Seaside Hospital

by Pauline Ash

  “Lisa! I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for days! I must talk to you,” he said urgently.

  “Not now, Derek,” Lisa urged. “I have to take these children to the sideshows—”

  “I’ll come with you,” Derek said. But it was not to the coconut shies that he took them, but into a secluded little garden. “I’ve got to talk to you first, Lisa,” he said urgently. “Never mind the children. Look, I feel an awful heel—I don’t know how to say this, but—can’t we be back where we used to be?”

  Lisa was almost speechless with surprise. “I don’t know how you can suggest such a thing, Derek, after that letter you sent me!” she said indignantly at last.

  “I know—I feel awful about it now—but at the time I did think it was the best thing for both of us. The truth is, Lisa, I miss you so badly that if you’ll only come back to me, I’m prepared to take the risk of playing second fiddle to that career of yours! There, I can’t put it blunter than that, can I?”

  “And what about my sister Jacky?” she said quietly.

  He reddened. “Honestly, Lisa, there’s nothing in it. She just likes going around with me. I didn’t connect her with you at first—why should I? I didn’t even know you had a sister, let alone a sister on the stage. You never said!”

  That was true, she reflected ruefully. She had been only too anxious not to mention Jacky and her wild ways.

  “No, I never said anything about it,” she agreed, “but now you know, and frankly I think that Jacky’s more suited to you than I am. You talk about risks, but I can’t risk being hurt like that any more. Sorry, Derek, but I’d rather things were left as they are.”

  Derek watched her leave the little garden with a quiet dignity. He was furious with himself. He had rushed things. He should have taken it easy. But, with Jacky around, there was so little time and opportunity. This had seemed the one chance he would have of getting Lisa back, and he had lost it.

  Jacky felt frustrated. Having opened the party, the only way she could slip away unseen to the now almost deserted house was to murmur some excuse about powdering her nose.

  Jacky was lucky. No one was about when she walked across to an invitingly open ground-floor french window with all the casualness of one of the family. She had her stage training to thank for that. It was not difficult, either, from Derek’s descriptions; to find his mother’s rooms.

  As he had said, his mother was careless. Several pieces of jewelry lay about the dressing table. Jacky, unable to help herself, stared in fascination at a clip shaped like a brilliant bird of paradise. Her hand closed over it and within seconds she was out of the room, down the stairs and out the way she had come, without being seen.

  Only Lisa had seen her sister, with that special look on her face, going toward the house and Lisa’s heart sank. She must stop Jacky whatever happened, for that look—intent, a little furtive—meant that Jacky was gripped by the urge to steal something.

  The children hampered Lisa. She could not go after Jacky with them clinging to her, so she found Mary, who promised to keep an eye on them. But by then Jacky was nowhere to be seen. Lisa hurried into the house, conspicuous in her hospital uniform. She was not so lucky as Jacky. A maid, about to answer the telephone, asked her if she was looking for someone. Defeated, she had to go out again.

  She thought she saw Jacky among the crowds, but as she hurried after her, Lisa saw a group of people gathered about the big ornamental pond, and she found herself swept along by other sightseers toward it. From their remarks she gathered that some children had fallen in, and instinctively she felt that the trouble concerned herself.

  “Here comes the nurse! The one that was with the children!” someone said.

  Lisa’s heart started to bump as she pushed her way through to the edge of the water. The children! But she had left them in Mary’s care. She could hear children crying lustily, she soon saw that they indeed were her charges and that it was the girl who had fallen into the water.

  Horrified, Lisa had eyes for nothing else but the scene before her, and so she had no idea that Derek was standing just behind her. All she was aware of was that the man who had pulled the child out of the water and who was staring so accusingly at her was Randall Carson.

  His clothes were ruined and the little girl was dripping, white-faced and frightened.

  “You’d better take your charge, Nurse,” he said coldly. “Bring her to my car. We’ll drive back to the hospital.”

