In Love and War Page #3

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Diciasette.

Ho capito,

signora.

Do you know

what happened?

It's a bad leg wound.

He got it on the piave front.

Lift.

Anything you need?

I'll need, uh,

more saline solution.

Hey, kid.

Am I dying?

Oh, eventually,

but not in

the immediate future.

You lying to me?

Mm-mm.

You promise?

Promise.

I love you.

Will you marry me?

How we feeling?

What's wrong?

Hmm? nothing.

Mac, would you come

over here for a minute?

Some-something's

the matter. What is it?

Well?

Like I said, kid,

nothing's wrong.

I'm just giving

bed 8 a drink.

Yeah, but

what's going on?

I'll be back

in a minute.

Gangrene?

Maybe.

Can we get a doctor?

Not until tomorrow.

It might be

too late by then.

I can't help it.

Miss de long

said the only doctor

the Italians could spare

wouldn't be here

till tomorrow.

Hmm, hmm.

You know,

the only thing to do

is irrigate the wound

with daken's.

No. you cannot do

something like that

without

a doctor's order.

Mac, we can't wait

for a doctor's order.

Aggie,

something like that

could get you shipped

back to the states.

Fine. I won't be doing

the splits when I go

to the bathroom.

Ag!

Good afternoon, doctor.

I've been assigned as

your surgical assistant.

Major caracciolo.

Agnes Von kurowsky.

Ah, yes, Hemingway.

Shrapnel everywhere.

Some quite deep.

Come, come.

Bullet behind

the patella.

Did you see

any pieces of--

come si dice?

Uh, uniform.

Oh, yes, thank you.

Uniform.

Did you see any uniform

in the wound?

Unfortunately, yes.

And when I was

changing the dressing

last night and then

again this morning,

there was a definite odor.

Gangrene.

So if it is,

I will have

to amputate.

I will operate

on this side

with a nurse,

you, on my left.

You do not approve

of an amputation?

I think he is very young

to lose a leg.

Ecco.

You see? I was right.

And how do you propose

that we shall not

have to amputate

this young boy's leg?

Well, in America,

we've had some success

with a treatment

that was developed

at Johns Hopkins hospital,

so I've been

irrigating the wound--

I know everything

about this notion

of irrigating.

Who is

this John Hopkins

of the hospital?

Is he a Saint?

It's Johns Hopkins,

and, no, it's not named

after a Saint.

Then it cannot be

much of a hospital,

can it?

Well, I will operate

tomorrow in the morning.

Please have the patient

ready at 8:
30.

And, nurse...

Perhaps you would like

my permission for your

irrigation treatment.

Beautiful girl

with a Martini.

I must have died

and gone to heaven.

Gin and castor oil.

Sorry about that.

Ohh.

What do you know?

I graduated

the same year.

Mm-hmm. me from

nursing school,

you from

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