Page 30 of Under the Dark Moon

Eva sat forward on her chair, her eyes hard. ‘Have you been in a war zone? Any one of us could as easily do the job. Why should it be yours more than mine?’

Seated at the end of the row, Gerry leaned an arm against the bench and pinned Eva with a look that could freeze a man at ten paces. ‘Sister Dorset was in Darwin when it was bombed. If you want to trade places with her, get that experience first.’

Eva’s face blanched but she shut up. Meg saw she would have to toughen her management style to manage the nurse. They weren’t all equal. She had to show Eva who was in charge through her skills and the knowledge she had so recently acquired. Channelling her tone and attitude from her matrons in Sydney, Darwin, and Adelaide River, she called their attention to the small blackboard in the cabin allocated for training. ‘Let’s make a start. Sponge count—the first step is to set out sponges on a sterile towel and count them. Before the patient is sewed back up, you must recount the sponges to ensure none are accidentally left in the patient.’

By the time she had covered theatre theory, and safety points in the use of the autoclave, Dr Ransom appeared to greet his team. ‘Sisters, I am so glad to see you. We have patients arriving after lunch and two wards of beds to make up before then.’ He turned to Meg. ‘Sister Dorset, would you oversee that then bring your staff to theatre. I have a number of procedural items to run through with everyone.’

‘Of course, Doctor.’ She led the way out of the hut, Gerry beside her as they walked across the croquet lawn.

Gerry glanced over her shoulder then leaned close. ‘Well done in there. You showed Eva you’re in charge.’

‘I tried to emulate the matrons I’ve worked under. I admired each for different skills they demonstrated, but I’ve got a lot to learn. Eva seems—difficult.’

‘She was a real pain on the train, whinging about everything from the lack of a sleeper to the bloke in front of her who snored on and off. I think she kicked the back of his seat a couple of times. Honestly, I could cheerfully have shoved her through the door at one of the river crossings, but Catherine seems to manage her pretty well. When we were told we would be two to a cabin for the time being, I jumped in and offered to pair with the new nurse, sight unseen.’ Gerry nudged Meg with a discreet elbow. ‘I got lucky and Catherine seems fine about drawing the short straw.’

Meg smiled like the conspirator she knew herself to be. ‘I thought much the same thing back there.’ She opened the door into the supply room, so much more spacious and secure than the curtained-off area at the River. Setting one hand on a pile of pillowcases, she pointed to the sheets, folded into pairs for expediency. ‘Drop one set on each bed then we’ll pair up to make the beds.’

Predictably, Eva was the one to question her. ‘Why do we have to work in pairs? Why can’t we—’

Meg raised one hand and pinned Eva with what she hoped was a fair imitation of a matron. ‘I read a time and motion study in one of the manuals that explained why that method is quicker, but aside from that, this will be the last time I allow you to question my directions, Sister Smith. You will do it that way because I have directed you to do so. Is that understood?’

Eva’s mouth fell open and Meg wondered if the nurse was used to getting away with disrespect, or if she was one of those people who forever defied authority.

‘Is that clear, Sister?’

‘Yes, Sister.’ Eva’s eyes fixed on a pile of sheets, but as she lifted them off the shelf, a mulish expression pulled her mouth down.

Round two to Sister-in-charge, Meg thought before leading the way into the long central hallway. ‘Sisters Thomas and Platt, you take the veranda ward beside the driveway. Sisters Gilroy and Maxwell, the inside ward on the left. Sister Smith will work with me on the inner right side.’ By choice, Meg would have preferred to work with any of the other nurses but working side by side with the reluctant nurse would establish their working relationship and remind Eva that they were a team.

Catherine and Gerry finished one bed ahead of both Meg and Eva, and the other pair. Gerry leaned against the doorjamb. ‘Looks like we won. Anything else you’d like us to do while you finish up, Sister Dorset?’

Meg glanced up as she folded a neat hospital corner. ‘Head on into the theatre and let Dr Ransom know we’ll be there in a minute please.’ She and Eva added a light blanket, tucked it in then folded the edge of the top sheet over and tucked in the sides. Centring the pillow, Meg looked at Eva. ‘Good work, Sister.’

Eva sniffed, a small sound but indicative that she wasn’t yet ready to work under Meg. Perhaps she never would be, but Meg would make it her mission to create a smoothly functioning team both in and out of the operating theatre. Their task was to nurse wounded soldiers, not grudges, and Meg was determined to do her job to the best of her ability. If that meant dragging a reluctant Eva into behaving like a decent human being, so be it.

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