Man at War – Excerpt No. 238

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.

This one had brown hair and eyes, but the twinkle was gone. This woman had seen far too much death in her life and none of it was recent. It took an older soldier like him to recognize the trauma hiding behind that smile.

“Can I help you?” The nurse asked at a near whisper.

The customary ‘Sir’ had been dropped, and he was thankful for it. That meant the men could focus on rest and recuperation.

Black and white photograph set in a World War I field hospital ward. A young nurse named Edith with dark hair sits at a wooden desk, looking up at an older British officer with a gentle but weary smile. The officer stands beside the desk, leaning slightly toward her as they speak. In the background, rows of hospital beds and Union Jack flags are visible under dim overhead lights. A glass medicine jar sits on the desk between them.

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.