WithoutSpeaking
Acrobat
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2009
- Messages
- 304
Title: Seconds
Authors: GraceRyan & wo_speaking
Rating: PG
Lyneth Morgan pulled up on the collar of her coat, bracing herself against the brisk October wind. Thankfully her walk to work was just a short jaunt on the dirt path from the Nurses’ Home to the hospital - more often than not she walked alone in the dark since she’d begun the morning shift.
She was exhausted; it felt as though she’d been working nonstop, and she was most certainly looking forward to a bit of a break. Tomorrow night, her friend Ava would be performing at the White Hart in Northolt and a good time would be guaranteed.
Lyneth and Ava met at Hillingdon a few months ago when she came to sing to the wounded soldiers. She saw Ava’s sallow face as she held the hand of burned soldier. She managed to hold herself together until she walked into the back room. Luckily, Lyneth had been there to catch the fainting singer. After a dose of smelling salts and some fresh air, she’d become fast friends with Ava even though they had little in common. Ava was from America, Lyneth from Wales; Ava grew up the daughter of a wealthy tobacco plantation owner, while Lyneth’s memories of her father were of his soot-covered face.
She was 16 years old when the deep, black hole stole him away from her.
Lyneth shook her head with the memory; it was 7 years ago just this September gone by, but with everyone around her losing their fathers, sons, friends and brothers to this terrible war - it may well have been yesterday.
They had no choice but to get on with their lives; they were tired of running scared and would be damned if the Germans ruined the only bit of fun they had left.
The sun was just starting to come up over the trees, Hillingdon Hospital loomed ahead. It was just cold enough so she could see her breath; winter was on its way - and she still didn’t have a lad to call her own. She daydreamed of meeting a dashing and able-bodied officer in the RAF; unfortunately it seemed that the only ones she came across were the injured men to whom her care was required. There were mixers and pubs, like where Ava sang most nights, but they were jammed with fly boys looking to let off some steam, rather than gentlemen who wished to woo a young lady.
She smoothed out her skirt before walking inside, knowing she was in store for another tiresome day at the casualty ward. The beds were filled with soldiers in various states of distress, some with recent amputations, others having lost hearing or sight, and still others who were blessed enough to know they would make a full recovery. She tried not to think about the ones who would never return home.
As she found herself deep in thought, Lyneth nearly ran into a young man about her age carrying a rack full of test tubes.
“Pardon me,” he muttered, his eyes downcast and head bowed in embarrassment.
She’d seen him around the hospital for a few months now, but he was extremely shy and reserved - in fact those were very likely the first two words he’d ever spoken to her.
“No, I’m sorry... I wasn’t paying attention. It was my fault, surely.”
He didn’t answer her, only nodding before he rushed off. Her voice was musical to him, even in apology.
David Evans was exceptionally shy around women - something he’d have to learn to get over if he’d ever hoped to take one out.
It’s not as if he hadn’t noticed Lyneth - her chestnut hair always perfectly done up, uniform pressed as though she was set to meet royalty, and brown eyes as brilliant as a young doe.
He was speechless when he was near her - and this was the closest they’d come. He wanted so very much to talk to her, but he didn’t know how to begin. He certainly did not have the gift of gab that his friend Paul was born with. Or blarney, more like...
Yet there were other things on his mind than dreaming of wooing Lyneth Morgan. He knew full well that Paul and Adam were out on a night mission, and it made him feel a bit sick to know that they might come back like some of the patients at Hillingdon; or worse yet, not at all.
It was just over a year gone by that that he’d been on the receiving end of the telegraph that changed everything.
He’d been called up to fight for Britain - they’d managed to locate him as a British subject living in Ireland. He was born in Barking, East London, to Welsh parents, so he did not fall under the neutrality of Ireland as he still held citizenship of the Commonwealth.
They’d written it out it as convincingly as they could - if he chose to continue to pursue his pending application to Trinity College to become a Doctor Of Medicine - they’d provide the training, as long as he started as a combat medic, of course. Otherwise he would fight in the trenches with the British Army.
They must have looked at the results of his Leaving Certificate to give him the opportunity for something better than a death sentence.
