The Nightingale Nurses Read online

  ‘Surprise.’ He smiled weakly. ‘Bet you didn’t expect to see me, did you?’

  ‘No, I didn’t.’ Helen fought to keep her voice steady. ‘How are you, Charlie?’

  ‘Well, I feel as if I’ve been kicked in the side by a donkey, but apart from that . . .’

  She sank down on the chair beside his bed. ‘What happened?’

  ‘I dunno, love. I was doing all right till yesterday. All ready to get up and about, I was. But then I took a turn for the worse and Mum sent for the doctor and here I am.’ He struggled to lean closer to her. ‘To be honest, I was hoping you could tell me what’s going on. That consultant bloke who came this morning used that many long words, I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about!’

  Helen reached for his hand. His skin felt clammy in hers. ‘You have nephritis,’ she explained. ‘It’s a kidney infection. It can be a side effect of Scarlet Fever.’

  Charlie nodded. ‘And this infection . . . is it serious?’

  Helen hesitated. She wanted to lie to him, but she couldn’t. ‘Infections are always serious,’ she chose her words carefully. ‘But they can be treated. And you’re young and strong enough to fight it.’

  ‘Then I reckon that’s what I’ll do.’ He leaned back against the pillows. ‘I’m in good hands, anyway. Although I’d thank your mate not to keep piling me up with blankets and hot water bottles!’ He tugged at the collar of his pyjamas. ‘I’m sweltering in here. Doesn’t she know it’s flaming August?’

  Helen smiled. ‘That’s part of the treatment, I’m afraid.’

  ‘Talk about kill or cure!’

  Out of the corner of her eye, Helen saw Staff Nurse Strickland advancing up the ward towards her.

  ‘I’ve got to go. Can I get you anything?’

  ‘A couple of new kidneys might be nice.’

  ‘I was thinking more of a newspaper!’ she laughed.

  ‘As a matter of fact, there is something you can do for me, if you don’t mind?’ Charlie’s face was suddenly serious. ‘Can you have a word with my mum, let her know what’s going on? She’s bound to be in a state, and I know she won’t make head nor tail of anything the doctor says to her. Can you let her know I’m alive and in good hands?’

  ‘I’ll go and see her before I go back on duty,’ Helen said. ‘I’m not due back on until nine, so I’ve plenty of time.’

  ‘Thanks, love. You’ll let her know I’m all right, won’t you?’

  She read the unspoken message in his blue eyes.

  ‘I’ll put her mind at rest,’ Helen promised.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  ON SUNDAY MORNING, Dora had to go to church with the other students who weren’t on duty until the afternoon. She had never been much of a churchgoer until she came to the Nightingale, but this morning she kneeled in the dusty pew and prayed as hard as she could for God to deliver Esther Gold.

  She didn’t know if she was doing the right thing, or whether He would even listen.

  ‘Does God mind if you pray for Jews in church?’ she had asked Helen when they met briefly at supper the previous evening. She knew Helen of all people wouldn’t laugh at her for asking such a thing and besides, her father was a vicar.

  Helen considered it seriously for a moment. ‘I don’t think it matters,’ she said. ‘We are all God’s children, after all. And don’t forget, Jesus himself was a Jew,’ she added.

  Dora also prayed for Helen’s boyfriend Charlie, and for her own brother Peter, that he would finally see sense and leave the Blackshirts. Although she wasn’t sure he deserved her prayers; they had hardly spoken since that day at Esther’s bedside. If they passed in the hospital corridor, he refused even to meet her eye.

  After church, she missed dinner and rushed straight back to Everett. She nearly fainted when she saw the door to Esther’s room firmly closed.

  As she was dithering outside, wondering what to do, the door opened and Sister Everett appeared.

  ‘Ah, Doyle, there you are.’ She greeted her with a smile. ‘Don’t look so worried, girl, it’s good news. Your friend has woken up at last.’

  Dora felt her legs buckle with relief. ‘Is – is she all right?’ She hardly dared to ask the question.

  ‘The consultant is with her now. But so far it seems very promising.’ Sister gave Dora a severe look. ‘You needn’t think I can spare you to go visiting just yet,’ she warned. ‘There are the bathrooms to clean first. If I can see my face in the taps, then I might allow you to spend a few minutes with Miss Gold.’

