CH 58

The field hospital in the rear was much cleaner and better than the one on the frontline.

In the first place, it was difficult to expect proper facilities because frontline field hospitals routinely broke down and had to be repaired repeatedly.

Arriving late at night, Annette was assigned quarters and immediately put into the field the next morning. She spent a few days getting to know the facility and its geography before getting to work.

The wounded soldiers here were not in as serious condition as before. However, many soldiers were already incapacitated from combat. When their condition worsened beyond help, they were moved to the morgue.

Annette passed from one bed to the next with a basket of bandages and antiseptic under her arm.

Glances came from everywhere, and low whispering noises could be heard. She paid no attention, but walked on, looking only ahead. 

From the first day of Annette’s arrival, rumors had spread that the only daughter of the late Marquis Dietrich and the former wife of the Commander-in-Chief was here.

The atmosphere was such that everyone, including the nursing officers, was uncomfortable with her. 

“Do you know how to do airtight dressing on that patient?”

“…… Yes, I know.”

“I asked for confirmation, so please don’t be offended. Just to be sure.”

They treated Annette as if she were a picky and difficult girl to handle, not a military nurse.

In fact, it was what she had expected. This place was not like the frontline.

On the frontline, no one had time to pay attention to rumors because it was an exhibition of minutes and seconds. And after the battle was over, they were already adapted to each other’s presence.

Even if the troops were replaced, they naturally formed the leading atmosphere, since the remaining existing personnel had increased considerably.

For this reason, those who were surprised to see Annette for the first time soon did so. Here, however, she was forced to make a completely new adaptation.

Annette went to the bed of one of the wounded soldiers assigned to her. He was a soldier with a gaping wound in his leg. He was lying on his back, staring into the air with his eyes bizarrely open. Annette said, putting down the basket.

“Let me change your bandage.”

“…I don’t need it.”

“It’s soiled and needs to be replaced.”

“I don’t need it.”

“If you don’t change it, it will get worse.”

“I said……”

The soldier, who had turned his head in frustration, stopped when he saw Annette’s face. He watched her for a moment with narrowed brows, then opened his mouth bluntly.

“I have seen you in the newspapers.”

“I’m going to change your covers.”

“You are the wife of the Commander-in-Chief, aren’t you? He sent you to anesthetize me, didn’t he? He thinks I’m going to fold easily if they send a woman like you?!”

“I have to disinfect you, so stay still………..”

“Don’t anesthetize me and cut off my leg! My leg will never be cut off! If you cut it off, I’ll kill myself! I’ll die!”

Suddenly the soldier began to have seizures with open eyes. He jumped up and reached out as if trying to grab Annette.

Panicked, Annette stepped back. The soldier did not get out of bed, fortunately with a minimal awareness that he had injured his leg.

He just flailed his arms around as if to keep anyone from getting too close. Hearing the commotion, several soldiers and nurses rushed to the scene. They grabbed the man’s arms and held him down. He screamed and went berserk.

“I knew this was going to happen! I knew this would happen! Don’t anesthetize me! I’ll kill you! You bastards!”

All kinds of vulgar abuse overflowed. Even Annette, who had been trained in a certain degree of harsh language, was bewildered by the offensive and naked swearing.

The soldiers who had subdued him yelled at him excessively.

“Hey! Calm down!”

“We are not going to cut your legs off! It’s not going to happen! Can’t you hear me, you crazy bastard?”

Annette opened the lid of the disinfectant and ordered the soldiers.

“Hold him still for a moment. Over there, can you hold his leg?”

The soldier cried out. His pupils were dilated to the point of terrifying. Annette applied antiseptic to the wound and calmed him while she waited for it to dry.

“Calm down, sir, we won’t anesthetize you.”

“I’m going to stab you to death ……! F*k! And I’m going to kill myself too!”

“Your injuries aren’t bad enough to amputate! I’m only going to bandage it!”

