Kin

by Lesley Crewe

  He knocked on the door and on cue, Freddy gave his welcoming bark. Lila opened it.

  “David! What are you doing here?”

  “Are you alone?”

  She looked behind her, as if trying to decide what to do. “Yes, but they’re coming back soon.”

  “Would you mind if I came in for a few minutes?”

  “All right.”

  She grabbed a long sweater off the back of one of the kitchen chairs and wrapped it around herself. “Would you like some tea?”

  “Sure.”

  Lila busied herself getting their tea ready and putting out a plate of store-bought cookies.

  “Very nice,” David smiled. “I keep asking Mom to buy these, but she won’t.”

  She poured the tea and sat down at the table. “Your mother’s cookies are much better, that’s why.”

  He took a sip of his tea, as an excuse to look at her longer. She was beautiful, with her hair now shoulder length, and it looked as if she’d gained a few pounds, which suited her. It was hard not to stare at that sweet face.

  “Lila, why are you hiding from me?”

  “I’m not.”

  “I thought you cared about me.”

  “I do…”

  “Then why do I get the feeling that you’re afraid of me?”

  She looked down at her mug of tea, as if looking for the answer to magically appear. “It seems silly to make plans when you have so many years of school left. Why don’t we wait and see what happens?”

  “I will never change my mind.”

  “I might.” She got up from the table and started to pace, so he rose to his feet and took her in his arms. “I love you.” He kissed her and despite what she said, she kissed him back. There was no mistaking that kiss. Even if she never said another word, he was reassured.

  “You should go now,” she said. “I don’t want Aunt Eunie and Uncle Joe to find you here. They aren’t stupid.”

  He tried to hold her close, but she pushed him away. “Go, silly boy.”

  David grinned and kissed her once more before he slipped out the door and ran back to the bungalow. Those few minutes would see him through the next semester.

  * * *

  Annie was the one all the student nurses came to with their problems and concerns; usually because she made them laugh and life would be a bit brighter when she was around. Because she was tall, everyone thought she was older and Annie didn’t mind that one bit. She got away with more for some reason.

  It was Valentine’s Day and the nurses were looking forward to going to the Forum for a skate that evening. It was a great place to be with the gang and size up the boys. Because they were student nurses, they were expected to be ladies and wear skirts in public, but these “ladies” all wore slacks rolled up under their skirts and discarded the skirts when they got to the rink.

  It was nearly time to leave the hospital floor when one of the student nurses, a shy girl from Baddeck, came out of a patient’s room in tears, holding a basin and an enema bag. The others gathered around her.

  “What’s wrong?” Annie asked.

  “That horrible man keeps trying to touch me and says terrible things while I…” She couldn’t finish. One of the other nurses spoke up.

  “He did that to me a few days ago. He’s a pervert.”

  “Give that to me,” Annie said.

  The girl passed over the basin and the full enema bag and Annie marched into the room. The others crowded around the door to listen. The hospital curtain was around his bed, so they didn’t get to see anything, but they sure heard it.

  “How are we today?” Annie said to him.

  “Real good, now that you’re here.”

  “I’ve been asked to come in and give you an enema.”

  He grinned. “I can’t wait. I hope you enjoy it as much as I will.”

  “Oh yeah, I’ll enjoy it, all right. Get on your side.”

  He did as he was told and she shoved the tube into him as hard as she could.

  “AGGGH!…are you crazy?”

  “You could say that. Now, I want you to keep your dirty hands off the nurses and keep your slime-ball comments to yourself.”

  “Take it out! Take it out! Oh, my stomach! I’m cramping up!”

  “Have we got a deal, or do I have to come in here and do this again?”

  “Get out! Stop it. I’ll stop.”

  Annie stopped. “Have a good day, asshole.”

  She emerged from behind the curtain to the delight of the others, who were silently cheering so as not to attract attention.

  “He won’t be bothering you again,” she said to the young nurse, who looked at her with admiration.

  Naturally word spread throughout the nurses’ residence, and they had quite a few laughs over the whole incident. “Have a good day, asshole” became the rallying cry for anyone breaking up with a jerky boyfriend.

  The Valentine’s Day skate was a good time. It was like being a kid again. Annie whipped around the ice with her long legs, passing everyone. There was nothing dainty about Annie, which was quite obvious when she plowed into a guy because she was shouting at someone behind her. They both nearly fell to the ice, but managed to save themselves by clinging on to each other’s coats and the momentum had them circling each other before they stopped.

  “I almost fell head over heels for you,” she laughed.

  She’d seen this fellow at the hospital once before, and had noticed how nice his suit looked on him, but she didn’t know who he was. He had red hair and was at least three inches shorter than she was, but he had a charming smile and dark brown eyes.

  “As did I,” he smiled. “Now that I’ve bumped into you, I’m Henry Pratt.”

  “Ah, Henry Pratfall.”

  He laughed at her joke. Always a good sign.

  “I’m Annie Macdonald.”

  “Yes, I know.”

  “You do?”

  “Everyone at the hospital knows who you are.”

  “You don’t say. That could be good or bad.”

  “Only very good.”

