Chapter 1: Be Careful, It's My Heart
Tully slowly fought his way to consciousness. The smell of disinfectant and hushed voices told him he was in a hospital. But where? Why? How did he end up here and where were his teammates? He felt a bottle of saline solution flowing into one arm and blood being pumped into the other. He sensed bandages around his left shoulder and torso. What had happened? Why was he here? He felt someone wiping his face with a cool cloth and a quiet voice speaking to him.
"You're going to be fine, soldier," the voice was feminine with more than a hint of a Southern drawl. "How about opening those eyes for me so I can see what color they are? She dipped the cloth into a bowl of cool water and wrung it out before dabbing his forehead again. Tully found himself wondering about the color of her eyes as well, so he struggled to open his heavy eyelids.
"Well, that wasn't so bad now, was it and aren't they the prettiest shade of brown, like my old hound dog's," Tully found himself looking into the face of the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She was petite but curvy, Her brown hair was mostly hidden beneath a head scarf and her hazel eyes twinkled as she spoke to him. She was dressed in an army nurse's uniform and her cute nose carried a small smattering of freckles.
"Where?" Tully whispered.
"You're at the army hospital in Benghazi," she replied.
"My team?" Tully couldn't remember how he had come to be in Benghazi and had no clue as to the whereabouts of his friends.
"They're all fine," she assured him in a soothing voice. "they brought you here after you took a bullet and some shrapnel to the chest and shoulder. They've been sent on a mission to Casablanca, escorting some officers who are having a big meeting. They stayed with you throughout the night and your British sergeant left me an Agatha Christie mystery to read to you. He said it helps you sleep."
Tully half-smiled, gave a little nod of his head and said,
"Judging from your accent, I'm guessing you're from Georgia."
"An honest to goodness Georgia peach," she smiled and put a thermometer under his tongue. "I hear you're from Kentucky," she said as she took his pulse. "Your blond friend with the red French hat told me," she continued. "He was reluctant to leave you and didn't seem very happy about having to work with a replacement."
"We're a tight unit," Tully explained when she removed the thermometer. "We work best when it's just us." She nodded in agreement as she charted his vital signs.
"How's the pain?" she asked seeing a grimace cross his face.
"Not bad," he replied.
"That doesn't help me assess your situation," she gently chided him. "I need to monitor your pain and give you the medication the doctor has ordered when necessary."
"Yes ma'am," Tully blushed slightly. He most certainly did not want to get on this woman's bad side In fact, he wanted to get on her good side as much as possible. "It's giving me some pain."
"I'm going to give you something to help you sleep," she prepared a hypodermic and injected it into his arm.
"You relax and get as much rest as possible." She tucked the blanket around him.
"Would you tell me your name?" Tully asked sheepishly. The drug was acting quickly.
"Mary Ellen," she gave him a big smile. "Lt. Mary Ellen Hayes.
"Tully Pettigrew, ma'am," Tully said quietly, "Nice to meet you."
"I'll be by later and we'll start the book," she replied as he drifted off to sleep.
Over the next 10 days, Tully did as he was told by Nurse Hayes and enjoyed every minute of it. Occasionally he would feel guilty about not being with his friends on their current mission, but he found the company of Lt. Hayes to be delightful and realized for the first time, he actually enjoying not being on active duty. At some point he would have to allow some remorse to enter into the picture but for now, he was actually enjoying the war, or at least the circumstances that brought them together.
The book had long been finished and they spent the time talking about anything and everything. Tully realized he could speak with Mary Ellen, the way Hitch and Isla spoke with one another. No subject was taboo, and they spent hours together sharing thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. She had been supportive and enthusiastic about his plans to earn a degree in anthropology and join Moffitt on some future digs. He told her about the mysterious scholarship he had won that would pay for everything. She spoke of continuing her nursing career, possibly with an OBGYN office or in a hospital Neo-Natal unit. There just weren't hours enough in the day to spend together.
Late at night, Tully wished his friends were back from their mission so he could tell them all about Mary Ellen. He wanted them to meet her and hear what they thought about her. It was important they approve of her since by now, Tully was beginning to think he was falling in love. He valued his friends' opinions and knew they would be totally honest with him. Things like this didn't happen to the quiet, shy, Kentuckian. He was starting to imagine a life together with this woman. What was he thinking?
Tully had improved enough to be released from the hospital. He was undergoing physical therapy to build up his strength, but he missed all the time together with Mary Ellen. However, now he was free to see her outside the hospital and they enjoyed going to the movies on base, swimming in the Mediterranean, taking walks, and just spending time together. The time was rapidly approaching when Tully would be rejoining his patrol. He wanted to make her something to remember him by.
He scoured through leftover lumber around the base, finally finding a piece just the right size. He set to work carving a figure, then painting a portion of it. On the night before he was to leave for Casablanca, they had dinner at a local bar, followed by some drinks and dancing. Gathering his courage, Tully took a small package from his pocket.
"I'm going to miss you when I leave tomorrow. These two weeks have been the best two weeks of my life," he said.
"I know, I feel the same way," Mary Ellen replied.
"It's not much, but I just wanted you to have something to remember me by," he placed the package in her hand.
"Oh Tully, you didn't have to do this. There's no way I'm going to forget you," she untied the string and removed the paper. In her hand she held a roughly hewn, hand carved heart about three inches across. The center was painted red and came out of the original, so it was in two pieces.
"It's beautiful," she said appreciatively, admiring the craftmanship.
"I thought you could take the outside piece, and I'll take the inner one, since you hold my heart within your own," he explained. She leaned over and kissed him passionately.
"Thank you, Tully," she said. "I will treasure it always. Tully grinned as he put the red heart in his pocket and taking her into his arms, kissed her again.