  Somehow Lisa herded the children to the car. All around her, people talked about the incident. Lady Frenton was shrill in her anger about the fish in the pond being disturbed, and the damaged stalks of the prize water lilies. Lisa could only think of the children’s spoiled day.

  “What were you doing near the water?” she asked them.

  “Wanted to get a fish,” the little girl sobbed.

  “But I left you with Nurse Thorley.”

  “She bought us some ices,” one of the boys said, “but we ate them quickly and then we couldn’t find her.”

  Lisa was puzzled and upset. She could say no more, without getting Mary into trouble, for Randall Carson was climbing into the car, a blanket in his hands to wrap around the shivering little girl.

  “What were you doing in the house, Nurse?” he barked.

  “I was looking for someone,” she said, surprised.

  “I see,” he said, his face dark with anger. His eyes were icy cold; it was a miserable party that was driven back to the hospital, leaving the gaiety of the garden party behind.

  After the children had been attended to, Lisa was summoned to Sister’s office, to face kind Sister Rudolph, Randall Carson grim-faced behind her desk.

  “That was a very unfortunate thing to have happened, Nurse,” Sister Rudolph said quietly.

  “It was absolute negligence,” Randall Carson said. “Children just out of calipers—”

  Sister raised her eyebrows, and looked thoughtfully at Mr. Carson, who was seldom unjust. True, there had been stories of his efficiency stiffening lately, and of his expecting the same high standard from others. The poor man was working himself to the bone, Sister decided, with compassion, remembering the old story of his tragic loss. He ought to take the holiday due to him, she thought, or he’d be cracking up and becoming a patient himself.

  “Tell me what happened in your own words, Nurse,” she invited, quietly.

  “I—I left the children, Sister. Not near the pond, but still, I ought not to have left them.”

  “Alone? Why did you leave them, Nurse?”

  “I—I couldn’t very well take them with me,” Lisa said lamely, but with perfect truth.

  “Then surely you should have asked someone to watch them. It isn’t like you to behave like this.”

  Lisa had no answer to that, and at last she was allowed to go. She had no idea what would happen. At St. Mildred’s it depended on the people concerned; perpetrators of heavier offences had been known to be given a second chance while lighter offences had been known before now to be taken to Matron’s office.

  Not long afterward Mary burst in, full of the day at the garden party, and was startled to find Lisa flat on her back on her bed.

  “Lisa!” she exclaimed, shocked at her white face. “Is it true then, that those children who were nearly drowned were our children? Everyone was talking about it!”

  “They weren’t nearly drowned,” Lisa said, sitting up. “The girl fell in. I arrived on the scene just after Randall Carson pulled her out. She was only trying to get a goldfish.”

  “Randall Carson pulled her out! He would!” Mary exploded. “Why does that man always smell trouble and get there first? I’m sorry, Lisa, if you’re in hot water because of me, but honestly, we gave them ices and turned our backs for just a minute, and if they’d stayed where they were told to—but the minute we took our eyes off them, they must have bolted.”

  “Never mind,” Lisa said. “Randall Carson would have made trouble for me, no matter what had hap
pened,” and she recounted the way he had brought them back to the hospital and taken her to Sister’s office.

  “He’s just mean,” Mary said. “I hate him. Just let me put on my uniform and I’ll go down and clear it all up.”

  “No, don’t, Mary—I haven’t mentioned your name, and there really isn’t any need to say anything. It was no more your fault than mine. It’ll all blow over, I expect.”

  “Don’t be silly. Don’t I always own up?” Mary said, patting her arm. “Besides, it’ll just show that Randall Carson up nicely, won’t it, when I say it wasn’t your fault at all? Then Sister will see he’s spoiling for getting you in a row all the time,” she insisted, overriding Lisa’s protests.

  Lisa went down dispiritedly to supper and was stopped by the porter with a note. “Bloke from the stage door of the Coronet brought it, Nurse, and it’s marked urgent.”

