Battle Hymns by Cara Langston

keep up a one-sided
conversation for much longer. But she refused to give up.
    Charlotte walked over to the bookshelf, grabbed a
book, and returned to his bedside. She sat on the stool and opened
the novel to the first page. “I’m going to read to you. I don’t
know what stories you prefer so I took it upon myself to select the
book. We’re going to begin reading The Adventures of Sherlock
Holmes , starting with Adventure One—A Scandal in
Bohemia .”
    She smoothed out the page and began reading.
    “To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. I
have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. In his eyes
she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex. It was not that
he felt any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler—”
    Her voice cracked on the last word. She’d never read Sherlock Holmes and didn’t know Nick’s surname was used.
Tears stung her eyes. A month had passed since Nick was deployed.
What if he was already in combat without her knowledge? What if he
was injured like this poor man beside her?
    She blinked rapidly, struggling to maintain her
composure. “We’re going to read something else.” She closed the
book and looked up. This time, the lieutenant’s green eyes were
focused on her, his dark eyebrows drawn together. “I can’t read
this. Not right now.”
    She walked to the bookshelf and picked another novel,
one with which she was familiar. When she returned to Lieutenant
Kendrick’s bedside, she took a deep breath and smiled. She could
get through this.
    “Have you read Gone with the Wind ? It’s a long
book, but we have plenty of time at our disposal. Maybe you saw the
film in thirty-nine. In my opinion, the novel is better, though I
enjoyed Clark Gable’s portrayal of Rhett Butler.” She giggled. “You
know, my mother took me to see the film when it opened. I was only
seventeen at the time, and she was shocked at the profanity. I
didn’t understand what the big deal was. It wasn’t like I hadn’t
heard it before.”
    She received no reaction.
    “Anyway, I’m sure you don’t want to hear about my
mundane experiences.”
    Charlotte flipped open the novel to the first page
and began to read.
    Nearly an hour later, she reached a good stopping
point, dog-eared the page, and placed the novel on the bedside
table. She was about to stand and attend to the other patients when
the lieutenant’s lips parted.
    “Thank you,” he whispered.
    A grin lit Charlotte’s face. “You’re welcome.” She
remained seated and proceeded with him cautiously. “How are you
feeling?”
    There was a significant pause before he coughed and
answered, “Better than last week.” He cleared his throat a couple
more times. “You’re wrong, you know.”
    Her eyebrows rose. “About what?”
    “I like hearing about your life, however mundane.
Best part of my day.” His voice was stronger now, deep actually,
with a hint of a New England accent. “You can call me Will, not
Lieutenant Kendrick. Seems overly formal.”
    Her smile widened. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,
Will.”
    He glanced at his casts. “I’d shake your hand, but
I’m afraid I can’t move my arms.”
    She placed her fingertips on his, providing him with
as much of a handshake as he could manage, given the extent of his
injuries.
    Dr. Robinson strode toward them. She withdrew her
hand and stood. A nurse must have noticed Will’s responsiveness and
informed his doctor. Although Will needed to speak with the
physician, Charlotte pursed her lips in annoyance. He might clam up
again if bombarded with questions.
    The doctor picked up Will’s chart. “Good afternoon,
Lieutenant Kendrick. I hear you’ve been speaking to Miss Donahue.
I’m glad to see you’re making some progress. How are you
feeling?”
    “Sore.”
    “That’s no surprise considering your injuries. Please
let a nurse know if the pain becomes too much to bear.” Dr.
Robinson scanned the file and took the cap off his pen. “Now,
Lieutenant, do you