Coming Home to Liverpool

by Kate Eastham

  Alice and Eddy both cracked up laughing.

  ‘Maud, you’re so prim. But you’re right. Yes, the men on Male Surgical are male,’ snorted Eddy.

  ‘Uh oh,’ said Alice, stopping dead in her tracks and turning towards them, her eyes wide. ‘That’s Miss Fairchild’s private nurse, Nurse Ashworth, across the road. Is she looking this way?’

  ‘What? Who?’ called Eddy.

  ‘Shush, Eddy. Stop gawping,’ hissed Alice, grabbing her arm and trying to lead her on. ‘We don’t want her prying, asking questions about me and Maud and our living arrangements.’

  ‘Too late,’ said Maud, quietly. ‘She’s coming over.’

  ‘Yoo hoo,’ called Nurse Ashworth as she trotted across the road. ‘Good evening, Nurse Linklater, Nurse Sampson. How lovely to see you both again. Oh,’ she said, narrowing her eyes as she glanced from one to the other, ‘I didn’t know you were working on the district. I thought you both worked at the hospital.’

  ‘We do …’

  ‘We don’t …’ said Maud and Alice at the same time.

  ‘We do,’ said Maud firmly, proffering a polite smile. ‘We’ve just been … helping out for one day, that’s all. And this is our friend, Nurse Pacey.’

  ‘And have you been helping out for one day, also?’ asked Nurse Ashworth.

  ‘Oh … er … no. I work full-time on the district. I had a rush of new cases, some crew off a ship, all at once. So I needed help.’

  ‘I see,’ smiled Nurse Ashworth, swallowing the story but clearly not altogether convinced. ‘Well, I’ve just been to see my ex-private patient. The lady I told you about, Maud. Mrs Davenport, poor lamb. Her condition certainly doesn’t get any better. I was hoping to catch up with our mutual friend, Nancy. But sadly, the housekeeper told me that she has very recently left her position. Have any of you seen her?’

  ‘Oh no,’ blustered Alice.

  ‘Definitely not. No, not for ages,’ said Eddy.

  Maud knew straight away that they were lying. And as they all stood together in an awkward group, she couldn’t help but feel like her two friends had taken a step away from her and left her in the cold. She had to believe that they had her best interests at heart, but in that moment of isolation she felt sad and alone. She knew that they were probably covering something up to protect her. But she also knew for sure, as Nurse Ashworth bade them goodbye and crossed back over the street, that whatever it was would probably not stay hidden for ever. The truth had a way of coming out, eventually.

  8

  ‘Hospitals are not tea-gardens … Great quiet and some severity of discipline are necessary, and ought to be exacted.’

  Florence Nightingale

  The next day, Female Surgical looked busy as soon as Maud and Alice walked through the door. All the beds were occupied, and Maud could hear a number of women groaning in pain and one calling for a nurse. Thankfully, they had a nurse assistant on hand to see to the immediate needs of the patients whilst the trained staff and probationers gathered at the top of the ward to receive their orders.

  As Sister Pritchard gave her report on the patients and assigned duties, Maud couldn’t help but notice, yet again, the difference in the two probationers. Nurse Devlin, with her eyes wide, listening intently; whereas Nurse Latimer seemed indifferent, her dark eyes shining, but not with interest, with something else that Maud could almost sense lurking beneath her outward appearance.

  ‘Nurse Devlin, you work at the top of the ward with Nurse Sampson, will you? And Nurse Latimer the other end, please, with Nurse Linklater. Now, let’s get moving, Nurses. We’re busy, busy.’

  ‘Nurse Latimer,’ called Maud, seeing her moving off down the ward, ‘just a moment. Let’s make our plan of work.’

  Maud watched as Nurse Latimer walked back in her direction – not too slow, to evince comment, but just slow enough to cause irritation. Mmmm, thought Maud, we’ll see about this. I’ll get you moving.

  ‘We’ll work together to get the more poorly patients sorted first, and then we’ll split up to do our separate duties.’

  Nurse Latimer stared at her, offering no sign that she’d even heard what was being said.

  ‘Nurse Latimer?’ Maud said, raising her voice a notch. ‘Do you understand?’

  She nodded.