David was a pedantic student, his best friends Paul and his brother Larry more carefree. Larry had been good with his hands and made his own motorbike from spare parts. It didn’t look pretty, but it got Larry around town. Now Paul was the smooth operator of the group. Always with a smile on his face and laughter in his voice, he was a brilliant writer. Enough so that Trinity was happy to have him until it was realised that he’d failed at his native tongue, Gaelic.
David, however, had made the decision to take two years off after finishing school to attend Trinity College. If only he’d decided to start studying a year prior, he’d have been immune to conscription as a student. Instead, he was spending his days here, watching the way Lyneth’s skirt hugged her hips as she bent over the bed of another injured soldier to change his bedpan.
That was the way he chose to think about the situation he was in. He was here to find love. That had to be why things happened the way they did. He couldn’t bear to think that soon enough he would be sent out to the field in Germany, cradling soldier upon soldier while they died in his arms. He’d learned early on in his training that there was only so much that could be done - and it was never enough.
Lyneth shook her head and continued to the nurses station. She wasn’t quite sure of the lad’s name. Was it David? No... Daniel. That was it. Wasn’t it?
“Excuse me, nurse,” a blonde-haired young man interrupted her thoughts, speaking hurriedly in a thick Irish brogue. “Has anyone been brought this morning from Uxbridge?”
“No one on my watch, but I’ve only just come in myself,” Lyneth answered, seeing the look of desperation in his eyes. “I will ask about for you if you give me a moment.”
She gave him a demure smile, trying to calm him as he was clearly looking for someone important to him. He wore an RAF issued flight mechanic’s suit and he was breathing heavily.
“I will ask the ward nurse who’s just finishing the night duty. Is there a name I can ask after?”
“Aye - Paul Hewson - he’s my brotha...” he trailed off, the worry escaping from his voice. “Or Adam Clayton - he’d be the pilot.”
Lyneth rushed off to find Nurse Clarke; she wanted to help this young man. He was polite and sincere, and clearly very worried about his brother.
“Larry, what are ya doin’ here?” David exclaimed, surprised to see his friend saying more to Lyneth than he’s ever been able to.
“Aw, Dave - have ya heard? Something’s gone bad on Paul and Adam’s mission. I don’t know how bad it is ‘cos they wouldn’t tell me more except that they’re due here. Have you been graftin all night?” his head whipped around, not even looking at David.
“Yes, but no one’s come in yet that I’ve seen. Maybe...maybe he’s...” David stuttered, “have you...”
“I’ve already gone and asked a nurse and she’s gone to check, for feck sakes...” Larry snapped under his breath, more quickly than he should have.
“I was just trying...”
“I’m sorry, Dave. I’m near sick about it...”
Lyneth returned right then with a notebook in hand, scanning the last few pages again before she spoke.
“No, there’ve been no new patients named Paul or Adam in the past day, I’m afraid.”
She looked up and smiled meekly at Larry, wishing she’d had some solid good news for him. She glanced over at David but he looked away the instant her gaze met his; the two of them knew each other but surely she’d never learn how if it was up to that reticent slip of a lad to tell her.
“Thank you, nurse,” Larry nodded at Lyneth and pulled at David’s sleeve. “If you’ll excuse us...”
“Certainly - I hope it turns out all right,” Lyneth called after them as they made for the door. She couldn’t stand to give anyone bad news, let alone a couple of lads her own age. After all, telling someone that their family member had been maimed or died in hospital made one grow up far too quickly.
Larry stepped outside the front door, immediately lighting a cigarette to calm his nerves. He handed the pack to David.
“Nah, you know I’m not one for smokes, Lar.” He shuffled his feet not knowing what to say.
Larry’s hands shook as he shoved the lighter back into his pocket. “Dave, I’m scared shiteless. Sure, Paul has had some close calls.....but what if...”
David placed a hand on his shoulder. “Lar, you can’t think of that now. It’s Paul - that gobshite can get out of anything. Remember the night Maggie O’Hare’s da found Paul with his pants down in his daughter’s bedroom? He managed to escape out that tiny bedroom window in short order.”
