The Lieutenant's Nurse

by Sara Ackerman

  As it turned out, they did have a choice. Dr. Brown stuck hard to his story, the nurse in the room refused to come forward, or even speak with Evelyn, and the townsfolk kept on believing that their doctor was infallible. The only consolation was that Jed Lemon agreed to drop charges if Evelyn was fired and stripped of her credentials.

  There went her entire life, in a matter of days.

  MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

  December 9 & 10

  Exhaustion and fear and worry were constant companions for the rest of the afternoon. Eva found it impossible to concentrate for longer than ten seconds at a time. She’d be changing a bandage and suddenly seeing the fleck in Clark’s eye, or smell that Old Spice on his neck. The next moment, words from the letter haunted her. We are watching you. Had anyone seen her go to the Dungeon? And people all around her in the hospital were tense as telephone wires, worried about the next wave of attacks. The Japanese wouldn’t have traveled this far across the ocean, bombed the hell out of the island and sailed home. Would they?

  Her conversation with the girls about running off into the hills behind Waimea Bay gave her an idea. Clark’s words had burned into her memory. You’ll see two gun turrets on each side of the beach, but you want to go back into the valley, not stay near the beach. Follow the stream back about a mile and you’ll come to a concrete bunker built into the hillside. Two miles back is another one. What if he had gone there? It was a silly notion, especially considering the shape he was in, and she swept the idea out of her mind.

  At half past four, Grace waltzed in and said, “Sweetie, you look wiped. Maybe you should take a rest.”

  “How are you holding up so well? I need a dose of whatever you’re taking,” Eva said.

  It was true. Grace looked better than ever. A new color was shining through on her face. An undeniable bounce in her step. While everyone around her had sleep-deprived eye bags and greasy hair, Grace seemed to have more color than ever. Instead of answering, she went over and sat with Samuel. He picked up her hand. She didn’t pull away.

  What the devil?

  “Say, did you ever get that letter written? Or remember your girlfriend’s name?” Eva asked Samuel, while glancing between the two of them.

  Grace gave her an annoyed look. “Bits and pieces of his memory are coming back. It turns out Dottie was his ex-girlfriend.”

  That was awfully convenient for Samuel, and Eva could only hope it was the case. “Ah. I see.” It wouldn’t be the first time a patient had fallen for his nurse.

  As much as she wanted to sleep, there was still too much to be done. New issues were arising constantly. Infections and shell shock now ran rampant. Fortunately, in their little room, Samuel was fine on the outside, Alex Wozniak’s shrapnel had all been removed, Denny Washington had a pneumothorax but was recovering well, and the other boys had all been cleaned and dressed by Grace, a stickler for sterile conditions. Alex and Denny were making full use of their pastime kits, brought in by students from Punahou School, playing checkers and cribbage to pass the time. Eva had grown more relaxed about Brandy, who now lay at the foot of Samuel’s bed, half-buried in sheets.

  Eva’s back was to the door when Dr. Newcastle arrived. “What is this, a kennel?” he yelled the minute he saw Brandy.

  Grace, who was closer, swept Brandy off the bed and into her arms. Eva spun. Dr. Newcastle wasn’t looking at Grace and Brandy; he was eyeing her.

  “Someone told me you’ve been parading that dog around the hospital. Is that true?” he said.

  “The men were asking to see her,” Eva said, trying to keep her voice under control.

  “You disobeyed direct orders.”

  Eva held her ground. “No disrespect, Doctor, but in these desperate circumstances, the dog is a blessing. Have you taken the time to notice how their faces change when she walks into the room?”

  You could have heard a feather drop.

  “As if we don’t have enough on our plates, now throw in fleas and ticks and rabies,” Newcastle said.

  “But she’s bathed and healthy.”

  Apparently, that was not the right thing to say, because Dr. Newcastle lit up like a steam engine. “The dog goes or you go.”

  Samuel decided to join in the fight. “Lighten up, Doc. These ladies know what they’re doing. You might be able to stitch people’s bodies back together, but have you taken a good look around? It’s our souls that need tending.”

