Our intentions were to cross theDanube in this place, but the situation didn't seem very favorable and we had previously agreed we should stay away from any army as much as possible.

We went straight to the wharves on theDanube to find a boat that could bring us down river towardIngolstadt where we hoped to find better conditions. Only by paying a sum that left our purses much lighter did we managed to find a barge.

Our plan succeeded. We spent the night at the wharves and left at dawn. After a few hours on the river we reachedIngolstadt . From there we took a road that should have taken us straight intoNuremberg .

The second day along this road a squad of Swedish troops stopped us. With them was a man dressed in strange clothes who, when seen closely, looked as stolen from a forest during fall. If he is hidden in the wilds it must be very hard to spot him. The name written on those clothes, his strange German accent and his even stranger weapon gave us other hints that he was a real American.

The Swedish soldiers are probably used to causing awe and fear in civilians like us. I'll never forget the puzzled look on their faces when we started to laugh! But we couldn't conceal our joy. "CazzoGiacomo we made it!" shouted Girolamo, colorful as usual.

"Thala.s.sa, thala.s.sa, thala.s.sa!"I replied, my mind following strange paths leading to Xenophon's Greek army and its march to the sea.

We definitively had lost our decorum as we started hugging and patting our shoulders. Girolamo barely restrained himself from hugging and kissing the American on the forehead. The American stared at us like we were madmen.

Our feelings must have been contagious, because the Swedish troopers seemed less grim and the American, probably once he realized we weren't a threat, was smiling.

I removed my hat to him and introduced in English my friends and me. Then I showed him one of Mazarini's letters of introduction.

All this happened ten days ago. I would tell you more, but my eyes are sore, my hands tired from so much writing, the ink is almost gone and I need another quill. Just know that the rest of our voyage went quite smoothly and early this afternoon we arrived in Grantville. While I'm writing, Girolamo and Johannes are downstairs enjoying the local brews and, if I learned their habits well, also the local women.

Now the first part of our adventure is ended, but the hardest part of our trip has still to begin. Will we manage to do what we came here for? Will we be able to build good relationships with the Americans?

Will Euterpe smile upon us? I don't know Father, but I have all the intentions to try.

I hope I am your prayers as you are in mine, always.

Your friend and student Giacomo Carissimi

PS: what does "dude" mean?

An Invisible War.

(Conclusion).

By Danita Ewing

Chapter Five.

September, 1633

1.

Gary Lambert literally tripped over his own feet. The man coming toward him early that morning was Johann Gerhard.Gary had known he would be coming with theJena delegation, but he hadn't thought torun into him the very first morning. Yet there he was.The peaked eyebrows, the balding head with its ring of shoulder-length wavy hair, just like it was in the copies of Grandpa's books. Johann Gerhard was one of the most respected Lutheran theologians of his day.Gary had a copy of an 1871 edition of one of his books and had picked up a CD of some others just before the Ring of Fire. The books were still highly regarded and had been pretty much in continuous print after he wrote them.

SinceGary was the business manager at the hospital, he'd been hoping for a chance to talk with Pastor Gerhard.Gary preferred things low key and was not comfortable being the center of attention for any reason. When he'd thought about it, the falling flat on his face part had not been included in meeting the pastor. Or should he call him Dean Gerhard?

"Here young man.Are you all right?" Johann caught the young man under the elbow to steady him.

"You're the Pastor Gerhard,"Gary blurted and then blushed as he juggled an armload of papers. "I'm sorry, sir. Of course you know who you are. I didn't mean... it's just that I've just read your work since I was a kid. Your picture is in several of my books. That's how I recognized you. I've been rereading some of it when I have any spare time since the Ring of Fire. I wanted to thank you. It's been a great comfort to me," he finished with a little more dignity.

"Thank you. I have only been wandering through your fair town for an hour. With what I have already seen, I am not sure of much at the moment. It comforts me to know that some of what I believe now still holds true. May I introduce my companions? Jakob Arnold is one of thefaculty in theCollegeofLaw and Christoph Burkholtz is one of my students."

"An honor to meet all of you.I'm Gary Lambert. I work at the hospital as a business manager. I was hoping to meet the pastor and ask him to autograph a copy of one of his books for me."Gary just managed to not point out that today was to be a day of rest and that they weren't supposed to be out wandering around alone yet. Evidently, these three had set out on their own first thing in the morning. It wasn't like they were being kept prisoners or anything, but he wasn't sure what he should do about this, if anything.

When he paused, apparently speechless, Johann spoke. "Perhaps we could talk a moment more unless you have to be off somewhere else? I'm sure Jakob and Christoph can look about some moreon their own ." Jakob and Christoph shook hands withGary and said their goodbyes.

