by Rebecca Lang
When they were at the edge of the camp, Dan turned to her on the path. ‘You managed not to talk to me about yourself, Signy Clover,’ he teased. ‘You were too intent on getting my story.’
It was her turn to shrug now. ‘You can’t have it all your way,’ she said. ‘And I suspect that I didn’t get very much of your story. Well, Dan…goodbye.’
‘Goodbye. Remember, I’m around if you need me,’ he said.
They parted there, and went their separate ways.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE next days and then weeks seemed to go by with amazing rapidity. Time was filled with lectures, training sessions, shooting practice, seminar discussions, reading the required texts and making copious and comprehensive notes about everything. In between all this, they learned how to cope with the wilderness, as well as how to be of help in the local communities.
With immense satisfaction, Signy saw her file of notes becoming fatter by the day and knew that once she got back to England she would go over this stuff and fully realize its tremendous value. Then she would organize it all to bring it to a more formal order. She was sure that one day, on her next assignment, she would be able to put it to good use in the field.
Thinking ahead to being back in England at her parents’ pleasant country house, her childhood home, she had both a feeling of homesickness and a very strange prescient sense of missing Kelp Island, the people she had met there, the friends she had made and was making. Yes, she would miss it all. Knowing that it was a unique experience, she determined to make the most of every single moment of her time. Accordingly, she and all the others went for frequent walks, explored the island, enjoyed just being in the camp.
The weather was changing as the year passed relentlessly towards winter. There was much more heavy rain, more mists and fog.
‘Have you changed your mind about not going home for Christmas, Signy?’ Terri said to her one day. ‘I hope you haven’t, because I sure can’t afford to go back to Australia for a week, then come back here for two weeks or so just before this course ends. Besides, I’d be knackered by the journey. I wouldn’t want to be here without you. Connie’s going home, and Pearl’s staying here, too.’
‘No, I’m not going back,’ Signy confirmed. ‘We can all have fun together in that Vancouver hotel that’s been booked for us downtown. We can sing carols, do some shopping, do a round of the cafés for caffelatte, drink wine…Ah, I can just picture it. A touch of luxury.’
‘Yep,’ Terri sighed, a far-away look in her eyes, ‘I’m really going to enjoy it.’
Since her walk through the woods with Dan, all Signy’s interaction with him had been in the company of other people. Oddly enough, she was beginning to find this frustrating as she was feeling the need to talk to him at last. Sometimes she felt that he was deliberately keeping it that way, forcing her gently into a position where she would have to make a move, to come to him if she wanted help. After all, she told herself realistically, he had offered frequently enough, so now it was really up to her to seize the moment, if that was what she really wanted.
Several times they went back to Brookes Landing, and other places inland, north of Vancouver, along the coast, to which they could travel by float plane and Land Rover. Signy found herself mostly in the company of Terri, Connie and Pearl. Sometimes Dan or Max was with them, sometimes a local nurse. The remaining time began to seem very precious.
Finding herself in Brookes Landing Hospital one day in late November, Signy and Connie decided that they would like to visit Felix George again as they had some free time. Since the first meeting they had seen him again, twice, but knew that there wouldn’t be many more opportunities.
‘Let’s ask Dan if we can go there without him,’ Connie suggested.
‘Yes. I’d like to see his wife, too. I really admire how she’s coping with him, with everything,’ Signy said. ‘We could, perhaps, take one of the hospital vans—it won’t be for long.’
‘Right. Let’s see if we can find Dan,’ Connie said. ‘I heard earlier that he was in the OR.’
As they made their way to the OR, intending to go to the small recreation room there where the doctors and nurses took their brief coffee- and tea-breaks, Signy found that she was looking forward to seeing Dan. Since they’d kissed and been more intimate, she’d found her attitude to him changing, perhaps inevitably, to feel that she had somehow a proprietorial interest in him. Perversely, she almost resented what she now saw as his withdrawal from her into work.
