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The new nurse followed Meg into her hut and looked around. ‘All this space for just the two of us? Nice.’
Meg pointed to her lower bunk. ‘Until the next intake of nurses arrive anyway. That’s mine. Take your pick of the others.’
Sister Geraldine Platt dropped her suitcase at the end of the bunk at right angles to Meg’s and flopped back onto the bed. ‘Every bone in my body aches. Overnight train trips sitting up are the pits, but that was two nights of torture. Ugh.’ She dropped her arm across her eyes like a melodrama queen and sighed. ‘Please tell me we aren’t expected to report for duty until tomorrow.’
Meg perched on the edge of her bunk, concerned that her cabin mate, one of only five nurses to arrive at Currajong early this morning, wouldn’t measure up to Dr Ransom’s expectations. ‘You have until morning tea to settle in, but then we need all hands on deck. Our first patients will be arriving after lunch, and there’s not much time to show you everything. I was worried it would only be me on duty to get them settled in, so I’m thrilled five of you turned up today.’
‘I peeked into the theatre on our walk-through of the house. It looks fully set up so why were you worried?’
‘Dr Ransom and I set it up. They were still building it when I arrived.’
Geraldine lifted her arm and rolled onto her side, resting her head on her arm. ‘Do you mean you were the only nurse here all that time? Goodness, how did you manage?’
Meg shrugged. ‘You just do. And the doctor is a really good teacher. This is my first posting as head theatre nurse, and I feel as though I have a reasonable grasp of my duties thanks to him. What about you, Geraldine, what’s your background?’
‘Call me Gerry. Geraldine sounds like my great-aunt and she’s a relic.’ Gerry rolled her eyes then grinned. For someone who claimed not to have slept sitting up on the train, she was vivacious and funny and for some reason, Meg’s qualms about her new cabin mate eased.
‘My great-aunt’s name is Augusta and she lives up to her name. Talk about taking the role of matriarch of the family seriously.’ Despite her occasionally judgemental comments, Meg felt affection for Aunt Augie.
‘Families can be so interesting. Anyway, you asked about my nursing experience. I worked in Brisbane at two different hospitals. General ward duties, a stint in theatre, and some time in maternity. It was the theatre work that sealed this posting for me.’
‘I doubt there’ll be much call for maternity nursing up here.’ Meg hoped she wouldn’t end up proving the exception.
Gerry swung her legs over the edge of the bed, hauled her suitcase up beside her and opened it. ‘I don’t know about that. I saw some hunky Yankee soldiers as we drove in from the station. I bet they’ve got a few hearts on strings already.’
Those Meg had met were clean-cut, with flashy, white-toothed smiles and bucketloads of confidence. ‘Perhaps. I met a few last night at a dance they hosted. They seemed pleasant. And Dr Ransom is friendly with one of their surgeons.’
‘Oh goody—inter-forces recreation! When’s their next dance?’ Gerry lifted a red dress out of her case and shook it, inserted a hanger and looked around the cabin. ‘Okay if I hang it here?’ She hooked it over one of the wall pegs.
‘That’s fine. Gosh, that’s pretty. And that beading work is exquisite.’ She moved closer to study the silver and red beaded bird sitting below one shoulder. ‘Where did you find it? I’ve seen nothing like it in the shops since—before the war I should think.’
Gerry’s eyes were bright as she ran a fingertip over the bird. ‘I made it. It’s how I relax. For all I complain about my great-aunt, she’s an incredible dressmaker. She’s also one of the biggest hoarders I know. You should see the dressmaking supplies she has in her back room, all from before the war, I hasten to add. Mum taught me to sew, but Geraldine taught me to couture up an outfit—her words.’
As Meg rubbed the material between her fingers, a quick thrust of envy stabbed her. She had nothing but a uniform to welcome Seamus when he finally came home. ‘You’ll be the belle of the ball in this, although last night, all the women—and there were few enough of us—wore uniform.’
‘Tch, we’ll convince whoever thought that was a good idea that it’s not.’
Meg shrugged, glanced at her watch and crossed to the door. ‘All I have are uniforms. Any personal gear I had probably got blown to kingdom come in Darwin. I’ll see you at ten hundred sharp for morning tea and a revision session on theatre procedures before I introduce everyone to Dr Ransom.’
Quietly, she closed the door behind her before Gerry could commiserate. If she was quick—and lucky—she could ring Dr Newton and find out how long it might be before he could do her pregnancy test. Until that was either confirmed or knocked on the head, pretty dresses and frippery were the last thing she should be feeling envious about. Thank goodness she’d left her morning sickness behind at Adelaide River.
##
Meg stood in front of her small team of nurses, marvelling that the simple fact of arriving a few days ahead of them and being personally trained by Dr Ransom had put her in charge. For all that she was young to be taking on such a responsible position, he’d reassured her and in his keen eyes, she’d seen his certainty she was ready.
‘All the nurses coming up have volunteered, but of those coming to us, none have what I consider to be sufficient training in an operating theatre. You will do a fine job, Margaret. I wouldn’t have asked you if I wasn’t certain you’d be a capable head nurse.’ His words had filled her with confidence, but now, with five pairs of eyes on her, she doubted herself. She met each sister’s eyes: Gerry’s were encouraging; Sister Thomas and the two nurses flanking her were attentive; and Sister Smith—there was something mean in her narrow-eyed glare. Meg sensed trouble ahead.
