by Marilyn Turk
“Has anyone heard where these soldiers are going when they leave here?” Louis nodded toward the window where soldiers were lining up in formation.
Nick glanced over his shoulder, then lowered his voice. “I heard somebody say ‘North Africa.’”
“Yeah, I heard that too,” said Sal. “Boy, that’s going to be a lot different than it is here.”
“No kidding. From the pasture to the desert!”
“Rommel territory,” said Harry. “That Nazi’s been taking over since last year.”
“Don’t they call him ‘the Desert Fox’?” asked Louis.
“Yeah, they do,” said Louis. “But we’ve got Eisenhower. I put my money on him.”
“You better. These guys need to win so they can go back home.”
When they’d finished eating, most of the guys lit up for an after-dinner smoke. Russell went outside with some of the guys to watch planes taking off and landing at the small airstrip.
“Wonder what these people think about our military plopping themselves down in the middle of their country?”
“They should be happy to see them. The British need our help.”
“Yeah, but look at this place. Don’t you think it’s strange to see airplanes landing in the middle of a sheep pasture?”
The drone of a plane coming in over their heads made them duck.
“And the noise. I’m sure that takes some getting used to.”
“Maybe they’ll get earmuffs for the sheep,” Louis said, elbowing Nick.
“I’m going for a walk,” said Russell. “I want to see the countryside while I’m here.”
“I’ll go with you,” said Nick. He glanced around. “Where’s Gloria? Maybe she wants to go with us.”
Gloria. Russell had forgotten he was supposed to be keeping an eye on her. Drat. He better find her. He went back into the building to look for her. Finding the restroom, he knocked on the door. “Gloria? You in there?”
He listened for a response but didn’t hear anything, so he walked back to the kitchen area and asked the men working in there if they’d seen her leave. They all shook their heads and said they didn’t see her come out.
A warning signal went off in Russell’s head. Where did she go? What was she up to? Surely, she couldn’t be drinking. Where would she get the liquor?
He went back to the restroom and knocked again, but still no response from the other side. Privacy or no privacy, he had to find out if she was in there. He shifted his weight against the door and pushed hard. The latch on the other side gave way, and the door fell open. Russell’s eyes widened at the sight of Gloria sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall with her dark hair half covering her face. Her eyes opened when he walked in. “Oh, hello, darling,” she said with slurred speech. A glance at the flask resting in her hand beside her open handbag confirmed his worst suspicions. She was drunk again.
Russell went to her and took the flask, tossing it in the trash can, then he put his arms under her armpits and lifted her from the floor. “Come on. We’re getting you outside.”
“Sure, darling, whatever you say.”
He propped her up against the sink long enough to grab her shoes and put them in her handbag, picked it up, and managed to catch Gloria before she fell over. Turning the tap on, he splashed some water on her face.
“Hey! What are you doing?” Gloria complained, turning her head away. Russell retrieved his handkerchief and handed it to her so she could wipe her face.
“Let’s go,” Russell said, as he took her by the waist and helped her to walk out the door.
“Where are we going?”
“For a walk.” Somehow he’d get her sober by showtime, even if it meant ruining her stockings.
More than a few people stared at them as they made their way down the road, her leaning against him for support.
“Can’t we just sit down?” Gloria’s weight sagged.
“Not yet. Just a few more steps.”
They walked out the gate, where the guard’s eyebrows were knitted in a frown.
Russell tipped his hat at the young soldier. “Just going for a walk,” he said, and the soldier nodded.
Outside the base, Russell turned down the country lane bordered by the base fence on one side and a low stone wall on the other. A villager rode past on his bicycle, casting a subtle scowl before giving them a slight nod, characteristic of the locals who weren’t happy with Americans, “Yanks,” invading their countryside.
“Ouch!” Gloria jumped and grabbed her foot. The pain apparently awakened her senses. She lifted her head up and looked around them. “Where are we?”
“Northern Ireland.” Where they’d been for a few days already.
“It’s pretty.”
“Yes, it’s beautiful countryside.” Russell pressed ahead, and Gloria walked alongside unassisted.
“Look!” she said, pointing to a pasture. “There’s sheep!”
He had to smile at her childlike wonder, as if she were seeing the world for the first time.
The dirt road rose ahead, but the exercise felt good to him. He’d been sitting way too long. As they topped the hill, his breath caught at the scenery. Just beyond the road, the green pastures led to rugged cliffs that towered over the sea. The sound of waves crashing into the rocks below accompanied the gust of sea breeze that blew against them. Russell stopped and inhaled deeply, letting the peace and serenity of the setting fill his senses.
“Thank you, Lord, for this marvelous beauty,” he said.
Gloria looked at him, lifting an eyebrow. “I should have known,” she said.
“Known what?” He eyed her with curiosity.
“About you. I knew you were a good guy, but I didn’t realize you were religious.”
Russell put his hands in his pockets and gazed out at the panorama. “I don’t consider myself religious. But I believe in God and try to live my life the way He wants me to.”
