The G.I. Bride

by Eileen Ramsay

  Bess suddenly looked animated. ‘I met the most delicious man on Friday who took me to the pictures. Stanley, his name is. He’s in the air force – stationed up near St Merryn. Officer, he is.’

  Eunice sniffed. ‘Another pilot, Bess? Is that a good idea?’

  Bess gave her a filthy look. ‘Yes, another pilot. This time it’ll be different. It is different.’

  April gazed between them, wondering what that was all about, but she didn’t feel she could ask just yet.

  Eunice looked sceptical, then turned to April. ‘Bess and Nancy are man mad, as you’ll soon see.’

  Bess looked annoyed. ‘Well, it’s all right for you, you’ve got a man, but us single girls need to keep a look out. Speaking of which, have you heard from Norm recently?’

  Eunice sighed. ‘No, still no letter. Oh, I do worry about him.’ She looked at April. ‘My fiancé, Norm, is in the navy, and I have no idea where he is. And after everything that happened at the weekend, all those poor sailors dead at Pearl Harbor, I’m even more worried.’

  April couldn’t blame her for being worried. She and Mrs Teague had listened to the terrible news on Sunday in disbelief. Mrs Teague, who April was coming to realise wore her heart on her sleeve, had been in tears.

  ‘Oh . . . all those lovely boys! It doesn’t bear thinking of. Two thousand . . .’ She’d sat sobbing while April had made her a cup of tea and tried to comfort her.

  ‘Try not to worry,’ April said to Eunice now. ‘His ship wouldn’t have been at Pearl Harbor, would it? It’s the poor Americans that suffered yesterday. Anyway, it sounds like they’ll join the war now, doesn’t it? And that’s a good thing. Gives us more of a fighting chance.’ April wasn’t sure her words would be of any comfort.

  ‘Them Yanks won’t stand for it, all those ships and men,’ agreed Bess. ‘Bet they start bombing Japan.’

  ‘How will that help us?’ asked Eunice. ‘We need some help here. Our hospitals are full to bursting with injured servicemen and more arriving every day. Which reminds me. Bess, are you still thinking of nursing in the field?’

  Bess stood up. ‘Thinking about it. I want to make my gran proud. She’s the only member of my family I even care about. She lost her hubby and her only son in the last war. Nancy’s thinking about it an’ all, aren’t you, Nance?’

  ‘Oh yes. I want to do my bit, and help all those poor wounded soldiers, but my mum’s not keen. She wants me home. Says she can’t bear to have her only daughter away as well as her son. So, I don’t know. What about you, April?’

  ‘Well, I don’t have family to worry about but I need to qualify first before I can think of doing that.’

  ‘Course you do.’ Bess smiled at her for the first time. ‘Anyway, word is that if the Americans join the war, we’re going to have lots of lovely G.I.s coming over here. I hear they’re ever so smart, and rich, and I bet every one of them is utterly gorgeous!’

  Eunice rolled her eyes. ‘Oh, for goodness sake, Bess, give it a rest with your talk of men. Every man you meet is always completely divine and crazy about you. Sure, you’d probably say the same about my Norm.’

  Bess looked indignant. ‘What sort of a girl do you think I am, Eunice Granger? As if I would ever steal another woman’s man.’

  ‘Of course you wouldn’t, I was just joking. Anyway, come on, girls, we’ve got to get on or sister will have our guts for garters.’

  *

  When April and Eunice arrived at the men’s surgical ward, Sister Mulholland looked at April over her glasses. ‘Matron told me you’d be coming. And very grateful we are for the extra pair of hands, even if they are inexperienced.’

  April couldn’t help feeling a little annoyed at that. ‘I’ve done eighteen months training, sister. I’ve worked on surgical, maternity, children’s and I’ve had lots of experience with trauma due to all the air raids.’

  ‘Hmm, well, hopefully we won’t need to use too much of that experience, nurse. Anyway, matron wants you to start on Florence Ward today, looking after some of our more elderly patients. One of the nurses is off sick. Nurse Granger, take her down and then get back here quick as you can.’

  ‘Yes, sister.’ Eunice beckoned for April to follow her. ‘Don’t mind her, her bark is worse than her bite,’ she said, as she led her down the endless corridors. ‘We’ll be having our break at the same time, April, so come down to the cafeteria and let me know how you get on.’