  ‘I want you to say “Yes, Nurse Linklater”,’ said Maud, never before having felt it necessary to speak to a more junior member of staff in such a fashion.

  ‘Yes, Nurse Linklater,’ the probationer replied, her voice flat.

  Maud knew that the worst thing she could do, at this stage, was show irritation, so she smiled at the probationer. But when she spoke again she made it absolutely clear what her expectations were for the course of their work that morning.

  ‘So, we’ll start with Mrs Rattigan in bed six – she will need a blanket bath and a change of position, and then we’ll need to re-dress her wound and check her temperature. I want you to go now to collect what we need whilst I check on Miss Cassidy and Mrs Williams.’

  As Maud watched Nurse Latimer walk up the ward, she felt like running along behind her with a stick. The girl was infuriating.

  Thankfully, Sue was sleeping peacefully, propped up in bed, and Sister Pritchard had reported that the night staff were pleased with her progress. All set for taking down the dressing in a few days’ time, thought Maud, feeling a prickle of anxiety as she pictured what lay beneath the innocent white bandage.

  Maud glanced to the next bed, to see Dolores Williams lying flat on her back with her eyes wide open. Something about the way she was staring at the ceiling made Maud approach her.

  ‘Are you all right, Mrs Williams?’

  ‘Not really,’ Dolores replied, big tears starting to leak from her eyes and run down both sides of her face.

  ‘Have you got more pain?’

  Dolores moved her head from side to side.

  ‘Are you worrying?’

  Dolores nodded, pressing her mouth into a firm line and taking a deep breath through her nose. And then she started to cry even more.

  Maud crouched down by the side of the bed. ‘Whatever is the matter, Mrs Williams?’

  ‘It’s just that, well, I know Jim is very excited about the baby and everything. But honestly, Nurse,’ she said, turning her face in Maud’s direction, ‘the thought of a baby, growing inside and coming out … through there,’ she said, nodding in the direction of her abdomen, ‘it terrifies the living daylights out of me.’

  ‘Oh, Mrs Williams,’ said Maud, taking her hand.

  ‘Well, for a start,’ sniffed Dolores, ‘I’ve never had anybody to ask about these things. Me mother died when I was a baby, and I grew up with two brothers, so there’s things I should know … but I haven’t a clue.’

  ‘What kind of things, Dolores? You can ask me anything.’

  ‘Well, I don’t even know properly what happens when, you know, when it starts to come.’

  ‘You mean when the baby starts to be born?’

  Dolores nodded, and then she whispered, ‘I don’t even know properly where the baby comes out of. Will it come out of my belly button?’

  ‘No, it will not,’ said Maud quietly. She saw the look of relief on her patient’s face. ‘Babies come out through the same part of your anatomy where they’re made,’ smiled Maud. ‘Through a passage called the vagina.’

  ‘That’s a fancy word, va—What?’

  ‘Vagina,’ repeated Maud.

  ‘Right,’ said Dolores, reaching down to feel her belly through the sheet. ‘And I know Sister could feel something – that’s why she thinks I’m pregnant – but when will I be able to see it properly, like a bump.’

  ‘You can only just about feel the top of your womb at your stage of pregnancy, but as the baby grows it will move further and further up until it’s right up under your ribs. And that’s when you’ll be able to feel the shape of it in your belly and feel it properly kicking you.’

  ‘Oh, Nurse, you know so much …’

&nbs
p; ‘Not really, just the basics of midwifery,’ said Maud. ‘But I’ll come back later, and you can ask me as many questions as you want,’ she said, glancing up to see Nurse Latimer waiting by Mrs Rattigan’s bed.

  ‘Thank you, Nurse,’ said Dolores. ‘Wait till I tell my Jim about this vagina thing!’

  Maud directed Nurse Latimer as patiently as she could during the blanket bath, and then she talked her through the dressing and, finally, she demonstrated how to take their patient’s temperature with the mercury thermometer. Throughout it all, Nurse Latimer barely spoke. It frustrated Maud; she didn’t want a chatterbox of a probationer but, by the end of a morning cajoling and directing an almost silent Nurse Latimer, she wasn’t so sure.

  ‘What do you make of our Nurse Latimer?’ murmured Sister Pritchard, appearing by Maud’s side as the probationer removed the mercury thermometer from the wooden box at the bedside of their final case and slipped it under the patient’s arm, without a word.

