Home Fires

by Susan Cameron

  The nurse looked kindly at Annie and replied, “I’m glad to see you, Mrs. Kidd. He’s frightened and it’ll be reassuring for him to have his mother beside him. We’re trying to get Georgie to drink some fluids, so perhaps you can get him to sip a little water. I’ll bring a chair over for you.”

  Georgie momentarily opened his eyes and gave Annie a weak smile. She glanced around the ward and heard a cacophony of coughs, moans and sobs. She loosened the collar of her dress; the room was stifling. Annie marvelled at how quickly the smell of chalk dust had been replaced by the sharp antiseptic odour of a hospital ward. She imagined that she could also smell the children’s fear. As Annie stayed beside Georgie throughout the day, he often opened his eyes in a panic. When he saw her, and she assured him that she would stay with him, his expression would soften and he’d close his eyes again.

  At eight o’clock that night, Dr. Hughes came to the bedside.

  “Mrs. Kidd, go home. You’ll end up getting sick yourself. We have nurses here throughout the night and they’ll call me if Georgie is in distress. I imagine you haven’t eaten all day either.”

  Annie’s eyes welled with tears. She struggled to steady her voice. “Dr. Hughes, I lost my first child, my only daughter, in 1902, to measles. I still have a huge hole in my heart. Georgie is named after my youngest brother, and he died in battle last year, at Passchendaele. My husband is in Belgium now and I worry every day about him. I cannot lose Georgie. I truly believe that if my son knows that I’m right here beside him, he’ll fight harder.”

  The doctor patted Annie’s shoulder. “I’d never underestimate the power of a mother’s love. I’ll get one of our volunteers to bring you a meal.”

  Soon after Dr. Hughes left, Bobby appeared.

  “You look exhausted, Ma. Do you want to go home for a rest and I’ll stay beside Georgie? Everything is fine at home. Yvonne is quite organized and she’s patient with those little monkeys. She made dinner, and brought back her older brother to stay the night with her. Her brother is with Jack now, and Yvonne is upstairs in Hal and Henry’s room. I can stay with Georgie.”

  “No, son. Thank you for offering, but Georgie is so sick, I don’t want to leave him. I’m glad you asked Yvonne to stay. You have to go to work tomorrow. If Georgie improves, then I’ll go home for a bit tomorrow evening, while you sit with him here. I’m glad Jack is feeling better, because I don’t know how I could have managed.”

  Bobby stayed for another hour before returning home and promising to come again the next day after his shift.

  Annie dozed in the chair beside Georgie’s bed, and in the early morning hours she was suddenly awakened when she felt his arm fall over her knee. She sat up and looked anxiously at her son, taking his hand into her own. He mouthed the words “I love you, Mummy.” She felt a huge lump in her throat and fought her tears.

  “I love you very much too, Georgie. You need to fight hard and get better, son.”

  He smiled weakly at her and closed his eyes. He lay stock-still and Annie held her breath, remaining as motionless as her son. Then she forced herself to put a hand on his chest, not sure whether she could feel a weak heartbeat. She put her ear to his nose and mouth and remembered that old crone’s prediction back in Shields the night before they left for Canada. True to the prediction, Annie had crossed water and battled fire. Did fighting disease and death mean she was going to lose Georgie? Was she being punished for loving this boy maybe a little more than his brothers? Just then, she felt her cheek caressed by a brief weak exhalation.

  “Oh, thank God. I need you to stay with me Georgie. Don’t you dare give up!”

  She remained awake for the rest of the night, watching him closely. A nurse came by to take his temperature at about four in the morning, and whispered, “Mrs. Kidd, it looks like his fever has broken! Dr. Hughes will be pleased when he comes on his rounds.”

  When the doctor came by at seven o’clock, he said, “It looks like George is over the crisis. I believe he will recuperate, but it may be a slow process. His heart and lungs have been weakened, but he has youth on his side, as well as a determined mother.”

  That evening, when Bobby came into the hospital after his shift, Annie decided that she could go home for a while. Dr. Hughes said he should check Jack again and offered to give her a ride home in his car. She readily accepted.

  “Thank you once again, Dr. Hughes. It will take me a while to pay you for all your services but I assure you I will. I’m so weary; I was not looking forward to the walk home. I’d appreciate the ride.”

