The Nightingale Girls - By Donna Douglas Page 0,84

out of her way, Helen decided.

‘I’ll make a start on the drinks round, shall I?’ she offered.

‘I suppose so. Where’s that runner got to?’

‘Gone over to report to Male Chronics, I think.’

‘Well, I hope she comes back soon. We need her far more than they do. If she isn’t back in five minutes you’re to go and find her,’ she instructed Helen. ‘It’s not fair she should leave you to do the drinks round on your own.’

Helen smiled as she headed for the kitchen. It wasn’t like Amy to be so considerate. Although her consideration didn’t stretch to helping with the drinks herself, she noticed as she put the kettles on.

Amy had disappeared by the time she returned with the trolley, so Helen did the drinks round by herself. It took a long time, as most of the elderly women needed help with feeding cups. Almost half an hour had passed by the time she reached the new patient in bed six. Mrs Mortimer sat up ramrod straight, her long white hair beautifully brushed over the shoulders of her spotless nightgown.

‘Would you like a drink, Mrs Mortimer?’ Helen spoke to her slowly and encouragingly, as she did to all the women on the ward. ‘A nice cup of tea? Some Horlicks?’

Mrs Mortimer gave her a withering look. ‘Good gracious, girl, why are you speaking to me like that?’ she said sharply. ‘It’s my body that’s afflicted, not my mind.’ She peered at the trolley, unimpressed. ‘I don’t suppose you have anything as civilised as a brandy, do you? No? I thought it was rather too much to hope for.’ She sighed heavily. ‘In that case, you may go.’

She dismissed her with an imperious wave of her hand. Helen stood there, nonplussed.

‘Well? Was there something else?’ Mrs Mortimer said, as if she were addressing a rather dim servant. Helen shook her head. ‘Then I suggest you get on with your work, girl, and stop staring at me like a stunned trout.’

Helen slunk off, pushing her trolley. No wonder Sister Hyde had called her ‘trying’. She could imagine the pair of them clashing terribly if Mrs Mortimer used that tone with her.

Amy returned as she was pushing the drinks trolley back to the kitchen. She was herding the pro back in front of her like a lost lamb.

‘Look who I found,’ she said. ‘Gossiping on Male Chronics, she was. Not a thought for us, slaving away here on our own.’

Helen’s brows rose but she said nothing.

For the next hour she and Amy handed out medication with the Night Sister, changed dressings, straightened sheets and shook pillows, generally making the patients comfortable for the night. Then they turned off the lights and Helen and the pro went around pinning little green cloths over the lamps above patients who needed special care, and the one on the sister’s desk.

After that, the pro headed off to catch up with her duty list on Male Chronics, leaving Helen and Amy alone.

‘Right, that’s it. I’m off for a rest,’ Amy announced.

Helen sat down at the desk in the middle of the ward. ‘I’ll keep an eye on this lot and let you know if Night Sister turns up.’

‘She doesn’t do her rounds until well after midnight. Why don’t you come and have a cup of tea in the kitchen?’ Amy offered.

If Helen hadn’t already been sitting down, she would have fallen over in a faint. Ever since they’d started on night duty, Amy had entertained a string of junior doctors in the kitchen. But Helen had never been invited to one of her midnight soirees.

‘Why?’ she asked blankly.

‘No reason. I just thought you could do with a break,’ Amy shrugged. ‘It’s so tedious sitting here night after night with this lot.’ She nodded around the ward. ‘You could come and have a laugh with us for a change.’

Then, just as Helen was beginning to wonder if she’d fallen asleep and was dreaming it all, Amy added, ‘Your brother said he might drop in later.’

Ah, so that’s it. Helen saw the studied nonchalance on Amy’s face and realised the real reason why she was suddenly being so nice to her. She was interested in William, and she’d decided she should start sucking up to his sister.

As if that would make any difference, thought Helen. She tried to keep as far away from William and his love life as she possibly could.

‘That’s very kind of you,’ she said, ‘but I’d better stay here, just in case any of the