"You work at the hospital then? That is fortuitous. I have been looking forward to touring both Grantville and the hospital, but I understand the hospital tour is not planned until tomorrow."

"Yes, sir.I usually have breakfast in the cafeteria but I had to stop by the printer this morning first. These are some drafts I'm working on for the new hospital inMagdeburg . I could show you around a little if you'd like, buy you breakfast."Gary volunteered hesitantly. After reading so much that he had written, he realized the pastor just didn't seem like a stranger. Still, he didn't want to derail The Plan. "I'm not anybody special there and I don't know the medical stuff, but I could still show you around some of the other areas. Later, you'd see more."

"That would be most kind of you. I would like that."

A large bright yellow vehicle rumbled by, filled with children.Gary waved casually to them and headed up the street toward the hospital. Johann's gaze lingered on the children, some in American garb,some inthe garb he was familiar with, all chattering or waving or bent over their studies for some last minute cramming.To be as accepting as a child. I could use some of that right now. He turned and set off withGary , a little uneasy about what he might see but curious. He needed more information, wanted to get more of a sense of the people here in their own environment.Gary seemed like a nice tour guide. He pointed out some places he thought Johann might find interesting. The town was clearly busy and thriving, if a bit chaotic.

Fortunately, the rain held off until they got inside the hospital. He hadn't been tempted to linger knowing that he would be seeing more tomorrow. As it was, he simply admired the fact that, according toGary , the hospital had gone up a year or so after their arrival. He noted the pride with whichGary spoke of the hospital and what had been accomplished.

"Of course, you'll be hearing more about the other plans tomorrow. There is a plan to build a hospital inMagdeburg soon. This building and the record system I set up will be prototypes. Do you thinkJena will build one, too?"

"I don't think our thoughts had gotten that far." Johann sat in a large open room thatGary took him to.

There were tables and chairs grouped around an area with food already prepared by the kitchen staff.

"Sure you wouldn't like something to eat as well?"Gary asked.

"Thank you, but the ale will be sufficient. I've already eaten with Christoph and Jakob before we left this morning." Johann took the opportunity to look around and observe the people in this "cafeteria"

whileGary went to get food and drink.A German family had pushed two tables together to accommodate their numbers and were talking softly a short distance away. Men and women in various groupings were scattered through the cafeteria. They wore loose fitting blue shirts and pants and soft-soled shoes.

Whitish jackets covered them to just above the knee and an array of books and implements he couldn't identify protruded from ample pockets. There seemed to be some sort of name placard on their left breast but he couldn't read them from where he sat without staring. Some were speaking English and some German. Their mien wasn't any different in their way than that of plowmen eating a meal on the edge of a field.

"Here's your ale."Gary slid his breakfast tray into place across from Johann and set the beer in front of him. "I can take you around as soon as we finish."

2.

Johann Gerhard wouldn't have thought he'd be at the hospital this morning discussing Lutheran dogma and answeringGary 's questions about the various schisms in Lutheranism when he got up this morning.Gary had put up the tray, waved to some of the people in the cafeteria and begun the tour. They had started with the second floor that seemed to hold office and meeting rooms as well as storage and some medical rooms. There were some areas whichGary called exam and clinic rooms. Johann was surprised to see the chapel that was located on the second floor. It was small but he could tell it was carefully tended. The third floor held more office s.p.a.ce, a largely empty but sizable medical reference library, and a few rooms for staff to stay in if they had to sleep over during bad weather or times of short staffing. Most of the rooms for patients were on the first floor. The operating theater that was on the firstfloor was two stories tall so that students could observe the surgery from the second floor.

He had been impressed with the s.p.a.ciousness and craftsmanship of the hospital. All those they had met on the tour had greeted them cordially as they went about their tasks. If someone they met had a moment, Johann was introduced. Otherwise, they just walked around and observed, withGary pointing out a few features as they strolled.

The first floor of the hospital, where most of the patients were cared for, proved a different experience for Johann. What struck him most were the thingsGary didn't point out. In this corner of the surgical ward a doctor and nurse spoke in hushed tones about a patient. He noticed that there was mutual respect but no subservience in the way they spoke. On the medical ward, he saw a nurse showing the doctor a chemical a.n.a.lysis of some kind. From what he could catch at a distance, the nurse was clearly knowledgeable and even discussing courses of treatment. Those images were repeated throughout the hospital.Gary pointed out the technology to a degree or architectural details. He showed Johann the gla.s.sed-in conservatory and introduced him to people. But he didn't even seem to notice the way the staff all worked together.

As he said goodbye toGary at the hospital entrance, Johann had a lot to think about. He needed to speak to the others in theJena delegation about what he had seen as well. First, he was going for another stroll through Grantville.

