“You saved my leg,” he said quietly, moving his foot under the sheet.
I moved aside the sheet to examine the wound that I had cleaned and rebandaged the night before. The adhesive was loose, telling me that Nurse Hathaway had also already examined the wound, but I needed to see for myself. Pushing aside the bandage, I was amazed by what I saw. Instead of the red inflamed skin around the sutures that I’d grown used to seeing, it was merely pink now, a thin scab already beginning to form. If I’d believed in miracles, I would have said that I had just witnessed one. Or maybe this soldier’s strength of will was more powerful than any medicine.
I replaced the bandage and the sheet. “I wish I could take credit, but I can’t. It was a group effort by all the nurses and doctors at Stornaway—”
“It was you,” he said, gently cutting me off.
I started to protest, but he said, “When I was first brought here, I remember you. It was raining . . .” He closed his eyes and I waited as I remembered, too.
“You were soaking wet,” he said slowly, his eyes still closed. “And it made your clothing transparent.”
I sucked in my breath, disturbed and titillated all at the same time. He spoke to me as if we were old acquaintances, as if familiarity was taken for granted. As if a mention of my transparent dress could be said with the same tone of voice as he might use to tell me that I had a crumb on my chin.
He opened his eyes and I saw there were brown flecks in the marsh green depths, as if even his eye color couldn’t be simple and straightforward. “There was a man, too. A disagreeable man if I’m remembering correctly. You were defying him and saying you would take over my care.”
I straightened my back, determined to be seen as not a woman, but a professional. “I’m a doctor, and I thought your leg could be saved. And besides, you asked me to.”
His lopsided smile would have appeared boyish on another face, but there was nothing boyish about Captain Cooper Ravenel. “Do you always do what you’re asked?”
“Hardly.” I moved back from the bed, determined to put space between us. “I’ve written to your family in Charleston to let them know of your injury and where you are. I wasn’t sure if the Army had notified them, or if your family expected you in South Carolina by now. You weren’t supposed to come here. It was a bit of an emergency and I’m afraid the paperwork might not have been a priority.” I put the chart down on the chaise longue and began reparations to my hair before anybody else saw me. “We haven’t heard anything back yet, but it’s been less than a week. I would expect a telegram any day now, or they’re already on their way to see you.”
A shadow flickered behind his eyes, and I wondered if he was thinking of his Victorine and wondering why she hadn’t written back, or if she was on the first train to New York. I hoped she was. The sooner she got here, the sooner I could refocus my efforts on being the best doctor I could be without the frivolous thoughts and feelings this particular patient seemed to evoke.
There was a small knock on the door before it was pushed open by Nurse Hathaway carrying a tray of syringes and small paper cups of water. “Good morning, Doctor,” she said cheerily as she made her way to the captain’s bed. “I hope you don’t mind that I let you sleep. I took Captain Ravenel’s vitals and his fever was completely gone. And he was complaining of being hungry and he managed to talk me into bringing him breakfast. I brought it from the doctors’ dining room since the food there is typically more appetizing. Dr. Greeley wasn’t there yet, so it’s probably his. I saved yours in the kitchen so nobody would eat it. I hope that’s all right.”
She winked at me, and as much as I wanted to, I didn’t wink back. “Thank you, Nurse. If he throws it all up because his stomach isn’t ready for solid foods yet, I’ll know who to get to come clean it up.”
“Yes, Doctor.” She busied herself with the patient, taking his temperature again and giving him water to drink. “I also thought you should know that Dr. Greeley is on the warpath this morning. Apparently a file was taken from his office and he wants to know by whom. But I think he’ll discover that he simply misplaced it, and if he searches for it again he’ll find it where he thought he left it.”
She picked up the breakfast tray and placed it outside the room before picking up the medicine tray again and heading toward the door. “I’ll be back later to sponge bathe the patient. Unless you’d prefer to do it again?”
Heat flooded my cheeks as I remembered the frequent cold baths I’d given Captain Ravenel to bring down his fever. I hadn’t even paid attention to his muscled torso or long, lean legs. At least, not in a nonmedical way.