Christmas for the District Nurses

by Annie Groves

  ‘I don’t think Alice knows for certain either.’ Edith frowned. ‘So what happened – I thought you said you wouldn’t be able to get back? Your supervisor was on the warpath, that’s what you wrote.’

  ‘She was and all.’ Harry’s expression was rueful. ‘She made my life hell, always picking on the smallest things and favouring anyone who sucked up to her. I couldn’t do anything right. Then she went and called me into the captain’s office in front of everybody. I thought she’d come up with some reason to court martial me, or something, her face was so angry. All the rest were staring and nudging each other. I felt such a fool.’

  ‘And what happened?’ Edith demanded.

  Harry tapped his nose. ‘Aha, that’s my news,’ he said, laughing at her annoyance. ‘Don’t worry, all in good time. Meanwhile, have a coconut biscuit with your tea – Mattie made them special.’ He took one from a nearby plate and bit in.

  Edith shook her head. ‘No thanks. I’ll save myself for dinner.’

  ‘That’ll be ages,’ Harry predicted, but Edith stood firm. There was something about the cloying sugary scent that put her right off. She’d had some dry toast before leaving Victory Walk; she could wait.

  Flo always had a rush of contented satisfaction after she set the turkey on the table and Stan stood up to carve it. She watched him now, with a little smile on her face. Despite his years, he was still a good-looking man. If truth were told, he was going quite grey these days, especially around the temples; first the trauma of almost losing Harry, then the rigours of the Blitz and then the daily trials of his ARP duties had seen to that. She knew that she didn’t hear the half of what he witnessed on those shifts. He never complained, though. He was her rock, and she felt even closer to him now than when she’d married him, all those years ago.

  Glancing around the table, she knew she had more reasons to feel content. There were Billy and Kathleen, together at last and with their young family. Mattie had Alan on her lap, offering him a roast potato. He was growing into a lovely little boy; what a shame his father wasn’t there to see it. Flo wrested her thoughts away from going down that track. There was Alice, who found it so hard to get back all the way to Liverpool to be with her parents; Flo prided herself that the serious young nurse could call Jeeves Street her second home. A real pity that Joe wasn’t back, to bring a smile to her face; Flo could tell that he managed that better than anybody.

  Then there was Harry, joking and smiling, biding his time before breaking his news. She was curious as to what it might be but, in all honesty, as long as he was safe, she didn’t mind. All she cared about was that he was alive and happy. She would never forget the horror of nearly losing one of her children. He might be a strapping young man and married for a whole year, but to her he would forever be her little boy. She could feel tears at the back of her eyes as she experienced once more that overwhelming sense of love for him, but blinked them away. This was a time to celebrate.

  Edith pushed a carrot around her plate. ‘So, go on then, Harry. What’s the big secret?’ She flashed him a grin in challenge.

  Harry set down his knife and fork, having cleared his plate. ‘That was the best yet, Ma. And that’s saying something. All right, I get the feeling I’m expected to tell you what the fuss is about now. Edith, you wanted to know why Charles of all people had arranged my lift home.’

  ‘I did, yes.’ She fixed him with her gaze, willing him on.

  ‘It’s because he’s going to be … not quite my boss, but sort of. He’s had a word with Jimmy, Major Ingham, you know, the former boxing champion who got me to join the army in the first place. He needs an instructor on his base. I don’t have to be able to hit like I used to—’

  ‘Well, we all know you can, cos we saw it when you walloped Frankie,’ Billy cut in, at which moment Kathleen tugged on his arm to restrain him.

  ‘… but I have to show the new recruits how to do it. It’ll get them fit and toughen them up while they learn discipline too.’ Harry was warming to his subject. ‘He got in touch with the captain on my old base and he put it all through. My supervisor was furious. Said it shouldn’t be allowed and she wanted me punished for insubordination.’ He shrugged. ‘That’s when I thought I couldn’t come home for Christmas. She didn’t stand a chance, though, being up against two captains and a major. She was outranked, good and proper. So I don’t go back to my old unit at all – it’s straight off to the new posting after Boxing Day.’ He turned to Edith. ‘I’m sorry, Edie, it’s further away. But I couldn’t say no.’