Larry chuckled as he thought back to tear in Paul’s knee. “Yeah, but this is different.”
“Your brother is very resourceful,” David patted his back, but he was unsettled inside. What would the poor Lawrence do without his older brother?
Larry rubbed the back of his neck red as he paced in a circle. As people passed, he stared straight at his worn boots. The screeching of wheels snapped his head up. A white bus pulled around to the back of Hillingdon. Could that be, he wondered? He looked to David’s ashen face. He considered running around to the back of the hospital to see if Paul and Adam were in there. Seconds later, a jeep came to a screaming halt at the curb. Larry whirled around to see Paul hop out of the passenger seat - his clothes soiled with blood.
“Paul!” Larry shouted as he ran to him.
Paul looked dazed as his eyes followed the voice. “Where did they bring him?”
“Who?” Larry reeled as he spied Paul’s hands covered in blood. “Feck, are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“What?” He glanced down at his hands. “This isn’t mine. It’s Adam’s.”
David stepped forward. “Is he alright?”
Paul shook his head. “I-I don’t know. He was awake when they put him in the bus.”
“Are you sure you aren’t hurt?” Larry looked Paul up and down. Was any of the blood his?
He looked at Larry for the first time since hopping out of the jeep. The others had run past him into the hospital. The look of terror in his little brothers’ eyes brought him out of fog.
“Yes, Lawrence, I’m fine,” he pulled him into a hug.
For a moment, Larry felt tears of joy prick at his eyes. His whole life flashed before him. If anything happened to Paul, what would he do?
Larry cleared his throat. “I guess I don’t get top bunk after all,” hoping that he hadn’t made too much of a fuss.
“What happened to Adam? Where was he hit?” If David knew the point of entry or the type of injury, he might understand how serious Adam was hurt.
Paul ran his fingers through the auburn mop of hair that flopped in his eyes. “It was just his leg but there so so much blood. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“How did you get so bloody?” Larry eyed his clothes.
“I had to hold a parachute over the wound. Looked like metal bits tore through his leg. One cut was pretty deep,” his already pale face grew whiter.
David’s nerves were quelled for the moment. Unless it sliced a major artery, Adam would be all right. “Was anyone else hit?”
Paul nodded. “Simon and Roger were hit, but not as bad as Adam. They were bleeding - but was under control. Adam bled a lot.” He shuddered thinking about how the blood poured out of his torn flesh like a never ending faucet. He had a few wounds that just seemed to bleed and bleed.
“Can we go see him, Dave?” Larry asked.
“I’m sure they won’t let us near right now if they’re working on him. I can go in and see what I can find out though. Do you want to wait for me here?”
“That would be good, Dave - thank you.”
Paul had grown close to Adam these past few months and he was worried about him. Adam had become his first real friend over here outside of David. An Irishman surrounded by Englishmen was always set up to be the odd man out, and Adam was one of the few Brits who gave him the time of day. Both him and Larry felt ostracized ever since they’d arrived here, yet they were too proud to give in. They were fighting for a common good - whether Ireland had officially bought into that was of no matter to them.
David had things a bit easier as he held a British passport, but when people learned that he’d grown up in Ireland and been called back to fight for England, they’d questioned why he’d ever left. He gave the brothers a nod and walked quickly back into the hospital, his unruly hair blowing in the wind. He’d have to cut it shorter when he reported for duty but for now while still in training he’d leave it as long as he liked - in quiet defiance of his own reality while he still had the chance.
Casualty was a flurry of activity, nurses rushing about in a strange sort of organized chaos while David looked on. There were several very capable doctors on site, and although the incident was of great importance to the boys personally, it was just another day to the medical staff at Hillingdon. David was just coming to the end of his shift and didn’t have much of a place in any of this - his last duty was to stock the supply closet - important work set aside for a lackey medical trainee such as himself.
He ignored his final task for now and joined the orderly commotion, catching a quick glimpse of Lyneth as she rushed to and from the operating theatre with a clean supply of towels. He stopped her the third time she emerged, her nurse’s cape flitting behind her as she strode deliberately toward the supply closet.
