The District Nurses of Victory Walk Read online

  Alice stood. ‘I was just leaving. I’m Nurse Lake, Alice Lake.’

  Kathleen hurriedly stood as well. ‘Oh, Mattie, Brian was took bad and I clean forgot. I’m sorry, I hope your ma didn’t go to no trouble …’

  ‘Don’t be silly.’ Mattie took one look at her friend who was all of a fluster and went and gave her a big hug. Then she turned to Alice. ‘You’re not going on my account, are you?’

  ‘No, no, I was on my way anyway,’ Alice assured her. ‘I’ve taken a look at Brian and I’m sure he’s in no danger. He just needs good care and plenty of rest.’

  Mattie nodded. ‘Glad to hear it. I’m Mattie Askew, by the way. I’ve got a baby Brian’s age so I know what it’s like, don’t I, Kath? Only I live at me ma’s while my Lennie’s away, so I got someone to help me out and look after her now and again.’

  Kathleen breathed out. ‘Your ma’s a diamond, Mattie. She’s been good to me an’ all. I don’t know where I’d be without her, that’s the truth.’

  Alice picked up her bag. ‘Well, I’m glad to see you’ve got a good friend, Kathleen. A trouble shared is a trouble halved, that’s what they say.’ She moved towards the door.

  ‘Works both ways,’ Mattie said staunchly. ‘When my Lennie joined up I was in a proper tizz, and Kathleen looked after me then. He always wanted to go into the army but when he went ahead and did it I didn’t know what to do. It was Kathleen what stopped me running after him and making a fool of myself.’ She grinned at her friend with affection. Alice saw Kathleen in a different light, not a poverty-stricken young woman panicking about her child’s health, but a steadfast friend who could be relied upon. It was a good lesson to learn on her first real visit as a district nurse. People had different sides and you couldn’t presume that you understood everything about them on one short visit.

  ‘I’ll say goodbye, then,’ she said. ‘Don’t hesitate to call on me again, Kathleen. Remember what I said earlier.’

  ‘I will. I reckon he’ll be right as rain now,’ said Kathleen, stepping towards the door to see Alice out. ‘Thank you, Nurse. You’ve set my mind at rest and I’m really grateful.’ She stood at the open door as Alice lifted her Gladstone bag into the wire basket of her bike and set off.

  Mattie took a look at Brian and carefully placed her hand on his small forehead. ‘He is a bit warm, isn’t he? What did she think it was?’

  Kathleen came back inside and shook her head ruefully. ‘He’s better than he was. She sponged him down ever so gently and he settled at last. He was ever so hot this morning, and I thought … I thought …’ She could barely form the word as the fear leapt up inside her once more, but she forced herself to stay calm. ‘You know. Like down in Shoreditch. I thought it had come here and he’d got it.’

  ‘Oh, Kath.’ Mattie knew exactly what her friend was thinking, and if she were honest she’d worried about it herself, even though she rarely went anywhere near the area. ‘It won’t be that, really it won’t.’

  ‘I know that now.’ Kathleen composed herself again. ‘She said he probably had a bit of a cold and that babies his age can get a temperature where you or me wouldn’t have more than a bit of a sniffle.’

  ‘Probably got it off our Harry.’ Mattie shifted uncomfortably. ‘I’ll kill him. I said to stay away from the little ’uns but he can’t resist them. He was picking up your Brian and playing with him a few days ago, wasn’t he?’

  Kathleen nodded. ‘Don’t blame him though, Mattie. I’m glad he plays with them. Brian likes it, you can tell. Does him good to get a cuddle from someone apart from me. Not all men like to do it, so don’t you go stopping him.’

  Mattie knew what Kathleen really meant. ‘Still no word from Ray, then?’

  Kathleen shook her head. ‘He can’t send word if he’s halfway to Canada, can he? Stands to reason, that does. I don’t expect to hear nothing till he’s back in port, and who knows when that’ll be?’

