The Girls of Pearl Harbor

by Lane, Soraya M.

  As soon as they started moving, she forgot all about what she was carrying, though, her eyes wide as she climbed down over the side of the ship, heart thudding as she tried to balance, terrified of falling into the ominous water lapping below. She gripped tight to the iron ladder and didn’t let go until strong hands grabbed her around her middle and hauled her down into the little assault boat. She pushed her helmet up, hating how it kept sliding down low over her eyes, and looked behind her at three medical officers and at least fifteen or more soldiers. Grace managed a small smile and received warm grins in return as she waited for the others to come down the awful little ladder.

  Once April, Eva, and two other nurses had safely descended, the boat took them to land, and Grace found her feet were unsteady as she stepped out with the assistance of a soldier and looked around her at the long stretch of beach.

  They were finally, after twelve long days, standing on Algerian soil, and she couldn’t believe the commotion. There were people with dark skin milling back and forth, interspersed with American soldiers, who stood out with their light-colored hair and skin, and she noticed they were speaking different languages. She was passable at French, which she’d studied for a few years at school, but she certainly couldn’t keep up with the rapid pace at which some of the people were speaking.

  ‘This is insane!’ Grace hurried to keep up while she gawked around. ‘Did you ever think it would be like this?’

  ‘It even smells different,’ Eva said, surprising Grace as she touched her arm. ‘Look over there at the fish for sale. That poor man is spending all his time waving insects away.’

  As Grace was looking, a booming voice carried on the wind to them, and everyone went silent.

  ‘Ladies, listen up! You’ll be traveling the rest of the way to Mateur in Tunisia by train. Please walk to the train station in an orderly line, and board when you are called. And try not to keel over in this heat!’

  Grace felt her heart start to race again. A train ride? She hadn’t even considered that they might have to travel immediately again, but the thought excited her. She wanted to hang out the window and take in every sight, drink in every part of this exciting new country they were in so she could commit it to memory and tell her father when they returned home. Sweat dripped down the back of her neck now, but she’d long forgotten how uncomfortable she was.

  ‘I thought we’d be staying here for a while,’ April said. ‘Instead they’re shoving us straight into a train.’

  ‘Maybe it’s safer,’ Eva said.

  ‘I think they’re sending us even closer to danger, so I don’t think we’ll be safer,’ April answered.

  They walked in silence to the train, and Grace grinned when she saw soldiers pass by as another train departed. ‘Goodbye!’ she called, blowing kisses and waving to the American men on their way. ‘Good luck!’

  April laughed beside her, and even Eva was smiling as the soldiers called back and returned her kisses, some of them clutching their chests like she was breaking their hearts.

  ‘What?’ Grace asked. ‘What’s so funny?’

  ‘You,’ April said. ‘Something about you draws the boys in like bees to pollen.’

  Grace blushed and felt her cheeks ignite, but she just waved the compliment away. In the past it had been Poppy who’d received the lion’s share of the attention. But those boys were off to fight, and all she’d done was give them a little wave. Within minutes they were lined up once again to board, and before she knew it, six of them were crammed in a tiny compartment.

  ‘Do you think they could have split us between two trains instead of this?’ she grumbled as they all tried to stow their things. ‘We can’t even all sleep at the same time in here!’

  April looked as unimpressed as she felt. ‘I suppose we can take turns on the seats and floor when we want to sleep,’ she said. ‘Oh, and look! Two of us can definitely fit in the overhead.’

  Grace’s brows shot up. ‘The overhead? That’s for luggage, you fool.’

  April shrugged. ‘Come nightfall, I bet we’ll all be grateful to lie down on anything instead of stay standing.’

  ‘I’ll take the overhead,’ Eva said. ‘April’s right; it’s better than nothing.’

  Grace shrugged. ‘Fine. But we’re not staying stuck in here for two days; we need to explore once we’re moving.’ She wanted to shake Eva. Why would she offer to sleep in the overhead? The Eva who’d given that soldier marching orders the first night they’d met, when he’d had his hands all over Grace, wouldn’t have so easily given in to sleeping rough without at least demanding a coin toss to decide the loser.

