It wasn’t long before they arrived at the Clearing Station, where they found chaos that was worse than they had previously experienced. Not many casualties stayed here for long, just until they were well enough to be shipped out to other hospitals, home or back to the front line.
Ella thought nothing could shock her in caring for the wounded, but here, as they were shown around, she saw cases that she had never seen the like of. Some of these poor souls never even made it out, but left the Clearing Station in body bags.
‘No time to settle you folk in. All hands are needed to start work as soon have you have washed up.’
Alan answered. ‘Point us in the right direction and we’ll be with you as soon as possible, Matron. We number two surgeons and two theatre staff.’
‘Excellent. Exactly what we need. You’re all very welcome, I’m only sorry it is the depths of hell that I’m welcoming you to.’
The matron was so different from the one they had just left. Her Australian way of speaking was jolly, and yet she exuded confidence in them. ‘Any of you neurological? We could do with a brain surgeon.’
‘No, but Dr Frazer was training in that field before volunteering for service out here.’
‘I’ll assess them as best I can, Matron, and I will attempt to save any of the men that I think I can.’
‘That won’t be many, Dr Frazer. You know, back in Australia we shoot badly injured animals, and I don’t mind admitting that I’ve wished I could do the same for some of the poor buggers brought in here.’
Ella felt a giggle rise in her and knew that Connie did, too, as she heard her cough and saw her make a big pretence of covering her mouth. She had never heard a matron swear before, and doubted Connie had. And, by the look on both doctors’ faces, they hadn’t, either.
‘Anyhow, it is what it is.’
‘We’ve brought some supplies and we have some strong drugs, so we’ll try to help as many as we can.’
‘Good. Now, what did you say your name was?’
‘I didn’t. I’m Dr Alan Mathews, general surgeon, and I’ve already mentioned Dr Frazer. These are Nurses Wronski and Knight – theatre nurses.’
If Ella had been surprised at how Matron spoke, she was even more surprised by the formal way Dr Mathews had introduced them, but guessed the rebuff he’d had from their last matron had put him on his guard.
‘You English. So bloody formal. Didn’t your mother give you Christian names? Mine’s Pollyanna, for my sins. Everyone calls me Matron Polly. I trained in Victoria and reached the status of sister. But recently I was elevated to matron when the poor woman we had in charge here was killed by a truck bringing the wounded in. She might have suited you better. Strait-laced she was. Mind, I’m for having everything done in an orderly fashion and by the book, but I don’t stand on ceremony while I’m doing it. So you’ll all have to get used to me. I’m too old to change.’
‘I’m Alan, and this is Daniel, Connie and Ella. I’m sorry if I came across a bit on the stuffy side, but some matrons—’
‘Right-o, no worries. Over there, we have a couple of tents of showers, and two with beds: A for men, and B for women. Accommodation is limited, as we up sticks and move forward or backwards depending on how the battles go. We could be moving any day, as the reports are that the Allies are advancing. I’d say this war is won – but for the shouting. Though the shouting is very intense, and we have our work cut out. Sort yourselves out quick as you can and report back to me. I’ll have something fixed up for you all to get stuck into by then.’
‘Thank you, Matron Polly.’
Ella thought she would burst, not only with amusement, but with pride in Alan. He’d handled everything so well and, as always, was ready to rise to the challenge.
As if the same had occurred to Connie, she giggled and linked arms with Ella, making her laugh out loud as she said, ‘Did you pack your boomerang, woman?’
Once in the tent, Ella cringed for a moment at the overcrowded dormitory. Beds were lined up end-to-end, with very little space between them, although not all were made up, reflecting the shortage of staff.
She and Connie bagged two beds in the first row that had bare mattresses. Each had a pile of sheets, blankets and a pillow on it. ‘These will do for us, though it looks like our things will have to stay in our rucksacks under our beds, as there doesn’t appear to be anywhere to put them.’
