District Nurse on Call

by Donna Douglas

  His hands came down on her shoulders and Carrie jerked out of his grasp.

  ‘Don’t!’ she snapped. ‘Don’t touch me.’

  Rob stood, his hands in the air. ‘I only wanted to make you feel better,’ he said. ‘What are you so worried about, Carrie? Everyone will know about us sooner or later.’

  ‘Us?’ Carrie glanced past him up the empty lane. She could hear voices coming from her parents’ cottage and she longed to be there, in the safety of the crowd, with her mother and sisters. ‘How many more times do I have to tell you, there is no us?’

  Rob’s confident smile faltered. ‘You don’t mean that,’ he said. ‘You’re just upset over your father, that’s all. Once you’ve had a chance to calm down—’

  ‘I don’t want to be with you,’ Carrie interrupted him. ‘I love James. I want to stay with him.’

  ‘I told him about us.’

  She stopped dead, staring at Rob. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Just what I said, I told him about you and me – and the bairn.’

  He smiled at Henry and reached out to touch his hand, but Carrie pulled away.

  ‘You – you didn’t. You couldn’t—’

  ‘I had to do summat. I knew it would be better coming from you, but when you didn’t say anything, I thought it must be down to me. So I went to see him in his office.’

  ‘When? When did you go to see him?’

  ‘A couple of weeks ago. Ask him thysen if you don’t believe me.’

  Carrie stared at him, trying to take it in. All that time and James had said nothing to her. Or perhaps he was waiting for her to say something?

  She looked back at Rob. ‘Why?’ she whispered. ‘Why would you try to ruin everything?’

  Rob looked offended. ‘What do you mean? I did it for you. I thought you’d be pleased.’

  ‘Pleased?’

  ‘I meant what I said when I told you I wanted us to be together.’ He took a step towards her, his arms outstretched. ‘I only want to look after you and our—’

  ‘Don’t!’ Carrie clenched her teeth together to stop herself screaming out the word. ‘Don’t you dare call him your son. I swear, if you say it one more time I’ll swing for you!’

  He took a step towards her, entreating her. ‘Carrie—’

  ‘Don’t touch me.’ Carrie shrank away from him. ‘How many more times do I have to tell you, I don’t want you? I don’t want to be with you and I never will!’

  He blinked at her. ‘I don’t understand. I thought we—’

  ‘No,’ Carrie cut him off. ‘You thought, Rob, not me. It’s always been you. What you think, what you want. You’re so busy making plans, you’ve never once listened to what I want.’

  ‘But you love me?’ He sounded so plaintive when he said it, for a moment she almost felt sorry for him.

  ‘I don’t,’ she said, more calmly. ‘I thought I did, once. But I was young and very foolish then. It wasn’t until I met James that I realised what true love really is.’

  Rob stared at her. He looked like a lost little boy. ‘You don’t mean that,’ he whispered, but there was no conviction behind his words.

  ‘I do, Rob. You must believe me.’

  ‘And what about my son?’

  She felt her anger rekindling. ‘He isn’t your son. James is the only father Henry’s ever known, and ever will know.’ If he’ll still have me, she thought silently.

  Rob straightened up, squaring his shoulders. ‘I won’t stand for it,’ he declared.

  ‘What will you do? You can’t make me love you, Rob. Any more than I could make you love me once.’

  He went on staring at her, but she could already see the defeat in his hazel eyes. ‘What do you want me to do?’ he asked.

  ‘Go,’ she said. ‘Leave Bowden, and leave us alone.’

  For a moment she thought he was going to give in. Then his chin lifted. ‘I in’t going to give up,’ he declared. ‘I in’t going to be cheated out of my—’ He saw Carrie’s face and stopped. ‘This in’t over,’ he warned.

  That was the difference between them, Carrie thought as she headed home later. Rob Chadwick couldn’t believe that anyone couldn’t love him, and James couldn’t believe that anyone could.

  But now all she could think about was finding him, and putting things right. If he was prepared to give her another chance, then she would gladly spend the rest of her life proving how much she loved him.

  Her heart was pounding as she parked the pram outside the front door and let herself in.