Chapter Six.

October, 1633

1.

Ten days after returning to Grantville fromJena , Beulah ran her hand through her hair for the second time in the last half hour and looked around the conference table on the third floor of Leahy. She suspected the tangled curls were sticking up and gave her the appearance of an aggrieved rooster.This is what I hated most about academia.Curriculum meetings.Wrangling about nothing much as though the fate of the world depended on it. The things that actually are important get lost in all the noise.

"It sounds like there are some areas we agree on and some that will need further work. I'd like to summarize the areas of agreement before we adjourn this afternoon and then set some priorities for discussion tomorrow. Is everyone agreeable?"

Nods around the table.She had been careful to instruct those from the Grantville curriculum group to scatter themselves in with those fromJena . She didn't want these meetings looking like opposing forces gathering to negotiate a peace treaty. The group fromJena had spent more time looking around Grantville than they'd planned, but Beulah thought it time well spent. Nothing like an up close and personal look tomake them a little more willing to consider other points of view and she'd been agreeably surprised by the things they did have in common.

"At the baccalaureate level, points in agreement are length of time to degree completion, a rigorous examination for licensure to practice after graduation, a defined scope of practice for the new nurses and some of the course content. Given the amount of science education that will be needed, it is more likely to take four years rather than three to complete the baccalaureate curricula although with year-round courses and intensive clinicals, we may be able to cut it to three years."

Mary Pat looked around at the group. "I've been asked as a representative of the military side to stress the need for medical personnel to be trained as quickly as possible. Next year, we will probably be facing more conflicts and more injuries. We're also concerned about the possible spread of diseases."

"Ann, please make a note of Mary Pat's concern in the minutes." Beulah glanced at the representatives fromJena . "I realize that it is a somewhat less pressing concern from your end, but the military is going to be using some of our students and graduates as soon as they can get them. I don't know if any of the current students are particularly interested in military medicine. But, later, I'd like to talk about a few interested students doing a residency in trauma and military medicine with some of our military staff, Mary Pat for one."

Phillip spoke up. "There are several students that I think might be interested. Werner and I can talk to them if you would like. The ones I am thinking of are particularly interested in surgery techniques such as the one you demonstrated atJena on Viet." His smile was small but genuine. Beulah was glad to see it.

Phillip looked to have relaxed somewhat in the last few weeks. He wasn't quite as confrontational. She'd been dreading that att.i.tude in these meetings but it hadn't materialized.

"That would be very helpful. Thank you. If everyone is agreeable, I think that after the curricula are agreed on, we can put together an examination with a smaller subgroup of this committee and the staff at Leahy. For now, I think it is enough to just acknowledge the licensure issue and then move on to more pressing matters. May I see a show of hands?" Every hand rose. Beulah nodded to Ann who was taking meeting minutes. She jotted the vote down. "Where we seem to be having problems is in three areas.

First, grandfathering in students and professionals from Grantville andJena.Second, content; and third, faculty."

"There is an additional concern, Beulah," Werner corrected. "There is a difference between a trade school or guild education and a university education. What you have been proposing sounds too close to a trade school for our comfort."

"Perhaps we can discuss that when we speak about content and faculty responsibilities," suggested Johann. "After the last few days of meetings, I have a feeling Beulah has an idea about how to deal with the grandfathering issue."

"I do in general. It's some of the specifics that concern me. I think that both Grantville andJena people who want to practice at the baccalaureate level should take the exam, even those who are already nurses here."

"Wait a minute! That's illegal!" Mara was outraged. "You can't take away our licenses! We're already nurses and should just be grandfathered in. Those fromJena can take the exam and the new students from here can take it after they graduate."

Thanks, Mara. That went over like the proverbial lead balloon with the crowd fromJena. At leastthe rest of our group is waiting to hear me explain before pa.s.sing judgment.

"Normally, I'd agree with that and I am concerned about the precedent that could be set. The legal types will undoubtedly get involved but I think we should at least consider it for several reasons. First, we are making entry into practice at the baccalaureate level. Not all the up-time nurses have that level of training, particularly the public health content we need so badly. There are also new content and new ways of doing things that we have developed in the last two years. I believe it is important to start out clean. I don't want there to be any doubt about our nurses' qualifications by future graduates or anyone else."

Mara's mouth shut with a faint but audible click. Beulah had known that would hit home and prepared her arguments carefully. The Jenaites might not understand it, but she had no doubt that the up-timers would. The highly contentious debate within nursing about entry into practice education and licensure had raged for nearly a century in theU.S. , flaring up every decade or two in ways that were not always very helpful. A cla.s.sic example, Beulah had often thought, of circling the wagons and shooting inward.

