by Kate Eastham
Alice gasped and jumped back, thinking, for a split second, that it might be Jamie.
‘Are you all right?’ said Morgan, his face full of concern.
‘Yes, of course. Sorry, I thought you were someone else, that’s all.’
Alice could see past him to Eddy, who was making all kinds of gestures as she stood on the steps. Alice had no idea what she was trying to communicate.
‘I was wondering, Alice, if you wanted to meet me tomorrow, on Lime Street Station. I seem to remember you said that it was your afternoon off?’
‘That would be very nice,’ said Alice, instantly feeling guilty because, for him, she would forgo time with her child. ‘But I will have to ask Marie if she’ll have the baby, so I can’t say for sure.’
‘No matter, I will be there at two p.m., under the clock. If you come, you come, if not, I will be disappointed but we will meet some other time.’
‘Yes, all right,’ said Alice, catching a glimpse of Eddy still gesturing behind him.
Morgan gave a small bow and then went on his way. Alice struggled to keep a straight face and she could see Eddy holding her ribs to stop herself from laughing.
‘Is that the one who took you to the park?’ asked Eddy, out of breath, still trying to control herself.
Alice bundled her in through the door before she told her anything and then they both started laughing.
‘Yes,’ she admitted finally.
‘And I saw Reverend Seed trotting after you when you were coming out of the hospital … Alice Sampson, who will be next on your list?’
‘Shut up, Eddy,’ said Alice. ‘The Reverend Seed is just a shy man who doesn’t know how to speak to women, and the other one, well, it’s far too soon to be sure of what’s going on there.’
‘But, nevertheless, Nurse Sampson, the dark, handsome stranger is the man of your dreams.’
‘No, nothing like that …’
‘Well, why are your cheeks all flushed pink, Nurse Sampson? And even though you are exhausted, your blue eyes are sparkling. Aren’t they, aren’t they?’ teased Eddy.
‘Shut up, Eddy,’ said Alice, starting to laugh again.
‘Oh, and I have another surprise for you,’ said Eddy, producing a letter from her pocket. ‘Da-dah! A letter from Maud, at last!’
‘Open it,’ said Alice, grabbing Eddy’s hand. ‘And read it to me whilst I get myself changed.’
Eddy unfolded the letter and began to read.
‘Dearest Eddy and Alice,
I am sorry it has taken so long to write. It took more time than expected for us to secure permanent lodgings and I needed to be sure of an address before communicating. I am pleased to report that all is well. The work at the Women’s Infirmary suits me very well indeed and I’m spending as much time as possible in theatre, there is so much to learn! It felt very strange at first to be working with women doctors and I am very fortunate indeed to be here with some of the first to obtain a medical degree. Elizabeth Blackwell, the British doctor, the one that Miss Houston’s friend contacted, is no longer here, she has moved back to England; but her sister, Emily Blackwell, is a fine surgeon and she takes charge of the hospital. There could be no better experience for me.
Our patients are, for the most part, women from reduced circumstances. And I’m sorry to say that there is a great deal of poverty on the streets – very much like Liverpool. This is set to continue as immigrants from all over the world continue to pour in. New York is a modern city and it is expanding rapidly, new buildings everywhere. And they have just started building what’s called a suspension bridge over the East River – the huge New York and Brooklyn bridge will be the first in the world to be constructed in this way. There seems to be so much possibility here, hence the reason why the Women’s Infirmary has been given room to grow.
Alfred is doing very well at his new school. He says it isn’t equal to the Blue Coat but it will do well enough, and we now have access to a public library, so I can borrow extra books for him if need be.
Our lodgings are clean and satisfactory. The landlady is of Irish descent and has spent some time in Liverpool before her move to New York. She is a very generous woman and Alfred has taken to her very well indeed.
I hope that you are both keeping well, and, Alice, don’t wait too long before you make plans to return to the wards and finish your training.
I think about you both every single day as I walk to the hospital. Please write soon and let me know how you are doing.
I miss you both very much indeed.