  Knowing Esther was awake was such a relief Dora would have happily cleaned a hundred bathrooms. She scrubbed and wiped and polished until the gritty Vim powder turned her hands raw.

  An hour later, Sister Everett inspected her distorted reflection in the taps and then pronounced herself satisfied.

  ‘Very well,’ she said. ‘You may go and see your friend. But be sure not to overtax her,’ she warned.

  Esther was still very groggy. Dora watched her as she drifted in and out of sleep.

  ‘Miss Gold?’ she said softly. ‘Esther?’

  She turned her head slowly. ‘Dora?’ She winced as she tried to smile through stiff, swollen lips. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘You’re on my ward,’ Dora said.

  ‘Am I?’ Esther looked around her vaguely. Her dark brows drew together as she tried to think. ‘How long have I been asleep?’

  ‘A couple of days. You had us all worried!’ Dora smiled shakily.

  ‘I – I can’t remember what happened. It was dark . . . I was walking home . . .’ Her eyes suddenly opened wide, full of fear and panic. ‘My father! Has anyone seen him? He’ll be so worried . . .’

  ‘Shhh, it’s all right.’ Dora quietened her. ‘You don’t have to worry. Dr Adler is looking after him.’

  ‘Dr Adler?’ Esther relaxed back against the pillow. ‘That’s very kind of him.’

  ‘He thinks a lot of you,’ Dora said. ‘He’s been by your bedside every day.’

  ‘Has he?’ Esther started to smile then closed her eyes, flinching with pain.

  Dora leaned over her. ‘Miss Gold? Are you all right?’

  ‘I have a terrible headache. Everything is such a jumble in my mind . . .’

  ‘It will all sort itself out in the end. You just need to rest now, and try to get better.’

  ‘Thank you. I’m glad you’re here.’ As Esther reached out her hand to Dora, something dropped on to the blanket. ‘What’s this?’

  Dora blushed. ‘It’s the hamsa,’ she said, pressing it back into Esther’s hand. ‘It belonged to you once, but you gave it to me for luck when I first came here for my interview. I – I thought you should have it back.’

  It seemed like a silly gesture now, but at the time it was the only thing she could think of.

  ‘I remember it.’ Esther’s fingers closed around it. ‘You’re very kind.’

  She tried to hand it back, but Dora shook her head. ‘You keep it,’ she said, adding silently, You need a bit of luck more than I do.

  Ruby tipped the tin of charred roast potatoes into the dustbin and replaced the lid with a crash. She was in a rage, and didn’t care who knew it. It was all she could do to stop herself from kicking the dustbin down the concrete stairwell.

  ‘All right?’ Nick came out of the sitting room as she slammed the front door shut.

  ‘What do you think?’ She pushed past him into the kitchen. Nick followed her.

  ‘What’s the matter?’

  ‘If you must know, I’ve just chucked our Sunday dinner in the bin.’

  He stared at her. ‘What for?’

  ‘Because the stupid oven burned it all. The Yorkshire puddings have gone flat, the potatoes are like bits of coal, and you could probably mend your boots on this horrible lump of beef.’ She thrust the tin under his nose. The beef sat in the middle of it, shrivelled and congealing. ‘You see? Everything’s ruined.’

  ‘Are you sure you didn’t just leave it in the oven and forg
et it again?’ Nick smirked.

  ‘That’s right! Blame me. It’s always my bloody fault, ain’t it?’ Ruby dropped the roasting tin with a crash, then burst into tears.

  Nick’s smile dropped. ‘Jesus, Ruby, what’s wrong with you? You’ve been in a rotten mood all day.’

  She sank to the floor, her face buried in her hands. Now the tears had started, she couldn’t stop them.

  She heard Nick cross the room and crouch down beside her, then his arms came round her shuddering shoulders.

  ‘Ruby, what is it? What’s the matter?’ he soothed.

  ‘I – I’m not pregnant!’

  Nick sighed. ‘Is that all? Blimey, I thought it was something serious!’

  ‘It is serious.’ She had been bitterly disappointed when her monthlies arrived that morning. Especially as they had been late. For the past three days she had nursed the secret, allowing herself to hope, only for it all to come crashing cruelly down.

  ‘Come here, you daft thing.’ Nick pulled her closer. ‘So what if you didn’t get pregnant straight away? We’ve got plenty of time, ain’t we?’

