by Marilyn Turk
Nancy pointed to Lexie’s open suitcase. “Are you going home today too?”
Lexie glanced down at her suitcase, then back at Nancy. “No, I’m not leaving today. I have to work tomorrow.”
“Oh.” The girl seemed depressed, and Lexie remembered her boyfriend had shipped out.
“Nancy, is there something wrong?
The girl trembled, and a tear slid down her cheek. Lexie went over to her and took her arm. “Come in and sit down.”
Nancy sat on the end of the twin bed, and Lexie sat down next to her. Lexie searched her face. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Nancy sniffed, and Lexie got the Kleenex box from the bedside table and handed it to her. Nancy took a tissue and wiped her nose. “I have to go back home today. My grandmother died.” She choked back a sob.
Lexie patted her hand. “I’m sorry, Nancy.” An image of her own grandmother came to mind, and she felt a twinge of sadness. “I remember when my own grandmother passed away.”
The other girl nodded and dabbed her eyes. “My mother was really upset when she called to tell me.”
Lexie searched for the right words to say to comfort Nancy. “I’m sure she’ll be glad to have you there.”
Nancy nodded again, then her lip trembled. “I wish James was still here.”
“He’s your boyfriend?”
“Yes. If he were here, he’d come get me and take me home. We lived in the same town upstate. But he left for the army last week.” Her shoulders shook with another sob.
Lexie’s heart went out to the bereft girl who seemed so much younger than she. “So how are you getting home? Is someone else coming to get you?”
Nancy shook her head. “Nobody else can. Mother told me to take the train. I’ve never ridden the train by myself before.”
Lexie pitied the poor girl. Apparently, she was unaccustomed to life in the city. “It’s not that bad. I’ve ridden it lots of times by myself.”
“I know. You seem to be much braver than I am. I don’t even know how to buy a ticket or find the right train. Penn Station is so big it terrifies me.”
Lexie could understand the girl’s fears. She’d certainly had enough of her own. However, she did know her way around the train station. Maybe she could help.
“I have an idea. I’ll go to Penn Station with you and help you get your ticket and find your train. Are you packed and ready to go?”
Nancy looked at Lexie with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. “You would do that for me? You’d go with me?”
“Sure. I don’t have anything else to do before tomorrow. Let’s get going so you can catch the next train.” Lexie jumped up from the bed.
Nancy stood and said, “Okay. I’ll get my suitcase.”
When Nancy returned with her suitcase, the girls went downstairs together. They stepped outside just in time to catch a bus to the train station. Lexie breathed a sigh of relief as they boarded the bus since she’d been avoiding walking anywhere other than back and forth to the hospital. For once, she was taking everyone’s suggestion to be careful seriously.
At the station, Lexie took Nancy to the ticket window where she bought a ticket. The teller told her where the train would be, but the girl looked lost, so Lexie walked downstairs and waited with her on the platform until the train arrived.
“Here you go,” Lexie said, motioning to the train as it screeched to a halt in front of them.
Nancy gave Lexie a tight hug. “Thank you so much! You’re the best!”
Once Nancy was on board, Lexie waved goodbye to her and watched the train disappear down the track. Lexie slowly climbed the stairs back up to the main lobby, her thoughts on Nancy and her situation. Dusk had descended on the city when she stepped outside and walked toward the bus stop. She glanced up in time to see her bus leaving the curb. Panic tightened her chest. Why couldn’t she have gotten there just a few minutes sooner?
Now she’d have to walk back. A sense of dread weighted her steps as she realized she’d have to go the distance alone. Nancy had called her “brave.” But if she only knew how much Lexie dealt with fear. Still, she had walked the distance before, and there was no reason she couldn’t do it again. She started back the usual way, passing the Martinique and thinking of Russell. But as she neared the diner, she deviated from her usual path and crossed to the other side of the street to distance herself from the place.
