Mrs. Fincher quieted them down quickly. “There simply isn’t enough time to discuss all the details. There are exactly twenty spots for nurses. No more. There will be no time for goodbyes. Gather your things, and prepare to leave immediately. You may take one bag that weighs less than ten pounds. And for the sake of everyone, especially those left behind, you will speak of this to no one.”
I surveyed the others, all of us stunned by this sudden turn in our course. Some seemed reluctant to go.
“This feels like desertion,” someone said.
“I’ll stay. Someone else should go in my place,” said another.
The questions were endless, but time was not. We were hurried away, and I went to my bed to decide on what to take with me.
Some things were easy. Daddy’s Bible, a few toiletries, and a camera I’d found in Janine’s locker. I put the Bible and camera into my small bag, then went to gather some clothing.
When I turned to pick up a skirt, I spied Natalie stomping toward me, stopping with her hands on her hips. “Is it true?” she demanded. “Are you leaving?”
I had been so overcome with the excitement of the announcement that I had failed to notice Natalie’s absence from the room. Yet I had no fear left inside of me over what she might do. I gave her a moment’s glance, and resumed packing. This seemed to anger her even more.
“I asked you a question! Are you on the list to be evacuated?”
In answer, I put another skirt into my bag before zipping it up.
“Why would they pick you? That doesn’t make any sense. You’re a…a nobody. You’re a liar…and…and a murderer!”
I placed my bag at the end of the bed and pushed past her.
“You promised!” she screamed, almost hysterical. “You said if a chance came to escape, that I could go too! You liar!”
“Look,” I said. “I had no idea any of this was going on. We just found out about it a few minutes ago. Had I known, I would have asked that you be included—”
“Then ask now! Or give your seat to me!”
I’d had enough. I charged at her, raising my voice. “And then what, Natalie? You want my husband? You want my firstborn? Should I give you all my money? I have nothing more to give you, and I won’t be controlled by you any longer! Go tell your little story to whomever you like. At this point, you’ll just sound like a lunatic. No one cares!”
Natalie’s face grew red as she noticed a couple of other nurses nearby who were outright staring at us. Then she pointed her finger at me. “You won’t get away, Ruby Graves…Doyle…Grace Miller…oh, whoever you are. I know your true identity. And everyone else is going to know too.”
Matthew
I stood in the background, my back pressed up against the cement wall of the lateral that housed General Wainwright’s offices. Several higher-ranking officers stood around a table pointing at a map of the thousands of islands that made up the Philippines. The main focus was the safest route to navigate around the islands that were already under Japanese control in order to reach Mindanao, where the PBY planes would be waiting.
Once the route was settled on, the generals and colonels were dismissed, and Major Prescott brought a marine named Hank Stringer and me over to the map. He pointed at the south dock. “You’ll each be in charge of a group of evacuees. You’ll lead them down to the dock, load them onto the two boats waiting, and secure their transitions to the PBY planes here, just east of Cabayan.” He pointed to a small cove on the northern tip of Mindanao. “It will be important to keep everyone calm, quiet, and most importantly, moving. Help the civilians as best you can. They haven’t been trained for things like this. Come to think of it, the nurses probably haven’t been either. Identify the most cool-headed of the nurses in each group to help with leading the women. Hopefully none of them will be given to hysterics.”
I nodded along as he finished the instructions, still wondering how this had all happened so quickly. I didn’t want to analyze it too much. God had obviously worked to make it possible, just as He’d been guiding us all along.
“You understand everything?” Prescott asked.
I studied the path leading down to the docks. That area had taken heavy fire all morning, but for some reason no one could explain, the Japs had backed off later in the day. They hadn’t bombed the southern side of the island since the morning. Another intervention by God, I was sure.
“I’ve got it,” I said to Prescott. “I’m ready.”
