Betty Neels - Damsel In Green.txt Read online

  "Go on with you, Ned," she said comfortably. If she had had a brother, she

  would have used the same tone of voice she was using now.

  "But I promise not to call you for scratches!"

  They started on their separate ways and as they went he called over his

  shoulder, "Are you on tonight?"

  She went on walking away from him.

  "No, tomorrow," she replied, thinking that she must remember to ring Aunt

  Polly.

  Night duty on Cas followed a pattern, she discovered, after she had been on

  for a few nights. Until eleven she was kept busy by a steady influx of

  people who 'didn't like to bother the doctor';

  toothache, teething babies, bruises it was best not to enquire too deeply

  into; boils and headaches, cut fingers and ingrowing toenails;

  they crowded into the benches, confident that someone would do something for

  them, and in the meantime it was pleasant to have a natter. After the pubs

  closed, it was the turn of the drunks, cheerfully escorted by a constable,

  who as often or not gave a helping hand. There was seldom very much wrong

  with them, but they wasted everyone's time, for they invariably needed

  stitches.

  After the first night, when there were two or three waiting for scalp wounds

  to be sutured, Ned suggested that she should give a hand, and after that she

  added stitching to her duties; of course he did the complicated cuts, but

  very often it was only a case of one straightforward stitch, which the

  patient was frequently far too drunk to notice. The crashes followed a

  pattern too--round about midnight and five or six in the morning, so that

  Georgina quite often ate her dinner at two o'clock in the morning and had to

  miss tea altogether, but that was something you expected if you worked on

  Cas, and it didn't occur to her to grumble about it. She slept like a log

  during the day, and there were nights off to look forward to.

  On this, the fifth night, however, she had gone on duty tired after an almost

  sleepless day. She smiled at the waiting patients as she passed them and

  went on into the office to take over from Sister, who was looking,

  surprisingly, quite different from usual. She gave Georgina one or two

  police messages in an abstracted sort of manner and told her that Ned would

  be on duty, and that Mr. Bingham would be available at ten o'clock. There

  was something in the way she said this that made Georgina look at her

  carefully. Sister was excited, and excitement had turned her into a very

  pretty woman. She caught Georgina's eye and said almost diffidently, "Mr.

  Bingham and I are going out to dinner--to celebrate. I might as well tell

  you, Staff. We're going to be married."

  Georgina put down her cloak and bag.

  "Sister, how wonderful! I am glad, and wish you every happiness. What a

  pity Mr. Bingham has to be on duty--it's his night on call, isn't it?"

  Sister got up and draped her cloak around her shoulders.

  "Well, yes.

  Staff, it is. But we shan't be long--if anything big comes in, Ned can get

  help and send for Mr. Bingham--there's the phone number on the pad. "

  She smiled dreamily, said goodnight, and slipped away. Georgina rolled up

  her sleeves and put on her frills, thinking about Sister and Mr. Bingham.

  Sister would leave, of course. She went across to the cubicles and checked

  their contents with practised speed, not because she didn't trust the day

  staff to leave everything in a state of readiness, but because each one of

  them did it when they came on duty--it was a kind of unwritten rule no one

  forgot. This done, she began on the patients.

  The benches were half cleared when she heard the ambulance. The two cubicles

  nearest the door were empty; she pushed back the double doors and wheeled two

  trolleys as near as possible to them, and found time to warn the waiting

  patients that they would be delayed. It was Ginger on duty. He drew up with

  a little rush and got out to join his mate.

  "Evening, Staff," he called politely.

  "Got an RTA here. Two kids and a man." He had opened the ambulance door and

  was pulling out the first stretcher.

  "Head injuries--broken legs for the little boy--man's a walking case."

  She flew to the telephone and dialled the doctors' quarters and waited a long

  minute while Ned was fetched. She said merely, "An RTA, Ned," and went to

  the first cubicle where the little boy was. He was still on the trolley and

  unconscious, and she thought that that was a good thing when she whisked back

  the blanket and looked at his legs.

  Nothing much to see, but there were already bruises showing between the

  splints--probably both femurs. He didn't look too bad, and his pulse was

  good. The second child was a little girl, semiconscious and bleeding from

  head wounds. She had long straight fair hair, hopelessly tangled and matted

  with blood. Georgina took her pulse too and hoped that she was right in

  thinking that she wasn't badly injured. The third patient came in on his

  feet, looking rather white. He was holding his right hand against his chest,

  and said surprisingly, "I'm sorry to give you this trouble. The children?"