  ‘James?’ Her voice echoed in the silence.

  She heard a sound coming from the end of the passageway and started to move towards it, only to stop dead when she saw the maid emerging from the kitchen.

  ‘Where is Mr Shepherd?’ she asked.

  ‘He’s gone, ma’am.’

  She saw the softness in the other woman’s eyes. The maid made no secret of how much she despised Carrie, so for her to feel any kind of pity towards her …

  Panic flooded through Carrie but she managed to keep herself calm. ‘Gone? Gone where?’

  ‘I don’t know, ma’am. But he left you a note.’ She took an envelope from her apron pocket and handed it to Carrie.

  ‘Thank you.’ It took every scrap of dignity she could muster not to fall on the letter and rip it open. Instead, she managed to give the maid instructions to look after the baby, and then took herself up to her room.

  It was only then, sitting on the window seat with the curtain pulled across to shroud her from view, that she allowed herself to open the letter and read what James had to say.

  Dear Carrie

  By the time you read this, I will be gone. I think it’s best for both of us if I move out for a while. I will spend the night in the colliery office, then find lodgings in Leeds while I consider what is best to be done.

  You mustn’t blame yourself, my love. It was my fault for trying to hold on to you for so long. But when I saw you with Rob Chadwick today, I suddenly realised where your heart belonged. But thank you for letting me share it for a short time.

  You have made me so very happy. Now it is your turn.

  With love,

  James

  The heartache she had fought so hard to keep at bay finally overcame her in a crashing wave. By the time the maid brought her a cup of tea half an hour later, Carrie lay sobbing on the bed, all thoughts of dignity long forgotten.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  That night the harsh clang of the calamity bell cut through Agnes’ dreams, startling her awake.

  She sat bolt upright, her heart racing at the sound. A sliver of moonlight crept through the crack in the curtains, slicing across the bare wooden floor.

  She was fumbling into her dressing gown in the darkness when she heard the knock on the door, followed by the sound of Mrs Bannister’s footsteps going down the stairs.

  As Agnes went out on to the landing, she could hear voices below. She recognised the gruff tones of Sam Maskell, one of the overmen at the colliery.

  ‘There’s been an accident at t’pit. The doctor needs to come.’

  ‘Dr Rutherford is away visiting his son in Leeds. We’re not expecting him back until tomorrow afternoon.’

  ‘Not here?’ Sam stood on the doorstep, wringing his cap between his fists. ‘So what’s to do, then?’

  ‘I’m sure I don’t know,’ Mrs Bannister said. ‘I suppose you’ll have to send for Dr Joseph in the next village.’

  ‘But there in’t time … There are men trapped down there.’ Agnes saw the despair on Sam Maskell’s face.

  ‘I’ll come,’ she said.

  ‘You, miss?’ Sam looked doubtful.

  Mrs Bannister turned on her scornfully. ‘And what could you do? You heard what Mr Maskell said, they need a doctor down there.’

  ‘And he also said there wasn’t time to send for one.’ Agnes already had her bag open, checking its contents. ‘At least I can try to help while we wait for Dr Joseph to arrive.’ She turned ba
ck to Sam, not waiting for an answer. ‘I’ll get dressed, then follow you down to the pit,’ she said.

  Sam glanced at Mrs Bannister, and Agnes could see him making up his mind.

  ‘I’ll tell ’em you’re on your way,’ he said.

  A crowd had gathered at the pit gates, men and women, all waiting for news. This time Agnes was allowed to pass through them and in through the gates. The yard was busy, with lamps blazing and men going back and forth. Over by the cage, she could see the silhouetted figures of the rescue team, preparing to go down below ground.

  James Shepherd strode across the yard to meet her.

  ‘Sam has explained about the doctor’s absence. Thank you for coming, Miss Sheridan.’ He looked dishevelled, his shirt rumpled and his tie missing.

  ‘I’m glad to be of help. What’s happening?’

  ‘It’s bad.’ James’ face was grim. ‘The sick room wasn’t big enough to take all the injured men, so we’ve moved them to one of the workshops. Follow me.’

