Together Under the Stars

by Beryl Matthews

  They stayed only long enough for one drink, and then went back to their quarters.

  After dinner the next day the five of them went to the hospital, and when they walked in the ward Ricky saw them immediately and waved, clearly thrilled to see all of them, and especially the girls.

  He grasped Jean’s hand tightly when she reached him.

  ‘How are you feeling?’ she asked after kissing him on the cheek, careful not to touch the bandaged part of his head.

  ‘Bruised and battered, but better for seeing you.’

  Turning her head, she glanced over at the other bed. Nancy was sitting in the chair, holding Steve’s hand with her head bowed, praying, she was sure.

  ‘How is Steve?’ she asked Ricky quietly.

  ‘Mostly asleep, but they told me he’s doing well. All we can do is wait and hope. Tell me what you’ve been doing, and is there any more news about the invasion?’

  ‘We’re not allowed to stay long, and I can’t tell you much. Mostly we’ve been worrying about all of you, and I haven’t heard anything new about the invasion.’

  ‘Once they see what a tonic you are to us, they will let you stay longer next time.’

  They continued talking quietly.

  ‘Steve,’ Nancy said softly. ‘I don’t know if you can hear me, but I love you – we all love you and are praying for you. I want you to know that.’

  ‘Thank you, sweetheart.’

  Startled she looked up and saw his eyes were open. A smile lit up her face. ‘Hello there.’

  He smiled and curled his long fingers around her hand. ‘I’m glad you are here. Tell Sarge I’m sorry I wrecked another one of his babies.’

  Luke came forward, relieved to hear his friend joking. ‘I’ve already done that, and he said not to worry, he’ll get you another one.’

  Steve had been looking at Nancy, but now he turned his head to see the other bed, then he fixed his eyes on Luke, making his heart rate increase. He knew what was coming.

  ‘Where are the rest of the lads?’

  They had been hoping to delay telling him about the others, fearing he was too ill to cope with the distressing news, but there was no avoiding it now. The steady gaze told him that, and knowing his friend, he wouldn’t be put off with half an answer. So, he didn’t hold back and stated plainly what had happened.

  A look of anguish crossed Steve’s face and he closed his eyes tightly.

  ‘You got them back to their families, Steve, and saved the rest of us,’ Andy told him firmly. ‘That was one hell of a feat, and we will always be grateful to you for that. We are proud of what you did, and you should be as well.’

  ‘I wanted to get you all down alive. The fact that I didn’t is hard to take.’

  ‘It wasn’t your fault,’ Ricky called across to him. ‘It was over the moment those fighters riddled us with bullets. We needed you to get us back, and you did. In our eyes you’re a hero. They should give you a bloody medal for what you did.’

  ‘You say the daftest things sometimes, Ricky. Any pilot would have done the same, and it was my life I was fighting for as well. Anyway, how did you manage to survive?’

  ‘Not a clue. Something hit me on the head, and that’s the last I knew until I woke up here.’

  ‘Ah, no damage done then.’

  Ricky chuckled. ‘That’s more like it. You gave us a damned fright. We thought we were going to lose you as well.’

  ‘Not a chance.’ He turned his attention back to Luke, although he was clearly fighting to stay awake at this point. ‘What about the funerals? We should be there.’

  ‘I’ll find out, but you won’t be able to attend. I can go with Andy – Ricky, if he is mobile – and Sandy.’

  ‘Leave it with us and we will contact the families. If they would like us there, then we will go,’ Sandy told him. ‘You two just concentrate on getting fit again. There’s an invasion in the making.’

  ‘Tell them to postpone it until we are flying again,’ Ricky said jokingly.

  Sister arrived, checked her watch and put on her stern look. ‘You must all leave now. You are tiring my patients.’

  ‘Just a little longer, please,’ Ricky begged.

  ‘Your friends can come again tomorrow, but now they must leave. The doctors are about to do their rounds.’

  Before they left, Luke spoke to the sister. ‘We had to give Steve the bad news about the rest of the crew. He seems to have coped with it quite well, but it hit him hard.’