The sidewalks were almost empty since most people had gone home from work. Except for the occasional car that passed, the city was quiet enough to hear her shoes clicking on the pavement. She couldn’t help but constantly scan the area around her. When she was a child, Russell and her brother had called her “scaredy cat,” and she had gone out of her way to prove them wrong. Maybe they had been right, though.
As she glanced over at the diner across the street, she noticed Mack had turned the lights on inside already because restaurants weren’t allowed to display their outside neon lights during the dimout. What irony that the enemy they were hiding from had eaten in this very place. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary, but when a prickly tingle ran down her spine, she knew she was being watched. Her eyes and ears were on full alert to detect movement. Did she hear footsteps behind her? A quick glance over her shoulder revealed no one. Still, she couldn’t shake the way her skin crawled. She quickened her step as the dim street lights came on.
She felt an urge to hum “Amazing Grace.” But why now, out in public? Not that anyone was around to hear her. The urge persisted, and she remembered Mike asking her to sing the words. So she began singing the hymn, feeling just a little peculiar as she started out in a very low voice, but gaining volume as the words resonated with meaning for her.
Only a few blocks remained as she passed an alley between two buildings. Her song was cut short when a hand came from behind and covered her mouth. Alarm raced through her body as she was dragged into the alleyway. Who? She couldn’t see her attacker in the dark as she struggled to get free, but the man pushed her against the brick wall, and with cigar breath, he said, “You are the reason the plan failed. You will pay.” Cold metal touched her neck, and she knew she was going to die. She closed her eyes, waiting for her death, but then there were more voices, one in German and one in English. Her attacker released her as he himself was attacked. Someone yelled, “Run, Lexie!”
She didn’t look back and ran as fast as she could toward the residence. Just as she reached the building, she heard a gunshot. She paused a second, then raced into the nurses’ quarters, out of breath and trembling. Thankfully, no one else was in the living room, and she dropped onto a chair, her heart racing as she tried to recover.
Who had come to her rescue? Someone who spoke German? Cal? But there were at least two more voices. And one of them knew her. Was that Mike’s voice that told her to run? Who had been shot? She hoped it wasn’t Mike. But what if her attacker was still loose?
So many questions, but no answers. All she knew for sure was that she’d been protected, somehow, by somebody. Which meant she really had been watched. Thank God, she made it back to the residence. And thank God, He had been watching over her.
The next morning, Lexie tried to dress quietly without waking Penny since she’d worked late. But Penny woke anyway, yawned, and stretched. “Hey, Lex.”
“Hi, Penny. Sorry I woke you up.”
“Don’t be. I need to get up anyway. I’m going in early today so I can get out of here and head home for the weekend.” She sat up on the edge of the bed.
“I had the same idea. It’s been a long week.”
They dressed and went downstairs where the other nurses were gathered.
“Did you hear what happened last night?” one of the girls said.
“A guy was killed not too far from here.” Another spoke up.
Lexie’s heart fell. Penny jumped into the conversation. “Who was killed? Where?”
Lexie strained to hear the answer.
“I heard it was the German baker. He was shot.”
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“Oh, my!” Penny covered her mouth. “Somebody hates Germans that much?”
Lexie’s mind raced. Her attacker was dead, but who shot him? Did that mean she was safe now? She couldn’t wait for the day to end so she could be on her way to East Hampton.
After her shift was over, she changed clothes as fast as possible, told Penny bye, and hurried to Penn Station. The grand lobby was full of people leaving town for the weekend. As she crossed the room, a man bumped into her. Her breath caught when she glanced at his face. Although the hair was black, the face was familiar.
“Cal?” She froze. What should she do? Yell for help?
Then he smiled. “Happy to see you again.”
She had so many questions but found it hard to speak. “You’re still here.”
Cal nodded. “I leave today.” He glanced around, then looked back at her, his gaze penetrating. “I want to thank you for your friendship. You helped me make some important decisions.”