  Have we? Ruby thought, resting her head against the broad wall of his chest. With every month that went by, it felt as if her time was running out. If she didn’t get pregnant soon, she was going to lose Nick. She was sure of it.

  ‘What if it doesn’t happen?’ she whispered.

  ‘Why shouldn’t it happen? You got pregnant easily enough first time round, didn’t you? A bit too easily, some might say!’ His hand smoothed her hair, rocking her like a baby. ‘It’s just taking a bit longer this time, that’s all. But you can’t hurry these things. You’ve got to let nature take its course.’

  And what if it doesn’t? She couldn’t help wondering if this was a punishment for all the lies she’d told. What if she turned out to be one of those women who could never have kids? She didn’t know how she would explain that to Nick.

  She sagged against him, all the fight gone out of her. She didn’t want to explain any more. She was sick and tired of making up lies, watching every word that came out of her mouth in case she accidentally gave herself away.

  ‘Cheer up,’ Nick’s arms tightened around her. ‘We’ll just have to keep trying, won’t we?’

  She looked up at him, tears drying on her cheeks. ‘Do you mean that? You’re not going to leave me?’

  The look in his eyes was unreadable. ‘We’re married, ain’t we? Till death do us part, and all that.’

  Before she could reply, there was a loud knock on the front door.

  Nick looked up sharply. ‘Who’s that, I wonder?’

  ‘Ignore them,’ Ruby clung to him, needing the reassurance of his arms around her. ‘They’ll go away.’

  The knock sounded again, louder this time.

  ‘Doesn’t look like they’re going away, does it? I’d better answer it.’ Nick released her and got to his feet.

  Ruby was scraping the remains of the beef joint off the floor when she heard Nick’s voice raised in anger.

  ‘Look, mate, I dunno who you are, but you’ve got the wrong house. We don’t owe anything to anyone.’

  ‘I think you do, Mr Riley.’ Bert Wallis’ voice, nasal and insinuating, drifted down the passageway. ‘Now if I could just have a word with your missus—’

  ‘You ain’t having a word with anyone. Now clear off!’

  Ruby’s head shot up, panic surging through her. It was Sunday, she’d thought she was safe from the tallyman. But Bert Wallis must have got wise to her and decided to catch her unawares.

  She pressed herself against the kitchen door, her heart fluttering, looking for a way to escape. But there was no way out.

  ‘Ruby!’ she heard Nick shout. ‘Come here a minute.’

  She crept into the hall, hunched with fear, trying to make herself as small as possible.

  ‘Hello, Mrs Riley.’ Bert Wallis smiled nastily. ‘Long time no see. Anyone would think you’ve been avoiding me or summat?’

  Nick turned to her. ‘This bloke reckons you owe him money. Tell him he’s got it wrong, and then he can sling his hook.’ He eyed Bert Wallis as if he wanted to make him do just that.

  But Mr Wallis stood his ground. ‘I’ll sling my hook when I’ve got my money,’ he said. ‘I’m sick and tired of knocking on this door and getting no answer. It’s been over a month since you last paid me anything.’

  Ruby fixed her gaze beyond Bert’s shoulder, towards the distant rooftops. The thudding of her heartbeat in her ears drowned out the excited voices of the children playing on the green below.

  ‘Ruby?’ Nick’s voice was uneasy. ‘You don’t owe him anything, do you?’

  She bit her lip. Suddenly all she wanted to do was to run away and never stop running.

  ‘Told you.’ Bert Wallis’ smile was tinged with malice.

  ‘But we paid it all off months ago. Didn’t we, Ruby? D’you remember, I gave you that money?’

  She opened her mouth to reply, but no sound came out.

  ‘I’m afraid your wife has taken out two further loans since then, Mr Riley,’ Bert Wallis said.

  ‘Ruby?’ She could feel Nick’s gaze on her, but she didn’t dare look at him. She didn’t want to see the hurt and anger in his eyes. ‘Ruby, answer me. What’s going on?’

  She stared down at her wedding band, gleaming dully on her finger.

  ‘How much?’ Nick asked in a cold voice.

  ‘Let’s see, shall we?’ Bert Wallis consulted his big leather book. ‘With all the interest on the payments you’ve missed . . . ten guineas, six shillings and fourpence.’

