Page 47 of All We Thought We Knew

I stiffened. “Mark’s room?”

Mama called from upstairs just then, and Dad hurried away, leaving Nash and me alone. I stalked to the sink and took a pot from the drying rack, banged it loudly, and slammed the cabinet door as I put it away. I repeated the process until the rack was empty, then wiped the already-clean counters with vicious swipes, all while Nash stood and watched.

“You have a problem with me staying in Mark’s room?”

My jaw clenched, and I met his gaze. “I didn’t say a word.”

He scoffed. “You didn’t have to. I can see it in your face.”

I hurled the washrag into the sink and folded my arms. “All right. I do have a problem with you staying there. It’sMark’sroom. Dad had no right to... to... give it away.”

“He didn’t give it away, Mattie. He offered to let me sleep thererather than being out in the cold. Would you prefer I stayed in the cabin without heat?”

I scowled. “Of course not. But you can sleep on the couch in the den until the furnace is fixed.”

He took a step toward me and leveled a hard look into my eyes. “Mark doesn’t need his room anymore, Mattie. He’s dead.”

Before I knew what was happening, my palm connected with his cheek with a loudthwack.

Shock filled his eyes, and Jake let out a fierce growl.

I stared at Nash in horror, and then, much to my humiliation, burst into uncontrollable sobs.

I expected Nash to walk away or haul me over the coals for such outrageous behavior, but he didn’t. I felt his arm go around me, and he tugged me into his chest.

I clung to him and bawled like a newborn baby.

FOURTEEN:AVA

TULLAHOMA, TENNESSEE

FEBRUARY 1942

The hospital staff continued to buzz about Gunther Schneider’s heroic actions.

Although I hadn’t seen him since the day he walked out of the mess hall under guard, I heard nurses, orderlies, and even a handful of doctors discussing the case.How did he know what to do?was the common question. I didn’t have answers for them, being that the personal information Gunther shared with me about attending medical school in New York was private. In all honesty, I was as amazed as everyone else that he’d saved a life right before my very eyes. Just yesterday the soldier who’d collapsed was released from the hospital. I never heard what caused him to stop breathing, but I hoped he counted himself lucky that Gunther Schneider was nearby when he did.

Colonel Foster approached my desk when he returned to theoffice later that afternoon, a serious look on his face. “I need to have a word with you, Mrs. Delaney.”

I hurried to follow him into his office, where he closed the door. Nervous butterflies whirled in my stomach. Had I done something wrong? I was still learning about supply lists, medical terms, and the like, and it was easy to make a mistake.

He motioned for me to take a seat, then settled in his own chair. “I had a lunch meeting with some of our doctors today.” He tented his fingers while his elbows rested on his desk. “It seems you were involved in an incident last week, along with one of the German detainees. Is this true?”

I swallowed. “Yes, sir.”

“Would you care to explain why you were in the company of this man?”

I blinked. “You gave me his file to update, sir.”

The colonel frowned. “I gave you his file?”

I nodded.

After a long moment, the scowl on his face eased. “I apologize, Mrs. Delaney. That was an error on my part. You should not have been put in the position of interacting with one of the internees.”

My tense shoulders relaxed. “He was very polite.”

Colonel Foster leaned back in his chair. “I understand he saved a man’s life.”