Cole's Promise

by Susan Macatee

  “They all are in their uniforms, I suspect.” Claire grinned, enjoying the respite. Since she’d left camp, she had nothing but men for company. “He was injured in a skirmish, and I treated his arm. After he was released from the hospital, he sought me out and…” Her face heated. “…he kissed me.”

  “Oh.” Millie covered her mouth. “I’m sure he was an excellent kisser, or you wouldn’t be calling out his name in your sleep.”

  “Well, let’s just say, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way about any man, and I’d very much like to see him again.”

  Dara plopped back onto her cot. “I’m sure you’ll find him.” She glanced at her sister. “Millie and I will help you.”

  Millie nodded. “We’ll see if we can locate where his regiment and company are stationed.”

  Claire’s eyes misted. “Thank you so much. You don’t know how much I appreciate your help and companionship.”

  After a quick breakfast of eggs, biscuits, and a little ham Mrs. Densler had hidden away, Claire was put to work tending to the wounded men housed there. She asked each what regiment they belonged to and also if they knew of Cole’s regiment.

  One of the wounded was a very young boy named Edward. Everyone called him Eddie. He’d been a drummer boy and had been sent back away from the fighting, but a stray shell had caught him in the side. He’d been laid up ever since.

  Eddie looked to be about twelve years old but swore to Claire he was fifteen. His dark hair was dulled and hung in limp strands around his gray face. His blue eyes also lacked luster. Claire’s heart went out to the lad, and she took full charge of seeing him grow strong and well.

  Dr. Roderick had examined him and pronounced that he’d recover so long as he got plenty of rest and good food into his belly. Claire’s mission, aside from finding Cole, was decided then and there.

  “Miss Claire?”

  Claire was making rounds of the men’s rooms, when she heard the plaintive question. Glancing down into Eddie’s face, she noted his frown.

  “What’s wrong, dear? Are you in pain?”

  “No, ma’am. I heard you asking the other soldiers about the 64th Pennsylvania. I was one of their drummer boys. We were stationed over yonder on Little Round Top.”

  “Little Round Top?” Claire was mystified by the name.

  “It’s a hill right near where we are now. Union troops were up there, and the Rebs tried to take it.”

  Claire covered her mouth with her hand. Cole might’ve been killed or wounded in such a battle. She had to find him fast.

  “Now the fighting’s done, I’m sure you’ll find them, Miss Claire,” Eddie soothed. She smiled at the reversal of caretaker to patient. “Are you looking for family, or a husband?”

  “He’s…no, he’s not my husband, or family. Just a lieutenant I met while serving in his camp.”

  Eddie nodded solemnly. “I hope you find him, ma’am.”

  “Thank you.” She patted the boy’s shoulder before moving to the next room.

  While bandaging a middle-aged man in the other room, she decided to do more investigating. “Have you heard of the battle on Little Round Top, sir?”

  The man nodded. “Sure have. I was over in the wheat field but heard all about the surge of Rebs up Little Round Top. Fierce battle that.”

  Claire stiffened, her heart racing. “Were many men killed there?”

  “On both sides.” He squinted up at her. “What’s your interest, ma’am?”

  “I…ah, have a friend who may have been stationed there. Lieutenant Manning of the 64th Pennsylvania.”

  “I’m sure he’s all right, ma’am. Check the camps and ask for the 64th. Someone will guide you there so you can ask about your friend.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Claire completed her work on the bandage. “It would be a great comfort to find out if he survived and is all right.”

  The soldier nodded and grinned. “Best of luck to you, ma’am.”

  Once Claire was finished with her duties, she decided to follow the soldier’s advice and seek out the 64th.

  Donning her bonnet—she didn’t need a wrap in the humid weather—she went in search of the location of the regiment, stopping at every home and structure in town for the Union camp’s whereabouts. Finally, she gave up. The regiment was said to be out in the farmland away from town. She’d never get there on foot.

  Sighing, she prepared to return to Mrs. Densler’s home to resume her nursing duties, but a hand on her arm stopped her. Swirling around, she drew in a breath. Doctor Worley held her elbow.

  “Miss Hirsch, what are you doing out here?”

