Nurse Saxon's Patient (2 page)

‘
I
’
ve met her.
’
Julie was well aware that Ian was warning her that Garth
’
s affections were engaged elsewhere, and she resented the implication behind his words. She knew he must have seen Garth and herself enjoying their talk at the
dance at New Year, and she knew he would not have been pleased, but she could not prevent herself from adding:
‘
I was ve
r
y surprised when I realized who she was. She hardly looks his sort of person
...’
and then she stopped. How should she know what sort of person would really interest and delight Garth Holroyd?

‘
That
’
s what
Mrs.
Andy seems to think,
’
Ian remarked cryptically,
‘
but it always seems to me that any engagement—the rights and the wrongs of it, that is—is the sole concern of the two people concerned. If
they
love one another, then the opinion of the rest of the world doesn
’
t really matter. Don
’
t you agree?
’

‘
That depends ... on the two people.
’
This was treading on dangerous ground. Ian would not listen to her when she had tried to tell him that she did not love him or anyone else, and had turned down his first proposal. He had asked if her hesitation was because he was so much older than Julie, if she had ever considered what would happen to her lifetime of devotion
‘
if when you
’
re both older but it
’
s still not too late for Roger to meet someone he wants to marry
’
. It seemed that he could not believe a girl would not be swept off her feet by the mere fact of his position, his financial security and the status he had built up for himself over the years. There had been many arguments since that first one, and yet he refused to believe the truth, that Julie just could not
love
him, and she did not feel that now was the ideal place or the time to begin yet another such fruitless discussion.

For a moment it seemed Ian was not going to be put off so easily, but a glance at his watch made him give an involuntary exclamation.

‘
I must go,
’
he announced to Julie
’
s relief.
‘
I
’
m due in the theatre, and there
’
s a busy afternoon ahead. Can I take you out to supper tonight, Julie? They
’
re putting on something special at the Blue Moon.
’

‘
I can
’
t tonight.
’
That was the truth.
‘
I
’
ve arranged to give Nurse Bailey a home perm when she comes off duty. I don
’
t want to let her down.
’

‘
You couldn
’
t let anybody down, dear. It just isn
’
t in your nature.
’
Ian made the remark and was gone, closing the door gently behind him, but instantly Julie
’
s resentment towards him was gone. That always happened, she reflected ruefully. Ian irritated her by persisting in giving the impression that he thought she was playing
‘
hard to get
’
and really loved him after all, and that it was just a matter of time before she gave in and said she would marry him. Then, just when she felt she could scream aloud in annoyance he made some completely sincere and very sweet remark and she knew that although she could never love
him
she would always like and admire him.

‘
It
’
s all very difficult,
’
she told herself as she checked her patient
’
s pulse.
‘
But I
’
m sure a girl
must
know when it
’
s really love
...’

There was little to do but to watch and wait, and Julie found herself thinking of the young man who lay so still and silent in the neat hospital bed. It seemed strange to see him thus, when her memory of him was vibrant with his quick, enthusiastic voice, the passionate zeal with which he had expounded his theories. How tragic if all that inspiration for a dream community were silenced for ever!

‘
I
’
m getting morbid,
’
she thought grimly, busying herself in checking his temperature.
‘
We
’
ll save him—and his hands. We
’
ve had worse cases than this, by a long chalk. Worse cases, yes, but Garth wouldn
’
t want simply
‘
saving
’
; unless he could carry on with the work he loved he was the sort of person who would wish he had never been brought back to life. It was a relief when Nurse Stephenson came quietly into the room and announced that she was ready to relieve Julie for a brief spell.

‘
Mrs.
Andy
’
s arrived with her daily load of produce,
’
she told Julie,
‘
and she wants to see the nurse who
’
s specialling
Mr.
Holroyd
’
s case. I think
Mr.
Greensmith has been talking to her,
’
she added.

Julie nodded. Ian would have been putting forward his suggestion that she should be the nurse who accompanied Garth Holroyd to Woodlands, the Crossman estate just outside the town. Andrew Crossman manufactured agricultural machinery, and most of the
small
township had more than one member of the family in his firm
’
s employ. Woodlands was the focal point. From its hothouses and extensive home farm, produce was sent daily to the hospital, the children
’
s home and, in
small
baskets, to those whom it would benefit the most. Andrew was a ve
r
y good man, but everyone knew it was
Mrs.
Andy who sought out the most needy cases and decided what could and should be done about them
...
and did it.

Julie went along to Matron
’
s room where, Nurse Stephenson said,
Mrs.
Andy was waiting for her. She tapped on the door and entered. Matron smiled at her, murmured a few words and was about to leave them when
Mrs.
Andy, a small plump figure with silver hair and the rose-petal complexion everyone admired, waved her cigarette in its long holder.