  ‘I understand, and thank you for letting me know. I will tell the doctor, and we will keep an eye on him. He is a strong, determined young man, so there is hope it won’t delay his recovery.’

  Sandy, Luke, Andy and the wing commander attended all the funerals, and as Steve was unable to be there, he had written to each family, praising their sons for their bravery and for being loved and respected members of the crew.

  Although grieving, the families appreciated the show of respect and affection from the men they had been close to. It was distressing for all of them, but they came away feeling they had done right by their comrades.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  During the next two weeks both patients made good progress, and armed with a pair of crutches, Ricky was released.

  Early one morning when Steve was walking up and down the ward, he stopped to look out of the window. For early June the weather had been awful, but it looked a little better now, and he was longing to get out in the fresh air again. He was going to have to limit the distance he walked for a while, but he needed to build up his strength as quickly as possible. He hated feeling this weak.

  Suddenly the ward doors burst open and his friends rushed in. They were so excited Ricky had even forgotten about using his crutches as support and was waving them in the air.

  ‘What’s happened?’ he asked when he saw their smiling faces.

  ‘It’s on!’ Sandy declared. ‘The invasion is under way. There has been a delay because of bad weather in the Channel, but it has cleared enough for the fleet to sail.’

  ‘That’s great news.’ Steve glanced around, searching for Sister, knowing she wouldn’t be far away. She wasn’t. ‘Sister, would you please tell the doctor I want out of here today.’

  ‘You will need to go to a convalescent home when you leave here.’

  ‘That isn’t necessary. I am perfectly fit and I must get back to base. We are all going to be needed.’

  She knew it was useless to argue with this determined young man, so she gave way. ‘I will see what I can do.’

  ‘I know you can persuade him,’ he told her, giving his most appealing smile.

  ‘The nurses are going to miss you.’

  Luke chuckled as she went on her errand. ‘Been flirting with the nurses, have you?’

  ‘The thought never entered my head,’ he replied smoothly, sitting down on the edge of the bed. ‘So, come on, tell me all the news.’

  They were making so much noise talking, laughing and giving everyone the good news, including hospital staff, that they had to be told to quieten down.

  When Nancy and Jean also arrived, Sister returned and sailed over to them. ‘I know this is a momentous day, but it isn’t visiting time and you really must leave.’

  ‘But we’ve only just arrived,’ Jean protested.

  ‘I know you are all excited, but you must come back this evening.’

  Ricky had a calculated glint in his eyes. ‘We wouldn’t have to disrupt you any more if you let Steve come with us. We’ll take good care of him.’

  ‘He can’t go anywhere until the doctor says he can. Now, be on your way – all of you.’

  Propping his crutches against the bed, Ricky grinned at her. ‘You can have those back now. Look, I can walk all right without them.’

  He did a little dance with Jean. ‘See.’

  She gave a resigned smile. ‘I’d be wasting my time if I told you to take it easy, wouldn’t I?’

  ‘We’ve got to get back to flying because the
war isn’t over yet.’

  ‘I know that only too well, and as much as we like all of you, we don’t want to see any of you back here again.’

  ‘Not a chance, Sister,’ Luke told her confidently, ‘just so long as we can have our pilot back. We need him.’

  ‘You know it isn’t up to me to release him, but I have had a word with the doctor. He is considering it, and that is all I can do.’

  ‘Thank you,’ they all said at once, including Steve.

  ‘Now you really must go.’

  ‘We’ll have a drink lined up for you tonight, Steve,’ Andy winked at him as they were ushered out of the ward, and peace reigned once more.

  Sister smiled at Steve. ‘They think a lot of you.’

  ‘We are a tight bunch who rely on each other completely when we are in the air. That kind of situation produces firm friendships.’

  ‘I’m sure it does. Get back into bed and the doctor will be with you shortly.’

  Ten minutes later he came into the ward. ‘I understand you want to leave us.’