“Um, Nurse Morgan, I know you’re terribly busy, but might I ask if...” he started meekly, “...everything is all right in there?”
He couldn’t bring himself to look right at her when he asked.
“Why yes - we have two minor injuries - some shrapnel wounds, and one a bit more serious...”
“Is that... Is his name Adam? With blonde hair? The serious one?”
“I’m not sure of his name, he was a pilot...”
David froze.
“What...what do you mean was a pilot?”
“Oh,” she smiled, her brown eyes searching his, “he is still very much a pilot. I didn’t mean to say...”
He took a deep breath and then let out a sigh of relief. He was still far too worried about Adam to dwell too much on the fact that Lyneth had just smiled at him for the first time...
“Is this your friend? The one that the Irish lad was asking about earlier?”
David nodded, his eyes downcast. Lyneth seemed concerned for him - she knew he existed now. It was unfortunate that it took this for her to notice him, he thought.
“Well, it must be him then if he’s got blonde hair, the other two of them are dark-haired. I can tell you that he’s got shrapnel wounds as well, but he was also was grazed by a bullet - nothing was severed and Doctor Hilliard has the bleeding under control. He’ll be wrapped up for a little while but he’ll be out before you know it.”
Her voice was calm and assuring, music to his ears in more ways than one. He mustered up the courage to meet her gaze - the least he could do to thank her for telling him all that she knew was to look at her when he said it.
“Ehm, thank you for...for the...the update,” he stammered, looking right into her eyes for the first time. The corners of her lips turned up in a smile; he’d had not one but two smiles from her today, he was in heaven. Now that he knew Adam would be fine, he took a moment to concentrate on her fine features, made even more beautiful when she smiled.
“I must get back,” she said softly, interrupting his reverie when she spoke.
His face felt hot, like he was being taken over by a blush, and he found himself speechless yet again.
God, she was beautiful. But whatever would she want to do with someone like him?
“Adam will be all right,” she assured him, “he is in very good hands. We’ll be bringing him out soon enough and you can see for yourself.”
At that she turned away and continued on to her work, leaving David standing in the hallway, watching the sway of her hips as she made her way to the supply closet once again. He daydreamed for a full 5 minutes before heading back outside to retrieve Paul and Larry and give them the good news. They could sit in the waiting room until he’d finished his job, and then they could wait together to see Adam, injured but very much alive.
* * * * *
Lyneth poured a glass of ice water from the pitcher on the bedside table, holding it to Adam’s lips and letting him take a drink. He’d rather have a shot of whiskey, truth be told, but this would have to do.
“There you are,” she said, replacing the glass on the table when he was through. “I’ll leave this with you if you feel you need more.”
“Thank you,” Adam looked up at her. “What is your name?”
“Nurse Morgan,” she answered, smoothing down the corner of the sheet on Adam’s bed.
“No, not your professional name - your real name. If you’re going to be changing my dressings, I feel that I need to know.”
Adam held out his hand and took hers in his while he introduced himself formally.
“Let’s try this once again. I’m Adam Clayton. And you are?”
“Lyneth Morgan,” she said softly, studying the shade of blue in his eyes, her hand still in his. There was no doubt in Lyneth’s mind that Adam Clayton was a very handsome man.
He’d already impressed her more than she wanted to admit, if only because he was pilot in the Royal Air Force. They rarely had them as patients at Hillingdon - the truth of it was that many of them did not survive their injuries. Adam was very lucky to be alive.
He looked a bit disheveled at present, granted, but she was quite sure that he cleaned up very nicely indeed. He had strong features and piercing blue eyes - she was certain that he must have some lass waiting for him back home as men like this did not go untaken. She didn’t see a ring on his finger, but that didn’t mean a lot in this war.
When he spoke he had a posh British accent that Lyneth found very alluring. There were far too many Cockney lads around - when she heard them speak it was like aural torture. She thought that she could very easily listen to Adam for quite a while.
Although she would have enjoyed having Adam all to herself, there were others that were waiting to see him. She was due to begin her rounds any time now. “You have some friends here to see you. Shall I call them in?”
“Oh yes, that would be grand. An Irish bloke? Blonde?”