‘
Don
’
t go, Matron, please,
‘
she said quickly.
‘
There
’
s no necessity. I simply wanted to see Nurse for a moment.
’
Her blue-grey eyes regarded the girl keenly.
‘
Aren
’
t you the nurse who specialled the Braithwaite children
?’
she asked.

That was a case she would never forget, Julie thought, as she agreed she was. The Braithwaite twins had been trapped in their caravan home when a lamp had been overturned and the van had become a blazing inferno within a matter of seconds. The children had been saved, but were badly burned and, now Julie remembered, it was the near-tragedy of that event which had aroused
Mrs.
Crossman
’
s interest and activity in the Civic Development Scheme. In a roundabout way it was the same incident which had sponsored Garth
’
s present position as prizewinner in the competition which had been thrown open to all qualified architects within a range of one hundred miles.

‘
And the case of Jack Porter?
’
Mrs.
Crossman persisted.

‘
Yes, that too.
’
Julie smiled. Jack Porter had been an employee of Andrew Crossman
’
s, trapped when testing one of the newest machines. Something had gone wrong, and the machine proved unsafe.

The old lady nodded.

‘
A sound and reliable girl,
’
she told Matron, who gave her customary smile and agreed.
‘Mr.
Greensmith,
’
Mrs.
Andy went on, speaking directly now to Julie,
‘
suggests that when Garth—
Mr.
Holroyd—is ready to convalesce, you accompany him to Woodlands. I shall be happy to have you. We must have a chat about the requirements and so on before that day comes. I understand there will have to be wax baths, all sorts of massage and treatment for many weeks and perhaps months. Think about it when you
’
ve talked with
Mr.
Greensmith, and remember that anything which will add to your own or to your patient
’
s comfort and well-being will be arranged for you. Just one more thing
,’
she added as Julie, feeling herself dismissed, prepared to leave.
‘
I can
’
t interfere in a young man
’
s choice of a future wife
’
—for a moment the rose-pink lips set in a disapproving line—
‘
but if you
’
re able to have a talk with that dramatic-looking girl who claims she is Garth
’
s
fiancée
, please make it clear to her that I have no time for hysterics and such nonsense as that. She will be welcome as a visitor
to Woodlands, but only when
Mr.
Greensmith says so, and not then if she upsets Garth in the slightest. Garth Holroyd is a brilliant young man with a wonderful future ahead of him. This town needs people like him, and his future must not be spoiled before it has even begun. You understand?
’

‘
I
think
so,
Mrs.
Crossman,
’
Julie said cautiously.

‘
I
’
m sure you do.
’
The elder woman smiled.
‘
You
’
re far too sensible
not
to understand what I
’
m trying to say,
’
she went on crisply.
‘
I could only wish—for his own sake—that Garth had chosen someone like yourself to share his life
!’

CHAPTER II

The next five days passed so slowly that it seemed to Julie she had spent a lifetime at the bedside of Garth Holroyd, and yet the young man showed no signs of returning to a knowledge of the world around him.

Tansy Maitland, the girl who had been with him in his little car on the night of the accident, had, reluctantly, gone back to her own small flat after being assured repeatedly that she would be called the moment there was anything at all to report.

‘
I
’
m sorry if I
’
ve been a nuisance, Nurse,
’
she confessed to Julie,
‘
but I
’
m very anxious
...’

‘
We understand,
’
Julie sympathized.
‘
It isn
’
t the same for us, I know, but please believe me when I say we are all
...
anxious, too. Once he is able to recognize people, to talk to you, even a little, it won
’
t be so very frightening, I assure you.
’

‘
Will he know what happened?
’
Tansy asked again.
‘
I don
’
t mean about the trailer. I mean
...
will he, for instance, know what we were talking about when the thing hit us?
’

She looked so upset, so genuinely distressed, that Julie was determined to reassure her, whether she spoke the exact truth or not.

‘
I should imagine so,
’
she said gently.
‘
It
’
s hard to tell in cases of concussion. Sometimes there is a temporary loss of memory, acute depression and so on, but that we shan
’
t know until he regains consciousness. Anyhow, as soon as
Mr.
Holroyd
is
conscious, I
’
ll personally see to it that you
’
re the first person to be notified. I can do no more than that.
’

‘
Thank you, Nurse. I was right, you
are
kind. You don
’
t treat me as if I
’
m a spoiled child the way all the others seem to do. You have my address?
’
she ended, asking the question for at least the tenth time.