Lieutenant Cary’s head was held high as he walked out. His only act of defiance was to step deliberately on the scattered order blanks.
Kitty could scarcely wait for the door to close before she asked, “Oh, Dad, tell me about Brad. Is he going to be all right?”
“We hope so, Kitten,” her father replied gently. “The wound isn’t so bad. The bullet was extracted without too much trouble, and no bones were shattered.”
“He lost so much blood before I could do anything for him,” she said with regret.
“His strength will come back as soon as he has a transfusion.”
“Oh, Dad, it’s all been so awful!” wailed Kitty. Suddenly she threw her arms over his shoulders and burst into tears.
Her father held her to him a moment consolingly. “This last experience was a little too much, eh, Kitten?”
“I just knew he was going to kill you the minute you opened that door!”
“Well, he didn’t! Let’s hope the worst is over now.” Mr. Carter went toward a cabinet in the corner. “I’m going to fix you a small dose of medicine to calm your nerves.”
“No, you’d better take this,” her father insisted. “You’ll need it to fortify you. We still have much to talk about. Captain Rogers may want to ask you some questions.”
“Yes. He’s the man I sent for when you told me all you had uncovered the other day.”
Kitty felt rather stunned at this information, yet relieved, too. She would be glad to get the whole business off her mind, and all this information into responsible hands.
Captain Rogers had gathered the scattered papers and was examining them while Kitty drank the medicine and let her father lead her again to the big armchair. He placed two other chairs close, then found an old sweater and wrapped it around his daughter’s bare feet.
“You mustn’t get chilled after such a trying day,” he said.
Then he joined Captain Rogers at his desk and they stood conferring in low tones for a few minutes. Gradually Kitty began to feel relaxed, and infinitely relieved that the suspense of these last weeks had at last reached a climax. She was now impatient to talk over everything with her father and his superior officer. There was much she wanted to know, too.
“Feeling better?” asked her father, coming back and standing by her chair. He took the damp kerchief from her head, and ran his fingers through her tumbled curls.