“One was here just now,” Nancy told her. “He’ll be back in a moment. He went for his bag.”
Nancy bent to help the captain make a tourniquet below the injured man’s knee. She had just secured the knot with a stick when she saw the doctor returning. The ANC captain straightened and saluted.
“This man will have to have some stitches, Major,” she said.
“I’ll look after him.”
To Nancy’s consternation she saw that the soldier she had just been ordering around, had put on his coat. His gold leaf indicated him a major, and the caduceus that he was a member of the medical corps. She felt terribly embarrassed at her mistake.
He seemed to think nothing of it, however, for he explained to the captain, “I’ll keep this young lady to help me. She says she’s a nurse.”
“Then I’ll go look after some of the others,” said the captain, alertly.
Major Reed was stooping to give attention to the injured man, and asked as he did so, “Where did you graduate?”
“Stanford Hospital. I’m Nancy Dale. I just joined the Army Nurse Corps and am on my way for basic training.”
This explanation seemed quite satisfactory to the major. He set his bag on the ground and pulled the zipper. “Give the lady there a hypo. We’ll need one here, too. Tell Captain Lewis to get what she needs from my bag.”