  Eva couldn’t have put it better herself. “He’s right, and you know we had one back at—” She stopped a second before blurting out Hollowcreek General.

  “Back where?”

  “At a hospital I once visited,” she said.

  “And which one was that?”

  “Greenwood.”

  He looked dubious. “We stick to the rules here at Tripler,” Dr. Newcastle said.

  “Sir, if she’s kept clean and let out to use the bathroom, why not keep her around? She can be our morale booster,” Grace said.

  Dr. Newcastle’s nostrils flared. “Goddamn it, I said no. You’re dismissed, Miss Olson, and when you come back—without that mongrel—you and I are going to have that talk.”

  It took a moment to register. Olson. The blood drained from her head. Had he really just said that? Eva looked to Grace, whose eyes were huge with surprise.

  He knew.

  There was nothing to do but leave. Eva called Brandy, who jumped down with her tail between her legs as if she knew what had been said.

  “Come on, girl, let’s go.”

  * * *

  Grace came home three hours later, setting down her purse and a brown bag stained with grease. Eva had fallen asleep in her uniform, spooning Brandy on the bed. Her eyes felt gritty, like someone had thrown a handful of sand into them, and her body was a bag of lead. She rolled onto her back and propped her head on the pillow.

  “I suppose I should pack my bags,” she said.

  Grace plopped down on the bed next to her, smelling of sulfa powder and fried chicken. “He did say ‘When you come back.’”

  “Did you not hear him? He called me Miss Olson, Grace. I’m done here.”

  “I heard. But with Dr. Newcastle, you never know. He’d have to be a numskull to fire you right now.”

  “From the minute I got here, I’ve been a thorn in his side,” Eva said.

  “A talented and smart thorn in his side. He’s not blind.”

  On the whole walk home, Eva had replayed the interaction. She could tell he’d been furious for being publicly disobeyed, and then ganged up on. Why tell her to come back? Maybe he just needed time to write her up, report her, have her arrested. Who knew what the penalty was for lying to the military.

  Eva sighed, rubbing her temples. “I just want a hot shower and a beer and then to sleep and never wake up. It keeps getting worse.”

  “No alcohol allowed, but go take a shower. I have food for us.”

  “No alcohol?”

  “They’ve banned liquor sales,” Grace said.

  “Goodness. I suppose it’s for the best.”

  The last thing they needed were angry drunken sailors in the streets, hunting down innocent local Japanese. She’d heard enough to know how many of the boys felt. Just by being Japanese, American or not, one was guilty as all get-out.

  Once Eva and Grace cleaned up, they sat on the rug and gorged on fried chicken and rice. The chicken was soggy and the rice had hunks of black stuff mixed into it that Grace said was seaweed, but Eva swore food had never tasted so delicious. Brandy had manners, too, not one of those dogs that bites your hand off when you feed it. Eva made a mental note to find some kibble tomorrow and get her properly fed.

  Through all this Grace seemed more bubbly and upbeat than she had since Eva had arrived. It certainly wasn’t due to their current circumstances.

  “Tell me right this minute what’s
going on with you and Samuel Matthews,” Eva said.

  “He’s handsome, isn’t he?”

  “Handsome, yes. Available, who knows.”

  Grace had goner written all over her face. “He told me as soon as he gets out of here, he’s going to take me to the Royal Hawaiian and wine and dine me.”

  “I just hope that when he remembers things, there’s not a wife and kids back home. You’re walking on shaky ground, sweets,” Eva said.

  Brandy rolled onto her back and stretched to full capacity and exposed her stomach for rubs.

  Grace wilted slightly. “You think that’s the case?”

  “We’ll ask around. Probably not, but it would help to know before you go falling in love or anything silly like that.”

  Grace mumbled something under her breath.

  “What?” Eva asked.

  “Oh, nothing. Listen, you have enough to worry about, and speaking of falling in love—have you thought any more about Clark and where he might be?”

  Every other minute.

