The Girls of Pearl Harbor

by Lane, Soraya M.

  April touched her arm, wanting her to know that she understood. She knew how hard it was on Grace, because she’d been there that night they’d met Teddy. It had been the first time she’d ever seen her sister’s eyes grow wide with interest over a man and her cheeks flush red, and she’d known in that moment that she was desperate for Teddy to ask her to dance. And she’d also seen the intense disappointment when Teddy had taken Poppy by the hand and felt her pain when they’d stayed hand in hand until the very last dance of the night. But Poppy was their best friend, and she knew Grace would never step on Poppy’s toes or wish her friend’s romance to fall apart, no matter how much it hurt her.

  ‘You all right?’ April asked.

  Grace nodded. ‘Of course. I’m just tired. See you after your shift.’

  April watched her go and then went to do her own rounds and become more familiar with the new patients who’d come in. There had been some fevers over the past twelve hours, as well as bouts of vomiting from soldiers, and she wanted to make sure they were well hydrated and comfortable.

  ‘Nurse!’

  She turned and came face-to-face with a doctor she’d never seen before. His eyes were so dark they were almost black, the same shade as his thick mop of hair, and his smile was bright when he realized he’d caught her attention. She watched as he placed a pencil in the top pocket of his white coat.

  ‘Can I help you?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes, I need assistance in surgery, and my usual nurse has already finished her shift,’ he said, his eyes seeming to study her face, making her wonder what he was thinking. ‘Have you assisted a surgeon before?’

  April wanted to say yes, because she was desperate to gain more hands-on experience, but she couldn’t lie. ‘Unfortunately I haven’t, but I’m a quick study, and I would love the opportunity to assist.’

  He frowned and turned slightly, looking around the ward and then behind him back down the corridor. Was he looking for another nurse that he recognized? She said a silent prayer, fingers crossed behind her back, that he would take her with him.

  ‘Fine, you’ll do,’ he said, gesturing for her to follow him. ‘Dr. Raymond Grey.’

  She grinned and hurried along beside him. ‘April Bellamy.’

  He started to give her a rundown on the patient, and she couldn’t believe her luck. They’d been stationed at Pearl Harbor for less than two weeks, and already she was going to be in surgery!

  ‘The patient broke his leg in a training injury, and the bone has completely penetrated the skin,’ he explained. ‘I trust you have a strong stomach, Miss Bellamy, because I don’t tolerate fainting in my operating room.’

  She took a deep breath. ‘Please, call me April, and for the record, there is very little that would cause me to faint, sir. I have the strongest stomach of all the girls I know.’

  ‘We’ll see,’ he said, holding the door open for her and letting her pass through first. ‘Scrub those hands clean, and meet me in there. And I like a quiet room when I’m working, so try to listen and anticipate what I need without interrupting me.’

  She nodded and watched him walk away, eyes tracking him until he disappeared from view. This might be her one chance to impress a surgeon, and she intended on making the most of it; all she had to do was stay quiet and follow his instructions, and she might just end up on more of his surgeries.

  She’d never had the nerve to admit it to anyone other than her sister, but if she ever wanted to be a doctor herself one day, she needed all the experience she could get her hands on. From the day she’d seen her mother die, she’d felt so passionately about healing, about being the one with the power to save others from pain.

  A thrill of excitement shuddered through her as she washed her hands, carefully scrubbing beneath her short nails. She wasn’t sure if it was the surgery or the doctor she was about to assist that had her all tied in knots, but she suddenly felt as if she were finally taking a step closer to her dream.

  April dried her hands and followed after Dr. Grey, hesitating at the door before being waved in by him. She noticed there was no one else other than the anesthetist attending, and she took a deep breath as she surveyed the instruments all laid out on a table.

  ‘Come in, April. Let’s test that stomach of yours, shall we?’

  She wished she hadn’t commented on her extraordinarily strong stomach. What if she wasn’t as capable as she liked to think she was?

  ‘Yes, of course,’ she said, not letting her nervousness show.

