Tender Nurse

by Hilda Nickson

  “But what became of your musical career?”

  Virginia gave a wry smile. “Oh, I guess I just wasn’t good enough. You have to be a really brilliant pianist to be up to concert standard. You need a kind of flare for public performance too. At auditions, I was always so nervous, I fumbled and hit wrong notes. I tried teaching for a while, but found that deadly. Of course, I still love to play.”

  “And I’d love to hear you.”

  “Then you must come home with me one day. I play here on odd occasions, but with the competition of the radio and television, opportunities are a bit rare.”

  “I’d love to come to your home sometime. I’ve no proper home, I’m afraid. At least, I’ve no family.”

  “You poor dear,” Virginia said with quick sympathy. “How’s that?”

  Andrea told her about the death of her mother.

  “Having no father for as long as I remember, mother and I were everything to each other. When she died and I decided to take up nursing, I sold our house and furnished a small flat. Actually, I have been wondering whether to let it whilst I’m here, but on second thoughts, I may keep it on. With the money I made from the sale of the house, and a little mother left me, I can afford to for a while, at any rate. It would be rather nice to have somewhere to go on our off-duty, wouldn’t it?”

  “It certainly would,” Virginia agreed. “My own home is about fifty miles away — much too far to travel on an evening off.”

  “There we are then. We’ll be able to go along there— to the flat I mean — and cook a meal, or even have a party. Incidentally, there’s rather a nice piano there. Mother played beautifully, that’s why I didn’t want to part with it, but I’m not much of a player. It will be lovely to hear you play, Virginia.”

  “I can hardly wait to try it, my dear,” she said, her eyes shining.

  “Well, what about Friday? We’ve both got an evening off, haven’t we?”

  “Oh yes — but haven’t you heard? There’s a hospital dance on Friday evening. You do dance I suppose?”

  “I love it.”

  “Good. You’ll be able to invite Godfrey.”

  “Shall I really?”

  “Yes. We’re all allowed to invite one friend.”

  “Have you anyone you want to invite, Virginia? You haven’t told me anything about the romances in your life.” Virginia laughed. “Oh, my dear, I’m almost on a par with the Legionaires. I took up nursing as a cure for a broken heart. I must say the cure was pretty rapid and quite, quite complete. So at the moment there isn’t even anyone on the horizon. I rather like George Howard — he’s on the medical side — but there’s so much competition for the M.O.’s, particularly at our dances, that a civilized person like me doesn’t stand a chance.”

  “Virginia, you’re a tonic,” said Andrea. “I’m sorry about your broken romance, but a nice girl like you is sure to find someone else soon.”

  “Thanks for the compliment,” laughed Virginia.

  “I heard Dr. Graham — Mr. Graham——” Andrea corrected herself, “address the anaesthetist as George in the theatre the other day. Would that be Dr. Howard?”

  “Yes, that’s right. He gives anaesthetics. He’s rather keen on ‘hearts.’ ”

  “He looked rather nice,” Andrea remarked.

  “He is. I met him when I was on ‘Sunshine,’ one of the childrens’ wards. He’s a really genuine type, but too good looking, and too good a dancer. At our dances you have to be a hussy to get anywhere near him.”

  For the remainder of the evening until bed-time, the all important question was—what to wear. By the time Virginia said good night and went to her own room, Andrea was feeling more human again.

  She was happy at finding a friend in someone so extremely likeable as Virignia. Her matter of factness and her light-hearted outlook on life had helped to take much of the unpleasant edge from the recent events. It seemed almost incredible that so much had happened to her in the short time she had been at the hospital.

  During the next few days she made every endeavour to avoid meeting the surgeon. She was not called upon to go to the theatre, or to accompany him on his round, and when he visited the ward she made herself busy in the linen room or sluice room.

  Rather to her chargin, she came to realize all too quickly, that in many instances, Martin Graham’s opinion of nurses in general was true, even as Virginia had said. One nurse told Andrea quite flatly that she had been a fool not to make believe that Martin had taken her out. Many another nurse would have. “You would have been the envy of everybody.” she told her. “Martin is wonderful. We’re all crazy about him.”

