Hope Rising

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My heartfelt thanks go to the entire team at Grand Central Forever. Thank you for your enthusiasm, for the stunning cover art, and for a beautiful finished product.

A specific and sincere thank you to my editor, Lauren Plude, for her encouragement and her knack for helping me know where to dig for greater emotional depth. My manuscripts are so much better for having passed through her capable hands. Thanks, too, to my copy editor, Joan Matthews, for her meticulous eye on this book and its predecessor.

Thank you to my agent, Jessica Alvarez, for her savviness, support, and foresight. This series, and this book in general, would not have made it off my hard drive without her help.

Thanks to my critique partners Ali Cross, Elana Johnson, and Sara Olds, for their help in all things writerly, researchy, and chocolaty.

To the readers of my Of Love and War series, especially those who’ve eagerly awaited Joel’s story, thank you for your excitement about the Campbell family and those who’ve come into their lives.

Last, but never ever least, thanks to the greatest band of true-blue fans ever: my sweet husband and kids. Thanks for, happily, taking this journey with me.

The more I’ve studied the First World War, the more I’m in awe of those who sacrificed their time and, in so many cases, their lives to serve their countries. In an age when antibiotics had yet to be discovered, when machine guns and tanks and airplanes were new war weapons, and when wounds were unlike any seen previously, the Great War was a distinctly unique period of conflict.

America declared war on Germany in April 1917, three years after Germany, Great Britain, and France first began fighting. Corporal Joel Campbell’s life as an Army soldier in the American Expeditionary Force (AEF)—in the trenches, in battle, and in the hospital—is representative of the roughly two million “doughboys” who served overseas during WWI. The battle in which he’s wounded would have been the Second Battle of the Marne, which occurred between July 15 and August 5, 1918. The war finally ended on November 11 of that same year.

The United States Army Nurse Corps, established in 1901, had more than 10,000 nurses serving overseas during WWI. Though they did not receive military rank until after the war, these nurses were an incredible force for good in nearly all stages of wartime medical care.

An Army Nurse Corps nurse who married or became pregnant—married or not—was honorably discharged. This rule changed in October 1942, allowing nurses who married to remain on active duty at the surgeon general’s discretion for the period of the war plus six months.

While St. Vincent’s hospital is my fictional creation, there were hospitals in France that were run by religious sisters during WWI. Though I did not find any case where Army Nurse Corps nurses assisted in such a hospital, for the sake of the story, I had Evelyn Gray and the other ANC nurses serve alongside the Sisters of Charity at St. Vincent’s instead of in an Army or Red Cross hospital.

The sodium hypochlorite solution created by Henry Drysdale Dakin and Alexis Carrel was a godsend in a pre-antibiotics world. Irrigating open wounds with the Carrell-Dakin solution (or Dakin’s solution) helped keep infection from growing worse and meant wounds healed in less time.

Evelyn’s experience at the evacuation hospital is true to life, with its incessant mud and occasional firing upon by German gunners. Most nurses were eager to serve at the front lines, regardless of the difficulties.

A final note: My heart goes out to the countless women who, like Evelyn, have experienced miscarriage or infant loss. I share your ranks and know the pain and grief, often silent, you’ve known. I hope you, too, have been able to find the loving care and hope that Evelyn eventually did.

For more information about the Great War, the AEF, or the Army Nurse Corps, I recommend the following books, which were invaluable in my research:
Intimate Voices from the First World War,
by Svetlana Palmer and Sarah Wallis (2003);
Over There: The United States in the Great War 1917–1918,
by Byron Farwell (1999); and
A History of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps,
by Mary T. Sarnecky (1999).

France, May 1918

E
velyn Gray breathed in the briny smell of the sea as she fingered the five shells in her gloved palm. One for each year without her father. From beneath her velour hat, she peered up at the gray sky overhead. The cool temperature and the possibility of rain made her grateful for the warmth of her Army Nurse Corps outdoor uniform, with its dark blue jacket, shirtwaist, and skirt.

“Nurse Gray, come on.” One of the other three nurses down the beach waved for her to join them in their walk along the shoreline toward the white cliffs in the distance.

Sighing, Evelyn turned in their direction. She wasn’t in any hurry to rejoin their conversation. The other girls on leave with her were full of talk about home and families and sweethearts, while she had only her aging grandparents waiting for her back in Michigan. As for a beau? Her lips turned up into a bitter smile. She’d been too busy with nurse’s training to worry about any of that.

She lifted the first shell—a smooth, white one—and tossed it into the sea. “I still miss you, Papa,” she said as the seashell slipped beneath the surface of the water.

Five years today, since you left us.
She could easily picture how he’d trudged up the porch steps that afternoon after tending to a patient—he’d never established a doctor’s office in town, preferring instead to make house calls or take visits in their home. He hadn’t looked well, but Evelyn’s medical knowledge at seventeen wasn’t what it was today at twenty-two. She still wasn’t sure if he himself recognized the signs of the coming heart attack.

Tossing the second shell into the water, she swallowed hard against the flood of memories. She’d gone upstairs to make sure he was lying down and found him on the floor next to the bed, already gone.

She rid her hand of the third, fourth, and fifth shells in quick succession, then brushed the granules of sand from her gloves. The wind and the ache in her heart brought salty moisture to her eyes, but she straightened her shoulders against both. No one else needed to know what day it was or how much the loneliness tore at her.