  Lisa’s heart missed a beat, but before she could open it she was again called to Sister’s office. Mary, already there, treated Lisa to an elaborate wink while Sister explained that in view of what Nurse Thorley had to say, the whole situation was changed.

  “It was all very unfortunate, Nurse Bryant, and much to your credit that you took the blame yourself, rather than involve another nurse. I hope such a thing won’t happen again, but the matter is at an end. Off you go to supper, both of you.”

  “You see?” the jubilant Mary said, as they hurried down to the dining hall. “How did you get on, apart from the children’s ducking?”

  “Actually, that was about the extent of my day there,” Lisa said; then she remembered Derek’s talk, and the way she had followed Jacky, which reminded her of the note. “Oh, look, you go on ahead to supper, Mary,” she said, “and I’ll follow.” She needed privacy to read that message.

  “Just a second,” Mary said. “Before you go, I forgot to tell you—they were trying to hush up another row just before we left. Lady Frenton has been robbed again.”

  “Robbed?” Lisa whispered, white to the lips.

  “Well, there’s a valuable clip missing—rubies, diamonds and emeralds,” Mary said. “It was left on her dressing table—Lady Frenton is always doing that—but it’ll probably turn up, like the last time. It had better turn up—they say it’s the most valuable piece of the lot.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Lisa walked on, telling herself she mustn’t listen to that nagging warning voice inside her.

  What if there had been a loss of a valuable clip? Why should it concern her personally? And yet she could not rid herself of the conviction that it somehow concerned Jacky.

  She recalled again that special look in Jacky’s face as she had gone toward the house. She asked herself what Jacky had been doing in the house, all by herself, when obviously she had no right to be there.

  Mary Thorley had gone to the dining room. Now was her chance to read Jacky’s note in peace Lisa thought, but at that moment Randall Carson came striding around a corner into the corridor, and on seeing her, raised his hand for her to wait for him.

  Lisa stood there, her heart sinking. He always meant trouble, especially when he looked so purposeful.

  His first words surprised her. “Oh, there you are, Nurse Bryant. I was going to look for you. There’s something I want to get off my chest. Do you have a moment?”

  She nodded dumbly, wondering what was going to happen now. She was not prepared for his next words.

  “I’ve just seen Sister Rudolph, who tells me that Nurse Thorley has cleared up the business of the children this afternoon. It seems I’ve mistakenly blamed you for negligence. Now, whatever else I may be accused of, I don’t think anyone can say I’m unjust!”

  “Oh no, sir,” Lisa said dutifully.

  “So I want you to know how sorry I am. I understand that you have a very good record, and I’m glad the whole thing’s cleared up.”

  “Please don’t think another word about it, Mr. Carson,” Lisa pleaded, with scarlet cheeks.

  “Oh, but I want to do something to show how sorry I am!” he insisted. “In fact, on thinking seriously about it, I think I have quite a lot to make up to you,” and she saw his face begin to break up into a rare smile. “For some time past, you’ve been going through it at my hands!”

  Lisa was acutely embarrassed.

  “Please, Mr. Carson,” she pleaded. “It doesn’t matter. I mean, I expect I deserved—well, that is, everyone knows you need a holiday—”

  The more she said, the more unfortunate her choice of words sounded, so she gave it up.

  It seemed to amuse him, for he was now smiling broadly. “So that’s what they’re saying, is it? Well, well, perhaps I have been overworking. Perhaps I do need a holiday, but that’s no reason for me to take it out on someone else, especially when that person can’t hit back. Now, what can I do to show you I really mean what I say? Yes, I insist. Let’s make a date together, shall we?”

  The idea of the senior surgeon at St. Mildred’s making a date with one of the nurses (or even using that way of putting it!) was such an unheard-of thing that Lisa decided he must be trying to be jocular, and as he rarely made jokes, it accounted for his making a very bad job of it.

  “Oh, I don’t mean dancing or a show,” he said, rather impatiently, as she hesitated. “What I had in mind was something far more interesting. Look here, Sister tells me how good you are with children. I understand that child nursing has a deep interest for you. Well now, how would it be if we took a trip out to my new clinic?”

