FicWad

July tenth is the birthday shared by Captain Fitzmaurice, Doctor Sparrow, and the Senate. Though Nancy’s father believed their story with no questions, Captain Fitzmaurice and Doctor Sparrow are not their normal, jovial selves. The doctor began drinking heavily after his botched surgery and refuses to see Captain Fitzmaurice, who is still in shock and far quieter than normal, never joking and burying himself in work. He spends every night drinking and disassembling, cleaning, repairing, reassembling, loading, firing, disassembling, cleaning, reassembling, and reloading his rifle and two new pistols. He lost six pistols when he was tortured, and he has only able to replace two so far due to the fact that the gunsmith in Bridgeton, from whom he ordered them, is a busy man. Although there are a few factories scattered through the Vampire District that manufacture guns, Captain Fitzmaurice wants the guns he had before his ordeal, and they were custom-made for him in Bridgeton by a particular gunsmith. Heavily customized guns must be made one at a time by a gunsmith, and the gunsmith receives a large amount of orders. Captain Fitzmaurice paid him for six pistols, and he is trying to keep up with demand, shipping them to Crosspoint as he finishes them. The Captain knows that he will have all of his guns by the end of July. The effect of the Captain’s new, quiet obsession with his guns and the doctor’s sudden heavy drinking is far more detrimental to the Thirteenth Bridgeton Light Infantry than anyone guessed it would be.

Private Conan Callahan feels lost and alone. He has three older brothers nearby, but they never have time for him, and they expect him to uphold the family honor and tradition with no regard for his own thoughts on the matter or his personal safety. He has every intention of returning to Bridgeton alive at the end of the war, and his brothers seem to desire a different fate for him. Upholding the family honor and tradition usually involves one of his brothers, most often the third-eldest brother, Lieutenant Kian Callahan, volunteering Conan for extremely dangerous missions that keep him so frightened that he cannot sleep at night unless he drinks himself into oblivion, which leads to him being hung over the next morning, which leads to his eldest brother, Colonel Owen Callahan, punishing him, usually by flogging. He is lost, alone, hurt, and afraid. He no longer has Captain Fitzmaurice to hold in high esteem. When Captain Fitzmaurice died, Conan was lost, though Liam helped him through it. Conan considers Captain Fitzmaurice, Doctor Sparrow, and Liam to be his personal heroes, along with his father and brothers, whom he has known his whole life. Captain Fitzmaurice’s return meant a certain amount of hope and security as well as a competent leader who knows how and when to joke, how to fix every problem, and when someone needs help. To see Captain Fitzmaurice in a state of shock and distress worries Conan terribly because Captains Liam and Fitzmaurice were the only members of the unit to see him as an individual person rather than just as another one of the Callahan boys, and he badly needs that viewpoint.

Doctor Sparrow cannot perform surgery if he is intoxicated, which he continually is. In a very short time, the amount of casualties has increased exponentially due to a lack of access to medical care due to his being unable to operate. The unit has returned to exactly how it was before they had a doctor. Somehow the truth about his operating under the influence found its way to the Bridgeton Board of Health, Registry of Physicians. He must appear before a panel and explain his actions. He needs a lawyer, specifically a barrister, and he knows of none. Luckily, the truth of the circumstances never slipped, so he just needs a good lie and a lawyer. Unfortunately, since his practice is based in Bridgeton, he must stand trial there, leaving the unit with no doctor in his absence. If he loses his case, he will lose his license to practice medicine for a specified period of time that can vary from one month to a permanent ban from practicing any type of medicine. He will be judged in each District that Bridgeton spans, and if he loses his license in District Thirteen, he cannot practice medicine for the unit, since they are based in District Thirteen. Anywhere a unit travels, their camp is legally considered part of their home district. This bad news leads him to drink even more, feeding his cycle of desperation and drunkenness.

