Annie Groves - The District Nurses of Victory Walk

‘I’ll say goodbye, then,’ she said. ‘Don’t hesitate to call on me again, Kathleen. Remember what I said earlier.’

‘I will. I reckon he’ll be right as rain now,’ said Kathleen, stepping towards the door to see Alice out. ‘Thank you, Nurse. You’ve set my mind at rest and I’m really grateful.’ She stood at the open door as Alice lifted her Gladstone bag into the wire basket of her bike and set off.

Mattie took a look at Brian and carefully placed her hand on his small forehead. ‘He is a bit warm, isn’t he? What did she think it was?’

Kathleen came back inside and shook her head ruefully. ‘He’s better than he was. She sponged him down ever so gently and he settled at last. He was ever so hot this morning, and I thought … I thought …’ She could barely form the word as the fear leapt up inside her once more, but she forced herself to stay calm. ‘You know. Like down in Shoreditch. I thought it had come here and he’d got it.’

‘Oh, Kath.’ Mattie knew exactly what her friend was thinking, and if she were honest she’d worried about it herself, even though she rarely went anywhere near the area. ‘It won’t be that, really it won’t.’

‘I know that now.’ Kathleen composed herself again. ‘She said he probably had a bit of a cold and that babies his age can get a temperature where you or me wouldn’t have more than a bit of a sniffle.’

‘Probably got it off our Harry.’ Mattie shifted uncomfortably. ‘I’ll kill him. I said to stay away from the little ’uns but he can’t resist them. He was picking up your Brian and playing with him a few days ago, wasn’t he?’

Kathleen nodded. ‘Don’t blame him though, Mattie. I’m glad he plays with them. Brian likes it, you can tell. Does him good to get a cuddle from someone apart from me. Not all men like to do it, so don’t you go stopping him.’

Mattie knew what Kathleen really meant. ‘Still no word from Ray, then?’

Kathleen shook her head. ‘He can’t send word if he’s halfway to Canada, can he? Stands to reason, that does. I don’t expect to hear nothing till he’s back in port, and who knows when that’ll be?’

‘Who knows,’ Mattie echoed loyally, keeping her true feelings out of her voice. She wouldn’t trust Ray Berry as far as she could throw him which, given that he was six foot tall and she was a shade over five foot two, wouldn’t be far. She knew Kathleen loved him with a fierce and unstoppable passion, which meant she never complained about being left high and dry with a baby to look after on hardly any money. She herself wouldn’t have put up with it. But then, her Lennie sent home a portion of his wages regular as clockwork, and wrote letters every time he could. He was desperate for news of his baby daughter. He and Ray were as different as chalk and cheese.

‘You going to come back with me, then?’ she asked now. ‘Bring Brian – if he’s got what Harry had then we’d all have caught it by now if we were going to. Ma’s made a big pot of stew and says it won’t last, and she’ll be furious if I don’t bring you home with me.’

Kathleen briefly shut her eyes. She knew she was a bit of a charity case, and didn’t want to presume on Mattie’s mother’s kindness. All the same, her mouth was watering at the thought of her stew, and Nurse Lake had been very clear: she had to eat well to keep Brian in good health. She really didn’t have much choice.

‘I’d love to,’ she said.

Edith was deep in conversation with Mary Perkins when Alice returned, a little shaky after the ride on the unfamiliar bike.

‘Come and have a cup of tea,’ Mary said at once. ‘I know what it’s like to ride that boneshaker. You’ll want a good sit-down to recover.’ She got up to boil the kettle and refresh the pot that she and Edith had already started. They were in the big room on the lower-ground floor, which was comfortably if slightly shabbily furnished to function as a combined dining and common room, next to the handy service room with all that thirsty nurses could need, as each had their own cupboard for drinks and snacks as well as a communal iron and ironing board. Light poured in through the big windows, and Alice could see the bike stand through one of them.

‘Don’t mind if I do,’ she said, collapsing onto a wooden carver chair, the seat of which was softened by a big patchwork cushion. ‘I found my way there and back all right though. I’m slowly getting my bearings.’

Mary set a cup and saucer in front of her. ‘There you are. What was it like? Was the baby very sick?’

Alice sipped the welcome tea and thought for a moment. ‘No, not really. Well, he had a temperature but I’m pretty sure it was nothing to worry about. It’s just that the real reason for concern is he’s undernourished, and we can’t do much about that unless the mother lets us.’

Edith looked at her. ‘Remember, they warned us about that in our lectures. You can’t save everyone, Alice, even though I know you want to.’

‘I know, I know.’ Alice was only too aware that she had a tendency to get drawn in. It was the only fault that her previous matron had noted. She’d been ticked off for not maintaining a professional barrier, and told in no uncertain terms that it would do nobody any good – not the patient and not her. ‘Really, Edith, you needn’t worry. I’m not about to go round there and start taking over. It’s just – well, the mother was trying her best, you could see it in the way she kept the place, but she had next to nothing. She can barely feed herself, let alone the baby.’

Mary raised her eyebrows. ‘Like I said, you’ll be back, I’ll put money on it. A penny it’s within the fortnight. What do you say?’

‘I … I don’t really bet,’ Alice said, secretly shocked. She had been raised to think of gambling as a sin, and yet here was Mary blithely offering to put money down on a patient getting sick again. It didn’t seem right, but she didn’t want to appear too disapproving on her first day.

‘Oh, Alice doesn’t like a flutter but I do.’ Edith’s eyes gleamed. ‘Just you wait till I have my first case.’

‘Didn’t you get called out today, then?’ Alice asked.

‘No, I’ve been unpacking and making myself familiar with where everything is around here,’ Edith explained. ‘Nearest bathroom, quickest way down the stairs, who sleeps where, that kind of thing. Met a few of our colleagues and heard all the stories about which doctors are easiest to work with and which try to palm you off with patients they don’t want to deal with. Tested out which of the chairs down here are the comfiest.’

Alice nodded. ‘Have you been outside?’ She had a very good idea of what Edith had been on the lookout for.

‘I might have.’ Edith rolled her eyes. ‘There’s a solid tall fence to the side but the one at the back is a bit rickety.’ She grinned.

Alice said nothing but sent a silent message to her friend to go no further. Neither of them knew Mary well enough yet to share what Edith was up to, but Alice was sure she’d been checking for ways in and out after curfew. She’d done the same at their last place, working out where the rotten fence posts were and pushing in that way if she hadn’t got back in time. Alice didn’t exactly approve, but she wasn’t going to land Edith in hot water if she could help it.

Mary remained blissfully ignorant of what was going on under her nose. ‘I got called out just after you left. One of the girls who works in the gas-mask factory had run a needle through her hand, but hadn’t done anything about it. She stayed off work but only thought to tell the doctor once the wound started puffing up. Should have disinfected it immediately but too late now. Anyway I cleaned it and dressed it and she should be all right, but it’ll take her twice as long to heal than if she’d had it seen to at once.’ She shrugged.