Of course, it had been inadvertent that they’d been thrown together when she’d been forced to be a guest at his cottage, she mused as she and Connie walked the hospital corridors. Knowing it to be inappropriate, as she would soon be away from here, she fought against it. Nonetheless, it assailed her again, a sense of muted excitement. Perhaps the sooner she was away from here, the better…even though she would miss it and be haunted by the beauty of the place, the people she’d met. There would have to be a necessary emotional disengagement.
Dan came into the coffee-room after they’d been there a few minutes. To Signy, he looked shockingly exhausted. If they’d been alone she would have asked him what he’d been doing; as it was, they just talked about Felix George.
‘I’m sure they would like a visit, particularly Donna,’ he said. ‘She feels pretty isolated at times, although she has friends who take her out and give her breaks. You’ll see a change in Felix, unfortunately.’
‘Could we borrow a van from the hospital?’ Signy asked. ‘We won’t stay out more than an hour.’
‘Take my Land Rover,’ he offered, looking at her consideringly. They might never have been in each other’s arms, she thought.
‘That’s kind of you,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’
As time was of the essence, she and Connie found the vehicle and were on the road within five minutes, with Signy driving and Connie looking over the map. On the way, Connie gave Donna a call on her cellphone to let her know they were coming.
‘Is there anything we can bring you?’ she offered. ‘We haven’t gone by the last store yet.’
Connie jerked her thumb in the direction of the last grocery store on the road before the edge of the village, so that Signy knew to veer off there. ‘Will do,’ she said to Donna. Then she turned to Signy: ‘Donna could use a few groceries.’
When they approached the George house some time later carrying the groceries, Donna opened the front door and came out.
‘It’s so great to see you,’ she said smiling, ‘and thank you so much for those groceries. Come in. Felix is sleeping, and I don’t want to wake him. We’ll go into the kitchen and have tea and cake. There are things I want to discuss with you…ask you about.’
‘OK, Donna,’ Connie said. ‘Lead the way.’ They spoke quietly so as not to disturb Felix.
When the electric kettle was plugged in and Donna had closed the kitchen door quietly, she turned to the two nurses. ‘Felix isn’t too good,’ she began. ‘Last night we were talking things over, and he has come round to the idea—and I agree—that he should try another course of chemotherapy. At one point he said he never wanted any more, it made him feel so bad. But now…he’s feeling not too good anyway, so he maybe figured he might as well try the other stuff again.’
Both nurses nodded in commiseration. ‘Would that mean going to Vancouver to a teaching hospital?’ Signy said, her heart going out to this woman who was struggling to do the right thing by her husband.
‘Yes. I would go with him, of course. Dr Blake has a place there for patients from Brookes Landing, so he lets us stay there.’
‘Does Dr Blake know that you’ve decided this?’ Signy went on, as Dan hadn’t mentioned it.
‘No…we just decided last night, Felix and I,’ Donna said. ‘I know that Dr Blake will go along with what we want. I thank God every day that we’ve got him for our doctor. I don’t think you could have a better one anywhere in the world.’ Her voice shook as she spoke, and Signy wanted to put her arms
around her.
‘Would you like us to tell him what you’ve decided?’ Connie offered. ‘He knows we’re here.’
‘Would you? That would be great,’ Donna said, distracting herself by getting the tea ready.
When they had drunk two cups of tea and talked a lot about issues that needed to be discussed, Connie stood up. ‘We have to get back now, Donna, because we’ve got Dr Blake’s car. Could we just have a peep at Felix? Just so that we can tell Dan that we’ve seen him. We’ll be careful not to wake him.’
The three of them crept into the den that Felix used as his sanctuary. On the narrow day-bed he was lying on his side with a blanket covering him.
Indeed, there was a change in him, Signy thought sadly as she looked at his gaunt face, which had an unhealthy yellowish pallor. They stood there for a few moments, then silently went out of the room.
On the doorstep, saying goodbye, Signy took a good look around, knowing that she might never come back here again. ‘This is such a lovely spot,’ she said to Donna.
