The beekeepers war, p.12
The Beekeeper's War, page 12
‘I’ve lost everything in a fire and don’t see why these people’ – he almost spat the words – ‘with all their airs and graces should carry on as if nothing happened.’
‘But they’re not,’ she argued. ‘They’ve lost two sons and have turned their home over to help people like you.’
‘That’s what you say because you’re one of them.’
Pru went to correct him then realised he didn’t have full control of his faculties. At least now she knew what had caused this dreadful fire. She waved over an orderly. ‘Please keep an eye on this man. Don’t let him out of your sight.’
She made a mental note to speak to Matron and Milly about her conversation with the private. First, though, she needed to find Jack. He had been inside too long. She paced back and forth, staring at the burning building, watching smoke billowing out of the upstairs windows, willing him to come back outside.
More firemen had arrived from the next village and other locals were joining them to help bring the fire under control, lining up to pass buckets of water from the large fountain in front of the manor to the firemen inside.
Where was Jack? She swallowed the nausea as she stared at the front door, willing him to bring their friends outside to safety. ‘Come on Jack,’ she pleaded. ‘Where are you?’
‘We need help in here,’ a husky, smoke-damaged voice yelled desperately from the entrance hall. Pru rushed forward, sensing Jack was one of those needing their help.
As she reached the door, she had to step back to make way for an orderly. She gasped to see he was carrying Jean. Pru covered her mouth to stifle a sob. Her friend was conscious but clearly in a bad way. Next, two orderlies made their way outside with Monty, half carrying him, his arms around their shoulders, his head drooping to his chest. They reached the grass and laid him down gently.
Pru knew there would be nurses taking care of her friends. But where was Jack? She clenched her fists, willing him to come out to her. She couldn’t wait any longer. Unable to stop her tears, Pru ran in through the doorway. ‘Jack!’ she screamed, not caring that she sounded hysterical now. She was about to step further into the hall when a fireman stopped her. ‘Move out of the way, please, Nurse,’ he said, taking hold of her arm and pulling her aside just as Jack was carried out by two men. She could see he was unconscious and that his left hand was burnt and his clothes singed and torn.
‘Bring him over here,’ she ordered, leading the way to a shady spot under the trees.
Milly immediately appeared by her side carrying blankets and a pillow. She helped Pru set them down and waited for the orderlies to lower Jack onto them. ‘I’m relieved the three of them are accounted for,’ Milly said.
So was she. Pru knelt at Jack’s side, her head pounding as she assessed his injuries. She sighed with relief to find he was still alive. She took his uninjured hand in hers and held it gently between her own, bending down so that her lips were close to his ear. She wanted him to be able to hear her over the din that was all around them. ‘Keep fighting for me, Jack,’ she pleaded. ‘I love you.’ She kissed his forehead. ‘You’re going to be fine, Jack. I promise you. I’ll make sure that you are.’
One of his fingers twitched. ‘Did you see that, Milly?’ she asked tearfully, desperate to know she hadn’t imagined it.
‘I’m not sure,’ Milly said, giving her an apologetic smile. ‘I’ll fetch Doctor Parslow.’ Milly handed Pru the dressings and saline solution she had fetched.
‘Thank you.’
Pru shrieked as another of the windows exploded and instinctively covered Jack’s head and chest with her body. Hearing screams, she glanced towards the building. Someone was still inside. Desperate cries for help filled the air and Pru watched in horror as a nurse began to run towards the burning building. She realised it was Milly.
‘Milly, no! Milly!’ she screamed after her friend. What was she thinking? Milly wasn’t big or strong enough to carry anyone heavier than herself. ‘Milly, come back.’
Pru looked around her hoping that someone would stop her brave, foolish friend from risking her life. ‘Somebody, stop her,’ she screamed.
A VAD brought over a bowl of water and two cloths. ‘Matron thought you’d need these,’ she said before rushing off again.
A couple of men ran to the building and Pru leaned to one side to peer at the manor doorway, willing her friend to see sense and come back outside where she was needed.