Colonel Callahan sees a rift among his men. Those who like Captain Fitzmaurice are becoming concerned, making them careless, and those who do not like him or could care less about him are ignoring the situation. Those subordinate to him are trying to stay alive while obeying contradictory, incomplete, and confusing orders. The Colonel would describe his unit as barely-controlled chaos on a good day. He now describes it as a complete catastrophe. The men of Bridgeton are notoriously proud and headstrong, however stalwart and reliable they may be in battle. Most colonels would rather command a unit full of cowards and train them into bravery than try to get a unit of men from Bridgeton to do the same thing at the same time. There is no medical care, half of the unit’s officers are either new, wounded, newly returned from recovery, ill, or so concerned about Billy and Brendan that they are making serious blunders. The orders are confused, and the enlisted men do not know whom they should believe. The unit has grown weak since its founding, and he does not want to be the Colonel who lets it fall apart. He can do nothing about Doctor Sparrow’s behavior, but he tried flogging Captain Fitzmaurice for his conduct, though he never raised charges against him. This was a failed attempt made in desperation to shock Captain Fitzmaurice into being his usual defiant, spirited self. The Colonel is a man of action, and he has trouble being a father tow his own son. He is a forceful leader, and he does not know how to fix things for his men except by punishment.

Liam is not a natural leader, nor is he a natural follower. He is most comfortable charting his own course. He does not know how to save anyone. His father is not the steady leader everyone believes him to be. Liam knows that Jack, though he was once a brilliant commander, is not well-suited to leading a defensive war. Jack’s desire to push forward so hard that the enemy surrenders is at odds with both the Senate’s ruling on the war what public opinion will bear, and his image as a brilliant political leader is a fallacy. Kerrigan fabricated Jack’s image and taught him how to uphold it, but, in reality, despite his gift for rhetoric, Jack has a hard time compromising with anyone, regardless of how insignificant the issue over which they are arguing may be. Kerrigan is not someone behind whom the masses would rally, though she is the one in control. She is part-Demon and part-Banshee, so she is often seen as having other motives. She is also very petite, excessively formal; extremely old-fashioned in her manners, speech, and ideas; and a woman. Jack is far too brutish to manage the finer aspects of his diplomatic position, though he is seen by many as a war hero. Liam cannot save his father, nor can he save Captain Fitzmaurice, whom he considers to be a personal friend and comrade, despite the fact that he knows very little about Captain Fitzmaurice’s past. Liam is between two brilliant military men who are destroying themselves, and he feels that he must save both of them, though he does not know how to save either one. The dilemma, coupled with trying to prevent casualties by correcting erroneous and unclear orders given by Captain Fitzmaurice in his ghostlike stupor, is starting to wear down on Liam so much that he is drinking heavily in his spare time as well in order to escape the situation.

Captain Boland is Liam’s continual companion. He, too, is terribly worried. He knows that Liam is worried about Jack, though he does not know why. Captain Boland has known Captain Fitzmaurice for many years, and he has never known him to despair like this. Captains Boland and Liam are often seen drinking poitín by the stream at the edge of camp. Liam, who has been homeless in the past, sometimes does not return to his bunk at night, drinking himself to sleep lying amongst the leaves by the bank of the stream and staring at the stars. Captain Boland finds this, as well as Liam’s habits of eating as much as possible as quickly as possible, usually with his hands, and belching loudly in satisfaction after dinner, extremely barbaric. Captain Boland is no gentleman, but he desperately wishes there were some way to tame Liam, though Liam’s dining habits are the least of his problems. Liam is already well-known for being the unit’s resident drunk, a title that he may or may not deserve. He drinks more than most, but he never shows up drunk in battle, unlike many. He drinks less than others think, preferring to pace himself rather than drink everything at once. He also inherited Jack’s reputation as a drunkard, to some extent, and he lives in Jack’s shadow.

Captain Boland did not initially notice the change in Captain Fitzmaurice, as he has not been a Captain for long and did not spend much time with Captain Fitzmaurice before he himself became a captain, though he joined the unit at the same time that Captain Fitzmaurice did. He joined as a Private, while Fitzmaurice joined as a Lieutenant, due to his training, so, while Captain Boland knew his habits well, he only recently began to know him personally. He knew that it was unusual for Captain Fitzmaurice to despair deeply over anything, particularly a dead woman, but he did not understand the gravity of the situation until Captain Liam told him about how Nancy met her fate. Captain Boland did not initially know that Captain Fitzmaurice’s preoccupation with his guns is not an odd habit or a result of trying to become accustomed to new pistols but a nervous reaction to Nancy’s death. Captain Boland is not an observant man by nature, but he is a caring man. Once Liam explained Billy’s situation fully, Captain Boland became more worried than any other man. He, unlike most, is not afraid of Captain Fitzmaurice’s famous temper, so he is continually approaching him with offers of help. Unfortunately, he has done no good.