  Godfrey rang up with the news that his car was again in good running order, and Andrea’s invitation to the hospital dance, he readily accepted.

  Virginia and Godfrey liked each other at once.

  “What a nice girl you’ve made friends with, Andrea,” Godfrey said as they stood and watched Virginia being whirled into a dance.

  “I’m so glad you like her.”

  They were standing near the doorway of the Nurses’ dining room, a large room converted, for that evening, into a ballroom. Suddenly Andrea was aware that Martin Graham was standing at her elbow. Godfrey saw him too, and to Andrea’s emabrrassment, he greeted the surgeon in the friendliest fashion.

  “Good evening, Mr. Graham. It was so good of you to see Andrea safely back to the hospital the other night.”

  Martin glanced quickly at Andrea, who forced herself to smile.

  “Not at all,” he murmured politely. “I trust you soon got to the bottom of the trouble with your car?”

  “Oh, yes, thank you.”

  “Good.” He nodded briefly and walked over to where Julia Fisher was sitting.

  Godfrey watched him go, a slightly preplexed frown on his face. “The doctor seemed rather cool, Andrea.”

  Andrea looked a trifle uncomfortable. “I didn’t tell you before, Godfrey, but he is the surgeon whom I got the wrong side of on my first day here, and I’ve been on the wrong side of him ever since. Now you know why I didn’t want to accept his offer of a lift that night.”

  “But he seemed friendly enough then.”

  “Perhaps he did, but I’d rather have been late than accept that lift.”

  “Oh, but why, darling? From what you told me of the incident on the ward that morning, it wasn’t all that serious.”

  “No, but——”

  She stopped abruptly. Somehow she had no wish to distress him by giving him an account of the scene in the theatre and her interview with Matron, and she certainly did not wish to tell him about what happened in Martin’s car.

  “I just don’t like him, that’s all,” she finished abruptly. “Come on, Godfrey, let’s dance.”

  “Andrea!” Godfrey looked down at her, a worried expression in his warm brown eyes. “Are you really happy here—at the hospital?”

  “Why, of course I am. I love it. Why do you ask?”

  “Well, it’s difficult to say, but somehow you don’t seem to be your normal, cheerful self these days. For instance, I can’t ever remember hearing you say before that you disliked anyone—without having extremely good reason.”

  Andrea did not immediately reply and they danced in silence for a while.

  “I’m sorry, Godfrey,” she said after a while. “I — I suppose I’m just temporarily annoyed with him more than anything. I was in the theatre the other day and he —he ticked me off about something.”

  Godfrey frowned. “Darling, he isn’t making life uncomfortable for you, is he?”

  She gave a little laugh. “Oh, good heavens, no. As a matter of fact——” she looked up into his face and smiled mischievously. “You should be glad that I’m annoyed with him. Almost everyone in the hospital absolutely adores him.”

  He grinned broadly. “Is that so? Well, in that case, stay annoyed with him, darling. Save all your sweet smiles for me.”

  “I certainly will.”

  At that moment the d
ance tempo changed.

  “Oh heavens, it’s a Paul Jones,” Godfrey exclaimed. “I Suppose we’ll have to separate. See you later, sweetheart.”

  Andrea found herself with other nurses forming a large circle. To her dismay, on the inner circle of men, Martin Graham was coming towards her. She hung back a little hoping that the music would stop before they met. Then, when he was almost abreast of her, she tried to hurry past him, but as if with deliberate perversity, the music stopped. In a kind of desperation, she turned to the man next to him who happened to be George Howard.

  “Hello,” George said as he took her in his arms. “Nice work.”

  She bristled, suddenly remembering Virginia’s words about “hussies”—nurses who deliberately cut others out at the dances.

  “What do you mean?” she asked sharply.

  He smiled. “Forget it, sweet. I wanted to dance with you, anyway.”

  She flushed. “I hope you don’t think I really wanted to cut in. It was just that I didn’t want to dance with Mr. Graham.”

