small oil stove where hot drinks could be made and she watched the warden take him, grateful to be rid of him, for he had started to smell rather heavy in the thick air of the stuffy shelter.
‘Ye gods, but it fair reeks in here,’ the tall man said and Robin turned to him eagerly.
‘I’m so grateful to you!’ she said. ‘I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t have left him but it was all getting so noisy –’ And almost on cue there was a loud crump and the walls seemed to shake as the lamps went rolling wildly on their hooks, sending great shadows up the walls and illuminating frightened faces, all staring upwards. The chattering had stopped for a moment and then it started again, louder now and more defiant as the shelterers caught their breath and managed to relax a little, andsomeone at the far end of the shelter started to sing ‘Daisy’ and one after another people joined in, a little raggedly at first but then with more and more assurance.
‘It was no bother to me,’ the tall man said and Robin peered at him in the dimness, startled, for now she recognized his voice.
‘Oh’ she said. ‘It’s you!’
‘As far as I know,’ the tall man said courteously and then smiled and she thought – why, he’s quite young! All the times she had seen him on Annie Zunz Ward he had seemed to be a man well into his thirties, with his dour glare and his tightly-held lips, but now the smile revealed rather endearingly misshapen teeth and stripped years off him.
‘I’m sorry, Todd,’ she said. ‘I hadn’t realized.’
‘No reason why ye should, Nurse,’ he said and the years climbed back into his face, as he shut his mouth tightly.
‘Oh, please, don’t call me Nurse like that! It’s as though I were on duty, and I’m not. Not until eight at any rate. Call me Robin,’ and she stuck out her hand. ‘I can’t tell you how grateful I am. You saved that old man, but you did me a good deed too. I’d be out there yet, arguing with him, if you hadn’t come and grabbed his pram.’ She turned her head and peered into the pram, where it was set against the only available patch of wall. ‘What do you suppose is in it that he hung on so hard?’
‘Everything he owns, I imagine,’ he said and shook her hand awkwardly and then let it go and stood erect against the wall, his arms dangling at his side, staring at her. She could see him more closely now as her eyes became accustomed to the change in the light levels and she was puzzled. He was a little paler than she remembered seeing him on the ward, and was sweating. His forehead and upper lips were beaded, and she rubbed her own face, a little surprised. It was warm in here, but not that hot –
There was another crump and again the lamps swung wildly but the noise was less and there was a drop in the level of chatter to a low murmur as they all strained their ears to hear, and then another crump came noticeably further away and shoulders relaxed and people started to talk again and to laugh and sing; and Robin too took a deep breath of relief and slid down the wall to crouch on her haunches, since there were no spaces on any of the benches.
‘Weren’t you on duty this afternoon, Todd?’ she asked, tryingagain to make conversation even though it was obviously going to be as difficult, she told herself a little wryly, as walking over a ploughed field in silk dancing pumps. ‘I thought you’d have been up on the ward – ’
‘I’m transferred to night duty tonight,’ he said a little gruffly, as though the words were being dragged out of him. ‘Casualty.’
‘Oh!’ she said brightly. ‘Me too! Will you like it, do you think? I’m not sure, but Chick – you know, Nurse Chester? – she’s going to Cas too, and she says it should be interesting.’
‘Oh, aye, it’ll be that for sure,’ Todd said. ‘If you regard it as interesting to see people with their limbs blasted off and their eyes fairly sucked out of their skulls.’
She shrank
‘Ye gods, but it fair reeks in here,’ the tall man said and Robin turned to him eagerly.
‘I’m so grateful to you!’ she said. ‘I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t have left him but it was all getting so noisy –’ And almost on cue there was a loud crump and the walls seemed to shake as the lamps went rolling wildly on their hooks, sending great shadows up the walls and illuminating frightened faces, all staring upwards. The chattering had stopped for a moment and then it started again, louder now and more defiant as the shelterers caught their breath and managed to relax a little, andsomeone at the far end of the shelter started to sing ‘Daisy’ and one after another people joined in, a little raggedly at first but then with more and more assurance.
‘It was no bother to me,’ the tall man said and Robin peered at him in the dimness, startled, for now she recognized his voice.
‘Oh’ she said. ‘It’s you!’
‘As far as I know,’ the tall man said courteously and then smiled and she thought – why, he’s quite young! All the times she had seen him on Annie Zunz Ward he had seemed to be a man well into his thirties, with his dour glare and his tightly-held lips, but now the smile revealed rather endearingly misshapen teeth and stripped years off him.
‘I’m sorry, Todd,’ she said. ‘I hadn’t realized.’
‘No reason why ye should, Nurse,’ he said and the years climbed back into his face, as he shut his mouth tightly.
‘Oh, please, don’t call me Nurse like that! It’s as though I were on duty, and I’m not. Not until eight at any rate. Call me Robin,’ and she stuck out her hand. ‘I can’t tell you how grateful I am. You saved that old man, but you did me a good deed too. I’d be out there yet, arguing with him, if you hadn’t come and grabbed his pram.’ She turned her head and peered into the pram, where it was set against the only available patch of wall. ‘What do you suppose is in it that he hung on so hard?’
‘Everything he owns, I imagine,’ he said and shook her hand awkwardly and then let it go and stood erect against the wall, his arms dangling at his side, staring at her. She could see him more closely now as her eyes became accustomed to the change in the light levels and she was puzzled. He was a little paler than she remembered seeing him on the ward, and was sweating. His forehead and upper lips were beaded, and she rubbed her own face, a little surprised. It was warm in here, but not that hot –
There was another crump and again the lamps swung wildly but the noise was less and there was a drop in the level of chatter to a low murmur as they all strained their ears to hear, and then another crump came noticeably further away and shoulders relaxed and people started to talk again and to laugh and sing; and Robin too took a deep breath of relief and slid down the wall to crouch on her haunches, since there were no spaces on any of the benches.
‘Weren’t you on duty this afternoon, Todd?’ she asked, tryingagain to make conversation even though it was obviously going to be as difficult, she told herself a little wryly, as walking over a ploughed field in silk dancing pumps. ‘I thought you’d have been up on the ward – ’
‘I’m transferred to night duty tonight,’ he said a little gruffly, as though the words were being dragged out of him. ‘Casualty.’
‘Oh!’ she said brightly. ‘Me too! Will you like it, do you think? I’m not sure, but Chick – you know, Nurse Chester? – she’s going to Cas too, and she says it should be interesting.’
‘Oh, aye, it’ll be that for sure,’ Todd said. ‘If you regard it as interesting to see people with their limbs blasted off and their eyes fairly sucked out of their skulls.’
She shrank
Similar Books
