by Marilyn Turk
“Maybe you can sit up on the side of your bed for supper,” she said. “Pretty soon, you’ll be walking again.” He didn’t say a word, just watched her and appeared to contemplate what she said.
“All right. I’ll go get the food now,” she said.
Lexie found the kitchen attendant with the food trays waiting in the hallway. She opened the door to the ward so he could roll the trays in, then he helped her hand them out. The patient “helpers” took trays to other patients as well. Thankfully, only a few patients needed assistance to eat, so she aided them first. When she approached John Doe’s bed, he attempted to sit straighter. She put down the tray on his nightstand and adjusted the pillow behind him.
“Okay, good. Now, I’ll give you the spoon and hold the bowl while you feed yourself. Can you do that?”
He took the spoon and brought the clear broth to his lips, only spilling the spoon’s contents a few times. After he’d had half of the soup, he put the spoon in the bowl and put his hand up to signal that he didn’t want any more. “You’re finished?” Lexie asked, and when he nodded, she placed the bowl on the tray. “Would you like any pudding now?”
“No.” The words came out in a whisper. “Thank you.” He sank back against the pillow.
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you were able to get something down tonight. It’s been a while since you’ve had any real food.”
He raised his eyebrows. “How long?”
Lexie searched her memory. “I’m not sure. I’ll have to check your chart. I don’t know how long it’s been since you were injured, but you arrived here about ten days ago.”
His forehead furrowed. “I don’t remember.”
“That’s all right. The good thing is you’re doing better now. Maybe your memory will come back soon.”
Chapter Eighteen
“He did what?” Penny’s eyes were wide as quarters.
“He left this morning with Artie’s Band to play overseas with the USO.”
“Russell went overseas? I didn’t even know he was planning to go.”
“He wasn’t, I mean, it just came up. Artie’s band had an opening, and the USO needed a band to leave this week.”
“Do you know where he was going?”
“England, a base in England to start with, then some bases in Northern Ireland.”
Penny plopped down on the bed. “Well, hot diggity dog! He’s gonna have a gas being with all those stars!”
Why did Penny have to mention that aspect of Russell’s trip?
“I hadn’t thought of that. I guess he will have a good time.”
“You hadn’t thought about all those famous people and glamour girls that go with the USO?”
“No, I was just thinking about him being so far away.” Glamour girls? Would Russell’s head be turned?
Penny’s brow wrinkled. She placed her hand on Lexie’s knee and peered at her face. “Lexie, are you worried about him with all those girls?”
Lexie shook her head. “No, I don’t worry about Russell’s loyalty.” But deep inside a tremor of jealousy waved its ugly head.
“Of course you don’t. Russell’s the most honorable man I know. Thank God, he’s not like all the other guys who would be charmed by all that glitterati.”
Penny’s comments were meant to comfort, Lexie was sure, but they were having the opposite effect on her. “Yes, thank God, he’s not.”
“How long will he be gone?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t know yet.”
“Well, I guess he’ll be able to write you letters.”
Letters? She thought she could still talk to him on the phone. But now, she wasn’t sure. Besides, letters came from people who were gone a long time, and she didn’t expect Russell to be gone that long. Maybe she was kidding herself.
“Yes, I’m sure he will.”
“Of course, he might get a chance to call over here, but it costs an arm and a leg for a phone call. I wonder what the time difference is?”
“Five hours, I think. If it’s noon here, it’s five o’clock in the afternoon there.”
“So, if you get off work at five, he’ll be in the middle of a show, won’t he?”
“Probably.” Why did Penny keep asking questions that made her so uncomfortable?”
Penny patted her knee. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you’re not lonely.”
How could she do that? She and Penny didn’t even have the same schedule. And even if they did, Penny wouldn’t be able to stop her from missing Russell.
“Thanks.” Lexie stood and straightened her skirt. “We better go downstairs now.”
Penny hopped up from the bed. “Back to the grind! Hey, are you going to work anywhere else but psychiatrics?”
Lexie shook her head. “I don’t think so. The psychiatric hospital will be my main concentration.”
Shaking her head, Penny said, “I don’t see why you’re so interested in those people. You can’t just put a Band-Aid on them and send them home like you can other people.”
“No, you can’t. And that’s what makes the treatment so intriguing. We’re still trying to figure out what works with mental illness.”
Penny shrugged. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing there are people like you who care about it, for their sake. Because some of us would rather treat real illnesses.”
Lexie jolted at the connotation that mental illness wasn’t a real illness. She didn’t want to argue with her friend, but unfortunately, Penny’s attitude was all too common in the medical field.
After class that morning, Lexie had time to kill before she reported to the ward. She skipped lunch, not caring to be around the other nurses and their chatter. Instead, she decided to go to the hospital library to study. But after a few minutes there, her stomach growled, and she felt restless. The hospital cafeteria was closed until supper, but the diner wasn’t. Even though she’d have to eat without Russell, it would be good to be where they’d been the day before, even relive the last time they’d been together.