Kerrigan knows that something is wrong at the Thirteenth Bridgeton Light Infantry. Liam visits her and Jack on Monday and Thursday for his lessons and for dinner. Colonel Callahan and Major Moynihan know this and send word if, for any reason, Liam will be unable to visit. Kerrigan has received no notice from them, but Liam has missed both lessons this week, and she wants to know why. It is Friday, July tenth, and Kerrigan Sheehan is on a mission. Though they are not related, she thinks of Liam like a son. Jack, his actual father, figures that he is probably fine, perhaps a little busy, perhaps seeing a girl, perhaps having sustained minor injuries that the Major and the Colonel do not feel are worth mentioning, perhaps just dealing with a minor issue or day-to-day business. Kerrigan insists that Jack come along in full uniform to review his troops immediately after the day’s battle. Jack sees exhausted men, worn weary from a long, hard day of fighting. He sees valor, honor, integrity, pride, and strength. Kerrigan sees the men not as parts of a well-oiled machine as some do, but as individual men. She sees their fears, their wives and children, their weariness, and their friendships. She sees their disputes and their frustrations. She insists upon reviewing the officers a second time after the enlisted men are dismissed. Fifty lieutenants, twenty-five captains, five majors, and Colonel Callahan stand before her. She dismisses the lieutenants and majors and asks the Colonel to review the captains with her. She dismisses all but five captains. She sees the missing buttons on their jackets. She sees the buckle facing the wrong direction on Captain O’Dowd’s belt and the lack of polish on Captain Liam’s new boots. She sees the unkempt mess of their hair, full of sticks and leaves. She expects to see sweat and blood, since it is a hot July day, and they have just returned from battle. She expects unkempt hair and somewhat messy clothing, but she does not expect mud, dirt, leaves, or sticks, since the weather has been hot and dry and they were fighting on an open field earlier in the day, not in the woods. None of the enlisted men or other officers are in such a state of disarray. She pulls the Colonel aside and asks if something is causing this. When she hears of the gravity of the situation, she asks for their files, and she asks to meet them and Doctor Sparrow in the storage tent at dinner, agreeing to bring them something special.

Normally a major or a colonel would handle such an issue, but Kerrigan offers to handle it personally, thinking that Colonel Callahan ought to have done something long before now. She returns to the cabin to prepare dinner and read their personnel files. She knows that the men of the Thirteenth Bridgeton Light Infantry are voracious eaters who have not had home-cooked food in months, with the exception of the few who hunt and cook for themselves and Liam who visits her regularly. She puts Jack to work stoking the fire and turning the spit roasting small chickens. She makes green beans and potato cakes. She is also baking cookies for dessert, which comes as a surprise to Jack, who has never seen her bake simple sugar cookies before. Kerrigan reads the files as she cooks. Jack packs the food in tins and puts them in Spectre’s saddlebags. Kerrigan insists that they stop in a liquor store on their way to camp. She buys wine that Jack insists the men will not drink. Jack buys whiskey for him and the Colonel. If he must stay with the man while Kerrigan conducts her business, he might as well enjoy the time spent with him.

Kerrigan is secretly nervous, though she seems entirely composed outwardly. She rarely deals with colonels and majors directly, let alone captains or lieutenants. She is generally mistrustful of others, though she never lets them know this, and she will not be on familiar territory at the camp of the Thirteenth Bridgeton Light Infantry, so she is uneasy about the meeting. These men are her inferiors by rank, but she cannot command them. They wear green uniforms, and hers is black. They are not under her command. Jack takes food for him and the colonel and goes to the colonel’s tent. Kerrigan only brought Jack because she cannot trust him to stay alone. She worries that he will go to an opium den where she will not be able to find him if he is left alone for any period of time. She asked Colonel Callahan to mind him for the evening and, should he run, to follow him and report where he went so that he may be found again.