She cocked her head at him. “Yeah? How do you know what He wants you to do?”
“Well, I read the Bible, and I pray, and I try not to do things I know are wrong.” He regarded her. “What about you?”
“Me? Sure, I believe in God. Doesn’t everybody?” She looked away, but not before he noted the sadness that cast a shadow over her face. “I don’t think about doing what God wants me to do, though. I’m too busy trying to do what everybody else wants me to do.”
“Everybody? Like who?”
“You know. Hollywood. Show business. I gotta be beautiful and sexy so people will like me.”
“Why does it matter so much if people like you?”
“What, are you crazy? Don’t you care if people like you?”
“Of course I care. But what people think isn’t more important to me than what God thinks. I don’t have to try to make people like me. I don’t need someone else’s approval. I’d rather please God than a million other people.”
“So why are you in show business? Aren’t you out here trying to get these people to like you, like your music?”
Russell shook his head. “No, that’s not it at all. I’m not here to get attention. I’m here to do something nice for these guys, make them feel good while they’re away from home, aren’t you?”
“Sure, but … you know it’s different with me. I have a reputation to live up to.”
He fixed his gaze on her eyes. “Is it so hard to live up to your reputation that you have to drink?”
Tears filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks. “You don’t understand how hard it is.”
Russell grabbed her by the shoulders. “Gloria, quit trying to please others. God loves you, and that’s enough. You’re enough. You have a beautiful voice. Why don’t you just let your beauty shine through your music? Be the person God made you to be and not somebody else. Trust me, you’ll be happier, and you won’t need anything else.”
“You make it sound easy.”
“It is, Gloria. You’re making it hard.” He took her hands. “Do yo
u mind if I pray for you?”
She shrugged. “Can’t hurt, I guess.”
Russell lifted his face toward the sky. “Father, thank you for making Gloria the way you did. Please show her the beauty you created in her, and let her know how much you love her.”
When he finished, she wiped the tears from her face. “Thank you,” she said. “But I don’t know why God would love someone like me. I’m not good like you are.”
“Gloria, I’m not good. In fact, I’m not any better than you are. But God loves me anyway, and He loves you too. Just because He’s a loving Father, not because of anything we’ve done.”
She focused on the ground. “I never knew my father. He was killed in the last war when I was two years old.”
Russell’s heart squeezed, and his attitude toward Gloria changed as understanding revealed itself to him.
“I’m sorry. So that’s why you wanted to perform with the USO?”
She glanced at him with surprise. “Maybe so. You know, I never thought of it that way.” She gazed out across the vista. “I guess I wanted to connect with my father somehow, through the soldiers.”
“And you do, Gloria. Your singing reaches them and reminds them of home.”
A broad smile took over Gloria’s face. “I do? Yes, I do!”
The joy that transformed her lifted Russell’s spirits as well. “Ready to go back now?”
“Yes.” Then she looked down at her dress and dirty stockings where her toes peeked out the ends. “I think I need to change clothes before tonight’s performance.”
“I think so too.”
“You gonna give me my handbag back? I don’t think it goes with your outfit.”
Russell glanced down at the purse he’d tucked under his arm. He laughed and handed it to her. “You might be missing something.”
She squinted with thought, then widened her eyes with understanding. “That’s okay. I won’t need it.”
Russell breathed a prayer of thanks as they walked back to the base. He was thankful he’d had the conversation with Gloria. Not only did it seem to help her, but it’d also given him a better understanding of himself. Maybe that’s why he was on this trip. He enjoyed helping others and giving them encouragement, and that realization gave him an idea about his own future.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“This is the operator. Will you accept a call from Karl Mueller?”
“Karl? Karl Mueller?” His sister’s familiar voice was sweet music to his heart. “Of course I’ll accept!” A muffled cry said, “Mother! Come here! It’s Karl!”
“Sir, your call is connected.”
“Hello, Karl? Hello? Karl, is that really you?”
“Hello, Gretchen. Yes, it’s me, Karl. How are you?”
“We’re good, Karl. But where are you? Are you in Canada?”
“No, I’m in the States. But tell me, how is Mother?”
“She’s doing okay, Karl. But she misses you. We both do.”
“I miss you too. Her health is good?”
“As well as can be expected. But she still misses Poppa, you know. And with you gone too, well, she says her men left her.”
Karl swallowed hard, his throat constricted in anguish. “Good thing you are a nurse, yes? You can take good care of her.”
“I try, but I cannot heal her heart.” She paused. “But how are you in the States? When did you come back from Germany?”
“I, uh, I came here for a job.”
“But how? I mean … wait, Karl. Mother wants to speak to you.”
Her voice was weaker, more feeble than before. “Karl? Is this my son Karl?”
He bit back the tears. “Yes, Mother. It is me, Karl. Your son.”
“Karl, I have been so worried about you. I pray for you every day.”