  In spite of herself, Lisa’s face lit with pleasure. They all knew how Randall Carson had been trying to get a place suitable for rehabilitating children with leg and spinal injuries.

  “Do you really mean that, Mr. Carson? I’d love it.”

  “Right, then that’s settled. Let me know when your next break is, and we’ll make a day of it,” and with a brief nod, he strode off, the tails of his long white coat flying, leaving Lisa completely bewildered.

  He had called a truce and he had gone off smiling, a singularly sweet, heartwarming smile!

  The rustling of the note in her apron pocket brought her thoughts back to Jacky. As soon as she had assured herself that no one was in sight, she whipped it out and read it.

  YOU MUST COME, LISA. I’M IN AWFUL TROUBLE.

  REALLY BAD TROUBLE THIS TIME.-J.

  That was all, but Lisa had no need to be told any more.

  She looked at the time. She and Mary had been going in to early supper, so that there was still the rest of the evening at her disposal.

  She knew she must get to Jacky at once, and find out what the trouble was, and whether it did concern the loss of that piece of jewelry.

  Lisa reached the Coronet Theatre well before Jacky’s turn to go on stage. One glance at Jacky’s taut white face confirmed Lisa’s worst fears.

  “Oh, good, you got here!” Jacky said, without preamble. “Why do these things have to happen to me? I always have bad luck. It wasn’t my fault!”

  To save precious time, Lisa said urgently: “Is it about the missing clip from Lady Frenton’s room?”

  Jacky darted a quick, frightened look at her. “How did you know about it?”

  “Another nurse came back later from the party and told me there was an awful row about it,” Lisa said. “Jacky, you—you didn’t take it, did you?”

  “I found it, honestly I did—” Jacky began.

  “Look,” Lisa broke in, “I don’t know how long you’ve got before your call, so let’s stick to the truth, Jacky. We know about your weakness, so do tell me just what happened. I saw you go into the house. I followed you to try and stop you—after I’d found someone to look after the children I’d taken with me—but by then I’d lost you.”

  Jacky turned sullen. “Well, she shouldn’t leave her jewelry around like that, if she doesn’t want to lose it. It’s happened before, only last time it was one of the foreign maids who took it, but it was found again, and she was let off.”

  “Jacky! You don’t mean to
say you intended to let the blame fall on someone else—” Lisa began, in horror.

  “It would have been all right,” Jacky interrupted her, impatiently. “She’d have wriggled out of it again. Anyway, it all went wrong this time. Derek told me, coming home from the party, that they couldn’t suspect her because she’s in her own country, on holiday! Why couldn’t he tell me that before? Here, you take the thing—get rid of it—I don’t care what you do with it! I never want to see it again!” and thrusting her hand into her dressing gown jacket, Jacky pulled out the clip and threw it over to Lisa.

  Lisa caught it mechanically, and stared down at it. Its superb workmanship alone proclaimed it as a piece worth a great deal of money, and even to Lisa, who knew little about such things, it was quite understandable to believe that the stones were real gems.

  “Oh, Jacky, Jacky,” she said in despair, her throat thick. To her, until this moment, the important thing was that her sister had not grown out of the old habits, and the theft of Ellard’s gold cigarette case had not been the last. “Why did you do it?”

  “Don’t keep on about it!” Jacky flared. “The thing is to get rid of it, before they start searching my dressing room!”

  Lisa’s eyes widened. “They? Who?”

  “Who do you think?” Jacky returned, derisively. “That’s the whole trouble! Do you suppose I’d have cared, in the ordinary way? Don’t be silly! I was so careful, I know no one saw me go in or come out, and I’d relied on Sir Jules always hushing this sort of thing up. After all, if it’s known that you leave jewels about openly, it messes up the insurance angle. Then at the last minute Derek says that this time his father’s absolutely furious, and he’s going to call in the police.”