Kerrigan brings her small dinner of greens and a crust of bread to the table in the storage tent along with tins full of food for the men, as she promised. Compared to the rations allowed by the army, the portions and quality of Kerrigan’s dinner are outstanding, particularly to men who have eaten nothing but gruel and salted meat for months, with the exception of their Colonel’s promised feast. Liam is accustomed to such food on the nights he typically visits her and Jack for his lessons. He alone knew that she would bring something sweet for dessert. Many of the men in the unit, despite their appetites, will eat only very small amounts of the rations given to them. Many of the officers eat in taverns whenever possible, and many men hunt for themselves. Only Liam considers his rations a considerable amount of food and food of any substance or quality, as he was homeless and starving for many years between periods of employment. All of the captains are wearing their dress uniforms, and the doctor is wearing his best suit. Kerrigan did not expect or ask them to dress finely for her, just as they did not expect her to bring such a fine dinner. When she enters, the five captains salute her, and the doctor bows. She returns the captains’ salute and curtsies to the doctor. She is wearing a black evening gown rather than her own uniform. It is not particularly exquisite or breathtaking, but it is also not a boring garment by any means. The corseted bodice is intricately embroidered in cream and green, and the bustle skirt is gathered ornately. The light, decorative sleeves rest off gently off of her shoulders with a slight ruffle. She is not trying to be seductive, but all six men think of removing her gown, and she can see their collective thought in their faces as she spreads dinner before them.

After a somewhat awkward silence, Captain McEvoy asks, “Why’re ye here?”

“I am here because I am needed here.”

“What d’ye mean by ‘needed’?” growls Captain Fitzmaurice.

“Liam typically visits Jack and myself regularly. When he did not arrive at all this week, I knew that something was amiss. Upon review, it was obvious to me who was directly affected. Colonel Callahan described something of the issue to me, and I became personally involved out of an interest in why Liam suddenly changed his habits without warning. At first, I thought he may have sustained a minor injury or procured another commitment, but I had a bad feeling about it. When I learned of the gravity of the situation, I figured that I ought to fix it myself since nobody else seems to have done a thing about it. So, tell me what happened in detail, if you please, Captain Fitzmaurice.”

“I hope ye don’ mind me bein’ rather candid, ma’am. I can be a bit rough at times.”

“I do not mind. You must remember that I share my lodging with Senatorial General Shepherd, who is about as gruff, crude, and unpleasant as anyone could get when he is in one of his ill humors.”

“I was sleepin’ wi’ this girl, Nancy was her name, real pretty thing, too, an’ she got in the family way. Now, I love kids, but I don’ want any o’ me own jus’ yet, so I asked her to get an abortion, but she wanted to keep the babe. By this point, Nancy an’ me were fightin’. I’m known for three things: bad taste in women, bad luck, and a bad temper. Even if I wanted children now, I wouldn’t want to bring ‘em into a life like that. I grew up with a mother who was a drunk. Our father died ‘afore I was born, in fact, too long ‘afore to be me father, an’ that started ma’s drinkin’. Me oldest brother left the family ‘afore I was born, since ma’ couldn‘t afford to feed him too. Me second brother’s almost useless. He’s a drunk, but he ain’t as bad as ma’, an’ I don’t think he even knows what I look like, to tell the truth. Me on’y sister’s a whore, a doxie. She was out o’ the house plyin’ her trade at twelve. I was four at the time. She was me mother, more or less, for four years. Me brother an’ me ma’d get drunk an’ fight all night. I’d be alone all day, ‘til I started school, at least. I didn’t want any child o’ mine growin’ up the way I did. I wouldn’t want them livin’ in a war zone, neither. I’m bein’ kind when I say Nancy was a dumb little bitch. She didn’t listen to reason. She was too dumb to be alive. In fact, she nearly shot Liam playin’ wi’ me rifle. ‘Twas like bein’ wi’ a child, on’y she had a nice pair o’ tits. Since she wouldn’t listen to reason, I had to take desperate measures. Perhaps Doctor Sparrow ought to continue, since the rest o’ the story is within his realm of expertise.”