Sister Eva Smith had a chip on her shoulder the size of Sydney Harbour. ‘We’re the brave ones. I reckon what happened in Darwin frightened a lot of nurses. They want to stay safe down in Brisbane and as far south as they can get in case the Japanese invade.’ Sister Smith’s round, ruddy-cheeks and thin lips turned down in scorn. ‘Cowards, they are.’
‘We shouldn’t judge others when we know nothing of their circumstances.’ Sister Catherine Thomas had been quiet, but now she turned to Eva. ‘Not every woman is in a position to volunteer for duty close to a war zone. Lots of them have taken on the work our men were doing before they joined up, and others are raising their families. All of it is vital to winning this war.’
‘Hmph. Maybe not all of them.’ Unwilling to press her argument after Catherine’s calm response, Eva pulled a face and looked at Meg. ‘You’re young like us. Why are you in charge?’
Grateful that Gerry and not Eva had chosen to share her cabin, Meg pitied Catherine. Her quiet response was almost saintly against Eva’s brashness. ‘Dr Ransom has been training me since I arrived here a few days ago. As surgeon-in-charge, he made the decision.’
Eva sat forward on her chair, her eyes hard. ‘Have you been in a war zone? Any one of us could as easily do the job. Why should it be yours more than mine?’
Seated at the end of the row, Gerry leaned an arm against the bench and pinned Eva with a look that could freeze a man at ten paces. ‘Sister Dorset was in Darwin when it was bombed. If you want to trade places with her, get that experience first.’
Eva’s face blanched but she shut up. Meg saw she would have to toughen her management style to manage the nurse. They weren’t all equal. She had to show Eva who was in charge through her skills and the knowledge she had so recently acquired. Channelling her tone and attitude from her matrons in Sydney, Darwin, and Adelaide River, she called their attention to the small blackboard in the cabin allocated for training. ‘Let’s make a start. Sponge count—the first step is to set out sponges on a sterile towel and count them. Before the patient is sewed back up, you must recount the sponges to ensure none are accidentally left in the patient.’
By the time she had covered theatre theory, and safety points in the use of the autoclave, Dr Ransom appeared to greet his team. ‘Sisters, I am so glad to see you. We have patients arriving after lunch and two wards of beds to make up before then.’ He turned to Meg. ‘Sister Dorset, would you oversee that then bring your staff to theatre. I have a number of procedural items to run through with everyone.’
‘Of course, Doctor.’ She led the way out of the hut, Gerry beside her as they walked across the croquet lawn.
Gerry glanced over her shoulder then leaned close. ‘Well done in there. You showed Eva you’re in charge.’
‘I tried to emulate the matrons I’ve worked under. I admired each for different skills they demonstrated, but I’ve got a lot to learn. Eva seems—difficult.’
‘She was a real pain on the train, whinging about everything from the lack of a sleeper to the bloke in front of her who snored on and off. I think she kicked the back of his seat a couple of times. Honestly, I could cheerfully have shoved her through the door at one of the river crossings, but Catherine seems to manage her pretty well. When we were told we would be two to a cabin for the time being, I jumped in and offered to pair with the new nurse, sight unseen.’ Gerry nudged Meg with a discreet elbow. ‘I got lucky and Catherine seems fine about drawing the short straw.’
Meg smiled like the conspirator she knew herself to be. ‘I thought much the same thing back there.’ She opened the door into the supply room, so much more spacious and secure than the curtained-off area at the River. Setting one hand on a pile of pillowcases, she pointed to the sheets, folded into pairs for expediency. ‘Drop one set on each bed then we’ll pair up to make the beds.’
Predictably, Eva was the one to question her. ‘Why do we have to work in pairs? Why can’t we—’
Meg raised one hand and pinned Eva with what she hoped was a fair imitation of a matron. ‘I read a time and motion study in one of the manuals that explained why that method is quicker, but aside from that, this will be the last time I allow you to question my directions, Sister Smith. You will do it that way because I have directed you to do so. Is that understood?’
Eva’s mouth fell open and Meg wondered if the nurse was used to getting away with disrespect, or if she was one of those people who forever defied authority.
‘Is that clear, Sister?’
‘Yes, Sister.’ Eva’s eyes fixed on a pile of sheets, but as she lifted them off the shelf, a mulish expression pulled her mouth down.
Round two to Sister-in-charge, Meg thought before leading the way into the long central hallway. ‘Sisters Thomas and Platt, you take the veranda ward beside the driveway. Sisters Gilroy and Maxwell, the inside ward on the left. Sister Smith will work with me on the inner right side.’ By choice, Meg would have preferred to work with any of the other nurses but working side by side with the reluctant nurse would establish their working relationship and remind Eva that they were a team.
Catherine and Gerry finished one bed ahead of both Meg and Eva, and the other pair. Gerry leaned against the doorjamb. ‘Looks like we won. Anything else you’d like us to do while you finish up, Sister Dorset?’
Meg glanced up as she folded a neat hospital corner. ‘Head on into the theatre and let Dr Ransom know we’ll be there in a minute please.’ She and Eva added a light blanket, tucked it in then folded the edge of the top sheet over and tucked in the sides. Centring the pillow, Meg looked at Eva. ‘Good work, Sister.’
Eva sniffed, a small sound but indicative that she wasn’t yet ready to work under Meg. Perhaps she never would be, but Meg would make it her mission to create a smoothly functioning team both in and out of the operating theatre. Their task was to nurse wounded soldiers, not grudges, and Meg was determined to do her job to the best of her ability. If that meant dragging a reluctant Eva into behaving like a decent human being, so be it.