  By the time they reached Florence Ward, the doctor’s round was in full swing. The ward, like most of the others she’d glanced in as they’d sped down the numerous corridors, was light and airy – a nice change from St Thomas’ underground wards – with single iron bedsteads well-spaced down each side. A chair and a bedside table was beside each bed, while down the middle of the long room there were tables on which sat potted plants, magazines and books, neatly arranged.

  Sister Turnbull greeted her at the nurses’ station. ‘Nurse Harvey?’ She glanced at her watch. ‘You are five minutes late. I’ll let it pass today as it’s your first day, but rest assured if you’re late again, you’ll be sent to the laundry for the rest of the day.’

  April gulped. ‘Sorry, sister.’

  ‘Dr Spence is just beginning his rounds. Accompany him, if you please.’

  April turned to see a pleasant-faced, middle-aged man wearing a white coat. He had thick, black-rimmed spectacles perched on the end of his nose.

  ‘Come on, nurse,’ he said cheerfully. ‘We need to see a couple of the new admissions.’

  He walked swiftly to a bed, where a very grumpy-looking elderly woman was lying.

  ‘Good morning, Mrs Black. I hear you’ve not been able to eat recently, is that right? Pull the curtains, if you please, Nurse Harvey.’

  April hurried to do as she was told, then watched as Dr Spence thoroughly examined the woman.

  ‘You’ve lost a lot of weight since I last saw you, Mrs Black. What seems to be the problem?’

  ‘I’m just not hungry these days. I think it’s part and parcel of getting old.’

  ‘Hmm, I think you need to let me be the judge of that.’ He turned to April. ‘Get the patient some porridge and a cup of tea, nurse. If she doesn’t swallow anything, call me and we’ll put her on a drip immediately.’

  ‘Yes, doctor.’

  ‘Attached a drip before, nurse?’ he asked.

  April shook her head. ‘Only watched, doctor.’

  He laughed. ‘Have a look at the back of her hands. You should find a good vein there, but let’s hope she’s able to swallow.’ Then he hurried away to check on the next patient.

  Mrs Black did not eat her porridge and neither could she swallow the tea. In fact, she refused to even put the spoon to her lips.

  ‘Are you listenin’ to me, nurse? I’m not hungry. And forcing that slop down my throat ain’t goin’ to help.’

  ‘But, Mrs Black, surely you’d rather eat than have a drip?’

  ‘Hmph. If you think you can drip food down my throat, then you’ve got another think coming.’

  April hid her smile. ‘No, Mrs Black, a drip is when we put a needle in your vein and feed liquid straight into your blood, to stop you being so dehydrated.’

  Mrs Black looked horrified. ‘Over my dead body.’

  ‘Come on, now, you want to get better, don’t you?’

  The old woman put her head back wearily. ‘Well, if it’s that or eat, I suppose I’ll try this drip thing,’ she said reluctantly.

  ‘Come on, then, let’s get you comfortable.’ April plumped the pillows behind her back. ‘Right, please let me see your hands, Mrs Black.’

  The old woman pushed her hands behind her back like a naughty child; clearly she’d lied about being willing to try the drip.

  Dr Spence returned and stood at the foot of the bed. ‘How was the porridge this morning, Mrs Black?’

  ‘As good as ever it is,’ she answered grumpily.

  ‘So you’ve not had any, then?’

  April shoo
k her head.

  ‘Tell-tale,’ she growled at her.

  ‘Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Come on, then, give me your arm.’ He held his hand out expectantly, and reluctantly Mrs Black pulled her arm from beneath the covers. Gently but firmly he pulled it towards him. ‘What a lovely vein, nurse.’ He explained what he was going to do and April held the free hand, noting the paper-thin wrinkled and mottled skin, and watched the doctor’s actions with interest.

  ‘You’ll see, Mrs Black. You’re going to feel much better soon,’ she told her.

  ‘Then you let him stick a great big needle in your hand, see how you like it. Ow! That hurt, doctor. If this is how it’s going to be, then just let me die in peace.’

  Dr Spence ignored her and continued attaching the drip. ‘There,’ he said at last. ‘Don’t let her out of bed today, nurse – bedpans only. If she’s a little better tomorrow she can walk to the lavatory but her drip goes with her.’