  Edith ignored all the gasps around the table, gazing at him and registering how enthusiastic he sounded, more than she’d seen for many months. This new posting could be the salvation of him. She couldn’t complain about the distance; she hardly saw him anyway, even though he was relatively close as the crow flew. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she said. ‘As long as you’re happy, Harry. I know you hated that desk job. You were wasted there. This will be much more up your street. I wish it was in London but that’s just too bad. I’ll come and see you wherever you are, you know that.’ A lump formed in her throat. If she continued to be so tired, it would be difficult, but she couldn’t say that now.

  Alice grinned. ‘So that’s what Mary’s been hinting at. She’s been like the cat that got the cream these past few days, but wouldn’t tell me why. Just wait till I see her.’

  Stan nodded and went over to slap his son on the back. ‘Congratulations, Harry. You’ll be back doing what you love. That makes me prouder than ever of you.’

  Harry’s eyes grew bright. ‘Thanks,’ he choked out. Stan was a man of few words and so that short speech carried great weight. ‘I never really thought about what it meant to be a coach in the days when I was training, but I know now, looking back, that if it hadn’t have been for a couple of them who spotted me in my teens, then my life would have been completely different. I owe them a lot. This will be my way of paying them back.’

  Flo nodded gravely. ‘I’m proud to hear you say that, Harry. You’ve made my Christmas. It’s the best present you could have given me.’ The tears were back and this time she let one fall before pretending to sniff with cold and wipe it away.

  ‘Talking of presents …’ Mattie stood up. ‘The kids won’t wait much longer. Shall we take a break before the pudding and go over to the tree now? I don’t think I can eat another mouthful, or not for a while anyway.’

  ‘Good idea.’ Alice rose and began to clear away the plates, while Kathleen tackled the leftover roast vegetables, piling them into smaller dishes to save for later.

  Edith took a stack of plates from Alice and brought them to the sink in the back kitchen. She had a gift wrapped up for Harry, a beautiful new strap for his watch. She knew the old one was wearing thin, partly because he had a habit of playing with it when he was anxious. With luck the new one would not be subject to such treatment. As for her main present to him – yet again, that would have to wait.

  Harry stretched out on his old bed, with his arms above his head. His feet pressed against the footboard. ‘You can’t beat Ma’s Christmas dinner,’ he sighed. ‘I used to think about it, when I was stuck in hospital for all those months. I’d say to myself, when I get out of here I’m going to ask her to cook me a roast.’

  Edith raised herself up on one elbow and looked down at him. With her free hand she pulled her cherry-red cardigan around her. They had all been sitting in the parlour downstairs, which was warm from the big fire, and now she was chilly. Her shivers were partly from the news she had to break to him.

  ‘You all right?’ he asked suddenly, noticing her expression. ‘Here am I going on about myself and not checking how you are. I’m sorry. You’ve enjoyed yourself today, haven’t you?’

  ‘Of course,’ Edith said immediately. ‘It’s been lovely – especially your present.’ She touched the little locket which hung at her throat, glinting in the light of the old Tilley lamp. ‘You weren’t going on about yourself at all. It’s exciting, your new posti
ng. I won’t worry about you so much now, if Major Jimmy’s in charge. You’ve had a bad time this year, I know. Things will get better now, you’ll see.’

  Harry pulled her closer to him and held her close to his chest. ‘I don’t know what I’d have done without you, Edie. You make everything seem right when I talk to you. I said some bad things, didn’t I? Like about not being a proper man. I want to be a proper man for you, Edie.’

  She giggled. ‘We’d better wait for everyone else to be asleep, then – the walls are a bit on the thin side.’

  He chuckled. ‘And after that last helping of pudding …’

  ‘Know what you mean.’ She took his hand and put it on her stomach. ‘Feel that?’

