A VOYAGE TO REMEMBER
Chapter Twenty-One
Harold stared at Isolde in
disbelief. How could he not have known it was her? He pushed the thought aside
and lifted her into his arms. The ship’s hospital was thankfully on the same
deck. Harold pushed through people as they dispersed from brunch.
He finally made it into the room,
a nearly empty one. A seasick woman lay on a cot with a cool cloth over her
eyes. An old man sat in a chair, a nurse wrapping a cut hand. Without noticing,
Harold was pushed to an empty cot by a nurse as he was instructed to set her
down. He did so very reluctantly, still holding her hand after laying her
across the white fabric.
The doctor rushed over for the
emergency, Harold being pulled away by two nurses. A privacy screen was pulled
around the bed in a flash, separating the officer from his love. A nurse forced
him into a chair. Two others whispered to each other while looking at him.
"I have to be with
her!" Harold said frantically while trying to stand up again, the nurse
pushing him back down.
"It’ll be all right, Officer,"
the nurse began soothingly. "You can go back now. You’ve done your
part."
"My part?" he repeated
incredulously. "Listen here! Is it not right for someone to wait to see if
the person they helped will be well? What right do you have to send me off without
that knowledge?"
"Sir--" she began
nervously, her eyes shifting away for help.
"Don’t sir me!" Harold
began again, but was cut off by the doctor.
"Officer!" the doctor
said sharply. "Please come here."
Harold shut his mouth quickly and
clenched his jaw. He missed the other two nurses giggling to each other in
whispers about his speech; he was obviously in love with the woman he had
brought.
Harold approached the screen,
which was still surrounding the cot. He pulled it back and stepped through.
Isolde lay on the cot, awake but dazed, a cold cloth against her eyes. Her
dress was unbuttoned and the corset unstrung. The doctor doesn’t have the
decency to cover her, Harold thought angrily as he covered her with the
blanket that was lying at her feet.
"I’ll leave you two
alone," the doctor said quickly, ducking out of the screen’s privacy.
"Isolde," Harold began
quietly, afraid he would disturb her.
"I’m sorry," she
whispered, pushing the cloth onto her forehead so she could look at him openly
finally.
"Don’t be sorry," he
began while sitting next to her. He reached for her hand.
"Oh, Harold," Isolde
started in a rush. "I was invited this morning by a wonderful first class
lady. I happened to have met her in the washroom in steerage. It was only going
to be for brunch, only once. I didn’t even want to at first, but she promised
that no one would notice me."
Harold simply smiled. He saw the
water of the cool cloth drip down her face. Harold reached forward to wipe it
away. Isolde hissed and flinched. Harold eyes widened in shock. He pulled his
hand away and saw the smudged makeup partially reveal heavy bruising. He was
not shocked now, but furious.
"Who did this?" he
asked in a deadly calm voice, his anger still evident.
"It’s nothing--" Isolde
began softly.
"Nothing?" Harold
repeated incredulously. "Someone has obviously harmed you. I want to know
who."
"Harold, you don’t need to
worry. A couple of friends in third class have taken care of it," Isolde
told him soothingly.
"Has he been arrested?"
he asked bluntly, standing up.
"No…" Isolde said
slowly.
"Then the situation
obviously hasn’t been taken care of," Harold told her forcefully.
"It’s fine, Harold,"
she told him in exasperation. "You don’t have to fret over it!"
"Who is he?" he asked
again, not believing it was fine.
Isolde simply kept her mouth
shut. She could be stubborn when she wanted to be. Harold ran his hand through
his hair in frustration.
"Who?" he repeated.
"Just leave it be!"
Isolde said, sitting up.
"I can’t," Harold
informed her, taking her hand. "I never want to see you hurt. He can’t get
away with this."
Harold was going to say more, but
the doctor’s voice cut through the screen that provided privacy.
"Officer, there’s a
messenger saying they need you on duty," the doctor informed him.
Harold sighed. He placed a quick
kiss on Isolde’s forehead. She watched him straighten and put his hat on as he
pushed away the screen and walked off. She knew he would not leave the
situation alone. This was bound to be spoken of when they met tonight.