Army Nurse

My daughter Amirah just wrote her first real story. She’s twelve, so it is what it is, but I did ask her if I could share it on the blog. Very proud of her!

Army Nurse

By: Amirah Sheehan-Miles !! (:

         It was a nice, breezy morning one summer, 7-13-1932, to be exact, when I heard someone calling my name. “ Ms. Samantha! Ms. Samantha!” yelled Ronnie, the little girl who delivers mail every Saturday. “ Good morning Ronnie” I reply with a warm, cozy smile, “why are you shouting so loud, is everything alright?” Ronnie was panting for air from her sprinting, before she could answer me. “ I`m sorry, Ms. Samantha. Have you heard the news?”. For a moment there, I was wondering what she was talking about. “No, not at all. Here, why don’t you come in so you can tell me?” I ask. “Sure!” Says Ronnie, very excitedly.

I poured her a cup of milk as she told me. “Their finding good nurses that can help in the war.” She explains. “Who?” I ask. “ I don’t know. Theytold me to tell all the nurses I know. Its volunteer work, but they still look at your records.” She replies, chugging down her milk. “Should I volunteer?” I ask “ am I that good?” “Why do you think I came to you”, she says. “ May I have more milk, please?”, I get the milk carton and pour her some more milk. “Okay then. I will volunteer. As soon as you are done with your milk, find them and tell them that I will volunteer.” She drinks her milk back, once again, and runs out the door

As soon as Ronnie left, I ran to my room, and, like a child, I started  I jumped up and down screaming “YAYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!,”over and over again. 5 minutes later I decided to go out and eat. I went to my favorite restaurant called the American Diner. I ordered the Poached eggs with rice and cheese. It was the meal I order all the time. A sudden flow of curiosity went straight through me. “ They cant turn me down, can they?” I ask myself. “its volunteer work. Right”. I finished eating and walked home, still thinking.

When I got to my porch, I found a piece of paper that said :

                  Samantha Right,

You have been selected to play part as a nurse during war. Your record was one of the best. Congratulations.

WE LEAVE TOMORROW AFTERNOON AT 13:00 SHARP ! BE AT THE TOWN SQUARE IN TIME OR WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO LEAVE.!

From,

      General K.

 

I cant believe this! I got accepted? I scurried to my room and started packing.

The next morning, I forgot about the trip until I saw my bags. I looked at my old, wooden clock, and saw the time. It was 11 o’clock already! I hurried to get ready. I got out of my sleep wear and put it in my bags. I put on a nice, long summer dress that my Ma made me 2 years ago. I braded my long, thick, black hair and pinned it into a braid. I put on some cherry red lipstick, and I was done. I kept on adoring myself in the mirror, until I noticed what time it was. 13:45 already! I put on my shoes grabbed my bags, and rushed out the door. I ran past the crowds of people, ran past homeless people and gave them change, and finally got to the Town Square. I saw a man in a  brown suit with a group of woman next to him handing him pieces of paper. “I guess that’s my stop” I think to myself, and head towards them.

By the time I get to him, the crowd of ladies is gone. They are all standing in a line, waiting for the boat to come. “Hello sir, do you need my letter?” I ask politely. “ If I didn’t, how would I know you are a nurse?” his deep, scary voice replied. The sound of his tone made me shudder. “Y-Yes s-sir”, I hand him the letter, shuddering, and ran to the back of the line.

We have been on the boat for hours. I feel sea-sick. If I  take a long nap, will I be there already? I try it. I start dreaming about the war. I dream about us losing, and getting taken over by the other countries. Being a prisoner for just helping soldiers. I suddenly wake up at the part of me getting the first hanging.

We just got off the boat. I feel so much better. The General took us to our “secret” tent, where no one except for the soldiers, the General, and us know of. Four miles later we got to the White tent. The head Doctor introduced himself, but I was too busy, thinking in my head. “Samantha,”. I hear my name and look around. The other nurses are giggling. “Over here!” the doctor tells me. “Huh?” I feel so confused. “I said you are the head nurse, to help me with the major things.” He says back, looking as if he regrets his decision. “Oh. Thank you, sir” I say, feeling humiliated. “Well, that’s all for today, I expect to see you when you hear the guns fireing.” The doctor orders. At that point, I got up and left.

“I guess this is our que,” a nurse says, and finally I hear the guns fireing, feeling bad about the soldiers that had already lost their lives. “Unless that’s your job to tell us” she looks at me with fierceness in her eyes. “Its not my fault that I’m good at what I do, unlike others” I say, looking up and down at her with a mean smile, and walk away at that. I hear the other nurses whispering as I walked by. And not In a good way.

Being a nurse is a hard job, and I knew that I was up for a challenge, but this is not what I expected. Blood. Everything had to do with; blood. “I can’t take it anymore!” I yell. Did I really say that out loud? Even the soldiers crying of their throbbing pain stopped and stared at me.  My mood was too depressed, so it took me out of the tent and sat me on a log. “You really weren’t that bad you know.” A young lady, about my age, says. She has neck length black hair, gorgeous, brown skin the color of creamy expensive milk chocolate. “do I know you” I ask, not quite as nice as I imagined it. “ My name is Sophia.” She replies, smiling, “ just wanted you to know that we couldn’t do this with out the Head nurse, the one who saved most of the injured men,” and walks back into the tent.

I pulled myself together, and walked back in there. Some were clapping, others were working, not seeming to care. I stood next to the doctor, and he whispered, “ thank you, for coming back. We couldn’t do this without you.”

That was 4 years ago, still fresh in my memory. It was also the day that I learned no matter what bumpy roads there is, stay on track no matter how hard it is. Now I am sitting at home, on my porch, feeling like the best nurse in town.