Read Online Luciano's Luck by Jack Higgins - Free Book Online Page B

times and certainly not in hospital. An assortment of surgical instruments was laid out on a trolley beside the operating table. Sister Maria pulled 69 the sheet away and folded it neatly. The body was that of a middle-aged man who had obviously been in remarkably good condition, with powerful shoulders and strong, muscular arms. The eyes were closed, the face peaceful. 'The general staff shortage being as bad as ever and no shorthand writer available, I'm going to have to do the report from memory later,' Tankerley told her. 'He was found on the pavement near a bus stop in Lime Street at five-thirty. Age around fifty, good physical condition, no evidence of external bruising, so obviously not the victim of an assault. What would your diagnosis be, Sister?' 'Coronary?' she said. 'Yes, I'd go along with that. Everything fits, including the age, so in the circumstances, we'll dispense with the whole works and go straight for the heart.' He held out his hand. She passed him a large scalpel and he opened the body from throat to belly with one practised stroke. A living patient was different but this was something she had always found difficult to take. She swallowed hard as Tankerley started to break the ribs with a pair of large cutters. 'Raw meat, Sister.' He was, as usual, unable to resist taunting her. 'That's all there is to a man at the end of the day. Where's your God now?' She passed him a small scalpel. 'A superior piece of engineering. Totally functional. There seems to be no task a human being is not capable of, wouldn't you agree?' 'Except learning how to live for ever.' 'No, but it is people at their most extraordinary I am interested in,' she said. 'Is that all that's left, a body on a mortuary slab? I don't think so. Christ, Professor, was once only a man dying on a cross. Two thousand years later he is a visible presence to millions.' He glanced up and half-smiled in grudging admiration. 'Oh, you have a way with the words, I'll say that for you.' And then, as the first stock of bombs fell across the docks, there was an explosion close at hand. The whole building shook, there was the crash of breaking glass. The lights dimmed for a moment and, somewhere, a woman screamed in fear. 'They certainly pick their time,' Tankerley said. 'On your way, Sister. They'll be needing you in Casualty. Ill finish up here on my own.' As she reached the door, another stick of bombs dropped across the docks. The steel instruments rattled on the tray as the building shook again. Tankerley reached for another scalpel and continued with his task while Sister Maria wrenched open the door and hurried out. There was a tremendous hubbub in Casualty, people running up and down the corridor and a smell of burning. The bombing had stopped and Maria could hear fire engines in the distance. The hospital was working at full stretch now and she was on her own, patiently inserting twenty-five stitches into the left leg of a young seaman who had been brought in from the docks half an hour previously. He watched her carefully, an unlit cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. 'You're doing a good job there, Sister. How about giving me a little kiss for being a brave boy?' 'Not part of the service, I'm afraid.' 'What a waste,' he said. 'I mean, a good-looking girl like you. It must be hell.' Behind her, Tankerley moved into the room. He produced a cigarette lighter and flicked it on. 'Here, light your cigarette and shut up.' He leaned down to examine the leg. 'Very nice, Sister. You can go now. I'll finish here.' She moved out through the curtain and started awkwardly to unfasten the ties at the back of her gown. Tankerley appeared behind her. 'Let me.' He pulled the bows one by one and she was aware that he was angry. 'Young swine,' he muttered. She turned, shaking her head. 'He doesn't understand, that's all. So many people want everyone else to be as they are. And he's right. It can be hell. St Chrysostom called celibacy the little