Authors: Ellie Dean
Matron’s gimlet gaze fell on Kitty with such force that she felt as if she’d been pinned against the pillows. ‘Your opinion is neither sought nor warranted,’ the big woman said coldly, ‘and I would remind you that I am in charge here and you will both do as I say.’
She gripped Doreen’s arm and began to forcibly steer her down the long ward.
Doreen turned her head and made a face behind the old gorgon’s back, and Kitty had to bite quite hard on her lip to stop the giggles from bubbling up again.
She watched in horrified fascination as Matron settled Doreen in a bedside chair and confiscated her crutches – and noticed that the nurses skittered away and found something to do rather than catch Matron’s all-encompassing glare.
There were twelve beds in the ward, but only the patients trapped by pulleys and plaster casts could be seen, and Kitty guessed the others had made themselves scarce the moment the awful woman entered the ward. She rather wished she could escape too, for Matron had turned on her sturdy heel and was lumbering back towards her, the vast bosom heaving like a stormy sea beneath the apron bib.
Before Kitty could say anything there was a thermometer in her mouth and a cold finger on the pulse in her neck. She looked at the meaty hand that was cradling the watch pinned to the vast bosom, and then at the suspicion of a moustache above the narrow line of the woman’s lips. She really was the ugliest woman she’d ever had the misfortune to meet, with a personality to match, but surely she had to possess some saving grace?
If she did, then it wasn’t evident in the stony silence as the thermometer was inspected, shaken and returned to the glass phial of antiseptic solution that had been placed on the wall behind the bed. The silence continued as the results were noted down on the chart that hung from the end of the bed, the pillows were pummelled, and the blanket and sheet were straightened and tucked in so tightly that Kitty found she could barely move.
‘Do you think I could have some water, please?’ she dared ask.
The water was wordlessly supplied and then the glass returned to the top of the bedside cabinet where it was out of Kitty’s reach. ‘Mr Fortescue will be coming to see you before supper,’ she said as she tidied the curtain away.
‘Who’s Mr Fortescue?’ Kitty asked.
‘Mr Fortescue is an extremely famous and gifted consultant,’ retorted Matron with the gleam of the devotional in her eyes. ‘It is a great honour to welcome him here, so I expect everyone to behave themselves.’ She glared meaningfully at Kitty and then stomped off.
Kitty managed to keep a straight face until the woman was out of earshot and then collapsed once more into a fit of giggles. The healing process might take time and she had little doubt that there would be a great deal of pain to cope with, but Doreen had given her something priceless today – for the gift of laughter was better than any medicine, and she suddenly felt strong enough to begin the long battle that lay ahead of her.
NOW THE CURTAIN
had been pulled back, Kitty was able to see the other women on her ward for the first time and to put faces to the voices she’d been listening to. It was a sobering sight and Kitty felt a sharp pang of guilt, for she’d been very wrong in her estimation of the other women’s injuries. She and Doreen weren’t the only amputees.
There was one woman who had a missing foot, another had half an arm, and a third had lost an entire leg. There was someone with her head and eyes bandaged who had to be led everywhere as she hobbled along on crutches, another with two broken legs, and one poor girl had her jaw wired and a brace round her neck. Broken or missing limbs seemed to be the order of things on this ward, but the human spirit was an extraordinary thing, and Kitty felt ashamed of how sorry she’d felt for herself in the light of such life-changing injuries being so bravely borne.
She was cheerfully greeted and welcomed to the ward by the other women, but although she would have liked to chat to them, she found she simply didn’t have the energy to join in any long conversation after Doreen’s exhausting visit.
She closed her eyes wearily as Doreen enthusiastically told everyone that they had a famous ATA pilot in their midst. No doubt the story would be heavily embroidered, and by the end of the evening she’d be a flying ace, glamour girl and the darling of the press. But Doreen was clearly enjoying herself, and if it kept everyone amused, then what harm did it do?
Matron’s booming voice rudely jarred her from her doze, and Kitty blearily acknowledged the rather pompous Mr Fortescue who now stood at her bedside. Not wanting to upset the old battleaxe further, she didn’t resist as he silently examined her from head to foot as if she was a choice bit of meat on a butcher’s slab. She kept her eyes closed most of the time, especially when he removed the bandages on her leg. Seeing it covered up was one thing, but she wasn’t yet brave or curious enough to see it out in the open.