  ‘Who knows,’ Mattie echoed loyally, keeping her true feelings out of her voice. She wouldn’t trust Ray Berry as far as she could throw him which, given that he was six foot tall and she was a shade over five foot two, wouldn’t be far. She knew Kathleen loved him with a fierce and unstoppable passion, which meant she never complained about being left high and dry with a baby to look after on hardly any money. She herself wouldn’t have put up with it. But then, her Lennie sent home a portion of his wages regular as clockwork, and wrote letters every time he could. He was desperate for news of his baby daughter. He and Ray were as different as chalk and cheese.

  ‘You going to come back with me, then?’ she asked now. ‘Bring Brian – if he’s got what Harry had then we’d all have caught it by now if we were going to. Ma’s made a big pot of stew and says it won’t last, and she’ll be furious if I don’t bring you home with me.’

  Kathleen briefly shut her eyes. She knew she was a bit of a charity case, and didn’t want to presume on Mattie’s mother’s kindness. All the same, her mouth was watering at the thought of her stew, and Nurse Lake had been very clear: she had to eat well to keep Brian in good health. She really didn’t have much choice.

  ‘I’d love to,’ she said.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Edith was deep in conversation with Mary Perkins when Alice returned, a little shaky after the ride on the unfamiliar bike.

  ‘Come and have a cup of tea,’ Mary said at once. ‘I know what it’s like to ride that boneshaker. You’ll want a good sit-down to recover.’ She got up to boil the kettle and refresh the pot that she and Edith had already started. They were in the big room on the lower-ground floor, which was comfortably if slightly shabbily furnished to function as a combined dining and common room, next to the handy service room with all that thirsty nurses could need, as each had their own cupboard for drinks and snacks as well as a communal iron and ironing board. Light poured in through the big windows, and Alice could see the bike stand through one of them.

  ‘Don’t mind if I do,’ she said, collapsing onto a wooden carver chair, the seat of which was softened by a big patchwork cushion. ‘I found my way there and back all right though. I’m slowly getting my bearings.’

  Mary set a cup and saucer in front of her. ‘There you are. What was it like? Was the baby very sick?’

  Alice sipped the welcome tea and thought for a moment. ‘No, not really. Well, he had a temperature but I’m pretty sure it was nothing to worry about. It’s just that the real reason for concern is he’s undernourished, and we can’t do much about that unless the mother lets us.’

  Edith looked at her. ‘Remember, they warned us about that in our lectures. You can’t save everyone, Alice, even though I know you want to.’

  ‘I know, I know.’ Alice was only too aware that she had a tendency to get drawn in. It was the only fault that her previous matron had noted. She’d been ticked off for not maintaining a professional barrier, and told in no uncertain terms that it would do nobody any good – not the patient and not her. ‘Really, Edith, you needn’t worry. I’m not about to go round there and start taking over. It’s just – well, the mother was trying her best, you could see it in the way she kept the place, but she had next to nothing. She can barely feed herself, let alone the baby.’

  Mary raised her eyebrows. ‘Like I said, you’ll be back, I’ll put money on it. A penny it’s within the fortnight. What do you say?’

  ‘I … I don’t really bet,’ Alice said, secretly shocked. She had been raised to think of gambling as a sin, and yet here was Mary blithely offering to put money down on a patient getting sick again. It didn’t seem right, but she didn’t want to appear too disapproving on her first day.

  ‘Oh, Alice doesn’t like a flutter but I do.’ Edith’s eyes gleamed. ‘Just you wait till I have my first case.’

  ‘Didn’t you get called out today, then?’ Alice asked.

  ‘No, I’ve been unpacking and making myself familiar with where everything is around here,’ Edith explained. ‘Nearest bathroom, quickest way down the stairs, wh
o sleeps where, that kind of thing. Met a few of our colleagues and heard all the stories about which doctors are easiest to work with and which try to palm you off with patients they don’t want to deal with. Tested out which of the chairs down here are the comfiest.’

  Alice nodded. ‘Have you been outside?’ She had a very good idea of what Edith had been on the lookout for.

  ‘I might have.’ Edith rolled her eyes. ‘There’s a solid tall fence to the side but the one at the back is a bit rickety.’ She grinned.