Your loving friend,
Maud’
‘She’ll be so pleased to know that you’re already back at the hospital,’ said Eddy, folding the letter and pushing it back into the envelope.
‘She will,’ murmured Alice, lost in thought. ‘Funny she didn’t mention Harry, though, not once,’ she said, standing ready to go, in her district nurse’s cape, a crease of worry between her eyes. ‘Don’t you think that’s odd?’
‘Mmm, that is strange. Maybe she just forgot,’ said Eddy, scanning the street before linking arms with Alice.
‘Forgot that she has a new husband?’ murmured Alice as the two women walked arm in arm out into the evening.
15
‘The nurse must always be kind, but never emotional. The patient must find a real … centre of calmness in his nurse.’
Florence Nightingale
Alice walked to work the next morning thinking of her patients, especially Tommy. He was never far from her thoughts. Seeing a sudden movement to her left, she drew in a sharp breath and stopped in her tracks, drawing the nurse’s cape more tightly around her. It was just a man rushing to work, he didn’t look anything like Jamie, but she was, as always, alert. A woman brushed past and gave her a concerned glance. Alice forced herself to smile and then picked up her pace again, telling herself she would be safe, she would be fine. And as soon as she saw Eddy smiling and waving from the steps of the Nurses’ Home, she knew that was the case, at least for now.
Walking down the corridor to the ward, she allowed herself one thought of her afternoon off. She would only be able to see Morgan for ten minutes, but it still made her heart beat a little faster. Marie had some business to attend to so she couldn’t mind the baby, and Alice knew that she couldn’t take Victoria with her, she just couldn’t. Besides, with the possibility of Jamie lurking somewhere in the city, it was probably best that she didn’t spend too long out there. It did occur to her that the railway station might not be the best place to meet – after all, Jamie could be moving through there. But she had to believe that Eddy was right, that he had probably headed straight home after the incident on the ward. Surely, if he’d still been in the city, he’d have tried to confront her again by now, wouldn’t he?
They were busy on the ward, and the time flew by. It was late morning before Alice was able to get anywhere near Tommy’s bed, but when she did so, he had some news. Sister had spoken to him that morning and suggested that he consider making a move, whilst he was well enough, back to the Sailors’ Home. She’d told him that the district nurse could see him there to do the dressing and make sure he had a good supply of laudanum, so there was no reason why he couldn’t go and spend time in the place that had always been his home during his periods on dry land.
‘I almost have me discharge papers, Nurse Sampson,’ he said. ‘And you can come and see me there if you want. I’ll send a message to my mate, Davy, he’ll come and fetch me.’
Alice knew that seeing patients after discharge wasn’t advised, and the couple of times she’d been asked previously, she’d politely declined. However, this felt different. She had got much closer to Tommy than any patient last time around, and she knew that she would be worrying about him and needing to know how he was getting on.
‘I will come to see you, Mr Knox,’ she said quietly. ‘I would like that very much.’
Alice was waiting on Lime Street Station, beneath the clock, at two p.m. sharp. She knew that he would be there this tim
e, there was absolutely no doubt in her mind. She stood with her back to the station, gazing at the clock, and when she turned around at exactly the right time, he was walking towards her, and her heart jumped.
‘I’m so sorry I can’t stay, I can only say hello,’ she said, breathless.
‘I understand,’ he said, with a glimmer of disappointment clouding his eyes for a moment. ‘I am glad of any amount of time to see you, Alice,’ he added, reaching out to take her hand. ‘Even though your hand seems to have turned yellow.’
‘Ah, yes,’ said Alice, starting to giggle. ‘I forgot about that. It’s just iodine, that’s all, from a dressing that I did this morning.’
‘A sign of all the good work you do on that hospital ward, Nurse Sampson,’ he said, stooping to kiss her hand.
He straightened and looked directly at her, his dark eyes shining. And in that moment, as they stood beneath the station clock, they were enveloped in a cloud of steam. Alice felt him step close, she could smell his cologne, and then his arms were around her and she was kissing him. The steam made them cling together even more tightly and the clanking of metal and the whistle of a train simply added urgency to the moment.