“Afternoon.”

Evelyn whirled around to find an American soldier watching her from a few feet away. He wasn’t overly tall, less than six feet, but his handsome face, broad shoulders, and dark eyes were an impressive combination and made Evelyn’s pulse skip from more than being startled.

“I didn’t mean to disturb you.” He smiled, looking anything but apologetic. “Beautiful view.”

The way he said it, she knew he wasn’t talking about the ocean. Evelyn didn’t blush, though. She was used to lingering looks and flirtations from the wounded soldiers at the hospital where she worked. Some, like this young man, were quite handsome; others were sweet; and a few pressed her to keep in touch once they left the hospital. But Evelyn put a firm stop to any such nonsense. She wouldn’t break the rule forbidding fraternization between nurses and enlisted soldiers.

Being a nurse was demanding enough; doing so while pregnant or with a venereal disease would make it twice as difficult. Not to mention she would be discharged if it were discovered she was with child. No, nursing was too important to her, and to her grandparents, to throw her job away for some soldier. Nowhere else but in a busy hospital ward, performing her duties, did she still feel close to her father.

Time to catch up with the other nurses.

Evelyn turned in the direction of the cliffs and started after the girls. They’d managed to cover quite a bit of distance while she lingered behind. To her dismay, the soldier fell into step beside her.

“I’m Private First Class Ralph Kelley.” He held out his hand for her to shake. “And you are?”

“Not supposed to talk to you,” Evelyn said in her firmest nurse’s tone. “You know the rules, soldier.” She tried to maintain a brisk pace across the beach, but the stones and sand underfoot made it difficult.

He chuckled as he lowered his hand to his side. “You on leave?” he asked, doggedly ignoring her rejection. “With those other nurses?”

She refused to answer, but his next question caught her off guard.

“Do you collect pebbles? I saw you picking some up earlier.”

How long had he been watching her? Heat rose into her cheeks at his intrusion upon her private mourning. “I need to go.” She attempted to outdistance him again, but his feet kept tempo with hers.

“Have lunch with me.”

The request, spoken in an almost pleading tone, halted Evelyn’s retreat in a way his earlier attempts at charm hadn’t. She circled to face him. Perhaps a gentle rebuff would serve her better than her usual abrupt one.

Before she could say anything, he spoke again. “I can’t say I don’t make it a habit of talking with nurses.” He gave her a sheepish smile as he removed his cap and fingered the olive drab wool. “But you looked like you could use a friend back there. Like there was something weighing on your mind.”

The perceptive observation took her by surprise, and she fell back a step. Could there be more to this soldier than his ladies’ man demeanor? Her earlier feeling of isolation welled up inside her, nearly choking her with its hold. “It’s the anniversary of my father’s death—five years today.” The admission tumbled out, despite the voice of reason screaming in her mind to keep walking away. “I’ve been thinking a lot about him lately.”

“Do your friends know?” He nodded in the direction the other girls had gone.

Evelyn folded her arms against the battering breeze and shook her head. “I didn’t want to spoil their time away from the hospital.”

“That’s rather generous.” He cocked his head to study her. “Will you at least tell me your name?”

She could feel her defenses crumbling beneath the sincerity in his black eyes. “It’s…um…Evelyn. Evelyn Gray.”

“Evelyn.”

Hearing his deep voice intone her name brought butterflies to her stomach, and the smile he offered afterward made her heartbeat thrum faster. When was the last time she’d felt this way? Probably not since she and Dale had kissed after high school graduation. Dale Emerson had been her first beau, until he moved to Sioux City, Iowa, and Evelyn had put all her time and energy into becoming a nurse. Last she’d heard, Dale had graduated from medical school and was serving as a surgeon at the front lines.

“I discovered a place yesterday that serves excellent fish,” he said, his tone coaxing. “If you like fish…”

Despite her best efforts to stop it, a smile lifted the corners of her lips. “I think I’d like anything that wasn’t cooked at the hospital. Our food there isn’t much better than Army fare, I’m afraid.”

Private Kelley laughed; it was a pleasant sound. “I owe it to you then, to at least provide you a decent meal while you’re on leave.” His expression sobered as he added, “Especially today.”

Evelyn glanced over her shoulder at the three nurses far down the beach. She ought to refuse. But logic was growing less and less persuasive inside her mind. For the first time in months, she felt valued and important. This soldier’s genuine notice and concern soothed the loneliness she wore as constantly as her nurse’s uniform.

She pushed at the sand beneath her shoes, her lips pursed in indecision. Could any real harm come from simply sharing a meal in a public place? At least she’d be spared having to listen to the other girls prattle on about their big families and parents who were still alive. She would only be trading one conversation for another.

Inhaling a deep breath, she let her words slide out on the exhale. “Let me tell them I’ll meet up with them later.”

He grinned and replaced his hat on his head. “I’ll wait right here for you.”

Evelyn moved with new purpose toward the retreating group. She called to the girls from a distance to avoid any questions. The three of them turned as one. “Go on ahead without me. I’ll meet up with you before supper.”

They glanced at one another, then one of them shrugged and waved her hand in acknowledgment. A sense of freedom rolled through her as Evelyn retraced her steps to where Private First Class Ralph Kelley stood waiting.

“All set?” He extended his hand to her.

Evelyn stared at it for a long moment, then placed her fingers in his palm. With a smile, he tucked her hand over his arm and led her away from the beach.