After he’d gone she fell asleep again, only to be woken by the rattle, clang and clatter of the metal food trolley as it was wheeled into the ward by one of the NAAFI girls. She didn’t feel the least bit hungry, and the sight of pale fish and boiled potatoes floating in a thin white sauce was far from appetising. One of the nurses came to help her as she couldn’t yet use a knife and fork, and she was again forcibly reminded of just how helpless she was.
The food was as tasteless as it looked, and after a few mouthfuls Kitty had had enough. She lay back against the pillows and sleepily watched the NAAFI girls clear away the plates as the nurses rushed about tidying up the ward in preparation for visiting time.
It was doubtful Freddy or Roger would be able to make it, for she’d heard wave after wave of bombers and fighters overhead on yet another raid over the Channel. But it would be lovely to see either of them now she was feeling more positive about things, for they’d looked so very down and worried the last time they’d come.
The chatter among the other women patients grew louder as they helped each other to brush their hair, apply lipstick and powder and don pretty bed-jackets over their bandages and utility nightwear. Expectation was high as they watched the clock and counted the minutes before the door opened on the first visitor. There was a lot of giggling going on, Kitty noticed, but it stopped dead as Matron pushed through the swing doors and began her inspection.
Kitty watched as the ghastly woman barked out orders and complained about the slightest thing, which made the nurses clumsy as they hurried to do her bidding. And then she was gone and everyone gave a deep sigh of relief.
‘Oi, Kitty,’ called Doreen from the other end of the ward. ‘You expecting that brother of yours tonight?’
‘He’s probably on ops,’ Kitty called back.
‘Proper ’andsome, he is,’ sighed Doreen. ‘I wouldn’t mind ’anging on his arm, I can tell you.’
Kitty smiled. ‘He’s engaged, Doreen.’
‘I might ’ave known,’ she groaned dramatically. ‘All the best ones are always taken.’
‘But surely you’ve got a chap of your own?’ said Kitty.
‘Not one like your Freddy,’ she replied as the sentiment was echoed throughout the room.
Kitty raised an eyebrow. Her brother had obviously got to know the other girls on the ward during the first two weeks when she’d been dead to the world.
‘You don’t want to take any notice of Doreen,’ said the girl in the next bed with a hint of asperity. ‘She’s got men flocking around her all the time, and I wouldn’t mind betting she’ll have at least four come to visit her tonight.’
‘I’m not surprised,’ said Kitty lightly. ‘She’s a lively, attractive girl.’
‘I suppose some might think so,’ the girl replied with a sniff. ‘But you have to agree, she’s frightfully common.’
Kitty was familiar with this attitude – she’d lived with it at boarding school – and certainly didn’t agree with this snooty girl in the next bed. ‘She’s a lovely, jolly girl who made me see things in a better light,’ she replied coolly. ‘I think we should all be grateful to her for bringing some fun into the ward.’
The pale blue eyes regarded her for a long appraisal, and then the moment was broken by the clatter of the swing doors and the entrance of the first visitor.
Kitty watched enviously as mothers, sisters, husbands and children came pouring in with their gifts of flowers and food parcels. The yearning for home and her parents deepened and she wished with all her might that it could have been possible for them to come and visit. She so longed to hear their voices, to feel their arms about her and glean something of their strength.
The doors clattered again and a group of American soldiers made a beeline for Doreen. There were six of them, all very handsome and clean-looking with their severe haircuts and flashing teeth. Doreen was blushing prettily as she accepted their gifts of chocolates, nylons and cigarettes, and ordered them to find more chairs.
The laughter around her bed soon had heads turning and the girl next to Kitty tutted with disapproval.
Good for Doreen
, thought Kitty, as she noticed the other girl’s visitor was a sour-faced woman in an expensive navy two-piece costume and silly hat. The immaculate make-up and hair and the diamonds on her fingers spoke of money, but the po-faced looks of both of them shouted snobbery.
Kitty was about to try and read the magazine one of the other girls had left her when the doors squeaked again and Freddy strode in. Tall and handsome in his RAF uniform, he grinned at Doreen’s shout of greeting in the swashbuckling manner that never failed to make women blush. Smiling at each woman in turn as he passed, his progress down the ward was followed with wide-eyed admiration and many a giggle.
