Cathy shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Oh? Why not? Where are you going instead?”
Cathy hesitated, and then nodded. “West Virginia. Morgantown.”
“Morgantown,” Sal said pensively. “Morgantown. Morgantown. Why was I thinking about Morgantown recently? Oh! I know why.” Sal got out of her chair quickly and went back to the file cabinet. She pulled another file folder out and looked inside while walking back to her desk. “That’s where Private Zacharius was from.”
Cathy looked over at Sal’s desk, toward the folder Sal was looking through. “That’s right,” Cathy said. “It’s where Michael’s family lives.”
“Hmmm.” Sal took a sealed envelope out of the folder and held it to her chin. “I have something I need to send his family. It’s an insurance check.”
“An insurance check?”
“Yeah, it’s the Private’s death benefit. He died in the line of duty, so his beneficiaries are entitled to his life insurance.” Sal looked in the folder again. “He wrote down his mother’s and father’s names as his next of kin when he enlisted.” Sal looked back at Cathy. “But ...” Sal opened the envelope, leaned on her desk and picked up a pen. “I’m going to endorse this check to you.”
“What?” Cathy rose from her chair. “No, it should go to his parents and his brothers and sisters. It belongs to his family, not to me.”
Sal straightened up and pointedly looked at Cathy’s mid-section. Cathy put her hand on her belly and sank back into her chair. She began to cry.
“Look Cathy,” Sal began, “your baby is Michael’s next of kin. You’re going to need money to raise that baby and this insurance check is a lot of money. A lot of money.”
Cathy took a deep breath to compose herself. “Okay. Okay, but don’t endorse it to me. I’ll take the check and deliver it to Michael’s family in person.”
Sal smiled and handed Cathy the check. “Good luck, Cathy.”
Chapter 89
~September 1944~
Kay sat on her cot looking at her unzipped duffel bag. She tried closing it unsuccessfully and wondered if the fates were trying to tell her something.
Kay put a lot of stock in fate. She always had. And after the events of D-Day, she believed even harder.
Michael Zacharius’s death had affected her profoundly. It affected everyone who witnessed it, and even those who didn’t. Kay barely knew Michael, and based on what she’d heard about him from Mary, she wasn’t overly impressed. But seeing Cathy lose the man she loved when the two of them had so much to live for -- well, it tore Kay apart.
Kay wasn’t there when Stewart died and to this day she couldn’t help but think how awful it was that her beloved husband died alone. As for Michael, he didn’t live to hear Cathy tell him she loved him, and he would never get to see the birth of his child.
Kay closed her eyes thinking of all the injustice, all the boys who died during this war, all the lives that were cut short and the promises of a future that would never be fulfilled. It made her realize that you shouldn’t wait to tell someone what’s in your heart. You need to seize the day.
When her six months of service ended and she was asked if she wanted to re-up, she gave it some thought, but she already knew the answer was no. And so Kay handed in her resignation two weeks ago.
It felt like so much had happened since the day Alexander came to the base to try to whisk her away. She hadn’t known him long and she didn’t know him well, but in her short time at Merrifield, they made an emotional connection and it felt as real as anything she had ever experienced. It was time to take a chance. Maybe things wouldn’t work out, but she needed to at least try. She needed to find out if she and Alexander could make a go of it.
Mary entered the dorm room and saw Kay just sitting there. “Aren’t you ready yet? The jeep will be here any minute.”
“I can’t seem to get this duffel bag closed,” Kay answered, tugging at the zipper.
Mary rolled her eyes and laughed. “It couldn’t possibly be because you’ve got too much stuffed in there, could it?” Mary plopped her bottom onto the duffel bag. “Okay, try it now.”
Mary squashed down the bag’s contents enough so that Kay was able to zip it closed. Then she lifted the weighty bag with some effort and followed Mary out of the dorm.
“So did you tell Alexander you’re coming?” Mary asked as the two women walked through the Quad.
Kay shook her head. “No, I’m going to surprise him.”
“You’re a gutsy lady, Kay. I’ve always admired you.”
Kay cocked her head slightly and looked at Mary. “That’s funny. Because I would say the exact same thing about you.”
The women arrived outside the hospital and embraced warmly. “I’m gonna miss you so much,” Kay said.
“Don’t you dare make me cry,” Mary sniffled. “I have a whole jeep-full of new recruits arriving today. It wouldn’t be professional for me to be crying during orientation. I need to act tough.”
Kay gave Mary a big smile and looked up when the Red Cross jeep pulled into base. “There’s my ride. Be good, Mary.”
A half-dozen nurses got out of the Red Cross jeep wearing civilian clothes and carrying suitcases that held way more than they were going to need on base. After they all left the jeep, Kay climbed into the passenger seat.
“Where to, doctor?” The driver asked.
“Devon Railway Station,” Kay told him. “I’m catching a train to Merrifield in Southampton.”
As the jeep pulled away, Kay watched Mary start her spiel.
“Welcome to Devonshire, England, and the 1044th Division base of operations. My name is Sergeant Major Mary Clayton. I’m the head nurse and you’ll all be reporting to me. The 1044th is comprised of 300 men and women representing all branches of the service handling various operations in conjunction with the war effort. This is a restricted zone, ladies, meaning you may not leave base for any reason. Is that clear? ... I didn’t hear you. ... The correct response is ‘yes sir, yes ma’am, or yes Sergeant Major.’ Now, I’m going to give you a quick introduction to camp, so listen good because I’m only going to say this once.”
* * *
About the Author
Natalie Brock has been a budding writer her whole life. She’s been writing fan fiction since 2007, and now she’s taken her passion for writing to the next level with In Love and War, a romantic wartime adventure. Look for the upcoming sequel to this story, coming soon. In the meantime, please visit her website for updates and information about her other novels.
Website: http://nataliebrockauthor.wix.com/natalie-brock#!home/mainPage
Twitter: @NatalieBrockFic
Email: [email protected]
In Love and War Page 26