“As you well know,” begins the doctor, “I typically use herbs to induce abortions. I happen to have run out after the two days without restrictions. At any rate, I can’t do a thing unless she consents, so we went out an’ got her drunk. ‘Twas me own stupid idea. When we got back, the Colonel helped me perform a surgical abortion, but I didn’t know that she had hemophilia. If I’d not been drinkin’ meself sick, I’d’ve known in time. Billy put on the uniform he was tortured in, an’ I wore me surgical gown. We went to the woods an’ beat each other senseless in the name of bein’ believable, an’ we was both sick as dogs from the liquor the night before. This was the Colonel’s idea. Liam helped us bring her body to her da’. He believed us, an’, as, in his eyes, we’d done nothin’ wrong, he wouldn’t press charges. The Colonel promised there would be no official documentation the event, but a rumor spread all the way to the Bridgeton Board o’ Health, Registry o’ Physicians that I’ve been operatin’ drunk. I have to appear in Bridgeton in two weeks’ time. I need a barrister, but I can’t afford one. Even though I work for the army, I work as a civilian, so I can’t use a military advocate. I’m currently licensed in Districts Thirteen, Five, an’ Twenty. No matter where this unit goes, anywhere they set up camp is District Thirteen. They’re all tryin’ me for the same crime on the same day. If I lose, which I certainly will without a barrister, I’ll lose me license to practice medicine.”

“I got worried ‘bout the two o’ them the day I helped ‘em wi’ the body,” says Liam. “I knew it was bad when we switched their glasses. Aye, they look the same, but Fitzmaurice can’t see far away, an’ the doctor can’t see close by. Normally, this sort o’ thing is what they do all the time. Hell, one day, Fitzmaurice dressed as a doctor, an’ the doctor dressed in Billy’s uniform jus’ to play a joke on us, Major Moynihan, an’ the Colonel. The two o’ them thought ‘twas funny when nobody realized that the doctor killed enemy soldiers an’ the Captain was tellin’ a Private he’d not lose his leg. Nobody knew ‘til he admitted he didn’t know where the spare morphine was. So we thought we’d switch their glasses for a laugh. We thought it’d cheer ‘em up a bit. I knew somethin’ was wrong when I found meself on the ground in a pool of blood an’ vomit. Fitzmaurice had knocked me down wi’ his famous right hook, then he kicked me in the stomach an’ left me there. I’m me father’s son. Ye know that. When I worry, I drink far too much. When I drink that much, I forget things. I don’ have me father’s tolerance for alcohol. I didn’t want ye to see me like this. When ye’re around a group o’ men all the time, ye trust ‘em wi’ your life. Ye start to notice when somethin’s wrong wi’ someone, an’ when they won’t tell ye what, everythin’ starts to go to shite. When one or two men start actin’ strange, the rest are endangered, particularly when those two men are a well-respected officer an’ the only doctor for the unit. If they were enlisted men, they’d’ve been punished by the Colonel, an’ this aftermath would’ve on’y destroyed themselves.”

“I am preoccupied with concerns for my wife, who is with child,” says Captain Boland. “When Liam told me what happened to Captain Fitzmaurice an’ Doctor Sparrow, I started worryin’ about them too, an’ the unit. I do not typically drink when I am nervous, but wi’ Liam drinkin’, I ended up joinin’ him, an’ considerin’ the way he drinks, I’m lucky to be alive, seein’ as I’ve been doin’ the same.”

“Me own wife’s been after me to send her more money,” says Captain McEvoy. “I’ve four children at home, an’ me wife loves to remind me that I ought to be there takin’ care o’ them. Every week, I get a letter telling’ me one o’ me children’s been in a fight or needs new shoes. There’s no work in Bridgeton, an’ she knows it. I can’t very well move me family to Crosspoint. Like Fitzmaurice said, this is no place for children. She didn’t bat an eye when she learned I was tortured. She didn’t ask if I’d be alright. She on’y hoped they’d give me a bonus for it an’ reminded me to send money. Me oldest is seven. Me youngest is two. I’m already doin’ as much as I can for ‘em, but I guess ‘tisn’t enough. Now, I’m tryin’ to keep everyone alive out here. Somehow, I’m the only one who doesn’t turn into an idiot when I drink, an’ somehow, I’m the only one who knows when to stop drinkin’. Everyone expects it from Liam, but, I mean, Christ, Fitzmaurice, ye’re a bloody wreck! How many have ye had?”

“This bottle was full this mornin’. ‘Tis me second for the day.”

“Ye’re killin’ yourself.”

“I don’t care. What else do I have to do? Fight? What’s the fuckin’ point? I’ve been in this unit what seems like forever, an’ I’ve gotten nowhere. I just don’t care anymore.”

“Ye’re a selfish bastard, Fitzmaurice,” says Liam with the gravity of the severely intoxicated.

