Man at War – Excerpt No. 247

“We should check on Lavoie,” Murphy said, after a lull in the banter.

“Excellent idea, Warrant,” Marc replied.

The man of war walked right past the nursing sister. The instinctual urge to move out of the way increased noticeably with proximity. I’ll need to be on my best behaviour.

When they arrived at the bunk, they found that Private Lavoie was asleep. The man was heavily bandaged with a few spots of red peeking through the bandages at certain areas.

Based on a vial by his bedside they were keeping the private sedated. Being jittery and seeing things would not heal those wounds.

Highly detailed cinematic scene inside a dimly lit canvas ward tent at a British Casualty Clearing Station during the Great War in 1915. A distinguished British Colonel named Marc and a young Canadian Bluebird nurse Lieutenant Murphy walk together between rows of cots toward the bunk of Private Lavoie. The Colonel moves with purposeful, aristocratic grace while the nurse walks just behind him, her expression shifting from playful mischief to quiet professional concern. Private Lavoie lies asleep in his simple cot, heavily bandaged with visible spots of red blood seeping through the white dressings on his torso and limbs. A small glass vial of sedative sits on the small table beside his bed. The nurse’s steel-grey eyes show a flicker of worry as she looks at the wounded man. Soft, moody lamplight casts long dramatic shadows across the tent, highlighting rows of other wounded soldiers resting or sleeping in nearby cots, scattered medical equipment, faint blood stains, and the muddy war-torn atmosphere visible through partially open tent flaps. Historical accuracy for 1915 with subtle supernatural tension in the Colonel’s presence, realistic yet slightly stylized, intimate and poignant focus on the moment the Colonel and nurse arrive at Lavoie’s bedside.

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.