<< Go Back

The Chemist

By J Carol Nemeth

Order Now!

Manhattan Project
Atomic City, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Summer, 1944
Chapter One

“One of these days she’ll notice you’re staring, Raymond.” A poke on Raymond Collins’s shoulder and the near-whisper close to his ear yanked his gaze from the honey-blond head across the room to the twinkling eyes of Gerhard Oberhausen. The older physicist, Raymond’s supervisor, tossed him a wink then disappeared out the office door. Ray couldn’t prevent the warmth that crawled upward from his collar. His eyes darted back to the subject of his attention when Obenhauser had poked him.
Miss Noland stood at the huge blackboard affixed to the wall, a piece of chalk between her delicate fingers, working out a chemical formula. Her long, wavy hair danced with each movement as she wrote and moved slowly across the floor. Occasionally she would stop, tilt her head in thought, then continue. Since the petite beauty had arrived at Atomic City, Ray had only managed to discover a couple of things about her. One, she kept to herself, rarely saying anything, and two, from what he’d seen from her work, she was a brilliant chemist. In a day when few colleges and universities accepted women, he wondered where she’d gained her education. The more he watched her work, the more he’d love to know.
Miss Noland dropped the chalk onto the tray at the bottom of the blackboard and brushed her hands together then returned to her desk across the room. She stared at the formula that took up the majority of the blackboard. Her chin rested in her hand, her elbow on the desk. Ray’s breath caught when she bit her lip in thought. Adorable. Miss Noland looked more like a sixteen-year-old than an educated woman working at one of the country’s top-secret laboratories.
Ray scrubbed a hand down his face. She didn’t know that though. Nor did the nearly 80,000 other men and women working at Atomic City. They only knew they worked to help end the war. They had no idea what project they worked on. He did, and sometimes he had difficulty sleeping at night because of it.
Suddenly, Miss Noland’s eyes swung to meet his. Wait. What? Yep. Those amazing chocolate brown eyes were looking his way. Ray gave her a quick smile, and before she dropped her gaze, she returned it. His heart soared. Judy Noland, the beautiful, shy woman had noticed him. And more than that, she’d smiled at him. What were the chances he could ask her out for coffee sometime?
Huffing out a breath, Ray gathered the papers on his desk and tamped them into a neat stack. Most likely zero to none. Go figure. Why would a woman like her go out with a man like him?
~
Judy picked her way past mud puddles in an attempt to avoid spattering mud on her high heels. Why she bothered wearing such precarious shoes in the slippery stuff, she didn’t know. It had to be the muddiest place on earth. She slipped in the oozing gunk and nearly fell but managed to stay upright, her arms windmilling to keep her balance. Just when she thought she was steady, her feet let her down and Judy went sprawling. Expecting to land in the messy goo, a squeal escaped her.
“Here, allow me.” Strong hands slipped beneath her arms and legs, lifting her up and back onto a solid patch of ground. “That’s not a safe place to step. Over here’s a better place to walk.”
Surprised at what had happened in the blink of an eye, Judy stood on solid ground, her feet secure, while steadying hands rested on her upper arms ensuring she was safe. She lifted her eyes to those of her officemate…what was his name? Judy nibbled her lip, certain they’d been introduced—months ago perhaps? Intent on keeping to herself all this time, she hadn’t paid attention to her fellow chemists. At least, not much. She’d noticed his kind eyes. They were a beautiful shade of blue. Then she’d dismissed the notion. Judy didn’t have time for noticing men. Besides, she didn’t want, or need, a man in her life. She’d finally escaped the dominant ones…she shook her head and gazed back into those amazing blue eyes. Now was not the time to relive…. No, not the time.
He quirked a brow, concern in his gaze. “Are you all right? I didn’t hurt you when I swung you away from that mess, did I? If so, I apologize —.”
“Oh, no, I’m fine, really I am.” Judy laid a hand on his arm. “I must apologize to you.” Warmth rolled across her face as humiliation nearly overwhelmed her. This kind man had saved her from a terrible fall, and she didn’t even know his name. She should. She’d worked in the same office with him for months.
“For what?” He shrugged a shoulder as puzzlement replaced concern.