‘Try not to worry,’ Doctor Parslow said breathlessly as he arrived at her side. It occurred to Pru that he meant Jack. The poor man probably hadn’t stopped for a moment’s break since the fire broke out. ‘Focus on what you can do, not what you have no control over,’ he said, his voice hoarse with exhaustion. ‘This patient needs you more than anyone right now.’
Pru forced herself to focus on Jack, but each time she heard a cry or shout from inside the burning building, she glanced up, praying she would see Milly coming back unharmed. It wasn’t like Milly to be reckless. Pru couldn’t understand why she would have taken her life in her hands as she had done. It didn’t make any sense.
‘Nurse? Did you hear what I said?’
She realised the doctor was speaking to her. ‘Sorry.’
‘Clean this chap up as best you can while I examine this other patient. I’ll check him over next.’
‘Yes, Doctor.’ Pru set about making Jack more comfortable and gently washed away the soot and grime from his face.
A couple of minutes later, the doctor returned.
‘This is Captain Garland,’ she explained. ‘He’s a regular visitor to the hospital; you might have seen him visiting Monty Ashbury? He went into the building and was injured trying to locate Monty and Nurse Le Riche.’
‘Another brave soul,’ the doctor said quietly.
She moved back to give the doctor space to examine Jack.
Pru remembered Jean and Monty and turned to try and see where they had been taken. She spotted her friend sipping at a glass of water. Relief flooded through her and she took advantage of Jack being tended to by the doctor to see if she could spot Milly anywhere. She noticed Monty being cared for by another nurse. He was conscious and explaining something to her. She was grateful to note that Jean and Monty seemed relatively unscathed. But why hadn’t Milly come back yet? Pru swallowed to quell her rising panic.
‘Come on, Milly,’ she whispered. ‘Get out of there, for pity’s sake.’
She heard a moan and then coughing.
‘Help raise his shoulders, Nurse,’ the doctor said, taking a glass of water from a passing VAD. ‘Drink this, Captain Garland. You’ll feel much better.’
Jack’s eyes snapped open and for a second Pru thought he might be delirious as he looked about him wildly. Then, seeing her, he calmed and closed his eyes briefly before trying to say something. ‘What—’
‘Don’t try to speak,’ the doctor said. ‘Sip this water. Slowly.’
Pru held him by the shoulders, relieved to see he was coming round a little more. She sat slightly behind him, taking the weight of his upper body to keep him upright as she held the half-filled glass to his dry lips.
The doctor waited for Jack to take a few sips. ‘Right, Captain Garland. Your left hand is burnt but it isn’t too deep, thankfully. Your forearm is the same and both should heal fully with the right attention. Your leg also has a gash but isn’t too bad. I’m going to leave Nurse Le Cuirot here to clean and dress your wounds. As soon as we’ve sorted out a new ward, we’ll admit you and keep you in for at least a week or two.’
‘You don’t understand. I have to leave now,’ he argued, his voice croaky with smoke inhalation and exhaustion. He tried to sit.
Pru was relieved the doctor was having none of it. ‘You are not going anywhere. If you have someone you’d like us to contact, then let the nurse know and she’ll arrange for a message to be sent to them. Whether you like it or not, you will be here until I deem you recovered enough to be discharged.’
Jack frowned and looked up at Pru. ‘Tell him, Pru.’
‘Sorry, Jack.’ She hated to defy him, but Doctor Parslow knew what he was doing and she trusted him enough to know that if he felt Jack should be kept in hospital then that’s what must happen. ‘The doctor’s right. You have to be sensible.’
‘But you don’t understand,’ he argued, before another coughing fit stopped him from arguing further.
‘No, Captain,’ the doctor said, standing and preparing to leave them. ‘It’s you who doesn’t understand. We don’t want the damaged areas to become infected because if they do your stay here will be far longer than the one I’m insisting upon now. Once the shock has worn off and you begin to feel the pain in your hand and leg, then I think you’ll be happy that I took this decision from you. I’ll leave him in your capable hands, Nurse Le Cuirot.’
