Poppy bit her tongue, not sure how much to say. She didn’t want to annoy Grace, but sometimes she wanted to shake her and tell her to be a little more grateful. ‘You know I love to tease her, but Grace, sometimes she has to be your mother, and other times you wonder why she can’t be reckless. She’s single-handedly run your house for years, and yet you treat her like she’s a total pain in the backside.’
She regretted the words the second they left her mouth, seeing the change in Grace’s face as her jaw fell open and she stared back at her. ‘Why don’t you tell me what you really think,’ Grace muttered. ‘And she is a total pain in the backside, for your information.’
Poppy didn’t answer; she just slung her arm around her friend’s neck and gave her a squeeze. ‘Sorry—it’s just hard for me being in the middle sometimes. You know I love both of you, right?’
Grace stayed quiet as they went into the kitchen to see how the food was coming along, but Poppy knew she’d probably hurt her feelings. Sometimes she needed to know when to keep her big mouth shut.
‘Dinner’s almost ready!’ the cook called, wiping sweat from her brow with the back of her arm. ‘Can one of you girls figure out how to get the fan working again?’
Poppy went over and fiddled with it, flicking the switches and checking it was plugged in properly, but she didn’t have any luck. It was stifling in the kitchen, making the humidity in the ward seem like nothing. She flicked it on and off a couple more times, but nothing happened, so she went over and fought with the window for a few seconds to at least let some fresh air in.
‘Thanks, doll.’
She laughed. ‘No problem, Cookie.’
Poppy went back out and started to fill the glasses of water up beside the patients’ beds, saying hello and taking time to smile and pat the hand of each man. She didn’t mind nursing—it was nice knowing she was helping, and she was good at making small talk with everyone on the ward.
‘It’s his fault!’ came a yell.
‘I’ll knock him out for good this time!’ came another voice, equally as loud and menacing as the first.
What was going on?
‘Help over here, please!’ someone else called.
She set down the water jug and hurried over to the entrance into their hospital, finding the corpsmen carrying two men on stretchers. It was obvious they were trying to keep them as far apart as possible, and the yelling continued as she waited for her orders.
‘Football injuries?’ she asked.
April appeared by her side then, and they exchanged glances as one of the men tried to launch out of his stretcher, blood streaming from his nose.
‘These two idiots were spectators, but they’ve done a number on each other, and they’re still going for it,’ the driver said. ‘We had to restrain one of them in the ambulance.’
Poppy fought the urge to roll her eyes at the injured men, and April took the lead, marching straight over to them. She looked on, not surprised in the least that her friend had stepped into her role so comfortably. She couldn’t imagine April doing anything else; she was such a natural at looking after people, and she seemed to thrive on healing injuries and learning about medicine.
‘You two want to come into our ward, then button those mouths,’ April said, her voice loud and no-nonsense. ‘We don’t tolerate fighting, and if I have even a hint of that type of behavior in here, then you’ll be out there tending to your own injuries. Do I make myself clear?’
There was mumbling from the stretchers, but both men quieted down after their little talking-to.
‘Where did you learn to take command like that?’ Poppy whispered as she approached one of the stretchers. ‘You could have been an army general instead of a nurse!’
April raised her eyebrows, grinning at the compliment, and Poppy was about to introduce herself to her patient when her gaze landed on a familiar pair of dark-brown eyes.
‘Teddy?’ she gasped. ‘Teddy!’
He groaned and covered his face.
‘Theodore Banks, what on earth are you doing fighting on the sidelines at a football game!’ she demanded.
‘Teddy?’ April echoed beside her. ‘It’s Teddy?’
‘Can you take me to another hospital?’ he begged the driver. ‘Please, anywhere but here!’
‘You’re not going anywhere,’ Poppy muttered. ‘Take him through. And don’t even think of getting all hot under the collar in our ward.’
She marched after them, trading glances with April as she passed her. When he was in a bed, she glared at him and sat beside him, studying his face. ‘You’re going to have a black eye, you fool. You’ll be lucky if it doesn’t close over completely by morning.’