  ‘Ten guineas!’ Ruby found her voice. ‘It can’t be . . . I never borrowed that much, I swear I didn’t!’

  ‘That’s what happens when you miss as many payments as you have, Mrs Riley. It all adds up.’

  Ruby turned to Nick. His face was a blank mask. ‘Nick, you’ve got to believe me. I never thought—’

  He turned and stomped off down the hall, slamming the bathroom door behind him, leaving Ruby alone to face Bert Wallis.

  ‘Happy chap, your old man, ain’t he?’ Bert said.

  ‘You shouldn’t have come,’ she whispered.

  ‘You would have had to face me sometime.’

  ‘Yes, but not now. Not in front of him . . .’

  Before Bert could reply, Nick had returned. ‘Here,’ he said, stuffing a handful of notes into the tallyman’s hands.

  Bert Wallis stared. ‘What’s this?’

  ‘Your money, what does it look like? Paid in full, so we don’t want to see your face round here again, all right?’

  ‘No need to be like that, Mr Riley.’

  ‘And if I do see your face on my doorstep again, I’ll sling you off that balcony, understood?’

  Bert Wallis’ insinuating smile faded. ‘I didn’t ask your missus to get herself in debt,’ he started to say, but Nick slammed the door in his face.

  The atmosphere in the sitting room was tense. Ruby sat on the couch, her hands folded in her lap, eyes fixed on the rug, unable to look at her husband.

  She might have felt better if he’d raged, or shouted, or called her all the names under the sun. But the way he sat very still beside her frightened her even more. She could feel his quiet fury vibrating through every inch of him, as taut as a bowstring.

  ‘You shouldn’t have done it. You shouldn’t have gone behind my back like that. I told you I didn’t want any debts, and you just went ahead and did it anyway.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered. ‘I won’t do it again, I promise.’

  ‘You promised last time, too.’ His voice was filled with resignation.

  ‘I know.’ She didn’t have to look into Nick’s face to know she had destroyed his trust. And this time she would never get it back. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered.

  He sighed raggedly. ‘If it happens again, I can’t bail you out. All the money’s gone.’

  She looked up at him. ‘Not your savings? What about America?’
>
  His mouth twisted. ‘Doesn’t look like I’ll be going, does it?’

  The bleak expression in his blue eyes shook her. ‘But you’ve got to go! We’ll get the money back, you’ll see.’

  ‘What’s the point? You were right, it was just a pipe dream.’

  ‘But it was your dream.’

  And now she’d taken it away from him, just as she’d taken away all his other dreams.

  Chapter Thirty

  FIRST THING IN the morning the porter brought the morning papers up to the ward.

  Millie kept her face averted as she went about her work so she didn’t catch sight of the morning headlines. Every day brought fresh news from Spain, of bombs exploding, buildings being burned to the ground and hostages being shot. One morning she knew she would see a headline saying that a young reporter had been caught in crossfire and killed.

  But try as she might to avoid it, the bad news still managed to get to her.

  ‘I see Franco’s lot have gained more ground,’ a young patient called Alan Cornish commented, scanning the front page. ‘Well, that’s it, then. Looks like they’ve got a full-scale war on their hands.’

  ‘More fool them,’ another patient, Mr Tucker, mumbled from behind his Daily Sketch. ‘Let’s hope they don’t try and get the rest of us involved.’

  ‘But we’re already involved,’ Alan argued, his face full of emotion. ‘Don’t you see? This is just the start of it. If the Fascists are allowed to defeat the government in Spain, what’s to stop them spreading through the whole of Europe?’

  ‘It won’t come to that.’ Mr Tucker shook his head. ‘No one wants another war, not after what we all went through the last time.’

  ‘We’ve got a fight on our hands, whether we like it or not. I just wish I were fit enough to go over there myself. I’d give bloody Franco and his lot what for!’

  ‘Oh, do shut up, Mr Cornish. You have no idea what you’re talking about!’

  They both looked round, astonished by Millie’s outburst. Alan Cornish’s face flushed. ‘I’d welcome the chance to do my bit! As soon as I’m out of here I’m going to go over there and—’

  ‘Then I don’t know why we’re bothering to nurse you at all, if you’re just planning to go and get yourself killed!’