  “I have an idea, but it’s far-fetched.”

  “Tell me anyway.”

  Eva told her she was going to try to find Clark’s hideout, but left out all details regarding the G-men and the note. No sense in involving her and putting her at risk. “It would also mean taking off the morning and borrowing a car to go search for him.”

  “If it were Samuel out there, I’d follow any lead I had. You can use my car,” Grace said.

  “You think he could have made it there in his condition?”

  “Stranger things have happened.”

  * * *

  The following morning Eva rose before the sun. The old Buick took a few turnovers before its engine sputtered to life. Never mind the dull gray paint and rusted fender, Eva was grateful to have a set of wheels. Brandy had been hesitant to climb inside, but once the car started rolling, she stuck her head out the window and nose in the air.

  Strands of sun lit up the water of Pearl Harbor. From their vantage point, it looked like an iridescent mess. Debris from all the explosions could be seen floating everywhere and for the first time, Eva wondered about the fish and sea creatures that had lived here. Turtles, rays, dolphins and even whales. What had become of them? Surely no animal could still be alive in that nasty water, and she felt a whole other layer of sadness settle in.

  “Watch out, Brandy,” Eva said as they careened around a corner. The car might have been old, but it had horsepower. Every time she lightly pressed the gas pedal, they burst forward and Brandy lost her footing. That didn’t stop her from climbing right back up again. She could have sworn the little dog was smiling, and Eva was happy for the company.

  Once out of the gates and Pearl Harbor, they headed toward the middle of the island, a high plateau between two long ranges. The mountains here were straight out of a dream. Tall and craggy and buried in dense foliage draped in mist. Eva looked in the rearview mirror every now and then to make sure no one was following. Setting out alone into the sugarcane fields and remote part of the island might not have been a smart idea, but until she exhausted all leads in finding Clark, she couldn’t rest.

  With each mile they claimed, the air cooled and the sky grew darker. At first she thought it was just because they were moving away from the sun, but once they reached the top of the plateau—where pineapple fields stretched out in all directions—she realized the road disappeared into a wall of gray clouds. Just her luck. She had packed food and water, but no raincoat. Eva pulled over near a grove of eucalyptus trees and rolled up Brandy’s window. The scented trees reminded her of the lemon balm in their garden, and Ruby and all that was once good in her life. When the future had seemed so clear that she could have reached out and touched it. A bright career, a healthy, thriving sister and a future husband all neatly wrapped.

  All gone.

  Before starting up the car again, Eva heard the hum of a motor in the distance. She decided to stay put until the car passed, curious and a tad apprehensive about who it might be. When leaving her barracks earlier, she had scoured the area for any signs of surveillance. Nothing had jumped out at her. Now Brandy cocked her ears, tipped her head and watched Eva with a look that said, What are we waiting for?

  A shiny, black Model A came into view. For a moment, Eva thought it was slowing and felt the stirrings of fear, but the driver didn’t glance her way and gassed it as he went by. The man probably had a perfectly good explanation for being on the road this early. Schofield Barracks, a small city unto itself, Wheeler Air Force Base and several minuscule plantation towns were all out this way. Grace had told Eva she’d once taken a sightseeing train to Haleiwa, and been sorely disappointed that the long, white sand beaches out front were reserved for servicemen. A common theme that seemed to crop up in conversation. Officers Only, Army Only, Soldiers Only. What of the local residents?

  Allowing some distance between herself and the Model A, Eva started up again. They drove right into the cloud as it dumped bucketloads of rain onto the windshield. Eva couldn’t see as far as she could throw. She slowed the vehicle to a crawl, wary of the deep gulches that crisscrossed the area.

  Splashing through mud puddles the size of bathtubs, Eva began to fret about Grace’s car. Each bump sounded like it was shaking something loose. A rattle here, a bang there. She looked to the Star-Bulletin newspaper on the floor. Beneath it was the gun. She felt silly for bringing it, and a little reckless, but if anyone stopped her, she would have no trouble convincing them it was for protection in case of a Japanese invasion. Nevertheless, this felt like a clandestine operation, one which she was woefully unprepared for.

