later, but it sounded as if he’d just asked her for a date. “Sure, that would be nice. You just be careful and come home safe.”
The bugler called the troops to formation so, after a quick chaste kiss, he ran off to take his place leaving Kitty to stand under the tarp with Maggie for their mutual support.
“What was that all about with you and Gruber?” She asked as Kitty joined her. “He ran off with such a huge smile on his face, if I didn’t know better, I’d swear you promised him more than a hot meal when he came back.”
“I did no such thing. He said he wanted to ‘call on me.’ I think that’s a date, right?”
“Sounds like it. And you said yes, right?”
“I said he could call on me, nothing more.”
“Good for you.”
The drums started their cadence, the pipes and flute their song, and more than a hundred thousand men, horses, and wagons began their march onto Richmond. The women pasted their stock fake smiles of bravery on their faces, and ignoring the heaviness in their hearts, stood under a leaky tarp like drowned rats and waved, what for some would be their last goodbye.
***
Maggie and Kitty had changed into their whites and reported for duty to their new boss. As head nurse and administrator, Mrs. Dickson oversaw the operations of the entire hospital, from budget and supplies to staffing and logistical issues—a formidable job. If appearances meant anything, she no doubt had the skills to handle it. A woman in her mid-to-late forties, she wore her grayish-brown hair parted in the middle and drawn up in a tight bun in the back. Her stern face showed dark, deep-set hooded eyes, thin lips and heavy jowls. A slender woman, tall for her time, she matched Maggie in height and wore a plain black dress with a narrow white collar. The overall effect spoke of no-nonsense efficiency. Maggie and Kitty hurried to keep up as she escorted them to one of the post-op wards. Mrs. Dickson gave them a brief, but firm, rundown of the policies she had instituted concerning discipline and expectations of conduct, then handed them over to the nurse in charge, leaving her to explain their specific duties.
The fast-talking young woman pumped their hands as she introduced herself. “I'm glad to meet you. My name is Rory, we’re so grateful that you’re here to help us. For the most part we've had male attendants looking after our patients, so it's wonderful to see more women around here. Wow, you're really tall, aren't you?”
A dizzying little bundle of energy, Rory had dark hair tucked under a white cap and plain, but not unpleasant, features. She dug through a drawer of linens as she spoke, at last coming up with the goods. “Ah, here they are.” She gave them each the same starched, upside-down cupcake-holder caps she wore, telling them that, as part of their uniform, they had to wear them every day. “Unless your name is as distinctive as mine, we've gotten into the habit of calling each other by our last names as the men do, so what should we call you two?”
Rory had been talking nonstop since they met her, so they waited a beat to be sure she had finished before answering. They'd been Simon's wife and his sister at the other camps, so everyone assumed they had the same last name, but that would be too confusing here. “I'm Kitty Trausch and my sister is Maggie Reiger or if you'd rather...”
“Okay, well there are forty men in this ward, all of them amputees of some sort and needing care.” Rory continued her instruction as she led them down the aisles between the two rows of beds, pointing out specific care duties as they walked. “Every morning we give the men their morphine to ease their pain and check the stump sites for signs of healing. If any of the men develop fevers, we need to tell doctor right away so the soldier can be moved to the isolation ward. So make sure you make an entry in the logbook on what you saw, and if you gave any medication, for the doctor to see. It's good that you're here now to get acquainted, 'cause I expect we'll be getting many more patients once General McClellan reaches Richmond.” That was not a comforting thought. “By then they'll need to move this ward to a bigger room, but for now, here we are. There are supply closets at either end of the ward. The locked one is for linens and bandages and such, and the other for stocks of medicines. You’ll find the quinine, morphine, laudanum and medicinal whiskey in there. Just make sure you knock before entering any of the closets. Any questions? Okay, well I have an appointment now, so Sloan there will help you with anything you need.” And with a rustle of skirts she disappeared.
