AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘My mind is made up.’ She began changing uniforms and shooed Gerry out the door. ‘Go tell them to wait a few minutes while Eva gets changed. My bet is she’ll be there in record time.’
‘You’re mad. Or a saint. I can’t decide which.’ Gerry blew her a kiss. ‘Wish me luck.’
‘Luck. Now go.’ She finished changing and went straight to the ward, hoping to avoid encounters and explanations with Doc.
Not Doc—Dr Ransom. Think formal, act normal.
When Meg stepped into the ward, Eva’s mouth turned down in a look Meg’s mother would have warned her against. ‘Don’t pull that face or it will stay like that when the wind changes.’
‘Sister Smith, I’m here to relieve you. Go and get changed for the dance. The others will wait five minutes for you.’
Eva’s eyes grew wide. Her mouth opened and no words came out, but she sprang to her feet.
‘You’d better get going.’ Hoping she’d made the right choice, Meg jerked her head towards the door. ‘Be quick, Sister.’
‘Really? You mean . . . Yes, Sister—thanks.’ One hand holding her cap in place, Eva took off leaving Meg in her dust.
‘Thanks, Sister Dorset.’ The voice came from Sgt Draper who had been placed in the bed closest to the nurse’s station. He sounded tired, and his voice was weak, not like she imagined a drill sergeant’s to be. Probably the after-effects of the anaesthetic.
‘Would you like a few sips of water?’
He shook his head.
Meg walked over and straightened the bedsheet across his chest. ‘I’m not sure why you’re thanking me, Sergeant.’
‘Now I’ve got the prettiest nurse here looking after me.’
‘Sergeant, are you flirting with the nurse in charge of your wellbeing?’ Meg looked at his chart then her watch. His next vitals check was due in a few minutes.
‘You can’t blame a man for speaking the truth when he’s coming out of anaesthetics.’
Attaching the cuff, she checked his blood pressure. It was a little low and when she checked his pulse, it was elevated. The sergeant was suffering from shock.
His free hand scratched his chest through the sheet and light blanket. ‘You’re wearing lipstick on the ward too. Is that to cheer me up?’
‘Does it cheer you up, Sergeant?’ Telling herself his flirty comments meant nothing, Meg set his arm down gently and picked up his chart to record his pulse. Patients often imagined themselves smitten with their nurses. Nodding at the hand scratching his chest with increasing urgency she asked, ‘Are you feeling itchy anywhere else, Sergeant?’
He glanced down at his chest and frowned. ‘Now you mention it, yes.’
‘Do you mind if I have a look?’
Awkwardly, he pushed the blanket down. Light as it was, its weight over his surgical dressing drew a grimace.
Meg folded it down to his hips, easing that discomfort, unbuttoned his pyjama shirt and moved so the night light from the desk fell onto his chest. Angry red welts rose in two patches. ‘Where else feels itchy?’
‘My right leg, my scalp, and my gut hurts, more than just where the doc took out my appendix. It’s been getting worse since I came around.’
Meg checked both his leg and scalp then gently palpated his stomach. His indrawn breath hissed as he bit back a groan and she was certain.
‘I’ll be back in a moment.’ She walked smartly to the front door, hoping against hope Doc and the nurses hadn’t left yet, but Eva must have changed super-fast. There was no sign of the group. Slowly she returned to her patient.
‘I believe you’re having a reaction to the penicillin. A small number of patients have an allergic reaction to the drug. Looks like you’re one of them.’ Her voice remained calm and she smiled as she spoke. ‘I’m going to phone the doctor and ask if he’ll allow me to administer something called anti-histamine. It will ease the pain and the itching should go away soon after. Don’t go away.’
‘Not if you promise to come back soon, Sister.’ His smile was a gritted-teeth, not-going-to-show-how-bad-I’m-feeling, quick pull back of his lips.
Meg touched his shoulder in acknowledgement then picked up the extension on the nurse’s desk and asked to be put through to the American recreation hall.
The phone rang so long she feared no one could hear it above the music, but just as she began to despair and considered taking action without the doctor’s permission, it was picked up. The background noise was loud as the soldier on the other end asked what she wanted.