  The bright light of the workshop hurt Agnes’ eyes after the darkness outside. The machinery had been pushed aside to make room for lines of chairs where the injured pitmen slumped, nursing their various injuries.

  Agnes surveyed the rows of men. Blood dripped from gashed heads and hands, limbs were held at unnatural angles. On the seat nearest to her, she glimpsed the bloodied nub of broken bone that had pierced through the flesh of the man’s arm.

  She took a deep breath and forced herself to stay calm. ‘Is this all of them?’ she asked James.

  He shook his head. ‘I’ve got a man counting the checks to see who’s missing, but we know there are at least six others not accounted for. The rescue party are on their way back down there now to look for them.’

  James looked worn out, Agnes thought. His face was drawn and grey with exhaustion.

  She looked back at the rows of men, counting them in her head. Then she made up her mind and turned to a frightened-looking boy, nursing an injured hand close by her.

  ‘Are you well enough to walk?’

  ‘Aye, miss.’

  ‘Good. Then go down to the gates and see if Miss Arkwright is there. Tell her I need her help.’

  ‘Aye, miss.’

  He touched his cap with his good hand and hurried off.

  ‘Hannah Arkwright?’ James gave her a quizzical frown.

  ‘I don’t have any choice,’ Agnes said. ‘I can’t leave men to sit in agony while they wait for me to tend to them.’

  She washed her hands, then filled another bowl with water to wash the men’s wounds. She was setting out all the disinfectants and swabs and dressings she needed when the door opened and Hannah appeared, wrapped in her old overcoat. Agnes was glad to see she carried her bag with her.

  She looked around at the men, then at Agnes. ‘You sent for me?’ There was a hint of doubt in her voice.

  ‘I need your help,’ Agnes said. ‘All these men have to be treated, and I can’t manage by myself.’

  She tensed, waiting for Hannah to make a smart reply. The other woman looked around the room again, her gaze travelling slowly over the rows of faces.

  ‘Tell me what needs to be done,’ she said shortly.

  ‘Thank you.’ Agnes tried not to wince when Hannah set down her dirty old carpet bag on the table beside the nurse’s leather Gladstone. ‘There are wounds to be cleaned and dressed, and each man needs to be checked for fractures and concussion. I thought perhaps you could start at one end and I’ll start at the other?’

  ‘And never the twain shall meet, eh?’ Hannah gave the slightest of smiles.

  They worked in silence together, speaking only to the men they were treating. Neither of them said a word, nor even looked at each other. They worked steadily and methodically, an oasis of calm while all around them chaos raged.

  Agnes could hear the shouts of the men in the yard as they went back and forth. From what she could gather by talking to the injured men, there had been a major collapse in the mine. The rippers had been working as usual on the face overnight, blasting out the rock to expose the coal seam for the hewers to start on in the morning. But either the roof hadn’t been propped enough, or they had not accurately predicted the weight of the ground above, and the newly exposed seam had caved in.

  Most of the men had managed to claw their way out to the air road, the main tunnel that provided the ventilation for the shaft, but the men working on the furthest end of the seam had been cut off.

  It was those men the rescue team had gone back to find. But it was a risky business as the rest of the roof could go at any time.

  ‘Seth is one of the rescue men.’

  Hannah murmured the words so quietly, Agnes wasn’t sure she had heard her at first. She looked round at the woman who now stood beside her. Hannah’s broad, plain face gave nothing away as she wound a bandage carefully around a man’s fractured arm. But Agnes could see the fear in her black eyes.

  Agnes’ heart hitched in her chest. Seth was down there.

  She looked around desperately. ‘Is there any sign of Dr Joseph yet?’ she called out.

  ‘We’ve sent a lad to Overthorpe to find him,’ Sam Maskell replied. ‘But we’ve had no word back as yet. Have we, Mr Shepherd?’

  But James Shepherd wasn’t listening. He was staring down at a list one of the men had given him. Agnes saw what little colour he had drain from his face and knew straight away it was bad news.

  ‘Mr Shepherd?’ she prompted him.

  He looked up sharply, as if seeing her for the first time. Agnes went over to him. ‘What is it?’ she asked. ‘What’s happened?’