  The doctor followed her out and opened the passenger door for her. She slid into the seat and fell asleep before he even started the ignition, waking only when the car stopped in front of her house. She was mortified.

  “I’m so sorry. I can’t believe that I fell asleep in your car!”

  “Don’t worry. I’m pleased you were at peace and could nap. Let’s go in and see how Jack is doing. I’m sure Yvonne has managed the house and your boys quite well.”

  They entered the house and were welcomed by the warm, teasing aroma of baking bread. The counters and table were scrubbed clean and the kitchen floor had been mopped. There was a vegetable stew bubbling away on the stove top. Annie felt a surge of love for the slip of a girl who had so recently come into their lives.

  Yvonne was in the sick-room, taking away dishes from Jack. He was sitting up in bed with Spud curled up in a ball warming his feet.

  “How are you feeling, son? You’re looking much better. I see that Yvonne has been taking good care of you.” She turned to the girl. “Dinner smells wonderful! You are doing a fine job of managing the house.” Yvonne’s face reddened. Annie looked again at Jack with relief. “Indeed, you have become a pampered gentleman!” she teased.

  Jack laughed weakly, then spoke in a raspy voice. “I am feeling better, Ma, but … how is Georgie?”

  “We think the worst is over now. He may be in the hospital for a while yet, but he has improved. Dr. Hughes wants to check you. Come along, Yvonne. Let’s have a cup of tea and I’d love a dish of your stew. It smells delicious and I’m famished.”

  Annie went upstairs to check her sleeping little boys, and then changed her clothes. By the time she came back down, Yvonne had the table set with three bowls of stew and was at the counter slicing thick wedges of her warm homemade bread. Dr. Hughes looked up sheepishly from the table.

  “I’m afraid I have invited myself for dinner, Mrs. Kidd. My bachelor meals are pitiful. I’ll have to take a deduction off my bill to repay for this hearty meal. You know I just might hire Yvonne and make her my own housekeeper, once George is well!”

  Yvonne blushed and lowered her head, but smiled at the compliment.

  The doctor looked at Annie and said, “Seriously, Mrs. Kidd, you must get some rest after your dinner. I’m going back to the hospital after I eat and will keep a close eye on George.”

  Annie consented. “Yes, I’ll follow the doctor’s orders this time. I’ll have a nap after dinner.”

  Bobby visited Georgie and Annie, in the children’s ward, every day after work. He soon reported to Annie that Jack was well enough to get to the table for his meals and sleep upstairs in their bedroom. He reassured his mother that everything was well taken care of at home.

  One day Annie teased him about having a pretty girl around the house. Bobby blushed crimson and guffawed, “Ma, Yvonne’s just a kid. She’s not much older than Jack!”

  Georgie seemed to be slowly improving and Annie was eager to bring him home from the hospital. Over the next two weeks, she watched in horror as sheets were pulled over other little bodies and cots wheeled out of the ward. At least ten children had passed away while Georgie was in the hospital. The smell of the disinfectants permeated her hair and clothing, and the summer heat collected and stagnated in the ward. Windows were kept wide open to catch any errant breeze. Annie was becoming accustomed to the odours and the heat, but was haunted by the coughing and crying of so many ill children. S
he watched as despair and exhaustion wore away at the nurses and doctors.

  At the end of the second week of Georgie’s hospital confinement, Dr. Hughes came to examine him while on his regular rounds. The doctor looked extremely tired. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his forehead seemed permanently creased in worry; it seemed he had aged in the short time since she met him. He approached Georgie’s bed, listened to the boy’s chest, and nodded.

  “Well, Mrs. Kidd, I believe that Georgie has recuperated sufficiently enough to return home. He will still need a lot of time to rest, and I’ll have to monitor his heart and lungs for several months. It would be good for him to sit outside by your garden for a few hours on each warm day, but he must not do anything strenuous for a couple of weeks or even longer.”

  He grinned and said some words in Welsh. Annie knew it was a wish for good fortune. He placed his large hand on Georgie’s shoulder and said, “You are blessed, Georgie. I wasn’t sure you could pull through, but I’m pleased to see that I was proven wrong. Mrs. Kidd, I have to make a few house calls near your house. I can drive you and George home tonight.”