Pru went to reply but a shout for help stopped her. Glancing in the direction of the voice, she saw one of the men she recognised as a footman struggling to carry a lifeless body out of the manor. Her throat constricted as she stared at the small, slim figure being taken from his arms by another man. There was no mistaking the wavy chestnut hair.
‘Milly?’ Pru whispered, wishing she was wrong. She rested a hand on Jack’s chest. ‘I’ll be back shortly,’ she said without waiting for him to reply as she ran to her friend.
Matron reached her before Pru could get to her, and when Pru saw the caring way the older woman rested her hand against Milly’s right cheek, she knew her friend was dead.
‘No,’ she whispered. ‘Not Milly.’
She bent to check for herself that there was nothing to be done for her dear friend, only to feel hands taking hold of her upper arms and Jean’s voice in her ear. ‘She’s gone, Pru.’
‘She can’t be! Not Milly.’ She sobbed, collapsing in Jean’s arms as the two of them mourned their sweet roommate who had suffered so much loss in her young life already. ‘Why did she go in there, Jean? It’s not as if she could carry anyone to safety. I don’t understand.’
‘Neither do I,’ Jean whispered. ‘Maybe she was caught up in the moment and just didn’t think.’
Pru had no idea. All she knew was that she would never forgive herself for not managing to stop Milly from running into the burning building.
Thirteen
Jack
August 1917
Jack heard Pru’s sobs and his heart ached for her. He wished he had known to look for her nurse friend, then reminded himself that he had hardly been in any position to help anyone. She had been so happy when he had proposed and then when he’d introduced her to his beloved bees. He felt sad that their reunion had been shattered in such a traumatic way. He heard Jean’s gentle voice and relaxed slightly, relieved Pru was with someone who could take care of her. Seeing the devastation on his darling girl’s face, he attempted to stand. ‘Pru,’ he called. She needed him.
‘No, you don’t, Jack.’ Monty’s hands took him by the shoulders and pushed him back to being seated. ‘I think the two of them need to be alone with each other right now, don’t you? We can comfort them later when they’re ready.’
He was right. He usually was, Jack mused. ‘How are you feeling, old thing?’
Monty thanked a nurse who set a chair for him on the lawn next to where Jack was lying and helped him to sit. ‘You’re to take things easy,’ she said, sounding, Jack thought, like a younger version of the stern matron who kept everyone in order.
Monty gave her an apologetic smile and then looked down at Jack. ‘That’s me told.’
‘It is.’ He looked at Pru and Jean once again, hugging each other, lost in their grief. ‘It seems worse when it’s not out in the field, doesn’t it?’
Monty nodded slowly. ‘Nurses shouldn’t die,’ he said wistfully. ‘And especially not here.’
Jack remembered where they were and reached out his bandaged hand to rest it on his friend’s foot. ‘I know. Your parents are going to be devastated that this has happened.’ He scanned the large group of people nearby. ‘Do you think it was accidental?’
Monty’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. ‘Don’t you?’
Jack didn’t know and chided himself for adding to Monty’s already heavy burden of concern. ‘It’s a possibility. Ignore me. I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.’
Monty looked around to check no one was nearby. ‘Jack, we both know your instincts are rarely wrong. If you sense that someone did this on purpose then I believe that’s what happened. There’s something more, isn’t there?’
‘Monty, I found you locked in a room unable to escape,’ he said. He looked about him, seeing doctors and nurses working on patients. ‘The place is still ablaze.’ He saw that Monty was deep in thought and knew that the two of them would be discussing this again very soon. Neither of them were known for letting things go, not when they believed there was an injustice to resolve. ‘Let’s focus on Jean and Pru for now,’ he said. ‘And your poor parents. There’ll be time enough to look into this further.’
‘Yes.’ Monty winced and rubbed his bad leg lightly. ‘Cursed thing is giving me the pip today.’ He pressed his lips together for a moment. ‘I know you’re angry about being hurt,’ he said. ‘But at least you’ll have something to focus on, apart from Pru, to keep you busy while you’re here.’