She changed clothes and headed up the street to their familiar spot. The lunch crowd was gone by the time she arrived, so she had no problem finding a seat at the counter. Strange how empty the place felt without the crowd, without Russell. Empty and lifeless. Even her cherry Coke had lost its fizz.
“Mind if I join you?” a familiar voice spoke beside her.
The sound brought her out of her reverie, and she jerked her head toward the source. Cal Miller took off his hat and slid onto the stool beside her.
“Oh, sure.” Lexie glanced around to see if anyone else had accompanied him to the diner. Would Russell mind?
“Are you not working at the hospital today?”
Lexie frowned, thinking him too nosy, then remembered that she had told him what she did. “I’m working later—the night shift.” Should she tell him that?
Cal looked around the diner. “I guess your fiancé is working, eh?”
“No, I mean yes.” Noticing his confused look, she continued. “He doesn’t work at the hotel anymore. He joined a band that’s playing for the USO … overseas.”
“Ah, so that explains it.”
“Explains what?” Lexie tilted her head as she asked.
“You look sad, like someone turned off the lights on your face.”
Lexie had to smile at his remark. “That’s a strange thing to say. But maybe you’re right. I do miss him already.”
“So he’s not a soldier?”
“No, he’d like to be…” She didn’t believe she should share Russell’s dilemma. “He couldn’t pass the physical.”
“I’ve noticed his limp. That must be why.”
She nodded but wanted to change the subject. “I thought you were leaving town. Didn’t you tell me you were going to work at the aluminum company?”
Cal ran a finger inside his collar like it was too tight. “Yes, that’s true.” He cleared his throat and took a sip of his drink. “They’re not ready for me yet.”
�
�Oh, I see. What kind of work will you be doing?”
He glanced around the room before answering. “Electrical. I’m an electrician.”
“Hmm.” She turned back to her sandwich.
“And how are things at the hospital?’ Cal asked. He turned to the waitress who approached the counter, pad and pen poised, and gave her his order.
“Good, I guess. School’s going well.”
“At least you don’t get any war victims here.”
“Actually, we do. Not immediately, of course, but if their injuries are long-term, they’re sent back here. The hospitals in Europe would overflow if they didn’t.”
“Of course. That makes sense.” He lifted his glass to drink, then looked at her. “Are you thinking about being an army nurse or maybe a navy nurse?”
Shaking her head, Lexie said, “No. We’re desperately short of nurses here because so many have joined the military.”
“And you don’t have to be concerned with bombs dropping on you.”
Frowning, Lexie said, “Thank God, that’s true. I can’t imagine what it was like for those poor people in England when the Nazis were bombing their country.”
Cal’s smile evaporated as he focused on the hamburger the waitress set before him. He picked up the sandwich and paused, glancing at her before taking a bite. “So when you graduate, will you stay here, in New York?”
She’d asked herself that same question. Where would Russell want to live after they married? Right now, it seemed that marriage was the last thing on his mind.
“I’m not sure. I don’t know where we’ll live when we get married.”
“And when do you get married?”
She didn’t know that either. Everything seemed so uncertain now, more than ever with Russell’s leaving. Lexie shrugged. “When I graduate, and Russell gets back, whenever both those events coincide.”
“Good thing you have your training to keep you busy, right? “
“Yes, I have plenty to keep me busy, with class, studying, and working in the hospital.”
“You must find the work fulfilling.”
“Yes, I do. I believe God wants me to help people, and I do think I’m making a positive difference in the lives of my patients. Why, just last night, I made a breakthrough with a patient.”
“How so?”
“A man who was injured somewhere in the Philippines was brought here two weeks ago. He’s been in a catatonic state—nonresponsive but awake—ever since. But last night he spoke to me!”
“And you made that happen? How?”
“I don’t know, but maybe it’s because I spoke to him. I prayed that I could reach him, and I did!”
“So, do you think it was your talking to the patient or your praying that made the difference?”
Lexie considered the question. “Both. I prayed, and God used me to answer the prayer.”
A smile eased over Cal’s face. “You believe in prayer, then?”
“Well, of course. Don’t you?”
Cal patted perspiration from his forehead with his napkin. “I’m not sure. When I was a child and my parents took me to church, I did.”
“But not now? Why not?”
“As an adult, I’ve seen things that aren’t good, and I wonder why God would allow them to happen.”
“Sometimes people turn their backs on God, and they suffer the consequences. And this is not a perfect world. Evil exists—you can see that by the war we’re in now. But God wants us to fight evil. Good people must stand up for what is right.”
Cal motioned for the waitress to refill his glass of Coke. “You make a good point.”
“We certainly can’t stand by and let evil people have their way. That’s why we’re fighting Hitler. And if we can’t go fight physically, we must fight in other ways, and prayer is one of the best ways I know to fight.”
“I’m sure you will pray for your fiancé while he’s gone.”
“Yes, and he’ll pray for me too. I’m sure of it.”