Kitty witnessed this display with the affectionate, weary acceptance of one who’d seen it many times before. He simply couldn’t help himself. According to their mother, it had begun when he’d first smiled up from his pram and discovered he could enchant every female into doing his bidding. Poor Charlotte had a job on her hands if she was to keep him on the straight and narrow and get him up the aisle.
‘I see you haven’t lost your ability to make an entrance,’ she said wryly as he sat down in the chair at her bedside.
‘And I can see that you’re feeling very much better,’ he retorted as he placed a small box of sweets on the bed. He shot her a grin. ‘These are from Roger, who sends his regards.’ He gave a deep sigh of pleasure. ‘It’s marvellous to have you back again, Sis. You’ve no idea how worried we’ve been about you.’
‘Then you mustn’t fret any longer,’ she said firmly. ‘I’m coming to terms with things, really I am, and before you know it, I’ll be out of this bed and rushing about again.’
‘Promise me you won’t try and do too much too soon,’ he pleaded. ‘I know you when you get the bit between your teeth; you go rushing off like a bull in a china shop.’
Kitty chuckled. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll be the model patient.’ Then she had a sudden, terrible thought. ‘Have you told Mum and Dad what’s happened?’
‘I didn’t have any choice, Kitts,’ he said solemnly. ‘We weren’t terribly sure that you’d pull through when you were first brought in, and I wanted to prepare them in case . . .’ He took a deep breath. ‘I’ve since written them a long letter explaining exactly what you’ve been through and reassuring them that you are at last on the mend. But of course the mail is erratic, so I’m still waiting for a reply.’
Kitty knew her brother was a very good letter writer and she was sure he’d couched the news in careful terms, with a hefty dollop of optimism. Still, no matter how carefully he’d worded his letter, it would have come as a terrible blow to their parents, and she could only imagine the distress it must have caused.
‘Oh, Freddy,’ she said as tears pricked. ‘They’ll be so worried. What a fool I was to disobey orders and go over the top. I should have turned back and not thought I was invincible. Then none of this would have happened.’
‘Accidents in our line of work are part and parcel of everyday life,’ he said as he shifted to sit beside her on the edge of the bed and put his arm round her shoulders. ‘We all break the rules at one time or another, so you’ve got to stop blaming yourself and just thank God you’re still alive.’
Kitty rested her head against him, glad of his solidity and comfort. ‘I do realise how lucky I am,’ she said as she blinked away her tears. ‘Your little friend Doreen has made me see that there is a future after . . .’ She stumbled on the word. ‘After amputation,’ she managed.
‘She’s quite a card, isn’t she?’ he chuckled.
Kitty drew back from his embrace and gave him a watery smile. ‘She’s a force to be reckoned with – and so is Matron. Don’t let her catch you sitting on the bed or she’ll be down on you like a ton of bricks.’
‘I’d like to see her try,’ he countered. ‘We’ve had a couple of run-ins already, and she hasn’t won one yet!’
‘No, I don’t suppose she has,’ she said with a soft smile full of affection. ‘It seems no woman is impervious to your wicked charms.’
‘Talking of which,’ he replied. ‘Charlotte sends her love and is trying to wangle a bit of time off to come and visit you again. She came to see you shortly after the accident, but of course you were out cold and so I told her to wait until you were awake.’
‘That would be lovely. How is she?’
He shrugged. ‘Rushing about delivering planes as usual. She had to fly to Scotland the other day and got chased by a Jerry fighter.’ He grinned. ‘She managed to lose him in a bank of cloud and then was lucky enough to find a hole in it to land safely.’
There was a teasing light in his eyes as he continued. ‘So, you see, Kitty, you aren’t the only one to go over the top – you just need to learn how to land a plane properly and not prang the bally thing.’
She dug him in the ribs with the side of her plaster cast. ‘I seem to remember someone not too far from this bed who almost wiped out half a squadron by coming in to land too fast,’ she teased.
‘But I didn’t, did I? I managed to swerve at the last minute and take her up again for another shot at the runway.’ He hugged her against him. ‘You’ve absolutely no idea how wonderful it is to see you back to your usual irritating self,’ he said gruffly. ‘I honestly thought I was going to lose you during that first couple of weeks.’