Some Lucky Day (36 page)

‘Please God they never have to,’ she whispered into the darkness.

PEGGY HAD TRIED
to get Harvey away from Kitty’s door but he refused to budge, and she simply couldn’t shift him. She knew from past experience – such as trying to get him through the door into the vet’s – that when he was determined like that, nothing short of a ten-ton bomb would move him, so she’d left him to it and gone downstairs to find Ron.

‘I don’t want him getting into the habit of sleeping up there,’ she said as she prepared the porridge for the next morning.

‘Ach, Peggy, he’s doing no harm, and the wee girl will feel safe knowing he’s there.’

‘Why should she feel at risk?’ she asked him in astonishment. ‘No one here is out to harm her.’

‘Well, she’s grieving, so she is, and there’s nothing like a dog to comfort you when you’re low,’ he replied round the stem of his pipe.

‘I don’t want fleas in my carpet,’ she retorted.

‘My dog does
not
have fleas,’ protested Ron like an injured father. ‘He’s vermin-free, so he is. I bathed him only three months ago.’

‘Then you’d better get some of that special stuff from the vet and do it again tomorrow,’ she said flatly. ‘And while you’re at it, you can do the ferrets too.’

Ron gave the deep sigh of a beleaguered man. ‘To be sure, Peggy, you’d try the patience of a saint.’

She pushed the pot of porridge to the back of the hob and began to lay the table for breakfast. ‘If it’s a saint I’m trying, then I’m sorry,’ she said as she tried not to giggle, ‘but if it’s you, Ronan Reilly, well, that’s quite another thing.’

He stilled her busy hands. ‘Leave that,’ he said quietly. ‘It’s time you went to bed and caught up on the sleep you didn’t have last night. Go on,’ he said as she hesitated. ‘I’ll finish here and make sure the fire’s damped down for the night.’

Peggy kissed his grizzled cheek and gave him a swift hug. ‘I do love you, Ron,’ she murmured.

‘Ach, will ye stop all that daft talk and get yerself to yer bed, Peggy Reilly. You’re in need of some beauty sleep before that son of mine comes home.’

If she hadn’t been so tired she would have taken umbrage at that, but she said nothing and went upstairs to wash and prepare for bed.

The soft, rather lumpy mattress and downy pillow were sheer heaven, and she sank into them exhausted by the very long, traumatic day and the lack of sleep the night before. Closing her eyes, she expected to nod straight off, but her thoughts were still whirling as she lay there in the darkness listening to Daisy’s snuffles.

She was still worried about Kitty, because she could see what an effort it was for her to get anywhere, and with so many steps and stairs to climb, there was a danger she’d become a prisoner in the house. But the girl seemed determined to do things on her own, and she supposed that was right – yet it all seemed a bit too soon, and she was frightened that she’d hurt herself.

All the girls had been marvellous, of course, chattering away as if they’d known her for years, and not at all prying about her missing leg – or indeed, about her missing brother. But she’d caught Cordelia looking at that empty trouser leg a bit too often and had noticed the mournful, pitying look on her face. So when she’d helped her into bed earlier, she’d sat for a while and explained how necessary it was not to show Kitty pity, for the girl needed to be accepted for who she was, not what had happened to her.

Poor Cordelia had shed a few tears as she’d raged against the war and the cruelties it had inflicted on the young, so Peggy had stayed with her until she’d calmed down. This war was getting to all of them, and Kitty’s presence in the house only served to emphasise the very real consequences of the bitter conflict that was going on beyond these sheltering walls.

Peggy turned over and nestled her cheek into the pillow. It no longer had the scent of Jim, but she thought she could hear his soft chuckle as he told her not to be such a worry wart and to stop fretting, for it did no one any good and just gave her even more lines on her forehead.

She smiled at that, although if he’d been here and said it, she’d have given him a poke in the ribs. The knowledge that he would soon be lying next to her, his arm lying heavily across her waist, his knees fitting so perfectly into the hollows of her own as he snored in her ear, comforted her. His snoring had once been an irritation, but now she yearned to hear it again, and to feel his long, strong body curved protectively about her own.

She remembered she had yet to tell him about the ectopic pregnancy and the fact she’d had a hysterectomy, and that worried her too, for she had no idea how he would react. ‘There you go again, Peggy Reilly,’ she murmured into the pillow as sleep began to claim her. ‘Worrying over things you can’t change. Will you never learn?’