  For the rest of the morning, April was kept busy moving from bed to bed. All the patients were elderly and some needed very delicate handling. By the time she was due her break, Sister Turnbull gave her an approving nod.

  ‘Not bad, Harvey. Seems you’ll be useful to me after all.’

  April smiled briefly, though inside she was seething at the patronising tone, and hurried to meet Eunice, who was already sitting at the table with a cup of tea, looking disconsolate.

  ‘Is everything all right?’ she asked her.

  ‘Yes, fine, it’s just I’m so hungry and look what they’re advertising for lunch – chopped raw cabbage and Marmite sandwiches.’ She pulled a face.

  ‘Oh well. I’m so hungry I no longer care what I eat. Although I can’t stand Marmite.’

  ‘I’ll have yours then,’ said another voice.

  ‘Bess,’ Eunice said. ‘Good to see you. How was your morning?’

  ‘So so. Sister’s on my back because I called in sick for night shift last week.’

  ‘Did you? You never said you were ill.’

  ‘Well . . .’ Bess started to whisper. ‘You remember I told you about the pilot? I wasn’t feeling so good after our late night and thought it best not to come in feeling like that.’

  Eunice gave her a disapproving look. ‘Bess Walker! Are you telling me that you weren’t sick, just a bit tired? Honestly, how could you be so irresponsible? Just because you’re qualified doesn’t mean they can’t get rid of you, you know. And then where would you be?’

  Bess tossed her head. ‘Honestly, Eunice, you can be such a stick-in-the-mud. And I was ill. Up all night, I was, with a gippy tummy, and you can’t pass that sort of thing on to the patients.’

  April remained silent through this exchange. She thought it highly unlikely that there had been anything wrong with Bess at all that day. The girl was clearly man mad. She tried not to be too judgemental, though. This was Eunice’s friend, and she didn’t want to fall out with anyone. After all, this was her new family, and no family was perfect.

  Chapter 6

  May 1942

  The following months sped by quickly for April as she settled into her new home. She’d spent a quiet Christmas with Mrs Teague, opting to work on Christmas Day, to try to banish any dark thoughts of previous years with her father. Mrs Teague had taken special care of her at Christmas, and April had reflected how she seemed more like a kindly aunt than a landlady, and it was clear that Mrs Teague took great delight in looking after her orphaned lodger.

  Gradually, April found that with Mrs Teague’s gentle care, and busy days at the hospital, she was having fewer and fewer nightmares, until one morning she woke to realise that she’d not dreamed at all for more than a week. It had been a year since the terrible night that had changed her life, and now she wondered if, finally, she was getting over her grief. There were still times when she yearned to see her father, to have him rather than Mrs Teague waiting for her, but the pain was not as sharp, and the dark cloud that had enveloped her in the months after the air raid seemed to have lifted.

  As for work, the absence of nightly bombings, and the fact that April wasn’t looking after terribly wounded and shocked patients, made her love her work even more – laundry duty and sanitary-towel-making notwithstanding. And her happy mood meant that she was becoming a great favourite with doctors and patients alike – or so Eunice said, although Bess was quick to put her in her place.

  ‘It’s just ’cos you’re a new face, April. A change is as good as a rest, so they say, so don’t go getting too uppity.’

  April had felt a little crestfallen at this, but then, Bess never shied away from speaking her mind, so she tried not to take offence.

  As Eunice had promised, the hospital was small enough that soon she felt she knew most of the people who worked there, and on the whole, the nurses were friendly. She particularly liked Mattie Hargan, a qualified nurse in her mid-twenties, whose husband had been killed and who was now left bringing up their three-year-old daughter Angela by herself. And, of course, wherever Bess was, Nancy was sure to follow. Nancy was as man mad as Bess, but she had a warm heart, and April had never heard her say a bad word about anyone. Even when Bess was being especially catty, Nancy kept her good humour. For the first time since her father had died, April felt as if she truly belonged.

  One warm May morning, April was sitting having her usual quick cup of tea in the cafeteria before she started her shift, chatting to Eunice, when Bess rushed up to them, full of news.

  ‘You’ll never guess, you two!’

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘Guess what I saw, not fifteen minutes ago on the main road?’

