Page 16 of The Spitfire Girls
‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome.’ He grinned. ‘But you do owe me a coffee.’
She nodded. ‘Of course. And sorry for being such a pain, making you show me around when you have so much work to do. I’m just so grateful you transferred here to White Waltham with us.’
Ben’s laugh was belly-deep. ‘You’re not a pain, May. You’re in command of a squadron of pilots, and you’ve shown me that nothing is more important to you than keeping them alive.’
She smiled back at him, wanting to be happy, wanting to enjoy his company. But smiles no longer came easily, even when she wanted them to. Not after the trauma of the last few years.
Three hours later, with her head pounding from the rough sleep she’d had on the train home and the multiple cups of coffee she’d already consumed, she walked inside the main office building to a heated argument that made her forget all about Ben for the moment. There were a handful of pilots gathered, standing quietly on one side of the room, and a very angry-looking Elizabeth Dunlop standing in the centre with her hands planted on her hips.
‘Absolutely not!’ Lizzie exclaimed, her voice loud and her accent unmistakable.
May looked between a furious, red-faced Lizzie with her four pilots standing demurely beside her, and Doc, who appeared as livid as the American.
She fought the urge to collapse onto the nearest chair and massage her temples. It had already been a long morning, and by all accounts it wasn’t going to get any easier now that their guests had arrived.
‘What’s going on in here?’ she demanded. When Polly had come running for her, she’d made it sound like a bloody war was about to break out, and she hadn’t been wrong.
‘Thisimbecileis trying to tell me ...’
May interrupted her, holding up her hand. ‘ByimbecileI am to presume you’re speaking of our good doctor here? The doctor who presides overallof White Waltham and is highly respected in his field?’
Face like thunder, Lizzie glared at her, while Doc appeared ready to explode. It wasn’t a situation May had ever had to handle before. What was it with this American woman? She seemed to rub everyone, herself included, up the wrong way.
‘How dare she speak to me like that!’ Doc threw his hands in the air. ‘Commander Jones, please tell me you’re going to reprimand this, thisheathenof a woman? I will not stand for it!’
In truth, May had no idea what she was supposed to do, other than get to the bottom of the problem and put an end to the ugly name-calling. The Americans were guests here, not to mention well-trained pilots, but the doctor was equally as important to their operations. A big boom echoed outside and May grimaced, wondering what on earth the mechanics or male pilots were doing. It certainly wouldn’t have been one of her girls causing such a noise.
‘Doc, Miss Dunlop and her pilots are very important to our squadron, and vital to our relations with the United States,’ she said firmly, looking between the two of them as if she were reprimanding naughty children. ‘And Elizabeth, Doc here is a very capable and highly respected doctor, and I would like you to treat him as such. Can we keep all of that in mind, please, as we move forward?’
Lizzie gave her a pleasant smile, but May got the feeling that she was like a lion baring its teeth before going in for the kill.
‘Tell me then,good doctor, why exactly do pilots need to be examined in the buff?’ Lizzie asked, her perfectly arched eyebrows making her face look oh-so-innocent. ‘Would you like me to take my colleagues straight back home and tell the president exactly what perverted English doctors do to female pilots?’
Doc gaped first at Lizzie and then at May, his mouth starting to move but no sound coming out. May should have spoken up; she knew she should have reprimanded Lizzie, but in truth what could she say? Therewasabsolutely no reason for them to be examined naked when he was primarily checking their height, weight, hearing and eyesight, and they’d all been made to feel uncomfortable at their initial medicals. She should have taken a stand herself well before now, but unlike the brash American, she’d been too afraid of women being turned away for being difficult. She lived in constant fear of speaking up in case they were discarded for being – well, for being women. In this case, she was going to let Lizzie get away with her insolence.
‘Pick up your stethoscope and get to work,Doc,’ Lizzie said, impatiently stamping her foot. ‘We’ve got planes to fly and I won’t stand for being grounded because of your utter incompetence.’
If this was a sign of things to come, then May was definitely going to have her hands full when the rest of the Americans arrived. But rocking the boat was one thing; she wasn’t going to let them capsize the whole bloody vessel. Later, when they were alone, she might have to remind Elizabeth that nothing was more important than assisting the war effort – no person and certainly no policy, no matter how much she might not like it personally. Lizzie needed to lead her women and understand how high the stakes were, because May didn’t have time to be a babysitter.
‘Jones?’ Doc spluttered. ‘Are you allowing this?’
‘You heard her, Doc. I’m not impressed with the delivery, but she’s right. Can we please get their examinations over with, and clothes on, please, unless you can give me a specific reason why they need to be naked?’ May said. ‘And the fact that it’s always been done that way frankly isn’t reason enough anymore.’
The door banged open and May looked round. To her surprise Ben stood there, his eyes scanning the room for her.
‘What is it?’ May asked, as he came straight to her.
‘There’s been an accident. You need to come with me,’ Ben whispered, leaning in close. ‘Now.’
Fear gripped May, slicing through her as she fought to nod and smile at the American women watching her.
‘May?’ Ben took her hand and tugged it. ‘Quickly, there’s no time to waste. You’re needed outside.’
She forced herself to walk as her mind ran wild. Had their lucky streak ended? Had she lost her first pilot? The second the door was shut, she came face to face with Ruby and Polly.
‘What is it? What happened?’ May asked, panic rising.