He couldn’t talk. Outside the phone booth, another man waited. A tremor of fear raced down his back.
“Karl? Are you there? Will you come here? Will you come see your mother?”
The operator interrupted. “Your three minutes is up. If you wish to continue the call, you’ll have to deposit more money into the phone.”
“Mother, I love you.”
Click. The call ended. Karl wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, his heart racing.
Thank you, God, for taking care of them and letting me hear their voices once more.
He pushed back the hinged door of the booth and stepped out.
Lexie hurried through breakfast, eager to reach the psych ward before the doctor arrived. She rushed onto the floor, breathless when she approached the nurses’ station. Nurse Addams wasn’t in sight, though, so Lexie tapped her fingers on the counter, waiting until the head nurse arrived. Where could she be?
The door to the ward opened, and Nurse Addams walked out with Dr. Kappas. Seeing Lexie, she scowled and strode toward her. Dr. Kappas’s eyes reflected recognition, but his demeanor was unlike his previous sociable personality. A tremor of fear rattled Lexie. Something was wrong. She readied herself for bad news, suspecting Mike was the subject. Was she too late? Had they administered the shock treatment already?
“Nurse Smithfield, we need to talk with you,” Nurse Addams said.
“Yes? What is it?” She steeled herself.
With hands on her hips, the nurse asked, “Did you administer the sedative to Mr. Walker last night?” Dr. Kappas watched with arms crossed over his chest.
Mike’s request not to take the drug flashed through her mind. “No, I didn’t. He was still groggy from the previous dose and said it upset his stomach.”
The nurse’s nostrils flared. She glanced at the doctor, then back to Lexie. “So you disobeyed the doctor’s orders?”
“I … the patient was in restraints. He said it would be difficult if he got sick and couldn’t sit up.” Lexie looked back and forth between the two. “Why? What happened? Did he have another episode? Did something go wrong with the shock treatment?”
Dr. Kappas dropped his arms and clenched his fists, glaring at her. “There was no shock treatment.”
Lexie fought between relief and concern. “Because he didn’t have the sedative?”
“Because the patient was gone.” Nurse Addams spoke through gritted teeth.
“Gone? Where?”
“We don’t know, Nurse Smithfield. We are looking for him,” Nurse Addams said.
“But how? When?”
Nurse Addams crossed her arms. “Sometime during the night when the janitor went in to mop the floor. Mr. Walker and some other patients overtook him. Mr. Walker exchanged clothes with him, strapped the poor man to the bed, and left the hospital.”
Lexie’s eyes widened. “He did? But how did he get his restraints off?”
The doctor spoke up. “Apparently, he was able to enlist the help of some of the other patients, but we don’t know who because they’re not talking.”
Lexie shook her head in amazement. Where had Mike gone? Was he stable enough to be on his own?
“And you, young lady, may be in trouble for allowing this to happen.” Nurse Addams frowned at Lexie.
“But how did I allow this to happen? I didn’t undo his restraints.”
“No, but if he’d had the medication, he wouldn’t have been able to coordinate such an act,” said Dr. Kappas.
“And others might be in danger if he has one of his episodes now that he is loose, especially since he didn’t have the treatment he was supposed to get,” the head nurse added.
“I’m sorry if I had anything to do with his escape, but I thought I was doing what was best for the patient.” Escape was exactly what Mike had done, and Lexie wasn’t convinced it was wrong, in light of his circumstances.
“We’ll see how this affects your training,” Nurse Addams warned. She faced the doctor and said, “Doctor, I apologize for this whole unfortunate episode.”
He nodded, then cast an arrogant glance at Lexie before he walked off.
Lexie faced her superior. “What do you want me to do?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Your honesty may save you, then. It shows you weren’t trying to hide anything.”
“Why would I hide anything?”
Nurse Addams allowed a slight smile on her lips. “Exactly.” She reached for the chart, and Lexie handed it back. “Now go see about your patients.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Her patients? Did that mean she would be allowed to stay? All she was sure of was that one of her patients was missing, and she didn’t know where he was, much less what kind of condition he was in.
When she walked into the wardroom, the men acted sheepish. She placed her hands on her hips and scanned the room. “Good morning, gentlemen. I’ve lost Mike Walker, and I don’t know how to find him. Are any of you hiding him?”
Several people shook their heads. Lexie started going from patient to patient as was her normal routine. When she got to Bob, he peered at her over his handful of cards.
“He left,” Bob whispered.
“Aha. How did he do that, Bob?”
“He changed places.”
“I see. Do you know who unstrapped his restraints?”
Bob shook his head. “No. They were hard to get off.”
“So you helped each other?”
He nodded. “Yes, we all helped.”
“And did Mike tell you where he was going?”
“He said he had to go somewhere very important. He needed our help to go.”
“I’m sure he was very thankful that you men helped him.”
Bob smiled. “He said we were his fellow soldiers.”
Lexie bit back a smile. “And that made you feel good.”