“Look who’s fuckin’ talkin’. ‘Tis your fault we’re even here. If ye’d just shown up like ye should’ve, we wouldn’t be explainin’ all this to your lady friend. While I’m at it, I may’s well tell ye it took me two hours to find any whiskey ‘round here this mornin’, I’m sure that’s thanks to ye.”

“Jaysus fuckin’ Christ, Fitzmaurice! I didn’t touch your precious fuckin’ stash! I’ve been drinkin’ from the still.”

“Ye fuckin’ drank it fuckin’ dry!”

“As if I’m the on’y one who drinks to solve his problems! If ‘twasn’t for your stupid actions, none of us would be in this mess right now.”

“That sounds like a challenge to me.”

“There ye go makin’ everythin’ I say into a fight. An’ ye wonder why nobody likes ye!”

“I don’t give a shit if they like me, ye stupid son’ve a bitch. They respect me. That’s all that matters.”

“I’m sure ye’ll die miserable, cold, an’ alone. Ye’ll be buried alone, an’ nobody’ll be there. Not your whore sister, not your idiot brother, not your drunk mother, not your runaway brother, an’ not your real father, whoever the fuck he is. I bet ye can’t tell us where either o’ your own brothers are. Your sister’s probably dead. Even the doctor here won’t make it to your funeral. I’m sure he’ll be drownin’ in the bottle hisself. I, at least, have people who’d go to me funeral if I died. Let me remind you who put up that monument for ye. ‘Twasn’t your great friend. I won’t do it again.”

“Ye’re a fine one to talk. Ye turn into a monster when ye drink, an’ ye drink more’n the res’ve us combined!”

“I have a thing called tolerance, Fitzmaurice. Not as much as Jack does, but maybe when ye’re older, ye’ll get one too.”

“Don’t fuckin’ patronize me! Ye ain’t even smart enough to write your own name!”

Liam pauses and quietly asks, “How the fuck did ye find that out?”

“The little cross ye made me. Ye wrote me name upside-down in Vampiric. Anyone else would’ve written it normally. ‘Sides, Mike Crane knows. He’s next door to your old master, an’ he’s married to me best friend’s sister. D’ye really think I didn’t ask? Are ye that stupid?”

“Could your own mother read?”

“No, but she wanted better for me. After three fuckups, ‘tis no great surprise.”

“When’d she tell ye that? When she left ye to beg for food in the streets or when she beat ye for cryin’ from the hunger. I know, Fitzmaurice. The doctor told me, an’ I was a beggar at the time meself. ‘Tis hard to miss a child wearin’ his brothers’ old clothes, four sizes too big, stealin’ left an’ right an’ beggin’ for food.”

“Ye were the-the-the-”

“The man who pulled ye from the river. Aye.”

“The two o’ ye really are a pair o’ bastards,” says Captain O’Dowd breaking the awkward silence. “I started drinkin’ mostly ‘cos McEvoy snores when he’s drunk, an’ I needed some fuckin’ sleep. Even when I drink with these eejits, I may’s well drink alone. Nobody even talks. Everybody brings his own liquor, an’ everyone leaves alone. I’m worried too, but I think the lot o’ ye need to solve your problems alone an’ keep ‘em the fuck away from the rest’ve us. Take some leave if ye need to. Jus’ don’ cost men their lives because ye don’ know when to stop your fuckin’ bitchin’ an’ act professional. I may’ve be a bit’ve a mess, but me an’ McEvoy is still doin’ our jobs, unlike the rest o’ ye.”

“Doctor Sparrow, I understand how difficult it is to have your skill and morals called into question. I’ll see if I can make the accusations disappear. If I cannot, I will personally act as your barrister. Senators have free reign to act as lawyers in any District. If asked, we may also personally rule as the highest judge within our own district, just as the Senate, as a whole, is the highest court of appeal. Jack can order a dismissal in District Thirteen. I will personally see that he does. I will do the same for the charges in District Twenty. Julius, unfortunately, will not dismiss anything in District Five. I cannot call in favors. Bribery and blackmail are not viable options. If money or threats are exchanged, it will leave a trail pointing back to you, and you do not want that, I am certain. The second such a trail exists, your credibility as a doctor and your morals can be legally questioned by anyone at any time, especially depending upon who else is in the trail, and it will last forever. I know everyone on the District Five Board of Health, Registry of Physicians Review Board. I will write a letter that they should drop the charges. Assume that you will have to appear before them unless you receive mail stating otherwise. I am sure that your mail is being forwarded to this unit, since you received notice of your summons here. If you must appear, I will accompany you as your barrister. Captain Fitzmaurice, I know your military record is clean. Is there anything I don’t know?”

