Desperate (Harris Trilogy Book One) (8 page)

Doctor Gre
ene approached Doctor Williams. “May I have a look before you amputate the young man’s leg, Doctor Williams?”  

It was obvious the senior doctor
was annoyed at being questioned about his diagnosis. However, with the multitude of patients to attend too, he moved aside so that Dr. Greene could examine Adam’s leg. “If you feel the need to question my abilities, Jacob.” Dr. Williams gave Kate a menacing glare before he stepped away from Adam. She ignored his anger. So what if she made an enemy. All that mattered was Adam.

G
rateful he would at least make an attempt to save Adam’s leg she whispered, “Thank you, Doctor Greene.” 

He
pressed his fingers against Adam’s wound making him flinch. “Jake, we are instructed not to spend too much time with each patient. Sometimes we have to amputate, even though the limbs could be saved with time-consuming operations. We are to save as many lives as possible.”   

“Please try to save his leg.”
Kate peered up at him and hope surged through her when his expression softened.

“I’ll see what I can do.”   

Kate assisted as best she could with the removal of the piece of metal lodged in Adam’s leg. She swabbed the blood and handed Jacob the instruments he needed for the surgery. She was relieved when she saw Dr. Greene pull the metal ball from Adam’s leg. 

“
There, now only time will tell. If gangrene doesn’t set in, he will probably get to keep it.  We’ll know in a few hours.” She was so thankful she wanted to throw her arms around him and hug him, but that just might look a little suspicious. She reminded herself men didn’t hug other men.

Nightfall finally came and Kate was so exhausted she could hardly put o
ne foot in front of the other. She looked around at the many injured soldiers still needing medical attention. Dozens had not made it, and died on the operating table. They would remove the body, wash the blood from the table with buckets of water, and lay another injured soldier down. It was endless. 

The air reeked of vo
mit and excrement. Piles of amputated limbs and bodies waited to be buried when someone had time to take on the task. By this time Doctor Williams was pretty drunk because he would take a drink every time he finished with a patient. The drunker he became the more men died. 

On the other hand Doctor
Greene was a wonder. He looked disheveled and had to be exhausted but he kept going. He was a great doctor and Kate was extremely impressed with his abilities. The injured soldiers were lucky if Doctor Jacob Greene treated them.

Chapter Four

David arrived at his quarters l
ooking forward to seeing Kate. He was a little worried when she was not in his tent waiting for him. Perhaps she was still at the field hospital where the injured soldiers were taken for medical treatment. He mounted his tired horse to go get her and bring her back to his quarters.

When David arrived at the
field hospital, it was mayhem. The two doctors were working frantically to save as many lives of the injured soldiers as they could. Other young soldiers were assisting as needed, but he saw no sign of Kate.

As he moved along the many cots of injured and dying soldiers, his mind circled around his doubts of continuing the war. Was the war worth all the death?
Some of the injured soldiers were clinging to life by a tenuous hold. It hurt David to see them in such agony. He heard moaning caused by the painful injuries, and could smell the sickly odor of infection.

Finally, he saw Kate wearing her once white uniform shirt and trousers, now covered with the red
, crimson blood of the injured and dying soldiers. He could see she was so exhausted she could hardly stand on her tired feet. 

Taking a few moments, he watched her move among the soldier
s giving aid anyway she could. The injured thought a young man tended them. They had no idea a beautiful woman was seeing to their needs. He realized her heart was a pretty as her face. She never wavered through all the mayhem of the moans, pain and blood. 

Even though she
appeared extremely tired, she smiled when she saw him. David tucked his arm into hers and led her out of the tent to the surrounding dark forest where they could have some privacy.

Her face
was masked by the darkness. He reached out and ran a finger over her lips. He whispered, “Kate it’s time to call it a night. Let’s go get some rest tonight. You can come back in the morning. The patients will still be here.” He did not have the heart to tell her there would probably be hundreds more arriving tomorrow since the battle was far from over. He and his men were scheduled to be back on the battle field at dawn. It was possible the battle could last for days.

Outside his quarters, David ordered a soldier
to bring some warm water. He opened the flap to his tent and waited for her to enter. Now that they were alone, he gripped her arms and asked, “Are you okay?”

Tears shimmered in her eyes but she fought to keep them at bay. “It has been a horrible day. I can’t begin
to explain the pain I feel.” She touched a finger to his dirty cheek. “I guess it hasn’t been any better for you.”

