Page 80 of The Girls of Pearl Harbor
They sat a minute longer, drinking their coffees, before April reluctantly stood. She took Eva’s cup to rinse them both out.
‘Do you think everything was all right with Grace this morning? She seemed—I don’t know—not herself, I guess.’
She was certain she saw Eva hesitate. ‘I think seeing Teddy rattled her; that’s all. And she probably had too much to drink.’
‘Hmm, maybe.’ April stretched out her neck and sighed. ‘She always was sweet on Teddy, but after Poppy, after everything we all went through, I don’t know. I suppose I thought those feelings would have disappeared.’
‘Would it be so bad if she and Teddy got together after the war?’ Eva asked. ‘After all we’ve all been through, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to see them together, if it made them both happy.’
April’s brows shot up. ‘Has she said something to you?’
‘No. But you’d have to be blind not to see that there’s something between them, something they’re both trying far too hard to pretend doesn’t exist.’
April watched Eva go and thought about what she’d said. Perhaps she was right; maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing. She just couldn’t stand to see her sister get hurt, and as great as Teddy was, she had a feeling it would be her sister who’d end up with the broken heart. April picked up her pace and hurried back to Dr. Grey, not wanting to give him any excuses to be angry with her. Again.
‘Morning, April.’
April smiled as Dr. Grey approached, falling into step beside her. She hadn’t seen him since their day of back-to-back surgeries two days ago; she’d been resting in the tent most of yesterday, but she was still on a high from their work together.
‘Good morning,’ she replied.
‘I’m liking this cooler weather. The heat these past couple of months has been stifling.’
‘Not to mention the ants. They’ve been eating me alive.’
Dr. Grey held her gaze then, and she laughed. Right now he looked like he could eatheralive. Maybe the girls were right—maybe he did like her—but after he’d made it clear that he didn’t approve of her doctor aspirations, she’d wondered if he’d even want to work with her again. They stopped at the door, and she waited, unsure of what to do. He reached out and touched a tendril of hair that was caressing her face, tucking it back behind her ear with the softest of touches.
‘You brighten up my day in there,’ he murmured.
She leaned into his touch just a little, her cheek against his fingers, and he moved closer, his lips finally brushing against her cheek where the hair had been.
‘I’ll see you in there.’
Dr. Grey opened the door for her, and she quickly walked through, hoping no one had seen. As she glanced back one last time at him, he winked, and she could have fallen to the ground.
‘Nurse, do you have a moment?’
She pushed away thoughts of the barely there kiss and followed the young doctor who’d called out to her. He’d only just joined them, and she hadn’t met him properly yet.
‘I’m told this patient is under your care,’ he said, and April rushed to his side when she recognized the young soldier. He’d needed extensive surgery, but he’d been fine during his recovery so far.
‘Yes, his name’s Patrick Hunt. He had a long surgery two days ago, but he pulled through with flying colors.’
The doctor frowned and moved around to the other side of the bed, looking up at her as he listened through his stethoscope. ‘There’s something wrong. He’s been in chronic pain this morning, and he’s developed a fever. I can’t pinpoint what’s going on with him.’
April reached for the patient’s hand and shut her eyes, thinking back, trying to recall the exact moments throughout the surgery. It had been the one where she’d assisted on stitching, side by side with Dr. Grey, the same day she’d confessed her doctor aspirations. The day she’d been so exhilarated by only moments earlier. She remembered this particular patient, because it was after her coffee with Eva, and she’d assisted him with two more surgeries, both general surgeries to repair internal bleeding and organ damage. With this patient and the following one, he’d asked her to help with stitching once he was ready to close, because his hands had been cramping and he hadn’t wanted to be compromised for the next surgery.
‘Can you recall anything? If he doesn’t get any better, we’ll have to open him up again.’
‘We did multiple surgeries the day before yesterday together, Dr. Grey and I. You should probably ask him—he’s just arrived—but it all seemed to go according to plan from what I could tell. This was one of the ones we did later in the day, before my shift ended.’
‘Dr. Evans,’ he said, moving back around to her side of the patient’s bed. ‘I should have introduced myself before.’
‘April Bellamy,’ she said, surprised when he took the time to shake her hand. Most of the doctors couldn’t care less what their nurses’ names were or about making introductions.
‘Come and find me personally if his condition changes.’
She was about to speak when an urgent call rang through the ward, and just like every other time, the hairs on April’s arm stood on end as corpsmen came running with stretchers.
