Revolution of the Heart

War is a bloody thing. Then again, you needn’t need a nurse to tell you that. None the less, each battle is like a bit of hell. I had been a nurse for not even a year, maybe six months when the Battle at Bunker Hill took place. I was sent up there with maybe twenty other girls, and we made our way to where the patriots had retreated. Along the way, we saw dead or dying people everywhere. Most were British soldiers, but they were dying, none the less. I hated the British as much as the next person, but still…body after body, people crying out in pain. Once a battle is over, does it really matter who won if you are about to die anyway? When you have been abandoned for dead? I couldn’t help it, and I know that some of the other girls felt the same way, judging by the way they were crying and begging the buggy driver to stop. Dr. Williams, our leader, so to speak, reminded us that we needed our supplies for our fellow Patriots. Let the British fend for themselves and help their own dead. I personally kept my head forward and tried my best to ignore the cries and moans of the dying best I could. Dr. Williams came to the back of the wagon to sit with me.
“We will need to set up a hospital area as soon as possible,” he informed me in his deep baritone. If it weren’t for his eyes, Dr. Williams would have been a very handsome figure. He was a gentleman, with thick shoulders and a handsome face to go with his deep, smooth voice. But his eyes…they were like two buttons of ice, they had almost no color, and even less emotion. The other nurses swore that he had taken a fancy to me, but I assured them that I took no interest in such a serious person, much to their happiness. Like I said, Williams was an attractive man.
“Are there not nurses up there already?” I asked. He shrugged.
“If that is what you wish to call them. They are really just the lovers and wives of the soldiers.” He said haughtily. I sighed inwardly. Yes, I’ll admit that Dr. Williams is one of the most patriotic men I have ever known, but he is also the most arrogant.
“Of course…And what of the other soldiers, sir? I mean to say, surely if we have left over supplies…” I began cautiously. Williams shook his head in negativity.
“No, let them bury their dead.” He said in superiority.
“And what if they are not dead?” I retorted, surprising even myself. Williams sighed.
“Then let them take care of their own. Our job is to serve the US Army, not some British bastards.” He said sharply. I looked away and turned the slightest bit away from him. He put a gentle hand on my shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Elizabeth. That came out harsher than expected.” He said apologetically. I turned towards him again.
“A bit, yeah.” I said. He chuckled and extended his arm behind me, as if it were so casual. I reddened, but then I got an idea rather suddenly. I angled my shoulders so that I could look him in the eye. I admit, I did bat my lashes in a fit of exaggeration. At least it got his attention.
“You know, perhaps if we were to help some of the British soldiers, they would be more eager to give us information,” I said rather sweetly and flirtatiously. “It would make me feel a whole lot…happier if I knew that we not only helped a hurt man, but helped our country gain information.” Well, that much was true. I honestly did think that we would be able to exchange health for information. And it would be nice to see a British bastard squirm in nervousness instead of pain. I could see Williams also saw the value in my idea; His face flashed in surprise and he nodded.
“Well, I suppose that when we have finished, we can spare some supplies for that.” He said. I nodded my head earnestly. He smiled (or what I suppose was a smile, it looked so out of place on his face).
“Well, I’ll bring it up with whoever is in charge.”