"Oh...... I'm much better...... Excuse me, why am I here? Makarov, realizing that she was talking to herself, immediately came to his senses and replied calmly under the envious eyes of the wounded around him.

The girl did not answer, but went up with a female nurse, unbandaged Makarov's left arm, looked at it, applied another layer of ointment to him, and then carefully bandaged the wound again.

"Your injuries are not serious, they didn't hurt the bones, and they will be fine after a while, but they will definitely leave scars." The girl whispered.

"That's okay, as long as you can get back on the battleship." Makarov said happily.

The girl nodded and turned to leave, but Makarov stopped her.

"You saved me, didn't you?" Makarov asked.

The girl stopped, turned around, and bowed her head.

"You don't need to thank me, it's what I'm supposed to do." She whispered, as if to avoid Makarov's gaze, and Makarov felt strange that she didn't seem to like herself, but feared something.

"Who am I talking to, please?" Makarov knew that his escape must have something to do with her, so he asked her name.

"Natalia? Trubetskaya. The girl hesitated, but said her name.

Hearing her say her last name, Makarov immediately understood why she was reluctant to say her name.

"But I still want to thank you, Miss Natalia." Makarov said sincerely. He knew from her name that she was not married, because he did not call her Mrs. (Russian married women need to add their husband's surname to the middle of their name). Although now she. In fact, he has reached the age of marriage.

Natalia just bowed silently. Didn't speak.

Of course, she couldn't tell him that he had been inadvertently saved by a female ninja of the Satsuma Army, and that those who knocked him unconscious and tried to harm him had already been killed by the female ninja.

At that time, when she was passing through the battlefield, she mentioned the name of the Qianguo man named Lin Yiqing, which made the female ninja give up killing him who was injured by the bomb.

The truth of the matter, she couldn't tell it in front of him.

“…… People just like you. And a lot of them came to Japan, right? Makarov couldn't help but ask again.

"That's right." Natalia looked up, and a look of determination flashed in her eyes, which made Makarov's heart tremble.

"If you need me to help you, just ask, and I'll do my best to help you!" Makarov looked at the girl, who was as beautiful as a rose blooming in the wilderness, and said in the most sincere voice.

"Thank you for your kindness." Natalia said lightly, "Please have a good rest!" Think more about your situation, because I think you're in trouble. Probably no smaller than me. ”

Listening to her answer, Makarov couldn't help but be stunned. Before he could ask again, Natalia had already turned away.

Natalia went to another barracks that was used as a dispensing room, and the pharmacist in the dispensing room grunted and grumbled as he opened the medicine box to fill the medicine, and when he saw Natalia come in, he retracted the dirty words in the back.

"You've got so much blood on your hands that you need to wash it." He suggested.

Natalia nodded, she washed her hands and face, changed into a clean blouse, walked out of the dispensing room, and got back to work.

There were many wounded who needed to be treated for wounds, and they were all in a bad mood, so in order not to interfere with her work, she had to comfort them, who had always been silent.

Sometimes, she would say, "Well done! This is an Imperial soldier! You're so young, but you're so remarkable! Or, "You're so old, but you're so remarkable!" ”

Sometimes she becomes talkative: often during the most difficult surgeries.

"How's it going, does it hurt? My dear? She tried to smile and comfort those who were in pain, "Don't look at your wounds, there's nothing to see there...... Do you know the damage? Some may seem big and scary, but they are actually insignificant. ”

The wounded kept coming. The bloody cotton ball made her eyes glaze. The cheerful female nurses who always love to talk and laugh are now busy around Natalia.

Natalia thought that she had just seen the face of a wounded man, as if she had seen it. When she returned to the operating table, she tried to think for a while about where she had seen this face, but she couldn't remember anything.

A man wounded in the abdomen was brought in, followed by a soldier whose face was burned by fire. A pair of large gray eyes, exposed by a snow-white gauze mask, looked calmly and serenely at the bloody, moaning and wailing people, while a pair of slender and dexterous hands in rubber gloves kept moving.

From time to time, doctors and nurses came up to her to ask questions, ask for advice, and ask for help. She walked slowly to the adjacent operating table, or just slightly stretched her neck from a distance, carefully examined the wound, and then nodded, or, on the contrary, shook her head negatively, whispering something as she continued her work.