‘You should see it in the summer,’ Donna said. ‘Such lovely wild flowers. You can get a great view up that way.’ She gestured back down the track. ‘Back to the main track, then on a bit, then a little way to the right down a narrow track…You can just get a car down there—there’s a look-out tower for fire-spotting. Used to be used a lot in the old days. It’s still used, but now people can go up in planes. You can climb up there on a clear day and see a long way around. Very peaceful and lovely it is.’
‘Maybe we’ll go there some time,’ Connie said.
‘Don’t walk up there,’ Donna said warningly. ‘It’s a bit of a wild place and there might be cougars or bears, so go by car and park right at the base, then you can climb up the steps. There’s a tiny hut at the top for shelter. You can see right over the tops of the trees and down to the harbour on one side.’
On the drive back to town, with Connie driving this time, they said very little, saddened by the obvious deterioration of Dan’s patient.
‘Could you tell Dan, Signy?’ Connie asked while she was parking the Land Rover. ‘I want to lie down a bit to sleep.’
‘Yes, all right,’ Signy said, taking the vehicle keys from Connie, thinking that maybe Connie didn’t want to dwell any more on the case of Felix, possibly wanted to shed a few tears. ‘I expect I’ll see you later in the dining room.’
Dan was just coming out of the OR suite when Signy got there.
‘Hi, Signy,’ he said with a slight, tired smile as he shrugged into a white lab coat over his scrub suit. ‘I assume you’re back from having seen Felix? How was he?’
‘Here are your keys,’ she said, handing them to him. ‘Thank you for the use of the car. Um…as you said, Felix has deteriorated…at least, since I saw him last. He was actually asleep. He and his wife have decided that he should go for another course of chemotherapy if you’re in agreement. They asked me to pass on the message.’
Dan stepped aside, taking her arm, as other people came out of the OR.
‘We’re in the way here,’ he said, pulling her to one side. ‘Look, I’m just on my way to the dining room for a quick break. Come with me, and you can tell me what Donna said.’ He ran a hand through his hair tiredly.
‘All right.’ Signy nodded. ‘I could use something to eat.’ A feeling of compassion for him came over her. Obviously he worked extremely hard, was almost constantly on call while he was in Brookes Landing, put his patients’ interests first and foremost. Also, she was pleased to be with him…
‘I’ve got Kathy Lahey in labour,’ he said as they walked. ‘She just came in this morning, so I have to be around for that. At the moment she’s doing well.’
‘It’s a little early, I think, isn’t it?’ Signy asked.
‘Yes, but it won’t matter, the baby’s a good size.’
When they were seated in the dining room, she told him what Donna had said.
‘I’ll make a few phone calls to the city,’ he said pensively. ‘Get it arranged from that end, for him to see an oncologist for reassessment. I fear it’s too late for more chemotherapy—it probably wouldn’t do any good…it would just make him feel rotten at a time when he couldn’t cope with it. The sooner we can get him there, the better. I’ll call Donna, then see if I can get up to visit him later today…or one of the nurses will.’
They ate in silence for a while. ‘Well, Signy,’ he said, looking at her astutely. ‘How are you these days? We haven’t really seen much of each other.’
The intent regard made her acutely aware of him. She was pleased to see him, to be the focus of his attention, if only for a brief interlude. Odd, that.
‘Actually, I’m all right, thanks,’ she said, trying not to give him any hint of what was passing through her mind. ‘I’m feeling the benefit of being here now. I’m more relaxed, learning new things. Really, it’s been very good for me.’
‘Mmm,’ he said, smiling slightly. ‘I assume you’ve got a room here at the hospital for the week?’
‘Yes.’
They continued to talk while they ate, surrounded by the steady comings and going of other staff. Signy exchanged a few words with Pearl and Terri as they were passing through. There was a pleasant atmosphere in this place, she thought. The people here were friendly and dedicated to their jobs, with a strong sense of teamwork. Many small places didn’t attract the best people, or even those who were good, yet this place seemed to be very fortunate that it had Dan and Max on the medical staff, plus some very good registered nurses.
