A Christmas Hope
Page 14
“I’ll hold the glass,” she instructed, “so all you need to do is sip.” She lifted his head gently off the pillow with one hand and brought the cup to his cracked lips with the other. He took a long swallow.
“Thanks,” he murmured, but he gritted his teeth as she carefully set his head back down.
“I know you’re hurting, soldier. But we’re going to get you into surgery as soon as we can. Most likely by tonight.” At least she hoped. There would be others with much more immediate need for a surgeon, but she wanted him to know he wouldn’t be forgotten. “In the meantime, I’m going to change that loose bandage for you.”
From the supply closet, she removed a fresh bandage, a pair of scissors, and a bottle of iodine. When she returned to the man’s bed, she pushed the blankets aside, just enough, to reach his leg. His eyelids flew open, revealing hazel eyes, and a flush of embarrassment crept up his face as she bent to cut away the old bandage.
“Tell me where you’re from, soldier.” If she could get him talking, she knew it would help ease the discomfort and pain of having his injury rebandaged.
“Iowa.”
“Did you grow up on a farm?” So many of the doughboys she’d nursed here in France were sons of farmers.
“Yes.”
Evelyn lifted her head to shoot him a smile. “Me, too. I’m from Michigan.” Once she had the soiled bandage off, she applied some of the iodine. She’d grown used to the acute smell, though it seemed much stronger now that she was pregnant. The man flinched as the chemical met his torn flesh.
“So your name is…” She glanced at his medical card, which she’d set on the bedside table. “Corporal Joel Campbell.”
Campbell? She read it through again as a snatch of conversation with Ralph repeated in her mind. He’d been talking about his squad leader and best friend whom he simply called “Campbell.”
“Which regiment are you in, Corporal?”
He murmured the number. It was the same as Ralph’s. A flicker of eagerness and concern darted through Evelyn. Campbell was a common enough last name, but what if this was the man Ralph had spoken of with respect and familiarity? The possibility sent her hope rising, until another thought jerked it down. If this was the Campbell, then Ralph would have been in the same battle.
The worry flared to fear inside her. Was Ralph safe or not? There could easily be a number of men with the name Campbell in their regiment. But if these two men were in the same company…
“What company are you in?” She did her best to keep the dread from her voice as she wrapped his leg with the fresh bandage.
“Company F,” Corporal Campbell replied in a tight whisper.
His answer stilled her fingers. He and Ralph belonged to the same company—this had to be his squad leader. Was Ralph here, too, or had he escaped injury? She shot a look across the room to the door. Could he be in another ward of the hospital right now? Evelyn’s heart beat faster at the notion. If only she could see his handsome face and kiss those masculine lips. Assure herself that he was alive and well.
Her gaze refocused on the man lying before her. She no longer had any doubt that Corporal Campbell knew Ralph. Which meant he alone could grant her peace or confirm her worst fears that Ralph had been injured, too.
She directed her next question toward the bed to appear as nonchalant as possible. “Do you by chance know Private First Class Ralph Kelley?”
Silence from the bed sounded louder in her ears than the continuing racket in the room and hallway. She finished with his bandage and lifted her head to find Corporal Campbell staring at her. Astonishment had replaced the weariness on his haggard face.
“Are you all right, Corporal?”
Instead of answering, he countered with a question of his own. “Are you…Evelyn?”
A soft gasp escaped her lips before she could check herself. “Yes.”
The man not only knew Ralph, but knew her name, too. She picked up the iodine and scissors and gripped them hard within her fingers. Anything to occupy her trembling hands. A maelstrom of nausea had begun churning in her stomach, making her regret what little she’d eaten at lunch.
“H-How do you know my name?”
His hazel eyes remained fixed on hers. “Because Ralph said it several times today.”
He’d spoken with the man she loved, this very day. Fresh panic and wild optimism pulsed through her veins. She searched his face for any glimpse or clue of where Ralph might be.
“And?” The single word from her lips was no more than a whisper.
Corporal Campbell broke eye contact first, releasing the turmoil inside her. The torrent of emotion engulfed her body, choking her throat and filling her ears with a dull roar. Evelyn had to lean forward to hear his softly spoken reply.
“He said your name, Evelyn, right before he died.”
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Contents
Cover
Title Page
Welcome
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
About the Author
An Excerpt from Hope at Dawn
An Excerpt from Hope Rising
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Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 by Stacy Henrie
Excerpt from Hope at Dawn copyright © 2014 by Stacy Henrie
Excerpt from Hope Rising copyright © 2014 by Stacy Henrie
Cover design by Elizabeth Turner
Cover copyright © 2014 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning,
uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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ISBN 978-1-4555-3250-6
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