But military status wasn’t on my mind. All I could think about was finally starting our duties tomorrow—and taking a nap after unpacking. As long as I woke up before midnight, Iwould remain in this same time and place. If midnight came and went while I slept, I would wake up in 2001. If I stayed awake past midnight, as was common while on duty in 1941 or 2001 or at a social function in 1861, I would not cross over until I went to sleep.
On my twenty-first birthday, January 1, I would choose the time I wanted to keep forever by staying awake past midnight in that path, and I would never wake up in the other two again.
A shiver ran up my spine as I tried not to think about that day. I hoped and prayed Mama was right and God would make my choice clear by then.
I unlatched my suitcase and popped the lid open. Everything smelled fresh and new. The dorm walls were painted white, the bed linens were crisp, and the floors were a shiny gray linoleum. The only bit of color in the room was the two red chairs pushed against brown desks on opposite walls. A window faced the rolling grounds of the hospital, with small saplings planted in neat rows along the drive. Tiny blades of grass peeked through the dirt, promising a lush carpet in the weeks and months ahead.
Anna set her suitcase on one of the beds. “I hope they have enough work for us so we don’t have to spend much time in our room.”
“A few well-placed pictures of Clark Gable and Gary Cooper would brighten this place up,” I teased her, since she was crazy about movie stars. It was one thing that made her smile.
“Luckily,” she said with an uncharacteristic lightheartedness, “I might have one or two.”
A knock at the door made me stop laughing. I found a young private at our door, wearing a blue navy uniform with a flat hat. He saluted me.
“Lieutenant Margaret Hollingsworth?”
“Yes.”
“Nurse Daly would like to see you in her office, ma’am.”
I looked at Anna, surprised to be called to the Chief Nurse’s office so soon after arriving. I had not yet taken off my gloves or my hat, so I nodded at the private. “Can you tell me where to find her office?”
“This way.” He took a step back and motioned down the long hallway.
“Here only five minutes and already in trouble,” Anna said with a glint of humor. I made a face at her and closed the door to follow the private.
A few other dorm rooms were open, allowing me to glimpse the nurses inside. Some smiled, while others appeared not to notice me as I passed. An occasional laugh filtered into the hall, and someone was listening to a Bing Crosby record. I took a left and then a right before coming to a door with a glass window and the nameLieutenant Helen Dalypainted on it. The private stopped and saluted me again before turning away.
I tapped on the door and waited for Nurse Daly to welcome me in.
She rose at my entrance, wearing a navy-blue skirt and matching jacket with brass buttons down the front. Under her jacket was a white blouse with brass pins at the collar.
“Nurse Hollingsworth?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am.” I closed the door behind me and then went to her desk, where I shook her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Helen Daly was a pleasant-looking woman, not beautiful but not plain either. She wore her brown hair in rolls along the side of her head to a bun in back and had on a pair of spectacles. I would have placed her in her early thirties, energetic and healthy. As the Chief Nurse, she was our superior and boss.
“Won’t you have a seat?” she asked.
The setting sun created a cascade of colors outside the office window. I took the seat across from her organized desk, trying not to fidget. I could think of no reason she would want to see me alone.
She opened a folder and pulled out a piece of paper with an official-looking seal. Meticulously, taking her time, she closed the folder and laid the letter on top before clasping her hands together and smiling at me.
I returned the smile, waiting for her to start the conversation.
“I am very pleased to have you here with us,” she began. “I spoke to several of your instructors at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing. They said you are intelligent, quick to take instruction, and could have easily completed your training in half the time it takes others.”
If they knew the reason was because of my advanced studies in 2001, they might not be so impressed.
“However,” Nurse Daly continued as she looked back at the letter, “our policy states that a nurse must be at least twenty-one before she is accepted to serve in the United States Navy.”
“I am aware,” I said, hoping this would not be a problem. “I believe my grandfather sent you a—”
“Yes.” She picked up the paper. “Not only did I receive a copy of the letter Congressman Hollingsworth sent to Rear Admiral Stark, I also received a phone call from the Rear Admiral’s office, instructing us to allow you to enter service here.” She lifted an eyebrow. “Should I be impressed or intimidated, Nurse Hollingsworth?”
Heat warmed my cheeks at the fuss this had caused. “I will be twenty-one in less than nine months,” I was quick to assure her.