  That afternoon, when Bobby stopped by the hospital after work, Annie told him the good news.

  Bobby’s face lit up. “We’ll have to have a proper celebration for you, Georgie. Are you feeling better now?”

  Georgie beamed and replied, “Yes, and I really want to get out of here. Tell Spud, and Jack and Hal and Henry, that I’m coming home.”

  “I will, Sport,” said Bobby. “See you tonight.”

  When Dr. Hughes’ car pulled up and parked outside the Kidd’s home, Georgie was greeted like royalty. Yvonne was on the door step holding Hal’s hand and carrying Henry on her hip. Bobby and Jack were outside too and they all cheered and clapped as Georgie came out of the car. Georgie’s pale face lit up with a huge smile. There was a sign pinned to the front door that read “Welcome home, Georgie!” He was still quite weak, so Dr. Hughes picked him up and carried him into the house, placing him gently in the rocking chair. In the centre of the kitchen table, there was a chocolate cake.

  “Vonny made a cake for you, Georgie!” Hal announced. “Me and Henry helped.” He looked at the doctor and said, “You can have a piece of cake too, mister.”

  Dr. Hughes laughed and replied, “I have to attend to another patient but I will certainly return for a piece of cake. Thank you.”

  Annie wished that Jim was with them to help celebrate Georgie’s recovery. With a start, she realized that Jim didn’t even know how close they had come to losing another child.

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  Belgium

  November, 1918

  The shells fired from enemy dugouts were a continuous threat to the troops. The men had to wear their gas masks throughout the early evening, even when it was pouring rain. Wrapped in his ground cape, Jim shivered and listened to his own breath rattling in and out of his respirator.

  When the cold wind abruptly changed directions, Jim anxiously looked towards the signal post. The flag announced that it was safe to remove gas masks and he quickly pulled his off, mopped away the moisture from his forehead and sighed with relief.

  At midnight, orders came to advance. Jim’s unit began the assembly of a prefabricated bridge to the other side of the canal. They placed light rails parallel to the waterway and a large pivot that allowed the bridge to swivel across.

  “Damn, I hate working out here in the open!” complained a man working beside Jim. They were straddling a large metal shaft.

  “We might as well have targets painted on our backs! General Currie’s probably sitting beside a warm fireplace right now while we risk our lives.”

  Jim grunted, then said, “Aye, and likely after a big meal of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.”

  As soon as the pivot was assembled, Jim and about thirty other soldiers stood on one end to provide the heavy load needed, to allow the bridge to lift and swing across to the other side. Jim watched the horses cross, straining as they dragged the heavy guns. Suddenly the night lit up in an explosion of machine-gun fire and the horses collapsed on the bridge. The Allied gunners quickly retaliated with a heavy bombardment, aimed in the direction of the enemy machine-gun nest.

  Jim quickly jumped down to a rocky ledge in the wall of the canal, and heard a loud thud and splash below him. One of the horses had toppled off the crossing. Soon other horses followed as soldiers pushed the dead animals over into the water. The men pulled and pushed the loads of weapons to the opposite side. Jim cautiously climbed back up the slimy stone wall and continued the construction work with his division. Within four hours, they had three prefabricated spans in place.

  When the final overpass was completed, the remaining heavy guns were rolled across to the opposite side. Waves of Canadian troops surged forward and began a massive assault on the enemy. Jim and his unit followed in the rear. The night sky was illuminated from the continuous detonation of weapons, and throughout the battle there was no escape from the deafening whine of shells and intense explosions. Jim’s head throbbed and his ears rang.

  The army pushed on through Belgium. Jim’s company continued with the construction of cork bridges and rafts, so that the army and heavy artillery could cross the rivers. They worked under cover of the dark to avoid detection by enemy snipers. Jim grew more and more exhausted from the heavy labour and continual marching as they chased the retreating Germans through Belgium.