‘Yes, I’ll take this one, Connie, then you can be on the outside.’ Ella shivered. The dampness of outside had crept into the inside of the hut, and she felt very cold. ‘Let’s hurry. I have a drawstring bag; we can take our clean clothes to the shower and put our dirty ones in the bag. I can throw it in here, to deal with later. I hope the water’s hot.’
While drying and dressing, Connie surprised Ella with, ‘What do you think of Alan?’
‘I like him. And I have guessed you do, too – more than like, I would say.’
‘Yes. Is it that obvious?’
‘Well, you’re both very discreet, and I never guessed before you and I became close. But yes, to me it is obvious how you feel about each other. I envy you being with your love all the time.’
‘It isn’t a piece of cake; we have to be so careful, in case we are found out. Alan’s widowed, you know. He has two grown-up sons, both fighting, and he dreads every day that one of them may be brought in.’
‘Oh no. I had no idea. I mean, I did wonder, as he is a lot older – not that it matters at all. I hope everything is fine with his sons, and that it all works out for you both.’
‘Thanks. I’m glad you know. It’s always easier when you can share things. And, Ella, I’m so sorry about everything . . . well, you know.’
‘Thank you. Now that I have you and Paddy, wherever she is, I’ll be fine. I have to get on with life as it is – it is the only way. But I so wish I hadn’t been forced away from Paulo like this. How will I ever find him again?’
Returning to the wards was like a baptism of fire. Ella was assigned to assist Daniel Frazer in assessing the head injuries. Her heart throbbed with the agony these men were experiencing. How can a body live with just half a brain? How can a faceless man breathe and hold on to life?
Her stomach churned at the sight of the fifth man they attended to. His eyes had gone, and their wide, gaping, blood-filled sockets were like gashes in his face. His left ear was missing, and his mouth was bleeding and toothless. She instinctively took hold of his hand.
Daniel leaned over him. ‘We’re here to help you; we’re going to give you some pain relief, so that we can examine you.’
The boy tried to speak, but only a hissing sound came from his mouth. Blood sprayed over Ella.
Once he was sedated, the assessment wasn’t good. In a quiet voice, Daniel expressed his frustration. ‘If only we had something that could see deep inside the brain, but from what the surface X-ray tells us, there is a lot of debris embedded. Only going in can determine what and where, and that would be too dangerous. I must say that I agree with what Matron Polly said about mercy killing, at times like these. We can’t even make this poor chap comfortable, and we haven’t enough drugs to keep him free from pain until he dies, which is what will happen when infection sets in from the shrapnel . . . Dear God!’
Dr Frazer, a man in his thirties, took out a handkerchief and blew his nose. He turned his head, and Ella knew that he’d wiped a tear from his eyes. He needed a break – they all did. Daniel rarely engaged in conversation, and often, when they did have a respite, he had his head in a medical book, studying. His parents sent him any new ones they came across. Ella had considered him a lonely man, but maybe it was because he was often so deep in thought.
When he turned back to look at his patient, he put his hand out and took a phial from the tray that Ella had put on the side-table while she made notes. She’d prepared the tray at Daniel’s instruction, after he’d assessed the wounded, patient by patient. Some phials of morphine had lesser doses than others, and some contained alternative pain-relief medicines.
Through his wire-framed spectacles he looked intently at her. She nodded. Then she held the boy’s limp hand again, as Daniel administered a second, strong dose of morphine.
Neither of them spoke as she tucked the sheet around the boy, or as they turned to move on to the next patient. But when their round was done and they returned to the young man, Daniel pronounced him dead.
Ella saw the doctor’s shoulders slump. Without thinking, she reached out and touched his hand. He looked up at her, but she wasn’t sure he was really seeing her, until he nodded. Then his eyes cleared, as his unspilled tears dropped onto his cheeks.
‘May he rest in peace – the peace that we, you and I, gave him.’
‘Thank you, Ella. Never speak of this, will you?’
‘Never, but we did this together. And I will always keep your compassion in my heart, and pray for the boy’s soul and for his family.’
Together, they moved on to the next patient.