“Let’s don’t discuss the horrors we have experienced today. Let’s pretend none of it happened
.” Just knowing tomorrow would be a repeat of today, his stomach was one hard knot.

“Captain Harris.”

David stepped outside and took the bucket of water from the soldier. “Thank you, son.”

He s
at the bucket in front of Kate and rummaged through a bag on his cot until he found a bar of soap and a clean cloth. Water splashed over the rim when he dropped the soap and cloth in the bucket. His fingers moved to the buttons on her shirt.

B
loody hands wrapped around his fingers in protest. Color tinted her perfect cheeks. “I can give myself a bath. It is not proper for you to see me naked.” 

“I promise it is okay fo
r me to give you a bath, Kate. You can relax because I am too tired to do anything more.” Her expression still wary, she dropped her hands to her side.

David pulled the bloody shirt away, and then the binding concealing he
r breasts. The stiff fabric had chaffed her skin and it was raw. A low groan escaped his lips when he saw her breasts. She tried to cover them, but he pushed her arms away. “You are exquisite, Kate. Your body is perfection. When I saw you at the creek, I knew your beautiful body would be etched in my mind forever.” She smiled reveling in the compliment.

He
peeled her trousers and underwear from her long, shapely legs. Every time his fingers grazed her skin he felt penetrating heat. Her nipples puckered proving his touches were having an effect on her. Peering into her face, he saw the desire in her eyes.   

He
could feel her passion, and knew he could satisfy his need for her tonight, but his honorable side would not let him. The thickness in his trousers was painful, he wanted her desperately. He fought for control and began to wash the blood and filth of the horrible day from Kate’s perfect, alabaster skin.

As the cloth touched her
skin, she closed her eyes and basked in the sensations. His eyes never left her face as he touched her most intimate parts with the cloth. Never in his life had he wanted a woman more than he did Kate. It was pure torture knowing he could not make love to her.   

Lifting her
nude body into his arms, David carried her to his cot. He slipped one of his shirts over her arms, then her creamy shoulders. He buttoned it, and kissed the top of her head before running his fingers through her mop of soft, brown curls. “Good night Kate, I’ll see you in the morning.”

He
paused when she whispered, “Can you sit with me for just a few minutes? I know so little about your family and you know everything about mine. Please tell me about your life in Richmond.”

Because of his desire, he shouldn’t be alone with her. A smile bloomed on her face, and she looked so sweet and innocent. P
ulling a chair beside the cot, he sat down and placed his hands in his lap to keep from touching her. His heart melted when she looked at him with those big, green eyes glowing in the light of the lantern sitting on the side table. It was if she were trying to seduce him with those unusual, spectacular eyes. 

He took a long, quiet breath.
“My parents are both in Richmond taking care of our plantation. I have a younger brother, Dole, who is also a Captain in the infantry and last I heard was in Appomattox. I haven’t seen him in over a year. My sister Dana is thirteen and away at school. I haven’t seen her since Christmas.” He crossed his legs and leaned back in the chair. “I can remember when life was normal before the war. Dole and I helped dad with the everyday operation of our plantation. Dana and mom handled the books. Life was simple.”

Kate sighed sorrowfully.
“You must miss them terribly.” 

“Yes, I do. We are very close. Even though we are separated because of the war, they are always in my heart. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of them, hope they are safe.”
His face becoming serious, David whispered, “The war has changed everything. I pray to God every night to bring an end to the death.”   

Gazin
g into her beautiful face, he wanted to curl up beside her and sleep. By the promise in her eyes she would not protest. By the sheer force of will, David stood and took several steps needing to put some space between them. He turned before disappearing through the tent flap and stated, “You had better get some rest. We both have obligations tomorrow and need sleep. Goodnight, Kate.”

Her voice sounding forlorn she whispered, “Goodnight
, David.”                

Outside he peered at the star speckled sky. It was
a peaceful scene with the almost full moon, but he was anything but calm inside. Shocked by the strong desire he felt for Kate, he blew out an agitated breath. He should have sent her home. He raked his fingers through his matted, dirty hair and began to pace in front of his tent. The last thing he needed was a beautiful woman playing with his emotions.

In the shadows beyond his tent, David heard the hoof beats of a horse. A rider materialized out of the darkness and galloped straight for him. Mere feet from where he stood
the rider pulled back on the reins and halted. He swung off his horse leaving the reins dangling, saluted, and handed him a slip of paper. Of course it was bad news. The hair on the back on his neck stood. After a moment’s hesitation he opened the letter and read the words.