  “Well, thanks,” he said dryly. “That makes everything beautifully clear.”

  They regarded each other for a moment. He was certainly very handsome, Andrea decided. He had that clear skin that goes with fair hair, a homely kind of nose and a crinkled smile calculated to fascinate any girl in the least susceptible. Andrea however did not consider herself open to be captivated at that moment, though she admitted that she liked his eyes, and as she looked at him, she suddenly realized that, in a way, Godfrey was right. She seemed to be at variance with everyone.

  “I’m sorry,” she said quickly.

  He smiled into her eyes. “That’s all right. It’s I who should apologize. You’re Nurse Grey, aren’t you?”

  “Yes. How did you know?”

  “Somebody was telling me a long tale about you and Graham.”

  “Oh no!”

  “I also overheard you and he having words the other day in the anaesthetic room. Graham has been like a bear with a sore head ever since. Oh, and by the way, Sister Fisher heard it too.”

  “But how? The door was closed.”

  He shrugged. In actual fact, he had entered the theatre to find Julia Fisher deliberately listening at the anaesthetic room door. He merely said to Andrea, however, “those walls aren’t as sound proof as all that, you know.”

  “What else have you heard about me?” she asked after a slight pause.

  “Nothing you haven’t heard yourself, I imagine. I can’t think what made old Graham get so shirty about the story that you’d been out together. He ought to be well used to that kind of gossip in hospitals by now.”

  The music stopped and he led her to a seat and sat down beside her.

  Andrea felt a sudden desire to confide in him.

  “Mr. Graham reported me to Matron for being rude to him,” she said.

  He stared at her. “Martin Graham do a thing like that? Not on your sweet life.”

  “But he must have” she protested.

  “No. Get that idea right out of your head, beautiful. I’ve known Martin for years. I was at school with him. He just wouldn’t do a thing like that. No, whoever reported that to Matron, it wasn’t Martin Graham, you can take my word for it. By the way, how long have you been here?”

  “Five days.”

  “Good Lord! Is that all?”

  Andrea laughed. “Yes, and I seem to have been up to my ears in hot water ever since I came.”

  “If you mean the Graham affair, I should forget it. Have you made any friends among the nurses yet?”

  “Yes. A girl called Virginia Slater.”

  “Slater? Oh, yes, I know. A tall, dark, rather pale girl. Looks as though she could never be put out.” Andrea laughed. “Yes, that’s right. She’s a nice girl.” “I imagine so. I liked her way with the kids on Sunshine. And socially, she knows how to behave. She has a natural dignity which is rare.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning nothing, you little goose,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “You’re all right.”

  Somehow she felt light-hearted again. Not merely because she had spent half an hour or so in the company of someone so agreeable. In some queer way, it was something to do with the way George Howard had spoken of Mr. Graham. Deep in her heart, she was glad to hear George’s strong assertion that he could not possibly have reported her.

  “Hello,” Godfrey said as she re-joined him. “You’re looking very bright. What has happened to you?”

  “Oh, nothing in particular. I’m sorry I’ve been such a bear lately. I suppose a new life is bound to take a little getting used to.”

  Toward the end of the evening, Martin Graham strode over to her. Andrea had noticed him dancing with Sister Fisher once or twice, and they looked well suited to each other. She, slim and fair, her left hand seeming to caress his shoulder. He, dark and good looking with a bearing that was almost arrogant. He stood before Andrea.

  “Will you dance?”

  She stood up and gave him her hand without speaking.

  For a moment he said nothing, as with long, easy strides, he led her into the dance. Then he surprised her by saying:

  “You look charming. Lemon suits you, and those glittering black lines in the dress are very intriguing.”

  She colored faintly. Was he mocking her again?

  His glance was softer now, though still speculating, as he said: “You were just going to get angry again, weren’t you? Upon my word, I’ve never met such a spitfire.”

  She smiled ashamedly.

