The Sisters Of The Court

Chapter 73: Scarlett

St Petersburg, 1915

I stand in front of the operating table assisting the doctor, the past year I've thrown myself into my work helping the war effort and trying to keep my mind of the safety of my family. "Kelly clamp." Dr. Meade says and I hand it to him, we've become good friends over the course of the last few months, My popularity among the officers have earned me a trusted place among the doctors and staff as well. "Shit." I hear him mutter as the officer starts bleeding more profusely on the table right in front of our eyes. One of the new nurses stand staring at the amount of blood pooling out in front of her. I sigh at her incompetence and move her out of the way, I grab the clamps and start clamping down the vein in hopes of getting the bleeding to stop. "maybe you should do a graft." I say, I know it's what he'll have to do. He hit the femoral and the graft is this poor mans last chance. "I know that Natasha, Clamp." He says shortly as I put in his hand.

An hour later I walk out of the theater, the poor soldier didn't make it he had only been here a few hours, I sigh as I rub my face and walk down the white washed halls. I wish Misha would come home at last, the last time we all saw him, he came back for Christmas and that was months ago. I duck into an alcove and take the last letter he sent me out of my stocking. "My only Tasha I must write quickly today because we are on the move. But Tasha you don't know how much my heart longs for you, everything I see here reminds me of you or the children. I love you forever, no matter what happens to me. Love, your Misha." I stuff it back in my stocking before my tears can brim over, I hate thinking about the danger he's in, some nights in my dream I feel as though I am actually next to the cannons and the gunfire, I shudder thinking about it. "Mistress Natasha!" I look up and see one of the officers that have been here the longest hobbling over to me on his crutch, he is a handsome young boy, only 19 and from here in St Petersburg. "Andrei," I smile and look at his foot, His was one of the first surgeries I assisted on, his foot was gangrenous almost all the way to the bone. "How's your feet dear?" I crouch to examine it, I can't help myself calling him dear, to me he's only a boy. "It is much better with your assistance," He smiles and I start to walk up to him as one of my fellow nurses run up to me breathlessly. My thought goes to Misha, what if he's injured and has ended up here? What if the Germans have finally broken through into Russia? "What? What is it?" I almost shake her by her shoulders in impatience. "Sergei called for you, It's Alice." I speed off from her without a word of goodbye and grab my shawl. She is 38 weeks now, I hurry home as fast I can get there andI take off my shawl hurrying to Alice's room, I don't have to deal with them now. I see Sergei waiting in front of the door for me and I pull my sleeves up. "How long has she been in pain?" I ask briskly as I open the door to her room, I can hear moans of pain coming from it and I flinch. No matter how distant we are from each other, I wouldn't wish pain on her. "About an hour, she told me not to call you or the doctor but I did." He looks down at me, he towers over me now, even taller then George. "Thank you my love, you did right." I stand up and kiss him on the cheek before entering the room. It's pure chaos, Alice groans in pain as she writhes on the bed and the maids all stand away goggle eyed except my most trusted servant, Catherine. She's been with me ever since I married Michael and she's already gotten the boiling water and towels. "All of you, out." I snap and only Catherine stays in the room. I walk up to Alice and see the unmistakable look of fear in her eyes, just like when I had her. I take her sweating hand into my cool palm, "It will be alright my love." I kiss her forehead and she lets out another moan of pain.

It's a long and difficult labor for her, a girl of only 17 and knocked up by a man such as Carol. After hours of strain and struggling a baby is born to her. She is handed to me immediately after birth as the doctor helps Alice. I look down into her dark blue eyes, she is as light as a feather and I can tell she won't thrive. I kiss the babies warm forehead, I will care for her as if she's my own, I will say that I found her on the streets and took her in as Alice did with Madeline. This little baby is so serene. I walk over to Alice and offer the baby to her but she just averts her eyes. "I don't want to hold it, it's a parasite to me. Call her Anne." Is all she says and I stand stunned, I thought she would at least hold her and wouldn't abandon her child then. But instead my horrid, cruel daughter rolls over on her side to sleep. I look down at my granddaughter and smile, "Don't worry my love, I will be your mama if she won't." I whisper and set her down in her cradle as she gazes up at me, I can tell in her little blue eyes that she is content and she drifts off into a peaceful sleep into her new world. My little Grandbaby Anne.