The life of Eve De La Cruz

Chapter Nine

April 1917

Eve was tending to a soldier at the base hospital when an ambulance rushes in full of wounded soldiers. Eve did the finishing touches on the soldier's bandage before joining the others to assist those out of the ambulance. The wounded that came out of the ambulance were a mix of British, American, and French soldiers. Eve helped an American soldier with a bleeding arm out of the ambulance and into the base hospital before helping him sit down on a bed.

"I'm going to have to cut your uniform, Captain. So, I can see the severity of and treat the wound," Eve explained as she grabbed a pair of scissors and cuts up the sleeve.

"Don't worry about it, Principessa," The Soldier said with an American accent with a Spaniard and Italian inflection. But mostly Spaniard.

Eve examines the wound and the Soldier grunts in pain as she touches the wound.

"You'll have to go into surgery to repair the damage caused by the bullet," Eve told him.

"What's your name?" He asked her.

"Matron Eve De La Cruz," She replied.

"Your name sounds religious. Eve De La Cruz. Eve of The Cross," The Soldier said.

"And what is your name, Captain?" Eve asked.

"Emilio Luca De Santis," He answered.

"Your name is a mixture of Spanish and Italian," Eve noted.

"My mother is Italian and my father a Spaniard," Emilio told her, "I was born in America. My parents raised me in Spain but we spent a lot of time in America. It was how I managed to get here as an American soldier. What about your parents?"

"My father was American but his family was from Mexico and my mother was English," She replied as she wrote down on his chart, "I was born in America and spent most of my childhood there until my parent's death. I was then brought to England and raised by my Uncle and Aunt."

"You are truly beautiful, Principessa," Emilio told her.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Captain De Santis," Eve said as she tried not to smile, "You will be taken into surgery in a little while."

"Will you be assisting the Doc with the surgery?" Emilio asked.

"I'm not sure, why?" She questioned.

"Because I only trust my life in your hands, Principessa," He answered.

"I'll ask the doctor, but in the meantime, Captain, rest," Eve told him before walking away.

Eve stood with Major Macleod in the operating room as one of the orderlies wheeled Emilio in on the table and when Emilio saw Eve in the room he smiled at her.

"Glad that you could join, Principessa," Emilio said with a smile on his face.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world, Captain," Eve responded.

"Nurse Franklin put the patient under," Major Macleod ordered and Nurse Franklin nodded before placing the face mask on Emilio, who smiled and kept his eyes on Eve until the anesthesia took effect and he fell asleep. When the surgery was over, Major Macleod repaired the damage that was caused by the bullet, and Emilio was taken to post-op. A while later, Eve was checking in on the unconscious Emilio when Colonel Blake walked into the room.

"Good afternoon, Matron De La Cruz," Colonel Blake greeted.

"Good afternoon, Colonel Blake," She returned.

"You've been granted another furlough, Matron De La Cruz," Colonel Blake said, but before Eve could say a word, he stopped her, "I know that you are committed to helping people, but if you keep going around like this you will eventually pass out in the middle of surgery and we can't have that. Now, by the end of the week, you will be leaving the base hospital for England and you will be there for a little over a month. Do I make myself clear, Matron De La Cruz?"