  They started to skate together while they talked.

  “What do you do at the hospital?” she asked.

  “I’m a doctor.”

  “Go on!”

  “You don’t believe me?”

  “You look so young.”

  “I’m thirty, but hopefully that’s not over the hill yet.”

  “Are you from here?”

  “Originally. That’s why I came back. My mother lives alone and I’m her only son. You know how it goes.”

  “Oh lordy, a mama’s boy. I’m staying away from you.”

  “I hope not,” he smiled.

  They skated together the entire time and then bid each other farewell. The girls were eager to get the scoop as Annie untied her skates.

  “That was Doctor Pratt, wasn’t it?” Irene said. She was one of the girls Annie was close to. “The head nurse says he’s very bright and that we’re lucky to have him here in the Bay.”

  “They’re lucky to have us, too,” Annie said. “Doctors always get the glory, but we’re the ones who do the grunt work.”

  They all snuck a cigarette in the girls’ bathroom before exiting the building. It was a blustery evening and Annie was very glad she had on Lila’s scarf and mitts. Even in the midst of a group of friends, Annie often thought how much better it would be if Lila was there too. Look how much she was missing, sitting in Round Island waiting for this baby to arrive.

  She caught sight of Henry walking home with a few friends. He always had a smile on his face. He happened to look up and catch her eye. When he waved, she waved back.

  “I think someone is smitten,” Irene said as they walked over the snow-covered sidewalks to the nurses’ residence.


  “Don’t be so foolish,” Annie snapped. “He’s practically an old man.”

  “Annie’s getting mad at me, girls. I rest my case.”

  Annie picked up a mitt full of snow and chased Irene down the street with it.

  Annie volunteered to go down to the emergency room the next morning to deliver some papers from their instructor to the head nurse. She’d do anything to stretch her legs for a few minutes and get away from the confines of her desk. Sitting for too long still drove her mad.

  At the nurses’ station she was told to wait, that the head nurse would be with her shortly. That’s when an ambulance pulled up to the back door of the hospital. Annie hated to see that. You never knew what you were dealing with. As the attendants wheeled the stretcher down the hall, Annie nearly passed out.

  It was Lila.

  She ran over to her. “Lila! My God, what’s wrong?”

  “Annie…”

  She grabbed Lila’s hand and ran with the stretcher until they got to the largest case room. Annie tried to stay with Lila, but she was pushed aside by one of the nurses. “Clear out. You’re in the way.”

  That’s when Annie saw Pratfall. “Henry!”

  He looked up.

  “She’s my best friend! Take care of her!”

  He nodded and approached the stretcher. Annie was told to leave. She was in a daze. Lila wasn’t due for another month and a half. Then she saw Aunt Eunie and Uncle Joe rush down the corridor. They seemed relieved that Annie was there.

  “What happened?”

  “She had trouble breathing this morning,” Uncle Joe panted.

  “I don’t think she’s been feeling well the last few days, but she wouldn’t let on,” Aunt Eunie said. “If only I made her see the doctor. I knew something wasn’t quite right.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up,” Annie said. “I know how stubborn she can be.”

  “I shouldn’t say this,” Aunt Eunie sniffed, “but if it comes down to saving Lila or the baby, I want them to save Lila. Is that selfish?”

  Annie wrapped her arms around Aunt Eunie. “No, that’s not selfish, but I’m sure it won’t come to that. There’s a new doctor here that they say is very good. I’m sure they’ll both be fine.”

  Lila was admitted to the hospital and only Eunie and Joe were allowed in with her. It was more than frustrating for Annie, who wanted to know exactly what was going on. She’d forgotten all about her class at this point and was relieved when she saw Henry emerge from the casualty room.

  “What’s wrong with her?”

  “I can’t discuss it with you.”

  “Don’t give me that bullshit.”

  Henry looked around to see if anyone was about. “I’m not sure what’s wrong.”

  “It has to do with her heart, though?”

  “Or it could be a bad case of the flu. Don’t worry, Annie. I’ll do my best.”

  Annie nodded and he walked down the hall. She left the papers with the ward clerk and rushed back to the residence, but only to put on her coat and boots. Then she ran all the way home, like she used to do when she was a kid. She burst in the front door.

  “Mom!”

  “In here.”

  Annie paused to take off her boots and then rushed into the kitchen. Mom was doing the ironing.

  “Why aren’t you in school?”

  “Lila’s in the hospital.”

  Mom put the iron back on the coal stove. “Oh God, did she have the baby?”

  “No, she had trouble breathing. I’m so frightened.”

  Her mother hugged her, which was just what she needed. “I know Lila is fragile, but she has a strong will, and I don’t think she’ll let anything get in the way of her seeing this baby. All mothers are like that.”

  “Do you promise?”

  “Yes.”

  Annie knew that was impossible, but it helped to have Mom say it anyway. Then her mother told her to sit down and she’d make her lunch. It was like being seven again. Life was never as scary in her mother’s kitchen. A grilled cheese sandwich, a piece of chocolate cake, and a large glass of milk did wonders for Annie’s spirits. Of course Lila was going to be all right. Annie couldn’t panic. That would only upset Lila, and she needed to stay calm and relaxed.

