The Girls of Pearl Harbor

by Lane, Soraya M.

  ‘Are you the doctor who performed surgery on Captain Arthur Jones?’ he asked.

  Dr. Grey stepped forward. ‘I did just perform lifesaving surgery on a pilot found and brought in by three of my nurses. Someone can take you to see him for a formal identification if you would like?’

  ‘Arthur is one of the best pilots we have, Doctor. Thank you for your service.’

  Dr. Grey’s face clouded over, and Eva looked between him and the pilots, wondering what he was thinking. He’d just said he’d saved his life, hadn’t he?

  ‘I’ll take you, sir,’ Eva blurted, her voice sounding stronger, more resilient, than she’d expected.

  ‘Thank you.’

  Eva didn’t look back at Grace or April. She walked through the corridor, listening to the loud, heavy-booted footsteps of the men echoing behind her. The recovery ward where they watched their high-risk patients after surgery wasn’t full, and she could see Arthur’s dark head of hair, knew exactly what bed he was in as she moved toward him.

  ‘You said he’s one of our best pilots?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes, ma’am, he’s our most highly decorated pilot. He temporarily left our service to fly for the Eagles—successfully, I might add—and then he returned to our service to take over command of a squadron. He’s the best we have.’

  Eva blinked away tears. They shuddered within her, threatening but not falling, as she watched Arthur’s face, wondering when those brilliant-blue eyes would open and focus on her again. This man had done what her Charlie couldn’t. He’d followed his beliefs, listened to his gut, and instead of being shunned by their armed forces for defying orders as they’d threatened, he’d been welcomed back with open arms.

  She took the final step toward his bed, the pilots right behind her. ‘We found him out in the . . .’

  No. No, no, no!

  She slammed her fist to her mouth, silencing her cry as she stared at the bed. At the empty space where one of his legs should have been. At the puckered blanket tucked around one leg, at the sight of half a lower body in the bed. Arthur had been tall and strong—he’d been a big, heavy man—and now one of his legs had been discarded as if it had never existed in the first place.

  ‘Aww, hell, Art,’ the younger pilot muttered, his hand flying to cover his mouth as he started to swear.

  ‘Was,’ the pilot in charge muttered.

  ‘What?’ Eva asked, the word choking in her throat. What did he say?

  ‘He was our finest pilot. He won’t be flying a goddamn plane ever again now, will he?’

  Eva shuddered, listening to the men walk away as she stared at Arthur, slowly lowering herself onto the stool next to his bed to wait. She wasn’t going to let him find out on his own; she’d wait all night if she had to.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  GRACE

  ‘Thank you,’ Grace said, opening her eyes and wishing they were still shut. The light felt like bright pricks of fire slicing right through her.

  ‘What for?’ Eva mumbled, her head buried beneath the covers.

  ‘For making us pick this tent. I couldn’t have dealt with it.’

  It had been the most horrific few days, with nurses dropping like flies as dysentery swept through their camp. The nurses with the tents closest to the toilets had been hit first, and then it had rapidly spread until almost everyone was vomiting and running to the toilets all hours of the day and night. The doctor in charge had dosed their drinking water with excessive amounts of chlorine to keep them from getting sick, but he’d never thought to treat the latrine water, and the flies had been having a field day going back and forth. She shuddered and buried herself under her covers. She knew he’d never make that mistake again, and she doubted any of the nurses would ever sleep so close to the latrines again either.

  ‘I still can’t believe we all managed to avoid it,’ April said, yawning as she spoke. ‘Come on, sleepyheads—let’s go.’

  They were short on nurses with so many being sick, and the three of them had been working much longer shifts to make up for it. But they had the following day off, and she couldn’t wait to get back out and explore again. The nursing hadn’t been terrible, she’d managed to deal with everything that had been put in front of her so far, and even the blood wasn’t making her as queasy as it once had.

  ‘So what do you think of a picnic tomorrow?’ Grace asked as she stretched. She finally forced herself out of bed, smiling to herself as she heard the crinkle of paper beneath her pillow. ‘Maybe we could try to find some food to pack and go to the ocean?’

