Chapter XV:
The surgery went on as scheduled. Marie had
done all in her power to find an alternate cure for the gangrene,
with no positive results. And so, bright and early that Monday
morning, they'd rolled Robert Drake into the surgical room and
prepped him for the amputation. He was calm, which surprised her.
Of course, it seemed his nature, to always take things in stride.
"Hey, Marie?" She glanced at the doctor, who raised an
eyebrow at her in question of his familiarity with her. Deciding
pointedly that she didn't care what the rules were, she turned
and looked at him.
"Hey kid. What is it?"
"She wrote me back." A small, sleepy
smile was passing over his lips. How he'd managed to sleep the
previous night was behind her. As for herself... she'd remained
awake, pacing, straining every inch of her mind for any
previously unseen cure. It was all to no avail, however, and as
the sun began to rise, she'd left her quarters to ready the
surgical room, and retrieve the patient.
"Who did...?" She reached behind her
and pulled on a pair of latex gloves, more suited for surgery
than the ones she always wore when on duty. The snap of them
falling into place around her wrists made her flinch, as well as
jump slightly. She was on edge. She didn't want anything to go
wrong in this surgery.
"Jenn." It took a moment for her to
remember and place the name, but when she did, she smiled.
"Oh yeah? What'd she say?" She rolled
the anesthetic over toward the bed and set it to the right
amount.
"Didn't open it yet... I'm gonna do it...
when I wake up."
"Fair 'nough."
"You'll be there... won't you?" Out
of the corner of her eye she spotted the doctor watching. Instead
of the frown she expected him to be wearing, she saw a small
smile. Amazing. To think, all this time, she believed he had no
feelings. That he was cold and uncaring of each and every man
that came and went. It was a relief to finally find someone whose
emotions were touched by these cases.
"Ah will. Ah promise. Now, Ah gotta put
this mask on you. When Ah say, you jus' take one big, deep
breath, an' all your work is done. All right?" When he
nodded, she slipped the mask over his mouth and nose, and patted
his hand gently. "Okay... breathe in deep..." She
watched him do so, counting mentally in her head. They were
supposed to be asleep by the time you reached ten. He was out by
6.
"He'll be all right." She turned
sharply to look at the doctor. It was the first time he'd
directly spoken to her since they'd reached the hospital months
ago. "It's a simple surgical procedure. I've done
countless." She nodded in understanding, even if it didn't
calm her nerves. Every surgery she helped with made her nervous,
but not so much as this one. This boy was Logan's friend... was
HER friend too. She knew Logan was counting on her to take care
of him... because he trusted her like that. She'd be letting him
down by erring in this.
Taking in a deep breath and pulling a long
apron 'round her waist and neck, she tied the mask over her lips
and nose and nodded at the doctor, who nodded back. Letting out
the breath, she pushed all doubts and fears from her mind and
began, keeping a silent prayer going, at all times, in the back
of her mind.
"Well, what's she say?" She realized,
as she slid into the seat beside Bobby, that she was just as
anxious for the girl's reply as he was. She hoped the girl had a
good heart, and that this situation wouldn't put a damper on her
feelings for Bobby. He really was a sweet boy.
The surgery went very well. There were no
complications at all. They managed to salvage everything from
just below the knee and up.
From the looks of him sitting there, beaming,
ripping open the envelope, she was sure he wasn't feeling too
embittered about it. True, there would be moments in the next few
months, maybe even years, where he'd curse the war for doing this
to him. But he'd survive.
Marie began to worry when Bobby frowned. Her
heart stopped, and a breath caught in her throat. The girl had
declined. Even if it was respectfully or kindly, it was still a
harsh blow all the same. "Oh Bobby... Ah'm so sorry..."
"Sorry...? What for?"
"Well... didn't she... Ah mean..."
Her cheeks burned, and she gave a little shrug. "You're
frownin'. Ah thought maybe..."
"Oh! No... it's just... still a little
groggy. I'm having trouble readin' is all."
"Need some help?" When he nodded and
handed her the letter, she sort of panicked. Now, if things were
as she feared, she would be the bringer of bad news. She frowned
inwardly, wondering why she always took that job upon
herself. Lowering her eyes, she began to scan over the
letter first, until she heard Bobby.
