ALSO BY SORAYA M. LANE
The Spitfire Girls
Wives of War
Hearts of Resistance
Voyage of the Heart
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2019 by Soraya M. Lane
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by Lake Union Publishing, Seattle
www.apub.com
Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Lake Union Publishing are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.
ISBN-13: 9781542041904
ISBN-10: 1542041902
Cover design by Lisa Horton
Cover photography by Richard Jenkins Photography
So much has been written about the plight of men during the Pearl Harbor invasion, but little has been documented about the brave women who served there during the bombing.
This story is for every nurse stationed in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941—your bravery, dedication, and genuine courage must never be forgotten.
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
PART ONE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
PART TWO
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
EPILOGUE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PROLOGUE
DECEMBER 7, 1941
PEARL HARBOR
‘No!’ Grace’s scream cut through the air, echoing sharply against the drone of aircraft overhead.
‘Grace, stop!’ April called, her hand slipping from Grace’s wrist. ‘Grace!’
The planes were deafening, the roar so low and loud that when Grace looked up, she could see the pilot’s face, could see his smile before he unleashed a torrent of bullets raining down around them. They were under attack!
‘Grace!’ April called again.
But Grace ignored her, her eyes locked on Poppy, so close but so far away, bending down toward a cowering puppy. ‘Run!’ she screamed to her friend. ‘Poppy, run!’
Poppy stood still, her eyes filled with horror as she looked up at Grace, her mouth open as if she were about to call back.
Grace started to sprint, desperate to get to Poppy, to do something, anything, to save her. What was happening? Who was shooting at them? Why wouldn’t Poppy move?
Seconds felt like days as Poppy finally started to run, but then strong arms circled Grace from behind as her scream caught in her throat, holding her back, forcing her to stop.
‘Let me go!’ Grace yelled, gasping as people started to fall across the field, as the relentless drone continued, ammunition raining from the sky like a ferocious storm lashing the land. ‘We need to get to her!’
‘No.’ The word was whispered, but it was still a command. Teddy had hold of her, Teddy was dragging her back, and no matter how much she clawed at him or struggled, he wasn’t letting her go.
Grace could only watch in horror, screaming out to Poppy as one thought echoed over and over through her mind. Please let Poppy live.
PART ONE
CHAPTER ONE
PEARL HARBOR, NOVEMBER 1941
GRACE
‘You need to stop making eyes at Teddy,’ April whispered, nudging her hard in the side. ‘It’s embarrassing.’
Grace glared at her sister, pulling away from her and crossing her arms tightly over her chest as her cheeks started to burn. ‘I’m not making eyes at him!’ she hissed.
Teddy was her best friend’s sweetheart, and whatever she thought about him was never going to come to anything. Period. Besides, Teddy adored Poppy, and her friend adored him right back. It would break Poppy’s heart if she knew what Grace felt about her boyfriend.
‘I still can’t believe we’re here,’ April said with a smile, linking arms with her again despite Grace’s protest. ‘Is this paradise or what?’
Grace gave in and leaned against her, forgiving her sister in one big sigh as they strolled along the beach. April had her blonde hair loose over her shoulders, and it was soft against Grace’s cheek, her blue eyes so like their mother’s when she glanced down at her. ‘Definitely paradise,’ she agreed, shifting her gaze from her sister and staring out at the turquoise water, the tide gently washing in against the sand. It was her idea of heaven and so far removed from their life in Oregon, with nothing but sand and palm trees as far as the eye could see.
‘One of the other girls said that we’re in for some football injuries soon,’ April said. ‘Apparently the boys stationed here all love the start of football season.’
Grace nodded, watching as a horse and rider made their way closer, the girl’s feet bare, dark hair streaming out behind her as she rode along the waterline. Grace squinted and held up a hand to shield her eyes from the late-afternoon sun so she could keep watching her. If football injuries were the worst thing they were expecting, then she’d be just fine.
‘Do you think we can go horseback riding?’ Grace asked.
As a girl she’d always wanted to ride, and seeing the horse crossing the sand was bringing that childhood feeling straight back.
‘Wait up!’
Grace turned at Poppy’s call, her friend’s bright smile infectious as she ran and caught up to them. She looked back at Teddy, strolling away in the distance now, but he still raised his hand to wave at her. Grace quickly turned away, sighing as she watched Poppy blow kisses to him over her shoulder. Her friend’s dark hair was glossy under the bright sunlight, her red lips making her look even more striking than usual, and not for the first time she was a little in awe of how beautiful she was.
‘Is he heading back to base?’ April asked.
‘Yes. We’ll see him tonight at the party, though.’
Grace grabbed Poppy’s hand. ‘What party? I thought we had a curfew to keep us all in at night?’
‘Apparently there’s this big house by the beach, and we’re all invited!’ Poppy told them. ‘The people here love all the nurses and soldiers, so the social life is amazing! We’re going to have so much fun here.’
