by Marilyn Turk
The sun was setting outside, so Lexie began lowering the shades on all the windows, following the government guidelines to darken the city’s lights. Each time she performed that task she wondered if it really helped. Would enemy planes come so far to bomb New York City? She found the notion hard to believe, but maybe the people in London hadn’t believed they would be bombed either until it actually happened. A shudder ran down her back. If the city’s dim-out helped protect them, she was more than happy to comply, along with millions of other Americans doing their patriotic duty.
As she lowered the shade beside Mike Walker, he reached out and touched her arm.
She turned to look as he searched her face. “Yes? Do you need something, Mike?” Saying his real name gave her a thrill of gratification.
“Will they send me back?” His eyes implored her.
She gulped. “Back—home?”
“No, back to war.”
“I … I don’t know. I hardly think you’re well enough to go back to the service.”
“But what if I get well enough? What if they think I’m well enough?”
He was growing more agitated, and Lexie had to keep him calm. She patted his arm. “Well, first, you’ll go home to your family to fully recuperate. Then, by that time, the war will be over, and you won’t have to worry about returning to service.” She prayed she was right.
He quieted, then said, “My head hurts.”
“I’ll bring you some aspirin.” She offered her most reassuring smile. “You’ll feel better tomorrow, I promise. No need to worry.” Lord, please let my words be true.
Friday morning, Lexie woke with a sense of expectation. Today was going to be a good day, and she looked forward to it. Why not—with Mike Walker’s imminent recovery? Plus, she was excited to go back to visit the sisters in the Hamptons and have a whole weekend off for a change. She couldn’t wait to share Mike’s story with them. A little cloud tried to dampen her spirits, reminding her that Russell wouldn’t be there, but she blew it away, determined to make the most of her time.
Her shift at the hospital began early, so she was about to leave just as Penny was waking up.
“Hey. You already up?” Penny stretched and glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand between the twin beds.
“Yes. I have morning rounds today.” Lexie waited by the door as Penny pushed herself up to a sitting position on the side of the bed.
Penny yawned. “Oh, that’s right. It’s Friday, isn’t it? You’re going to visit those ladies out on Long Island tomorrow, aren’t you? Well, you have fun and be careful.”
“Maybe I’ll see you later at the hospital. Do you have plans tonight?”
Penny twisted her lip. “Plans? Me? Actually, I might take the ferry over to Jersey tomorrow and see the family since I have the day off.”
“You should. I’m sure they’d like to see you. Bye now.” Lexie closed the door and ran downstairs. The housemother stopped her before she got to the door.
“Nurse Smithfield, Nurse Harper wants to see you before you start your shift.”
“She does?” Oh dear, was she in trouble?
The housemother laughed at Lexie. “Don’t look so scared!”
Lexie hurried to Nurse Harper’s office and tapped on her office door.
“Come in.”
Lexie complied, and Nurse Harper said, “Have a seat, Nurse Smithfield.”
A tremor of anticipation quickened her pulse as Lexie eased into the chair and recognized her test papers in the nursing instructor’s hands.
“I’ll get right to the point. Your test scores are excellent. You have a thorough grasp of the material taught in the second year of nursing school, and you should be very pleased with yourself.”
“Thank you,” Lexie said, surprised that she had done so well.
“Your instructors are also quite pleased with your classwork, and Nurse Addams tells me you’ve established good rapport with the patients in the psychiatric ward. I know that is important to you, as it is also important to us.”
“Yes, ma’am, it is.”
“I’ve discussed with the faculty your progress, and we all agree you can start the third year’s curriculum beginning in August. Assuming you do as well with that part of your training, you should be able to graduate in December. Is that agreeable to you?”
Lexie took a deep breath to calm herself. “Yes, ma’am. That would be very agreeable to me. I really appreciate the opportunity to graduate early.”
“Well, you’ve proven yourself. And since you already have a bachelor’s degree, it makes sense that you shouldn’t take as long to complete your nursing education.”
Lexie couldn’t help but smile with the happiness that filled her.
“I won’t keep you any longer, but I wanted to let you know what we’ve decided.”
Lexie stood and accepted the hand Nurse Harper extended. “Thank you very much.”
“It is my pleasure, Nurse Smithfield, to reward a student who exemplifies such dedication. And don’t worry about being late for your shift today. I’ve already informed Nurse Addams that I would be speaking beforehand this morning.”
Lexie practically skipped over to the psych ward for her shift. She could graduate in December! That meant she and Russell could get married soon afterward, maybe even have a Christmas wedding. She couldn’t wait to tell him. If only she could tell him in person.
Nurse Addams looked up at her as she exited the elevator. “Good morning, Nurse Smithfield. You look like you’re having a good day.”
Lexie smiled and nodded. “Oh, yes, ma’am. So far, it’s been a wonderful day.”
“I understand you might be graduating in six months. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“I see in your notes here that John Doe’s real name is John Michael Walker.”
“Yes. He told me that people used to call him Mike.”
“I told you that you had a magic touch with him. Did he tell you any more about himself?”