She lowered her eyes. “I’m ashamed to say, I’ve worked in the same office with you for months, and I don’t recall your name. I’m sure we were introduced at some point, but…” Judy gave a weak shrug and lifted her eyes to his. “I generally keep to myself.”
A lazy grin formed on his handsome lips. “So, I’ve noticed. I’m sure you have your reasons, but we can remedy that right now.” He held out his hand toward her. “Ray Collins at your service.”
Judy eyed his hand warily, then searched his eyes for a moment before tentatively reaching to shake it. “Judy Noland. It’s…nice to meet you, Mr. Collins. Thank you for saving me from a terrible spill in the nasty mud.” She glanced down and held out her high heeled foot, the shoe spattered and smeared with the vile mud. “I’ll have to shop for more suitable footwear, I suppose. These simply aren’t safe during the rainy season.”
Judy noticed Ray taking in the state of her shoes then his gaze traveled up her ankle before yanking away. “I dare say you’re right about that.”
She dropped her foot to the ground, warmth flooding her cheeks. Judy Noland, how could you draw a man’s attention to your ankles? Mother would be appalled.
“Well, now that you’re safe and secure, and we’ve been introduced again, I’ll leave you to get on with your afternoon.” Ray waved toward the cafeteria behind them. “Are you coming or going?”
“I’m going. I’m heading to my hutment.” Judy waved in the general direction of where hundreds of hutments were located. “It’s time to curl up with a good book and relax for the evening.”
Ray took a step backward. “You enjoy reading? So do I. I’m an avid reader.” He tossed her a wave. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Please be careful where you step, and have a good evening.”
“I will.” Pleasure coursed through Judy like she’d never felt before. No one had ever shown her the kind of personal attention and kindness like Ray had in the last few minutes. Other than her roomies, that is. She turned and carefully made her way toward the hutment she shared with her roommates, Dottie Page and Colleen O’Malley. Dottie had been here when she and Colleen had arrived. They’d had another roommate at the time, Julie Turner, but she’d married an Army major and moved out.
Judy had settled into her life at Atomic City fairly easily. She loved her job here as a chemist. She was told to simply work out the formulas she was given and never ask questions. The pay was good, and she was independent for the first time in her life. That alone was the most important thing to her. She was away from…him. Judy slipped in the mud but caught herself.
She shoved the memories away and focused on where she was headed. Her hutment. Although living in a hutment was far removed from the mansion she’d grown up in, it was cozy and fun with her roommates. Her whole life here was different from anything she’d ever known. That was exactly the way she wanted it.
As she picked her way home, her mind drifted back to her co-worker, Ray Collins. The man with kind eyes who had saved her from a nasty spill. Had she cut herself off from others to the point she’d missed out on friendships other than her roommates? Was she missing out on more than that? To hear her roommate, Dottie Page, tell it, she just might be.
~
Ray walked into the office the following morning and hung his coat and fedora on the rack near the door. Already busy at the blackboard, Judy’s fingers flew over the surface with a piece of chalk that diminished with each stroke. He watched as she dropped the nub and grabbed a new, long piece and continued on. From the corner of his desk, he read the formula and was amazed at her brilliance. After donning his lab coat, he headed out to find Obenhauser.
The physicist sat in his office reading from an old physics tome. Ray tapped on the open door and waited.
Obenhauser glanced up. “Ah, Raymond. Come in. Come in.” He used a scrap of paper as a placeholder and closed the book. He leaned back in his chair which released an irritating squeak. “What can I do for you?”
Ray entered and dropped onto the corner of the large desk, crossing his arms over his chest. He eyed his supervisor, a genius chemist with a slight German accent. “I was glancing over the formula Miss Noland is working on. It’s brilliant.”
Obenhauser stretched his arms before propping his hands behind his head. “Indeed. She’s a brilliant chemist. The project is fortunate to have her. She keeps her nose to the grindstone, as the saying goes. She does not become sidetracked easily. That is a wonderful trait, especially when working on a project like ours.”
“She doesn’t know that.”
“Of course she does not, but it does not matter. All that matters is that she gets that formula accomplished in a timely manner. I would like for you to review it before I come in to review it for the final time. I want it to go to the lab this afternoon. I have told her this.”
“You told her I would review it first?”
“Nein.” Obenhauser shook his head. “Just that I would send someone to review it before I do. Also, that it will go to the lab this afternoon. We must move this along. It’s time.”