  ‘What’s there to explore?’ asked Kelly, one of the nurses who’d ended up in their compartment.

  ‘No idea,’ Grace said. ‘But I’m not about to get cabin fever and stay stuck in this tiny closet for forty-eight hours with barely enough room to wriggle, let alone breathe.’

  Two days later, Grace was about to explode. The train had been moving so slowly she wasn’t convinced they’d moved more than a few inches in the past hour, and she was on the verge of hysteria. There was only so long she could take being in such a small space, and her stomach was roaring with hunger. What she wouldn’t do for a hot bath or even a warm facecloth to wipe across her forehead and down her neck, or an ice-cold glass of water. Being stuck in their compartment was torturous.

  Thump.

  ‘What the heck?’ Grace rolled sideways as something large landed on her with a thwack. ‘Eva!’

  Eva pushed up, groaning as she tried to get off her. ‘Ouch.’

  ‘Oh, honey, you poor thing! You fell out of the compartment!’ April was suddenly on her feet, hauling Eva up and checking her over.

  ‘What about me? I’m the one who broke her fall and got squashed!’ Grace protested.

  They all looked at one another and burst out laughing, just as the train groaned and ground to a complete halt.

  ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’ April muttered under her breath.

  Grace walked over to the window and pushed aside the flimsy curtain, taking a peek outside. Well, isn’t that a sight for sore eyes. Another train was right beside them, and she knew the drill by now. There was only one line, which meant they’d have to wait for this other train to get past. The fact that it was filled with soldiers was the only thing that made it bearable.

  ‘Girls, I think you need to see this,’ she said. ‘Or should I say see them.’

  April, Eva, and the other three nurses came up beside her, and they all peered out the window as Grace pushed it open, grinning as she waved and called out. They usually had the windows closed, despite the heat, to keep the insects out, but this was worth letting a mosquito in for.

  ‘Yoo-hoo, boys!’ she called as the others giggled beside her.

  One of the soldiers suddenly leaped up, and she watched as he nudged his friends in the sides and then jimmied his window open. Next thing they were all hanging out the open side, and more soldiers started to join them.

  ‘Where’re you girls heading?’ one of them asked.

  ‘Mateur,’ Grace called back. ‘It’s slow going, though.’

  ‘Fancy a ride? You’re welcome over here!’ another called.

  Grace glanced at April and then shrugged, batting her lashes. Meeting men at dances in Hawaii had been exciting but terrifying at the same time, but this was different. There was something fun, something exciting, about being able to flirt from a distance.

  ‘If you have some hot coffee, well then, we might just take you up on that offer.’

  April slapped at her shoulder, but Grace just laughed.

  ‘Whaddya say, fellas?’

  ‘Hot coffee, coming right up!’ one of them yelled back.

  There was no way Grace was going to be able to get on that train even if she tried, but she’d do anything for a coffee, especially a milky, sugary one.

  ‘You got any sugar over there?’ she asked in her sweetest voice.

  ‘Like you need sw
eetening up,’ one of the men replied with a laugh.

  ‘What happened to shy Grace?’ Eva whispered.

  Grace laughed. ‘Oh, she’s long gone. This Grace is living each day like it’s her last.’ As the words came out, she wished she could take them back. Why had she said that when Eva had lost her Charlie? When she’d lost Poppy? ‘I’m sorry—that was insensitive—I . . .’

  Eva’s hand was warm on her shoulder. ‘It’s fine. Actually, it’s nice to hear you laugh and have fun.’

  Grace looked into her friend’s eyes, wishing there was more she could do to help her. ‘Really?’

  Eva smiled. ‘Really. Now quickly, get our cups so we can pass them over to those soldiers before one of these trains starts moving! You’ve turned into quite the flirt!’

  ‘Boys, start filling these cups, and fill them fast!’ she said with a wink and a big smile, leaning forward and laughing as the men ogled her as if they hadn’t ever seen a woman before. ‘Stop gawking and start pouring!’

