An Orphan's Dream

by Cathy Sharp

  The thought crossed her mind that he ought to have been under close supervision and would have been had it not been for the outbreak of measles. Fortunately, it had been contained and only five patients had gone down with it. Knowing that it could have been much worse, Rose thought they’d got away with it lightly, but now she wondered if it had been at the expense of another child’s suffering. Of course, Danny should have told them he was in pain, but he was obviously used to putting up with his injuries and hadn’t wanted to cause a fuss – she just hoped that he wouldn’t suffer too badly because of it.

  Half an hour later, Rose listened to the doctor’s verdict and felt even more anxious.

  ‘It might be just a severe attack of a stomach bug, though I don’t like the look of that bruising,’ Dr Clark told her. ‘But you were right to call me out, and I am going to have you keep him under strict observation and I’ll order various tests and an X-ray. There’s something I don’t like the look of … can’t put my finger on it, but we’ll find out.’

  ‘I think we should have kept a more careful watch on him,’ Rose said, feeling awful. ‘I know we’ve been worrying about the patients going down with measles but still, it ought to have been noticed before this.’

  ‘Yes, it might appear careless,’ he agreed, ‘but I know you do all you can here. You mustn’t blame yourself, Sister Rose. He should have told us he was in pain.’ Despite his words she sensed disapproval and felt that he was reprimanding her, though that might have been her own guilt.

  ‘I talked to him, but he didn’t show any sign of being in severe pain – but he must have been.’ Rose felt upset. She looked at Danny as he lay with his eyes closed. Dr Clark had given him a sedative to ease the pain and he seemed to be breathing more easily. Once again, she felt drawn to Peter Clark in a way a nurse shouldn’t. As for Danny, she knew it was foolish to become too attached to a patient, especially when he would be moving on to a new home when he was better – but he certainly couldn’t be moved yet, that much was certain. And she would do her utmost to make sure that he was given all the care and attention he needed while he was in her care.

  ‘I’m sorry, Matron,’ Rose said when her superior came to visit Danny later that morning. ‘He isn’t really well enough for Lady Rosalie to take him yet – perhaps in a couple of weeks, depending on how bad his injuries are internally.’

  ‘One of us ought to have noticed something,’ Matron said frowning. ‘It’s unlike Sister Matthews not to notice something like this and she admitted him – but I would’ve expected you to notice it and summon a doctor sooner.’

  ‘Yes, but Danny was old enough to wash and dress himself, and deliberately hid his pain in order to protect his father or prevent him attacking him again, so a small part of the blame is his own, but I do agree that we should all have taken better care of him.’ Rose felt she deserved the reprimand and it stung that she’d failed in her duty of care.

  ‘Poor little boy,’ Matron said, shaking her head in distress. ‘Well, I shall ring Lady Rosalie and tell her that the family visit she had arranged must be cancelled and if it means another child is fostered in his place, Danny goes back on the list.’

  ‘I did tell you he is very interested in cooking?’

  ‘Yes, but unfortunately the candidates for foster homes do not get to choose, Sister Rose. Much as I would like to place him with the owner of a restaurant, it is unlikely to happen.’

  ‘We have to hope that he will be well enough to be placed with a family at all,’ Rose said, biting her lip. ‘I feel so responsible, Matron. If he should become worse …’ Her usual calm, professional manner had deserted her and she was close to tears.

  ‘None of that, Sister!’ Matron said sharply. ‘You have a ward to run. Your nurse has been looking after him and she should have picked up that something was wrong. Tell me, is Margaret James up to the job?’

  ‘Oh yes, she seems very caring,’ Rose said instantly, because she was the senior nurse and the blame was hers alone.

  ‘I asked if she was capable, not caring.’ Matron frowned. ‘I am very disappointed this has happened, Sister Rose, but we must do what we can to see it doesn’t affect his chances in life – and make certain he has the best treatment available.’

