Annie Groves - The District Nurses of Victory Walk

Kathleen had sagged against the hard back of the chair as Alice had assessed her child, but now perked up as her biggest fear was allayed. ‘Oh no, Miss. We’ve got no call to go down there. Leastways, my Ray’s got a brother down that way but we don’t see him regular. They wasn’t close, you see.’ She sniffed. ‘It’s just … you hear these things … I didn’t know where to turn …’

Alice made a decision. ‘Mrs Berry, may I make a suggestion? You take a seat in the comfy chair and I’ll make us both a cup of tea. Through there, I take it?’ and before the exhausted young mother could object, she slipped through the connecting door to the back of the house.

She’d wanted to observe the state of the rest of the place. She knew only too well that typhoid flourished in conditions of poverty which so often led to overcrowding and a lack of hygiene. But here, although money was so evidently painfully short, everything was scrubbed and tidy. What food and drink there was, was covered and protected, and therefore far less likely to be a source of contagion. Somehow the frazzled young woman managed to maintain a clean house, even with a demanding small baby.

Alice opened one of the two wooden cupboards and found the tin of tea leaves, which was easy as there wasn’t much else on the warped shelves. She set the kettle to boil and found a small amount of milk in a bottle beneath a pottery cooler. She sniffed it dubiously but it was fresh. There was a collection of slightly chipped but matching cups hanging from hooks beneath a wooden rack holding plates from the same set. Alice wondered if they had been a wedding present, as she cautiously unhooked two cups.

She put the tea things on a tray and then filled a dish of cool water from the one tap in the back kitchen, adding a tea towel she found in the drawer under the sink. Then she carried everything through.

‘Why don’t you pour, Mrs Berry, and I’ll sponge down the boy.’ She knelt beside the little figure and gently dipped the towel in water and wiped his hot face very carefully.

‘Call me Kathleen, do, Miss. I’m so grateful you came round,’ Kathleen said, her hands shaking a little as she filled Alice’s cup. ‘If it’s not typhoid, do you know what’s wrong with him?’

Alice smiled reassuringly. ‘Has he been mixing with anyone who’s got a cold? Babies often show a high temperature when you or I would just feel a little under the weather.’

Kathleen thought for a moment. ‘He might have, Miss. My friend’s brother had to pull out of a match last week as he was took bad but then he was right as rain by the weekend. Could that be it?’

‘It could be something as simple as that. Keep him warm, wipe his face with a cool cloth and give him plenty of fluids.’ Alice looked appraisingly at the young woman. ‘You are feeding him yourself still, I assume?’

Kathleen nodded.

‘You might want to consider a supplementary feed, such as Cow and Gate,’ Alice suggested gently.

‘Oh no, Nurse. Our family don’t hold with that. Mother’s milk is best, that’s what they say.’ Kathleen knew she could never afford any alternative.

‘Well, you’ve got to make sure that you keep your strength up, that you’re taking in enough nutrition to make good milk.’ Alice had noticed the baby was on the scrawny side and suspected the mother was scrimping on meals. She didn’t have a spare ounce of fat on her. ‘Is it just the two of you here?’ She had registered the wedding ring on the young woman’s hand, but also the narrow single bed pushed against the back wall and the clothes rail with a few well-worn frocks on it but no men’s items.

Kathleen’s head came up. ‘My Ray’s away on a merchant ship, Miss. He’ll be back soon and then he’ll see us right. It’s just he can’t always tell us where he is or when he’ll be back, letters take so long, though I always try to keep him up to date with our news. I’m keeping the place nice for when he returns. I’ll be able to pay you then.’

Alice glanced down. She hated the moment when the subject of money was raised, and had already presumed that Kathleen would fall into the bracket of those too poor to afford to pay, and who would therefore be treated for free. But it was a thorny issue. Everyone had their pride, and just because cash was short didn’t mean Kathleen wanted to be a sympathy case. Alice fixed her gaze on the rag rug on the bare floor, which had been skilfully made, even if not very recently. ‘You might be eligible for extra milk from the local authority. You can drink it yourself and also dilute it for your baby.’

Kathleen visibly recoiled at the notion of receiving a handout. ‘That won’t be necessary, Nurse.’

‘No need to worry about that just now,’ Alice said hastily. ‘You let us know when your husband comes home and we can maybe talk about it then. But in the meanwhile, you mustn’t hesitate to call for us again if the boy doesn’t improve or goes down with something else.’ She looked directly at Kathleen. ‘The best way to keep your child well is to make sure you stay healthy yourself, Mrs Berry. Kathleen.’ She paused to let her words sink in. ‘And that means eating well. I know it’s not always easy to find the time when you are busy but you have to remember to do so.’

Kathleen flushed. Of course she’d been missing meals. There wasn’t the money to eat properly every day, but she was damned if she’d admit that to the kind nurse.

Alice had finished her tea and was making ready to leave when there came a knock at the door and a young woman came in without waiting for Kathleen to answer. In the dim light the first thing Alice noticed was her hair – there was so much of it, partially pinned up but most of it falling down around her shoulders, windblown and untameable. ‘Thought you were coming round?’ she demanded, and then stopped in her tracks. ‘Sorry, didn’t realise you had company.’

Alice stood. ‘I was just leaving. I’m Nurse Lake, Alice Lake.’

Kathleen hurriedly stood as well. ‘Oh, Mattie, Brian was took bad and I clean forgot. I’m sorry, I hope your ma didn’t go to no trouble …’

‘Don’t be silly.’ Mattie took one look at her friend who was all of a fluster and went and gave her a big hug. Then she turned to Alice. ‘You’re not going on my account, are you?’

‘No, no, I was on my way anyway,’ Alice assured her. ‘I’ve taken a look at Brian and I’m sure he’s in no danger. He just needs good care and plenty of rest.’

Mattie nodded. ‘Glad to hear it. I’m Mattie Askew, by the way. I’ve got a baby Brian’s age so I know what it’s like, don’t I, Kath? Only I live at me ma’s while my Lennie’s away, so I got someone to help me out and look after her now and again.’

Kathleen breathed out. ‘Your ma’s a diamond, Mattie. She’s been good to me an’ all. I don’t know where I’d be without her, that’s the truth.’

Alice picked up her bag. ‘Well, I’m glad to see you’ve got a good friend, Kathleen. A trouble shared is a trouble halved, that’s what they say.’ She moved towards the door.

‘Works both ways,’ Mattie said staunchly. ‘When my Lennie joined up I was in a proper tizz, and Kathleen looked after me then. He always wanted to go into the army but when he went ahead and did it I didn’t know what to do. It was Kathleen what stopped me running after him and making a fool of myself.’ She grinned at her friend with affection. Alice saw Kathleen in a different light, not a poverty-stricken young woman panicking about her child’s health, but a steadfast friend who could be relied upon. It was a good lesson to learn on her first real visit as a district nurse. People had different sides and you couldn’t presume that you understood everything about them on one short visit.