  Alice said nothing but sent a silent message to her friend to go no further. Neither of them knew Mary well enough yet to share what Edith was up to, but Alice was sure she’d been checking for ways in and out after curfew. She’d done the same at their last place, working out where the rotten fence posts were and pushing in that way if she hadn’t got back in time. Alice didn’t exactly approve, but she wasn’t going to land Edith in hot water if she could help it.

  Mary remained blissfully ignorant of what was going on under her nose. ‘I got called out just after you left. One of the girls who works in the gas-mask factory had run a needle through her hand, but hadn’t done anything about it. She stayed off work but only thought to tell the doctor once the wound started puffing up. Should have disinfected it immediately but too late now. Anyway I cleaned it and dressed it and she should be all right, but it’ll take her twice as long to heal than if she’d had it seen to at once.’ She shrugged.

  ‘Gas-mask factory?’ Edith sat up in her hard-backed chair.

  ‘Yes, it’s not far from here. Used to be a furniture factory but now it turns out all those ghastly masks in case there’s a war. Which there won’t be,’ Mary said confidently, draining her cup.

  Alice looked up. ‘Are you sure? There are lots of people who’d disagree with you.’

  Mary nodded. ‘Oh, of course. Mr Chamberlain wouldn’t declare war, that’s tosh. He’ll keep us safe, there’s no question of it.’

  Alice swallowed slowly. She wondered how her new colleague could be so definite in her views when all around quiet preparations were going ahead in case the worst came to the worst. This very morning they had seen many kerbstones painted white to stand out if the city was in blackout, and from the top deck of the bus they had glimpsed skylights painted black to hide any lights beneath them. ‘So why are they making gas masks?’ she asked.

  ‘It’s just a precaution,’ Mary said breezily. ‘I expect they’ll go back to making toys or whatever those factories did until recently. Give them a few months and all the panic will be over. I’m not going around wearing a gas mask, I can tell you that right now. It’s bad enough trying to keep my hair in order as it is.’

  ‘Yes, they aren’t really designed with fashion in mind,’ said Edith, trying to make light of it while keeping an eye on Alice. She knew her friend followed public events with keen scrutiny, and had little patience with people who buried their heads in the sand. Would Alice start an argument now? Normally she was the most level-headed person around, but she had been known to grow hot under the collar about world affairs.

  Alice held her tongue, but Edith could see it was an effort. ‘Well, all I can say is there are lots of Canadian and American servicemen in town, so I shan’t complain.’ She smiled at the memory of the last time she’d been out dancing.

  ‘Edith, you are dreadful,’ said Alice, but without malice. ‘Mary, pay no attention to her.’

  ‘Oh no, I completely agree,’ Mary said. ‘They’re so smart, aren’t they? And I do like their uniforms. Especially the Canadians. They’re so straightforward; you haven’t got to go through the usual palaver about who their families are or if they’ve gone to school with your brothers.’

  Edith nodded dubiously. She didn’t usually have to worry about that sort of thing, especially as all her brothers had done their best to avoid school whenever possible. ‘Lots of them are good dancers,’ she said.

  ‘Aren’t they just? And they aren’t shy to ask you onto the dance floor,’ Mary said with growing enthusiasm. ‘We’ll have to put them to the test the next time our shifts allow. We’ll have such fun. Long may they stay over here.’

  There was a sound from the door, a gruff cough, and an older woman appeared in a highly starched nurse’s uniform.

  ‘That’s enough of such frivolous talk, Nurse Perkins,’ she said, her expression lined with severity, her cardigan buttoned tightly all the way up to her throat. ‘You might think war is just an excuse for dancing with young men, but I can tell you right now it is no laughing matter. Besides, you owe it to your training to put your profession first and not to lower our standards. Kindly bear that in mind.’ She let her gaze rest on each of them in turn before abruptly swirling around, leaving them open-mouthed.

  ‘Who was that?’ asked Edith after a moment.

  Mary pulled a face. ‘Gwen. You heard her earlier. She’s been here for ever, and is as old as the hills. Well, as you saw. She disapproves of everybody and everything and her pet hate is anyone enjoying themselves. As she’s Fiona’s deputy, she’s always telling us off for something. Bet she hasn’t been out dancing for years. Well, that’s not my fault.’