Kitty stirred as she heard light footsteps coming down the stairs, and realised it must be Jane on her way down to breakfast before she left for the dairy and her milk round. She glanced at the clock. It was still very early, so perhaps now would be a good time to use the bathroom and prepare for the day.

As she swung her leg out of bed and reached for her crutches, she could feel the tenderness on her skinny behind from all that stair-climbing. Her arms and stomach muscles were a bit stiff too, but with continued use, that would pass and she’d be the stronger for it. Having gathered up clean clothes and her washbag, she opened the bedroom door.

Harvey sat there with what Kitty could only describe as a grin. His quizzical eyebrows were twitching as he cocked his head and regarded her expectantly.

‘Good boy,’ she whispered. ‘You can go down to your own bed now. But be quiet, because everyone’s asleep.’

He wagged his tail and got to his feet, and Kitty expected him to rush off. But as she began to make her way along the landing, he followed her right to the bathroom.

‘You can’t come in here,’ she whispered as she opened the door. ‘Go downstairs.’

Harvey sat down with a determined thud and rested his nose on his paws as he regarded her from beneath those ridiculous eyebrows.

‘Please yourself,’ sighed Kitty. ‘But you are
not
coming in.’ She eased round the dog with some difficulty and managed to shut the bathroom door behind her. It was all very well having a protector, but there were times when a girl needed some privacy.

She balanced on her good leg and pulled the bathroom chair closer to the bath and then sat down to turn on the taps just enough so the water trickled in and didn’t make too much noise. She eyed the door and wondered if she should lock it – but common sense told her that would be very foolish. If she had an accident and needed help, then no one could get to her.

Not that she was planning to do anything of the sort, she thought fiercely as she pulled off her nightdress and began to take the strapping and sock off her stump. This was an experiment, and if she felt the slightest bit unsure about it, she would stop and be satisfied with a good scrub-down with a flannel. She had absolutely no intention of asking anyone to help, for they all had far too much to do already.

Once the water had reached the thin blue line someone had painted round the bath to comply with the rationing orders, she turned off the taps and placed her washbag on the wooden tray that straddled the bath. She leaned on the bath and stood, then before she could think about it too much, she perched her behind on the edge, gripped the sides and swung her good leg over and into the water.

‘So far, so good,’ she breathed. ‘Now for the difficult bit.’ She carried on gripping both sides of the bath, dug in with her toes and slowly lowered herself into the water. Her arms were trembling a bit from the effort, but she’d done it. ‘Yes,’ she whispered triumphantly as she slid beneath the hot water.

‘Well done you.’

She sat up quickly and stared at Fran, who was standing in the doorway. ‘I didn’t hear you knock,’ she said rather sharply.

‘Well now, that’s because I didn’t,’ said Fran as she closed the door on a fretful Harvey and came to stand by the bath. ‘And I’m sorry for the intrusion, but I knew you had to be in here with him outside, so I thought you might be needing a hand.’

‘I can manage, thank you,’ replied Kitty rather stiffly.

Fran smiled as she tossed back the wayward russet curls. ‘Well, I can see that, Kitty, but I’m thinking you might need a wee bit of steadying on the way out of the tub.’

Kitty could see that she meant well, but she was feeling horribly exposed and rather foolish sitting there naked in the rapidly cooling water. ‘If I do, I’ll let you know,’ she replied in softer tones.

The green eyes regarded her with some amusement. ‘You know, Kitty, it’s great that you’re doing so well on your own, but sometimes it takes a wee bit more courage to ask for help.’ She tightened the belt on her dressing gown. ‘I’ll wait outside with Harvey until you’re ready for that hand,’ she said with a soft smile.

Kitty waited until the door had closed behind her and then slid back into the water with a sigh. She did appreciate all the loving care everyone showered her with, and Fran was only being a caring nurse – but next time she had a bath, she’d be sure to lock the damned door so no one could come barging in without knocking.

The water was cooler now, so she quickly soaped the flannel and gave herself a good scrub before shampooing her hair and rinsing it off under the tap. This proved awkward, but she managed it finally, and now she had the problem of getting out. It was a deep tub.

Having let the water out, she dried the bottom of the bath with her flannel so her foot wouldn’t slip. Then she grabbed the sides of the bath, gripped with her toes and hauled herself up. Her arms were trembling as she sat on the side and eased her leg and stump over so she could slide across to the chair. Grabbing a towel, she wrapped it tightly round her torso and sat for a moment to get her breath back.