  Then Mom said, “Do you think we should tell David?”

  “What can he do in Halifax? Only worry. Let’s save him from that for now.”

  “You’re right.”

  Annie slipped in to see Lila as soon as she could. It reminded her of the awful day when Lila had tried to hurt herself. She looked small and defenceless in the large hospital bed. Thinking she was asleep, Annie backed up and was about to leave when Lila said, “Don’t go.”

  Annie sat on the side of the bed and held her hand. “Are you feeling better?”

  Lila shook her head. “They want to keep me here until the baby’s born.”

  “I know that sounds terrible, but this is the best place for you right now. Aunt Eunie and Uncle Joe will be relieved to know you’re being cared for around the clock. And I’ll come and visit as often as I can.”

  “Thanks.”

  “The doctor who’s on your case is really good. His name is Henry. I nearly killed him at the Forum.”

  “Lucky for me you didn’t.”

  “You look tired. Get some rest.” She leaned over and kissed Lila on the forehead.

  Later in the week, after the Johnsons went home, Annie went into Lila’s room before she left for the evening to study. Lila asked her for a drink of water. When Annie came back to the room, Dr. Pratt was in a chair beside Lila’s bed. He was inspecting her fingers.

  “Hi, Henry.” Annie gave Lila a sip of water from the other side of the bed.

  “Shouldn’t she call you Doctor Pratt?” Lila said.

  “She can call me whatever she wants, as long as she calls me.”

  “How old is that joke?” Annie watched him. “What are you looking for?”

  “I’m looking at the colour of her fingertips.”

  Annie knew better than to ask any more questions in front of Lila.

  “Lila, I think I’m going to start giving you penicillin. It will help you.”

  “But what about the baby?”

  “It shouldn’t hurt the baby.”

  “Okay.” Lila closed her eyes.

  Henry and Annie left the room together. “It’s not the flu, is it?

  “I think it might be endocarditis…”

  “…inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, or endocardium. Yes, of course! That explains the weight loss and the aching joints, chills, fever…”

  “I take it you’ve been reading up on matters of the heart?”

  “Lila’s heart matters to me.”

  One night at the residence, a phone call came in for Annie. She was in her slippers and nightgown with curlers in her hair when she went down the hall to see who it was.

  “Hello?”

  “Annie, it’s me.”

  “Hi, Davy. Are you coming home for Easter?”

  “Probably. Listen, I called Mom and asked her about Lila because I haven’t heard from her in a while and she sounded evasive, like she was hiding something from me. Is Lila okay?”

  “She had that bug that was going around, and it kind of wiped her out, so she’s been staying in bed for now. Doctor’s orders, just to play it safe.”

  “Oh, okay. I was starting to worry. If you see her, tell her to feel better.”

  “I will. How’s school?”

  “Lots of work. You?”

  “Lots of work.”

  “I better go. There’s a jerk behind me wanting to use the phone…yeah, you heard me, MacIntyre.”

  “Take care, Davy.”

  Annie hung up and felt as guilty as hell. This lying to people wa
s for the birds.

  CHAPTER NINE

  The last month of Lila’s pregnancy involved her receiving over a hundred shots of penicillin, but still she didn’t feel much better. One morning a housekeeper came into the room to mop the floor. She nodded at Lila.

  “What’s wrong with you, dear, if you don’t mind my asking?”

  “I’m having a baby.”

  The housekeeper looked shocked. “What on earth are you having? A mouse?”

  Uncle Joe would drop Aunt Eunie off at the hospital on his way to work every morning and she’d stay with Lila for the day.

  “I’ve got everything ready for the nursery,” Aunt Eunie reassured her as she sat in the chair and knit a sweater set for the baby. “It’s all taken care of, so I don’t want you to worry about anything.”

  “That’s nice.”

  She was dozing off again when she thought of something. “Do you leave Freddy in the house all day? He must get lonely.”

  “Don’t worry about Freddy. He stays with Ewan at the farm during the day.”

  “I’m glad. What did you tell Ewan?”

  “I told him you were a bit run down and that the doctor thought you should rest. I’m not sure if he believed me, but I didn’t tell him anything else.”

  “Everyone will know soon enough.”

  The days seemed to run together. Lila wasn’t sure when it was morning or night. At intervals people would pop into the room to hold her hand and tell her things were going well, but it hardly mattered. It got to the point where she wasn’t interested in anything, not even how active the baby was. Dr. Pratt was in every day and she thought how nice he was, but most of the time she just wanted to sleep and wished everyone would go away.

  Then one day she opened her eyes and saw the head nurse sitting in the chair beside her bed.

  That’s when Lila realized she was dying. Head nurses didn’t sit with patients unless the situation was dire. She knew that much from the little training she had.

  Why hadn’t someone told her she was dying? She knew everyone looked at her with sadness in their eyes, but no one said the words. If she died the baby would die. Lila resolved to live.

  The baby was born a week early; a little girl. Lila was so sick that she didn’t get to hold the baby. A nurse held her up. “She looks like a scrawny chicken,” Lila whispered.