‘Definitely paradise,’ Grace repeated with a smile, shaking her head. ‘Didn’t I tell you both this would be the perfect place to be posted?’
The three of them walked, laughing, down the beach, in a row with their arms linked. She had no idea how they’d been fortunate enough to have all been sent to Hawaii, but here they were, and she was in heaven. They’d been thick as thieves since childhood, both claiming best-friend status with Poppy, who’d been like the third sister they’d never had. She’d always been the one to smooth things over between her and April, like the middle child stopping the oth
er two from arguing. And now they were all stationed in Pearl Harbor for the foreseeable future, with their gas masks the only hint that things weren’t expected to remain peaceful forever.
‘How many summer dresses did you pack?’ April asked Poppy.
‘As many as I could fit in my case!’ Poppy replied with a laugh. ‘Although the gas mask took up so much space. Honestly, as if we’re ever going to need it.’
They walked across the sand as the sun beat down on their bare arms, and Grace turned her face up to the sun. ‘What would we be doing if we were still at home?’
‘If we weren’t on duty and giving soldiers injections in their bottoms to stop them from getting yellow fever?’ April said.
‘Ohhh, stop!’ Grace moaned. ‘You know, I never knew men’s bottoms could look so . . .’
‘Hairy?’ Poppy teased.
‘Ugh.’ Grace flapped her hands and laughed. ‘There have definitely been more unattractive ones than I expected.’
They all burst out laughing, before Poppy took off running, shoes in her hand, head tipped back as she splashed through the water. Grace ran after her, leaving April behind as she ran as fast as she could, arms pumping to help her catch up to Poppy. Her toes dug into the sand as she caught her, grabbing hold of Poppy’s slender wrist as they both collapsed onto the warm sand.
‘How did this happen?’ Poppy asked. ‘How did we get so lucky?’
Grace stretched out, her blonde hair fanning out around her as she watched the clear bright-blue sky above. ‘No idea, but I’m so glad we did.’
‘Do you think we’ll ever see war? My grandfather said no one wants to see our boys sent off,’ Poppy said as they all lay, three in a row, arms outstretched. ‘He doesn’t think it’ll ever happen.’
‘Let’s just hope we get to stay here for at least a year,’ April said with a yawn. ‘This is the life. Nothing’s going to happen to us here—it’s the safest place in the world for us to be.’
Grace couldn’t imagine war ever coming to Hawaii; from the moment they’d stepped off the boat, it had seemed impossible for anything terrible to ever happen on the picturesque island of Oahu. Until now, home was all she’d known, but this? This was something else.
‘Daddy told me that America was pretending the world wasn’t at war but that they couldn’t stay out of it for much longer,’ Grace said, remembering what their father had said the night before they’d shipped out. But when April turned, clearly poised to contradict her, she wished she’d lied and pretended she’d thought it all on her own.
‘There’s no reason for us to join the war—not yet—whatever Daddy says,’ April said, her voice full of authority, as always. ‘Besides, we’re definitely safe as a church here. I heard it’s far too shallow for an aerial torpedo attack, and there’s too much fighting in Europe for them to ever bother with this little island.’
‘How about we just have fun,’ Poppy said, rolling her eyes as if they’d already bored her to tears. ‘We can let our leaders in Washington take care of the threat of war while we’re here sunning ourselves and enjoying the beach. And how on earth do you know about aerial torpedo attacks anyway?’
‘Hello, ladies,’ said a deep male voice, distracting them all.
Grace tipped back, hand raised to block out the sun, and quickly tugged down her skirt with the other hand when she locked eyes with not one but two navy boys in their starched white uniforms. They looked good, but she still preferred the green uniform with golden wings pinned to the lapel that Teddy and the other flyboys wore.
She rolled over and pushed up to her knees before standing, giving April and then Poppy a hand up. ‘Hello, Officers,’ she said, smiling at the handsome young men.
‘When did you lovely ladies arrive?’ one of the men asked.
‘Just today,’ April said at the same time as Grace opened her mouth to speak. April was always doing that, speaking for her, and it wasn’t the first time Grace had to bite her tongue to stop from arguing with her big sister. April was only eighteen months older, but sometimes she made it feel like years. ‘Our ship docked this morning.’
Grace fingered the flower lei around her neck as she studied the men, wondering if they tried the friendly welcome routine on every new nurse they met.
‘Have y’all been invited to the party tonight?’
‘Yes,’ she said, before April could answer for them. ‘Will we see you there?’
The men nudged each other and smiled. ‘You sure will.’
Poppy had lost interest and was taking her sunglasses from her bag, the big white-framed fashion statements pushed high on her nose. Grace waved goodbye at the same time as her sister and turned back to face the water.