Stringer concurred. He’d obviously once been in great shape, a real athlete. Like all the marines, he still had the confidence and stance of someone who had mastered the pain that comes with pushing your body to its limits. But starvation had taken its toll, as it had on everyone. Dark circles framed his eyes, and I noticed several bandages along his arms. Shrapnel. Stringer was one tough cookie.
So what was I doing there? I was a newly appointed captain, and I’d lost most of my men in the jungles of Bataan. What had Prescott seen in me?
Prescott shook our hands and dismissed us. We were to report down to the south tunnel entrance in one hour. I headed out of the headquarters laterals, coming out near the main lateral of the hospital section. I’d planned on finding Ruby and making sure she was ready to go, when I turned a corner and found Natalie waiting for me instead.
She looked terrible. I couldn’t believe I’d ever found her attractive. She’d wasted away to skin and bones, and her angry eyes bulged as she practically spat at me. “You promised to get me on a plane.”
“I didn’t promise you anything, Natalie.” I started to continue past her, but she stepped into my path.
“She did. She promised me I could go too. That was the only reason I kept my mouth shut.”
“That, and you didn’t want to kill the goose that was laying your golden eggs. Who else would you have stolen rations and medicine from?”
Anger flashed in her dull eyes, and she stepped toward me, pushing her needle-like finger into my chest. “If you don’t figure out a way to get me on one of those planes, I swear, I will—”
“You’ll what? Tell Fincher who she really is? So what? We’ll deny it. And given your state of mind, no one will believe you.”
“Maybe not. But do you know who else is in this tunnel? Homer Freeman.”
“Who?” I feigned ignorance, but my nerves tightened.
“The journalist, Homer Freeman. Works for Time. He’s been reporting on everything going on here. I bet he’d love to know there was an escaped convicted murderer posing as a nurse. That she was taking the place of some poor, brave real nurse who deserved to escape this hell. What a story that would be.”
“If he’s about to be captured by the Japanese, I doubt he’ll be concerned with your little tale.”
“He isn’t going to be captured. He’s in the group that’s about to be evacuated. So you and your wife might reach Australia, but I doubt you’ll go anywhere else.”
I didn’t have time for all this. “What do you want me to do? I have no say in whose name is on the list to go.”
“That’s a lie! Grace’s name is on the list. You must have had something to do with it.”
“Official policy. The wife of an officer can be evacuated. You don’t qualify, unless you can get some poor sucker to marry you in less than an hour.”
“Then think of something. You think of something right now, or I’m going to shout from the rooftops who Ruby really is.”
Everything in me wanted to challenge her to do just that, if nothing but to end the threat. But I couldn’t take that chance. Not with Ruby’s future. I threw my hands up. “All right, all right! I’ll think of something. Go get your belongings.” Then I stepped over and lowered my voice to a growl. “And stay away from Ruby.”
She studied me for a long moment as if she wasn’t sure if she could believe me. “I have your word?”
I sighed, resigned to what I was about to do. “Yes. I swear to you before God, that I will do everything I can, not that you deserve i
t.”
She seemed to relax, almost smiling. “Good. And I swear to you, when we land in Australia, I’ll forget everything I know about Ruby.”
“Sure you will,” I said, not hiding my sarcasm. “Now you better hurry if you want to make it. I’ll do what I can, but I will not hold up everyone else for you.”
She turned on her heels and ran down the main lateral of the hospital, disappearing into the dark. I asked around until I found Mrs. Fincher seated at a desk in a small branch off the main lateral. She looked up from her paperwork as I approached. “How can I help you, Captain Doyle?”
I sat down opposite her and set my mind to the task at hand. “I need to speak with you about the list of evacuees.”
Ruby
I left just before midnight ahead of the other nurses to go to the entrance where we were to meet. I was hoping to catch Matthew, and I wasn’t disappointed. He smiled as I came to him, kissing my cheek. He was heavily armed, along with another fellow I’d never met before. Matthew gestured toward him. “This is Captain Stringer with the 4th Marines. He’ll be leading the other group of evacuees. Captain Stringer, this is my wife, Ruby.”