  Her gaze traveled up Worley’s form. “I could ask you the same, Doctor.”

  “Since Dr. Roderick seems to have the wounded at the house well in hand, I thought I’d pay a visit to the company and see if I’m needed out there.”

  Claire swallowed. “Are they nearby? I’d heard they were well across the field.”

  He shook his head. “Were…but they’ve moved the camp closer to town. They’re preparing to move on with the men who are able.”

  Claire wrung her hands and bowed her head. “I…ah, was looking for one of the soldiers…to see if he’s all right.”

  Worley smiled. “I can take you over, if you’d like. I spoke to Captain Stevenson while I was there. He’d know who’s still in camp.”

  “Oh, thank you, Doctor.” She grasped his crooked arm.

  He chuckled. “Anything to ease your concern.” He patted her hand and steered her to a wagon. “I’m going back to speak with one of the surgeons still with the company. And Dr. Roderick is supposed to meet me there if he can get away.”

  “I see.” Claire pursed her lips. “If I’d known, I would have asked him to take me.”

  “No matter, I’ll see you there. He may already be on his way.”

  ****

  Cole wiped his brow after setting another wounded man in the makeshift ambulance his crew was using to transport men still lying on the fields. They’d be taken to the field hospital in camp so the surgeon on call could evaluate their injuries. The ones able to be saved would be prepared to travel to the train station.

  The battle had ended three days ago. The Rebels had already moved out, likely on their way to Virginia. But the little, rural town had suffered such devastation, despite the Union victory. Surviving the Rebel surge onto the hill, his company had been stationed on, still seemed unreal to Cole. Many of the men fighting alongside him weren’t as lucky.

  The surgeons with the 64th had set up a temporary hospital in a barn. Most of the men who’d been crowded in and around the structure during the battle had either died, been released to resume their duties, or been shipped to one of the homes in town, until they could be sent to the hospital in Washington.

  Cole saddled one of the horses and rode alongside the wagon. Three men found severely dehydrated out in the field had been given canteens and loaded onto the wagon. The doctors could best evaluate their condition. Cole shuddered as he realized he could have been one of those men, left on the hill in a hidden alcove among the brush. It had been near impossible for every inch of the battlefield to be checked in all the confusion.

  The ambulance pulled up to the barn entrance. Cole reined in his mount, patting the gelding’s flank. He dismounted, tying the reins to a post outside, and stepped to the back of the wagon to help unload.

  The first man pulled out was a blond haired lieutenant. At least his grimy hair appeared to be blond. The pallid face was nearly skeletal, the man lucky to still be breathing after so many days.

  One of the stewards took the end with his feet, while Cole grasped the handles by the officer’s head. His eyes peeled open, and he squinted. “Cole, that you?” he croaked.

  Cole gasped. “Jake! I’d looked all over for you after the battle. What happened?”

  “Rebs shot me, and I fell into a ditch. Don’t know…how long…before I woke and…”

  Cole shushed him. “Don’t talk n
ow. You can tell me all about it later.” He smiled, hoping to comfort his friend.

  Cole and the steward slipped the stretcher into the relative coolness of the barn. Soldiers and a few women took over Jake’s care. Not wanting to leave his friend but knowing others could care for him better, he stepped aside, preparing to return to the wagon for the next man.

  A rustle of skirts farther back in the barn stopped him. Golden hair, pulled back into a coil, looked familiar. The woman bent over one of the wounded men, then straightened, revealing the side of her face.

  Claire! How had she gotten here?

  Cole took a step forward, longing to speak to her, take her in his arms. But before he could move any further, another man stepped to her side. A very handsome man.

  Hesitating, he watched as the man’s head bent toward Claire’s. They stood only a breath apart. Unable to hear what they said, Cole watched their lips. Claire’s tilted into a smile at something the man said. He reached out and touched her arm in an intimate way.

  Cole drew in a breath and stepped outside into the clear air. For a long moment, he stood outside the door, unwilling to look into the barn again. Flashes of the letter Hannah had sent him churned inside. Women could not be trusted. He should have gone with his gut instinct regarding Claire. Once he was gone, she’d moved on to the next man. Just like Hannah.

