Timeless

Chapter 22

"Do as he says," Kathryn said in a careful tone, gaze leveling back on the man.

She heard the clamber as all of the nurses stepped away from their patients. "Where is the doctor in charge?" The man questioned, gaze casting over the group of women.

When no one spoke, he stepped forward and shot another patient—this time causing Inez to let out a shocked gasp of horror—she flinched violently back into Rhoda, who just caught her shoulder and held onto her.

"Who is the doctor in charge?"

"I am," Kathryn said in a steady tone—truth be told, she felt very far away from herself. She should have been afraid, should have felt some sort of level of fear, but all she felt was a quiet and steady beating heart that reminded her she was still here. That she was still alive.

His gaze narrowed and he sneered. "A woman doctor?"

"It's true," Rhoda's motherly tone cut through the silence.

Kathryn thought she had seen cruelty in his eyes before, but now as his gaze landed on her, she just wanted to curl up into herself. The way that he looked at her was sickening . "In Germany, women know their place," he sneered. "I will question each one of you. And you will answer honestly or you will meet the same fate as these unfortunate men."

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Those first few hours of interrogation—they were hellish. Later, Kathryn wished she would've done something earlier. But she just sat there and waited for her turn. She knew that if she moved to help any of her patients, they would be killed along with her. She knew what these men were capable of. And it was a stark realization.

The best she could hope for was that two things could happen. The first, and altogether more unlikely, was that the Allied Soldiers returned to get the field hospital and were able to get them out of this situation. The second, and altogether more likely, was that the Germans would reach them first and they'd be sent to a Prisoner of War Camp or some sort of Civilian Camp.

But she knew what happened to women in those camps. She knew what men were capable of. Had known it since the first time her mother told her to hide her shoulders and knees. Had known it every time she tried to walk home by herself and her brother or Buck or someone had accompanied her.

Because to be a woman was to face the harsh realities of what men were truly capable of.

Since Kathryn had been pointed out as the leader of the company of nurses and the resident doctor, the Lieutenant had deigned to interrogate the others first. And so she sat in the dirt, twigs cutting into her knees and waiting for her turn. Each girl returned paler than she had been before and nearly shaking like a leaf.

She wasn't sure what he had said to them, or even what he had done . Any signs of talking got a gun waved in their face. And Kathryn wasn't about to give them the satisfaction of knowing that they scared her.

Kathryn needed to be untouchable. Unbeatable. These were her girls, her nurses, her comrades. And she was going to do her best to protect them, no matter the cost. She'd negotiate, she'd fight her way out if needed, she'd comply when needed, but she would do it for them .

Then it was Kathryn's turn. She was hauled up off of the ground harshly by the elbow, nearly having it pulled from its socket. Kathryn didn't even make a noise of pain or complaint as she was forced into a chair and found herself staring at the Lieutenant. He was a greasy man—with coldness and an emptiness in his eyes, hiding behind glasses. Something about the way that he held himself just made her skin crawl.