Page 31 of Under the Dark Moon

Chapter 10

Townsville

Meg sat quietly asDr Newton took his seat behind the desk, opened an envelope and pulled out a folded piece of paper. His face gave away nothing, no hint of the answer she craved. But then, she wasn’t sure if she wanted her results to prove she was carrying Seamus’s child. Her work as sister-in-charge at Currajong was fulfilling in ways she hadn’t expected. Responsibility for her small staff of nurses, now grown to eight, and for the soldier patients who had begun arriving several weeks earlier challenged her—as did Eva, who had settled only a little—but still, Meg’s satisfaction with what they were achieving was high.

Don Newton set the paper on the desk and sat forward, his hands loosely clasped. ‘What result are you hoping for, Margaret?’

How she wished she could get a read of the result from his expression, but Dr Newton had perfected the professional give-nothing-away look. She admired it, except for now when she teetered on the edge of a great unknown. ‘To be honest, I’m not sure. I don’t want to have to leave my work, but if I’m to have Seamus’s child, I can’t be unhappy about that either.’ Her gut tightened and her hands, hidden beneath the desk, curled into fists on her lap, but his expression remained neutral. ‘Well, what’s the news?’

‘The rabbit died. You’re with child, Margaret. About eight weeks I would guess. If you can remember dates when you last had relations with your fiancé that would give me a better idea, but you’ll have your baby around Christmas.’

She sat silently, waiting to feel something. Was she happy or sad? In her heart she’d known the truth, suspected it as the time for her monthly passed again without needing to take out her issue of sanitary products. But to hear her pregnancy confirmed felt—strange. ‘Thank you, Dr Newton.’ Even her voice sounded unfamiliar in her ears as she stood.

I’m carrying Seamus’s baby.

‘Are you okay with this news? Can I do anything to help?’

Meg looked around. What was she meant to be doing? Abruptly, she sat back on her chair and gripped the edges. ‘Do you have to report this to anyone?’

‘No, Margaret. You consulted me on a private matter. Besides, you’re part of a different army to me. It’s up to you when you decide to let your lot know. First babies often don’t show for quite a while. You’re fit and healthy—there’s no reason you can’t keep working for now.’ He walked around and perched on the desk in front of her. ‘I would advise you not to drink alcohol and, in spite of all the advertising to the contrary, my personal belief is that smoking is not in the best interests of your baby. Everything you ingest and imbibe will affect him or her. If you like, I’d be happy to remain your consultant for as long as you choose to continue working.’

At last Meg looked up into eyes full of sympathy. Now he’d delivered the news, he looked more like the man she’d danced with. A man willing to keep confidential the secret she carried. ‘Thank you. I must write to Seamus now I know for certain. Dr Newton, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your willingness to care for me.’ She touched her tongue to the corner of her mouth and drew in an audible breath. ‘Our doctor back home in Sydney wouldn’t be so accepting of my condition since Seamus and I are not yet married. In fact, I think he might have tossed me out of his consulting room.’

She wished that were a joke, but her family and their circle of friends were pillars of the church, staunch believers in the sanctity of marriage. Unmarried mothers barely existed in their world, except as charity cases. Hidden away, they were fallen women with no hope for salvation and their children, poor little ones, were taken away to be adopted by married couples who had not been blessed with their own family.

She pressed her knuckles against her mouth. Her free hand covered her stomach, still flat although, now she knew she was pregnant, the hint of a baby bump was obvious to Meg. Until Seamus returned and they were married, she couldn’t say anything about her baby.

I’ll have to fudge our wedding date if my family is to accept my baby.

‘Margaret, making a baby takes two people, and if they have made a promise to each other to wed, I can understand pre-empting the wedding night, especially in wartime. When we don’t know when—or if—we’ll see each other again, the instinct to create new life can be powerful.’

‘Most people of my acquaintance don’t see it that way.’

‘Being judgemental helps no one, especially when—’ Dr Newton’s gaze slid away. When he looked at her again, his neutral expression surprised her. ‘Now, do you have any questions for me at this stage?’

Meg shook her head. ‘I need time to get used to the idea I’m going to be a mother.’

‘In that case, I’ll see you in a month, if not on the dance floor next week.’ He offered his hand.

Meg took it, rose, and stepped towards the privacy screen but stopped short. ‘Is it safe for me to continue working?’

‘It should be, but no heavy lifting. Let the other nurses do that. Should be easy enough since you’re in charge.’ He winked, a friendly, conspiratorial wink that reassured her of his support before he left her in complete privacy to change.

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Meg’s driver set herdown on the footpath in front of Currajong. As she walked along the now smooth driveway, one of the new nurses exited the tent closest to Fulham Road. The venereal disease tent ward on what had once been grassy front lawn was busier than she had expected, and she frowned at the activity. After her consultation with Dr Newton and his compassion for her situation, she viewed it differently.

Don’t be judgemental. It’s wartime and people need love wherever they can find it.She had certainly embraced Seamus.

Her mind spun with her news and the decisions she would have to make alone. If only she had a close friend she could talk to. Gerry might one day become that—their connection and like-mindedness was a bulwark against Eva’s antipathy—but Meg didn’t know her well enough to be certain yet, despite how well they dealt together. Keeping her secret locked away was safer, at least for now.

Cigarette smoke alerted her to the presence of another person before she rounded the corner of the hut where she’d met Lt Breek on her first day at Currajong. Eva was sitting in front of the hut, a cigarette held between two fingers.

Eva tipped her face up and blew out a stream of smoke before she caught sight of Meg. ‘I’m on my break, Sister.’

Meg just nodded and walked past Eva and into her cabin. She changed out of her RAAF uniform into her nursing uniform and tidied her hair before locking her door behind her. For several reasons, locking her door had become the sensible routine since the arrival of Sister Smith, and now, with delicate news to impart, she couldn’t risk the woman snooping through her things and discovering the letter she had started to Seamus.

‘Anything to report, Sister Smith?’

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