“But…”
He touched his finger to his lips. “Because of you, there won’t be any fireworks.”
“Me? No, there’s no fireworks because of the blackout.”
He winked and smiled, tipping his hat. “I pray you and your future husband will live happily ever after.”
Before she could answer, he turned and walked away quickly, disappearing into the crowd toward the exit for the northbound train. Stunned by the encounter, she tried to understand what he meant by “no fireworks” as she continued toward the Long Island train.
Then she heard her name. “Lexie!” A male voice called out from across the room, the same voice she’d heard the night before. She spun to look, and her mouth dropped open when she saw Mike Walker, his hat barely hiding a black eye. He grinned and gave her a thumbs-up, then turned and vanished beyond the sign that read “Westbound Trains.”
Chapter Thirty
Lexie stretched out on the chaise lounge on the cottage patio, gazing up at the stars in the nighttime sky. Her muscles were tired but in a good way.
“We sure are glad you were here today, Lexie.” Peg sat on the chair to Lexie’s right.
“Yes, we are. And Mr. Coleman is too. He wouldn’t have had a partner in the tennis tournament if you hadn’t been here since his partner twisted her ankle yesterday,” Marian added.
“Wasn’t he the lucky duck? Not only did he get a partner, he got the best partner!”
“Oh, you two. I’m not the best,” Lexie said.
“I’d say second place is pretty close to the best,” said Marian.
“Well at least we gave the number one team a run for their money,” said Lexie.
“Yes, you did. We’re so proud of you!” said Peg.
“Thank you. It did feel good, I must say.” Lexie sat up “It’s been a while since I played, and I’m glad to know I haven’t forgotten how.”
“Ha! I don’t think that would happen,” said Marian.
“Well, we didn’t have any fireworks tonight, but we had a good Fourth anyway.”
The phone rang in the house, and the women glanced at each other. “Who could be calling us this time of night on the Fourth of July?”
“Lexie, would you mind getting it? There’s no one inside to answer.”
“Of course.” Lexie jumped from the chair and ran into the house, picking up the phone in the hallway.
The phone crackled, and an operator’s voice came on. “Call for Lexie Smithfield. Will you accept?”
“Yes. This is Lexie Smithfield.”
“Go ahead, sir, with your call.”
“Hello? Lexie?” The reception was weak, but she knew his voice.
“Russell?”
“Yes, Lexie. It’s me, Russell. Happy Fourth of July!”
Lexie wiggled with delight.
“Russell! It’s so good to hear your voice!”
“Yours, too, Lexie. I finally finagled a call through to the States, but I can’t talk long. Have you had a good Fourth?”
“Yes, Russell, I did. I had to sub for a hurt player in the club’s tennis tournament today.”
“Good for you. I hope you won.”
“Second place.”
“That’s great. Say, Lexie, is everything going all right? I mean, anything strange happen?”
She couldn’t possibly tell him about last night during the call. “Why?”
“Well, last night around midnight our time, I had this impression that I should pray for you, that you were in danger. So I got down on my knees and prayed. Did something happen?”
Lexie calculated the time difference of five hours between New York and Ireland. Midnight for Russell was the same time she was attacked.
“I’ll tell you all about it when you come back. But thank you for your prayers. They helped. And you don’t have to worry. Everything’s fine now.”
“That’s good, Lexie. I miss you, and I can’t wait to see you again.”
“I miss you, too, Russell. Do you know when you’ll be back?”
“Two more weeks here, then we’ll take a ship back. I should be home before the end of July, and we can discuss our future.”
Her future was still secure. “I love you, Russell.”
“I love you, too, Lexie. And give Peg and Marian a hug for me.”
“I will. Thank you for calling.”
“Believe me, it was my pleasure. See you soon. Good night.”
“Good night, Russell.”
Lexie put down the receiver, walked back through the house, and stepped outside. As she did, a shooting star raced across the sky.
God had provided the fireworks, just like He’d provided for everything else.
