Doctor's Orders
When Vi wakes, she forgets where she is. All she knows is there are eyes staring at her from across the room, seated in a chair. They pierce her very soul to the core, judging her every move. Her body jolts fully awake in an instant, causing a shooting pain to rip through ever fiber of her body. It resonates outward from her gut but somehow manages to make it through her body and down to her toes. Her muscles are sore from kneeling on the ground earlier in the morning. It’s a penance she’s willing to live with after she rudely intruded upon her angel of death’s private vigil.
“My daughter informs me you took a leave of from your room this morning.” Tobias’s words are short, projecting the concern of a doctor annoyed that his patient isn’t properly listening to his instructions.
“Yes, sir.” Her father always told her no matter what to always be courtesy and respectful, especially if you have caused the person you are speaking with some sort of trouble. The doctor hums as he takes a sip from a clear glass that holds what Vi assumes is whiskey. She’s seen enough liquor in her lifetime being the daughter of a pub owner to know the various coloring of alcohols. “Is that whiskey?”
She watches as the man’s eyebrow raises, “It is. It was a gift from General Lee and his wife.”
Vi can’t help the loud sound that echoes through the quiet room when she swallows. When she first awakened, it seemed these folks took no issue with the fact of what uniform she had been wearing when they saved her from the battlefield. Suddenly, that sentiment had been brought into question with the knowledge that the General of the Army of Virginia had personally given the doctor that had saved Vi’s life a bottle of what most likely was expensive whiskey.
Tobias senses the shift in the air between him and the Yankee which causes him to smirk. He felt no ill will toward the soldier, even with the knowledge he had interrupted his daughter’s morning routine. His issue came from the fact she had ignored his orders of staying on best rest until her wounds had healed more properly. There is a small part of the man that wants to revel in having such power over the soldier, but he lets his good-natured side win out, deciding to properly discuss his issue with the woman.
“I told you to remain in bed until your wounds were healing more. Taking an early morning walk in the backyard is not allowing for yourself to properly heal.”
He watches as the woman’s body, in particular her face and shoulders, relax in an instant. “I apologize, sir. Unfortunately, I let my curiosity get the best of me.”
“Quite alright. You aren’t the only curious one in this house currently. What part of Maine do you hail from?”
“Bar Harbor. My parents met in Waldoboro, but when my father needed a job to feed our family, we moved to Bar Harbor so he could become a fisherman. Turns out, he’s shit at it, so he opted to become a pub owner instead. Now, every fisherman considers him the unofficial mayor as he always knows more about the town than those in charge.”
Tobias can’t help the chuckle that escapes his mouth. “How does your mother feel about such things?”
Another shift in Vi’s demeanor and the doctor watches as she begins to wring her hands together as though she were washing them. It’s a sign he’s asked her a question that makes her uncomfortable. Suddenly his heart is filled with regret, not wanting to cause the woman any harm. “She unfortunately passed when I was younger. One of my brothers fell into the harbor and she saved him but was unable to get out of the water herself. She drowned.”
Of all the ways a person could die, Tobias had at one time felt as though drowning would be one of the worst ways to die. The thought of being unable to breath, slowly suffocating to the point where eventually your body would betray you and try to force air into your lungs except it would not be air, but water instead that filled them. It seemed horrific.
Then he joined the army as a medic and watched as solider died from bullet and bayonet wounds. It often seemed like a painful experience all while the soldiers stared at whomever was holding them until their death knowing there was nothing the other person could do for them. It was pure suffering, sometimes for hours on end. A soldier’s death seemed to be something out of one of the great tragedies Tobias has once read at university.
“I apologize, Violet. I didn’t mean to recall such a terrible memory for you. Caitlyn’s mother, Cassandra, passed this year. Fever.”
Vi nods, seemingly making the connection between the timing of Caitlyn’s mother and daughter. “Is that what killed her daughter?”
“Yes, sadly. Caitlyn held Charlotte until she passed. My daughter hasn’t quite been the same since.”
“I’d imagine not. I should apologize to her for this morning.”
“No need. I think she appreciated having someone with her since it’s so close to the girl’s birthday. Just, give her some space for a bit. She’s closed off her heart over the past year, losing her mother, daughter, and husband.”
Though Vi had experienced death in a multitude of ways having lost her mother and experiencing the hells of war, she felt as though her experiences were nothing in comparison to the woman who had helped save her life from the clutches of death herself. Since May, the woman had lost three significant family members in quick succession. All Vi had done was witness her fellow soldiers get cut down around her all while taking the lives of others herself.
She swivels her head to look out the window, sunlight beaming through the trees and onto the grass below. Though the sun is shining, she can feel that there’s no actual warmth coming from the projecting rays. The December air is chilled, settling in for what will most likely be a long, brutal winter. The thought makes Vi internally chuckle because once again she can’t help but scoff to herself at the thought of what southerners consider a brutal winter.
“Well, Violet, I do believe I am going to go into town today and get some more supplies to take care of those wounds. No more escapades for you, do I make myself clear.”
The solider nods, refusing to take her eyes off the tiny grave that she can now clearly see from her spot on the bed. Such a young life cut so soon. It wasn’t uncommon. She remembers plenty of families back home losing children, particularly in the winter, to fever and other illnesses their tiny bodies weren’t yet prepared to fight off. Charlotte had been barely 7 months old if Vi remembers from the etching. Not nearly enough time on this earth. No wonder Caitlyn had looked furious upon seeing the Yankee intrude upon her private time with her daughter.
“Sir, thank you for saving me. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
He nods and replies, “Friendship, particularly with my daughter. I think having someone to talk to may do her some good.”
April 21, 1862
Dearest Pow,
We are still stationed in and around Yorktown. I often wonder to myself how many times General McClellan has thought about the fact we are fighting (or really waiting to fight most of the time) near where General George Washington sealed the fate of the British forces during the American Revolution.
Little Mac is an interesting man. There are times I truly believe he may be one of the most ingenious individuals on the battlefield and then there are times when I fear he is nothing more than a buffoon attempting to parade himself as the greatest leader of all time. The Union Army’s biggest issue is military intelligence. We simply cannot compete with them when they have the likes of General Lee and General Jackson at the helm. It’s an unfair advantage.
I do know this, once this war is over, if I never see Virginia again, I will thank God himself for helping me escape the clutches of this state. We have marched throughout the entirety of her lands and fought countless battles with her citizens, soldier or not. They hate us. They spit and throw things at us as we walk through town. I wait for the day one of them shoots me themselves.
I hope soon we will find ourselves in another state, perhaps Maryland or even Pennsylvania. It would be quite nice to fight in our home territory as opposed to constantly battling Confederate soldiers in Confederate territory.
I must depart soon. Mylo, Claggor, and I have been assigned to a reconnaissance mission. At least that’s what they call it. Really, we are just making sure the guards up the road aren’t asleep.
Love as always,
V
P.S. Sarah had her boy in March.