“How does that suit you, Will?” the doctor asked.
“I’ll be very glad to get out of this place.”
The doctor chuckled. “Haven’t we treated you well? We fed you and gave you a pretty girl to oversee your recovery. What possible complaint can you have?”
Will frowned. “It just feels as though death is all around me.”
“Well, I suppose I can’t fault you on that. We have had our share of folks dying. There was another bad accident this morning, and I’m afraid we’ll probably lose at least two of those men.” He looked to Laura. “I’m glad you and your father agreed to care for Mr. Porter. It will free up this bed for another. I will say this, Miss Evans, if you desire to become a nurse, we will happily receive you and continue your training. You’re quite good and have such a kind heart.”
Laura hadn’t considered becoming a nurse, but the idea did give her pause. “I’ll keep that in mind, Doctor.”
“Miss Evans, if you would go ahead and arrange transportation to your house, I believe we can have Mr. Porter ready within the hour. You might want to bring him a robe and a nightshirt. There’s no sense in trying to put him in clothes.”
“I’ll arrange it right away.” She looked at Will. “Have you those things at the Coopers’ boardinghouse?”
“Yes. Mrs. Cooper can get them for you.”
“Are there other things you’d like her to pack as well? Your Bible? Other books?”
He gave a long sigh. “Tell her to pack whatever she thinks I’ll need.”
Laura went to where she had put her coat and hat. She hurriedly donned them and turned back to give Will a smile. “I think you’ll like staying with us. Our cook is very good, and she will enjoy coming up with new ways to encourage your appetite.”
Will said nothing, but Laura didn’t let that discourage her. She was excited to move him to the house. She felt there it would be possible to take his mind off his injuries and death and help him to focus on living again.
Two hours later, she had him tucked into bed with a fire going in the hearth and a supper tray on his lap.
“I think you’re going to like Mrs. Murphy’s roast beef. It was one of the first things I had when I came here, and it was so tender. I don’t know how she does it, but I intend to learn. I believe I should learn all that I can. One never knows where God will lead.”
She came to his bedside and put her hand to his forehead. “Good, no fever. Let’s keep it that way.”
“How can you tell by merely feeling my head?”
Laura shrugged. “It was part of my training. There’s a certain heat that the body puts out when it has a fever. It doesn’t feel like anything else. A warm day gives the body one type of heat, but a fever is completely different. I was told that withpractice, you can actually learn to tell the varying degrees of fever just by touch. Our teacher proved it when a couple of my classmates fell ill. I have to admit I was very surprised.”
“What kind of school was it that taught such things?”
“Mary Sharp College in Tennessee. I attended there until the war broke out, and then Father arranged for me to go to Europe with one of my teachers. After the war, I returned and continued my education. They were very good about teaching women some of the same things men learned, but they also focused the work to teach us to run a household and be a good wife and mother. I learned a great deal.”
“Such as feeling a forehead for fever?”
She laughed. “I actually get a better accounting from the neck, but I didn’t want to be too forward with you. Along with that, I learned Greek, Latin, and French. Oh, and some math and classical literature, as well as government. I had quite the well-rounded education, I assure you.”
“I can tell you’re very intelligent.”
“Why, Mr. Porter, I think that might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
She was surprised when his face reddened a bit. She turned away to take up another blanket. It wasn’t her intention to embarrass him.
“I enjoyed school. I suppose learning was something I was good at, and so it made me feel accomplished.”
“And what are your intentions for that education? Will you become a nurse as the doctor suggested?”
“Hmm, I don’t know. I’ve been trained to believe that God’s will for every woman is to be a wife and mother.”
“And do you believe that it’s God’s will for you?”
Laura met his questioning gaze and shrugged. “At one time I had hoped for such a thing, but ... I don’t know.” Sheturned away as she felt her own cheeks heat up. “Now you’d best eat, and I’ll go fetch your dessert.”
