"My dear, I am afraid that if there are any men among them, I will have to look very closely to see if they are potential enemy spies. As for the clothing and cleaning, I can do something about that. I am not sure I can find stoves, but we can make sure there is enough wood to keep all the fireplaces going, and I can get raw woolen material - nothing fancy, mind you, but at least I can get the material."
"They are probably sick and half starved too. Will Dr. Walker and her staff be able to offer medical care?"
"Absolutely. Elizabeth brought extra drugs with her and we have several medics working under Samuelson and Whitman who can provide care. I am a bit worried about taking care of the women; they may feel uncomfortable about day-to-day care from a man. However, I can hire more of Beulah's family to help."
She nodded. "All right, Charlie. We will do what we need to do to handle this problem. I suppose I should make a trip into town to see about this situation. Maybe the Coopers will be willing to help us with some of the supplies we will need, if they have them. Can I have Duncan take me into town this afternoon? That will give me time to talk with Elizabeth, if she is available." She shook her head. "I must say Colonel, your arrival has certainly made life very interesting."
"If you would like, I would be happy to drive you myself. I suspect it would be a good thing for me to meet with Mr. Cooper, Reverend Williams, and Mayor Frazier. That way, Duncan can get the crews working at the basic clean up and such."
She rose from her chair and moved to him, gracing him with her brightest smile. "I would love to have you take me." She gave him a sweet little kiss. "But now I should go see if I can find Elizabeth and speak with her. I will also get Duncan started, if that is all right with you."
"Tell Duncan that I will authorize him to select the ten men from the troops he feels will best help him. Polk knows about the problem; all of the company commanders were informed of it at the staff meeting, so he has all the cooperation he needs. When do you think you will be ready to go?"
"I think I can be ready in two hours. Is that good for you?"
Charlie rose from his chair and stepped over to stand very close to her indeed. He ran one finger under her chin and lifted her face to his, whispering, "Anything you want is good for me, darling." A soft kiss sealed the agreement.
She smiled when the kiss ended, rubbing her hand up and down his arm, taking a deep breath between clenched teeth. "Yes, I will have to get myself a big stick while I am in town, too."
Charlie looked confused, "A big stick?"
"Yes, Charlie, for beating the women away from my charming, gallant Colonel," she teased with a wink.
"You know you have no problem with that. No matter how many women are around, I only have one in my heart."
She tugged on his uniform, then smoothed the front of it. "Hmm……you just remember that, Charlie Redmond. I am afraid I have discovered I have a bit of a jealous streak."
"Well, love, you do have green eyes." Charlie smiled into those green eyes, enchanted and a little stunned that anyone would actually be jealous and possessive of him.
"Yes I do." She gave him another quick kiss and sighed happily. "But now I must take them and find Doctor Walker. I will see you in two hours time."
--*--
"This room will serve nicely as a ward where we can put several beds, but I am concerned about the chill." Rebecca waved her hand around the room as Elizabeth looked on. "I hope I will be able to find a spare stove in town. We are going to need to set up a room for you to use as an examination room are we not?"
"Yes, I should have one. It does not have to be as sterile as the surgery. If I need to perform surgery, I will want to do it there anyway, rather than try and move my tools around. A small, warm room would be good."
"There is a small room at the end of the hall we can have Duncan and the men prepare." She released a deep breath. "I never thought I would be turning my home into a half-way house for refugees, but Charlie is right, if we are going to heal this wound we need to set the standard. It will also make it easier for Charlie when he comes home."
Elizabeth looked at Rebecca questioningly. "You two are very serious, are you not?"
She nodded, trying to convey her sincerity to Elizabeth. "In confidence I tell you this, Elizabeth. Charlie has asked me to marry him when this war is over. And I said yes."
Elizabeth's hand covered her gaping mouth. When the power of speech had returned to her, she blurted out the first thing that came to her rather acerbic mind. "Well, you certainly have an interesting definition of taking it slowly and carefully."
Rebecca straightened, a bit thrown by the doctor’s reaction. "I realize it is quick. But I assure you, I love Charlie and will spend the rest of my life trying to make him happy and give him the life he wants. Is there something else? Do you not think Charlie and I should be together?" Rebecca’s stomach fluttered and she felt her body tingle with nervousness. She knew Charlie valued Elizabeth’s opinion and if she had reservations that might be enough to change Charlie’s mind about returning.
Elizabeth thought for a moment. "I am sorry, you know my tongue gets the better of me at times. Yes, it is quick. I suppose my concern is that the two of you may be getting involved because you are both lonely and each of you offers the other something you need very badly - safety, tenderness, a sense of belonging, an anchor in a very uncertain time. But if you and he are sure, well then, my dear, I will dance at your wedding."
She smiled, feeling the tears in her eyes recede. She took Elizabeth’s hand, giving it a squeeze. "My dear Elizabeth, had I married my first husband for such good reasons I might have loved him, but I did not, in either case. But, I assure you, I adore Charlie. I feel for him as I have never felt before. We are very sure about our feelings, but I would ask you to speak to Charlie about it as well to make sure. We would love for you to dance at our wedding."
An evil little grin sidled onto Elizabeth's face. "So does this mean that the rumors are true now?"
Rebecca blushed deep red immediately. "Elizabeth! I cannot believe you would ask such a thing." She tried to pretend she was shocked but failed when an equally wicked grin perched on her lips. "No. I have some concerns of my own to deal with, and I am not quite ready to take that step. I am not sure Charlie is either."
The blonde patted her friend’s hand. "And now I must go fetch the Colonel so we can make our way into town. Will you and Colonel Polk join us for supper tonight?"
"I would be glad to join you. As for the good Colonel Polk, you will have to ask him yourself. I certainly do not control his social calendar."
"I think for the opportunity to dine with you, Elizabeth, the Colonel would clear a meeting with Lincoln himself."
Elizabeth just smiled. "I will see you at dinner, then. Please suggest to Charlie that he invite Richard, if you want." I will work with Duncan and his lads to start getting this in order."
"Thank you. We will be home in a few hours. If you need anything at all just let Beulah or Reg know and they will fix you up."
"Thank you, dear Rebecca. Enjoy your visit with the biddies."
--*--
Charlie helped Rebecca into the little carriage. Shannon stood like a proper lady waiting patiently for the ride to begin. Charlie carefully tucked a blanket round Rebecca’s legs then climbed in next to her. She was quick to move the blanket so it was settled over both their legs. "Shall we, Colonel? Let us see if we can get a few more tongues wagging."
He snapped the reins, before glancing at Rebecca. "I do believe, my dear, you enjoy taunting the biddies."
"Colonel, would I do something like that?" She asked with the most sincere voice she could manage under the circumstances.