Again the girl said,
“
Could I?
”
“
Why not? I tell you what, we
’
ll make you a parent.
Parents are encouraged to visit whenever they can. Which baby will you have?
”
The girl chose Deb. Number One, which was not surprising, as already the Peters baby was a small beauty.
“
Time
’
s up, Mrs. Peters,
”
smiled Jessa.
“
See you tomorrow?
”
“
Mrs. Peters
”
murmured rapturously,
“
Yes, please.
”
During the day, whenever Jessa was working in the normal ward, the girl, whose name was Jill, proffered shy information as to herself—and Jim.
“
We
’
re steadies. He
’
s a nice boy, Jim. You mightn
’
t think so with that hot-rod of his and all its gadgets, but
—
well, he is.
”
Jill looked almost belligerently at Jessa as though challenging her to say he was not, but all Jessa said was,
“
I
’
m sure he is, Jill.
”
“
If only he didn
’
t belong to that club. There
’
s the whole trouble. Always outdoing each other on their bikes. And the money they spend on them. Jim earns a good salary, too, but there
’
s never much left. I tell you, Nurse, the only quarrel me and Jimmy ever had is over that hot-rod.
”
“
Don
’
t you like riding pillion, Jill?
”
“
Not the way the gang—and Jim—rides. I
’
d sooner a side car, or even a small motor-car, a second-hand one would do. But more than that I
’
d like our own little house, ever so little would be enough, and a garden ... and I wouldn
’
t mind that baby, either, but
”
with a sigh—
”
Jim
’
s gang only go in for hot-rods.
”‘
“
Jim won
’
t always stick to his gang, the same as the gang won
’
t stick to it either. He, and they, will grow up. It
’
ll be all right, Jill, you see.
”
Jill looked wistful.
“
I wish I could think so, Nurse, but it took a long time for Jim to even go steady, he was so frightened of what the gang would say. Men are funny things.
”
“
You can
’
t prod them, Jill, they have to come to decisions themselves.
”
Who am
I
talking, asked Jessa of herself, I who can
’
t even bring two people together, let alone begin on myself.
Her duties that afternoon took her out to the Perfesser. Jim
’
s cot occupied the other corner of the closed-in verrandah and Jim had actually emerged from the blankets.
“
Good afternoon,
”
smiled Jessa.
Jim did not say good afternoon, he growled,
“
All right, laugh at me, I suppose whole world is splitting its sides.
”
Jessa began diapering the Perfesser.
“
The whole world? You are important, aren
’
t you?
”
‘
The gang, anyway.
”
“
Oh, them
—”
Jessa dismissed Jim
’
s gang with an expert snap into its place of the big safety pin.
“
Funny-looking lit
tl
e codger,
”
said Jim with unwilling interest.
“
Who is?
”
“
That kid.
”
“
He
’
s not, he
’
s beautiful, and he
’
s coming along famously.
”
“
Beautiful—with that skinny little dial!
”
“
Master X is almost normal weight. If you think he is small you should see our three-pounders, and less
—”
“
Blimey, no, thanks.
”
Jim watched a moment.
“
Why do you call him that? Master X?
”
“
Because we don
’
t know his name, he was brought in from a telephone box. He was under three pounds, and not long born, fortunately. You see, you have to be quick to save prems.
”
“
Who were his mum and dad?
”
“
They didn
’
t stop to tell us.
”
“
You mean they
—”
Jessa said,
“
Yes.
”
Jim said, horrified,
“
Blimey, a little bloke like that.
”
There was a silence for a while.
“
What
’
ll become of him, Nurse?
”
“
He
’
ll go to an orphanage. They
’
ll find a name for him
—
probably with a pin stuck at chance in an electoral roll
.
”
Jessa hoped she was not piling it on too thickly.
“
He may be adopted, he may not.
”
“
I shouldn
’
t think he would, he
’
s got an ugly little dial.
”
Jessa checked with difficulty a hot retort. She finished the diapering, then went over and put the baby beside Jim.