  ‘A fox,’ said Eunice, who had a very dry sense of humour.

  ‘I won’t tell you if you don’t take this seriously and then you’ll be the only people in Truro who won’t know.’

  Eunice and April looked at each other. ‘What could be more exciting than a fox?’ asked Eunice sarcastically.

  Bess laughed triumphantly. ‘Yanks,’ she shouted and then, aware of where she was, she lowered her voice. ‘You do know there are thousands of them coming to Britain now? And at last some of them are in Cornwall. I saw them – rich, good-looking, in a truck and a . . . jeep, I think he said.’

  ‘Who said?’

  ‘The Yank, the officer – he was absolutely gorgeous. Think James Stewart in a green uniform, just as tall but broader and with short, dark hair.’

  ‘Well, I do wish you’d taken a little time to look at him, Bess,’ said Eunice sarcastically, ‘if he even exists.’

  ‘They all do. He asked me for directions to Pencalenick House.’

  ‘Pencalenick House? Isn’t that where they took some of the injured soldiers from Dunkirk? I don’t think it’s being used as a hospital any more, so why would they want to go there?’

  ‘I don’t know, do I? But that’s what he asked for.’

  ‘How many were there?’

  ‘Don’t know. Quite a lot in the truck and two in the little open car.’

  ‘It’s a jeep,’ said Eunice. ‘I’ve seen them in American films. Heavens, run for it. We’re late!’

  *

  It was late afternoon before they had time to talk again about the American soldiers. April was sitting with Mattie and Bess, finishing a well-earned cup of tea and eating a quick, and rather stale, cheese sandwich.

  ‘Ladies, salvation is nigh. The Yanks are finally here in Cornwall.’ Dr Blacklaw, one of the younger doctors in the hospital, came across to them. Apparently, he’d seen them on the road to Trebah that morning.

  ‘Did you speak to them?’ Bess was eager to hear everything she could about these dashing soldiers.

  ‘No, they were just beeping and waving at anyone around. Seemed rowdy to me. God knows what they can do to help us win the war.’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous!’ Bess was indignant. ‘Just because they like a bit of fun doesn’t mean they’re not brave.’

  Dr Blacklaw held up his hands. ‘Sorry, Bess,�
� he said in mock fear. ‘Didn’t know you were so well acquainted with them.’

  ‘I’m not.’ Bess tossed her head. ‘But I intend to be. Me and Nancy are going to go to Truro next day off to see if we can do anything to help them settle in, aren’t we, Nance?’

  ‘If you like, Bess. Got to make our allies feel welcome, don’t we?’ She winked.

  Dr Blacklaw laughed. ‘Well, I can think of no one better than you two to do just that,’ he said as he went to spread his news further.

  Nancy laughed with him, but Bess was fuming. ‘Bloody cheek. What did he mean by that?’

  ‘Oh, Bess, can’t you take a joke?’

  ‘Not when he’s implying nasty things about me. Anyway, I’m only interested in one American. The one I saw this morning.’ She shivered. ‘Ooh, if I can only find him again, I’d make him very welcome. I think I’m in love.’

  ‘Again,’ groaned April and Mattie together.

  ‘No need to be like that. This time I’m serious. No other man will do.’

  ‘Well, I hope you see him again, Bess. I can’t wait to meet this paragon.’

  ‘You’ll be laughing on the other side of your face, Mattie Hargan, when I finally do find him and work my charm.’

  ‘And I’ll be happy to admit my mistake. Now come on, you two, let’s get back.’

  *

  In the next few weeks everyone who lived in Truro saw the arrival of the first groups of American personnel. Their great vehicles with the steering wheel on the wrong side, huge white stars on the fluttering canvas, filled with smiling, waving men in unfamiliar green uniforms, roared through the towns, along the narrow country lanes and then seemed to disappear.

  One morning, April was running some errands in town for Mrs Teague, who was, so she said, ‘feeling a bit blue’. April was used to Mrs Teague’s moods by now, and she knew that she took all the terrible news they’d been hearing about the war to heart. The night before, they’d listened to the news of the bombing of a hospital ship by the Luftwaffe in Alexandria and Mrs Teague had wept bitterly. She kept demanding that April promise not to do field nursing.