  ‘I’m not sure,’ frowned Maud. ‘I think we need to give her more time, certainly. But we need to keep a careful eye on her.’

  ‘I agree entirely,’ nodded Sister Pritchard. ‘Now, I just need to nip up to see Miss Houston in her office for ten minutes. Can I leave the ward in your capable hands?’

  ‘Yes, of course, Sister,’ said Maud, feeling a small glow of pleasure. And as she looked around the ward she realized, despite the morning she’d had with Nurse Latimer, why she loved the work on this particular ward so much. Some of the women were chatting from one bed to another, Nurse Devlin was helping a patient out of bed at the top of the ward, and a cheery assistant nurse was singing a song to an elderly patient who was cackling with laughter. Just in that moment, as she glanced back to Nurse Latimer, she even saw her say a few words to the patient. Maud was pleased; it seemed that they had done a good job caring for their patients, and the ward was happy.

  She was still smiling to herself when she saw a familiar figure, with a lace cap tied tightly beneath her ample chin, stalking down the ward towards her, glancing from side to side with her eyes narrowed as she went.

  ‘Uh oh, Sister Law,’ murmured Maud, bracing herself as she saw the woman scowl in her direction. She felt like a target as Sister homed in towards her, planting her feet squarely and puffing out her chest.

  ‘Nurse Linklater,’ she said, ‘good to see you back in the fold. I was just wondering if you have any idea where Sister Pritchard might be?’

  ‘Ah, she’s gone up to see Miss Houston, I’m afraid. She said that she’ll only be ten minutes.’

  Sister Law pulled her shoulders up to her ears and puffed out her chest even further. ‘Ten minutes is far too long,’ she said. ‘Tell her to come and find me on Male Surgical when she returns. In the meantime, Nurse Linklater,’ she said, casting her eyes up and down the ward, ‘I’m assuming that you have been left in charge of this …’ She didn’t seem able to find the right word but gestured with her hand to the whole of the ward, including the array of flowers in vases crowded on to a long table.

  ‘Yes, Sister,’ said Maud, steeling herself.

  ‘Well, Nurse Linklater, I realize that you are fresh off the boat from New York, and over there they will have different methods … but can I just remind you that a ward should not be run like some tea-garden. Nurses singing, patients chatting, it’s chaos.’

  As if on cue, the elderly patient singing with the nurse cackled very loudly once again.

  ‘You need to do something about this, right away, Nurse Linklater, right away. Remember what Miss Nightingale has said about quiet and order and discipline.’

  ‘Yes, Sister,’ replied Maud, straightening her back and almost standing to attention in an effort to impress Sister Law sufficiently for her to leave the ward.

  ‘I’ll expect to have you back in theatre on Male Surgical very soon, Nurse Linklater. Then you can leave this … tea-garden … behind.’

  ‘Yes, Sister,’ said Maud, relieved to see Sister Law turning on her heel at last and marching back down the ward.

  Maud held her breath until she could see that Sister was safely out through the ward door.

  ‘Alice, where have you been?’ gasped Maud, as her friend appeared at her elbow.

  ‘Hiding in the sluice, of course,’ she replied. ‘I opened the door to come out, saw her and went straight back inside to do a bit of tidying and cleaning until the coast was clear. What did she want?’

  ‘Well, she was looking for Sister Pritchard, but she took the opportunity to remind me that a ward should not be run like a tea-garden!’

  ‘Ha,’ laughed Alice. And then Maud started giggling, holding on to Alice’s arm until they could both get a hold of themselves.

  Maud and Alice were still laughing about tea-gardens late into the afternoon when, unexpectedly, they were summoned up the ward by Sister Pritchard.

  ‘Thank you so much for all of your good work this morning, Nurses. Given that we seem to be fairly straight, I wonder if one of you would like to take your afternoon off today? It’s just that tomorrow the probationers will be attending one of their lectures, and who knows what we might have through the doors! What do you think?’

  ‘I’ve only just got back,’ said Maud straight away. ‘You take some time off, Alice.’

  Alice was already shaking her head.