  April nodded and got out of bed, but Eva stayed quiet as she rose and started to dress. Grace stuck her hand under the pillow, wanting to feel the letter from Teddy just to remind herself that it was real.

  ‘Eva?’

  ‘Yes, I suppose I’ll come,’ she said.

  Grace finished putting on her uniform, sliding the folded letter into her breast pocket as she watched Eva for a moment. She didn’t know what to do with Eva; just when she’d finally started to catch glimpses of her old friend again, along had come Arthur, and it seemed to have retriggered all of Eva’s feelings of guilt.

  ‘How was Arthur when you left the hospital last night? I heard you come in late,’ Grace said, studying her face as she spoke.

  ‘Not much of a change,’ Eva said. ‘I sat with him after my shift finished, but he was still unconscious.’

  ‘I’m sure when he does open his eyes he’ll be mighty happy to see your pretty face,’ Grace teased. ‘You’re being very sweet staying with him so much. I’ll bet he can hear you reading to him.’

  It had been almost a week since they’d rescued Arthur, and Eva seemed to have made it her personal mission to care for him. Grace guessed that there was something about the man that reminded her of Charlie, but she hadn’t wanted to ask. If Eva was ready to open up, she’d talk. And it was admirable that she wanted to be there for the poor man; she was just worried that it was going to stop Eva from moving on from the past and starting to find herself again.

  ‘Come on. Let’s go to the latrine, then head for breakfast.’

  ‘What’s in your pocket?’ Eva asked. ‘A letter from home?’

  Grace grinned, unable to hide her happiness. She’d kept it secret the day before, reading it over and over, but she couldn’t hide it from Eva or April any longer. ‘It’s from Teddy. He finally wrote to me.’

  April was suddenly frozen, her eyes on Grace. ‘What did he say? Where is he?’

  ‘Close to here, I think, but he couldn’t say,’ Grace said with a sigh. ‘I’m just so happy he’s safe. I’ve been so worried about him.’ Of course the letter was dated a month earlier, and a whisper went through her, a silent knife of fear, that he could already be injured or worse by now.

  She knew the letter by heart, but she didn’t want to share it all with Eva or even her sister. ‘He said he’s doing fine, missing Poppy but doing fine. He’s hoping to see us one day if our schedules permit and if he has leave.’

  April made a murmuring sound, and Eva just nodded before going back to getting ready. So Grace stood waiting, imagining where Teddy might have been when he’d written to her.

  Dear Grace,

  I can’t believe it’s been months since I last saw you, but thank you for your letters. They’re the only thing that manage to make me smile these days. The days feel like weeks here, the heat so desperate that I feel like I can’t breathe sometimes, and the nightmares so bad it makes sleep almost impossible. I hoped you wouldn’t be sent here, it’s the worst posting of all. Can you imagine Poppy’s face? She would have screamed after one night with mosquitos in her tent! I hope you’re made of stronger stuff, but after everything we went through, I think we can all cope with anything that comes our way.

  I hope our paths cross again soon. I miss Poppy, but I miss spending time with all of you too. If I have any leave and I’m close to your hospital, I promise I’ll come calling. All I want is to see your smiling face, and have someone to talk t
o about what happened to us that day.

  With love, Teddy

  ‘Grace? Are you ready?’

  She nodded and touched her pocket, needing to feel the letter there, and followed the others. They left the tent, which looked more like a washhouse than sleeping quarters with all their laundry hanging about the place, joining the other nurses as they all made the pilgrimage to breakfast. They’d fast learned not to hang their washing outside—it went missing every time they did—and they were already making do with only a few pairs of panties and other garments they needed. Grace put her hand into her skirt pocket and touched the square of toilet paper she had there, still horrified at how unsanitary everything seemed. She cringed at the thought of getting her period again—it was horrible trying to deal with it with so few supplies—and quickly went about her business, thankful there was no line this time.