  ‘Yes, Matron. I assure you he will not be neglected again.’ Rose choked back her feelings. She ought to have seen Danny wasn’t right sooner and she must carry the guilt if anything should happen to him due to her neglect …

  ‘Good!’ Matron nodded briskly and walked off, leaving Rose feeling flattened. Matron sighed. Rose was clearly blaming herself for Danny but, in the end, Matron knew she was ultimately responsible. And she’d visited him and noticed nothing amiss. However, Dr Clark had him in hand and he should be fine now …

  CHAPTER 11

  ‘Well, then, Jessie,’ Peter Clark asked as the old lady entered his room at the free clinic. ‘What is it this time – your feet or your back?’ He smiled at her, watching her eyes spark with mischief. He knew the real reason she came every week was to see him and for the few bob he always slipped her for a cup of tea, only sometimes because she had a genuine complaint.

  ‘It’s me chest, doc,’ she said and wheezed convincingly. ‘Really bad it’s been these past few days.’

  Peter hadn’t seen any sign of a bad chest when she’d tucked into her free lunch at the mission hall but didn’t contradict her. Instead, he listened to her chest, which sounded fine, tapped her back, then had a look at her feet – the yellowed toenails had been clipped short only a week ago and she no blisters on her feet. He smiled and nodded – his diagnosis was right, she just needed a little chat, a cup of tea and a bottle of his tonic, which she believed cured all manner of things.

  Twenty minutes later she went off with her tonic, some ointment for her feet, half a crown for a cup of tea and a smile on her face. Peter was smiling too. He enjoyed his little sessions with the brave old lady, who had lived a chequered life. The saucy quips she’d came out with had him chuckling again as he washed his hands and prepared for his next patient, this time a man with a genuine cough and wheezy chest.

  Three hours and twenty-odd patients later, Peter chatted to the nurse that assisted him and then left the clinic. He smiled as he walked along the street, acknowledging people who waved or called out a cheery greeting to him. He was well known in these streets and enjoyed the feeling of being a part of the busy life here. Men and women of all ages and walks of life came and went and most of them seemed to know him. His little car was one of the few that could be safely parked hereabouts, even though he hadn’t brought it today. The first taste of spring sunshine had tempted him out and he enjoyed the exercise and the fresh air. Somewhere he could smell flowers and he looked round for the source, seeing the stall at the end of the road.

  The old woman there looked up from her seat. ‘Hello, doc,’ she said. ‘Been busy as usual?’

  ‘Yes, Molly. I’ve been to the clinic.’

  ‘Want your buttonhole, do you?’

  Peter smiled and took a shilling from his pocket. She gave him a small pink flower to pin to his jacket and he paid her and then looked at the array of gorgeous flowers in her baskets. She hadn’t sold many that day …

  ‘How much for a bunch of the narcissus?’ he asked.

  ‘One and sixpence to anyone else – a shilling to you.’

  Peter produced another shilling. The flowers were lovely but by the look of her basket she needed to sell more. ‘And those tulips?’

  ‘The same again.’ Molly cackled. ‘Got a young lady, ’ave yer?’

  ‘I might have,’ Peter said and smiled. ‘Give me two bunches of tulips as well.’

  He paid her and she smiled as she watched Peter walk towards the Rosie infirmary. The flowers he carried smelled of springtime and he could only think of one thing to do with them.

  At the infirmary, Peter walked straight up to the children’s ward. He saw Sister Rose bending over a child’s bed and walked towards her, the flowers h
eld behind his back.

  ‘Good afternoon, Sister Rose,’ he said and she turned to look at him.

  ‘Oh – it’s you!’ she said. ‘Have you called to see Danny? He seems a little better today I think.’

  Peter sensed the reserve in her and his resolve failed. He couldn’t offer her flowers; she would think he was mad. Bringing the flowers out, he said, ‘I brought these to cheer up the children, Sister Rose – and I’ll take a look at Danny. I can see you’re busy …’

  Peter walked on to the next bed without looking at her again. He felt a bit of a fool for thinking he could just give her flowers. The look in her eyes had had the coolness of a mountain stream and he would be a fool to think she was the least bit interested in flowers or a date with him …

  Rose watched as he stopped by Danny’s bed and then bent to gently pull back the covers and examine the child’s side. He replaced the covers and sat beside him, talking to him and laughing.