"Uh uh! No cheating! We find out together,
remember?" She laughed at his impish grin and nodded in
agreement.
"Dearest Bobby..." She
paused a moment while he shifted to get a little more comfortable
in the bed. "Dearest Bobby. Ah miss you. Ah'm glad to
hear that there's a nurse there who is seeing to your needs. Ah'm
grateful to her, as long as she doesn't take you away from me.
Thank her for me." Marie paused a moment, glancing over
at Bobby. He had a large smile on his face, and he was staring at
the ceiling. She knew he was picturing this girl, in every
detail. How did she know? Because every time she received a
letter from Logan, she would sit alone in her room and picture
him, clear as day, as though he were there, speaking to her.
"She's always jealous like that." His
words shook her from her daydream. "When we'd go out, and
another girl would talk to me, she'd always look away. And her
nose would kind of scrunch up too." He chuckled at that,
before waving a hand. "All right, what are you tryin' to do,
give me a heart attack here? Finish the letter..."
"All right!" It took her a moment to
stop laughing before she was able to continue. "It's
funny. There's a war over there... yet... back here in the
States, you can't hardly tell. If it weren't for your letters,
Ah'd think someone was making up all that talk. Of course, now,
they have pictures. They print them in the magazines, trying to
get support from any men still left here. You're a hero, Bobby.
That's what Mama says. She says you'll get a medal too. That's
very honorable. 'Course, I knew you were brave, even before now."
She paused a moment, shaking her head. There was no way such a
sweet girl could possibly hurt Bobby. Her fears were quelled just
then. She glanced over at Bobby to make sure he was still awake,
since the medication they'd given him was pretty strong. He was
watching her, waiting for her to continue. "Why Bobby, Ah do
believe you're blushin'!" She laughed as he turned a little
more red and gave a brief shrug of the shoulders.
"I miss her..." He sighed and looked
back up at the ceiling. "An' I love her. Course, I'd love
her a whole lot more if she got to the point a little
quicker." They both laughed, and Marie sat back in her
chair, straightening the piece of paper so she could see it
better.
"All right, where was Ah... oh!" She
cleared her throat and crossed her legs. "Ah love you
very much Bobby. Ah know you know that already, but Ah just felt
Ah should say it again. With that in mind... you should already
know mah answer to your proposal." Marie's throat grew
tight, and a burning sensation grew in her chest. "Please
send information about your return. Ah want to be there when your
ship comes in. It's been so long since Ah've seen you an' held
you..." She bit her lip, tears threatening to spill
from her eyes. She knew what this girl was feeling. Every word
she read made Marie want to run to her room and write Logan
again. If she hadn't promised to stay with Bobby, and if he
didn't need her to read the letter to him, she might very well
have. But she stayed for the moment, muddling through the rest of
it. "Ah love you. Always. Jenn."
"Well..." Marie re-folded the letter
and looked over at Bobby. He seemed to be as effected by the
letter as she was. Probably moreso, because it dealt with his
future. She'd accepted his proposal. She could tell it was
taking time for that to sink in. It must have, finally, because
she watched him lower his head and saw tears falling. She said
nothing, just as he remained silent.
After some time, he finally composed himself
and let out a deep breath. She handed back the letter, and he
took it, holding it tightly in his hands. "Well... you think
that meant yes?" He looked at Marie, a childish, playful
grin on his lips. For a moment her mouth hung open before she
began to laugh. He followed her example, and for some time they
just sat there giggling.
Eventually, though, he grew too tired to
continue. She hugged him in congratulations, then left him be.
Scurrying to her room, she sat down on her bed. Pulling the tied
letters out from under her pillow, she pressed them to her lips,
then held them tightly against her chest. Unable to stand the
growing tightness in her chest, she let the tears fall. She
didn't even bother to wipe them away as they trickled down her
nose and cheeks, clinging to her chin before falling into her
lap. She missed him. God how she missed him! And she was afraid.
Afraid, because she didn't really know if he felt the same. And
because she didn't know if she would ever see him to ask him and
know for sure.