  “That’s better. Actually, I’ve a confession to make. I’m rather temperamental myself, if you’ll pardon the parallel. I owe you an apology. I jumped to some hasty conclusions about you, it seems.”

  For a moment Andrea scarcely knew what to say. Then under cover of the applause of the dance number, she said: “You make me feel ashamed. I—I’ve been jumping to some pretty hasty conclusions too.”

  He smiled suddenly as he took her hand for the encore.

  “You’re not wearing your engagement ring,” he said, looking down at her third finger.

  She blushed faintly. “I’m not engaged.”

  “Oh. Forgive me. I thought the young man here with you——”

  “We’ve known each other a long time and we’re very good friends, but we’re not engaged. I—after all, I have four years training to do if I’m to become a qualified nurse, which I want to do—and long engagements are not really wise.’’

  “So you think a career is more important than marriage?”

  “Not necessarily.”

  She marvelled at the ease with which she now found herself talking to him. Was he often like this?

  Godfrey claimed her for the last waltz and it was past midnight when the dance ended.

  A little while later, Andrea and Virginia, clad in their dressing gowns sipped a cup of tea before getting into bed. “I do like your Godfrey,” said Virginia.

  “And I like your George.”

  “Yes. Isn’t he nice? What do you think? He asked me out. We’re going to the theatre on my next day off.”

  “How lovely. I’m so glad.”

  Virginia smiled. “Now, now. Don’t go cooking up a great romance.” She inclined her head quizzically. “I saw you dancing with Martin. You seemed to be getting on famously.”

  Andrea looked intently into her cup. “As a matter of fact,” she said slowly, “he apologized to me.”

  “He did what?” Virginia asked incredulously.

  “He said he’d jumped to conclusions about me. You won’t mention it to anyone else, will you?”

  “Well, that beats everything,” gasped Virginia.

  “I apologized to him too.”

  Virginia gave her an amused glance. “You seem to have had quite a time.”

  “Well, as you said, I have been prejudiced against him, and from what George told me, I don’t think Mr. Graham did report me to Matron. He wouldn’t stoop to such a thing.”

 
; Virginia howled with laughter.

  “What’s so funny?” asked Andrea.

  “Oh, my dear,” gasped Virginia, her eyes streaming with laughter. “So you’ve joined in the queue. I wondered how long it would be before you were worshipping at his feet along with all the rest.”

  “Nonsense, Virginia. I’m doing nothing of the kind.” She got up indignantly. “I shall go to bed.”

  “Good night, my sweet,” laughed Virginia. “Pleasant dreams.”

  Chapter Five

  THE next few months passed pleasantly for Andrea. After a brief two weeks, she had been put on one of the childrens’ wards, and after that, an adult medical ward. Here, life was less dramatic than on the surgical ward and theatre, but satisfying, none the less. On the medical ward, caring for patients suffering from rheumatism, heart disease and so on, much depended on nursing skill. Andrea was happy in her job, treating tenderly the painful joints of acute rheumatism until they became less painful and the patient was normal again; or giving every possible attention to a heart case, so that in rest and contentment, nature could work more speedily. Drugs and medicines played a great part, of course, but these were given by the more senior nurses, and Andrea was content to minister in the other ways.

  The freshness of spring had given place to a humid summer and hospital dances to tennis tournaments which Andrea very much enjoyed. She had seen a good deal of George Howard on his daily round of the ward, and the more she saw of him, the better she liked him. Martin Graham, on the other hand, seemed to have passed almost out of her existence. She had seen little of him since the night of the dance. Her talk with him then and the scene in the theatre had faded almost into obscurity in the busy life. Virginia had been on night duty, so apart from the occasions when her night off coincided with Andrea’s day off, they too had not seen quite so much of each other.

  “How is Godfrey these days?” Virginia asked one morning as, still in her uniform, she sat on Andrea’s bed.

  It was Andrea’s day off, and Virginia under cover of her cloak had carried a pot of tea from the night nurses’ home. Both girls were somewhat sleepy; Andrea not yet quite awake from her night’s sleep, and Virginia ready for sleep after her long night on duty.