  Rose turned away as tears stung her eyes. For a moment, when he’d produced these lovely flowers, she’d thought they were for her. The disappointment had been sharp – as sharp as her answer.

  Why had she spoken to him harshly? Rose didn’t know, except that she’d felt he’d criticised her unfairly when she’d asked him to look at Danny’s bruising. Yes, she ought to have noticed Danny was in pain and she did blame herself – but she didn’t like it that both Doctor Peter and Matron had seemed to blame her. She wasn’t the only senior nurse on duty … and yet, she told herself, it was her job and she should have known. So, she was being defensive when she ought not and that was foolish.

  Rose shook her head. She had no idea why she seemed so emotionally involved both with Danny and Dr Clark. For goodness sake! She was a professional nurse and she should be able to respond to all challenges with an even, calm manner.

  Dr Clark was leaving the patient now and she went up to him, giving him a cool, professional smile. ‘Is he any better?’

  ‘Yes, I believe we’ve been lucky; there was no serious internal damage, just deep-tissue bruising,’ Dr Clark said and nodded, every bit as cool and professional as she. ‘I’ll keep an eye on him – but I don’t think there is much to worry about. However, let me know at once if there is any sudden change.’

  ‘Yes, Doctor, of course.’ Rose smelled the flowers. She couldn’t help herself as she said, ‘These are beautiful. It was kind of you to think of us on this ward.’

  ‘My pleasure, Sister Rose. I can’t think of a better place for them – and Molly needed to sell a few bunches anyway.’

  ‘I buy flowers from her every Friday,’ Rose said and smiled. ‘That was doubly kind of you. I know sometimes she finds it hard to earn a living.’

  Dr Clark hesitated and then nodded. ‘We all do what we can, Sister Rose. Put those in water before they fade – and goodnight.’

  Rose watched him walk from the ward and then went to put the flowers in water, placing the vases about the ward so that all the children could see them and enjoy them.

  Peter Clark was really a very nice man. She liked him a lot but she wasn’t sure that he saw her as anything more than a nurse, one who didn’t always come up to his high standards …

  Peter walked home, stopping off for a pint at his local before going back to the small family hotel where he lived. The rates were reasonable, the breakfast was adequate and the beds were comfortable. He preferred it to living alone and sometimes chatted to the landlord and his wife before retiring. That evening he’d had a pie and a pint in the pub and it was all he needed. Sometimes he ate at the hospital canteen but mostly he would have lunch at a pub and occasionally he took a lady friend out for a restaurant meal in the evening.

  There were half a dozen young women he could telephone for company if he wished, and friends and married couples who asked him to dine now and then. He wasn’t a loner, but a successful young man who might have married long since if he’d found the right woman – only the one he wanted seemed wedded to her job at the infirmary and he wasn’t sure whether she liked him or not.

  She’d been hostile when he arrived with those foolish flowers – and yet she’d thanked him for them before he left and for a moment his heart had started to beat rapidly because those green eyes had seemed to be warm with approval and her smile had made him want to kiss her – but he could just imagine her reaction if he tried.

  Ruefully, Peter shook his head. It was stupid to feel like this when the woman he liked hardly knew he was around. He should concentrate on his work and ask one of his friends out for a meal or to a concert. There was one coming up that he rather fancied so perhaps he would buy a couple of tickets and then decide who to take.

  CHAPTER 12

  ‘As you know, I always have a full list, Mary,’ Lady Rosalie said when she took Matron’s call the next morning. ‘If Danny still isn’t well enough to be fostered then someone else gets this chance – a pity, as it is a good family. However, I shall find another home for him when the time comes.’

  ‘Yes, of course, Rosalie,’ Matron replied. ‘And I would prefer to keep him in hospital until he has quite recovered.’ She paused, then, ‘Have you heard about any of the other children who were rescued from that warehouse?’