  Georgina said quickly, "The doctor will be here in a moment--he'll have to

  examine them first. Come and sit down. When we've seen to them and I've a

  second, I'll get a sling for that arm of yours. It looks like a collarbone."

  She smiled at him, her brown eyes soft with sympathy. He was about her own

  age or a little younger; very good-looking, with fair hair and blue eyes and

  a mouth that looked as though it could laugh a lot in happier circumstances.

  She left him sitting, and went at once to the small boy, to be joined at once

  by Ned. He stood looking at him while she cut away the clothes from the

  quiet little body, and then at a word from her, steadied each leg as she

  eased off the shoes and socks.

  Ned explored them gently.

  "This is a job for old Sawbones--' he meant Mr. Sawbridge, the senior

  orthopaedic surgeon.

  "I'll get Bill Foster down." Bill was his registrar.

  "Get him on the phone, George. What's the lad's pulse like?"

  She had been taking it while he was talking.

  "A hundred and ten--strong, steady. I'll get him on a half-hourly chart,

  shall I? And I suppose you'll want skull X-rays as well as legs?"

  She didn't wait for an answer but went to the telephone for a second time to

  get Bill Foster, and then to send a message to the Night Super to see if she

  could spare the junior runner; it wasn't very likely, and she was used to

  managing alone for the greater part of the night.

  She left Ned with the little boy and went to look at the girl. The ambulance

  men had stayed with her and she thanked them gratefully.

  "I'm sorry I can't stop to make you a cup of tea. Ginger, but you're welcome

  to make yourselves one--you know where everything is."

  But they thanked her and said, no, they'd go. There was sure to be some more

  work for them some time. They collected their blankets and said "Cheerio'

  because it would have been silly to have said anything else when they would

  probably be seeing her several more times during the night. They said

&nb
sp; goodnight to the young man, however,

  and he wished them a good night in return and then asked them their names.

  They gave them awkwardly, and just as awkwardly received his quiet thanks.

  On the whole, not many people remembered to thank them, understandably

  enough, but it was nice when they did.

  Georgina had taken the little girl's pulse again. It was good, and she

  started to ease off her clothing. She was wearing a beautifully made topcoat;

  the dress beneath it was good too, but stained and torn. The child moaned

  softly and opened her eyes for a moment, and Georgina waited until she had

  lapsed into unconsciousness again before looking for injuries. There was a

  dull red mark on one cheek and another one on a shoulder--they would be livid

  bruises in a day or so. She covered her little patient with the blanket

  again and started to examine the small head. There were a number of cuts,

  none of them serious, but needing stitches. She started to swab them one by

  one, carefully cutting the long hair away from each small wound. The child

  was still unconscious when she had finished. She pulled the curtain back,

  hurried across to where the man sat and fastened a sling around his arm, then

  took an X-ray form along to Ned for him to sign. When she got back, she

  said, "Do you think you could manage to get to X-Ray? We're a bit pushed for

  staff--it's only just across the passage. I'll fill in your name presently."

  "The children?" he asked again.

  "The orthopaedic surgeon will be in presently-- I'm afraid the little boy has

  both legs broken," she said gently, 'but his general condition is quite good.

  The little girl has a cut head--I can't tell you anything else until the

  doctor has examined them. "

  He stood up.

  "How kind you are," he said, and smiled so that she felt a small glow of

  pleasure. He took the form she was holding out to him, and walked away to

  X-Ray.

  Bill Foster came then and joined Ned and Night Super followed him. She ran a

  practised eye over everything and said, "You can manage, can't you Staff?

  We're two nurses short tonight and Men's Medical is up to its eyes. They

  really need the runner there--I'll try and send someone down to help you

  clear up later." She went away again, exuding confidence and encouragement.

  Georgina went back to her patient. The trolley was set; it was just a

  question of waiting until Ned could get along to do the stitching. She took

  the child's pulse, was satisfied, and began to draw up the Novocaine. It was

  while she was doing so that she became aware of the man standing in the

  doorway.

  Her first impression was that he was enormous. She put the syringe, with its

  needle stuck in the top of the Novocaine bottle, on to the trolley top, and

  took another look. She had been right; he wasn't just tall; he was massive

  as well, so' that he dwarfed the small cubicle. He was handsome too, with

  fair hair brushed back from a high wide forehead, a patrician nose, and a

  mouth that looked kind. She couldn't see the colour of his eyes, but she

  thought that they were blue--they were staring at her now, and she made haste

  to say something.

  "Is this moppet yours? If you wouldn't mind going to the cubicle at the end,

  the Casualty Officer is there--I'm sure he wouldn't mind you calling in to

  see her." She smiled kindly at him.