  Emaciated horses were worked to death, often flogged while pulling heavy loads of artillery in the advance. It was common to march past hundreds of dead horses rotting in the mud. During the weeks of fighting in the cold, unrelenting rainfall, the men were never dry. They marched past the gruesome sight of corpses littering both sides of the road. Some men collected souvenirs from the German bodies until one soldier was killed when he set off explosives booby-trapped to a corpse. There were dirty tricks on both sides. In retaliation, knowing that the German soldiers were starving, a few men threw can after can of bully beef at the enemy trenches; they waited for the men to rush to grab the tins, then threw hand grenades at the hungry German troops.

  While chasing the retreating Germans, the Allies were treated as liberators by the civilians as they marched from village to village. People lined the roads and cheered them on. Some handed the men flowers and even pressed previously hidden bottles of wine on them. The troops saw how extremely malnourished and thin the Belgian villagers were, and often gave some of their rations to the children.

  When they stopped at one small village, Jim finally had a break from duty, and took the time to write a letter to his wife.

  Dearest Annie,

  At last I have the time to write you, and I pray that this letter finds you and the boys well. Finally we are able to sleep in houses instead of trenches. What luxury. Apparently the Germans told the civilians that Canadians were wild colonials who would rape and murder them! What nonsense.

  We may be liberators but at a huge cost. I’ve lost too many mates and seen too much death. I’m tired to the core and just want to get home.

  Tonight I am sitting at a table in a kitchen belonging to a kind elderly couple. I’ve shared my food with them and they’ve allowed me to sleep in their spare bed tonight. I showed them your picture and the photo of our boys. I have no idea what they said but it sounded like a compliment to my family.

  I hear rumours of armistice but we are still ordered to continue through towards Mons. We are all in a foul mood and there is a lot of cursing and swearing. I have made it this far, and I pray that I will survive this war and soon be home with you and our sons. I miss you.

  Your loving husband,

  Jim

  At the end of the following day, Jim was in an abandoned barn, with several other men. The building was to be their billet for the night. The stone and wood structure was dusty and permeated with an odour of manure from the animals that once slept there, but it had a solid roof and provided dry shelter.

  Letters wer
e picked up and new mail delivered to the men. Jim was handed a thick envelope from Annie. He sat down on the straw-covered floor and opened it.

  Dear Jim,

  I hope that this note finds you well. We have had a very trying time this last month, but I assure you that we are all healthy now. Bobby was very ill with Spanish influenza, but he soon recovered and is now back to work. Then Jack and Georgie came down with the flu. Jack recovered fairly quickly, but our Georgie was deathly ill. He had to spend a long time in the hospital. I thought we were going to lose him, Jim, he was that ill. He had a severe case of pneumonia and I think I bullied him to fight for his life. I could not bear to lose another child, and I know it to be the same for you.

  Jim stopped reading; he closed his eyes and swore. He touched the pocket over his heart, which held his precious family photos and Bible. Then he continued reading. Georgie was home now but still quite weak. His heart and lungs were stressed. Annie assured him that she had enough money for the hospital bills. She wrote that the flu had hit the North quite hard, and that there had been many deaths. She was thankful that Hal and Henry remained healthy. As he was reading, several pages slipped down to his lap. He picked them up and discovered notes from Bobby, Jack, and Georgie, a picture drawn by Hal with a carefully printed Daddy, and some scribbles from Henry. Jim read the letters from his sons, then folded them and replaced them in the envelope. He took out his photos and stared at the picture of his children. A young man from Nova Scotia sat beside Jim and handed him his rum ration.

  “I hope that was not bad news from home, Jim. You look a little shaken.”

  Jim took the rum and poured a few splashes of it into his tin cup of tea. “No, Ben, everything is fine. It’s just very difficult being so far away from my family. My wife wrote to tell me that three of our boys were sick with the Spanish flu. We almost lost one son, but thankfully he’s recuperating at home now.”

  “That’s one nasty disease going around. Perfectly healthy men go to bed one day and they’re dead the next. I heard this Spanish flu is spreading all over the world now.” Ben shook his head. “Did you hear that General Currie has ordered us to take Mons from the Germans? After the terrible losses we’ve suffered in battle these last months, why is he volunteering the Canadians for this one? I hear that the German army is starving and losing the will to fight; their allies are all surrendering. This war is almost over. Nobody wants to be the last soldier killed, but I guess Currie wants the glory. What do we care about reputations as liberators? I just want to come out of this alive!”