From time to time, Maria came to the operating room, looked at Natalia with concern for a moment, and then returned to her place, where she said, "She is a good doctor, a very kind person, I don't understand why she never knows how to rest!" ……”

She found the director of the Russian military medical battalion and whispered to him: "You tell her to eat something!" She has stood since the morning until now! Even if you drink some tea! You're going to torture her to death! ”

For the first time, Makarov saw Natalia at work. At first, he only noticed that she looked slim in her white blouse with a corset. But when he saw her precise and confident movements, and heard her calm voice, he was filled with deep respect for her, strange, and at the same time full of infinite respect for himself. He thought excitedly, "I read that right...... She's a fine woman......" He looked at her back for a long time, unable to take his eyes off it.

It didn't take long for Natalia to finally spot the soldier she thought she was familiar with. He's on her operating table now. Natalia removed the bandage from his right hand with a clip. It was found that the hand joint had to be amputated. It's broken.

"What did you do about it?" She asked with a frown.

"Oh...... That's right, the damned Satsuma threw a bomb, I caught it and tried to throw it back, but as soon as I got out of my hand, it exploded......" The wounded man gestured to her with some annoyance, "You know. This bomb is very nasty, and we don't have such a weapon......"

Hearing his words, the wounded around him also scolded the Satsuma people for throwing bombs.

"Doctor, how are my injuries? Is it life-threatening? I feel a lot of pain and my head is dizzy......" said the wounded man uneasy.

"It doesn't matter," said Natalia, "bear with me, you're going to feel a little pain now, I'll wash your wounds, bear with me." All right? ”

"Alright! I listen to you, doctor......" said the wounded man with a nod.

Now she recognized him. He was the one he had when he first came to Japan. The coachman of a carriage, she remembered the appearance of the chauffeur who was sitting in the coachman's seat, but now that he had become like this, her heart could not help but feel sad.

At that time, he was also in that carriage, but now he ...... Where did he go?

The nurse saw that her face suddenly turned pale, so she said, "Natalia? Trubetskaya, it's time for you to rest. ”

"Yes, maybe." Natalia agreed, missing him. "I wish he ...... There were no surprises...... That's it! She thought.

She restrained this momentary weakness and began to operate again. The "coachman" counted in a staccato voice: "Thirty-one...... Thirty-two...... Thirty-three...... "I fell asleep in pain because I was anesthetized with ether."

After the operation, Maria gently walked into the tent. She made an angry look to hide her joy and sympathy, and said, "Please go to sleep at once." There are not many wounded. We can handle it without you. ”

Natalia obediently washed her hands, took off her bloodstained blouse, put on her military coat, and went out of the barracks. It's already dark. A bitter cold wind howls among the swarthy houses. She was walking down the street, thinking about nothing, and when she reached the edge of the village, she came to her senses and heard the voice of a female nurse from behind: "Natalia? Trubetskaya, you have to go to sleep. ”

She turned around and said in a pleading tone, "I'll go back at once, let me breathe a little bit." ”

She walked to the room where the medical camp was stationed, where the sound of groans and soft voices could be heard in the front room, and the female paramedics on duty stood up and reported to Natalia the condition of the wounded and that someone's condition had deteriorated.

Natalia walked slowly along the bed, listening to the wounded's conversation.

"The Satsuma people are still resisting," said one of the wounded, rubbing a cigarette roll with his left hand. The injured right hand was bandaged. The soldier sat on the bed, his face serene, and his words quiet: "What can stop us now?" Now no one can resist us. ”

"They're still running away on their own land." Another wounded man said, "Where are they going to flee?" Flee to the sea? ”

"Ouch!" The third wounded man groaned. The man was lying down, and even so, he wanted to express his opinion, and as he gasped, he stretched out and said, "If you think about it, you will know that the hateful Englishmen and Qianguo must have gotten along well with them...... They're a raccoon dog! ”

The "coachman" lay on one of the beds. His face was pale. His name is Yegolviny? Virgil Lanayev, who told Natalia by this name; The imposing long name was a little out of place with his youthful face.

"Don't you know me?" Natalia asked.

It turned out that he had already recognized her in the morning. Apparently, however, he did not find it convenient to explain this to her.

"We didn't expect to meet like this at the time." He whispered, paused for a moment, and then asked softly, "What happened to my hand?" I was a soldier during the war, but I was a carpenter by profession, and I couldn't do it without hands......"

"You'll be fine." She avoided a positive answer.

Although the wounded were groaning as usual, Natalia detected a trait in them, almost all of them, something she had never seen before. They were not satisfied that they were lucky enough to be wounded because they were not killed. Now they are just distressed that they cannot continue to fight.