Stonewall Jackson has been injured. Come to the field hospital. Dr. Jacob Greene

Just that very morning, David had seen Stonewall healthy and energetic, conferring with the other generals, and barking out orders to his men. “How is he?”

“Sorry, Captain, I don’t know.”
His hand snaked out and he caught the reins in his hand. “You may take my horse, Captain Harris.”

He quickly mounted the
horse and raced to the field hospital. It was still chaotic, so David walked among the many cots until he saw General Lee, head bent with a worried look on his face. 

Moving to his side, David asked, “What happened, General?”

His voice full of emotion, Lee answered, “His own men shot him. He was riding in the gloom of nightfall and they mistook him for the enemy.” The words hung in the air between them before he whispered again, as if he couldn’t believe it himself. “His own men shot him.”

A grimace of unsp
eakable pain showed on Jackson’s face. Blood had soaked through the white bandage wrapped around his left arm. Pale and gray, it looked as if wasn’t faring very well.

Doctor Greene ap
proached David and General Lee. “We have done our best to make him comfortable. It is possible he may lose the arm. We’ll do what we can to keep that from happening.” 

“You are an excellent doctor, Jacob.  He is in good hands.”

“Thank you, Captain Harris.  Now if you will excuse me, I have other patients to attend. Jackson is now in the hands of God.”

He would hate to s
ee such a powerful leader fall. If anyone can survive such a horrific wound, it was Jackson. He prayed to God that the great man would survive his injury. 

After waiting with Lee for several hours,
David returned to his quarters. Revulsion and hatred because of the war swamped him. How many more great men, husbands, and sons would die before it was over?

The moment he stepped inside his tent, he heard
Kate’s voice. Walking to her cot, he peered down at her angelic face. By her pitiful mumbles, she was having a nightmare. Her brow was wrinkled and she had a look of pain on her face. He touched his hand to her shoulder and softly whispered, “Kate, wake up, you’re dreaming.”

****

She sat up trembling from the terrible nightmare. In her dream Bob Lewis was chasing her through a forest at night. Bob’s hand reached out and was just about to grab her when someone woke her. It all seemed so real. Taking huge breaths, she tried to fill her lungs with air. Panic threatened as she shifted her gaze around the tent to get her bearings. She slapped at the hand on her shoulder.

“It’s okay, Kate, it’s me David.”
He sat on the edge of the cot and held her to his chest.

When he touched her,
he lost all control. He began kissing her feverishly. Each kiss was like a lick of a flame. They were both locked in passion, which engulfed them. Not bothering to unbutton the nightshirt, he jerked it over her head, and threw it to the floor. His rough hands covered her breasts. “You are beautiful, Kate. I could look at you all night.” His eyes seemed to penetrate to her very soul as he looked at her breasts. Head lowered, he sucked on a puckered nipple.

She
thought she was going to die from pure pleasure. She pulled his head even closer and he began to suckle harder. Her heart raced with excitement as his mouth did incredible things to her nipples.

His mouth moved to her lips. T
his time he stuck his tongue in her mouth making her gasp. She kissed him back by mimicking his movements with her tongue. Shivers of excitement ran down her spine as his tongue tangled with hers.

Spreading her legs, he slipped his finger inside.
She pressed against his hand and closed her eyes reveling in the sensations. “Oh, my, that feels wonderful.” Her voice sounded strange even to her. Her reaction seemed to drive him crazy with desire. Slowly, he moved his finger in and out as she went wild beneath his hand as her whole body began to throb. She cooed and arched her back. She almost cried when he removed his finger.

He
whispered against her ear, “You are so sweet, Kate.” In seconds he had shed his clothes and stood in front of her naked as the day he was born. Excited and a little scared, she took a moment to look at him. He fell on top of her and devoured her mouth with a kiss that curled her toes.

He took her hand and pulled it to his shaft. “
Touch me.”

Not sure what to do, she stroked her fingers over his hardness. “Wrap your hand around me.” She did as he asked
, and was rewarded with a loud moan of pleasure. He put his hand over hers and squeezed causing his whole body to jerk. The light from the lantern cast a soft glow and she could see the ecstasy on his face.

He raised above her, spread her legs, and thrust inside her with one powerful motion of his hips.
She tried to push him away as pain tore through her. He held her down and kissed the tears streaming down her face. 

“I’m sor
ry Kate, but I have to finish. If you allow me to continue, I promise you will feel pleasure.”

“No, stop it hurts.”