The Next Together by Lauren James

Author:Lauren James [James, Lauren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781406364118
Publisher: Walker Books
Published: 2015-08-19T16:00:00+00:00

Gallows Humour 16:15:52

Mmm, now that’s an image.

KitKat 16:16:10

NOT AT WORK AGAIN.

Folios/v7/Time-landscape-2019/MS-155

Varna, Bulgaria, 1854

Katy stared in horror at the unwashed patients lying on straw pallets in the hospital tent in the soldiers’ camp at Varna. The place was filthy. The floor – a foul-smelling mess of reeds, with open sewers running beneath them – combined with the stench of illness. She and Matthew were waiting for the doctor who had agreed to be interviewed about the cholera outbreak spreading through the encampment.

“If this is what it’s like now,” she whispered, looking around the hospital, “imagine the conditions when the fighting starts and the place is inundated with injured soldiers.” She had never imagined that the hospital tents could be this bad.

Matthew nodded. “I hope to improve it before then.”

“How? By writing about it in the paper?”

“Yes.” Matthew looked at her steadily. The uncertainty she’d felt at having to spy on him suddenly tripled. Matthew was only trying to help, and judging by the state of the place the army needed it desperately.

Katy had been surprised that morning when he had asked her to come with him to the hospital tent. “You’re still my assistant,” he’d explained when she asked why, “even if you did turn out to be … unexpectedly female.”

Standing in the hospital tent, she wished more than ever that Matthew would leave her behind when he did his reporting. She didn’t want to spy on him any more.

“Most of the problems are caused by a lack of equipment,” Matthew went on. “I can change that by bringing it to the public’s attention, to raise funds.”

“Oh.” That sounded perfectly reasonable. Why had Lord Somerset been so against Matthew coming here?

“Where are all the doctors?” Matthew asked.

She looked around, suddenly realizing that, aside from all the patients, the ward was completely deserted. “There should be nurses on duty in here at the very least,” she replied.

“Nurses aren’t allowed,” Matthew said, sounding resigned. “Before you say it, yes, it is ridiculous. The French are allowed female nurses. I intend to fix that as well.”

“I hope so. Well, we should make ourselves useful while we wait for your doctor,” Katy said, rolling up her sleeves. “Shall we take around food and water?”

For a moment she thought he was angry with her, but then he said, with a hint of exasperated fondness, “You are … you’re…” He stopped, bit his lip. “Yes, let’s do that. I think the stores are next door.”

They returned from the storeroom with some meagre rations, which had been reluctantly provided by the soldier in charge, to find that a doctor had appeared.

“Good morning,” he said, straightening up from examining a patient. “What are you doing?”

“We thought we’d make ourselves useful while we waited for you,” Matthew explained.

Katy turned to Matthew and said, “Let me take those supplies. I’ll hand them out while you’re talking.”

Three hours later, they left with several pages of notes on problems with the hospital and some ideas for simple improvements that could be made.

“You should definitely pass them on to your editor,” Katy told Matthew.

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