  April moved forward as the sheet was lifted to expose the patient’s leg. He was already asleep, the anesthetist sitting to one side, and she stared at the flesh ripped apart by the bone that protruded through. She frowned at the sharp edge and wondered how on earth it could be successfully repaired, and as she studied it, she managed to forget all about how horrific it was.

  ‘Is it always possible to splint or repair breaks like this?’ she asked. ‘It looks so mangled.’

  Dr. Grey laughed, and the anesthetist chuckled. She looked up, perplexed and wondering what they were finding so amusing.

  ‘I’m sorry—was that an amateur question?’ she asked.

  ‘Not at all,’ Dr. Grey said, beckoning for her to stand closer. ‘We just had a bet going that you’d either run or faint within, what, twenty seconds of me lifting the sheet?’

  The other man nodded. ‘My bet was ten.’

  She laughed along with them. ‘Are new nurses usually so easy to unsettle?’

  ‘You’d be surprised. Scalpel, please, Nurse.’

  She stood to his side, passing him the instrument and keeping her eyes trained on his every movement. Before long she settled into an easy rhythm of passing what was needed, leaning over to watch, and even touching the bone to help hold it in place.

  ‘Tell me, what anesthetic do you prefer for surgeries like this?’ she asked.

  ‘Well, we prefer ether usually, because of the newly improved techniques with oxygen and vaporizers, but to tell you the truth, if we end up in war, we’ll be using intravenous barbiturates, because it’s cheap and we don’t have to worry about flammability.’

  She nodded, watching as Dr. Grey finished the final stitch. He’d done a tidy job, and she wished she’d had the opportunity to try a few stitches of her own under his guidance. Perhaps she could suggest it in the future, under the guise of giving Dr. Grey a well-deserved rest after surgery.

  ‘Now we have to cast him,’ Dr. Grey said. ‘The bone won’t heal unless we can ensure absolute immobility.’

  She stood back and waited for instructions as he stretched and yawned, moving his head from side to side as if he had a sore neck.

  ‘Where is it you’re from, April?’ he asked.

  ‘Oh, I’m from Oregon,’ she said. ‘So this is a real change in scenery for me, being posted here.’

  ‘I absolutely agree. It’s a lovely change.’ She noticed his frown as he touched the patient’s leg. ‘We’ll need to cast the entire leg as well as the foot. Have you done this before?’

  She shook her head. ‘No, sir.’

  ‘You’ll learn. So do you have someone waiting for you back in Oregon? A fiancé? Or just a family wishing for your safe return?’

  She knew her cheeks had flushed red, but she kept her attention on the plaster cast being prepared, refusing to acknowledge her embarrassment and hoping he didn’t notice it either.

  ‘Just my father, actually,’ she said. ‘My sister is also here nursing, and we lost our mother some years ago.’

  ‘I’m sorry to hear that, but it explains why you’re so capable. I’ll put money on it that you took over her role in the home—am I right? It’s why nothing rattles you, because you’ve had to develop strong nerves.’

  She met his gaze, his dark eyes full of warmth and intelligence as she basked in his praise. She was surprised by how perceptive he was. ‘You’re right. It’s made me get on with things, I suppose. There’s never been enough time for me to worry about something that I can jus
t do my best to deal with.’

  ‘What do you say you join my service?’ he asked. ‘I could do with a capable nurse at my side, especially one who’s as quick a study as you.’

  She couldn’t stop the beaming smile that hit her lips. ‘I would like that.’

  Dr. Grey asked her to pass him something again, and she quickly fell back into place beside him, listening carefully to what he needed from her. She smiled to herself as she helped with the cast. If only she were brave enough to tell him that one day, she hoped to be a doctor every inch as capable as he was.

  ‘How was your shift?’ Grace asked, stealing one of April’s hairpins before she could stop her. It was Saturday night, and they were all off to a dance at the Hickam Field officers’ club, racing to get ready before they had to meet Eva.

  She had two pins pressed between her teeth as she carefully did her own do, and Grace was now jostling for space in the tiny mirror.

  ‘Move,’ she muttered, with her teeth still clenched. ‘You’ve had hours to get ready!’

  ‘I was napping,’ her sister said. ‘Any interesting patients? I’m hoping the vomiting stops by tomorrow; I can’t stand cleaning out any more buckets.’

