‘Knock, knock!’ Marie-Anne said as she walked through the open doorway of Helen’s office carrying a tea tray.
‘Thanks, Marie-Anne. You know you can always get one of the office juniors to do the tea?’
‘That’s all right, Miss Crawford. It’s no bother at all.’ Marie-Anne had, in fact, got the office junior to make the tea – only she’d taken the tray off her and brought it to Helen herself. ‘Did you hear about the bomber coming down near Ryhope pit last night – well, early hours, by the sounds of it?’
‘No, what happened? Was anyone hurt?’ Helen immediately thought of Dr Parker.
‘It was one of our own – a Halifax. The pilot died, and some poor bloke on his way to work at the colliery got hit by debris and died.’
‘Goodness, that’s terrible. But that was it, no one else was hurt?’ Helen needed reassurance.
‘I think three of the crew were injured, but I didn’t hear of any others,’ Marie-Anne said, turning to go. She knew Helen would want shot of her so she could ring the Ryhope Emergency Hospital. She wouldn’t rest until she knew that Dr Parker was alive and well.
‘Thanks, Marie-Anne. Will you shut the door on the way out?’ She smiled. Marie-Anne was already doing it.
Grabbing her cigarettes, Helen dialled the hospital. God only knew how Rosie, Polly and Gloria managed to keep sane worrying about the men they loved.
‘Hi, Denise,’ Helen said, pausing to light a cigarette.
‘Ah, Miss Crawford, how are you?’
‘I’m good, thank you, Denise.’ Helen blew out smoke. ‘I’m sure you can guess why I’m calling.’
‘I can,’ Denise said, ‘and I can assure you that Dr Parker is well. Let me see if I can put you straight through. He should be on the ward now.’
Helen listened to a succession of clicking noises before she heard John’s voice.
‘Helen, wait there, I’m just going to put you through to the office so the whole ward doesn’t hear our conversation.’ Helen heard men’s voices in the background, which she guessed were John’s ‘new recruits’. She could tell they were giving John gyp after hearing that there was a woman on the phone. The spirit of the men John treated never ceased to amaze her. There was a click, followed by dead air, before another click.
‘I’m back,’ he said.
‘I’m so glad I managed to get through to you,’ Helen said. ‘Denise is being very helpful of late.’
‘I know,’ Dr Parker said. ‘I think it’s been since her “forgetfulness” the other day.’
‘I think she might have been forgetful a few times before.’ Helen took a drag on her cigarette. ‘Maybe her mind’s been elsewhere. Maybe she’s in love.’
Dr Parker chuckled, although there might have been some truth in Helen’s diagnosis. He had heard on the hospital grapevine that Denise had been on a few dates with a doctor from the Royal.
‘Marie-Anne just told me the awful news about last night’s crash,’ Helen said, her tone now sombre.
‘I know. Awful. Tragic. But thank goodness the pilot managed to avoid the miners’ cottages and crash-land on the colliery instead, otherwise it would have been much worse.’
‘Where was he going – or coming from?’ Helen asked.
‘From what I’ve heard, the plane got damaged en route to Nuremberg, just about managed to limp back, but deviated off course, ran out of fuel and had to make an emergency landing.’
They were both quiet for a moment, thinking of all the families that might have died if the pilot hadn’t managed to avoid the rows of houses next to the village’s coal mine.
‘Everything all right at your end?’ Dr Parker asked. As always, his concern was genuine.
‘Yes, yes,’ Helen said. ‘Well, actually, I’ve got an apology to make.’
‘Why’s that?’
‘I should have told you earlier, but I just completely forgot. You’ve been invited to Pearl and Bill’s wedding reception. Bel asked me to invite you when I was round there the other week – and then it just totally slipped my mind.’
‘That’s understandable, you’ve got a lot going on, what with work and everything …’ Dr Parker’s thoughts automatically went to Matthew.
‘That’s very forgiving of you, John, but the thing is, I really do have to apologise as the wedding’s next Saturday,’ Helen said, guiltily.
‘What – a week on Saturday?’
‘Yes, but don’t worry if you can’t make it. I’m sure Pearl and Bill won’t mind in the least.’
‘No, it’ll be a perfect chance for me to see our godson. You know, I’ve not seen him since his christening?’
‘Oh, I wouldn’t worry, Polly understands. She knows what you do is really important and that you barely step over the hospital boundaries these days,’ Helen said. Not unless it’s to take Claire to some fancy restaurant in town.