“Yes...and a dark-haired lad that works at the hospital. I’m not sure of his name, to be quite honest.”
“Oh yes - that would be Dave. And Paul? He should be here too...”
“I don’t know if I could possibly keep tabs on all of your friends, Officer Clayton. You seem a very popular patient.”
Adam cringed. “Please love, don’t call me Officer Clayton,” he said with a smile. “And I won’t refer to you as Nurse Morgan.”
“I haven’t told you that you can’t...yet,” Lyneth answered, crossing her arms as she regarded him.
He raised an eyebrow. “Well, in that case, Nurse Morgan, please send in my visitors.”
“Certainly, Adam,” Lyneth winked, walking out to the lobby to find the Irishman and the shy boy that she now knew as David.
Lyneth didn’t have to go far to find the three of them - the blonde Irish lad, David, and another dark-haired lad were all waiting anxiously on those uncomfortable wooden chairs inside the front entrance. David and the Irish one were having an animated conversation while the third young man dozed off the best he could manage in his chair. His flight suit was soiled with blood and Lyneth assumed that he was part of Adam’s flight crew.
“David?” Lyneth spoke softly, not wanting to interrupt the conversation but sure that they would welcome it regardless.
His head whipped around to the sound of his name. He wasn’t expecting it to be coming out of Lyneth’s mouth. She did know his name after all...
“Um, yes?” he peered out from under his mop of hair. He hoped that it was camouflaging the blush settling into his cheeks.
“Your friend Adam is ready to see you,” she smiled warmly as his green eyes lit up.
He ducked his head. “Thank you so much.”
He leaned over Larry to touch Paul’s leg in effort to wake him. David felt bad rousing him since he only dozed off to a sleep about 20 minutes ago. Paul snorted and shifted against the wall. His mouth hung open slightly as a snore escaped from his mouth.
“Oi,” Larry’s boot kicked Paul. “Get up. We’re goin’ to see Adam.”
Paul’s eyes fluttered open. Stretching, he looked around. “How long was I out?”
“Not long. C’mon, we’re going in to see Adam,” David said softly.
“You were on the plane, right?” Lyneth stepped forward.
“Aye,” Paul nodded looking up her. She was very pretty with kind eyes. Quickly, he ran a thick hand through his unruly hair.
“Have you had anyone check you out?” she asked.
Despite the night he endured with lack of sleep, he managed to muster a lopsided grin. “No one as pretty as you, miss.”
David stiffened. Anyone but her, Paul. Please not her.
Lyneth laughed gently. “I’m going to guess that you are just fine.”
He straighten in his chair. “I am now. I’m Paul, and you are?”
“Nurse Morgan,” she nodded to him. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll bring you to Adam.”
Paul scrambled to his feet to follow Lyneth down the hall.
“He’s such an eejit,” Larry muttered to David who agreed wholeheartedly.
Paul fell in step beside Lyneth. “Nurse Morgan, I actually think I may have some bruisin...”
She shot him an amused glance. “Really? Where?”
He thought for a moment. “I think around my torso area...the chest, like. I was tossed around quite a bit in the attack.” He attempted to flash his sad blue eyes at her. It normally worked like a charm on pretty lasses like her.
She looked him up and down. “Well, no wonder being just a bitty thing like yourself.”
Paul winced a little while Larry and David chuckled behind him. He dropped behind with the other two, his pride a bit wounded.
“Shut it,” he muttered.
“It’s what you get for showing no respect in a place of medicine,” David said. Inside his heart swelled with Lyneth’s refusal against Paul’s usual charms. Perhaps, he did have a shot with someone as amazing as her.
All three watched the hitch in her hips as she led them to the last room down the hall. “Adam? You have some visitors.”
Adam raised his tired eyes, the corners of his lips turning up in a smile at the sight of his three best friends.
"Hey mate, how are you keeping?" Paul greeted him excitedly.
Adam winced as he tried to sit up.
"I'm bloody sore..." Adam winced as he tried to sit up. Lyneth quickly placed a pillow behind his back to help him.