As the steam cleared they started to draw apart, and Alice could see that he was, for once, slightly ruffled. It took a few moments for him to collect himself.
‘I’m sorry that you have no time today, Alice, but we will meet again soon.’
‘Yes,’ she said, glancing up to the station clock. ‘But now I need to go straight away. I promised Marie, and she has been so good, looking after Victoria for me.’
‘Of course,’ he said, stooping to kiss her stained, yellow hand one more time. ‘I have some business to attend to for the next week or so, but I will be back to see you as soon as I can, and we will arrange another afternoon out, if that suits you?’
‘It does suit me,’ she said, smiling as she turned to leave, still able to smell his cologne.
As Alice walked away, she had no way of knowing that she’d been seen by someone walking through the station. Just as the steam had cleared, a woman had instantly stopped in her tracks and watched them, her eyes narrowed. It was Nancy, a large shawl wrapped around her, covering most of her body. She was watching the couple so intently that she was completely oblivious to other passengers bumping into her and needing to step around her.
Alice would have been troubled if she’d seen the knowing smile that Nancy gave as she went on her way. It would have unsettled her. But fortunately, she had no idea. The passengers, the steam and the noise of the railway station were no more than a wondrous haze to her in that moment.
Thoughts of Morgan beneath the clock on Lime Street Station stayed with Alice for the rest of that week as she looked after Victoria, went back and forth to work, worried over her patients, and helped Marie with the work of the house. She carried the memory of that special moment with her, like a shiny token.
The week went by quickly and it seemed like no time at all till she walked on to the ward and found Tommy sitting up in bed and smiling. ‘It’s all arranged, I’m going home,’ he said, as Alice came to check his dressing and administer the laudanum drops that he was now having regularly, at least three times per day.
‘That’s good,’ said Alice, glad that arrangements had been made. Even in the last three days she’d seen more changes in him. He was losing weight, his chest rattled more, and he seemed to have a yellowish tinge to his skin.
‘What do you expect?’ he’d said to her, when she’d been worrying over him. ‘I’m not exactly in my prime and I’m only bound to get worse.’
There was nothing Alice could say except, ‘Well, you still have some life in you, Mr Knox, and I want to try and make sure that you get the absolute best out of it. You don’t even seem to want a tot of brandy any more, could you not even manage that?’
‘I wish I could,’ he said, ‘but it doesn’t taste right, Nurse Sampson, it tastes sour. It’s difficult to explain. And more often than not I feel sick now as well.’
‘Well, let’s see if we can get you some ginger root or some arrowroot, that might help. I’ll ask Sister Law.’
Tommy was smiling at her and reached out for her hand. ‘Look, Nurse Sampson, I don’t really think you need to do that. I’m not saying I’m giving up or anything, but all I seem to need at present is a regular dose of that,’ he said, nodding towards the bottle that she held in her hand. ‘The rest I can deal with. And, yes, there is life still to be lived, but it will be short for me. Thank goodness. Even without this cancer, I’m not someone who can be left on dry land. I need the sails full and the ship cutting through the water, the taste of the salt on my lips …’
‘I know,’ said Alice, giving a small sigh. ‘But at least when you go back to the Sailors’ Home, there will be other sailors around, and you’re very close to the docks. Maybe they could carry you down there.’
‘And chuck me in,’ he laughed. ‘I wouldn’t mind that, not now.’
‘Don’t say that,’ said Alice, her face serious. ‘Let’s wait and see how you go …’
Tommy glanced down to his thin legs beneath the sheet and shook his head. ‘They used to call me Tommy Strength when I was a young man. At one time I could lift a hundredweight clean above me head,’ he said quietly. ‘Now I can hardly lift a cup of tea …’
Alice didn’t know what to say in return but she reached out and took his hand.
‘Well now, Nurse Sampson,’ he said, rousing himself after a few moments. ‘I can see Sister Law glancing in our direction, so I suggest you get yourself over there to our Mr Swain – he’s probably next on your list?’