Shaking her head, Lexie said, “No. He couldn’t remember anything else. The more he tried, the more frustrated he got—–said he was getting a headache.”
Nurse Addams gave a quick nod. “That’s common for head injuries. You gave him something for that?”
“Aspirin. He was sleeping when I left last night.”
“Good. I’m sure he’ll be glad to see you again. In fact, they all will.” Nurse Addams cocked her head. “So what’s your secret?”
Lexie’s felt a blush coming on. “My secret?”
“Well, whatever it is, the patients like you a lot. They ask about you when you’re not here.”
“They do?”
“Yes, they do. And you can check off ‘establishing rapport with the patients’ on your self-evaluation sheet.”
“Thank you.” Apparently, Nurse Addams had given Nurse Harper the same information. Lexie had to ask the question that had burned in her mind since the night before. “Nurse Addams, may I ask you a question?”
The nurse laid down the paperwork in her hand and gave Lexie her full attention. “Go ahead.”
“If John, I mean Mike Walker, recovers from his injuries, will he be sent back to the battlefield?”
“I can’t say. He might. But he has a ways to go before that would happen. We still don’t know about the severity of his head injury. Why?”
“I … I just wondered.” For some reason, she didn’t tell the head nurse Mike had asked the question first.
Nurse Addams leaned forward, crossing her arms on the desk, and directed her gaze at Lexie. “One of the difficult parts of this job is that we’re supposed to care about our patients but not get so close that we can’t let them go. Do you understand, Nurse Smithfield?”
Lexie affirmed with a nod, a knot forming in her stomach. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Nobody said this work was easy, you know.”
“I know. I didn’t expect it to be.” She didn’t expect to care so much either. Lexie
turned toward the ward, committed to her task.
“Oh, Nurse Smithfield?”
Lexie stopped and turned. “Yes?”
“Are you still singing for the patients?”
“Yes, well, so far, I’ve only sung one song. I used to hum, but then they asked me to sing it.” Her face warmed.
“I see. What was the name of the song?”
“‘Amazing Grace.’ It’s one of the few songs I’ve learned the words to—I guess because I’ve heard it for so long.”
“Hmm. Well, that’s a good choice. I’m glad the patients enjoy it. Give ’em a little religion while they’re here.”
Lexie hadn’t thought about it that way. She was just singing a song that was in her heart. And apparently, many of the patients were familiar with the old hymn. She took a few steps, then stopped again.
“Nurse Addams? You know I’m off for the weekend, don’t you?”
“Ah, yes, I see that. Well, better tell your patients, or they’ll be looking for you. We don’t want to let them down now, do we?”
“No, ma’am. I’ll let them know.”
The patients were in their regular places, for the most part, doing the same things they always did. She glanced around the room, and her breath caught. Mike Walker was walking slowly toward her.
“Look at you. You’re up! And walking!”
Mike smiled, sending warmth through her. She’d never seen him standing and didn’t realize how tall he was. Or how handsome. But here she stood, looking up at him, feeling a vulnerability she was unaccustomed to around the patients.
“I’m not running any races yet, though.” He stopped and grabbed the nearest bed rail as he caught his breath.
“He wanted to surprise you.” Bob’s voice rang out across the room.
Lexie smiled, glancing from Bob back to Mike. “And he sure did. Would you like to rest a minute?” She grabbed a metal chair and pulled it over to him. “Your body’s not used to exercise.”
Mike lowered himself into it. “It sure isn’t. Pathetic, isn’t it, that I should tire doing so little.”
“No, it’s very good! You’ve progressed very well since you’ve been here—and in a relatively short time.”
He blew out a breath, shaking his head. “You might believe that, but I don’t. I think I should be much better now. I didn’t hurt my legs, and look, my arm is fixed.” He lifted his arm, displaying its range of motion.
“I know, but you’ve been lying in a bed for weeks, and your muscles have to get used to movement again. Don’t worry, I’m sure by Monday when I see you again, you’ll be getting around much better.”
Mike frowned. “What day is today?”
“Today is Friday, June 26, 1942.”
“So you’ll be gone tomorrow and the next day?”
“Yes, I have the weekend off. I’m going to visit friends in East Hampton.” Should she have given him that much personal information?
“Oh.” He pointed to her engagement ring. “Your fiancé going, too, I guess.”
The heat moved up her neck. “No, he can’t. Not this time.” She decided to leave the rest of the information out.
Mike grew quiet and focused on the tile floor. Lexie felt guilty leaving the patients—as if she were going to abandon them.
“Would you like to go back to your bed or maybe join the men over there for a game of cards?”
He glanced from one choice to the other. “Think I’ll check on the card game, maybe interest them in a game of poker.” Mike gave her a wink, a gesture that surprised her. Who was this man? His newfound boldness was such a contrast to the person he’d been when he first arrived at the ward. Surely, his mental health was better than anyone in the ward—or at least it appeared to be.
He pushed himself up from the chair and walked slowly across toward the card game in progress. Then he stopped and turned. “Say, Nurse Smithfield. Can you do me a favor?”
“I can try.” Hopefully, he wouldn’t ask for anything outside of her capacity.
