Yours Truly

5 - Marie McCaden & The Slow Recovery

As Charlotte had so greatly hoped, her bringing-in of the novels seemed to make a few of the soldiers feel better. The following morning, Charlotte had arrived with her very large, very heavy bag full of books. She kept The Murder of Roger Ackroyd preserved for Will, but she arranged the rest on a cart and pushed it down the line of beds, asking the men if they'd like to read a book. 

        Some couldn't, like those who were blind or those who would get exceptionally dizzy if they read. Most scoffed at the idea of reading a novel ("Me? Read? No thanks, sugar," one man sneered.). But there were the few people who did want to read the stories. Only seven men chose a novel to read on their own, while six had to have nurses read to them, since they were either too badly wounded to hold up a book or they had difficulty reading, or both, like Daniel Dorsey, the man in the full body cast who'd asked out Phyllis. Ironically, it was Phyllis who was reading the novel for Daniel at his bedside, but he looked as if he wasn't paying attention to the story being read aloud by Phyllis, the way he was gazing at her dreamily. 

        "Novels? I've got novels for anyone who wishes to read something," Charlotte was saying as she pushed her cart along. She passed by Will's bed, and their eyes met. His looked less angry today, but rather mystified as he watched Charlotte roll her novel cart by. 

        When she got to the end, Charlotte had only given out fourteen out of the twenty-two novels she brought, but found it successful enough. Parking the novel cart to the side, Charlotte pronounced that the novels would forever sit there, and that anyone would be free to take one. 

        Charlotte took The Murder of Roger Ackroyd from the cart and set off back to Will's bed.  

        "Nurse," Will said once he saw her approaching. "I ate my breakfast, if that's what you're wondering. Fed myself." 

        Charlotte held out the novel wordlessly. Will-- eyeing her warily-- took the novel slowly and carefully, turning it around in his hands. Charlotte watched his eyes skim over the title, over the cover and finally, back to her. 

        "Who doesn't love to read a good murder-mystery novel?" Charlotte said slyly. 

        Will slowly cracked a smile, and for a single moment, Charlotte recognized the endearing boy she danced with two years ago. He held the book tightly, reading the back. "Well, if it's as good as Lost Horizon, then I'll like it." A long moment passed before he added, "... thanks... Charlotte..." 

        Charlotte smiled. "And I'm guessing you want to read it by yourself?" 

        Will fervently said, "yes. Well, at least today." 

        "Let me know when you've finished," Charlotte added. As if only remembering now that she was his nurse, Charlotte fussed with his sheets to check on the bandages along Will's torso, shoulders and cheeks. "How do they feel? Be honest, no downplaying the pain." 

        "Marvelous, I'm walking on air," Will said. "You can go ahead and remove the bandages, I think they've fully healed." 

        Charlotte grumpily sent him a glare. "They are not fully healed! Look, you're bleeding a bit still here." To Will's dismay, Charlotte dabbed some blood from beneath his bandages. "You can be honest with me, you know. I'm your nurse, it's my job to make sure you get well properly..." 

        "Fine, it hurts a little bit," Will admitted grudgingly. "But not a lot. Just a mild sting--" Will let out an involuntary howl of pain as Charlotte applied a small amount of pressure to the wound on his stomach.