  The chow line was a different thing altogether, though. There were hundreds of them needing to be fed each day, which meant that the wait was always terrible. And when they eventually got to the front of the line, she knew what would greet her: a pile of everything all mixed together. The night before, she’d managed to consume beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, and apple pie all in one mouthful, and it had almost turned her stomach. But food was food, and she was doing her best to be grateful for whatever they were given.

  ‘You know, the locals would be disgusted with the way we use both hands for eating,’ Grace said, receiving stares from April and Eva. Even the nurses ahead of her turned around to listen.

  ‘And why is that, wise sister?’ April asked.

  ‘Because they eat with one hand and wipe their’—she lowered her voice—‘backsides with the other. We might have to start doing the same thing if they keep rationing our toilet paper so vigilantly!’

  They all burst out laughing and shuffled forward a few steps.

  ‘Seriously, how did you know that?’ April asked.

  ‘Oh, one of the nurses told me she’d been invited with a few others to go to a local house for dinner.’

  ‘Well, aren’t you full of information today. Are you sure Teddy didn’t tell you that in his letter?’

  Her cheeks ignited. ‘No, he didn’t, actually. He didn’t say much at all.’

  ‘I’m only teasing,’ April said. ‘I’m pleased he wrote to you, but you don’t have to share it with me.’

  They kept chatting and eventually made their way to the front, holding out their plates for food and filling their metal cups with something resembling tea. Only it didn’t matter what they drank or how many lemon drops they used—it still tasted like chlorine.

  ‘I think being over here suits you,’ April said, surprising her as they sat down. ‘The rest of us moan about the heat and suffer through the conditions, but you seem to thrive on it.’

  Grace laughed. ‘I wouldn’t say I’m thriving, but I do like it. I like nursing more than I thought I would too. It’s kind of incredible.’

  ‘If you call living in a tent under a burning ball of sun and surrounded by buzzing flies incredible.’

  ‘I don’t think Arthur will know his leg has been amputated,’ Eva suddenly said, her food falling back off her spoon and into her bowl as she talked. ‘I had this other patient—the doctors called him a basket because he didn’t have any arms or legs after his surgery—and he didn’t even know. He asked one of the other nurses out on a date, and he was laughing and joking around, and someone had to tell him. I suppose Arthur’s lucky only to have lost one, but he might not think so.’

  ‘April, you were there; why did Dr. Grey have to amputate his leg? Was there no way he could have saved it? It seems so many men are losing limbs.’

  April grimaced. ‘It was horrible. They thought his heart was going to give out; he’d lost so much blood, and they had to deal with a general surgery to repair damaged organs on top of everything else,’ she said. ‘It went on for a long time, and when Dr. Grey finally moved on to his legs, he said it was too late. It was his opinion that the tissue was so damaged, and it would only become infected if he tried to save his right leg, so the decision was made to—’

  ‘Wasn’t it worth trying, though? Unless there was no other option, why would he take his leg off? I’d rather have the chance to save my leg if I had a choice, even if I had terrible odds!’

  April’s face flushed a deep red. ‘What are you saying? That Dr. Grey didn’t know what he was doing, or that he didn’t have the best interests of the patient in mind? I’ll have you know that he was going to amputate both legs but decided to just do the one at the last minute.’

  Grace could see she’d hit a nerve. She knew that her sister liked the doctor, but she hadn’t expected her to take her questions so personally when all she was trying to do was show Eva that there hadn’t been another option. ‘I’m not saying anything of the sort. I just wanted to understand what had happened. I thought it might help Eva or, you know, the poor man when he finds out what happened.’

  ‘Well, Dr. Grey saved his life—that’s all he needs to know.’

  Grace put her spoon down and leaned over the table to touch Eva’s arm. She could feel April glaring at her, but she wasn’t going to argue with her sister, not now. She hadn’t meant to upset her, and she wasn’t used to her being so sensitive. ‘It doesn’t have to be you,’ she said gently. ‘You don’t have to tell him. He’s not your problem, Eva. Let the doctor tell him or another nurse. Heck, I’ll tell him if it stops you from worrying. This isn’t your burden.’

  ‘No, it has to be me,’ Eva said, shaking her head. ‘I’ll tell him.’

