Cherry Ames 09 Cruise Nurse
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Authors: Helen Wells
Cherry Ames Nurse stories
CHERRY AMES
CRUISE NURSE
By
HELEN WELLS
New York
Copyright © 1948 by Grosset & Dunlap, Inc.
Copyright © renewed 2007 by Harriet Schulman Forman Springer Publishing Company, LLC
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy-ing, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Springer Publishing Company, LLC.
Springer Publishing Company, LLC
11 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036-8002
Acquisitions Editor: Sally J. Barhydt
Series Editor: Harriet S. Forman
Production Editor: Carol Cain
Cover design: Takeout Graphics, Inc.
Composition: Apex Publishing, LLC
07 08 09 10/ 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wells, Helen.
Cherry Ames, cruise nurse / by Helen Wells.
p. cm. — (Cherry Ames nurse stories)
Summary: Looking forward to a working vacation as nurse on a cruise ship to the Caribbean, Cherry Ames soon finds herself embroiled in a dangerous mystery involving a sickly child and greedy men anxious to find a secret stockpile of precious ambergris.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8261-0411-3 (alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-8261-0411-8 (alk. paper)
[1. Nurses—Fiction. 2. Ocean travel—Fiction. 3. Interpersonal relations—Fiction. 4. Mystery and detective stories.] I. Title.
PZ7.W4644Cde 2007
[Fic]—dc22
2007016206
Printed in the United States of America by Bang Printing
Contents
Foreword .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
.
i. Waiting.for.a.Letter ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..1
.
ii. “Bon.Voyage!”. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 14
.
iii. Sick.Bay . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 34
.
iV. Timmy. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 48
.
V. Mr .Rough.Diamond. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 61
.
Vi. Scuttlebutt .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
.
Vii. A.Stormy.Night. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 79
.
Viii. Timmy’s.Mysterious.Visitor . .. .. .. .. .. 90
.
ix. Uncle.Ben. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..102
.
x. Jan’s.Problem. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..114
.
xi. Timmy’s.Pirate... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .123
.
xii. Caught.Off.Bounds!. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..131
.
xiii. A.Stolen.Letter ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .143
.
xiV. Waidler.and.Ziggy.Are.Evasive ... .. .. .154
.
xV. Milk.of.Magnesia. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..164
iii
iv
CoNteNts
.
xVi. Jan.Sets.a.Trap .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
.
xVii. A.Tree.for.Timmy.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
.xViii. Christmas.Jugglery . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..204
.
xix. Happy.Ending. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..222
Helen Wells, the author of the Cherry Ames stories, said,
“I’ve always thought of nursing, and perhaps you have, too, as just about the most exciting, important, and rewarding profession there is. Can you think of any other skill that is
always
needed by everybody, everywhere?” I was and still am a fan of Cherry Ames. Her courageous dedication to her patients; her exciting escapades; her thirst for knowledge; her intelligent application of her nursing skills; and the respect she achieved as a registered nurse (RN) all made it clear to me that I was going to follow in her footsteps and become a nurse—nothing else would do. Thousands of other young readers were motivated by Cherry Ames to become RNs as well. Through her thought-provoking stories, Cherry Ames led a steady stream of students into schools of nursing across the country well into the 1960s and 1970s when the series ended.
Readers who remember enjoying these books in the past will take pleasure in reading them again now—
whether or not they chose nursing as their life’s work.
v
vi
ForeworD
Perhaps they will share them with others and even motivate a person or two to choose nursing as a career path.
My nursing path has been rich and satisfying. I have delivered babies, cared for people in hospitals and in their homes, and saved lives. I have worked at the bedside and served as an administrator, I have published journals, written articles, taught students, consulted, and given expert testimony. Never once did I regret my deci-sion to become a nurse.
During the time that I was publishing a nursing journal, I became acquainted with Robert Wells, brother of Helen Wells. In the course of conversation I learned that Ms. Wells had passed on and left the Cherry Ames copyright to Mr. Wells. Because there is a shortage of nurses here in the US today, I thought, “Why not bring Cherry back to motivate a whole new generation of young people? Why not ask Mr. Wells for the copyright to Cherry Ames?” Mr. Wells agreed, and the republished series is dedicated both to Helen Wells, the original author, and to her brother, Robert Wells, who transferred the rights to me. I am proud to ensure the continuation of Cherry Ames into the twenty-first century.
The final dedication is to you, both new and old readers of Cherry Ames: It is my dream that you enjoy Cherry’s nursing skills as well as her escapades. I hope that young readers will feel motivated to choose nursing as their life’s work. Remember, as Helen Wells herself said: there’s no other skill that’s “
always
needed by everybody, everywhere.”
harriet schulman Forman, rN, edD
series editor
cherry opened one dark-brown eye and closed it again quickly. Shivering, she pulled the covers up until her black curls were hidden beneath the thick, crazy-quilt comforter.
Cherry had been dreaming. It was such a very pleasant dream she didn’t want to stop. She was dreaming that she was back in her own room in Hilton, Illinois.