  Edith grimaced. ‘That’s too bad, but I can tell you right now, I think we deserve a bit of fun in our time off. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a nurse and I work hard, but everyone is entitled to a spot of recreation now and again. Isn’t that true, Alice?’

  Alice paused. She’d caught a look in the older woman’s eye that made her wonder why she was so sharp, so judgemental. Still, it couldn’t be much fun watching young nurses arrive, full of life and energy, if you were older and more set in your ways.

  ‘You go on out and enjoy yourselves,’ she said. ‘I’m no good at dancing. I’d rather stay in with a good book, if you want the truth.’

  ‘Oh, I’m sure that can’t be so!’ Mary exclaimed. ‘Look at you, you’ll be bombarded with offers to dance. We’ll have to take your rejected suitors.’

  Alice smiled gamely but her heart wasn’t in it. She had no intention of going dancing, with Mary or anyone else. She used to do it with a light heart but that was before. She was no longer that carefree young nursing student. Life had seen to that.

  As soon as Mattie and Kathleen opened the door the steam hit them. Delicious wafts were coming from the kitchen and they could hear Mattie’s mother singing at full volume, unaware that anyone had come in. ‘My old man said follow the van,’ she sang, slightly off-key.

  Mattie grinned. ‘Come on through, then we can put Brian down with Gillian.’ She led the way down the short corridor to the big kitchen, three times the size of Kathleen’s, where little Gillian was tucked into a cot in the corner and her grandmother stood at the range, her sleeves rolled up and her face red with the heat from cooking.

  ‘Kathleen Berry! And there was me thinking you’d got a better offer.’ The older woman put down her big wooden spoon and strode across to greet her guest. ‘You need feeding up by the looks of you. And how’s the boy?’ She peered at the little bundle in Kathleen’s arms. ‘Has your Auntie Mattie brought you round for your tea? He’s a proper little darling, just look at him.’

  ‘Thank you, Mrs Banham,’ said Kathleen, who still found Mattie’s mother overwhelming even though she’d known her for years. ‘It’s kind of you to have us.’

  ‘Nonsense, what else am I going to do with all this stew? It would be a crying shame for it to go to waste,’ Flo Banham insisted, returning to her bubbling pot.

  ‘I’m sure Joe and Harry could finish it off,’ Kathleen said, knowing that Mattie’s brothers had hollow legs, particularly when it came to their mother’s cooking. She carefully tucked Brian into the opposite end of the big cot, which had held generations of Banham children, and had plenty of room for two small babies.

  Flo Banham tutted. ‘There will be plenty to go round. I went down Ridley Road and the butcher let me have this cheap as he was expecting a new delivery. Practically begged me to take it off him, he did.’ She gave
the stew one more vigorous stir and then put on the lid. ‘There, we’ll let that simmer away for a while and then it’ll be ready by the time the boys get back.’

  Mattie grinned. Her brothers hadn’t been boys for a long time but their mother always called them that, as if they still needed cosseting and looking after. She used to think that was funny but now that she had Gillian, she understood it better. She couldn’t imagine ever not wanting to take care of her. She looked over the side of the cot at the little girl, fast asleep, her soft baby hair spread out on the little pillow. ‘Has she been good?’ she asked her mother.

  ‘She’s been a little angel for her granny,’ said Flo, coming to join her daughter to gaze down at the youngest member of the family. ‘She’s far quieter than you ever were, Mattie. You used to burst into tears every time I put you into your cot. I had to tie you in a sling so I could carry you round while I did my housework.’

  ‘Must be why I’m so good at it now,’ said Mattie cheekily, rolling her eyes. She’d heard it all before.

  Kathleen sat down in the rocking chair with a sigh. She was tired out by the worries of the day and because Brian had kept her awake for much of the night, but it was comforting to hear Mattie and her mother gently bickering. After a few moments she felt herself nodding off and, although she fought to stop it, the warmth of the room soon had her falling into a light doze. That came to an abrupt end when the front door banged and loud voices filled the air. Mattie’s brothers were home.

  Kathleen jolted upright, shaking her head to clear it, as Joe and Harry strode into the kitchen. Neither was surprised to see her there. Harry flung his jacket at a stool beside the back door, but his mother caught him.