Chapter 11
"Doctor, there's no sign of her." said Patricia.
For the past hour the doctor and Patricia were looking for Elaine. But, they couldn't find her. After the bomb exploded in the hospital, it was hard to find anyone. Most of the patients were taken into safety and many were dead.
"I'm sorry Patricia, but we have to call off the search." the doctor said
"But, we can't! She might be alive and may be in need of our help. No. We have to keep looking."
"Are you insane? We have thousands of patients that are in need of our help. I'm calling the search off."
"Oh, no. Does that mean she is dead?" asked Patricia.
"I don't know, but nurse return to your duties."
"Yes, sir."
Patricia walked into a room of noisy patients screaming for help, each one with a wound much worse than the one before him. Patricia was thinking about Elaine. She couldn't believe and didn't want to believe that she was dead. Elaine was a strong woman. She knew that the doctor and the rest of the military were helpless and she knew that only one person could help her and she would find him. She had to reach Peter.
By the next two hours, the patients were calm and the doctor spoke of the causalities of the incident in the hospital.
"How bout this one here, sir? Elaine Walker?"
"She's dead. It's sad, she was a dedicated nurse."
The young boy looked sadly at the doctor and wrote down her name on a sheet of paper which he was going to give to the press to write in the newspaper.
Patricia over-heard the conversation.
"This is horrible. She may not even be dead. How could he do this?"
………………………………………………………………………………………
Danny sat on their porch thinking of Elaine. He didn't have any information at all about her. She had not wrote back to him, since the day he mailed her the letter.
"What if she really is dead? What am I going to do without her?" he said to himself as he sighed.
"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself." said Evelyn as she walked up next to Danny and sat down.
"How can I not? I don't know how she is or where she is. What if she's dead?"
"Then you will go on with your life."
"How can you say that? Look, Evelyn leave me alone."
"I'm sorry Danny, that was cruel of me. I want to help."
"You can't."
"Look, the war is almost over. Maybe, soon she'll come back. She might just be busy. Besides, they'll be printing out the list of casuelities soon."
"Oh god. I hope she isn't on there."
He said as he slowly cried while Evelyn somehow tried to comfort him.
………………………………………………………………………………………..
Two Weeks Later
"Peter, business is going up by 10%." said John, Peter's assistant.
After he was released, Peter started a newspaper business. He became rich and owned a wonderful mansion, but his life was not as wonderful as his house. He had still been grieving about how he had lost a daughter and a wife while she was giving birth to her, and the one other person he had loved was married and in love with someone else. He didn't know how she was, where she was, if she was alive.
"You know, you ought to start going out more. Having fun."
"Having fun with women?"
"Well, partially, yes."
"John, you know Clair died just a few years ago. I just can't."
"Peter, its time to move on. She would want you to be happy."
"I am moving on."
"Oh, right, that girl you are in love with? Elaine?"
"Yes, what about her?"
"Peter, let's talk seriously. You don't know much about her. All you know is that she is married. She might even be dead."
"Now, don't say that. She's kind and I am in love with her. Look, leave my personal life to me. You just worry about our business."
John gave a half-smile to Peter and walked out of the office. Peter sat down in his chair and made himself comfortable. However, he could think of no one but Elaine and his wife. He had loved his wife, but he had found a great kindness in Elaine, a kindness that he could not describe.
"Where is she now?" he asked himself but he knew not the answer
The war for now was coming to an end. The patients were sent home and Patricia was packing her bags.
"Nurse, may I come in for a second?" the doctor asked.
"Yes."
"Look, I want to ask for a favor. You must not tell anyone about Elaine, that she may be alive. I could charged highly with that."
"Sir, excuse me for saying this, but screw you! I'm looking for her. She is one of my best-friends and I am not going to leave her until I find out that she really is dead." said Patricia as she gathered her bag and left the room.
"No one is going to stop me. I'll find her. I know she is not dead." Said Patricia as she got on the train and rode away to find Elaine.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
"Good day, sir."
"Good day, Melina." said Peter as he walked into his house. He wore a smile but felt a heartbreak inside.
"Oh, sir there is a young lady, waiting for you in the living room."
"A lady?"
"Yes, sir."
"Oh well, yes, thank you."
Melinda nodded and got back to her duties.
"Could it be?" Peter said thinking of Elaine.
He ran into the room, only to be disappointed, to see that it was someone else.
"Patricia what are you doing here?"
"Peter, I came to see you. This is important. It's about Elaine."
"Elaine? What's wrong with her?"
"Peter, we don't know but she may be dead. A bomb exploded inside her hospital. We couldn't find her body. But, I think she's not dead. She could have been picked up by someone else."
"Oh my god, what a tragedy."
"Peter, they called off the search, but in my heart I know she's not dead. Please, help me find her."
"Of course, I will. We will begin the search tomorrow. You are free to stay here, if you like."
She smiled and the two began making their plans.