She had cautiously opened one eye to make sure everything was exactly the same in the dream as it was in real life:
Her dressing table with its dotted-swiss skirts and brisk red bows; the crisp, ruffl ed white curtains tied back with bright-red ribbon; a stream of cold December sunlight pouring through the open window to bring out the varied colors in the hooked rug her grandmother had made.
1
2
CHERRY
AMES,
CRUISE
NURSE
Cherry sighed. If only the dream could come true.
But, of course, she wasn’t home. She was with the rest of the Spencer Club in Greenwich Village, New York City.
For one year and three months now Cherry had been a visiting nurse, sharing No. 9, the Greenwich Village apartment, with Josie, Gwen, Bertha, Vivian, and Mai Lee. They were all visiting nurses too. Thinking about the Spencer Club made Cherry realize more than ever that she must be dreaming. If she were awake she would hear them chattering as they dressed and breakfasted.
No one could sleep through the chatter and the clatter and confusion of an early working-day morning in No. 9. You couldn’t even dream through it, Cherry decided, and boldly opened both eyes. She sniffed ten-tatively.
The crisp, cold air was laden with the delicious blend of freshly perked coffee and thick slabs of bacon frying on the stove in her mother’s kitchen. Cherry pinched one red cheek and then the other. She was awake. She wasn’t dreaming! She was
home!
And then it all came back to her. She remembered that two weeks ago the dizziness had suddenly gotten worse; so much worse that everything went black for a minute. The dizzy spells, she had known for a long time, were due to fatigue.
Cherry had been making a report about a contagious disease that had suddenly broken out in her district:
WAITING FOR A LETTER
3
Mumps—nothing very serious, but should they try the new inoculation?
“The Lerner children are all down with it,” Cherry was stuttering. Her tongue felt thick and dry in her mouth. Her head ached. Her back ached. Her legs ached from knee to toe. Her feet were weighted down with the iron clamps of complete exhaustion.
She stared across the desk, trying to focus her eyes on Miss Dorothy Davis, her supervisor. And then all of a sudden Miss Davis’s face began to dance and whirl.
Nausea fl ooded over Cherry. She gripped the edge of the desk with sweating fi ngers.
She wasn’t going to
faint.
Nurses don’t go around fainting. Nurses can’t even spare the time to be sick. Not when they know that in one year in New York City alone the Visiting Nurse Service gave nursing care to almost fi ve million people!
But Cherry did faint. Everything went black for a minute. When she came to, Miss Davis had pushed Cherry’s head down between her knees. Now she handed Cherry a glass of water into which she had stirred a teaspoon of aromatic spirits of ammonia.
“Drink up,” Miss Davis said briskly. “You’re going to be all right, Ames. You’re overtired. Need a vacation.
Take your work too seriously.”
Cherry drank up and felt better. The dizziness ebbed away, but the ache had spread to every bone and joint in her body. She struggled to her feet. Miss Davis tucked Cherry’s hand in the crook of her arm.
4
CHERRY
AMES,
CRUISE
NURSE
“I’m sending you home in a cab,” she said. “A relief nurse will cover your district while you’re gone. And you’re going to be gone for one whole month.”
“Oh, no, please,” Cherry had protested weakly. “Mr.
Morvell . . . Mrs. di Pattio . . . the Lerner children—” The supervisor snapped her fi ngers, her brown eyes fl ashing. But her smile was warm. “Listen to me, Cherry Ames. You’re not the only visiting nurse in the world. Run-down and exhausted as you are, you’re not really much good to us. You’re a liability right now.” She grinned to take the edge off her words. “A month’s leave of absence and you’re an asset again. We need assets. Your boss’s orders. See?”
Cherry had managed a sickly laugh. “Yes, ma’am, but—”
And then Mrs. Berkey, the assistant supervisor, appeared on the scene. She was tall and capable looking, and her gray eyes were grim. “I’m taking you home, Ames,” she said. “Now. Have an errand downtown anyway. Cab’s waiting. Hustle into your coat and rubbers.
I’m a busy woman.”
Cherry meekly obeyed. Orders were orders. She was too weary to argue further anyway.
Outside in the street, Mrs. Berkey, holding Cherry fi rmly by the arm as they walked toward a waiting cab, said, “Miss Davis and I have had our eyes on you for the past month. You need a good long rest.
And
a change.” During the ride downtown Mrs. Berkey had said something else which even now Cherry couldn’t quite believe. She’d said that what Cherry needed was
WAITING FOR A LETTER
5
a Caribbean cruise. Miss Davis was going to try to arrange it. Her brother, Dr. Fowler Davis, was in the medical department of one of the big steamship lines.
There was, however, a long waiting list. Cruise jobs were prized by nurses, exhausted by long hours and understaffed hospitals. But Cherry, Mrs. Berkey said, should spend a couple of weeks at home before taking on any new duties anyway. And then it would be the holiday season. A great many nurses on the list might withdraw their names, preferring to spend Christmas at home . . .
Cherry sat up in bed and tugged the comforter around her shoulders. It was too good to come true.
