Page 65 of The Girls of Pearl Harbor
Once they all had some meat, their host family waited for them to begin, and Grace smiled as she took her first mouthful, surprised at how tasty it was. It might look peculiar, but she wasn’t complaining.
When the night was over and they’d thanked their hosts and said goodbye, the three of them retraced their steps, not speaking until they were far, far away. Grace couldn’t stop thinking about the family, about what they’d sacrificed to have enough food to share with them. It had been a lovely night.
‘What was that animal?’ Eva whispered. ‘I just couldn’t eat it with its eyes watching me.’
Grace cleared her throat. ‘Eva, come on. Whatever it was, they shared what little they had with us. And it was actually delicious.’
April nudged her with her shoulder. ‘I thought so too.’
‘Give me roast beef, peas, and apple pie all in the same bowl again any day,’ Eva whispered. ‘Seeing an animal on a plate with its head intact is too much for me. My hands are still shaking. But you’re right: it was so generous of them to share it with us.’
And as rain suddenly started falling, pelting the ground around them, they all huddled together and quietly made the long walk back to camp. Grace thought of Teddy, wondered where he might be and whether he’d have shelter. Whatever it was they’d eaten tonight, she bet any of the soldiers out there fighting would have given just about anything to be eating it. And she’d happily go back for seconds if she ever had the chance, even just to be with a family for a night. For some reason, even though it was so different, it still reminded her of home.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
EVA
Eva stared down at Arthur’s face, so peaceful in slumber, yet so pained when he was awake. She resisted the urge to reach out and stroke his skin, wanting to comfort him even though he’d made it so clear that he didn’t want any contact. Not from her or anyone. But it was only early days, and she had time on her side, as well as patience.
Whenever she sat with him, she relived the moment over and over again—the way his face had crumpled, his guttural moan as she’d told him what had happened. When she’d sat and waited for him to come out of surgery, she’d expected the horror of finding him to be the thing that weighed on her mind, but it was the very raw moment at his hospital bed that still plagued her.
‘Arthur,’ she said as she took his hand, shuffling closer and smiling down at him, hoping he could tell how much she cared.
He looked up, smiling back at her, clearly trying to push himself up but groaning from the effort.
‘How long have I been out of it?’ he asked, motioning for the water. ‘I’m so thirsty.’
His voice was thick and raspy, as if he had gravel in his throat.
‘A week,’ she said. ‘Your injuries were severe, and your surgery took hours.’
Eva held the cup for him, keeping the straw still and watching as he greedily drained the water. His side profile was so handsome, his jaw strong even beneath the stubble, his eyes bright despite how sick he’d been. She imagined he would have carried more weight usually, but for now his cheekbones were prominent.
‘Arthur, I’ve been with you since you arrived. I, well ...’ Her voice trailed off, and she set the water back down, reaching for his hand again.
‘What’s wrong? Did something go wrong in surgery?’ he asked, confusion echoing across his face.
Eva took a big breath and squeezed his fingers. ‘Your surgeries were all successful, and you’re expected to make a full recovery. No one expected you to survive, but you’ve shown true strength in your recovery.’
‘When can I get back to my unit, then? I’ll go stir crazy waiting in here; I need to get back into the sky.’
She blinked away a tear and then another, trying desperately to stop them from falling. But she was no good at hiding her feelings, and the look on Arthur’s face mirrored her own, his smile falling as a mask of horror was cast across his features.
‘Arthur, I’m so sorry to tell you that one of your legs had to be amputated.’
He thrust upward, hurling his body up as he stared down at his lower half. His bellow echoed through the hospital, a bloodcurdling yell that sent waves of pain ripping through her body.
Arthur’s eyes met hers, no longer bright and blue but instead like tumultuous ocean water, swimming with shock, pain, and horror all blended into one.
‘I know this is hard to come to terms with, and you’ll first experience sadness and then anger. It’s all normal, it’s—’
But he never let her finish.
‘Leave me!’ he screamed. ‘Leave me the fuck alone!’
As her thoughts drifted back to the present, she noticed Arthur stir, and she shuffled her chair back a little. He hadn’t spoken to her since that day, and she was never sure how angry he’d be, although every day seemed to get worse with him rather than better.
The moment his eyes opened, she smiled and reached for his water. Every day she hoped that her smile and presence would help, that she could show him that every day became a little easier to deal with, but she wasn’t convinced that it was working.