  Grace carefully took Eva’s spoon from her hand and lowered it into the bowl, lifting it and waiting for Eva to open her mouth so she could feed her.

  ‘What you need,’ she said, ‘is to eat your breakfast. Then we’ll go do our shift. And then tomorrow we’re going to have a great day out, and you’re going to forget about everything for a few hours, okay?’

  Eva closed her mouth and swallowed the spoonful. ‘Okay.’

  ‘He’s not Charlie, Eva. I know you care for him, but . . .’

  ‘I know,’ Eva whispered. ‘I know he’s not Charlie, but I still need to be there.’

  Grace had no idea when she’d become the grown-up, but somehow she’d become the one looking after Eva and dealing with whatever was thrown at them. And it wasn’t like she’d forgotten that less than a year earlier, she’d felt as if she’d met the strongest, most capable young woman in Eva that she’d ever encountered. Not to mention that April had always been the one to look out for everyone, but now she seemed so busy with her extra surgical duties that Grace was starting to worry about how much she’d taken on. It was so different from when they were in Pearl Harbor, their roles all reversed almost.

  But so much had happened since then. Enough for a lifetime, and yet only months had passed. She sighed and swatted a bug on her arm before going back to eating her bowlful of mush.

  Tomorrow. She needed to get Eva through today, and tomorrow she’d find a way to put a smile on all their faces. Or at least she hoped so.

  ‘Before you tell me that this is the worst picnic in the world, I have a plan,’ Grace said as they headed out for the morning.

  They’d originally planned on sleeping late if they could and then going out around lunchtime, but the sun was still blistering in the afternoons, and they’d decided to leave earlier. She plucked a little package from her pocket and held it out, waving it toward April.

  ‘Somehow we missed out on getting our official guidebooks when we disembarked,’ Grace said, passing it to April. ‘It clearly states in there that bargaining is more than acceptable, and it just so happens that I have some cigarettes in my pocket to trade with.’

  ‘Grace, it clearly says that bargaining is acceptable, but in the context of not paying the asking price from a street vendor,’ April said. ‘You’re talking about bartering.’

  April laughed, and Grace watched as Eva moved closer, reading over April’s shoul
der.

  ‘It also says that you should never offer the locals alcoholic drinks,’ Eva said. ‘Do you think cigarettes are permitted?’

  ‘I’m not offering them a bottle of whiskey, for goodness’ sake; I’m offering cigarettes and some US dollars. I’ve heard they have amazing food, and I’m sick of our camp chow and cans of mush.’

  Eva let out an audible sigh. ‘Me too.’

  ‘So what do you say? Shall we find us some locals to barter with?’

  ‘Ohhh, it’s full of interesting notes. Listen to this,’ April said. ‘“Men walking together holding hands are not to be regarded as deviants, and no one should ever touch a local man, as they do not like being touched by strangers.” And you’re right about not eating with your left hand; it’s considered very unclean because they eat with their fingers here.’

  ‘I think maybe the guidelines were more for the soldiers than us. It also makes it very clear that United States men should never go near a veiled woman.’

  ‘Why?’ Eva asked.

  ‘They’re the respectable women; the prostitutes are the ones without their heads covered.’

  April made a snorting sound that made them all laugh. ‘Not exactly a concern for us, is it, ladies? Unless of course we get mistaken for one.’

  ‘It must be awfully hot, don’t you think, for all those women wearing the veils and long, ankle-length dresses,’ Eva said.

  ‘Maybe it helps to keep them cool—I don’t know,’ Grace replied. ‘I’d love to understand more about their culture. Everything about them is so different; there’s nothing similar to what I’ve ever seen at home.’

  Suddenly there was a chorus of calls and shouts from farther down toward the town, and a crowd of children ran at them, waving and grinning from ear to ear.

  ‘Incoming,’ April muttered. ‘I think we’re about to be mobbed!’

  They’d seen children crowded around the American trucks before, flapping their little hands and hoping for a treat of some sort to be dropped into their palms, but they’d walked about the other day without being disturbed.