His expression registered surprise when Matthew called me his wife. Then he smiled at me and shook my hand. “Nice to meet you, ma’am,” he said with the drawl of a cowboy.
“Will you excuse us for one moment?” Matthew said. He took my hand and led me around the edge of the entrance and onto the path that led down to the road. Setting his rifle down, he pulled me into his embrace, holding onto me without saying anything for a long moment. Then he kissed me deeply.
“I don’t want you to worry about anything, all right?” he said. “This is all going to happen fast, and we might not get a chance to talk again until after it’s all over. Just stick with your group and stay calm. And know that I love you more than anything in this whole world.”
“You sound like you’re saying goodbye,” I said, my heart thumping.
“No, of course not. It’s just…this is a dangerous mission, and anything can happen. I just want you to know that I love you and that I’ll do anything to protect you.”
He kissed me again, sliding his hand around my neck and holding on like it might be the last time. The desperation in his kiss gave me pause. “Matthew, is something wrong?”
He pressed his forehead to mine and took a deep breath. “No, everything will be fine. Just remember, you promised. No matter what happens, you get to safety in Australia.”
The uneasiness in my stomach grew. “What do you mean? What’s going to happen?”
“I don’t know. The Japs could attack us. The boats could get separated in the open water. The plane could stall. We could take anti-aircraft fire as we take off. I don’t want to worry you. I just want you to promise me you’ll stay on that plane and get to Australia, no matter what else happens. Promise me again.”
“I promise.”
He hugged me close, gently swaying in the breeze. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. That he was saying goodbye. I pushed the feeling down the best I could, knowing there was nothing more I could do. Maybe Matthew was just nervous about the plan. Maybe he was afraid for me.
“What about Henry?” I asked. “Are we just leaving him here? He’ll be captured.”
“I have a feeling Henry will take care of himself.”
I pulled back slightly and looked up at him. “Is he…is he all right? I haven’t seen him since…”
“He’ll be all right. He wants you to get to safety. I’m sure he’d come say goodbye to you if he could, but there just isn’t time.”
I peered out over the bay at the dark horizon, wondering what lay ahead. Down below, I could make out two small lights bobbing in the blackness of the bay. So much darkness.
“Do you remember when you and Henry came into my father’s furniture store looking for a table and a bed for your mother?” he said.
The memory made me smile. “Yes. I was so nervous.”
“You were adorable. All a mess and barely able to look at me.”
“Did you know, even back then? Did you know how hopelessly in love I was?”
He grinned and gave a little shrug. “Well, not at first. When Henry and I went back to get the extra chairs, he hinted around that I should walk you to get some ice cream. That it would give you a thrill.”
“That scoundrel!” I couldn’t keep myself from laughing. “After he abandoned me and everything.”
Matthew laughed along with me. “You were something else. I was so turned around and inside out, not knowing whether to love you or leave you alone. Seemed like I made you mad at me at every turn.”
“You were turned around? You? I was sure you’d never love me back. All I did was tell myself how ridiculous I was.”
He kissed me gently. “Doesn’t seem so ridiculous now, does it?”
“No,” I said, soaking in the feeling of his arms around my back, my hands on his chest, our hearts so close. “It feels like…like I’ve loved you forever.”
“You have. And I’ve loved you forever. Remember, nothing can come between us. God will always bring us together. Have faith in that.” He took a quick look around. “Let’s get you back to the group.”
He took my hand again, and we walked back to the entrance where the rest of the evacuees were gathering. There were twenty nurses selected to go, along with some civilians whom I knew to be the mistresses of several high-ranking officials. Some of the men included older officers who looked like they might not make the trek to the docks, let alone withstand captivity. Mr. Freeman also joined the group, scribbling furiously on a small notepad. General Wainwright stood among us, shaking hands and wishing each person well. Mrs. Fincher stood just behind him and off to the left, looking as stoic as ever.