‘No, I’ll definitely come,’ Dr Parker said. Helen could hear pages being turned. ‘I’m just checking the rota and I’ve got that Saturday off, so I won’t even have to twist any arms.’
‘Oh, all right.’ Helen tried to sound chirpy. ‘You’re sure Claire will want to come? It won’t be particularly fancy. The usual knees-up at the Tatham.’
‘I’m sure that won’t put Claire off. And I can always take her somewhere more fancy afterwards if she wants.’ He wasn’t going to pretend that Claire would be clicking her heels at the prospect of spending Easter Saturday in the east end. Taking her to the Palatine afterwards would even the score.
‘Everyone else all right?’ Dr Parker asked.
‘Yes, all good here. Busy. Getting ready for our nation’s very own big day. Did you see they’ve been appealing for lorry drivers for the second front?’ Helen asked.
‘I did – you’re not thinking of applying?’ Dr Parker asked, half joking.
‘No,’ Helen laughed. ‘But I did tell Gloria to make sure Rosie didn’t read about it for fear of her running off and signing up.’
‘Can she drive?’
‘No, but I’m sure that wouldn’t stop her.’ Helen’s laughter was sad.
‘She still working like a trooper?’
‘Oh yes, she’s very determined. Mind you, everyone is. It’s in the air. That sense of anticipation. A kind of nervous excitement.’
‘It’s been a bit like that here. We’ve been told to make sure we’re prepared. To free up as many spare beds as possible.’
Dr Parker wasn’t sure how much they should be chatting about the impending push to reclaim Europe and changed the subject.
‘Are all the women at the yard all right?’ He paused. ‘Gloria?’
‘Oh, well … yes … yes and no.’ She sighed. ‘I do feel for her and Dad – they finally get to be together and then there’s this awkwardness with Bobby.’
‘Anything happened?’
‘No, but that’s just it – it’s the underlying tension, what’s left unsaid.’ Another sigh. ‘Although Dorothy reckons that she’s talked Bobby round.’
‘But you’re not quite so sure?’
‘I really hope she has,’ Helen said, ‘but I have my reservations. I think this goes deeper.’
‘How so?’
‘I’m not sure, just a feeling,’ Helen mused.
‘And are Gloria and Jack coping with it all right?’ Dr Parker asked.
‘Yes, they’re both pretty hardy. And they think it’s sweet what Dorothy’s doing. They know that it doesn’t matter what they say, they won’t stop her in her determination to see them all become one big happy family.’
‘I suppose there’s no harm in trying,’ said Dr Parker.
‘Well, she’ll find out tonight if she’s succeeded or not,’ Helen said. ‘She popped in before the start of the shift to tell me she can’t wait to see Gloria’s face when Bobby goes round there tonight.’
‘So, she’s not told Gloria that she reckons she’s talked Bobby round?’
‘Nope,’ Helen said. ‘Apparently, it’s going to be a surprise.’
At seven o’clock that evening, three days after their tête-à-tête by the banks of the Wear, Dorothy left Gloria’s flat with Bobby, having spent the last hour with Hope. She was spitting feathers.
‘I cannot believe you, Bobby!’ she hissed as soon as Gloria had said her goodbyes and shut the door.
‘Why?’ Bobby asked, putting his hand out for Dorothy to go first.
She gave him a look of fury before she stomped up the stone steps.
‘Because,’ she said, turning when she got to the top and looking daggers at him, ‘everything’s meant to be all right now.’
‘How come?’ he asked, automatically stepping round to her left so that he was walking by the side of the road.
‘How come?’ Dorothy forced herself not to scream the words. ‘Because we chatted about it on Tuesday night? Outside the Admiral? Remember?’
Bobby laughed. ‘Yes, I remember.’
‘So?’ Dorothy demanded.
‘I don’t know what you expected, Dorothy,’ Bobby said as they turned into Foyle Street.
‘I expected …’ Dorothy gasped ‘… that you would be fine with your mam now – normal, loving.’
When they reached her flat, Dorothy turned and looked at Bobby.
‘I’m so very disappointed.’
Bobby looked at Dorothy and thought he’d never seen anyone look so beautiful and yet so sad. He wished he could make her happy, but he couldn’t. What she wanted of him had to come from the heart. It had to be true. And at the moment there was a part of his heart that felt very stony, very cold and unfeeling, and there was nothing he could do about it. He’d tried to make himself feel different, like Dorothy wanted, but he couldn’t.
He stood with a heavy heart and watched as she gave him one final, hate-filled glare before letting herself in and slamming the door behind her.