‘I heard you letting the water out. Are you all right in there?’ asked Fran from the other side of the door.

‘I’m just fine, Fran,’ she replied. ‘I’m out of the bath and about to dry off, so you don’t need to worry.’

‘Ach, to be sure, I knew you could do it.’

‘That’s rather more than I did,’ murmured Kitty as she rubbed a towel over her hair. And yet the knowledge that she had gained a modicum of independence this morning made her spirits rise. It was going to be a good day – and might even bring happier news of Freddy.

‘She did what? On her own? Oh, Fran, you should have insisted on helping her,’ protested Peggy.

‘Not at all, Aunty Peg,’ Fran replied as she fastened the nurse’s cap firmly over the tamed curls which had been ferociously pinned into a tight knot at her nape. ‘Kitty needs to do things on her own to test out her capabilities and strength. I think she’s bright enough to ask for help should she be needing it, but for now we should all stand back until that time comes.’

Peggy jiggled a grizzling Daisy in her arms. ‘But it’s such a struggle for her,’ she said fretfully. ‘And what if she tries to do something like that and has an accident when there’s no one here to help?’

‘I’m not daft enough to do something like that,’ said Kitty from the doorway. She came into the kitchen with her attendant Harvey. ‘And please don’t worry about me, Peggy. If I can fly planes, I can certainly fly a pair of crutches, and I promise I’ll never try to do anything the remotest bit adventurous if the house is deserted.’

Peggy had to believe her, and she certainly looked very well this morning, with good colour in her cheeks and a certain assurance that had been missing the day before. ‘Of course you won’t, dear,’ she replied. ‘Now, you sit down and I’ll get you some porridge.’

Kitty eased the strap of her shoulder bag from round her neck and hung it over the back of a chair. ‘I can do it, Peggy, really. You see to Daisy.’

Peggy watched uncertainly as Kitty went to the stove, scooped some porridge in a bowl, hesitated for a moment, and then abandoned one of her crutches to hop to the table and set the bowl down. She hadn’t spilled a drop.

Daisy squirmed and started to yell, making further conversation impossible, so Peggy turned to the sink and filled the tin bowl with warm water for her bath.

‘I’ll be off then,’ said Fran as she fastened the navy cape round her neck. ‘We’ve been very busy in theatre these past couple of days, so I suspect I could be late.’

‘Which hospital do you work in?’ asked Kitty.

‘Cliffehaven General,’ she replied. ‘’Tis just down the road, past the shops, and takes only a few minutes for me and Suzy to get to.’

‘Then it would make far more sense if I could have my treatments there,’ said Kitty happily. ‘I’ll . . .’

‘I’m sorry, Kitty,’ Fran broke in hastily. ‘But we don’t have the facilities. We’re accident and emergency, and general theatre – along with maternity and paediatrics. That’s why the Memorial takes all the more serious cases and those which need long-term care and rehabilitation.’

‘Oh,’ said a deflated Kitty. ‘I just thought it would save everyone so much bother if I only had to get down the road.’

‘Ach, to be sure, you’re no bother,’ said Fran with a grin. ‘And you’re getting the very best care at the Memorial.’ She looked at the watch pinned to her starched apron and gasped. ‘I’ve got to go or Matron will be on the warpath. See you later.’

Peggy had listened in to this conversation as she’d bathed and dried Daisy, who was now thankfully quiet again as she chewed on a spoon. ‘Don’t get downhearted, Kitty,’ she said as she wrestled to dress the baby. ‘Fran’s right. You’re getting the very best of care at the Memorial, and before you know it, you’ll be racing about like the rest of the girls.’ She reddened as she realised how tactless she’d been. ‘I mean . . . that’s to say . . .’

Kitty laughed. ‘Please don’t apologise, Peggy, because that’s exactly what I intend to do – though “racing” is probably a bit optimistic. Clumping would be a better word, I think.’

Peggy’s heart ached at how brave the girl was being, but she said nothing as she finished dressing Daisy and sat her in the high chair. Kitty was clearly a feisty girl who was not only capable of flying Spitfires and Typhoons but who would meet every challenge with steely purpose until she had gained her independence again. Peggy could only silently salute her, and all the other brave youngsters who faced the same challenges with such stalwart resolution.