“No, ma’am. Me written records are clean, civilian an’ military.”

“That is perfect. Should he go to trial, you, Jack, and the Colonel will act as his witnesses. He would need at least three witnesses of reliable character who are not members of his immediate family. I shall see to it that the Colonel allows the journey.”

“I feel like I’m makin’ a deal with the Devil hisself,” says the doctor.

“I am his daughter, you know,” replies Kerrigan with a hint of a smile.

“Like we could ever forget!” exclaims Liam.

“Say, why wouldn’t Julius drop charges? Does he not do that for anyone or does he have evidence against me?” asks Doctor Sparrow.

“Neither, I am afraid to say. He is a racist.”

“That’s absurd! I’m a Vampire, same as him.”

“He cannot stand the Irish.”

“Anglo-Irish,” corrects Captain Fitzmaurice.

“It does not matter to him. You could be a Russian, a Viking, a Visigoth, a Saxon, a Moor, or a Celt. It does not matter to him. To him, you are a Barbarian, and he hates all Barbarians.”

“Wouldn’t Barbarian imply that I had a beard? I am, as you can tell, clean-shaven,” says the doctor.

“He trusts no man who wears trousers.”

“Maybe we ought to introduce him to Colonel Hagan,” sneers Captain Fitzmaurice.

“This may surprise you, gentlemen, but I do not know who Colonel Hagan is. Enlighten me.”

“Half-Scotch bastard. Commands the Fifty-First Heavy Infantry. Wears a man skirt all the time. Fitzmaurice hates him,” explains Liam.

“If anything, that would make Julius hate him more. Julius hates everyone who is not well-born, wealthy, male, and Roman. He is so set in his ways that what started as a minor argument the night that Jack and I arrived in Crosspoint, elevated to violence. We were delayed in our departure because of Jack’s wedding. The other Senatorial Generals have since left Crosspoint, but they were here then. As you know, Julius went back to Highton, and Var and Tem went north with their armies. They left Highton as soon as they heard news of hostilities. Jack and I left the following morning. Jack and Julius got into an argument immediately after Jack’s arrival, and it ended with Julius firing his pistol in the dark. His bullet grazed Jack’s bear foot, and he hobbled across the street to my cabin. That fight is the reason that Jack and I share a cabin. Originally, I was to have my own small cabin and the men would share a larger one.”

“Ach! I already hate the bastard!” exclaims Captain Fitzmaurice.

“Ma’am, it seems ye’ve fixed things,” says Captain O’Dowd. “Fitzmaurice is back to showin’ contempt for perfect strangers.”

“Then I have done what I came here to do. However, Captain O’Dowd, please refrain from calling me ‘ma’am.’ Honestly, nobody calls me ‘ma’am’, not even the generals.”

“What do they call you?” asks Captain O’Dowd.

“They all have their own names for me. Avalon Kavanagh calls me ‘sister’ when he is feeling generous and names I would rather not repeat when he is not. He is far closer to our sister than I am to either of them. The rest of my generals call me ‘Miss Kerrigan.’ A Southern Army General gave me my favorite name. Ronan O’Casey calls me ‘Ma’ Kerrigan.”

“I like that,” says Captain Fitzmaurice. “Ma’ Kerrigan. I’m sorry if I’ve been swearin’ at ye like a new recruit in boot camp. ‘Tisn’t right o’ me. Ye’re a lady.”

“I never said I was a lady, and I told you that I do not mind profanity.”

“In that case, I shall have to ask ye this: Can ye swear, Ma’ Kerrigan?”

“Must I?”

“I’d like to hear it. I’ve never heard a lady swear ‘afore. Women, aye. All members of Bridgeton’s least-respectable classes.”

“Very well, then, I shall. You do not believe me that I can fucking swear more than the lot of you bastards combined. I certainly fucking can. I am not so obsessed with propriety that I cannot leave it to the side long enough to amuse your outlandish sense of humor, Captain. Do not forget that.”

“I won’t ma’am.”

“Captain, do not call me ‘ma’am.’”