Ring for the Nurse (9 page)

On the whole, Felicity had to admit, Guy Brenton wasn
’
t proving a very formidable person to nurse; on the contrary she found him far more tractable to deal with as a patient than he had ever been on the wards. Sometimes she wondered whether Alaine Jason
’
s outspoken revelations had given her a new confidence; she had, perhaps unwittingly,
painted such a clear portrait that subconsciously Felicity had begun to wonder what all the fuss was about
?
She had spent months implicit
l
y following his dictates. The position was now reversed; as his nurse she had every
intention
of seeing that he followed hers! There was still one thing which gave her constant concern. Guy Brenton, although stronger, made no real headway, he spoke little, and certainly gave her no confidences, but she felt sure he harboured a deep anxiety about the future and must be suffering untold distress as to whether he would ever regain the complete use of his hand. She was certain that if he shared these worries they would surely be easier to bear, and, with any other patient, she knew she would have felt it to be part of her duty to persuade him to speak of his fears, to offer encouragement and so help to lighten the burden. Today the embargo on visitors had been raised and Felicity hoped that Alaine Jason on her visit that afternoon might prove the safety valve which she felt her patient needed. But would she? Felicity had been asking herself that question during the busy hours of the morning, it had constantly been recurring to her, but somehow, when she recalled her brief encounter with Mr. Brenton
’
s
fiancé
e she could not place her in the role of sympathetic listener.

The day, for early spring, was warm, and Felicity, although she had two free hours, could not face the dusty atmosphere of the London streets. She had promised to shop with Diana, but with the intention of calling off the arrangement she tapped at Diana
’
s bedroom door.

Diana, her uniform thrown carelessly over the back of a chair, and clad only in a thin dressing-gown, lay full length on the bed. She agreed only too readily with her friend
’
s suggestion that the shopping expedition be deferred, and rolling over on her side appraised Felicity.
“
You look tired,
don
’
t mind not going out, a rest will probably do us both much more good.
”

“
But not indoors,
”
Felicity protested firmly.
“
Let
’
s go and sit on the lawn.
”

“
That
’
s a flattering term,
”
Diana laughed.
“
If you are referring to that strip of moth-eaten grass outside the Nurses
’
Home, I think
‘
back yard
’
would be a more apt description.
”

“
I don
’
t mind what you call it, but at least it
’
s fresher than indoors. We
’
ll get a couple of deck chairs and sit in the sun.
”

“
What, like this?
”
Diana stuck one slender naked leg out from beneath the inadequate folds of her gown.

“
No, you idiot, of course not, I
’
ll wait while you get into a dress.
”

“
O.K. I
’
ll get garbed respectably.
”
Diana slipped off the bed and rummaging in her cupboard produced a cotton frock.
“
This will do for now,
”
she decided, eyeing it speculatively.
“
I suppose I really ought to have gone shopping. I haven
’
t a decent thin dress to my name and if I don
’
t go out to buy one because it
’
s too hot, then I won
’
t want to buy one when it
’
s cold, will I?
”

“
You
’
ll
b
uy it in anticipation,
”
Felicity explained with a laugh. Then added,
“
I
’
m not bothering to change, I
’
m on duty again at four. I haven
’
t the rest of the day free as you have!
”

Ten minutes later the two girls were seated side by side on the small strip of garden behind the nurses
’
dining room. Despite all the attention bestowed upon it, not only by the gardener who looked in once a week to mow the lawn, but by the many horticulturally minded nurses who had passed through St. Edwin
’
s, it still remained as Diana had said, little more than a ba
ck
yard. Hemmed
in
by the London streets and the shade of the tall Hospital buildings, it got little sun but at least the small stretch of green was restful, and to Felicity the austere grey walls of the buildings surrounding it, now mellowed by the years, were not an unpleasing vista.