Mike pointed to his hospital gown. “Can you get me some real clothes? I don’t need to wear this dress anymore.”
Lexie glanced around the room. Unlike “sick” wards, everyone in the room was dressed in street clothes, that is, everyone but Mike. But most of them had arrived in street clothes. Apparently, the remnants of his uniform had disappeared before he reached Belleview. “Yes, I’ll try to find you some. I’ll have to get your sizes.”
One of the other men spoke up. “He looks like he wears a Size 15½ shirt and a Size 30 pant. I used to work in a men’s clothing store.”
“Sounds good to me,” said Mike.
“I’ll go write a request for that right now.”
Lexie left the ward and told Nurse Addams what Mike had requested. “Well, that’s a good sign. He wants to dress normally, so he doesn’t see himself as sick.”
“No, he doesn’t.”
“I’ll send one of the attendants out to pick up some clothes for him. I’m glad to hear he’s interacting with the other patients. If he doesn’t have another outburst, he can be transferred to another part of the hospital, at least until we find his family. We don’t know who to release him to or where they are yet.”
Lexie wanted to be happy for Mike, happy that he would be released soon. But a touch of melancholy threatened her joy, and she realized she would miss him. He didn’t act happy to hear she would be gone all weekend either. Nurse Addams was right. She couldn’t get so close to a patient and had to let him go. All she could do was pray he’d be all right. And she could be thankful he didn’t have to stay in the hospital forever, and that someday he could return to a normal life, whatever that was for him.
Lexie went through her morning routine as usual but looked forward to getting away to Long Island for the weekend. She prepared and administered the midmorning medications, then served lunch to the patients and collected the dishes afterward. When the elevator door opened and two attendants exited, one held a bag from Gimbel’s.
“Did you need clothes for a man?” he asked, handing her the bag.
“Yes, thank you.”
Lexie opened the package and removed the tags and pins from the clothes—a short sleeve white shirt and a pair of gray trousers, plus underwear, socks, and a belt. She held them up and shook them out. Nurse Addams walked up and eyed the clothes.
“They need ironing,” said Lexie.
“We keep one in the utility room cabinet if you want to press the clothes before you give them to him.”
When Lexie presented the freshly pressed clothes to Mike, he considered them, then nodded. “Not sure if they’re my style, but they’ll do. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll pull the curtain if you want to put them on now.”
“Sure.”
Lexie busied herself straightening the beds with her back to Mike while he changed. At the sound of the metal curtain rings sliding along the rod, she turned.
“Well? What do you think?” Mike stood smiling with his hands extended to the side.
Lexie crossed her arms and tilted her head. “I think you look quite nice.”
“Nice? That’s all? Not debonair?”
She gave him a wry smile. “Oh, yes, very. Yes, that’s the word, debonair.”
“Yeah, well, it’s better than that hospital gown. At least now I feel like a man.”
And he certainly looked like one too. She could only imagine how nice he’d look in a uniform. But what was his style anyway?
“Okay, well now that you’ve regained your manhood, I need to leave. My shift is over.”
Mike studied her a moment. “That’s right. You’re going to Long Island. Well, have a good time.”
“I will. And I’ll see you Monday.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
When Lexie returned to the nurses’ residence that afternoon, she called the Maurice sisters, and Peg answered the phone.
“Hello, Peg? This is Lexie.”
“Hello, dear. Please d
on’t tell me you’re calling to say you can’t come.” Lexie heard her muffled voice say, “It’s Lexie” and knew she was talking to her sister.
“On the contrary. I just want to confirm with you that I will be there tomorrow morning.”
“Excellent. When will your train arrive?”
“I should be there by ten.”
“Good. I’ll send Homer to pick you up.”
“I hate to put you out. And I really don’t mind walking.”
“Nonsense! We’ll come get you. We’ll have brunch when you arrive.”
“Sounds great. I’m really looking forward to seeing you.”
“And we’re looking forward to seeing you, too, dear. You don’t have to go back early this time, do you?”
“No, thank God. I can stay until Sunday afternoon.”
“Excellent. Well, you be careful, and we’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you soon.” Lexie was smiling when she hung up the phone. She couldn’t wait to share her news with them. Going to see them was like going home, although she’d never lived there. Perhaps someday, she’d be able to welcome them to her own home, wherever that would be.
She pulled her small suitcase out of the closet and started packing. She wouldn’t need much for the weekend—just a couple of casual outfits and a dress for church on Sunday. She threw her gloves, dress shoes, and hat in, then pushed the latches down to close the suitcase, hearing them snap into place. She’d run into Penny during the day and found out that a group of nurses was going to see a movie tonight. Perhaps she’d take Penny up on her invitation and join them later. She glanced at her watch—only 4:30. Maybe she should have taken the evening train to Long Island instead.
Oh well, too late now. She’d already told them she was coming tomorrow. Maybe now would be a good time to write a letter to Russell. She sat down at the small desk, then took a sheet of stationery out of the single desk drawer. But she’d only written “Dear Russell” when a craving for a milkshake set her taste buds on alert. Maybe Penny would be back soon, and they could go together. But it would be another hour before Penny finished work.