“Agreed. I’ll be happy to review it.”
“I’m sure you will, my friend.” Obenhauser shifted forward and placed clasped hands on the desktop. “By the way, we are fortunate that Prof. Ernest Lawrence will be visiting with us next week.”
Ray shifted on the desk, lowering his arms to rest his hands on his thighs. “Ernest Lawrence? You mean, the Ernest Lawrence? Of Berkeley University?”
Obenhauser chuckled and lowered his voice. “Yes, Raymond. Drag your tongue back inside your head and stop drooling. He is the Ernest Lawrence who invented the Calutron that we are using here at Atomic City to separate the smaller U-235 uranium particles from the larger U-238 uranium particles. You know very well without the Calutron at the Y-12 building we would not be able to enrich U-235.”
Ray glanced out the open door. He’d noticed Obenhauser’s lowered voice, but still it was important that only certain people know that information. “I’m well aware.” He returned his gaze to his boss. “Is it possible for us to meet the man?”
A grin lifted the corners of Obenhauser’s lips beneath his graying bushy mustache. “I believe we can make that happen.”
“When you talk about brilliant people, Professor Lawrence resides at the top of the list along with Prof. J. Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, and Albert Einstein.”
“Is that the limit of your list of brilliant people, Raymond?” A frown furrowed Obenhauser’s brow.
Ray shook his head. “Not in the least. The list is long and distinguished, however, I’ve been fortunate to meet these men. I hope to add Professor Lawrence to the list of my acquaintances.”
“Ah, now I see.” Obenhauser chuckled. “And our own brilliant chemist, Miss Noland? Have you made her acquaintance yet?”
Unwilling to share the whole incident from yesterday afternoon, Ray simply nodded. “Yes, I bumped into her after work yesterday. We spoke for a few minutes before we went our separate ways. She’s the quiet type who keeps to herself. I’m not sure that’ll change.”
Obenhauser pointed a finger at him. “You, Raymond Collins, must take the initiative, and change things. Ask her out for coffee. Show you are interested in her. And don’t bother denying it. I see it stamped all over your features every time you look at her. The only reason she does not see it is because she does not look at you much. However, should you ask her out and show her attention, that, too, will change. Mark my words.” He waved his hands dismissively. “Now, I have work to do. Go away. I’m sure you have work to do as well.”
Ray chuckled and strode out the door. Did he dare do as Obenhauser suggested? He’d already thought of asking Judy to go for coffee. Would she go out with a nobody like him? Most women liked to be seen on the arm of sportsmen and businessmen. He was neither.
Why would she go for a guy like me, Lord? I’m nobody special. I’ve even been told….He attempted to shove that thought away. I try not to let that get to me, but sometimes it’s hard to forget. I know Your Word tells me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Help me not to forget it. And help me know whether to ask Judy out or not. Please give me wisdom.
~
Judy stepped back and ran her eyes over the formula she’d written on the blackboard. She was certain it was correct, but Dr. Obenhauser said he’d send someone to review it before he took a final look at it. They would try it out in the lab this afternoon, and they didn’t like wasting time on mistakes. She didn’t like mistakes either, and she wanted it flawless before sending it to the lab.
“Excuse me, Miss Noland?” A male voice broke into Judy’s thoughts, and she turned to find George Koval, the young health physicist, standing inside the office door. “I see you’re busy with your formula. Do you have a moment?”
Judy laid the chalk she held on the tray beneath the blackboard and clasped her hands in front of her. “Certainly. What can I do for you?”
A pleasant smile settled on his handsome face as he pushed his wire framed glasses up his nose. “Dr. Obenhauser asked me to review your formula before he takes a final look. Is it ready or do you need more time?”
She turned her eyes to sweep over the formula filling the blackboard. “I’ve reviewed it myself a number of times, and I believe it’s ready.” She held out a hand toward the board. “Please take your time reviewing. I’ll be at my desk if you have any questions.”
Judy stepped over to her desk and sat down. She watched as the newest physicist on staff took his place in front of the blackboard and began a slow observation of her formula. Mr. Koval had only been at Atomic City for a couple of weeks. In his early thirties, she had heard he was congenial and outgoing and had served in the US Army as an engineer. As with most people, she steered clear of him.