“
You can give him his bottle.
”
“
Me! Not on your sweet life, sister.
”
“
I
’
m
Nurse.
”
“
I know that, I just said not on your life, sister, to show you I
’
m no sissy girl. Give a baby a bottle!
”
Jim sneered.
“
All the same, like it or not, you
’
re giving it. I
’
ve a lot to do. We all have a lot to do—indeed, we have too much to do here. We can
’
t afford passengers, Mr. Jim Whatever-Your-Name-Is. You
’
re not doing anything lying there, so it won
’
t hurt you to hold a bottle for a little baby.
”
“
Who says it won
’
t?
”
Jessa took a chance.
“
Matron says.
”
“
Oh
—”
said Jim uncertainly, and Jessa saw she had
won.
She put the Perfesser and the bottle beside Jim and got out in a hurry. In another moment she would not have been able to check her laughs.
When she came back fifteen minutes later Jim was watching the last of the milk disappear. His eyes were fascinated.
“
Blimey, he can put it away,
”
he said.
“
You know
”
—with an upward glance to Jessa—
”
he stopped once
’
and looked right at me and grinned. Least, I would have thought it was a grin if I didn
’
t know it was wind.
”
“
Oh, so you do know something about babies?
”
Jim scowled.
“
My sister
’
s got a nipper, and I
’
ve heard her say a grin is only wind.
”
“
Your sister
’
s wrong then, it
’
s a
smile.
That was a smile. It was a smile for you.
”
“
You reckon?
”
“
I know.
”
“
Blimey,
”
said Jim.
That evening Jessa asked Matron Martha if she could possibly postpone the stay of the two accident sufferers a few days longer.
“
What are you up to, Nurse Jess?
”
“
Something I know you would have been up to in my place, Matron Marrha.
”
“
I suppose I would,
”
admitted Matron.
“
I used to be full of schemes. All right, but I hope it
’
s a punishment, not a reward.
”
“
Does it matter if it only
begins
a punishment?
”
asked Jessa.
Matron Martha pretended not to hear.
Jessa got out the Belinda pram and appealed to Jim, who was now allowed up, to take it out into the garden for her. In it she put Master X.
“
It
’
s his first outing, Jim. Imagine it, his very first helping of sun and air and outdoors. He couldn
’
t have it now either, only that you
’
re here to keep an eye on him. The rest of us are far too busy, we have too much to do.
”
“
Don
’
t you worry, Nurse Jess, I
’
ll watch the little bloke. First day out, eh?
”
Jessa was pleased that the direction of the wheeling followed the direction in which she had had the pram pointing. Around the next corner sat Jill, and very pretty she looked, too, in a rosy-pink bedjacket Sister Helen had produced from her magic box of knitteds, and she was giving Deb. Number One her meal.
She did not pause to watch the encounter; nor did she question either of them on their return.
The next day Jim wheeled a second time, Jill gave the Peters babe another bottle.
The third day Matron Martha decided finally they must have had sufficient reproof and could go home at last.
“
You are dismissed from hospital,
”
announced Jessa cheerily, coming into the garden and finding them sitting together.
“
Would you like me to ring up two of your club members, Jim, to fetch you and Jill home on their bikes?
”
“
Flop
them.
”
said Jim.
“
We
’
ll take a taxi, eh, Jilly?
”
“
We
’
re going to sell the bike, or what
’
s left of it, and get a bit of land,
”
smiled Jill.
“
We might get a cheap car, too. A fella
’
ll need a car when he gets a wife and family.
”
“
Only first of all you said a ring,
”
reminded Jill.
“
Just a little one. I don
’
t like big diamond rings.
”
“
Righto, love.
”
They left that afternoon. Like the ungrateful children they were, they did it without a backward glance and no thanks whatever.
“
They don
’
t look very chastened,
”
commented Matron Martha dubiously.
Jessa thought to herself,
“
No, when people are in love
they only look one thing
“
As she wheeled Master X into Belinda again she told him:
“
They only look in
love,
Perfesser dear.
”