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  APRIL

  ‘So this is it?’ April asked, looking first at her sister and then at Eva. They both stared back at her, looking as shocked as she was.

  She hadn’t expected anything luxurious, but she’d thought basic things like a roof might be guaranteed. It seemed not. The building in front of them looked like it might have been mangled during the war, and she would have thought exactly that if they hadn’t just been told it was an unfinished building abandoned for years.

  ‘I was dreading sleeping in tents, but working in this might actually be worse,’ Grace muttered beside her.

  ‘Will we even be safe in there?’ Eva asked. ‘What if there’s fighting close by?’

  April looked back at the other nurses, who were all in groups and chatting, while their matron stood beside a general, their heads together as they studied something on her clipboard.

  ‘Ladies, listen up!’ the general announced.

  They all turned, packs at their feet now, and April took the opportunity to pull at her jacket and try to let some air against her skin. She’d never been so hot and uncomfortable in all her life.

  ‘Welcome to the 114th Station Hospital! This is where you will be stationed for the foreseeable future. Sleeping quarters for nurses will be in tents in the adjoining field area up the hill there, with eight women permitted per tent,’ he said. ‘You will make yourselves comfortable shortly, and then you will be given a tour of the hospital and expected to prepare it immediately for incoming patients.’

  April found herself nodding as she listened to him, wondering what it would be like inside. And she also found herself craning her neck to see if she could spot Dr. Grey. They’d been mostly segregated by gender on the ship, other than sneaking out to play cards sometimes with the boys, and she’d only been able to wave to him at mealtimes. She was anxious to talk to him again and ask if she could remain on his service.

  She frowned when Grace nudged her in the side. ‘Come on—let’s go choose a decent tent.’

  After what had happened to them in Pearl Harbor, she’d thought nothing would bother her and that she’d just be grateful to be alive, but her heart sank when she saw where they’d be living. It wasn’t the sleeping in tents she cared about—they all had blankets and enough clothes to make their beds comfortable—it was the flies filling the air around them. April slapped at her arm and cringed. The mosquitos were going to love her, and she knew she’d have tiny red welts all over her within days.

  ‘Keep walking,’ Eva said, prodding her from behind.

  April looked back at her but only received a shake of the head in response, and even Grace was following without asking. Eva marched them as far away as possible and then pointed.

  ‘That one will do.’

  ‘All this way from the hospital? We’re going to have the farthest to walk each day after our shifts!’ Grace complained. ‘Seriously, we’ll be sweaty before we even start working.’

  ‘You see the tent all the way back over there? The one with the makeshift wooden structure next to it?’

  April nodded and followed Eva’s point.

  ‘So?’ Grace asked.

  ‘That’s the toilet block,’ Eva said. ‘Imagine what the flies will be like after a few days or weeks of us all using it. And the smell will be horrible.’

  April gestured at the empty tent, grinning at Eva. ‘I think you should get first pick. Grace would have had us nestled right up beside the toilets just to make her morning walk shorter.’

  Grace rolled her eyes, but they all laughed, and April watched as Eva went to the far corner and set her things down. It had been nice seeing her smile today, almost like having a hint of the old Eva back. After what had happened, April had fought hard to find somewhere for Eva to stay in Hawaii, and a lovely family had welcomed her with open arms for almost a month. Whatever it was stopping her from going home, she’d never truly told her, but she had come back to nursing instead of leaving, so that was something.

  ‘You think the boys will stay on their side?’ Grace asked.

  April poked her head out of the tent and stared across the field to where the men were stationed, barely able to see them. ‘Why, you hoping to find a handsome man knocking at the door tonight?’

  Grace laughed. ‘More like you hoping to lay eyes on Dr. Grey again.’

  April bit the inside of her mouth, not about to smile and give her sister even an inkling that she was right. She’d missed seeing him, and she was desperate to work beside him again and see if they couldn’t form a formidable team in the field.

  ‘It’d be nice to know where Teddy was sent,’ April said, reaching for Grace’s hand and giving it a quick squeeze.