Mr. Koval took out a notepad and pencil and jotted something down. Odd. It didn’t seem necessary for a physicist to write down any part of a formula while reviewing it. Any chemist or physicist worth their salt would know the information in the formula.
When he was finished, he turned to Judy. “I’m impressed, Miss Noland. You’re a brilliant chemist.”
Judy tilted her head in acknowledgment. “Thank you, sir. I have a question. What did you jot down in your notes?”
He looked down for a brief second then back up, patting his suit jacket pocket where he’d tucked the notepad after scribbling his notes. “Ah, the notes. I want to look up one section of your formula before I pass on my review to Dr. Obenhauser. I simply jotted down notes to that effect. I’ll get back to you shortly concerning that.” He turned and left before she could respond.
Judy’s gaze shot to the blackboard. She was certain the formula was correct to the last symbol. There were no flaws. None. She’d worked on this for the last two weeks. Even in her sleep she’d gone over it time and again. What part could he be questioning?
She turned as someone entered the room and recognized her officemate approaching her desk, a warm smile on his attractive features. Judy lowered her eyes to her desktop, and, gathering a stack of papers, tamping them together before laying them in a neat pile in one corner.
“Good morning, Miss Noland. How are you? No worse for wear after your near spill yesterday, I hope.” Ray halted a couple of feet in front of Judy’s desk and stood with his hands at his sides.
Judy lifted her eyes to his and gave a timid smile and a slight shake of her head. “Good morning, Mr. Collins. No, I’m fine. No ill effects, I assure you.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that.” His smile grew. “We can’t have our star chemist having a mishap in the middle of an important project.”
Judy’s brows shot upward. “Star? I hardly think that describes me. I’m one of many, and certainly not the most important.”
His brow raised. “Don’t sell yourself short, Miss Noland. You’re far more important than you realize.” He jammed a hand into his slacks pocket beneath his lab coat. “Dr. Obenhauser requested that I review your formula before he takes a final look at it. He wants it performed in the laboratory for an initial run this afternoon. Do you have time now for me to review it?”
What in the world? Why were there two reviews? If she was that important as he’d stated, why were they that concerned to perform double reviews?
Judy stood from her desk and shoved her hands into her lab coat pockets. “I have time now, but I find it curious that a second review would be done right after the first. Unless it’s because his questions weren’t answered sufficiently.”
Mr. Collins’ brow furrowed. “What are you referring to? What do you mean, a second review? Who’s questions?”
Judy waved a hand toward the formula on the blackboard. “Not five minutes before you walked in, George Koval finished a review of my formula. He took a few notes saying he had some parts he wanted to look up and would get back to me. He said Dr. Obenhauser requested he review the formula.”
“Is that so?”
The tone of Mr. Collins’ voice indicated to Judy he doubted the validity of Koval’s claim. She didn’t know Mr. Collins’ any better than she did Mr. Koval, but the look in his eyes indicated he would get to the bottom of the situation.
“Well, since you have the time and we need to get back to Dr. Obenhauser with the results of the review, let’s move forward with it.” Mr. Collins stepped over to the blackboard and began to study the lines of symbols written in chalk.
Judy sat behind her desk and took out a book to study while she waited. Dr. Obenhauser had given it to her with information pertinent to the project. She soon became engrossed in the words and was startled when Mr. Collins once again spoke from before her desk.
“Well, Miss Noland, I’m not sure what Mr. Koval was concerned about, because I see nothing wrong with this formula. No errors. No flaws whatsoever.”
Judy swallowed hard and closed the book, pushing it to the side. “So you’ll approve the formula to move forward to Dr. Obenhauser?”
Mr. Collins gave her a bright smile and a chuckle. “With great pleasure I’m happy to say your formula is ready for Dr. Obenhauser to review. If you will sit right there—” he pointed at her in her chair “—I’ll see if he’s available to review it now.”
Pleasure and excitement swelled inside Judy and threatened to burst into laughter. However, she’d been well trained her whole life to never give in to such outward displays of emotions. She was trained to always keep her emotions under control. Instead, she lowered her eyes and gave Mr. Collins a slight smile. “That would be fine. I’ll wait here.”
~
Ray hurried away to find Obenhauser, disappointment tightening his gut. What was wrong with Miss Noland? For a moment he’d thought she would allow her excitement to let go, then she reigned in her emotions as if she was afraid to show them. Or was it something else? Did she not know how to show emotion?