  ‘Yes, sir. I feel quite well again. I’m grateful for everything you have done for me, but I need to get back.’

  He studied the chart for a moment, and then glanced up. ‘I’ll release you on the understanding that you do not fly again before the beginning of next month.’

  ‘But—’ Steve began to protest and was stopped with a stern look.

  ‘Those are my conditions, and your commanding officer will be given written notification of that. It is either that, or we send you to a convalescent home for three weeks.’

  ‘I’ll do as you say,’ he replied, knowing it was useless to argue.

  ‘Good, I’ll see you each week and then decide when you are fit enough to fly one of those monsters again. I know this inactivity is hard for you, but you will be back in the air soon if you do as I tell you. I can’t take any chances as you are a pilot, and you understand that, don’t you? I must be sure that not only you, but the men up there with you are as safe as possible.’

  ‘I do, and the last thing I would want is to be a danger to anyone else.’

  ‘It’s my duty to save men like you. I patch you up and then send you out to get shot at again. Remember to duck next time.’

  Steve laughed, delighted at the thought of going back to base and his friends. ‘When can I go?’

  ‘As soon as the release paperwork is ready. You will feel weak and it is going to take some time for you to regain your full strength, so don’t get impatient and overdo things. I’ll see you in a week, and if I believe you have been pushing yourself too hard, I’ll have you straight back in here. Is that clear?’

  ‘Perfectly. I like to walk, so would that be all right?’

  ‘Yes, but start slowly and build the distance up gradually. If you begin to feel unwell you must find somewhere to sit down for a while.’

  ‘What about horse riding? I am sure that would help my recovery.’

  ‘Is that something you are used to doing?’

  Steve nodded. ‘I have been riding ever since I could walk.’

  The doctor pursed his lips in thought. ‘Well, if you are an experienced rider, then it should be all right, but don’t attempt it for at least another week. There are some stables nearby, so go and have a word with them.’ He wrote the address down and handed it to him.

  ‘One more question. Am I going to regain the fitness and strength I had before?’

  ‘I don’t see any reason why not, as long as you are sensible and follow instructions. When you were brought in, we feared you wouldn’t live. However, when we heard that you had continued flying that plane even though badly injured, we understood that you had exhausted every bit of your strength on doing that. Now I have a question. How do you feel about flying again after what happened?’

  ‘Can’t wait.’

  ‘Do you know, every pilot I’ve asked that has given me the same answer?’ He sighed and shook his head. ‘I’ll see about your release, and then you can leave in a couple of hours.’

  Eager to be on his way he began searching the bedside locker. ‘Where’s my uniform, Sister?’ he called.

  ‘It was beyond repair so it was burnt.’

  Alarm crossed his face. ‘But what about the things in the pockets?’

  She held out a packet. ‘We saved those, of course.’

  He took it from her and emptied it out on the bed, smiling with relief when he saw the small leather wallet containing photographs of his family, and the star tokens.

  ‘They were rather messy, but we cleaned them up for you.’

  ‘Thank you, Sister; I wouldn’t like to have lost those things. Now, how am I going to leave here without my uniform?’

  ‘We have already sent a request that your clothes be brought here immediately.’

  In less than an hour, Luke returned and dumped a bag on Steve’s bed. ‘That’s your spare uniform, so let’s get you out of here. The lads are all waiting to buy you a drink.’

  ‘I’m supposed to take it easy.’

  His friend grinned. ‘That’s easy; you can sit down while you drink.’

  Steve raised his eyebrows at someone standing behind Luke, making him turn quickly. ‘Hello, Sister, I’ve brought Steve’s clothes.’

  ‘And an invitation to what sounds suspiciously like a party.’

  ‘Oh no, it’s just a friendly drink to welcome our pilot back.’

  ‘You make sure it is,’ she warned. ‘Only one drink, young man.’

  ‘He never drinks much, so don’t worry, Sister, we’ll take good care of him.’

  Looking completely unconvinced, she gave them both another stern look and walked away.

  ‘They wanted to send me to a convalescent home,’ Steve said as he dressed.