  April finished her hair and moved back to pull out her compact and do her cheeks and lipstick from the comfort of her bed. It would be easier sitting there than vying with her mirror-hog sister.

  ‘I actually assisted in surgery with Dr. Grey,’ she replied. ‘No sick buckets for me, just a juicy big broken bone and plenty of blood spurting everywhere.’ It was an exaggeration, but she knew it would stop Grace in her tracks.

  ‘Ugh, really? How awful.’

  ‘It was amazing, actually. I’m going to stay on his service, so I’m hoping that there are a few more baseball and football injuries.’ The one today had been horrific for the poor young man involved, and she hated that he’d injured himself so badly in a training drill, but she couldn’t forget the thrill of the surgery. The feel of the instruments in her hands, the patient lying there, watching the expert push and pull of the needle as Dr. Grey had stitched the flesh back together; she’d loved every second of it.

  ‘Did you say you helped in surgery today?’ Poppy asked, dressed to the nines with her hair perfectly curled.

  April smiled as she sat on the bed beside her. ‘Yes. It was incredible.’

  ‘Wasn’t the surgeon on today Dr. Dark Eyes? All the nurses were talking about him yesterday, but I haven’t seen him yet.’

  She could feel Grace and Poppy watching her, waiting for her reaction. ‘I suppose he does have nice dark eyes,’ she said carefully. ‘And he cuts a handsome figure in his doctor’s coat with those broad shoulders. Very easy on the eye.’

  ‘Ohhhh, she likes him! Look at her face!’ Poppy teased.

  April refused to crack a smile until Grace planted her hands on her hips and glared at her, and then it was impossible to keep a straight face.

  ‘April Bellamy, you’ve fallen for a doctor and kept it from me!’ she exclaimed. ‘We’re supposed to tell each other everything!’

  Why had she even told them about her day? She should have known better.

  ‘Look, he was a very capable surgeon,’ she said. ‘That’s all.’

  ‘A very capable surgeon with lovely dark eyes?’ Grace asked, before trading grins with Poppy.

  ‘You two do know I can see you, right?’ she huffed, collecting her purse from the bed and hooking it over her arm. ‘And for the last time, there is nothing going on between me and the doctor!’

  ‘Nothing yet,’ Grace teased.

  ‘Grace!’

  Poppy leaped up and took her arm, tucked in tight as if they were coconspirators while Grace finished getting ready.

  ‘Come on—you can tell me. Is he just gorgeous? I want to know if the rumors are true.’

  April bit her bottom lip, trying not to giggle. ‘He’s divine looking, if you must know. His hair is as dark as his eyes, his skin is all golden, and he’s incredible with his hands. So steady in the operating theater.’

  As she opened her mouth again, Poppy burst out laughing, screeching to Grace across the room.

  ‘He has the steadiest hands around, Grace! It must be love,’ she teased.

  April didn’t even dignify Poppy’s comment with a response. Instead she walked straight from the room, her head held high, not about to let their girlish teasing get under her skin. What was it with those two sometimes? Sometimes they were great company, and other times they were absolute harebrains, like two lovesick, silly schoolgirls.

  She smiled to herself as she walked, though, thinking about Dr. Grey. He was handsome, and she did like him, but that had nothing to do with anything. What was important was learning from him and being the best assistant she could be during surgery. If he happened to mentor her and ask her out on a date, then so be it.

  The other two came galloping as loudly as a pair of horses behind her, and she gave them her best withering look.

  ‘Sorry, April,’ Poppy said. ‘We only tease you because you’re so easy to ruffle.’

  She supposed she was, but it wasn’t exactly the best excuse, and she was ready to change the subject. ‘So who’s all going tonight?’

  Grace gave her a look that she thought might be her saying she was sorry, but she couldn’t tell. Even after all these years, her sister wasn’t the easiest to read. They were close, and she loved her, but sometimes she was sick and tired of being the older one, the one with the weight of the world on her shoulders. It would be nice for Grace to look after her once in a while, to cook for her or care for her if she was unwell, to worry about their father instead of leaving it all up to her. Or to stick up for her instead of teasing. But when her little sister reached for her hand and squeezed it, she couldn’t help but wrap her fingers around Grace’s. It didn’t matter what she wished for; they were blood, and she’d simply drawn the short straw by being born first.