Epilogue
December 1942
“There!” Peg finished pinning the headpiece of Lexie’s shoulder-length veil onto her hair and stepped back, studying her handiwork.
“You’re perfect!” Marian clasped her hands as she stood beside her sister and pointed to the mirror. “Look!”
Lexie whirled around to the Cheval mirror and marveled at her reflection. Was that really her in that long white satin wedding dress?
“I can’t believe I’m really getting married today.” She couldn’t keep from smiling as she spun around again, her skirt flaring. “I feel like Cinderella.”
“And your Prince Charming is waiting downstairs,” Peg said. “Russell will be dazzled when he sees you.”
“I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a more beautiful bride!” Marian gushed.
“So you have something new—your dress, something borrowed—our mother’s pearl earrings, something old—your grandmother’s lace handkerchief, and something blue—that lovely sapphire cross pin from your friend in Canada. What a nice touch to your headpiece. Looks like you have everything you need,” said Peg.
“She does, Peg. She’s got her nursing diploma, and she’s marrying a handsome chaplain’s associate.”
“Lexie, who was that telegram from this morning? Your face lit up like a candle when you read it.”
“Oh, just a former patient congratulating me on our wedding.”
The telegram had read, Congratulations and may God bless your wedding and marriage. Thank you for your help. Yours truly, Captain Michael Walker, United States Army Air Corps.
“Well, how nice! I love happy endings!” Marian’s smile spread across her rosy cheeks.
Lexie glanced out the window at the snowflakes that drifted down and painted the landscape with story-tale charm. In this pure, white world, there were no shadows, only happy endings.
Acknowledgements
Ahistorical book requires a lot of research, even when that book is a novel. As the author, I’m obligated to be as historically accurate as possible, even though my characters and parts of the story are fictitious. Without the help of others, I’d never have found the information I needed to write this book set in New York in 1942.
Consequently, there are many people to thank. On my trip to East Hampton on Long Island, I had the joy of findi
ng the charming East Hampton Library where Gina Piastuck provided invaluable help for my research of the East Hampton and Amagansett area, including the online archives of the East Hampton Star newspaper. In addition, I want to thank Henry Osmers, the historian at Montauk Point Lighthouse, who opened my eyes to the area during the war and also referred me to Gina.
Trying to get information about Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital and the nurses’ training for the year 1942 was a challenge. Much has changed since then, and the hospital where Lexie trained is no longer in use. Huge thanks to Allison Piazza, reference librarian for the New York Academy of Medicine for her help and the awesome floor plan she provided for the Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital during Lexie’s time.
The Martinique Hotel is still operating now as the Radisson Martinique, and although there have been renovations since 1942, Tara Williams, Director of Revenue for the hotel, knows a lot about its history. Tara also helped me understand the hotel’s location in proximity to other Manhattan landmarks.
A big shout out goes to Steve Fielding at the Northwest Florida State College Library for his relentless research about the history of nursing and Bellevue. Steve provided me with wonderful access to files of the New York Times where I could read current events in Lexie’s life.
In addition, the New York Public Library research department and the New York University Library research departments and the New York Transit Museum provided information for my book.
I also want to thank my nurse friends—Dr. Beth Norton, professor of nursing at Northwest Florida State College, Beth Tritschler, “retired” nurse, who advised me on treatment and medication for psychiatric patients in 1942, and Word Weaver nurse Susan Neal. Speaking of Word Weavers, thank you to Chris Manion for her chapter critique.
And last, but certainly not least, I am so thankful my husband Chuck worked my research into our family vacation so that I was able to visit the Long Island area of the story. What a treat to see the newly restored coast guard station near the beach where the Nazi saboteurs landed!
Discussion Questions
1. Lexie accidentally befriended a spy. Do you think she should have gone to the authorities when she found out? If she had, what do you think would have happened to her? What do you think Russell would have suggested if he’d known about the spies?