"Officer Clayton, try to keep still, I know it's going to be hard for you but the less you move the better those bandages will keep."
Adam looked at Paul’s stained uniform. “Is that mine?”
He looked down at the dried blood. “Yes it is. Didn’t know you were a bleeder, Clayton.”
Adam winked. “Just giving you a little more.”
Paul’s face fell serious for a moment. “Are you okay?”
Adam gave a short nod. “Yeah, thanks for shooting the bastard down.”
Paul shot a smile back to Lyneth. “Did you hear that? I’m a hero.”
“Congratulations,” she turned her attention back to Adam. “Can I get you anything love?”
David noted the twinkle in Adam’s eyes as she spoke. He shuffled his hands behind his back.
“Some more water, please?” he asked.
She winked. “Sure thing.” As she walked away, four sets of eyes rested on her behind.
“She’s quite something,” Paul said.
“Not a bad way to spend a day in bed,” Adam joked. “You know, being laid up in the hospital.”
The back of David’s neck was on fire. How dare they talk about her like that?
“Are you playing brave for her?” Larry asked. “Are you in a lot of pain?”
“It’s manageable. I wonder how long I’ll be in here,” Adam mumbled. “As nice as the scenery is, I’m bored stiff.”
Paul nudged him. “I’ll bet.”
Rolling his eyes, David peered at the chart hanging off the end of the bed. He read Adam’s chart a few times, trying to remember all that he’d learned in training and working at the hospital. “Looks like you’ll be sprung soon.” David hoped it would be soon. The looks that passed between Lyneth and Adam made him uncomfortable.
“What does it say, doctor?” Lyneth joked as she saw the young man eyeing the chart seriously.
David jumped away from the foot bed and turned purple. He shrugged and muttered something she couldn’t make out. He was certainly skittish, Lyneth mused.
“Here you are,” she handed him a cold class of water.
“Thank you very much,” he bowed his head.
“Nurse Morgan, do you have a first name?” Paul asked as his eyes poured over her form.
“Yes I do,” she went about smoothing out the linens on Adam’s bed.
Paul scratched his ear. She was a tough one to figure out. “Where does a lovely girl like yerself head out for the evening? We’re a bit new around here and searching for a good local.”
“Where do I go?” she asked. As much as she didn’t really want this Paul to turn up at the White Hart, she noticed Adam leaned forward in interest. Perhaps he would accompany his pushy friend. “I’ve been to Coach and Horses a few times. I usually go to the White Hart to see my friend sing.”
“Does she sing there frequently, like tonight?” he asked.
Lyneth knew she might have said too much. It was very possible that Paul would be there tonight and without Adam as he would be here. “She does.” She turned away from him. “Adam, I’m afraid that you need your rest. Your friends should probably go.”
Adam smiled slightly. Rarely did he see Paul so flat on his face. Usually his charm swept most girls off their feet. He might not have been as classically handsome as his younger brother Larry, but his impish grin and boyish good looks got him pretty far with most girls. Not his Nurse Morgan - she was clearly not the least bit impressed.
“Thanks for coming by guys,” he pointed to Paul. “You should probably clean up.”
Paul nodded. “Right, especially of we’re headed out tonight.” He turned to Lyneth. “Perhaps we will see you tonight.....”
“Perhaps you will,” she said walking away. “Let me know if you need anything Adam.”
“Thank you Nurse Morgan,” Adam nodded.
“Lyneth, call me Lyneth...Adam,” her voice dropped as a small smile curled at the corners of her lips.
“Thank you, Lyneth,” he said, smiling up at her.
David felt his stomach turn violently. Did it have to be her?
It wasn’t only Paul who was flirting with her - he expected that from him - Adam had his sights set on her as well.
Paul slung an arm around David. “I think I know where we are headed tonight.”
David had a feeling that would be Paul’s plan. He had not only two men to compete for Lyneth’s attention - but his two friends. At the very least, he would be close to her. He still had about twelve hours to work on his courage, and maybe tonight he would actually talk to her. He might need a bit of help, in the form of a drink or two.