He groaned. ‘You wouldn’t understand.’
‘How men can get so worked up over a game that they attack one another?’ she asked, reaching for antiseptic cream and dabbing some on a cloth. ‘Because you’d be right about that—I don’t understand at all.’
‘It was a bit more personal than that,’ he said.
She hesitated, her hand hovering over his eye, before pressing the cloth gently to his skin. ‘Personal like what?’ she asked.
‘Well, it started over the game. We disagreed about a call the referee made,’ Teddy said, wincing as she pressed harder, ‘and then that idiot over there claimed he’d have you in his bed by the end of the month.’
Poppy dropped the cloth, her cheeks burning. ‘Why would he say that?’
Teddy’s fingers danced against her wrist, and she swallowed, embarrassed as he stared into her eyes. ‘He was just trying to get under my skin. You’re one of the prettiest girls on the island, and the guys are always hassling me. But no one’s stealing my girl from me, Pops. No one.’
She didn’t move, unable to resist when he rose up on one elbow and cupped the back of her head. She should have pulled back, but instead she dipped lower and let him press his lips to hers, sighing into his mouth and wishing she had more willpower.
‘You’re a big idiot, Teddy, but I’m not taking up with any other man.’
He laughed and sat up, looking over at the other bed and making a face at the other guy.
‘Teddy! You just did that so he’d see, didn’t you?’
He gave her an innocent puppy-dog face, and she swatted at him, pushing him back down.
‘Honestly!’ She dabbed more antiseptic onto the cloth and pressed it hard to the skin beside his eye this time, taking pleasure in the short gasp that hissed from his lips. How dare he lure her in all sweet as pie, for the benefit of someone watching on! ‘You deserve a black eye, Teddy; in fact you’re lucky I haven’t given you another one. Now let me look at the rest of you. What hurts?’
He held up his right hand, and she started to dab cream into the raw bits on his knuckles, wondering why he was brought in on a stretcher if he just had some superficial wounds to his upper body. But just as she was about to ask him, he bent and lifted his pant leg up, and she realized he was only wearing one boot.
‘What happened here?’ she asked. But as the words came out, she saw the beginnings of an angry purple bruise spreading around his ankle.
‘I was winning the fight until the dirty bastard tripped me up. I went over pretty heavy on it.’
Poppy slapped at him again, this time for swearing, but she touched his ankle carefully, sitting beside the bed and inspecting every inch of his lower leg and foot as well.
‘You’d better hope this is just a bad sprain,’ she said. ‘You’re a fool, Teddy. Honestly, I have no idea what I see in you sometimes.’
But as his hands brushed her shoulder and stroked down her hair, she remembered exactly why she loved him so much. The man might be a rogue, but he was one hell of a sweet-talker, and the second his fingertips touched her skin, she melted. Always had, always would.
‘I love you, baby,’ he whispered.
She stood and folded her arms, trying to look cross with him. ‘I love you too,’ she whispered, before shaking her head and setting of
f to find the doctor. The last thing he needed was a broken or fractured ankle. She glanced at Don as she walked down the row of beds, waving to him as she passed.
The only bonus of having Teddy in her ward was that he’d be able to join them for poker night, and she loved the idea of snuggling up beside him and letting her man teach her how to bluff and deal cards with the boys.
The next day, Poppy finished her shift and darted into the restroom to check her face, quickly powdering her nose and dabbing on some blush. She carefully applied her lipstick and patted her hair down, wishing she’d had time to go back to her quarters. Teddy was being released, and he had until nightfall to make it back to his base, which meant that for the next two hours, she had him all to herself.
She rushed back out to the ward, looking around but not seeing him. The bed he’d occupied was already made up with fresh sheets, and she couldn’t see him standing waiting anywhere.
‘Looking for lover boy?’ April asked, touching her arm as she passed.
‘Maybe.’
‘He’s just coming out of the kitchen,’ her friend said, gesturing over her shoulder. ‘I think he’s trying to make it up to you.’