‘I’d better get back,’ Dan said, glancing at the clock. ‘I’ve got two other women in labour, and I’ve just done a Caesarean section. One of those days.’ He leaned forward. ‘Perhaps you’d come out for a drink with me one evening, Signy? I guess you’ve been to the pub here?’
‘Hank’s Emporium?’ She laughed. ‘I went in there once.’
‘Mmm.’ He smiled back. ‘It used to be a sort of trading post-cum-general store, that sold alcohol as well on the side. Now it’s legit.’
‘I’d like to,’ she said.
‘Right,’ he said, standing up. ‘I’ll keep you to that.’ With a quick squeeze of her shoulder, he left her.
That gesture, it seemed to her, was a slight acknowledgement that he was thinking of how he had held her in his arms and kissed her under the tree in a rainstorm. How odd life was, she mused, that you were sometimes thrown together with someone you essentially felt was alien to you, then against your will you found yourself seeing them in a totally different light. As she watched him move away from her, Signy had a sobering feeling that they would never go to Hank’s Emporium together. Most likely, he would be too busy.
Her afternoon was free so, like Connie, she would take advantage of the break to have a much-needed sleep in the tiny utilitarian room that had been assigned to her in the staff quarters.
Something woke Signy in the night. One moment she was fast asleep, not dreaming, then her eyelids sprang open and she found herself staring at the dark ceiling, totally alert.
The job she did had taught her to be ready for any emergency—to have a pair of appropriate shoes or boots near the bed, a set of suitable clothing on a chair within reach, with a coat or jacket, to have her vital papers in a small knapsack close to hand, so that if she had to flee or take action she could be out of a room in a very short time. Now she did a lightning mental inventory of exactly where everything was placed.
Chink, chink, chink, chink…A sharp, tinny sound came from inside the room. As she lay there, it took her only seconds to realize what was happening, and a sense of fear, coupled with something like wonder, caused a sudden surge of adrenalin through her body. She had often read that intense fear had a paralysing effect, the fear of imminent physical danger. In Africa she had experienced that. The few seconds of wakefulness seemed like long moments, suspended in time.
The sound came from bottles and other objects knocking together on the small, narrow table in the room that serv
ed as a dressing-table. At the same time, she had a sense that the bed was moving very slightly.
Quickly she leaned over to put on the bedside light, then swung out of bed and pulled on clothes and hiking boots. ‘Oh, God,’ she whispered. This must be an earth tremor, she concluded. If it had been an earthquake, there would be something more. Already the shaking had stopped, as far as she could tell. Grabbing her knapsack, she went into the passage. Doors were opening, other nurses emerging, some dressed, some in their night-clothes.
‘Was that an earth tremor?’ Signy asked one of the others, whom she hadn’t met before.
‘I think so,’ the other young woman said, looking scared. ‘Something woke me up, then the bed began to shake. It seems to be over now.’
‘What was that?’ Terri asked as she emerged, partially dressed, carrying her shoes.
‘A tremor, we think,’ Signy said.
‘We’d better get over to the rallying point, which is the lobby for us in this part of the hospital,’ the other nurse said. ‘That’s the emergency procedure. Even if it’s all over, we should still report there to be briefed.’
As she waited for Terri to finish dressing hastily, she considered the emergency protocol. As the four World Aid nurses weren’t part of the permanent staff, they would wait for instructions with regard to duties. This time there seemed to be a reprieve.
The four WAN nurses arrived in the main lobby to find quite a crowd of staff there, including Dan and Max, plus the night supervisor—a nurse—of the hospital.
‘You all OK?’ Dan asked the nurses, having pushed his way over to them.
‘We’re fine,’ Pearl answered. ‘Just as scared as hell.’
‘It seems to be over, although there are sometimes a few after-shocks,’ Dan said. ‘If they come, they should be pretty mild.’
‘Thank God for that,’ Terri said.
The supervisor stood up on a bench and started to speak, so the chatter of the crowd stopped. Dan moved to stand next to Signy. ‘You OK?’ He mouthed the words.