  ‘The little girl went home to her parents as you know and I understand she is settling well. I am sure they will not let her out of their sight for a long time! The two boys are being looked after and seem to be recovering, young people are so resilient but these boys have had a rough time, kindness and patience is what they need now – the one called Ron absconded from hospital before anyone had a chance to do anything for him!’

  ‘Oh dear, that’s unfortunate.’

  ‘I understand the sister in charge of the ward told him that I would visit the next day to tell him about a prospective new family – and when she turned around, he’d gone. They searched the hospital and then one of the porters said he thought he’d seen a young boy go outside and run away. He thought he’d been up to mischief and shouted at him, but he just kept on running.’

  ‘How very unfortunate,’ Matron said and Rosalie nodded, sighing. ‘He will have gone back to his former life on the streets, no doubt. You would think he would have learned his lesson after what happened.’

  ‘I think perhaps he may have had a bad experience in an orphanage and didn’t want to be sent back,’ Lady Rosalie replied. ‘However much we try to prevent it, some of these places have employees who should never be allowed near children – and if that has happened to Ron in the past, he wouldn’t trust anyone.’

  ‘Why do people do such evil things?’ Matron asked and sounded upset. ‘I’m used to it, Rosalie, but I still find it impossible to understand.’

  ‘Yes, indeed,’ Lady Rosalie replied. ‘I can only say that we do our best to help those we can and there is no more we can do. It is for people in high places to make the kind of laws that prevent this happening.’ Lady Rosalie sighed. ‘I made inquiries about little June as you asked me and we’ve discovered that she is known to the welfare people. Following my report, they are going to arrange for her to be taken into care – and then it seems there is a grandmother who will have her. The mother wouldn’t allow it, but she will have no choice now.’

  ‘It is so sad,’ Matron said. ‘I hated to let her go home but I’m glad you’ve told me – once the law steps in I know she will be taken to a place of safety for her own sake.’

  ‘Yes, that is one off the list.’ Lady Rosalie paused, then, ‘Well, I mustn’t keep you as I know you’re busy.’

  ‘Oh, I have my rounds to do but we’re fairly quiet at the moment – once the weather picks up a little the cases of chest infections ease off. I think you keep busy all the time.’

  ‘Yes, I have several meetings with prospective foster parents this morning – and this afternoon I am doing a handover to a new family. Shirley has been waiting for a long time and she is very excited about getting a new mummy and daddy.’

  Lady Rosalie said her goodbyes and
replaced the receiver. She wondered briefly about the young boy who had absconded from the hospital. It was a pity he had run away, because she might have found him a home where he could be happy, perhaps for the first time in his life. In all the blackness of poverty and abuse that brought so many orphans and unfortunate children to her notice, the goodness of some of the men and women who took them in shone out like beacons in the night.

  A smile came to her face as she thought about Gwen Cartwright, one of the best of her carers. Gwen had asked if she could adopt Ned, the young boy in her care who needed special diets and lots of understanding. She’d told her that she would help her to begin the procedure and it gave her a warm feeling inside. If only she had a lot more like Gwen Cartwright on her list, she would be able to place all her current orphans in no time.

  Gwen left her house and walked to the market to shop. Ned was at school, his tummy so much better these days that she could pack his lunch and know he would be fine. She’d told the school he couldn’t have school meals, because his diet needed to be balanced, and the headmistress had been understanding and allowed him to eat his own food in the dining room with the others. Ned had told her that some of the other boys were envious of what he ate and wanted to bring their own food in now. She smiled at the notion that she’d started a new trend of healthy eating amongst Ned’s school friends.

  The market was busy that morning and she enjoyed what was the first really warm day of spring, taking her time to wander from stall to stall, buying only the freshest fruit and the best of the vegetables. She had plenty of time and was in no hurry, stopping to chat whenever she saw a friend or neighbour. It was when she’d finished her shopping that the voice spoke from behind her.

  ‘Good morning, Gwen. How are you this bright spring day?’