Page 58 of The Girls of Pearl Harbor
GRACE
‘Thank you,’ Grace said, opening her eyes and wishing they were still shut. The light felt like bright pricks of fire slicing right through her.
‘What for?’ Eva mumbled, her head buried beneath the covers.
‘For making us pick this tent. I couldn’t have dealt with it.’
It had been the most horrific few days, with nurses dropping like flies as dysentery swept through their camp. The nurses with the tents closest to the toilets had been hit first, and then it had rapidly spread until almost everyone was vomiting and running to the toilets all hours of the day and night. The doctor in charge had dosed their drinking water with excessive amounts of chlorine to keep them from getting sick, but he’d never thought to treat the latrine water, and the flies had been having a field day going back and forth. She shuddered and buried herself under her covers. She knew he’d never make that mistake again, and she doubted any of the nurses would ever sleep so close to the latrines again either.
‘I still can’t believe we all managed to avoid it,’ April said, yawning as she spoke. ‘Come on, sleepyheads—let’s go.’
They were short on nurses with so many being sick, and the three of them had been working much longer shifts to make up for it. But they had the following day off, and she couldn’t wait to get back out and explore again. The nursing hadn’t been terrible, she’d managed to deal with everything that had been put in front of her so far, and even the blood wasn’t making her as queasy as it once had.
‘So what do you think of a picnic tomorrow?’ Grace asked as she stretched. She finally forced herself out of bed, smiling to herself as she heard the crinkle of paper beneath her pillow. ‘Maybe we could try to find some food to pack and go to the ocean?’
April nodded and got out of bed, but Eva stayed quiet as she rose and started to dress. Grace stuck her hand under the pillow, wanting to feel the letter from Teddy just to remind herself that it was real.
‘Eva?’
‘Yes, I suppose I’ll come,’ she said.
Grace finished putting on her uniform, sliding the folded letter into her breast pocket as she watched Eva for a moment. She didn’t know what to do with Eva; just when she’d finally started to catch glimpses of her old friend again, along had come Arthur, and it seemed to have retriggered all of Eva’s feelings of guilt.
‘How was Arthur when you left the hospital last night? I heard you come in late,’ Grace said, studying her face as she spoke.
‘Not much of a change,’ Eva said. ‘I sat with him after my shift finished, but he was still unconscious.’
‘I’m sure when he does open his eyes he’ll be mighty happy to see your pretty face,’ Grace teased. ‘You’re being very sweet staying with him so much. I’ll bet he can hear you reading to him.’
It had been almost a week since they’d rescued Arthur, and Eva seemed to have made it her personal mission to care for him. Grace guessed that there was something about the man that reminded her of Charlie, but she hadn’t wanted to ask. If Eva was ready to open up, she’d talk. And it was admirable that she wanted to be there for the poor man; she was just worried that it was going to stop Eva from moving on from the past and starting to find herself again.
‘Come on. Let’s go to the latrine, then head for breakfast.’
‘What’s in your pocket?’ Eva asked. ‘A letter from home?’
Grace grinned, unable to hide her happiness. She’d kept it secret the day before, reading it over and over, but she couldn’t hide it from Eva or April any longer. ‘It’s from Teddy. He finally wrote to me.’
April was suddenly frozen, her eyes on Grace. ‘What did he say? Where is he?’
‘Close to here, I think, but he couldn’t say,’ Grace said with a sigh. ‘I’m just so happy he’s safe. I’ve been so worried about him.’ Of course the letter was dated a month earlier, and a whisper went through her, a silent knife of fear, that he could already be injured or worse by now.
She knew the letter by heart, but she didn’t want to share it all with Eva or even her sister. ‘He said he’s doing fine, missing Poppy but doing fine. He’s hoping to see us one day if our schedules permit and if he has leave.’
April made a murmuring sound, and Eva just nodded before going back to getting ready. So Grace stood waiting, imagining where Teddy might have been when he’d written to her.
Dear Grace,
I can’t believe it’s been months since I last saw you, but thank you for your letters. They’re the only thing that manage to make me smile these days. The days feel like weeks here, the heat so desperate that I feel like I can’t breathe sometimes, and the nightmares so bad it makes sleep almost impossible. I hoped you wouldn’t be sent here, it’s the worst posting of all. Can you imagine Poppy’s face? She would have screamed after one night with mosquitos in her tent! I hope you’re made of stronger stuff, but after everything we went through, I think we can all cope with anything that comes our way.
I hope our paths cross again soon. I miss Poppy, but I miss spending time with all of you too. If I have any leave and I’m close to your hospital, I promise I’ll come calling. All I want is to see your smiling face, and have someone to talk to about what happened to us that day.
With love, Teddy
‘Grace? Are you ready?’
She nodded and touched her pocket, needing to feel the letter there, and followed the others. They left the tent, which looked more like a washhouse than sleeping quarters with all their laundry hanging about the place, joining the other nurses as they all made the pilgrimage to breakfast. They’d fast learned not to hang their washing outside—it went missing every time they did—and they were already making do with only a few pairs of panties and other garments they needed. Grace put her hand into her skirt pocket and touched the square of toilet paper she had there, still horrified at how unsanitary everything seemed. She cringed at the thought of getting her period again—it was horrible trying to deal with it with so few supplies—and quickly went about her business, thankful there was no line this time.
The chow line was a different thing altogether, though. There were hundreds of them needing to be fed each day, which meant that the wait was always terrible. And when they eventually got to the front of the line, she knew what would greet her: a pile of everything all mixed together. The night before, she’d managed to consume beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, and apple pie all in one mouthful, and it had almost turned her stomach. But food was food, and she was doing her best to be grateful for whatever they were given.
