Page 39 of The Secrets We Left Behind
Cate didn’t hesitate. “I’m no surgeon, but whatever I can do to help him, you can count me in.”
Elise thought of Harry then. He had only been in her home one full night and day now, but there was something about him. He was different to any man she’d ever known, and as much as he’d riled her, she also found herself being drawn to him. She’d felt different getting up that morning knowing he was downstairs, a spark of something she hadn’t felt in a long time making her want to rise rather than stay curled in bed all day.
She gulped. Until he was gone. And then she’d have someone else to mourn. Elise steeled her jaw and forced herself to keep moving.One foot in front of the other. There was a reason she’d closed herself off to anyone other than her sister. What if she lost another person she loved? She’d be broken for life, and it wasn’t something she was ever going to let happen again, not if she could help it.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CATE
Cate took a moment, palms flat against the table as she caught her breath. Her head was pounding. It was like her heart had found a direct line to her head and was thumping a loud, roaring beat in there.
“Are you all right?” The soft voice belonging to Adelaide soothed her, as did the warm hand that covered hers. “Is there anything I can get you?”
Cate inhaled, keeping her eyes shut a moment longer before answering. She was scared she was about to pass out, her head woozy and her face feeling flushed.
“I’ll be fine,” she replied, finally straightening. But the second she lifted her hands, they started to shake. She quickly fisted them, but not before Adelaide had seen them. Cate could see the recognition in her eyes, but she didn’t say anything and for that Cate was grateful. She didn’t need to be told to rest or to sit down, because she had a life to save, with no doctor to ask for help, no surgeon to work miracles. It was just her and a soldier who deserved better than to die like an abandoned, neglected dog.
“When did you last eat?” Adelaide asked gently. “That might help with the, ah ...” She paused, glancing back at Cate’s hands. “With your fatigue.”
Cate managed a smile as her stomach growled in response. “It’s been a long time, days now, so yes, something to eat would help a lot. Thank you.” She pushed away the memory of eating air with Jack, of pretending to use a fork and visualizing real food.
“I’m going to fix you something,” Adelaide said. “It’ll make you feel better.”
She was also in desperate need of a wash, a warm drink to soothe her parched throat and a bed to curl up on, but food was a good start. Food would give her the energy to keep going.
Cate turned back to Jack, but for the first time since they’d left the hospital, she wondered if they’d done the right thing. Would he have had a better chance at survival if she’d left him behind in Dunkirk? Was he going to die because she had selfishly chosen to take him with her? She knew that he would argue with her and tell her that he’d rather die than be taken prisoner, but neither of them truly knew what the conditions would be like. And at least there would have been doctors, surgeons who could have saved his life, possibly without breaking a sweat. Instead, she’d dragged him into the great unknown.
She used her sleeve to wipe her brow, wishing she could keep her hair off her mud-streaked face, but when she reached up she found that almost all her pins had fallen out. She’d always been such a stickler when it came to her appearance, no matter the conditions; until now. Now she couldn’t even hastily bundle her hair off her face.
“Do you need help with him?”
Cate started, turning slowly and coming face to face with a man who looked to be about the same age as Jack. But it was his accent washing over her that startled her the most, because itreminded her so much of home. Of her brothers talking and laughing; of roast dinners and crackling fires. She blinked, realizing that he was clearly the man Elise had mentioned.Another British soldier.It was almost impossible to believe.
As Cate studied him, she could see he was in pain from the lines that bracketed his eyes, the way he cringed as he moved closer; and the bulky bandage beneath his shirt was another giveaway. But she could worry about him later, for now all she had time to care about, to fight for, was Jack.
“I might need help,” she said. “Perhaps you could talk to him? Keep him calm and try to talk him through the pain?”
The man nodded. “I’m Harry,” he said, holding out a hand. “I should have introduced myself straight away.”
“Cate,” she replied, shaking it quickly before moving back closer to Jack. Seeing this other soldier in the house had thrown her, made her wonder how on earth they’d all ended up in the same place, but there would be time for questions later.
She felt fiercely protective of Jack, now more than ever; even though she knew he was in no danger, orshouldbe in no danger here, she suddenly wanted to be by his side.
“Has he been shot?” Harry asked.
“Some time ago, yes. But he’s post-surgery for internal injuries.”
Cate knelt, the warmth of the fire caressing her cheeks. It was the perfect place for Jack’s body to thaw out, and as she flexed her fingers, she realized how much she needed it, too. The rain had turned into a thunderstorm the night before, unseasonably wet and cold, and she was certainly grateful for the timber burning beside them.
With Addy crouching beside her, Cate took a deep breath, smiling down at Jack. His eyes were open now, and she was grateful he was still conscious, that his lips were capable of forming a smile still, even if it was a small one.
“Could someone please get me some towels or cloths, hot water and scissors?” Cate asked, remembering her training, focusing on the task at hand. She suddenly remembered the bandages she’d taken from the ambulance and stuffed into her pockets. How had she not remembered them when they’d been lying in the ditch? It was as if her brain was full of fog that she couldn’t seem to clear no matter how hard she tried. She went to move then but Jack groaned, and she took his hand, staring into his beautiful brown eyes; eyes that had followed her every movement back at the hospital from the moment he’d gained consciousness.
“I left bandages in my pocket, in my nursing uniform,” she said, looking up at Elise, who was standing, hovering now. “Could you find them for me? And a needle and thread would be useful, too.”
“A regular sewing needle and thread?” Elise asked, as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was being asked for.
Cate nodded. “It’s better than nothing, and he’s not going to heal if I don’t stitch him up.” On second thoughts, she added, “Could you boil it all up for me first? The needle and the thread both?”
