Page 51 of The Girls of Pearl Harbor
‘I’m going to go out there and give them a piece of my mind if they don’t stop soon!’ one of the other nurses yelled.
April cringed. Despite it all, some of the nurses just didn’t seem to grasp that they were in a war zone. If they stepped foot outside, they’d surely be dead.They haven’t seen it,she thought as she reached for the medication to help put her patients to sleep.They haven’t seen their best friend gunned down or seen the anguish and terror of war in their own backyard.Most of the nurses had come fresh from training in their home cities; there were few of them posted to North Africa who’d been witness to Pearl Harbor.
‘Calm down,’ she whispered, stroking a man’s face, careful to avoid his bandaged eye. ‘I’m not going to leave you.’
Stepping foot outside now would be suicide, but come morning when the fighting was over, she’d paint that damn white cross on top of their building herself if she had to.
‘Make it stop,’ one of the men whimpered. ‘Please make it stop.’
April held his hand and waited for the medication to take effect, hoping it made him drowsy and let him drift away soon. Whatever he’d seen, whatever demons were haunting him, she had a feeling they might stay with him for the rest of his life.
‘April?’
She fought the urge to duck as another round of shelling echoed out, turning when her name was called. And then her heart raced for an entirely different reason.
‘I was told I’d find you here. Can you be spared?’ Dr. Grey asked.
April glanced down at her patient, willing him to find sleep and not letting go of his hand. ‘Of course, as soon as I’m done here. Where do you need me?’
‘Surgery,’ he said grimly. ‘I’ve just been called in, and it’s going to be a long night.’
She tried not to show how excited she was that he’d singled her out and wrestled with the fact that she was so eager to be back in surgery. Those poor boys with mangled bodies broke her heart as she nursed them through their recovery, but she was fascinated at the idea of being there as Dr. Grey worked his magic.
‘I’ll let the others know to watch my patients,’ she replied. ‘Just give me a moment.’
‘It’s good to see you again, April,’ he said as he ran off through the ward. ‘Get something to eat from the cafeteria first, though; it’s going to be a long night!’
April felt eyes on her and noticed that Eva was watching her. She shrugged and Eva smiled back, and April wished there was more she could do to see her friend’s face light up. Maybe next time she’d have to throw herself at Dr. Grey and really give Eva something to smile about.
Less than fifteen minutes later, while quickly gulping down the last of a piece of bread, April found Dr. Grey. He was bent over a patient with another nurse standing beside him, and she hated the tickle of jealousy she felt when the nurse leaned into him.
‘Huh-hmm.’ She cleared her throat and smiled when he turned to see her.
‘Thank you for joining us, April. Eloise, you’re excused.’
The other nurse hurried away, and April didn’t think she was imagining the frosty look she shot her.
‘If you already have assistance, I’m happy to join your next surgery?’ she asked, hoping the other nurse heard before she disappeared out the door behind her.
There were three beds in the compact space, but they didn’t have too many casualties yet, and she hoped it stayed that way. Grey was working on the far bed, his patient already unconscious, and the anesthetist came back into the room as they were speaking.
‘Not at all. Eloise was just assisting me with some preparation.’
April moved closer. ‘What are we working on today?’
Dr. Grey glanced at her, and the second she saw his arched brow and surprised expression, she knew she’d pushed too far.
‘You,’ she stuttered. ‘What areyouworking on today?’
He smiled, his eyes crinkling warmly as he turned back to the patient. ‘We’ll be amputating the leg above the knee,’ he said. ‘The damage is irreparable, and it’s better to do it now before gangrene sets in and we end up taking the whole thing anyway.’
April stared down at the patient, focusing on his leg and the mangled state of his toes.
‘Is it so far gone already?’ she asked.
Grey looked irritated, and she took a step back, placing her hands on the instruments that were already waiting. She swallowed hard at the sight of the saw and hoped he wasn’t going to ask her to help with that part.
‘Yes, April, it is. I’m not going to do a minor surgery to remove his toes now, only to have to put him through an amputation in a week or two when someone else realizes the limb can’t be saved. We’re too busy to be operating on these men twice.’