  He patted his coat in the spot where the inner pocket still contained his goodbye note to Claire. He should burn it. Would burn it next chance he got.

  “Lieutenant.” Cole glanced up to see who’d spoken. A steward gestured for him to follow. After seeing Claire, Cole had forgotten he’d been on his way to retrieve another wounded man.

  He swallowed, hoping he wouldn’t come face to face with Claire.

  But as he hefted the stretcher containing a wounded private from the wagon, heat burned through his chest. He wasn’t going to just buckle and allow another man to steal the woman he cared for. Not this time. If he had to, he’d put up a fight for Claire.

  ****

  Claire glanced up as two soldiers carried yet another stretcher into the barn. She gasped as she recognized the man at the head of the stretcher. Cole.

  Relief surged through her. Now, she didn’t have to go in search of him. She’d feared not finding him at all, or worse, learning he’d been killed. After Richard, the news would’ve seared a hole in her heart.

  Dr. Roderick stood beside her, droning on about a new procedure for amputations. She’d heard enough and tried to be polite while extricating herself from his attention. He placed a restraining hand on her arm.

  “Pardon me, Doctor…” She gazed up at him. “I see someone I know up front and would very much like to speak with him.”

  Roderick followed her gaze and squinted, a frown crossing his brow. “A wounded man?”

  “No, Doctor, he’s someone I knew in camp before coming here.”

  The doctor straightened, straining forward to see who she referred to. She slipped around him and gathered her skirts, slipping between cots to the front of the barn.

  Barely able to restrain herself, Claire eased forward, silently cursing the men sprawled between her and Cole. She had to reach him before he left.

  “Cole,” she called, not caring who heard her outburst.

  Cole lifted his head and stared at her.

  Closing the gap between them, she nearly fell into his arms but halted when his gaze bore through her. He didn’t look happy to see her. Not at all.

  “Cole,” she tried again. When he didn’t react, just stood glaring at her, she cleared her throat, aware others watched with interest.

  She clenched her hands at her sides. “Lieutenant, I’m pleased to see you alive and well.” She inclined her head.

  “As I am pleased to see you again, Miss Hirsch.” He stood ramrod stiff as if at attention.

  She racked her brain trying to figure out why he acted so rigid but realized he must be doing it to preserve her honor. After all, they weren’t married or even betrothed. She must get him somewhere where she could speak to him in private.

  A hand on her shoulder startled her. Dr. Roderick stood behind her. “Is there a problem here, Miss Hirsch?”

  She fought the urge to shove his hand off her. The touch felt protective, almost intimate.

  “Nothing’s wrong, Doctor.” Her gaze rose to Cole’s. “Just greeting a friend.”

  Cole’s scowl deepened.

  Roderick reached out a hand to Cole. “Dr. Roderick. I’m assigned here to help with the clean up. Miss Hirsch has been a great help to me.” His other hand tightened on her shoulder.

  Claire scowled. “Really, Doctor. I couldn’t have been much help.”

  “With the supplies, my dear.” Roderick leaned in close, so she caught the scent of his cherry tobacco tinged breath.

  “Oh, yes,” she agreed. Her gaze caught Cole’s, hoping he wouldn’t read anything more into the doctor’s possessive actions.

  “Doc.” Cole gestured toward the doorway. “Perhaps we could step outside for a moment.”

  The doctor frowned, but nodded. “Of course, Lieutenant.” He lifted his hand from Claire’s shoulder. “If you’ll excuse us, my dear.”

  Claire stepped forward. She wasn’t about to allow these two men to discuss her outside her presence. “I’ll come—”

  Cole halted her with a flattened palm. “No. You stay here. I’d like to have a word with the doc.”

  Claire swallowed, but nodded. She’d allow them to go but follow and hide behind the door. So long as they stayed right outside the barn, she’d be able to see and hear what happened.

  She knotted her hands in her apron, until the two men disappeared from sight, then sprinted for the door.

  Pressing herself against the wall beside the gaping doorway, she was able to see both men through a knothole. Cole stood, hands on his belt, while the doctor’s arms crossed over his chest.