Registered nurses or RNs could come from any one of three educational backgrounds but all took the same licensing exam. Hospital-based diploma schools were three years with minimal coursework and an emphasis on on-the-job training at a particular hospital. Those schools were largely closed in theU.S.

up-time. The second group was taught in junior colleges. Although in theory it took only two years of courses to complete the degree and be eligible to sit the RN exam, Beulah had rarely seen anyone get through the program in only two years. The third group was those who attended four-year universities and obtained baccalaureate degrees. Those students had public health, teaching and administrative content as well as greater depth in other areas.

Mara was as aware of all that as any other up-timer would be. Since a license wasn't something that could legally be taken away by changing the law, nurses with different preparations would have to be grandfathered in to RN status. Grandfathering the current crop of nurses in would always leave that kernel of doubt about their knowledge and competence. Since the legal authority that had granted those licenses, namely the state ofWest Virginia , didn't really exist anymore, the legal types could probably make a case for not needing the grandfathering fairly easily but she really didn't want to get into that at all.

Beulah hadn't mentioned the fact that it would go down well with the Jenaites to have everyone sit the same exam for licensure. She would if she had to, but Mara made no further comments beyond a quietly murmured "I hadn't thought of that." The group fromJena clearly noted her response but made no comments. Beulah appreciated their tact.

"I think we should all think about that for a few days and then revisit it after we talk more about content and faculty roles. The content difficulty seems to be between what we up-timers would call liberal arts and professional education. As I understand from what's been said, grammar, literature, rhetoric and logic are the basis for the trivium and start in what we'd call grade school. Literature includes Latin and Greek cla.s.sics, and basic mathematics is part of logic. At the baccalaureate levelare more of what up-timers would call liberal arts. Courses like physics, which we are all agreed should be in the curricula, are taught as part of astronomy. We up-timers find the placement of physics in astronomy a little odd. I don't know how helpful it will be to have a nurse or physician study astronomy and physics related to astronomy rather than physiology, but at least we agree that we need physics. Engineering, which we are conflicted about including, is taught under mathematics and so on as part of the quadrivium. Masters'

level education is for teaching at Latin secondary schools in the arts, and doctoral education is what we'd call a professional doctorate such as a doctor of medicine or a doctorate of jurisprudence. The current doctoral level doesn't really have any liberal arts content at all. Professionals without a doctorate can get a license to practice in a particular area after they earn a baccalaureus. Professional schools such as law or medicine need a doctorate to teach. There is not a research doctorate like the doctorate of philosophy we're used to. Have I got it right so far?"Nods again from theJenagroup. "Your contention is that without the liberal arts courses such as astronomy, the students will be getting essentially a trade school education, not a university degree. Without those courses, you can't say they are graduates fromJena . Our contention is that some of those courses need to be shaped more toward practical need for the medical or nursing profession and be heavier on the sciences at the expense of some of the courses you regard as essential. We don't believe, at least initially, that there is time for courses like drama right now. We need nurses and doctors who can practice. To you, they aren't able to be fully functional without the liberal arts courses."

"You have captured it succinctly," Johann agreed. "We cannot call what we are creating here a university education without those courses. Any graduates of the program would be unable to be employed or to continue their education anywhere else. It would also bring us into conflict with the guilds and make our students appear more like barber surgeons than university graduates. The courses must be included in the curricula."

Whatever else Johann would have said was interrupted when a very pale Starr came into the conference room. "Can I talk with you a minute, Beulah?" Starr was wearing what Beulah thought of as nurse face. It was the kind of neutral, calm look that nurses used to avoid alarming patients or their families when things were going seriously wrong. Beulah felt her own face automatically a.s.suming the same mask as she excused herself and stepped into the hallway with Starr. Once in the hallway, Starr's mask cracked and her soft brown eyes began to fill with tears.

"Oh, Beulah.There's been a battle atWismar . Hans, Larry and Eddie have been killed in action!"

The shock of it made everything sway sickeningly in front of her for a few moments. Isolated, fragmented images and incomplete thoughts went spinning through her mind.Sharon and Hans at dinner.

Larry coming into the high school infirmary banged up from something after the Ring of Fire. So many people were going to mourn the loss of those boys. They'd achieved legendary status in theBattle of the c.r.a.pper and with all they had done since. Aside from his notorious driving, Hans was well loved here, too.

"Where are Sharon and James?Veronica Richter and the others? Do they know?"

"They're being told.Sharon was there inWismar . James is here and I'm not sure about Frau Richter. I wanted to tell you before I made a general announcement over the PA."

"That was the right thing to do." Beulah heard her own voice from a distance, making suggestions and giving instructions, slow tears falling down her cheeks.Oh, G.o.d. How will I tell Mary Pat?