Chapter 3
The next day Mabel awoke to the trumpeter playing the morning wake-up call and she groggily sat up, shaking her head in an attempt to remember where she was. She wasn't used to camping of any sort, but knew that the sacrifice of a soft bed was nothing in comparison to what the men were going through to support their cause. The war had begun in a flurry of opposition and loud voices. Mabel remembered her father and brothers discussing the situation heatedly. They had opposing viewpoints on the economic aspects of the war and also differing opinions on slavery, but the men stood in the parlor and made a pact that war would not disrupt their family. They all agreed to side with the north in their argument and became staunch supporters for the cause. Mabel, being a woman with already substandard rights, also felt that it was against God's law for one soul to own another one. She would always be submissive to her husband or head of the household, and she would not be a rebellious wife, yet she felt that she didn't need to be owned like a piece of cattle or property for that matter.
As soon as the breakfast trumpeters ended their revelry she saw the men rise from their tents and head toward the mess hall for their morning meal. It appeared that morning there was plenty of bacon and fresh eggs to go around and the men ate with vigor, readying themselves for another day of combat. Mabel skipped the morning meal and decided to get an early jump on her rounds. She was unprepared for how exhausting the day before had been. She just wanted to simply make it through the day without losing a man and go back to sleep. She visited the first tent and was happy to find the troops in the sick unit had been served breakfast before the other troops. She charted their conditions and also saw a bit of improvement in some.
When she reached the last tent, she found her favorite soldier standing up finishing a bite of biscuit and gravy. He already had his map out and was leafing through a stack of paperwork that had been delivered to his tent before he awoke. “Knock, knock. It's your favorite nurse.”
“Well... that it is. I trust you slept well through the night.”
“As good as to be expected in these dire circumstances. How are you feeling?”
“I'm feeling as stir crazy as a caged tiger today. There's been a shift in enemy activity and I fear they may be closing in on us soon. I don't think we'll be able to camp here another day.”
“Oh, what makes you say that?”
“There was some suspicious activity reported over the ridge last night. If they've found our location, they'll attempt to cut off the supply chain and surround us. If we stay we may as well all be dead sitting ducks.”
“Wow.”
He paced back and forth and rubbed his eyes while going through the paperwork. “The body count has risen again as well. We just can't sit in this spot. Can you have these men ready for transport by this afternoon, myself included?”
“If that's the decision you've come to, then of course, sir.”
“Sir? Haha, in no way am I your commanding officer. I do, however, appreciate your agreement with the situation. The name's Jacob by the way. Use it as you choose.”
She studied his intense eyes and noticed the way his neatly trimmed beard circled his jawline. He was a man of sturdy physique and she could see his muscles bend and move inside his general issue army uniform. He was needless to say an attractive man and she felt herself growing hot and her heart racing faster the more they spoke. “Ahem...Jacob?”
“Yes, ma'am?”
“No... it's not ma'am. It's Mabel. Use it as you choose as well.”
“What can I do for you Mabel?”
“Lie down for a moment.”
Jacob stretched out on his cot and Mabel took care in taking his vital signs and charting those on her paperwork. She then examined the bullet wound, which had healed up quite a bit overnight.
“What are you doing?”
“I'm clearing you for active duty, Jacob. We've got a war to win, don't we.”
Jacob looked at her with eyes twinkling and said, “Yes, Mabel we certainly do. Once we reach a safe campsite again, we're going to have an in depth conversation that doesn't involve any wartime regime, if you get my drift.”
“Yes, sir. I certainly do.”
Mabel finished signing all of her paperwork for her superiors and the head army doctor. She knew he would be happy to get Jacob back in action as he was an inspirational leader and brilliant strategist on the battlefield. Mabel then began readying the troops for movement. Some of them were in much better shape than others. She had never been part of a mobile nursing unit before, only working at some area hospitals so she was unaware of the finer points. She only knew that it was imperative that they be ready to make their way to another location as soon as possible.
Mabel worked throughout the day and made sure all her supplies were in order for when they moved out. She even skipped the evening meal. Jacob gathered his troops and gave them all implicit instructions to be ready to move out as soon as night fell. He had already plotted a different camp just north of the river to set up base camp until other arrangements could be made, or hopefully until the war would end.
As dusk fell, Mabel sat for a moment, drinking water and rubbing her tired feet. She knew that the trek north would be taxing. She double checked her paperwork, which had already been packed in her bag and did a mental count to make sure all of the injured were accounted for. She head Jacob call out in the distance for attention from his unit. She heard all the men line up and stand at attention, their rifles and various battle gear making heavy thuds and clanks. Something about his voice, made her heart race and she suddenly had the desire to run straight into his arms. She took a steadying breath then got on back on her feet. She heard the men begin to form their marching units and knew it was time to move out.