  She knew Grace was still in love with him and that she’d been eagerly waiting for a letter, but she’d never tease her about it again, not now that Poppy was gone, and she doubted Grace would even look at Teddy that way now no matter how she felt. It just wouldn’t be right.

  Tears shone in Grace’s eyes, but she watched her quickly blink them away. ‘You know, when we pulled up beside that train, I was scanning every face looking for him. I just want to know where he is, whether he’s still alive.’

  ‘Me too,’ April said, setting down her things and unwrapping her bedroll. The ground was rock hard, and she put one of her blankets on top of the canvas and sat down to try it out. ‘I think about him a lot, actually.’ In her head, she kept seeing him holding Grace, his arms wrapped tight around her as the sky boomed with noise, carrying her as she cried and kicked, screaming out to Poppy. He’d kept her sister safe that day, and for that she would always be in his debt.

  ‘I’m dying to wash my undergarments,’ Eva said, her bed looking almost ready, one of her bags propped up to use as a pillow.

  ‘Did I hear you say wash?’ A familiar dark head poked through the entrance to their tent, and April smiled when she saw it was Cassie. ‘Apparently we use our helmets for any washing, so don’t get too excited about clean clothes.’

  Grace and Eva groaned as April waved her in. ‘You looking for somewhere to bunk down still?’

  Cassie nodded. ‘You girls want me?’

  ‘Make yourself comfortable,’ April said. ‘How about we go find water and then take a look at the toilet situation.’

  Grace shrugged, but Eva finished placing some of her things and then followed her out into the hot, muggy air.

  ‘Is it anything like you thought it would be?’ April asked, looking around as nurses milled around everywhere, some still searching for tents and lugging their packs, and others, like them, walking about and taking the chance to explore.

  ‘I honestly don’t know what I was expecting,’ Eva replied. ‘But it’s hotter and more—I don’t know—raw, I suppose.’

  ‘Isn’t it strange that so many of our mothers have never left America, and yet here we are, first in Pearl Harbor, then here, and God only knows where they’ll keep sending us?’

  So long as they were moving w
ith the American army and not taken prisoners of war, April could handle whatever was thrown their way. She shivered despite the heat at the thought of being captured, and prayed that their boys fought hard enough to stop that from ever happening.

  ‘I’m so pleased you stayed with us,’ April said, linking her arm through Eva’s as they walked.

  Eva’s arm was rigid, like she was uncomfortable being touched, but then she softened, and April tugged her a little closer.

  ‘It’s better than the alternative,’ Eva said. ‘Thanks for making me stick with it. If it hadn’t been for you, I don’t know what would have happened.’

  ‘You would have had to go home,’ April said, stating the obvious but wanting Eva to say something, to finally open up to her about why she’d been so scared. Or had she just been grieving and confused?

  ‘Well, that’s not an option anymore, so it doesn’t matter to me how long this war stretches on for. At least here I’ll have food to eat and a roof above my head.’

  April stopped walking and looked at Eva. ‘What do you mean? And I’d hardly call that tent a decent roof.’

  Eva looked down before finally meeting April’s gaze. ‘My father’s cut me off,’ she said. ‘He’s threatened it before, but when I left home to become a nurse, he told me I wasn’t welcome back, and he made good on his word. He’s told me not to come crawling back expecting him to support me, and I wouldn’t go near him even if he would let me. Charlie was my everything; we had a life planned together, and it involved never seeing my father ever again.’

  April caught herself before her jaw hung open, clutching tight to Eva’s fingers. ‘Your own father just cast you aside like that? But what about now that Charlie’s gone? Surely your mother wouldn’t let him treat you like that!’

  Eva shrugged as if it were nothing, but April could see the pain etched in her face, the glint in her eyes that told her how badly her friend needed to cry and let it all out.

  She watched as Eva pulled a letter from her breast pocket, unfolding the carefully creased paper and passing it over.

  ‘I don’t know why I didn’t just throw it out,’ Eva muttered. ‘But something made me keep it.’