‘He is,’ said Alice, ‘but are you sure you’re all right?’
Tommy nodded and then he started to smile. ‘Wait till you get a good look at Mr Swain, you’ll have a shock.’
‘Why?’ she said, creasing her brow. ‘Is he …?’
‘Oh, he’s fine, but wait till you see him.’
Alice was straight across the ward, and it was a good job that Tommy had warned her, because the man looked so different that she probably wouldn’t have recognized him. His hair had been cut and his beard was gone. He was clean-shaven.
She looked back over at Tommy, her eyes shining, and then back down to Mr Swain. She never would have thought that he was such a handsome man under all that hair. It must have been years since he’d had it cut.
‘They did it first thing this morning. Sister Law arranged for the barber to come in, special,’ mouthed Tommy across the ward.
‘Stop that chit-chat and come here, Nurse Sampson,’ shouted Sister down the ward. ‘I need you to show Nurse Bradshaw and Nurse Fry how to apply a poultice in the correct way.’
Out of the corner of her eye, Alice could see Tommy quietly laughing. He never failed to be amused by ‘our Captain’ as he called Sister Law.
Alice was happy to help the new probationers. She’d seen Millicent making a move in her direction earlier, and she certainly wanted to avoid getting involved there. She simply could not work with the woman. It wasn’t just her association with Nancy, although that wasn’t easy – she had to be so careful what she said, and she couldn’t mention Maud, not after Nancy turning up at the wedding – but it was also Millicent’s different pace of work. She was still so slow, even though she’d been qualified for months. Eddy had joked that Millicent would be best suited to work in the mortuary, and it had made her giggle at the time, but glancing back down the ward now, Alice thought that it was true.
Standing by a patient’s bed with her head bowed, the severe central parting of her hair peeking out from beneath her cap, Millicent looked strained. She was clutching a handkerchief in her thin hand and appeared close to tears. Alice couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. There was no doubt that Millicent truly cared about the patients on the ward, but that didn’t mean she had the right qualities to be a nurse. If I was a ward sister, I’d be having a word with her, for her own sake as well as that of the patients, t
hought Alice, as she made her way to assist the probationers.
‘Right, you two,’ she said, smiling at Nurse Fry and Nurse Bradshaw. ‘Follow me, and I’ll show you how to prepare a kaolin poultice.’
Alice was finding that she enjoyed working with the first warders. She’d already been able to help them with their bed-making technique; even though her own hospital corners weren’t ever straight, she’d found that showing them the right way to do things and giving lots of encouragement really made a difference to them. And these two, they were close friends as well outside of work and they reminded her so much of her and Maud.
The following day, Tommy was all set for discharge during afternoon visiting. Alice had been given the task of making sure his belongings and bottles of laudanum were packed, as well as a note for the district nurses, carefully written by Sister Law and sealed in an envelope. She’d been hoping that Eddy might be his district nurse, but she was working a different area at present. That’s a shame, Alice thought. I think those two would get on together very well indeed.
‘My mate, Davy, he’s comin’ for me. He’s bringing a carriage right to the door of the hospital,’ said Tommy, smiling, but also fidgeting with his hands on the bed sheet and glancing up and down the ward.
‘You’ll be all right, Tommy,’ said Alice. ‘And I’ll be out to see you tomorrow, if I can. I’ve got a half day.’
‘I would like that very much indeed, Nurse Sampson,’ he said. ‘We can give you a proper sailors’ welcome.’
There was no mistaking Tommy’s friend as he strode down the ward, a broad-shouldered man with hair bleached by many years of salt and sun. Alice headed straight back to Tommy’s bed, to make sure that everything was in order. She could see how the men were together, laughing and holding on to each other – they were obviously close.
Davy looked up as Alice approached, and then he stretched out his arm to shake her hand.
‘You must be Nurse Sampson,’ he said with a big smile. ‘I’m David Hall – that’s my official title at any rate. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to come in and see my mate here more often; it’s just, we’ve been busy getting the ship ready to go back out.’