  ‘Teddy can’t come, but it doesn’t matter. It’ll be nice to just be with you girls, and half the nurses at our hospital are coming.’

  April glanced at Grace, wondering if she was pleased or disappointed that Teddy wasn’t with them.

  ‘Could you ever have imagined us going out without having to tell anyone where we’re off to?’ Grace asked as they walked out of the building and crossed the grass. It was slightly crunchy underfoot, not as soft as her yard at home, and peppered with palm trees around the perimeter. ‘It’s so strange, just being like this, as if we’re adults with no one to answer to.’

  ‘Grace, we are adults.’ April had thought about it often, how different they were treated here, the freedom they had. Although for her, it wasn’t as significant, because she’d been the one doing the watching, always careful to know where Grace was and how late she’d be, who was with her, and what was happening. Their father was a lovely, kind man, but he had no idea about raising daughters and how to pick up all the parenting things their mother had done.

  ‘I suppose you’re right. Plenty of our friends are already married, aren’t they?’

  ‘Yes, but they’ve gone from their daddies’ homes to their husbands’,’ Poppy said. ‘We’re as free as a bird here.’

  ‘Teddy might think otherwise.’ April smirked.

  ‘Teddy can keep his thoughts to himself,’ Poppy said defiantly. ‘I love the man, but I’m also loving this. Thank God he didn’t ask me to marry him before we left! Imagine if I’d been left behind, with a ring on my finger and nothing to do, while you two were gallivanting over here!’

  They all laughed, but April could see that Grace was only going through the motions.

  ‘Have you talked about marriage?’ Grace asked. ‘With Teddy. I mean, do you think you’ll get engaged soon?’

  Poppy waved her hand in the air like it was no big deal. ‘I suppose so. I mean, not right now, but he’s a gorgeous man, and I think . . .’

  ‘Of course you’ll get married one day,’ April interrupted, beaming at her friend. She didn
’t want this conversation to go on any longer; Grace didn’t need to hear the rest and wish she were the one in Poppy’s shoes. ‘You make a very handsome couple. Now where was Eva meeting us?’

  Just then a woman came into sight, running, her skirt caught up in one hand, her shoes in the other.

  ‘Well, it looks like she wasn’t waiting for us,’ Grace said, waving at their new friend.

  ‘Sorry! Have you been here long?’ Eva was breathless as she slowed, bending forward and laughing. ‘I’m so unfit! I haven’t ever run that far!’

  ‘We’ve been here forever,’ Grace said, before grinning at Eva’s shocked expression. ‘Honestly, we haven’t—we’ve just walked out. April just recently finished her shift, and we’ve been catching up on some sleep.’

  ‘Thank goodness,’ Eva said, straightening. ‘I went to see Charlie, and we had almost an hour together just outside his base. Then I caught a ride here, but I had to run the last bit down the beach.’

  They fell into step, and April looked down the line at the others, admiring how pretty her friends and sister looked. Grace was wearing her favorite summer frock, with cute puff sleeves and a V-neck, covered in flowers and showing off her tiny waist. Poppy was wearing a darker color and a shorter dress, and she had a pretty flower lei around her neck like the ones they’d received the day they’d arrived. Eva was as pretty as a picture, even as she fanned at her face, her skin damp from hurrying down to them, her dark-red hair striking, pinned off her face and falling like a thick curtain down her back and complementing her creamy skin to perfection. April glanced down at her own outfit, the cream dress she’d bought especially to bring away with her. It was snug at the waist, hitting her at midcalf, and she felt feminine and pretty wearing it. She’d left her hair out tonight, curling it in soft waves, and part of her wished that Dr. Grey could see her.

  ‘So tell us, was it nice to see your Charlie?’ April asked, realizing no one had even asked her.

  ‘Yes.’ Eva didn’t hesitate. ‘He was very sweet, all apologetic about ever wanting to leave and go join the Eagles in Britain. I think he finally realized how much I needed him, and he promised not to leave me.’