‘True.’ Jack felt slightly appeased to think that he could do some good. He was determined to get to the bottom of who had started the blaze that had threatened to ruin his best friend’s home and injure and kill decent, hardworking nurses. ‘That poor nurse is not going to die in vain.’
Fourteen
Pru
August 1917
By that evening the fire had been completely extinguished and the cleaning up had begun. Pru still couldn’t come to terms with losing Milly. She and Jean had offered to clean Milly’s body as a mark of respect but Pru had been secretly relieved when Matron insisted that two other nurses took care of their friend.
‘I would like the pair of you, as Nurse Denton’s closest friends and roommates, to pack up her things. We need to ensure they are returned to her family.’
‘Yes, Matron,’ she said. ‘We’ll see to it after our shift ends.’
Pru wasn’t sure who Milly’s closest relative might be as Milly had never spoken of any family, only a little of her late husband. Tears welled in Pru’s eyes but she brushed them away. Now wasn’t the time to give in to her emotions, and she wasn’t the only one suffering loss right now, she reminded herself.
Pru helped make the patients comfortable as they prepared for the move to the new wards, which were to be called Wards Three and Four, so that the fire-damaged Ward Two could be spoken about without anyone being confused. Pru was happy when Jack was placed in Ward Three, which had previously been used as a dining room. She loved the library, which was being converted into Ward Four, but knew Jack would enjoy the sunlight that streamed in through the dining room’s huge, almost floor-to-ceiling windows.
‘How are you doing, sweetheart?’ he asked several hours later when she went to check on him before retiring to her own bed, where she hoped that her exhaustion would lead to a few hours’ sleep. ‘I’m so sorry about your friend Milly. She was a lovely girl.’
Pru nodded, barely able to speak. She took a deep breath. ‘I’m fine,’ she lied. ‘Jean and I are supposed to pack up Milly’s things tonight but I don’t think I can face it yet. Maybe we can make believe, just for this evening, that she’s still on duty and we’ll see her again,’ she said, her voice quivering with emotion.
Jack took her hand in his bandaged one. ‘Today has been shocking for all of you.’
‘It has,’ she agreed, her voice catching. ‘I just hope she didn’t suffer too much.’
He nodded slowly. ‘I spoke to the doctor earlier and he told me Milly died from smoke inhalation. I think that’s probably better than the alternative if that’s any consolation.’
‘Thank you,’ she said, loving him for caring enough to find out for her. ‘It is.’
She noticed him wince. ‘How are you feeling now?’
‘Frustrated to still be here.’ He must have noticed the hurt she tried and failed to hide. He reached out his good hand for hers. ‘I’m sorry, sweetheart. It’s not that I want to leave you. I don’t. I wish we could be together all the time, you know that. But my squadron needs me. Things are so hectic over in France – we’re short of pilots at the best of times and I’m not sure what they’ll do now I’m stuck here for the next week or so.’
She understood his need to fly and be with his squadron but doubted he was going anywhere very soon. ‘You won’t be much help to anyone with a burnt hand, Jack. And if it’s not treated and cared for correctly then it could become infected and that could be catastrophic for you.’ She checked no one was watching and leaned forward to kiss him quickly on his mouth, surprising him and making him smile. ‘You’re just going to have to be patient, do what you’re told for once and put up with seeing me every day until you’re fit to leave again.’
He pretended to consider what she had just said. ‘I suppose I don’t have much choice, then, do I?’
‘No. You don’t.’ She rested a hand on his cheek. ‘I think the sight of you running back into that burning building will be seared on my brain for ever,’ she said, her voice cracking with emotion. ‘I can’t lose you Jack. I simply can’t.’ The fear that he wouldn’t come out of the building had terrified her and brought to light how precarious their lives were.
He pulled her closer. ‘Hey, I’m a tough American. I can take whatever’s thrown at me and I promise you I’ll always come back for you.’
She hoped he would; the alternative was too terrifying. ‘I hope so.’
‘You’d better believe it, sweetheart.’
She looked over to Monty’s bed, which sat between Jack’s and the back wall of the panelled room and caught Monty’s eye. ‘How are you feeling?’ she asked.
