Timeless

Chapter 2

During the War, most women served in nurse capacities. Very few American women served as doctors and even fewer saw surgeries and went to the front. In fact, it tended to be British women that progressed the medical field for others.

    It was in this capacity that Kathryn knew her place. It was in this capacity that a woman who went to medical school and was, in fact, a doctor, was referred to as a 'nurse.' It was in this capacity that she arrived at RAF base Thorpe Abbots with four other nurses in order to help a single doctor on the base.

    His name was Doctor Adler and he was British Royal Air Force, but the only doctor in the vicinity. Kathryn knew that working under him would mean the difference between being on a base and being assigned to somewhere else. So she needed to make a good impression and keep her head down.

    What she wasn't expecting—on her first day, mind you—was to immediately be pulled into a surgery by Doctor Adler along with Annika. She had no idea that on her first day on base that she would be forced to confront the actual horrors and realities of the war. Because staring at the boy—who could not possibly be any older than 19—who was covered in blood—Kathryn thought that she wanted to throw up then and there.

    Her stomach churned at the sight of him. He had been rushed from his plane to an ambulance and brought directly over to medical. Where all of the nurses had no sooner placed their bags before being ushered into their various stations.

    Still, she held her hands steady and she watched Doctor Adler carefully as he cleaned the shoulder wound. A bullet had entered through the shoulder and remained lodged inside, along with several shards of shrapnel. He had nearly bled out—and probably would have, had someone not thought of placing gunpowder on the wound to slow the bleeding.

    "Scissors," Doctor Adler commanded.

    Kathryn was quick to hand him the scissors, assisting Annika in holding down the young soldier. He writhed in pain and Kathryn wished they had something to give him—but any risk of him going out at this point would have surely ended in him not waking up again.

    Finally, Doctor Adler stepped back. "Finish stitching him up. My work here is finished."

    Annika was still shaking like a leaf when Doctor Adler exited the room—so Kathryn didn't hesitate. She moved seamlessly, hand steady as she finished up the stitch. "How are you...so damn calm?" Annika questioned, looking at her with wide eyes.

    "I'm not. I'm just holding it in until we're done." Kathryn said pointedly, glancing at the girl.

    Annika had never seen wounds before. Neither had Kathryn. The only difference was that Annika had frozen when Kathryn didn't. "Hell of a first day, I guess." Annika mumbled.

    "Yeah. Hell of a first day."
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Kathryn had just made it to the bunkhouse for the nurses and to the bathroom. She was washing the blood off of her hands when there was a knock at the door. She peeked her head out of the bathroom, eyebrows piqued.

    "It's your brother!" Laura called, sitting on the bed with her journal in hand.

    "Thanks." Kathryn said, exchanging the same eye-roll with Laura and the other girls in the bunkhouse. Each one seemed to get excited at the thought of Major John Egan outside the door, but Kathryn securely shut the door behind her as she came face to face with her brother.

    "You made it!" Bucky exclaimed, a grin crossing his features.

    She didn't fail to notice the flight jacket or the dried blood that still stained his hands. But when he opened up his arms, she couldn't help but hug him tightly. "Jeez, sis, you'd think we haven't seen each other in years."