“So, Lexie Smithfield, will you pray for me also?”
She was startled by the request but glad to give an answer. “Well, um, yes, if you’d like. What would you like me to pray for?”
Cal rubbed his chin. “Pray for my family to stay safe and for me to make good business decisions.”
“I’d be happy to pray for you … and them. But you can pray, too, you know. I don’t have a special connection to God.”
“Oh, but I think you do. You seem to be much better acquainted than I am. I don’t think He and I are on the best speaking terms.”
Lexie raised her eyebrows. “Well, that can be remedied too. But I’ll leave that to you.” Lexie glanced at the diner clock. “Oh dear, I better be going, or I’ll be late.” She put some money on the counter and stepped off the stool.
“I enjoyed our conversation. Maybe we’ll run into each other again sometime, as long as I’m in town.” Something outside the diner diverted his attention, and he narrowed his gaze.
Lexie glanced over to see the German baker glaring through the glass at Cal. She thought they were friends since she’d seen them together. But they seemed angry with each other now. Well, that was none of her business.
“Goodbye, Cal. See you around, maybe.” She headed to the door.
“Don’t forget,” he called out behind her.
She spun around. “Forget what?”
“To pray for me.”
She smiled and waved, then went out to the sidewalk, passing the baker who shot her an angry look.
“Well, good day to you too,” she muttered under her breath. As she walked away, she looked over her shoulder and saw Cal leave the diner and the red-faced baker confront him, pointing a finger in his face. They weren’t yelling at each other, but they were certainly having a heated discussion. Could their conversation have anything to do with Cal’s business decision?
Lexie couldn’t believe how much she’d talked with the man, but she was glad she had. The conversation had been therapeutic for her and made her answer some questions about herself and why she did what she did. Why she enjoyed nursing. Why she prayed. Why things were the way they were.
How strange that he had asked her to pray for him. On the other hand, she remembered not long ago having the same doubts, too separated from God to pray. Well, she could pray for that to change too. Perhaps she should pray for his relationship with the baker as well.
She might never know what impact her prayers would have because he was leaving town, and she doubted he’d be back. A sense of abandonment threatened her. Russell was gone, and soon, Cal wouldn’t be around anymore either. Not that she had the same feelings toward the two of them. It was just nice to have a guy around to talk to. The truth was, she missed her brother Robert more than she realized. But Pearl Harbor had taken him away from her. She choked back a sob as tears filled her eyes. This stinking war wasn’t fair.
Chapter Nineteen
“Why are you still here?” Oscar hissed his question through cigar-clenched teeth.
Karl took a deep breath for self-control. How he despised the way the baker sought to rule over him. He shrugged, a motion he knew would further infuriate the flabby man.
“It is not time for me to leave yet.”
Oscar lowered his head, glancing from side to side. “Everyone has left except you. Why is it not time for you too?”
“I’m to report to my new job at the aluminum factory next week. So why should I hurry to that town when I can stay here?”
Oscar walked a few yards down the sidewalk away from the diner, motioning for Karl to come with him.
“Because … you are spending too much time with that woman. This is not a social affair you are here for.”
Karl smiled to mask his anger and put his hand on Oscar’s shoulder. “Calm down, Oscar, or you might have a heart attack.”
The German shook off Karl’s hand, scowling. “If I think that woman knows more than she should…”
“Yes, Oscar? What
will you do, call the Gestapo? Have her arrested?”
“Do not make fun of me, Karl. This is no joking matter. I will not let you jeopardize the whole operation.”
Tired of the man’s insinuations, Karl shot back. “Do not threaten me, Oscar. I will be in place for the fireworks.”
Oscar’s beet-red face trembled with anger. He threw his hands up in the air, turned, and stalked away.
Karl watched him leave and tried to regain his composure. Oscar was right that the others had already left town, heading for their assignments, and Karl could have left too. But he wasn’t ready. He wanted to stay in the city and enjoy his time there while he still could, because once he left, he wouldn’t be able to come back. There were things to do and places to see he’d not experienced when he lived in the country before, and this would be his last chance to do them.
And then there was Lexie. She intrigued him. Her passion for her work, her patients, and her country were admirable, much like the passion he thought he had for Germany. But the truth was, Germany wasn’t the same anymore. Hitler had ruined it, and now Karl was torn between being a patriot and being opposed to the man who controlled the country. He had wanted to help Germany win the war, but now that he was back in the States, he questioned whether blowing up the country he had called home for so many years was the right thing to do.
His conversations with Lexie made him think. Think about his mission and its purpose. Think about himself and his own purpose. She truly believed God had given her a purpose. Had He given Karl one too? If He had, would it be the mission he was sent to do? A mission that might take many lives? He doubted it, but then this was war. Yet, he wouldn’t want Lexie to know who he really was and what he was doing here—and not just because it would sabotage the mission. She was becoming a friend, someone who trusted him. Would she still pray for him if she knew the truth?