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side.
    â€œIt’s how . . . I always thought . . . it would be,” he said, and I heard the soft cadences of his words, his accent touching briefly on each syllable, just as I’d imagined.
    As if unaware that he was hurt, and lying in a hospital bed, he moved to sit up, grimacing as the pain coursed through him.
    His words startled me, making me forget where I was. Who I was. “How do you know me?” I asked, transfixed by his eyes and his accent and the way he breathed in the scent of my hair.
    His eyes drifted closed, and I wanted to protest, not ready to stop staring into them no matter how inappropriate it was.
    His lips moved again. “I’ve always . . . known you,” he said, his words slurring as he fell back to sleep, my hair sliding from his grasp.
    I became aware of footsteps on the stairs leading up to my attic room, and for once I was grateful that the elevator didn’t come this far. It was too quiet and I would have been aware of visitors only right before they entered.
    As it was, I’d just finished twisting my hair in a knot and fastening it to the back of my head with the comb when the door was thrown open without a knock. I knew it was Dr. Greeley and didn’t give him the satisfaction of turning around with surprise. Instead, I leaned forward toward the washbasin Nurse Hathaway had brought up the previous night, and dipped a cloth into the water before gently dabbing at Cooper’s face. He was drenched in perspiration from the fever, and it was warm in the attic despite the electric fan I’d purchased at Hanson Drugstore and guarded greedily.
    â€œHow’s the patient?” he asked, his tone carefully guarded. It wouldn’t do for a doctor to want a patient to deteriorate. He picked up the chart and began to scan the latest notations.
    â€œNo change, which means he’s not getting worse,” I said optimistically.
    Dr. Greeley grunted, then replaced the chart on the bedside table. He crossed his arms, lifting one hand to his chin. I was sure he thought it made him look scholarly, but I had the feeling that he did it to hide the slight paunch he’d begun to develop despite his relatively young age of thirty-one. “But he’s not getting better, either.”
    I shook my head. “He’s been here less than twenty-four hours. He’s feverish, but I can tell he has a strong will. That will go far in his recovery.”
    He looked bored. “Medicine heals, not wishful thinking. Eventually his leg will have to come off. I’m keeping operating room one open just in case.”
    I focused on wiping Cooper’s face, glad my hands were otherwise occupied so I wouldn’t be tempted to throw something at the doctor.
    In an attempt to change the conversation, I said, “He keeps saying the name ‘Victorine.’ It must be a Southern name because it’s not one I’ve ever heard before. Do you know if his family in Charleston has been notified that he’s here? Families are usually notified as soon as the ship docks, but his situation is different because he was sent here instead of on a train home. I’d hate to think of his family worried about him and not knowing why they haven’t heard from him.” I had been about to say that his Victorine must mean a great deal to him, which was why her name was always on his tongue, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it. I didn’t know this man at all, and there were no logical reasons why I’d be feeling a sense of jealousy toward a woman I would never meet.
    â€œYou could always write to them yourself. In your spare time, of course. I came up here to remind you that you’re late for your rounds.”
    I dropped the cloth into the basin and stood quickly. “Of course. I lost track of time. I’ll be right there.”
    â€œWe’d be delighted for you to join us, of course. And if you needthe