  ‘Look, Maud, even before your official first day you were dealing with casualties in the street, and you’ve barely had time to breathe since you got back. You can go and see Alfred or Miss Fairchild.’

  ‘Yes, I suppose … but what if you get busy again this afternoon and—’

  ‘No ands or ifs or buts, Nurse Linklater, take the half day. You won’t be getting any more time off this week, so make the most of it,’ ordered Sister Pritchard.

  Alice was nodding.

  ‘Well, if you’re sure.’

  ‘We’re sure,’ said Sister.

  ‘Go on, off you go,’ urged Alice.

  Maud knew she’d have just enough time to nip over to the Blue Coat School and catch Alfred towards the end of afternoon visiting hours, and then she could make her way to see Miss Fairchild. It would be a rush to do both. But who knew when her next half day off would be? She changed quickly into her cape and hat, running down the steps of the Nurses’ Home and then out towards Brownlow Hill. As always, when she passed the stretch of road where Sue’s accident had occurred, she felt her stomach tighten and she said a silent prayer for the little boy. Then she was running, dodging around pedestrians, almost colliding with a street seller who waved an apple in her direction.

  Out of breath, she saw the octagonal tower of the parish church and knew she was almost there and, thankfully, as she approached she could hear children’s voices and the murmur of conversation in the walled courtyard where visiting took place. She saw him straight away, sat on a bench with the other boys who had no visitors. He was reading a book and the sheer concentration on his face almost brought tears to her eyes, she was so proud of him. She approached him quietly, smiling to herself, hoping that he would lift his head so that she could see the spark in his bright eyes when he saw her there unexpectedly. But he was too absorbed in the book, even though she stood there for a few moments.

  ‘Alfred,’ she said gently, at last.

  ‘Maud,’ he cried, grinning from ear to ear and jumping up from his seat to give her a hug, still with the book in his hand.

  ‘Oh, Alfred,’ she murmured, holding him close and breathing in the scent of him. ‘I’m sorry I’ve not been able to come sooner, but this is the first half day I’ve had off.’

  ‘That’s all right, Maud. I told you it is.’ His voice was muffled against her as she continued to hold on to him.

  At last she was able to release him. She reached out a gentle hand to straighten his hair, before taking his hand and leading him to the bench. ‘What are you reading? Is it a Jane Austen?’ she said, still smiling, and needing to put an arm around him and pull him close to her side.

  �
��No Jane Austens here, I’m afraid. It’s a book of mathematics.’

  ‘Oh,’ said Maud, ‘is it a set text, one you have to read?’

  ‘Oh no, I asked the master for it. I’ve gone through all the others we have in class. He gave me this one from his own collection.’

  ‘Really?’ smiled Maud. ‘Are you enjoying it?’

  ‘Yes,’ giggled Alfred. ‘I know it sounds strange, because most of the other pupils hate the maths lessons, and the master is very severe. Some of the boys spend most of the lesson standing in the corner of the classroom. And I never say anything to the rest, but I find it easy and I always want to learn more and more.’

  ‘Oh, Alfred,’ sighed Maud, savouring the last few moments with him as she saw the man in uniform walk towards the bell that signalled the end of visiting. ‘You are so clever, but that’s not …’

  And as the bell clanged loudly, Maud told him that she loved him for being who he was – kind and true and the best adopted son that anyone could ever have.

  Leaving the Blue Coat School with a smile, Maud made her way in a more leisurely fashion towards the big house and Miss Fairchild, taking time to stop by the street seller’s fruit stall to buy two oranges. Something fresh, something colourful, she thought to herself, as she walked the familiar route.

  Cook reported, as soon as Maud was through the back door, that she was still very worried about Miss Fairchild. ‘Since that day you and Alfred came, I’ve not really seen her smile much. I go in there as often as I can, but she always seems to be irritated with me somehow. Then again, she’s always been irritated with me … See what you make of her but I’m sorry to say, Maud, I think she might be starting to go downhill.’

  Maud stood waiting after she’d tapped on Miss Fairchild’s door, but there was no reply. She could hear muffled voices from the direction of the stairs that led up to the rooms used by members of the family. It sounded like some housemaid chattering with one of the footmen. She needs to be getting on with her work, thought Maud, as she knocked again, more firmly this time. Still no reply. So she went straight in.