  The rain continued to pelt down as she drove by Schofield and Wheeler. In the whiteout, Eva saw nothing but their signs and a muddy river about to overflow its banks. If the stream near Clark’s hideaway was anything like this one, it would be swollen and dangerous and impossible to cross. Nevertheless, she kept going. And then the darnedest thing happened. The clouds thinned, strands of light filled the car and a minute later she popped out into blue sky and sunshine. Just like that. The land sloped toward the ocean like a lime-and-evergreen patchwork quilt, dark with pineapples and pale with sugarcane. The breeze carried a sweet burning smell, causing her mouth to pucker. Below, a white line of sand snaked along the coast, dipping into bays and coves as far as the eye could see. This was the Hawaii of postcards and dreams.

  Not Pearl Harbor.

  Not even Waikiki.

  Haleiwa could scarcely be called a town. A one-lane road with lazy storefronts, a lava-rock church with a sign announcing that God was coming to town next week, and a dozen brown-skinned boys leaping from the bridge. They all waved as she drove past. One of them held out a stalk of sugarcane. “Twenty-five cents,” he yelled. A smile warmed her insides. Kids would be kids, war or no war. As far as they were concerned, school was canceled and that was something to celebrate.

  On the other side of the river, her mood dropped when she caught sight of something black parked under a tangle of bush. A Ford Model A. The same exact one that had passed her earlier. Her heart took off running, mind spinning with possibilities. He’s following you. No, he’s just out for a drive. Don’t be ridiculous, no one would be out for a drive today, everyone’s been urged to stay at home. He could be out here for a million reasons. Relax. Eva floored the jalopy, leaving a whirlwind of red dust in the air as she sped off.

  The road went from bad to worse, but she didn’t care. They careened around a sharp turn and onto the coastline. Poor Brandy fell from her perch and was pinned to the door.

  “Hang on there, girl,” Eva said.

  A long straightaway paralleled an airstrip. She pushed the gas pedal until her foot hit the floor. This time, Brandy kept her head in the window. The boys back home used to drag race down by the old quarry, and Eva and her friends would watch for kicks. Right now, she was going fast enough to drag
race an airplane and felt ready to liftoff. Thankfully, there were no other cars in the road, and Eva slowed it down when she felt she’d put some ground between her and the mystery man.

  Between having to change her name and leave Michigan, keeping her guard up at Tripler, and now being watched by goons, Eva was exhausted. And in all honesty, all she cared about at this very moment was finding Clark.

  After that, perhaps it was time to tell people the truth. About herself, about what she knew. Her father used to say that lies had no future, that they might take care of the present, but in the end, they always unraveled. Boy, was he right.

  Beyond the airstrip, there was nothing but brush and spindly trees on one side, ocean on the other. Salt fogged up the air. On any other day, she would have pulled over and run down to the shore to feel the water on her feet and comb the beach for shells. Today, she barely gave it a glance. The only person around was a man with a fishing pole walking a goat. He rubbernecked as she flew by.

  Fortunately, there was a slight hill leading to the bluff, or she might have missed the turn and ended up parking the car in the ocean. The sight stole her breath. Looking down over the turquoise water, you could see right through it to the pillows of coral below. Rocks the size of school buses stuck up here and there.

  I dare you not to jump in, it seemed to say.

  Set farther back, the beach was nestled between two sheer valley walls with green thickets crawling around on them. There were no signs announcing that this was Waimea Bay, but Eva knew without a doubt. Clark had described it tree for tree.

  On the other side of the stream, a jeep road followed the base of an overhanging cliff. A landslide had taken down part of the mountain a little ways in. Eva looked up and saw giant boulders ready to topple down at any moment. The vibration of the Buick’s engine might have been enough to dislodge them. Behind the beach, there was a clearing to park, but darned if she was going to leave the car in plain sight.

  “What do you think?” Eva asked Brandy, as if the dog might tell her what to do.