“Don’t bullsh*t me! How can you trust the words of aristocrats!”

“Look! Look at me! I don’t have any anesthetics! I’m just disinfecting the wound!”

Finally, after a few more shouts, the soldier stopped talking, only sighing. But his aggressive momentum remained the same.

Annette placed some antiseptic gauze on the wound for a few moments, then wrapped it with a clean bandage. When she finished the procedure, sweat was beading on her forehead.

Annette looked up, stared at the soldier, and murmured,

“Look. I only changed the bandage.”

“…”

The soldier silently dropped his gaze on his leg, which had a white bandage wrapped around it. His shoulder was still shaking like a seizure.

When he seemed calmer, the soldiers let him go. In the quiet of the hospital room, everyone’s eyes were on this place.

“Your face…”

One of the soldiers said, pointing to Annette’s cheek. Annette unconsciously touched her cheek.

She checked her fingertip and found a little blood on it. She felt a tingling pain afterwards. It seemed that she had been injured by the angry soldier’s swinging hand earlier.

“I’m fine.”

Annette answered calmly and collected her items. The glancing gazes felt like needles. She took a long breath, closed, and opened her eyes. 

I’m tired.

***

There was a commotion in the field hospital in the morning. There was news that the Commander-in-Chief was going to visit here to encourage the wounded soldiers and medical staff.

Rumor had it that the barracks of the Commander-in-Chief’s headquarters were close by.

Not only the officers but also the soldiers of lower ranks were nervous at the fact that the Commander-in-Chief of the Padania Army was coming.

The hospital staff swept the building early in the morning, not to mention checking for errors in the paperwork and organizing the supplies.

Even in the midst of this busy schedule, there was no shortage of behind-the-scenes conversations about Annette. It felt like everyone was watching her. Annette tried not to be conscious and carried out the tasks assigned to her. After a full day of physical activity, her thoughts seemed to disappear a bit.

Time flew by especially quickly. It was well past afternoon when the Commander-in-Chief visited the field hospital.

Annette, who had been staying in the inner ward the entire time, tending to the patients, came out late to the central ward. The Commander-in-Chief was already almost at the end of his visit.

She was about to enter the ward with a file when she stopped.

In the distance of her vision, she saw a group of gray military uniforms. The soldiers were lined up on both sides and behind a man in a black coat. At first glance, they were in unusual positions.

The man who stood in the middle of the crowd was completely different from ordinary people by the atmosphere he exuded. His rigid posture was like a sharply cut still life.

He was the commander-in-chief.

He was discussing something with his head slightly bowed, holding his officer’s cap in one hand, which he had taken off. Occasionally, he nodded his head and said something.

The huge man standing under the light of the dim, pale bulbs characteristic of field hospitals looked like a demon who had come to take the lives of wounded soldiers.

Annette’s fingers, gripping the file, tightened a little. Just as she was about to turn around, the Commander-in-Chief raised his head.

For a brief moment, his eyes seemed to grow dim. Almost at the same time, Annette turned and walked in the door.

Click. The door closed behind her back.

***

One of the officers stopped Annette as she was returning to her quarters late at night. The message was that someone wanted to see her for a moment.

Since she had never been called by anyone of higher rank, except for nursing officers, Annette had a hunch as soon as she saw the number of stars on the other officer’s uniform.

It was the Commander-in-Chief’s call.

“—— Where did he request to meet?”

“I will take you there.”

The officer’s manner was very polite and courteous, but on the other hand he seemed to have no respect for her wishes.

Annette pondered for a moment. Even if she refused the request and returned to her quarters, they wouldn’t drag her out. But, it was difficult to say for sure what would happen after that………..

She couldn’t even fathom what Heiner was trying to say. It was a relationship that had already ended. Needless to say, it was a relationship with nothing to add or subtract from.

It was right that they should continue to live on parallel lines.

The officer waited for her response with a polite smile. Annette, troubled, opened her mouth cautiously.

“Lead the way….”