“
How is Brenton getting on?
”
Diana enquired, then, without awaiting a reply, added:
“
Or should I say how are you getting on nursing him?
”

“
I was thinking only this morning,
”
Felicity began with some satisfaction,
“
I don
’
t think I
’
m doing too badly, he isn
’
t nearly so difficult as I thought he
’
d be, he still never says anything encouraging, but at least he doesn
’
t grumble.
”
She paused before continuing. Diana was so level-headed, so calm in her judgment, perhaps she might prove useful.
“
I wonder what you think?
”
she began tentatively, then went on,
“
I know he is worrying himself terribly about his hand, he never says a word but I know it
’
s on his mind. It
’
s a dreadful strain for him and yet there doesn
’
t seem anything that I can do to help.
”

“
How could you help, how could anyone?
”
Diana stated.
“
He knows too much, you can
’
t expect to put off a surgeon with pretty words. No one can help, so I shouldn
’
t bother your head about that.
”

“
Miss Jason is allowed to visit him today, I am so hoping she
’
ll take his mind off things, even if she can
’
t give any true reassurance.
”

“
From what I
’
ve heard lately about Alaine Jason I shouldn
’
t think
she
’
d
be much help.
”
Diana spoke with feeling.
“
I know you hate scandal and so do I, but I do believe this bit of information has more than a grain of truth.
”
Diana sat up in her chair and screening a match carefully between her hands applied a light to a cigarette before continuing.
“
It seems that Bill
’
s sister knows her— you know she is in pictures too. Perhaps it
’
s only jealousy but she told Bill that the Jason girl is about as changeable as a chameleon. Brenton is a catch, there isn
’
t much doubt about that, film work is pretty chancy and the opportunity of marrying him was too good to miss.
”

“
I can
’
t believe that,
”
Felicity contradicted.
“
She is an odd girl, very outspoken—perhaps that
’
s a stagy characteristic—but she seems to be making a career and name for herself without having to worry about marriage ties. She is so lovely, too, honestly Di, she is one of the most beautiful girl
s
I
’
ve ever seen.
”

“
Beauty doesn
’
t last,
”
Diana responded calmly, blowing out a cloud of smoke.
“
Nor does fame—not these days, anyway—film stars are born—and die, every day.
”
She gave a significant pause.
“
I
’
ll tell you something else Bill said. It seems that on the night of the accident his sister was at the same party as Brenton; and the Jason girl; Brenton was apparently hating every moment of this party and was being just as hostile and awkward as we know only our dear Mr. Brenton can be. It seems that Alaine was pretty peeved about it and Bill
’
s sister says the atmosphere between them was definitely tense. Apparently our little Alaine had imbibed not wisely but too well and she and Brenton were just spoiling for a row.
”

“
I don
’
t believe it,
”
Felicity announced firmly.
“
I am sure he cares about her—I
’
ve good reason for thinking
that,
”
she remarked as she recalled Guy Brenton
’
s whispered words.
“
She must care about him too. Look how she sat with Brenton that night he was so ill—I know it was terribly silly of her, but she probably did it because she cared—the flowers she sent too, and the way she has been ringing every day to know when she can see him again.
”

“
All right, darling, keep your illusions,
”
Diana responded good-naturedly.
“
I still think that our Brenton has been had for a sucker. That usually happens to men who fight shy of girls, they go on fighting and then fall hard—for the wrong type too!—he isn
’
t the first to be taken in by a pretty face and I don
’
t expect he
’
ll be the last either. We know, or at any rate we can hazard a good guess at Guy Brenton
’
s opinion of girls
...
less than the dust we, are to him.
”
Diana grimaced and then her voice took on a more reminiscent
n
ote.
“
You remember what he
’
s like at hospital dances, he does a few
‘
duty
’
ones a
n
d then he beats a retreat. I don
’
t suppose he knows that waists are meant to be lovingly encircled, I expect the most he does is to finger our vertebrae and to wonder if one of them has slipped! I
’
ve danced with him, I
know
!”
Diana ended triumphantly.

Felicity laughed at the vivid picture her friend had drawn of Guy Brenton at a hospital dance.
“
That
’
s all perfectly true but it makes it the more astonishing that he should have fallen for Alaine Jason, who, seems to have little to commend her to him except her lovely face and perfect figure.
”

“
Not at all,
”
Diana countered.
“
She
’
s an actress if ever there was one and she was said by her own crowd to be determined to get him and apparently she did. From all accounts
,
she was a much nicer person before
stardom got her name into neon lights, but having tasted success it
’
s only natural that her sole interest now lies in the film world and its ways which are a closed book to us ordinary mortals.
”
Diana stretched her arms languidly above her head.
“
Still it doesn
’
t matter to us one way or the other.
”

“
It does to me,
”
Felicity asserted.
“
Now that Mr. Brenton is, allowed visitors, Alaine Jason is bound to be here a lot and I can
’
t help wondering about the two of them.
”