‘Shall we head back to the hospital, then go explore the island and meet up with the other nurses later?’ Grace asked.
‘Yes. Then we can all get dinner together before we head out,’ April said.
Poppy nodded her agreement, and they all started walking, watching as some aircraft performed training drills in the near distance, darting back and forth. The planes didn’t seem real with the towering palm trees as a backdrop, their skinny trunks extending so high in the air, but then nothing about being posted to a tropical island seemed real. When she looked one way, it was sand and water; the other, it was trees and lush green grass, as picture perfect as possible.
‘I hope we actually get to save some lives here,’ April said.
Grace fought the urge to roll her eyes again. Save lives? She was far more comfortable doing some light nursing duties, meeting handsome officers, and kicking her heels up like a newborn foal every night. April might have grander ambitions, but then her sister’s stomach was a lot stronger than hers.
‘Anyone up for a swim?’ Poppy asked, her perfectly painted eyebrows raised in question.
‘You’re insane,’ April said, hauling Poppy along to stop her from leaping into the water. ‘Absolutely not!’
‘Tomorrow,’ Grace whispered in Poppy’s ear. ‘We’ll leave Miss Prim and Proper behind, and we could ask one of the boys to teach us how to surf!’
She held tight to Poppy’s hand as they made their way back toward Tripler General Hospital to get their shift schedules and find out exactly how many hours a day they’d have to make the most of Hawaii. The other nurses would be milling about, and she couldn’t wait to see if they were all going to the party, not to mention what their barracks were like and where they’d actually be living for the next year or two. It was going to be the best time of their lives—she just knew it. And maybe she’d finally be able to step out of her big sister’s shadow.
‘Let’s go, ladies!’ Poppy announced, swinging around the room, her pretty skirt flaring out around her. Her hair was pinned up high on her head, her full lips painted red again, cheeks rouged just enough to enhance her high cheekbones.
Grace finished sweeping pink lipstick across her lips, smacking them together as she snapped her compact shut and hoping she looked even half as good as her friend. The little mirror had been almost impossible to do her makeup in, but she was finally done. She touched her hair, the blonde curls just skimming her shoulders, and picked up her purse.
‘Ready,’ she announced, trading grins with Poppy. There were other nurses busy chatting and getting ready, too, and across the room April was zipping up her dress, her arms twisted at odd angles as she struggled.
Grace crossed over to help, tugging the zipper to the top and gently putting her sister’s hair back over her shoulder so it could fall down her back. They were both blonde, almost the same shade as their mother had been, but April’s hair was long and wavy, so much easier to curl than Grace’s and so impossibly thick. But she knew that to anyone else they looked very much like sisters, their eyes the same deep blue, although April was taller than her and not quite as petite.
‘Thank you,’ April said as she turned. ‘Excited?’
Grace nudged shoulders with her sister. ‘Ridiculously!’ She’d never lived anywhere but home
before, and now here they were, miles from Oregon and about to have the time of their lives. She still felt guilty that they’d left their father behind and worried how he’d be coping on his own, even though he’d happily pushed them out the door and told them to enjoy themselves.
‘We might not be so enthusiastic when we have our first shift tomorrow,’ April cautioned.
‘I’ve heard it’s a cakewalk. It’s just cuts and little injuries, nothing difficult,’ Poppy said, collecting both their hands as she came between them and dragged them with her toward the door. ‘Now come on—Teddy said he’d pick us up in a car to save us walking!’
Grace swallowed away a shiver of nerves, wishing Teddy weren’t stationed at the exact same place as they were. He’d been away for months now, and she knew Poppy was insanely excited about being with her man again, but still. It would have been easier without having to see him at every turn so she wouldn’t have to worry that someone might figure out how she felt about him. She’d tried to tell herself it was just a crush, but seeing him again made her wonder if she’d ever get over her infatuation with him.
‘Teddy!’ Poppy called as they stepped out of their quarters, a handful of cars all lined up and waiting nearby.
And there he was. Teddy was leaning against the car, a cigarette dangling from his lips, wearing his olive-green uniform, long legs crossed at the ankles like there was nothing else in the world he had to do but wait for them. His dark-brown hair was pushed off his face and to the side with Brylcreem, making him look even more handsome than usual, especially with his tanned Hawaii skin. He looked up then, his eyes crinkling as he smiled, dropping his cigarette and then crushing it beneath his boot. Poppy leaped down the steps to him, running until her body collided with his, her arms circling his neck as he bent to kiss her. Grace and April stood, side by side, the space where Poppy had been the only thing separating them. They swapped glances before erupting into embarrassed laughter.
‘I think they need some privacy,’ April muttered. ‘I’m blushing just watching them.’
‘Come on, ladies,’ Teddy called out, one arm still tucking Poppy to his side as he opened the car door for them.
The Girls of Pearl Harbor Page 1