Man at War – Excerpt No. 237

When the door opened, Marc walked in as though nothing happened. The men were located along the edges, the beds packed in so tight that they were no more than two feet apart.

The middle was empty, but Marc imagined that during a major offensive the middle would fill with stretchers. The men would pile up anywhere there was room, waiting until someone could attend to them. I’d rather face Death on the battlefield then have him creep up while waiting to recover.

The back wall had two large flags, one for the unit and the other for the King they fought for. A few nurses were there, filling in entries in the logs, or sorting through the medications.

At his side there was a small desk with a nurse seated behind it. While he considered all the men to be young, including Murphy, the sight of this nurse made him think of his Evelyn.

Black and white photograph of a World War I field hospital ward inside a long wooden hut. A young British soldier in uniform walks confidently down the wide central aisle toward the viewer, holding a walking stick. Metal beds are lined along both sides of the room. In the background, two Union Jack flags hang on the far wall. Two nurses in white uniforms work at a desk on the right side of the room.

Disclaimer: This novel is an work in progress and readers may encounter grammatical errors and inconsistencies. Please view this a draft and not a published work.