As we gathered around, General Wainwright thanked us for our bravery and our service to our country. He told us to pray for those left behind, as they would pray for our safe travels. And he hoped we would all meet again someday soon. As he spoke I glanced around at the group of about fifty souls, praying for each person. Until I saw Natalie.
My heart was already racing with nerves, and now it dropped into my stomach. What was she doing? She hadn’t been on the list. Mrs. Fincher had specifically said there was only room for twenty nurses. I scanned the group and did a quick headcount. Twenty-one nurses. What was going on? Had she meant twenty army nurses? Maybe she’d originally counted me as part of the twenty.
Matthew was speaking to the group, giving instructions on how to proceed. “Keep moving at all times. No matter what happens. We may take fire from the Japanese, but keep your hand on the shoulder in front of you, and keep moving. If you stop, you stop everyone behind you.”
I tried to focus on his words, but couldn’t shake the dread that Natalie’s presence brought over me. How had she gotten added to the group? Could I never, ever escape that wretched woman?
“Everyone form two lines of twenty five,” Matthew continued. “When we reach the docks, you’ll be loaded into two boats. The line on the left will board the boat on the left. Line on the right, the boat on the right.”
We began separating into two lines. I stepped behind another nurse, one of the older ladies who’d been ill most of the time since we’d arrived on Corregidor. But I kept my eyes on Matthew up front.
“The boats will take you to a cove on an island south of here. Should be there by morning. Two PBY planes will then transport you to Australia. Stay calm, and keep moving. The voyage along the water might be rough, so find a sturdy position. Everyone ready?”
There was nodding and several calls of “Yes!”
“Follow me!”
Chapter Nineteen
Ruby
April 29, 1942
I kept my hand firmly on the shoulder of the nurse in front of me as we walked out the entrance and down a short path to the dirt road that wound along the southern coast of the island. Although we moved along at a steady pace, there were times
we had to veer off the road to get around fallen trees and debris, and we slowed down for a bit. As we approached the bottom of the slope, we circled around a huge crater, and the nurse in front of me lost her footing. She stumbled, and I reached to steady her.
She turned her head to the side, thanking me between heaving breaths. “I’m too old for this,” she gasped.
“You can do it,” I said. “One step at a time. We’re all here to help you.”
“I have to slow down.”
“Just a little bit further. Look, we’re almost to the dock.”
We reached the bottom of the hill and moved quickly along the wooden dock out over the lapping water. The boards shook with our combined weight. Ahead of us, I could see two boats on either side. When Matthew reached the boats, he turned and directed each line into them, helping the older evacuees climb aboard. When the lady in front of me reached the edge, she hesitated.
Matthew stepped over and took her hand. “What’s your name?”
“Beckett. Captain Laura Beckett.” Her voice shook.
“Let me help you, Captain Beckett,” he said.
I took her right elbow and together, Matthew and I eased her over the side of the boat. Then we shared a quick glance before I jumped on board. I took a seat on the side and held on, my heart thumping fit to burst. Soon, everyone was loaded, and Matthew jumped in as well. He gave the captain a thumbs-up, and the engine revved to life.
Water misted around my face; a cool, refreshing spray after so long in the oppressive tunnels. I kept my eyes on the dark land mass to the southeast, where Cavite lay in the hands of the Japanese. Could we really sneak away undetected?
I only worried about the Japanese until we were out of the bay, because that was when the sea grew angry. The further away from Corregidor we sailed, the higher the waves rolled, and the more nauseous I became. The sting of the water spraying against my face was no longer refreshing, and each time we crested a wave, I thought I might vomit all over Matthew, who held onto me as if I might fly overboard at any moment. Once again, I couldn’t help but think of Jonah, but unlike him, I wasn’t about to ask anyone to throw me overboard.
Saving Grace: A Novel (Healing Ruby Book 3) Page 28
