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Show 17-4 "They weren't. Your brother did not die in battle. He died at the camp hospital." Andrew looked directly at Mother, "Mrs. Metcalf, your brother died of measles." Mother laughed. Andrew looked back at his hands. "Measles? What are you saying?" Mother stood up and walked to the door and then turned. "My brother was 21 years old. How could he die of measles?" Father spoke, "It's quite common, Katherine. Especially where careful treatment is not available." "Careful treatment? I should think not! In a war zone." Mother paced the length of the room. The three of us sat along the wall, watching. "Measles! A child's disease. One that babies die of. My brother. In France. In the war." Suddenly Mother stopped and shook her head and looked at Father. "Shall I go, sir?" Andrew stood up. "You'd like to be alone." "No, stay. We may have more questions." Mother looked at Andrew, her eyes glittering. "Why did they lie? Why didn't we know this? Why the stories about dying in a trench?" She looked from Andrew to Father. "Do you doctors make a habit of lying to the families of the dead?" "Katherine . . ." "Ma'am, I asked the lieutenant that. The one who knew your brother. He said it was a policy of that commanding officer. If a major battle had been fought recently, they put down all deaths to battle wounds. He said the CO felt that this would help the families' feelings." Mother stared at him for a moment. "The families' feelings?" |