Poppy grinned. What on earth was that man of hers up to, and in the kitchen of all places? She hurried over to find him, waving at Don as she passed. He gave her a wink, and she gave him one right back, both keeping a secret about the fun poker night the evening before. He was one hell of a laugh, and she’d noticed him looking at Grace every time he’d dealt a hand. She made a mental note to try to set them up, smiling to herself as she imagined what a cute couple they’d make. A boyfriend was just what Grace needed to give her a confidence boost.
‘There’s my beautiful girl.’
Poppy stopped in her tracks, eyeing the bag Teddy was carrying and trying not to giggle at his bare feet. His ankle was bandaged for the sprain, and he was using a single crutch, but his grin was as broad as the sun, and he couldn’t have been more handsome if he’d tried.
‘What’s in there?’ she asked, planting her hands on her hips and trying to look cross with him. She’d well intended on staying mad with him for days, but every time he smiled at her, she seemed to melt.
‘A picnic,’ he said, as if it were the most logical thing in the world, to be walking out of a hospital kitchen with a picnic lunch in hand. ‘It’s my way of saying sorry.’
She shook her head, every last inch of resistance disappearing as she closed the distance between them and scooped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his.
‘You might be a fool,’ she whispered against his mouth. ‘But you’re my fool.’
It took half an hour for them to reach the beach, going slowly for Teddy, and she talked nonstop about their illicit card game the night before and peppered him with questions about the football game he’d been watching and what the other guys were like at his barracks. When they were finally there, she took off her shoes, rolled up her socks, and pushed them into her shoes. The sand was heavenly between her toes, soft and warm, and she lifted her face to the sky, loving the warmth, almost accustomed to the tropical weather on the island now.
‘Thank God for the beach. I never thought you were going to stop talking.’
Poppy laughed, punching him in the arm and stealing the bag of food from him, which he’d insisted on carrying the entire way.
‘Give me that; I’m starving,’ she said, avoiding him when he leaned in and tried to steal a kiss.
‘I could be sent off to war any day, Pops. Don’t deny me a kiss.’ He blinked at her, and she rolled her eyes, sitting down on the sand and looking in the bag.
‘Don’t give me that,’ she said. ‘There’s no way we’re joining this war. We’ll be here for months and months, having the time of our lives, and then the war will be over, and we’ll go back to our normal boring ones.’
She was surprised by the serious look on his face as he reached for her hand. ‘Make no mistake: America will join this war, Poppy. There’s no way we can stay out of it forever; it’s only a matter of time.’
‘But the other night, in the car on the way to the party, you said . . .’
He frowned. ‘I know what I said—I didn’t want to worry you all—but there’s more going on. I have a feeling that we’re going to be wading into the conflict faster than we think.’
She bit her tongue, wanting to tell him that she wasn’t going to start worrying just because he had a feeling, but not wanting to ruin their afternoon.
‘Poppy, some of the guys have been talking about how many of us might not make it if we end up in the thick of it.’
‘Teddy, stop!’ She didn’t want to be having this kind of conversation with him.
‘No, listen to me, Poppy. I just want you to know that if something did happen to me, if I didn’t come back, I’d want you to be happy. I couldn’t stand the thought of you wasting years mourning for me when you could meet someone else and have a wonderful life.’
She bit her lip, trying not to cry. ‘Teddy, please,’ she whispered.
‘I won’t say it again, but I just want you to know. Okay?’
‘Okay,’ she repeated, clearing her throat. ‘But come on—let’s not waste time talking about the war. What did the cook rustle up for you?’
Teddy’s devilish grin was firmly back in place as he reached into the bag and pulled out sandwiches, boiled eggs, and even a couple of slices of cheese.
‘She seems to like you,’ he said, passing her a sandwich. ‘The moment I told her who I was taking out for a late lunch, she gave me a wink and set to work.’
Poppy smiled to herself. Giving Cookie the time of day instead of ignoring her like half the other nurses did had certainly paid off.
