An Unlikely Union. Shannon Farrington

He went back to work.

      * * *

      I was not trying to cause trouble! Emily swallowed back the words, those and many more, as she stomped away. There is no point reasoning with a man like him. Arrogant...hardheaded...I don’t care how skilled a physician he is! I wish the army would send him on!

      She made her way to Dr. Turner’s section of the dock. There a horde of Federal soldiers was keeping guard over the Confederate men lining up for the three-mile march to Fort McHenry. Dr. Turner was treating the last of the superficial wounds.

      “Dr. Mackay said I should now report to you,” Emily told him.

      He tied a bandage around a young soldier’s arm. “Wonderful,” he said without looking up. “Go and help Miss Elizabeth. I am certain she must be quite tired by now.”

      “Yes, sir.”

      If Dr. Mackay had meant for her relocation to be a punishment, it was not. Emily would gladly work under Dr. Turner any day.

      She saw Elizabeth at a distance, armed with a drinking gourd and a bucket of water. She was going to each dust-covered man. When Emily caught her eye, she smiled, then motioned to another water bucket nearby. Emily quickly grabbed it.

      Thanks to the combination of the altercation with the ill-tempered Scotsman and the blazing sun, Emily’s head was now pounding. She wanted to rest but dared not do so. The Federal soldiers had given orders. Already the column of ragtag Confederates was beginning to march. Emily hurried to give a drink to as many of them as possible before they departed.

      She offered some to a Virginia man and a Tennessean. A shoeless old man from Alabama tipped his slouch hat but then gave the cup to his exhausted comrade beside him.

      “God bless ya, miss.”

      “God keep you, sir.”

      The afternoon heat was stifling. Emily’s cotton dress clung to her and her petticoats felt more like wet wool than light silk. The column moved faster. Several men in tow struck up the song “Bonnie Blue Flag,” but they were stopped by the Federals before they could reach the first Hurrah! She ladled out the water as fast as she could, but by now her stomach was rolling. Was it her imagination or was the ground shifting beneath her feet?

      “Steady there, girl!” Dr. Turner suddenly tugged her back from the marching men. He felt her cheeks and forehead. “I fear the sun has taken its toll on you. You need to rest. Your face is like a New England lobster!”

      Her knees were unsteady, her eyesight fuzzy. Something was terribly wrong. She knew she needed to sit. But if I take leave, they will be a nurse short. It will mean more work for everyone else, less care for Confederate men.

      “When was the last time you had anything to drink?” Dr. Turner asked.

      Elizabeth appeared over his shoulder. She, too, looked concerned.

      Emily struggled to put thoughts into words. “I...I...”

      “Come now. Let’s find you a nice, quiet place—”

      “But Dr. Mackay said—”

      “I am certain Evan agrees with me. Don’t you, young man?”

      Oh, no... The heavy bucket slipped out of her hands, water spilling all over the cobblestone. As Emily hurried to right it, her eyes darkened.

      A strong pair of arms swept her upward.

      * * *

      She awoke sometime later to the feel of a cool cloth on her forehead. Elizabeth was hovering over her, a palmetto fan in her hand.

      “Where am I?” Emily asked when her vision fully cleared. The room was small, relatively quiet. She had never seen it before.

      “Dr. Mackay’s room.”

      “What?” Emily ran her fingers over the rough muslin sheet. She was aghast at the thought of occupying his cot, mortified when she saw her stockings tossed across a nearby chair.

      “It was the only place right now that offered any privacy,” Elizabeth insisted. “He deposited you here, then told me how to care for you.”

      Emily’s embarrassment subsided, but only somewhat. “Did he order you to deliver me to Fort McHenry upon my recovery?”

      “Whatever for?”

      “For my prison term. He calls me a woman of treachery and finds me incompetent at that.”

      “He must not find you that treacherous. He said I was to do everything in my power to bring about your swift recovery.”

      Emily blinked and slowly raised up on her elbows. She was still a little light-headed. “He said that?”

      Elizabeth removed the cloth, soaked it in the nearby wash basin. She then thrust a cup of cold water under Emily’s nose. “Drink,” she commanded sweetly.

      The water slid down her parched throat. Emily downed the entire contents in two very unladylike gulps.

      “He even went to the cook and secured these.” Elizabeth handed her two fresh peaches and a slice of hardtack. “He said to eat it all, though I would seriously reconsider the hardtack, especially if you want to keep all of your teeth.”