From afar came the rumbling sound of cannons. The wounded listened silently to the sound of the cannons. There is a sense of isolation, like an elderly person listening to stories about the golden age of youth.

As she walked back, she ran into Maria, the nurse, who told her that she had seen Muravyov.

Natalia's joy at learning that Michelsky had been to the medical camp was so palpable that even the nurse who had reported her news was a little embarrassed.

"Why are you so happy to hear from him?" Maria asked, puzzled.

"We met when we studied together at the Faculty of Medicine in Paris." Natalia happily explained, "We ran into one by chance a few days ago. ”

With these features: broad shoulders, blue eyes, and, as described by the nurseess, a lovely young scout ensign, it was not difficult for her to guess that this man was Mischelsky and nothing else.

But judging by the shrewd girl's uneasy countenance and the swift departure of Second Lieutenant Michelsky, Natalia knew that the conversation was not good. She glanced intently at the girl, and walked away with a heavy heart. As usual, in this case she began to comfort herself: it would be fine, if he believed some nonsense at once. Such people are not worthy of being friends anymore.

Natalia had always sensed that she was waiting for someone. Now she finally understands that she wants Michelsky to come back.

The next day. The fighting was still ongoing, the wounded were still coming, and the entire medical battalion was exhausted.

Still, in the gap between the two surgeries, while the female nurse was sterilizing the instruments, Natalia waited and somehow, even unexpectedly, asked her in a cold tone, "Why didn't the second lieutenant wait a while?" ”

Maria feigned innocence and replied, "I told him you were out...... He didn't say a word and left immediately......"

Natalia examined a vial of plasma for blood transfusion in bright light, and asked in a colder tone, "Doesn't he ask where I'm going?" ”

The caregiver understood that it was this that cared Natalia the most, and she wanted to answer vaguely: let this impatient guy be sad. But she suddenly took pity on her, and replied earnestly, "I didn't ask anything...... I didn't say anything to him, I assure you. ”

Several horse-drawn wagons drove into the village, which had come to transport the wounded. Natalia examines the seriously injured with Maria in order to determine if they are "transportable". She also went to Kaye Gorviny? Vigil Lanaev.

"You're going this time," she said.

After the wounded were examined, the medical soldiers carried them out one by one. Natalia returned to her room, took a bag of candy from one of her own rations, and stuffed it for the "coachman" to take on the road. He shyly declined, but later accepted it, saying, "Thank you, Natasha (another name for Natalia), I will never forget you." ”

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Natalia asked him, "Do you remember the second lieutenant who rode in the carriage with us?" He came to this medical camp yesterday......"

The "coachman" was triumphant, for a beautiful female doctor of aristocratic background sat beside him, and talked to him affectionately in the presence of the rest of the wounded.

"Oh, Second Lieutenant Michelsky. He's a nice guy and he's honest. And he understands a lot. He can learn the words of the Satsuma people very well, and speak them very well, have you ever met him? Is he okay? ”

"Good." Natalia said she also spoke excitedly about Michelsky's arrival, as if she had met him and talked for a long time.

"If he comes back, I'll tell him you've stayed here......"

"Will he come?" The "coachman" asked, and then replied himself, "Of course it will come...... Or go up to him...... It's going to be a delight......"

Natalia blushes and asks the "coachman" what else he needs. He asked for a pencil and wanted to "practice writing with his left hand on the road," so she gave him a pencil.

He was supported by a soldier and walked towards a carriage. After a while, the carriage was gone, but Natalia was still standing. She was saddened and thought that Michelsky would not come again. Now that the "coachman" was gone again, she felt as if her last contact with Michelsky had been severed.

After the wounded were taken away, Maria went to the medical battalion supervisor again, and she angrily said to him: "Did you see Natalia? Her face was so ugly that she couldn't stand steadily! It makes no sense for you to let her rest for a few hours! ”

She knew that Natalia was a descendant of the "Decembrists", but this did not prevent her from liking Natalia at all. The Director then told Natalia to rest. She was indeed tired, everyone could see that.

Because she was "idle", Natalia spent the morning wandering around the nearby village, not knowing what to do. Later she remembered the advice of the "coachman".

"Really, why don't you go to Mischelsky's?" She thought to herself. No, she wouldn't plead in front of him, she didn't say a word about his suspicions. Where and who she meets, after all, is her own business. She only knew that he had been to the medical camp, but she had not seen her, so she decided to pay a return visit. (To be continued......)

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