Page 43 of The Girls of Pearl Harbor
Eva’s face contorted in the most painful way, and April quickly shuffled closer to her as Grace did the same on the other side.
‘Eva, what is it? What’s wrong?’
‘I can’t go home,’ she said, shaking her head and biting down on her lip. ‘I don’t want to be here, but I can’t go home either.’
April exchanged looks with Grace and saw that her sister seemed as confused as she was. ‘You can talk to us. If there’s something we can do, if there’s anything that ...’
‘Charlie was the only one who could help me. When we got married, it was all going to change; I was going to be safe.’
April hugged her and held on to her for a long time, feeling Eva’s big shuddering breaths. ‘Eva, can you talk to us about it?’
Eva shut her eyes before whispering, ‘No.’
Grace was shuffled tight against their grieving friend now, too, and April racked her brain. Eva wasn’t exactly the shrinking violet type; before Charlie’s death she’d been as determined and forthright as could be, which made April think that whatever was spooking her was no small thing. What had happened to that confident navy nurse?
‘Would you rather take time to grieve and recuperate on the island here?’ April asked. ‘Instead of being sent home, I mean?’
Eva nodded and looked up. ‘Yes,’ she whispered, her voice quavering.
April thought it through before speaking again. She didn’t want to overpromise, but she wasn’t going to sit by and do nothing when Eva was clearly so terrified. ‘What if we could billet you to a private residence somehow? I’m sure we could find somewhere for you, and then you can take your time before coming back to nursing.’
Eva shook her head, and April noticed that Eva’s eyes were swimming with tears. She’d never, ever seen her cry before, even after everything she’d lost.
‘But that’s it—I can’t nurse if I go on leave,’ Eva said. ‘TheSolaceis leaving for the South Pacific, and if I’m not on it then—’
‘Then you can nurse with us,’ April said, not pausing to consider whether it was even possible to transfer like that. But the army wasn’t exactly overrun with highly trained, capable nurses, so she couldn’t see why not. ‘I’ll do everything I can to help you transfer.’
Eva didn’t say anything, but April saw a brightness return to her eyes.
‘So she takes the time she needs to recover,’ Grace said, ‘and then she works with us? You really think you could make that happen?’
April didn’t like overpromising, but she could see that Eva was looking hopeful. ‘Yes,’ she replied. ‘You need sleep, Eva. The skin around your eyes is so dark it’s almost black. And you need to cry,’ she said softly. ‘You have so much grieving to do.’
Eva nodded, and April wondered again what had her friend so scared. She would do anything to hightail it home right now, if it weren’t for all the patients who needed her, and Eva was acting like home was worse than here.
‘Our men need you, Eva. From what I’ve heard, you’re a brilliant, capable nurse, and you held it together and saved so many lives the day of the bombings.’ April took her hand and pulled it onto her own leg, searching Eva’s eyes. ‘When you’re ready, you can always talk to us, but for now, we need to help you heal and then find a way to get you nursing again. If you don’t want to go home, then I’ll do anything I can to stop that from happening. Okay?’
Eva nodded but didn’t say anything, squeezing her hand instead.
‘Girls! Have you heard the news?’
Another nurse burst into their sleeping quarters, still in her uniform. She must have just finished her shift.
‘We’re being sent away.’
Fear sliced through April. ‘Where are they sending us?’ she asked, trying to stop the choke in her voice.
‘Somewhere far away, from the sounds of it. They’re figuring out who to send in the new year; most will be going to the Pacific, but they said some nurses will be put on boats to Europe and God only knows where else.’
Grace looked like she was about to have a panic attack and Eva was starting to tremble, so April took a big deep breath and squared her shoulders. She wasn’t allowed to be afraid or hysterical; she needed to hold it together for the other two.
‘I suppose we’re to be sent wherever we’re most needed,’ she said, trying to sound pragmatic. ‘Wherever we go, we’ll be saving lives. And that’s why we chose to become nurses, isn’t it?’
Grace snorted with laughter, and April spun around at her sister’s inappropriate reaction.
‘Grace!’ she scolded.
‘I’m sorry, but if Poppy was here, she’d have laughed and told you that she only ever signed up for nursing to get a free island vacation!’
