woman be awake. She be askin’ fer you!”
Chapter Seven
Carrie and Janie pushed away from the table and ran up the stairs, then walked more slowly to the room so they wouldn’t alarm Georgia. May was standing next to the bed with a wide grin on her face.
Georgia stared up at Carrie when she walked into the room. “I didn’t dream you up,” she said weakly, her blue eyes staring up at her from beneath short red hair.
“No, you didn’t,” Carrie agreed with a smile as she placed her hand on Georgia’s forehead, glad to see she was completely fever free.
Georgia gazed around in confusion. “Where am I?” she murmured.
“In my father’s home,” Carrie said gently. “I thought it was better that I bring you here rather than leave you in the hospital.”
“How long have I been out of it?”
“A week. Your body needed rest and time to get rid of the infection. Your fever is gone.”
Georgia nodded and then frowned. “They know…?”
“No, they don’t,” Carrie told her quickly. Georgia gasped with relief and then looked down at her arm. “We were able to save it. I don’t know how well you’ll be able to use it, but it’s still there. It will take some time for it to heal. Then we’ll know more.”
Georgia nodded. “Thank you,” she said simply.
Carrie nodded at May, who slipped from the room to fix the sick girl some soup, and then she introduced Georgia to Janie. “You can trust her,” she said firmly.
“It’s so strange to be called Georgia,” she said, her voice still weak. “I’ve been George for almost three years.”
Carrie was bursting with questions, but she knew Georgia needed to get her strength. “Try not to talk right now. May went down to get some soup. We’ll have to feed you little bits at first, but your strength will come back sooner than you think.”
“You ain’t going to ask?”
“Well,” Carrie admitted with a grin, “I certainly can’t say I’m not curious, but now is not the time. You just need to build your strength back up.”
Janie stepped forward. “I’m dying to hear your story,” she said cheerfully, “but Carrie is right, I suppose. I imagine it won’t kill me to wait.”
Georgia managed a weak laugh. “I reckon I got real lucky when I ended up in your hospital ward.” She gazed up at Carrie. “Are you really a doctor?”
Carrie shook her head. “Not yet. But there is such a dire need for people with medical experience that I’m allowed to act as one. Officially, I am Dr. Wild’s assistant, and even that is strange for a woman.”
“You’re filling a need,” Georgia said faintly. “That’s what I did.”
Carrie and Janie stared at her but didn’t have time to ask anything before May rushed into the room with soup.
Just the small bowl Carrie fed Georgia worked wonders. Color started to seep back into her cheeks, and her eyes lost some of their dullness. Carrie was sure, given time, Georgia would recover fully. “We’ll give you some more soup in a little while. Pretty soon you’ll be as bored with beans and cornbread as we are.”
“I reckon it will take me a while to get bored. Sure sounds a heap better than what I’ve been eating, especially for the last year or so.”
Carrie knew how poorly the troops had been eating. It was almost impossible to get supplies to them. Georgia’s thin, pinched face was not all due to her illness. She kept trying to block images of Robert, exhausted and hungry, out of her mind. Her sleep would be filled with him, but for right now she needed to focus on Georgia.
Carrie and Janie were sitting on the windowsill talking softly when Georgia woke up again.
Carrie fed her some more soup and was satisfied with the life she saw flowing back into the woman’s face. “How old are you?” she asked
Chapter Seven
Carrie and Janie pushed away from the table and ran up the stairs, then walked more slowly to the room so they wouldn’t alarm Georgia. May was standing next to the bed with a wide grin on her face.
Georgia stared up at Carrie when she walked into the room. “I didn’t dream you up,” she said weakly, her blue eyes staring up at her from beneath short red hair.
“No, you didn’t,” Carrie agreed with a smile as she placed her hand on Georgia’s forehead, glad to see she was completely fever free.
Georgia gazed around in confusion. “Where am I?” she murmured.
“In my father’s home,” Carrie said gently. “I thought it was better that I bring you here rather than leave you in the hospital.”
“How long have I been out of it?”
“A week. Your body needed rest and time to get rid of the infection. Your fever is gone.”
Georgia nodded and then frowned. “They know…?”
“No, they don’t,” Carrie told her quickly. Georgia gasped with relief and then looked down at her arm. “We were able to save it. I don’t know how well you’ll be able to use it, but it’s still there. It will take some time for it to heal. Then we’ll know more.”
Georgia nodded. “Thank you,” she said simply.
Carrie nodded at May, who slipped from the room to fix the sick girl some soup, and then she introduced Georgia to Janie. “You can trust her,” she said firmly.
“It’s so strange to be called Georgia,” she said, her voice still weak. “I’ve been George for almost three years.”
Carrie was bursting with questions, but she knew Georgia needed to get her strength. “Try not to talk right now. May went down to get some soup. We’ll have to feed you little bits at first, but your strength will come back sooner than you think.”
“You ain’t going to ask?”
“Well,” Carrie admitted with a grin, “I certainly can’t say I’m not curious, but now is not the time. You just need to build your strength back up.”
Janie stepped forward. “I’m dying to hear your story,” she said cheerfully, “but Carrie is right, I suppose. I imagine it won’t kill me to wait.”
Georgia managed a weak laugh. “I reckon I got real lucky when I ended up in your hospital ward.” She gazed up at Carrie. “Are you really a doctor?”
Carrie shook her head. “Not yet. But there is such a dire need for people with medical experience that I’m allowed to act as one. Officially, I am Dr. Wild’s assistant, and even that is strange for a woman.”
“You’re filling a need,” Georgia said faintly. “That’s what I did.”
Carrie and Janie stared at her but didn’t have time to ask anything before May rushed into the room with soup.
Just the small bowl Carrie fed Georgia worked wonders. Color started to seep back into her cheeks, and her eyes lost some of their dullness. Carrie was sure, given time, Georgia would recover fully. “We’ll give you some more soup in a little while. Pretty soon you’ll be as bored with beans and cornbread as we are.”
“I reckon it will take me a while to get bored. Sure sounds a heap better than what I’ve been eating, especially for the last year or so.”
Carrie knew how poorly the troops had been eating. It was almost impossible to get supplies to them. Georgia’s thin, pinched face was not all due to her illness. She kept trying to block images of Robert, exhausted and hungry, out of her mind. Her sleep would be filled with him, but for right now she needed to focus on Georgia.
Carrie and Janie were sitting on the windowsill talking softly when Georgia woke up again.
Carrie fed her some more soup and was satisfied with the life she saw flowing back into the woman’s face. “How old are you?” she asked
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