  ‘What a terrible thought.’ Luke helped him fasten the buttons on the jacket. ‘Quick, let’s get you out of here before they change their minds.’

  Straightening to his full height, Steve put on his hat and they made their way out of the hospital. He had expected to catch a bus, but there was a car waiting outside, and he smiled when he saw the driver.

  Sarge opened the door with a flourish. ‘Good to see you. Your transport awaits, sir.’

  ‘Thanks, and it’s good to see you as well. I didn’t expect this, though.’

  ‘We’ve got to look after you.’ Sarge got in and drove away from the hospital.

  ‘Have you got me another Lancaster?’ he asked.

  ‘It’s ready and waiting, and is a real beauty – one of the latest.’

  ‘Great, I’ll have a look at it tomorrow.’

  ‘Steve, they are not going to let you fly just yet,’ Luke pointed out.

  ‘I know, and I wouldn’t attempt it until I have my strength back, but I can look and have a sit in her. Just to see how she feels.’

  Both men agreed that would be permissible.

  They drew right up outside the NAAFI and Steve frowned. ‘I’ll have to check in first.’

  ‘You can do that later.’ Luke got out and opened the door, watching carefully as his friend eased himself carefully out of the car and stood up. ‘All right?’

  ‘Fine.’

  With Luke and Sarge either side of him they walked in, and a cheer rang out as everyone rushed up to welcome him back.

  Much to his surprise the base commander was there as well as Wing Commander Jackman. They came up and shook his hand, clearly pleased to see him. He found the outpouring of affection touching and completely unexpected. He glanced over the top of the men crowding round him and saw Nancy standing back and smiling. He motioned with his head to beckon her over. It wasn’t easy getting through the crush, but she managed it just as Sandy made him sit down. He held on to the next chair for Nancy. The tables were pulled together, so they could all sit round.

  The commander brought the first round of drinks, and when he put a small beer in front of Steve, he said, ‘Don’t let these men keep you late. Come and see me tomorrow afternoon, and take it
easy.’

  ‘I will, sir, and thank you for the welcome back beer.’

  ‘Right, quiet everyone,’ Andy called as soon as the commander left. ‘To show how pleased we are to have our friend back amongst us, we have arranged a little treat for him.’

  Ricky appeared and placed a plate in front of him with great ceremony.

  ‘What’s this?’

  ‘A fried-egg sandwich. We’ve got to build you up.’

  ‘A real egg?’

  Ricky grinned and nodded. ‘Two, in fact, so eat up before it gets cold.’

  He did and enjoyed every mouthful. ‘That was great, thanks a lot.’

  ‘We tried to get you a steak,’ Sandy explained, ‘but it wasn’t possible.’

  ‘I enjoyed that just as much. We often have a fried-egg sandwich for breakfast at home.’

  They sat around talking and after an hour Steve began to feel very tired. Although he was surrounded by so many friends, he was conscious of the three missing from the group. It must have shown on his face because Luke stood up and extended a hand to help him out of the chair. ‘That’s enough for tonight, Steve.’

  He nodded and touched Nancy’s shoulder. ‘Walk me back to my quarters.’

  She stood beside him and he smiled at everyone. ‘Thanks for the welcome. It’s great to be back.’

  When they were outside, he tucked her hand through his arm, and they walked slowly, enjoying the warm evening. He didn’t want to talk, and she was sensitive enough to know that.

  On reaching the building he stopped and gazed up at the stars, then gathered her into his arms. When she didn’t protest, he stayed like that for a few moments, then kissed the top of her head and stepped back. ‘Goodnight, Nancy. Sleep well.’ Without another word he walked into his quarters.

  She saw Luke coming towards her, so she waited.

  ‘Is he all right?’ he asked immediately.

  ‘I think so.’

  He studied her face carefully. ‘Why the worried expres­sion? What’s wrong?’

  She shrugged. ‘He’s different. Not easy to explain, but it’s as if his emotions are closer to the surface. Something inside him has changed. Does that make sense?’