Page 17 of The Girls of Pearl Harbor
‘You all right?’ April asked.
Grace nodded. ‘Of course. I’m just tired. See you after your shift.’
April watched her go and then went to do her own rounds and become more familiar with the new patients who’d come in. There had been some fevers over the past twelve hours, as well as bouts of vomiting from soldiers, and she wanted to make sure they were well hydrated and comfortable.
‘Nurse!’
She turned and came face-to-face with a doctor she’d never seen before. His eyes were so dark they were almost black, the same shade as his thick mop of hair, and his smile was bright when he realized he’d caught her attention. She watched as he placed a pencil in the top pocket of his white coat.
‘Can I help you?’ she asked.
‘Yes, I need assistance in surgery, and my usual nurse has already finished her shift,’ he said, his eyes seeming to study her face, making her wonder what he was thinking. ‘Have you assisted a surgeon before?’
April wanted to say yes, because she was desperate to gain more hands-on experience, but she couldn’t lie. ‘Unfortunately I haven’t, but I’m a quick study, and I would love the opportunity to assist.’
He frowned and turned slightly, looking around the ward and then behind him back down the corridor. Was he looking for another nurse that he recognized? She said a silent prayer, fingers crossed behind her back, that he would take her with him.
‘Fine, you’ll do,’ he said, gesturing for her to follow him. ‘Dr. Raymond Grey.’
She grinned and hurried along beside him. ‘April Bellamy.’
He started to give her a rundown on the patient, and she couldn’t believe her luck. They’d been stationed at Pearl Harbor for less than two weeks, and already she was going to be in surgery!
‘The patient broke his leg in a training injury, and the bone has completely penetrated the skin,’ he explained. ‘I trust you have a strong stomach, Miss Bellamy, because I don’t tolerate fainting in my operating room.’
She took a deep breath. ‘Please, call me April, and for the record, there is very little that would cause me to faint, sir. I have the strongest stomach of all the girls I know.’
‘We’ll see,’ he said, holding the door open for her and letting her pass through first. ‘Scrub those hands clean, and meet me in there. And I like a quiet room when I’m working, so try to listen and anticipate what I need without interrupting me.’
She nodded and watched him walk away, eyes tracking him until he disappeared from view. This might be her one chance to impress a surgeon, and she intended on making the most of it; all she had to do was stay quiet and follow his instructions, and she might just end up on more of his surgeries.
She’d never had the nerve to admit it to anyone other than her sister, but if she ever wanted to be a doctor herself one day, she needed all the experience she could get her hands on. From the day she’d seen her mother die, she’d felt so passionately about healing, about being the one with the power to save others from pain.
A thrill of excitement shuddered through her as she washed her hands, carefully scrubbing beneath her short nails. She wasn’t sure if it was the surgery or the doctor she was about to assist that had her all tied in knots, but she suddenly felt as if she were finally taking a step closer to her dream.
April dried her hands and followed after Dr. Grey, hesitating at the door before being waved in by him. She noticed there was no one else other than the anesthetist attending, and she took a deep breath as she surveyed the instruments all laid out on a table.
‘Come in, April. Let’s test that stomach of yours, shall we?’
She wished she hadn’t commented on her extraordinarily strong stomach. What if she wasn’t as capable as she liked to think she was?
‘Yes, of course,’ she said, not letting her nervousness show.
April moved forward as the sheet was lifted to expose the patient’s leg. He was already asleep, the anesthetist sitting to one side, and she stared at the flesh ripped apart by the bone that protruded through. She frowned at the sharp edge and wondered how on earth it could be successfully repaired, and as she studied it, she managed to forget all about how horrific it was.
‘Is it always possible to splint or repair breaks like this?’ she asked. ‘It looks so mangled.’
Dr. Grey laughed, and the anesthetist chuckled. She looked up, perplexed and wondering what they were finding so amusing.
‘I’m sorry—was that an amateur question?’ she asked.
‘Not at all,’ Dr. Grey said, beckoning for her to stand closer. ‘We just had a bet going that you’d either run or faint within, what, twenty seconds of me lifting the sheet?’
The other man nodded. ‘My bet was ten.’
She laughed along with them. ‘Are new nurses usually so easy to unsettle?’
‘You’d be surprised. Scalpel, please, Nurse.’