  He laughed again and then caught the brightness of her gaze. His eyes flickered to the shelf opposite, and the framed photo there: Joe, Mattie and him when they were younger. He and Mattie looked as if they didn’t have a care in the world; Joe was more serious, even then. They had had very few photographs taken in those days, and that one was special.

  It dawned on him what she meant. ‘Are you saying … this isn’t all Christmas pudding?’

  Edith gave a small smile. ‘Well, some of it is, obviously.’

  ‘But you didn’t eat much, did you. Not like normally.’ He remembered seeing her push the food around, not like her at all.

  ‘I’m a bit off my food at the moment,’ she admitted.

  ‘And that’s because . .?’ He waited for her to confirm it.

  She grinned more broadly. ‘You’ve guessed, haven’t you? You’re going to be a father, Harry. I’m having a baby. So I reckon that makes you a proper man and no mistake.’

  She waited for his reaction, and for once he was at a loss for words. His face said it all, though. It was a combination of surprise and wonder. ‘A baby,’ he said at last. Then he sat up straight. ‘Oh my God. Are you feeling well, Edie? You should have said before, I’d have looked after you all day. Are you tired? Do you need anything?’

  ‘Only you, silly.’ She reached out and stroked his arm. ‘I couldn’t have said anything before. I’ve only now found out myself. I wondered why I was so tired, and like you saw, not eating like I normally do, and I went and talked to Dr Patcham. So it’s true.’

  ‘Shouldn’t you stop working?’

  ‘No,’ she said at once. ‘Not till I have to. Not till I’m too big to ride a bike. They need me, Harry. I can’t just stop, and I don’t want to.’

  ‘But all those sick people …’

  She shook her head. ‘We nurses know how best to stop infection spreading. We’re trained from day one. You’re as likely to catch something queueing up for rations – more so, probably. So don’t you worry about me.’

  He swallowed hard. ‘A baby. Our baby. Our own family.’ His face lit up at the idea. ‘I hope it’s a little girl who looks just like you.’

  ‘Or a boy, then you can teach him to box.’

  ‘I don’t mind really. As long as he or she is healthy and safe. Oh, Edie. I love you so much. I can’t wait.’

  She laughed and pressed her face against his chest. ‘You’ll have to. He or she won’t be here until the summer. It’s very early days. We shouldn’t tell too many people, just in case.’

  She could feel him nodding. ‘All right. But I can’t not tell Ma and Pa. Then they’ll want Mattie to know.’

  Edith nodded back. ‘Yes, they’ll have to know. We can’t keep that to ourselves for all of tomorrow, and your mother will have noticed me not eating much, I’m sure.’ She paused, not wanting to think of anything going wrong. ‘I’m strong and fit – we shouldn’t worry. Meanwhile I’ll tell Alice. She’s bound to notice too, if she hasn’t already. She knows what signs to look for, after all.’

  ‘Oh, you nurses.’ He put his arms around her again and squeezed, but carefully now. ‘There’s no hiding anything from you, is there?’

  ‘I should hope not,’ she said, and snuggled against him, listening to the sounds of the household settling down after their Christmas, and waiting for the rest of them to be asleep.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Alice and Edith sat side by side on Alice’s bed in the small attic room, watching as the late afternoon sunset lit up the rooftops over Dalston. Soon it would be time to draw the curtains and fix the blackout blinds. From outside in the corridor they could hear somebody singing ‘In the meadow we can build a snowman’. – Mary, probably.

  ‘Do you think it will snow?’ Edith asked.

  ‘I don’t think so. It’s been overcast, but not with snow clouds.’ She struggled to form the words, still trying to take in what her best friend had just told her.

  Edith was having a baby. She knew that this was what Edith wanted, and that she would be a wonderful mother. Harry would take to being a father like a duck to water; you only had to look at how he behaved with Mattie and Kathleen’s children to realise that. He would be in his element; they both would. This child, whether a boy or girl, would be lucky indeed, and would also have the unconditional love of the wider family. Riches could not buy that.