  "She's not too bad, although she looks... The boy, is he yours too?"

  He smiled faintly.

  "Yes, Staff Nurse, they're mine." He had a deep voice, but she had expected

  that; any other would have sounded absurd coming from the great chest.

  "I've seen the Casualty Officer. May I come in?"

  He suited the action to the word and went to stand by the couch. But he

  didn't just stand; he raised the child's eyelids to test for pupil reaction,

  examined the small ears and nose carefully and took her pulse.

  "Has she been conscious at all?" he wanted to know.

  Oeorgina said.

  "Yes, twice, for a few moments," and stopped, astonished at herself. The man

  was a stranger and she was meekly answering his questions just as though he

  was one of the hospital doctors. She shot him a look of mingled annoyance

  and perplexity which she was sure he didn't see. Apparently he had eyes at

  the back of his head as well, for he said apologetically, "I'm sorry. You're

  quite right to be vexed with me. I should have said that I am a doctor.

  Your excellent young man here suggested that I might like to stitch Beatrix

  while we wait for Mr. Sawbridge's verdict." He straightened, missing the

  ceiling by an inch or so.

  "He will--er--vouch for me if you would care to ask him."

  She hesitated. It didn't occur to her to doubt him; he wasn't that kind of a

  man. Indeed, she was struck by the thought that she had met him a bare five

  minutes ago, and on the strength of this short acquaintance was quite

  prepared to take his word on anything. All the same, perhaps she should ask

  his name. She was saved from making up her mind about this by Ned," who put

  his head round the curtain. He took no notice of her at all, but said with

  marked politeness:

  "Mr. Sawbridge has just arrived, sir, if you'd care to see him? I could be

  having a quick dek-- er--look at the little girl in the meantime."

  The big man nodded. When he had gone and Ned had started a careful

  examination, Georgina burst out, "Ned, for heaven's sake, why are you so

  polite? Who is he?" She passed him the ophthalmoscope.

  "Her blood pressure's normal--her pulse is a bit fast too--a hundred and

  twelve, but nice volume. Who is he?" she repeated.

  Ned gave her back the ophthalmoscope and took the auroscope she was holding

  out. He peered down it and muttered, "Can't see anything much wrong--better

  have her X-rayed, though, when she's stitched. He'll do it I expect, while

  the boy's in X-Ray."

  "Who's he?" Georgina tried again. She was used to doctors, who tended to

  get away from the point.

  "George, don't you ever read those nursing papers of yours, or listen to the

  grapevine? He's been here several times. He lectures us--he goes to most of

  the teaching hospitals. He's Professor van den Berg Eyffert."

  She opened her pretty brown eyes wide.

  "What a name! Not English, surely. What's he professor of?"

  Ned frowned.

  "Your grammar's a bit sloppy, isn't it, old lady?

  Anaesthetics. Right in the front row, he is. Knows all the answers. "

  He went to the door.

  "I'm going to X-Ray to look at that clavicle."

  He went, and the big man came back. He said nothing about the little boy,

  merely, "Shall we start, Staff Nurse?"

  He took off his coat and white scarf, and stood in all the magnificence of

  white tie and tails, looking for somewhere to put them. Georgina took them

  from him and hung them behind the door,

  and his tail coat too while he rolled up his shirt sleeves. He was almost

  ready when she said hastily.

  "Before you start, sir, would you like me to sent a message to your wife? I

  can telephone her.. you could speak to her."

  He looked as though he was going to smile, but he answered gravely, "Th
ank

  you, but I have no wife."

  "Oh, how awful for you--I am sorry," said Georgina, and went scarlet.

  Would she never learn to think before she spoke? she thought remorsefully,

  and plunged deeper.

  "I mean--it's horrid for children when something like this happens, and

  there's no mo..." she stopped again, and met his eyes watching her

  quizzically from the other side of the trolley.

  "The young man with them--is he yours too?"

  This time he did smile.

  "Yes, more or less. A cousin. I have seen him in X-Ray." He looked

  suddenly forbidding. Perhaps, thought Georgina, it would be a good idea not

  to ask him any more questions.

  "Shall I hold her in my arms in case she comes round?" she asked.

  "If I sit on the side of the couch with her head over my arm--there's a stool

  you could use, otherwise your back will ache," she added in a practical voice.

  He did as she suggested and started to stitch. Two of the cuts had been

  closed when the little girl began to whimper, and they waited without

  speaking until she opened her eyes. Georgina said at once:

  "Hullo, Beatrix."

  The child looked at her for a long moment.

  "Who are you, please?"

  "Oh, a nurse," said Georgina, and turned herself round so that her patient