He knocked on Obenhauser’s door only to find Koval in the office with him. Both men turned toward the door.
“Ah, Raymond. Please come in.” Obenhauser waved Ray into the office.
Koval sat in the chair in front of the desk. Ray stood to the side and jammed his hands into his slacks pockets.
“What can I do for you, Raymond?” Obenhauser leaned back in his swivel chair and joined his fingers across his stomach, his gaze intent on Ray.
“I finished reviewing Miss Noland’s formula as you asked me to, and it’s ready for you. I checked it twice. It’s flawless. No mistakes.” He met Koval’s eyes. The man’s gaze remained unwavering. “I understand you also reviewed Miss Noland’s formula, Koval. She stated that you found problems with it, and that you took notes to research parts of the formula. Did you check them out?”
Koval switched his gaze from Ray to Obenhauser then back. “I did indeed, however, the sections that gave me concern all checked out fine. Miss Noland’s formula is, as you say, flawless.”
Ray nodded then turned his gaze to Obenhauser. “I was unaware you had asked Koval to review the formula as well.”
Obenhauser waved a dismissive hand. “It slipped my mind, Raymond. It is nothing to worry about. Both of your reviews simply indicate the formula is ready. I will review it, and we will move on.”
Ray’s mind eased. “Miss Noland is waiting at her desk. Do you have time to review it now so we can transfer the formula to the laboratory for the experiment?”
Obenhauser rose to his feet. “Why of course. Of course. Let’s ease the young woman’s mind and get on with the experiment. The sooner the better for the project’s sake, yes?”
They made their way back to the chemist’s office, George Koval trailing behind.
“Would you like for me to be in the laboratory this afternoon, Dr. Obenhauser?” Koval stood behind the doctor as he stopped before the huge blackboard.
The doctor half turned toward him, pausing to think. “Nein. You are not needed in the laboratory. I appreciate you reviewing the formula, but this is not your project, Koval. You may return to the project you are working on. Thank you.” The doctor turned back to the blackboard, Koval dismissed and forgotten.
Ray gave Koval a glance as the man turned to leave the room. He seemed a congenial fellow and lots of the chemist and physicist staff liked him. Since his arrival a few weeks earlier, Ray had found him to be a hard worker. Relief had filled him when he’d found out Koval had been asked to perform the formula review.
As Obenhauser studied the formula, Ray glanced at Miss Noland and met her gaze. Color invaded her smooth-as-porcelain cheeks as her eyes lowered. Gorgeous, that’s what she was. His heart picked up its pace, and as he stepped to her desk, her eyes raised again. He grinned and tilted his head toward the doorway. He mouthed the word “hallway” and pointed in that direction. Then he whispered, “Come on.”
Miss Noland’s lips parted in surprise, but without a sound, she slid from her chair and followed him.
In the hallway, Ray turned to her and spoke in a quiet voice. “Congratulations on getting this far. You’ve passed two reviews. Obenhauser’s shouldn’t be a problem. I think this calls for a celebration. Do you drink coffee?”
Miss Noland tilted her head then nodded, surprise still stamped on her gorgeous features. “I adore a good cup.”
“Then may I take you for coffee after work this afternoon?” Ray spotted the lowering brow and uncertainty forming on Miss Noland’s features and spoke quickly. “To celebrate, of course. You’ve worked long and hard on this formula. Having it move forward to the lab for experimentation is a benchmark. Grabbing a cup of coffee is a minimal celebration at best.”
Miss Noland tucked her luscious lip between her teeth, and Ray had the urge to reach for her hand and twine his fingers with hers.
Oh Lord, I don’t know this woman’s spiritual welfare, so I need Your help here. Work in her heart and in mine. But coffee? It’s only a celebration. Right?
“Well, what do you say?”
“I suppose coffee to celebrate will be okay.” Doubt remained in the depth of her eyes, but she gave him a smile.
Ray reached for her hand then and gave it a little squeeze, releasing it immediately. He didn’t want to frighten her. “Great.”
“Raymond? Miss Noland? Where did you go?” Obenhauser’s voice sounded from the office. My goodness. Where did they get to?”

Order Now!

<< Go Back