  Roderick muttered something Claire couldn’t make out.

  “You see, Doc…” Cole rounded on the slighter man. “I planned to make my intentions known toward Miss Hirsch but was ordered to report here. I never expected to see her in camp but had intended to seek her out first chance I got.”

  Roderick frowned, but nodded.

  “And I don’t like seeing men so close and touching her in a familiar way.” Cole scowled, hands clenched at his sides.

  Claire tensed. She hoped the two men didn’t come to blows over her, but a secret thrill raced over her at the very idea. She’d known Richard since she was a girl, and they’d fallen into a sweet familiarity that eventually led to a pledge of marriage. But she could never imagine Richard fighting another man over her.

  Roderick tensed, then stepped backward. “See here, Lieutenant. I have no designs on Miss Hirsch. If I’d realized she was spoken for…” He grimaced. “…well, let’s just say, I’ll bow out of your way, if it’s what she wishes.”

  “I can assure you, she does, Doc.”

  Roderick nodded and returned to the barn. Claire flattened herself against the wall, hoping he wouldn’t take notice of her. As he passed through, she relaxed, a small smile playing on her lips. Cole really did care for her.

  Now, she’d found him, she’d allow him into her heart, before he slipped out of her life again.

  Chapter Seven

  Cole shoved his hands in his pockets as he watched the surgeon retreat. He should follow him to be sure he didn’t go straight to Claire, but why would he? He didn’t seem like a serious threat to Cole’s claim on the woman.

  But did he have a claim? They’d shared a few intimate moments in camp before he’d left, but was she his?

  With a final glance at the barn door, he decided to leave Claire be for now. Now he knew where to find her, he’d seek her out later and find out why she was here. To see him or just to perform her volunteer duty?

  Hours later, he sat outside his tent by the flickering fire. Other soldiers milled around conversing, while a few composed letters by
firelight or under the pale glow of a gas lamp set on a table top.

  Cole remembered the note to Claire still tucked in his pocket. He really should burn it. Visions of Hannah and her faithless promises set his teeth on edge. Surely, Claire wasn’t so fickle a handsome man would turn her heart away. She’d lost a fiancé in battle. It made sense she’d be cautious with men, especially soldiers.

  But Claire was nothing like Hannah. He’d found her now and only Hell’s fury could take her away from him. He’d go to her and propose.

  ****

  Early in the morning of July 7th, Claire awoke in the house where she’d first arrived in Gettysburg. Seeing Cole the night before had floored her. Although she’d come in search of him, she’d never expected him to surprise her. Her face flamed at the thought of him thinking her attracted to Dr. Roderick.

  Since Richard’s death, she’d shied away from men, at first playing the part of the grieving bride, widowed before taking her vows. Then after a year had passed, she feared having her heart torn away from her again. Most men in her age group served in the army in one capacity or another. She couldn’t risk the pain and fear.

  But she’d left her home to work among soldiers, the very men she didn’t want involvement with. In her mind, she was a professional nurse, dedicated to easing pain and suffering of the brave soldiers who fought to preserve the Union.

  She sighed as she brushed her hair, then coiled it into a respectable bun. A final glance in the small oval mirror, showed a young, pert woman with golden hair, who looked very tired. Bags under her eyes revealed the horrors and sleepless nights, along with tireless hours of grueling toil.

  How could any man fall in love with her?

  She descended the stairs to the kitchen, wondering what she was going to do about Cole. Because deep in her heart, she loved him. She’d lost her heart to another soldier and now lived in fear of losing him on the battlefield.

  ****

  After lunch, Cole sought out Dr. Worley and learned Claire assisted Dr. Roderick at a house at the edge of town.

  “The nurses had to choose to either go home or go south to Washington, but Miss Hirsch was determined to come to Gettysburg once she’d read the reports of the battles and that they needed help with the wounded.” Worley spread his hands. “Once I told her I was assigned to report here, she insisted I take her along.” He glanced around the near empty tent. “Dr. Roderick had contacted me by telegraph with word of setting up a temporary hospital in town, and I thought she’d be more comfortable in Mrs. Densler’s home.”