  He lowered the piece of paper, his expression dazed. ‘We’ve had word back from the rescue team. They’ve managed to get through to the men who were trapped, but they’re badly injured.’

  Agnes swallowed past the sudden dryness in her throat. ‘How bad? Can they bring them up?’

  ‘They can move a couple of them, but at least one needs a stretcher …’ He looked down again at the piece of paper in his hand. Agnes caught sight of six scribbled names. The men who were trapped, she guessed.

  She made up her mind. ‘I’m going down there,’ she said.

  Everyone stared at her. She could feel Hannah’s intense gaze boring into her back.

  ‘Nay,’ Sam Maskell said. ‘It’s the doctor’s job.’

  ‘Yes, but the doctor isn’t here, is he? And we don’t know when he’ll arrive.’ Agnes appealed to James Shepherd. ‘If those men are too injured to be moved, I might be able to help them, or at least ease their pain.’

  James looked around the room. ‘But what about these men?’

  ‘We’ve already treated most of them. Hannah can look after the rest, can’t you?’

  Hannah gave a curt nod. ‘Aye,’ she said.

  ‘You can’t allow it, sir,’ Sam Maskell was saying. ‘It’s too dangerous—’

  ‘She’s right,’ James cut him off. ‘She might be able to do something for those men.’

  ‘But how’s she going to get down there on her own? Once she gets to the pit bottom, she’ll be lost.’

  ‘I’ll go with her.’

  ‘You, sir?’ Agnes heard the doubt in the overman’s voice. ‘Begging your pardon, Mr Shepherd, but you in’t familiar with them tunnels …’

  ‘Of course I am. I study maps of them all the time.’

  Agnes could see the pained look on Sam Maskell’s face as he struggled to find the right words. ‘But that in’t the same as seeing ’em every day, sir. And if you’ll excuse me for saying it, you know what you’re like when it comes to being underground.’

  ‘Nevertheless, I’m going,’ James said firmly. ‘These are my men, and it’s my duty to make sure they’re safe.’ He turned back to Agnes. ‘We could take a couple of stretchers down with us, to bring them back to the surface.’

  But even as he spoke, Agnes could see the apprehension written on his face.

  She gathered up her bag and gave Hannah some instruc
tions for treating the men. The other woman remained sullenly silent, and Agnes wasn’t sure if she was even listening. But as she left, she felt Hannah’s hand on her arm, her grip as strong as a man’s.

  ‘Bring him back safe, won’t you?’ she murmured.

  There was no need to ask who she meant. Agnes looked into her dark eyes, mute with appeal. I’ll do my best,’ she promised.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Agnes’ courage almost failed her as she stepped into the cage with James. Sam Maskell pulled the door across, and it clanged shut with a deafening finality. The next second the cage jolted into life and they were plummeting downwards, the cold air rushing up, whistling past her ears.

  She glanced at James. She could feel the waves of fear emanating from him. He clung to the stretchers they had brought with them, his knuckles white. In spite of the cold, his brow gleamed with perspiration.

  After what seemed like an endless time, they finally bumped to the ground. James yanked at the door with shaking hands, rattling it across, and they stepped out into the bowels of hell.

  The air was hot, dense with so much dust and smoke Agnes could not see more than a few inches in front of her. From somewhere out of the darkness came the terrified screams of the pit ponies.

  Agnes stood for a moment, too afraid to move, until she heard James’ voice close beside her.

  ‘This way. We’ll carry the stretchers between us, if you can manage them?’ They plunged into the smoky gloom, each holding one end of the stacked stretchers. The lamp James held in his other hand barely pierced the gloom.

  Water splashed around Agnes’ ankles, soaking her shoes. Yet more dripped from the roof on to her head, running down her face. She could hear scurrying sounds in the darkness.

  ‘Listen. Even the rats are leaving,’ James said grimly.

  On they went, until the cage was far behind them, lost in a warren of tunnels which seemed to get narrower and narrower, closing in on all sides. Above their heads, the roof creaked and groaned.

  Agnes remembered James’ warning that it could all come down at any time, and gripped her end of the stretchers, fear clawing at her throat. If she lost him now, she knew she would never find her way back.