  Even so, Alice felt a pang of regret. She had known when Edith married that things would have to change, and yet for months everything had stayed the same. They had gone on their rounds, compared notes in the evenings, cheered each other up or commiserated when needed. There was nothing quite like talking over a case with Edith. There wasn’t anything wrong with the other nurses, but because they had trained together for so long, she didn’t have to explain as much. Edith would immediately know what she meant and how to help if there was a problem. So much that happened between them simply went without saying.

  Alice had never had a sister; she was an only child. Edith had had an older sister whom she had adored, but Teresa had died while Edith was still young, and she had never quite got over it. Somehow this brought them closer together still; they were more like sisters than friends, Alice realised. They told each other nearly everything, secure in the knowledge that the other one would not back away, no matter what was said. She could not remember ever seriously falling out. They were very different in background and character but it had never mattered.

  Now everything between them would alter. Edith’s focus would be quite rightly on the baby, and her love of nursing would have to move aside. Alice felt a moment of panic. How would she cope without Edith here beside her? She had never done this job without the steadfast, ongoing support of her best friend, closest confidante, and the nurse whom she would trust above all others in a crisis.

  ‘You all right, Al?’ Edith turned sideways to regard her friend. ‘Did I take you by surprise there?’

  Alice gave herself a shake. ‘Maybe. But not really,’ she said slowly. ‘Now I come to think of it, you’ve been a bit pale these last few weeks. I thought it was that cold you caught refusing to go away. I was going to ask if you needed to take a tonic or something like that. And we haven’t sat together for lunch for ages – you’ve been skipping it, haven’t you?’

  Edith shrugged and then grinned. ‘I had to. The smell of food made me queasy. I’m all right with dry toast or anything like that, but those stews … ugggh. It was safer to stay away and then quickly make a snack in the service room. I didn’t want to say until I was sure, though.’

  ‘Quite right.’ Alice couldn’t quite meet her eyes.

  Edith cocked her head to one side. ‘You don’t mind, do you? You’re happy for me?’

  Alice nodded. ‘Of course I am. No, I really am.’ She took a breath. ‘I’ll miss you though. That’s the shock, knowing that you won’t be here.’

  ‘Oh, Al. Don’t be silly. I won’t be going very far.’ Edith gave her friend a heartfelt look. ‘I’m going to go to live at Jeeves Street, when the time comes to leave here. But I’m going to nurse right up to the last moment. I love nursing, you know that.’

  ‘I do.’ Alice’s face relaxed a little. ‘It’s what makes us what we are, isn’t it? And it changes us, being nurses. We have to deal with situati
ons that many people don’t realise exist. We can’t go into a flap or just guess at what to do. Our patients rely on us. It’s important.’

  ‘Exactly.’ Edith nodded vigorously. ‘None of that will change, Al. We’ll still be the same people. It’s just – well, there’ll be another one to think of.’

  ‘Maybe she’ll be a nurse.’

  ‘Maybe she will. Boy or girl, you’ll be godmother, won’t you?’

  Alice’s face finally softened. ‘Of course. Anything you ask, Edith.’

  Edith shifted along the bed a little and hugged her friend. ‘I know,’ she said.

  Keep Reading …

  About Annie Groves

  Annie Groves is the pen name of Jenny Shaw, an accomplished writer of fiction who has been published previously under a pseudonym. For many years she lived in the East End of London and is fascinated by its history.

  Annie Groves was originally created by the much-loved writer Penny Halsall, who died in 2011. The stories drew on her own family’s history, picked up from listening to her grandmother’s stories when she was a child. Jenny Shaw has been a big fan of the wonderful novels by Annie Groves for many years and feels privileged to have been asked to continue her legacy.

  Also by Annie Groves

  The Pride Family Series

  Ellie Pride

  Connie’s Courage

  Hettie of Hope Street

  The WWII Series

  Goodnight Sweetheart

  Some Sunny Day

  The Grafton Girls

  As Time Goes By

  The Campion Series

  Across the Mersey

  Daughters of Liverpool

  The Heart of the Family

  Where the Heart Is

  When the Lights Go On Again

  The Article Row Series

  London Belles

  Home for Christmas

  My Sweet Valentine

  Only a Mother Knows