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Chapter 27
January 1946
‘It opens at half-past nine.’ Meg turned from the notice and pressed herself against the brick wall at the entrance to the Records office. In typical midsummer fashion, the day had burst forth in a wall of heat and still air, and the narrow patch of shade from the door hood gave little relief. ‘It seems hotter than Townsville, but I’m sure that can’t be right.’
Geoffrey’s head was in the shade but the rest of his body was in the sun. He squinted into the bright light. ‘The heat bounces off the pavement as well as rising through the soles of our shoes, so the effect is intensified. Did you bring the thermos of water?’
‘Yes. Would you like some now?’
Behind her, the sound of a key being turned in the lock caught her attention.
‘They’re opening. Let’s deal with the paperwork first.’
Meg stepped through the door being held open by a middle-aged man who looked less than pleased to see customers already on his doorstep. Once in the main office, they waited while he raised a hinged flap and stepped behind the polished timber counter before approaching his window.
‘How may I be of assistance?’ He looked to Geoffrey for an answer.
Meg began to explain, and the clerk’s eyebrows rose as he turned his attention from Geoffrey to her. ‘The form was handed in before Christmas and—’
‘There is quite a back log of work to get through. Christmas is our busiest period. Everyone wants their file attended to first. I’ll have a look and see if your form has been submitted or if it’s waiting lodgement. Name?’
‘Dorset—Ransom. Sorry. We were only just married before Christmas.’
The clerk flicked through a pile of forms, the rubber tip on his finger moving precisely and slowly. Somewhere around the middle he stopped and drew one out. ‘Application by Geoffrey and Margaret Ransom for the release of adoption records relating to one Jennifer Dorset.’
‘That’s us. Jennifer is our daughter.’ Geoffrey, bless him, was already claiming Jennifer as his own child.
‘No, the form hasn’t been lodged yet. From its place in the pile, it will likely be two weeks before we get to it.’ The clerk looked at Geoffrey.
His focus on her husband was beginning to irk Meg. This was her daughter they were talking about. Her child who was lost to her. She leaned on the counter and pinned him with the same direct look she used on difficult patients. ‘How can we expedite that?’
‘Every request takes its turn.’
‘But this is about my—our daughter.’ There was a sharp edge in her voice she regretted the moment it slipped out. It hinted at loss of control. Quickly, she cleared her throat. Use your nurse voice. Control. Control. Control. ‘She was wrongfully adopted before we were demobilised and returned home.’
The clerk’s gaze narrowed on Meg. ‘You were in the services?’
Geoffrey leaned against the counter and nodded. ‘Doctor and nurse. My wife was in the Darwin and Townville bombings, and she was the first Flying Angel when we started air evacuations of wounded soldiers.’
Now the clerk was staring at her. ‘You were an angel? My son was repatriated late last year. We had him home for Christmas Day. He wouldn’t talk about what happened to him over there, but he talked about the flight home. Said he had the prettiest nurse caring for him.’ His gaze narrowed on her. ‘Could have been you.’
Meg ignored the sideways compliment. There was too much at stake. Normally, she was reticent about her work and the men she had brought home, but the connection was too precious not to make use of. Not when it might mean bringing her little girl home sooner. ‘He could have been on my flight. I was one of the last angels to leave. That’s why my daughter was taken by the nuns; because I was bringing our men home on those final flights.’
‘It might have been you.’ The clerk set their form on the counter and picked up an official looking stamp. ‘I’ll see that this form goes in today.’
Meg exhaled, and her relief lent a quiver to her ‘Thank you.’ She couldn’t say more.
The clerk nodded and set the form in an empty tray labelled ‘Out’.
Geoffrey took Meg’s arm, and they left the building. She could have been walking on air for all she noticed the hot footpath. ‘I can’t believe it was that easy.’
‘Sometimes, good things happen, Margaret. Now, I’m going to catch a tram out to the hospital at Herston. Would you like to accompany me?’
‘What would I do while you have your orientation?’
‘Look around. If you like what you see, you could apply to work there.’ He grinned. ‘It could be like old times, working together in theatre.’
Meg felt the old tug of attraction. To be working in an operating theatre beside Geoffrey would be wonderful. Their efficient work flow; the sense of achievement of a surgery that had gone well. ‘We were good together, weren’t we?’ She thought about those times, enjoying the memory.