‘Come here,’ Teddy said, moving the bag out of the way and opening his arm up so Poppy could scoot over and snuggle up to him.
She sat there, her stomach rumbling as she devoured the sandwich and then happily reached for the cheese, tucked against her man and staring out at the water. Watching the ocean twinkle had become addictive, her favorite thing to do whenever she wasn’t working. Her gaze soon landed on a ship anchored not too far out, and she wondered if that was where Eva was stationed.
‘What are you thinking about?’ Teddy asked, his lips brushing against her hair.
‘Another nurse we met,’ she said. ‘She’s a lot of fun, and she’s stationed out there on the Solace.’
His fingers curled around her shoulder, and she pressed herself even closer to him.
‘They’ve got it good out there,’ he said. ‘Some of the navy boys have said the nurses have nothing to do, and they often sunbathe on deck with a whole lot of leg on show!’
She pulled back and gave him what she hoped was a withering look. ‘They’ve been spying on them?’
‘It’s hardly spying if they’re doing it in full view, is it?’
Poppy sighed. ‘Honestly, you boys are terrible. And those girls aren’t sitting around with nothing to do, I’ll have you know. Eva said she’s been assigned to the ENT ward—that’s ear, nose, and throat, Teddy—and she’s often having to attend to things in there.’
‘Well, don’t you sound like a real little nurse now,’ he teased, grinning at her.
‘I’ll have you know that I am a real nurse, Theodore.’
‘Well then, Nurse, can you tend to me? I seem to have something hurting my lips. I think you need to investigate.’
She giggled and decided to play along, pretending to be worried and gasping. ‘Oh, sugar, what could that be? Let me see; does this hurt?’ she asked, gently pressing her lips to his.
He kissed her back, his mouth barely moving. ‘I don’t think you have the right spot. Can you try again?’
She moved to her knees and sat in front of him, leaning closer as his hands found her back, stroking down the length of it as she kissed him again. ‘This?’ she asked.
Teddy chuckled. ‘Maybe I need to try them out myself,’ he muttered, trailing kisses down h
er neck and making her heart beat so fast she was certain he’d hear it pounding.
‘Mmmm,’ she murmured. ‘I think you should keep doing that. Nurse’s orders.’
Teddy’s kisses were heavenly, every touch making her want him all the more. Only weeks earlier, she’d never been alone with him, but here, they had all the freedom in the world. No mother to scold her, no father to warn Teddy about bringing her home late and keeping his hands off her, and no rules other than to complete her shifts and turn up on time.
She let Teddy sweep her into his arms and lay her down on the sand, his hands soft and his lips even softer. Hawaii was heaven, and Teddy being here with her was the icing on the cake.
CHAPTER FOUR
APRIL
April walked through the ward with Grace a few days later, listening to her run through the various patients she’d had come in during the night. They’d had their first separate shift, and April was surprised by how confident her little sister sounded as she talked about her patients, as if she’d known the men for weeks instead of days.
‘You’re really liking this, aren’t you?’ she asked.
‘I suppose I am,’ Grace said, shrugging as if it were no big deal. ‘I haven’t had to deal with anything gory yet, other than vomit and some broken bones, and they’re nice men. I like talking with them while I work.’
April nodded and took the charts from her, scanning the pages before looking back up at her sister. She’d hardly had to do more than take temperatures, give injections, and check bandages, so she wasn’t certain that Grace actually knew what she was in for if they did end up nursing soldiers injured in combat, but it was nice to see her so happy and finding her feet. She just needed to remind herself to stop checking up on her; Grace could come to her if she needed anything. ‘Any plans for the day?’ she asked.
‘Sleep,’ Grace muttered. ‘I’m definitely not made for doing night shifts!’
‘Is Poppy back on today?’ she asked.
‘Yes, she started just before I saw you. She was still full of talk about her romantic afternoon with Teddy, telling me how they kissed until it was almost dark.’
The Girls of Pearl Harbor Page 5