Page 76 of The Girls of Pearl Harbor
‘Argghh!’
The sharp scream echoed through the tent, and Grace balked at the noise. Teddy leaped up, ducking as something was swung at his head.
‘Eva!’ Grace gasped. ‘Stop! It’s Teddy.’
‘Teddy?’ Eva exclaimed. ‘What are you doing in here?’
Tears started to fall in big plops then, streaming down her cheeks as Grace stood and stared at Teddy standing motionless before her and Eva, who was holding the bag she’d used as a weapon. Everything that had happened that night came flooding back to her, making her want to flee back to Teddy’s side and stay there until the war, until everything, was over.
‘Go before you’re caught, Teddy,’ Eva said. She dropped her bag and rushed forward, enveloping Grace in one big hug as soon as she saw her standing there. ‘Whatever has gone on here ...’
Eva’s voice trailed off as she seemed to take in the scene, as she looked, horrified, between Grace’s torn clothes and tear-streaked face and Teddy standing with his jacket in hand.
‘He saved me,’ Grace whispered. ‘Teddy brought me home, he saved me, he—’
‘Shhh,’ Eva whispered, holding her close. ‘Thank you, Teddy. You can go.’
‘Don’t tell anyone. Promise me you won’t tell April,’ Grace sobbed. ‘I don’t want her knowing—you have to promise me, both of you!’
She looked at Eva first, who grudgingly nodded, and then at Teddy. He crossed the space inside the tent and spoke into her ear.
‘He won’t ever touch you again, Grace,’ Teddy murmured. ‘You don’t want to tell anyone, that’s your business, not mine.’ His lips brushed her cheek, and she fought the urge to grab hold of him and never let go. ‘Don’t let one creep ruin your time here, Grace. You have every right to go out and have fun on your nights off—you did nothing wrong.’ He paused. ‘And thank you for listening. You’re stronger than you realize.’
Teddy held her gaze, watching her as if he didn’t want to leave her until Eva cleared her throat, and suddenly he turned and slipped out, disappearing into the night.
Eva didn’t say a word as she found her nightgown and placed it on her bed, helping Grace to remove her coat and shirt, until she was standing in her undergarments, shivering despite the warm air.
But Eva’s hand stopped when she saw her bare skin, and Grace stood, letting her friend look at her.
‘How bad are the bruises?’ she asked, not wanting to look at her marked skin.
Eva didn’t say anything as she reached for the nightgown and helped her into it, as she might have assisted a small child.
‘Who did this to you, Grace? We should be reporting him. Are you sure it wasn’t Teddy, because you can tell me.’
‘No! Teddy would never hurt me.’ She shook her head. ‘But I don’t want anyone to know; I don’t ever want to talk about it again.’
Eva stood, and Grace watched as she poured some water into a bowl and collected a piece of fabric.
‘Let me check you over, wipe your skin,’ she said softly. ‘Do you need me to check down there?’ she whispered. ‘Did he ...’
Grace’s lower lip wobbled as she shook her head and whispered, ‘No.’
‘You know you can tell me, if he did hurt you down there. I can nurse you, and we don’t need to talk to anyone about it.’
She shook her head again. ‘Teddy got me just as he was ... when he was about to, he was ...’ She stumbled on her words as it all came back to her: the smell, the fear, the pain.
‘Shhh, you’re okay. No one’s going to hurt you now.’
She let Eva coax her down onto the bed, her hands gentle as she traced over her skin and wiped her forehead.
‘As soon as you’re asleep, I’m going to mend your clothes,’ Eva said. ‘The others won’t be back for a few more hours, and I’ll have everything all as good as new by then.’
Grace listened with her eyes shut, clasping Eva’s left hand as she wiped her face with her right.
‘Thank you,’ she whispered.
Eva kissed her cheek and tucked the blankets up over her. ‘You’ve nothing to thank me for. But I do think you should tell your sister.’
