𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 | band of brothers [on hold]

⁰⁰. prologue

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"You wanted to see me sir?"

She poked her head slightly inside the room, meekly shutting the door behind her. Pulled away from her studies, the young woman was escorted out of the library from across campus, arriving in the chief veterinarian's office. The older gentleman had yet to reply, instead, he gestured for her to take a seat. Doing as instructed, she watched as he took a deep breath. Had she done something wrong? Did she fail her surgical simulation? Her thoughts vanished as the doctor opened his cabinet drawer to retrieve an envelope.

"Julia-" He paused, licking his lips. "You're one of my best students, outstanding at that, however, I believe you're needed somewhere else. Only right I give this to you." He slid the letter across the desk.

Riveting her gaze up from the piece of paper, she locked eyes with him. His round glasses resting on the bridge of his button nose, hiding the weary brown eyes behind them. The visible creases on his forehead rode upwards, intently observing her.

"What do you mean I'm needed somewhere else?"

Was she already receiving an inquiry of her post? She knew of the many facilities who wrote for her proposition, urging the young woman to be stationed at one of their clinics. She hoped that if that were to be the case, she would reside somewhere in the South, close to home.

As if curiosity itself got a hold of her, Julia reaches out for the envelope. Her pearly blue eyes were quick to locate the senders address, nearly bursting out from their sockets.

U.S Army Medical Corps, it read.

Why would they be reaching out to her? How in the world did they get a hold of her in the first place? Her brows furrowed as her fingers traced the pressed on red wax, outlining the eagle insignia on it. Carefully peeling it open, she unfolded the letter and began reading.

To Miss Julia M. Everette.

You've been selected as part of the program, Operation Apothecary, ordered by which of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Commander in Chief of the United States Armed Forces, and General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force. Medical personnel stemmed from organizations such as the American Red Cross, the American Dental Association, and the American Veterinary Medical Association, were each carefully chosen and placed into a unit of the armed forces to train and aid in the war effort.

Shown by your records and commended by your supervisor, Doctor J. Shere, Chief Veterinary of North Carolina State University of Medicine, your attitude, dedication, and virtuous skills as a veterinarian in training, as well as acing the VTNE with an exceptional score, proved that you are more than a suitable candidate.