Authors: GraceRyan & wo_speaking
Rating: PG
Lyneth Morgan pulled up on the collar of her coat, bracing herself against the brisk October wind. Thankfully her walk to work was just a short jaunt on the dirt path from the Nurses’ Home to the hospital - more often than not she walked alone in the dark since she’d begun the morning shift.
She was exhausted; it felt as though she’d been working nonstop, and she was most certainly looking forward to a bit of a break. Tomorrow night, her friend Ava would be performing at the White Hart in Northolt and a good time would be guaranteed.
Lyneth and Ava met at Hillingdon a few months ago when she came to sing to the wounded soldiers. She saw Ava’s sallow face as she held the hand of burned soldier. She managed to hold herself together until she walked into the back room. Luckily, Lyneth had been there to catch the fainting singer. After a dose of smelling salts and some fresh air, she’d become fast friends with Ava even though they had little in common. Ava was from America, Lyneth from Wales; Ava grew up the daughter of a wealthy tobacco plantation owner, while Lyneth’s memories of her father were of his soot-covered face.
She was 16 years old when the deep, black hole stole him away from her.
Lyneth shook her head with the memory; it was 7 years ago just this September gone by, but with everyone around her losing their fathers, sons, friends and brothers to this terrible war - it may well have been yesterday.
They had no choice but to get on with their lives; they were tired of running scared and would be damned if the Germans ruined the only bit of fun they had left.
The sun was just starting to come up over the trees, Hillingdon Hospital loomed ahead. It was just cold enough so she could see her breath; winter was on its way - and she still didn’t have a lad to call her own. She daydreamed of meeting a dashing and able-bodied officer in the RAF; unfortunately it seemed that the only ones she came across were the injured men to whom her care was required. There were mixers and pubs, like where Ava sang most nights, but they were jammed with fly boys looking to let off some steam, rather than gentlemen who wished to woo a young lady.
She smoothed out her skirt before walking inside, knowing she was in store for another tiresome day at the casualty ward. The beds were filled with soldiers in various states of distress, some with recent amputations, others having lost hearing or sight, and still others who were blessed enough to know they would make a full recovery. She tried not to think about the ones who would never return home.
As she found herself deep in thought, Lyneth nearly ran into a young man about her age carrying a rack full of test tubes.
“Pardon me,” he muttered, his eyes downcast and head bowed in embarrassment.
She’d seen him around the hospital for a few months now, but he was extremely shy and reserved - in fact those were very likely the first two words he’d ever spoken to her.
“No, I’m sorry... I wasn’t paying attention. It was my fault, surely.”
He didn’t answer her, only nodding before he rushed off. Her voice was musical to him, even in apology.
David Evans was exceptionally shy around women - something he’d have to learn to get over if he’d ever hoped to take one out.
It’s not as if he hadn’t noticed Lyneth - her chestnut hair always perfectly done up, uniform pressed as though she was set to meet royalty, and brown eyes as brilliant as a young doe.
He was speechless when he was near her - and this was the closest they’d come. He wanted so very much to talk to her, but he didn’t know how to begin. He certainly did not have the gift of gab that his friend Paul was born with. Or blarney, more like...
Yet there were other things on his mind than dreaming of wooing Lyneth Morgan. He knew full well that Paul and Adam were out on a night mission, and it made him feel a bit sick to know that they might come back like some of the patients at Hillingdon; or worse yet, not at all.
It was just over a year gone by that that he’d been on the receiving end of the telegraph that changed everything.
He’d been called up to fight for Britain - they’d managed to locate him as a British subject living in Ireland. He was born in Barking, East London, to Welsh parents, so he did not fall under the neutrality of Ireland as he still held citizenship of the Commonwealth.
They’d written it out it as convincingly as they could - if he chose to continue to pursue his pending application to Trinity College to become a Doctor Of Medicine - they’d provide the training, as long as he started as a combat medic, of course. Otherwise he would fight in the trenches with the British Army.
They must have looked at the results of his Leaving Certificate to give him the opportunity for something better than a death sentence.
David was a pedantic student, his best friends Paul and his brother Larry more carefree. Larry had been good with his hands and made his own motorbike from spare parts. It didn’t look pretty, but it got Larry around town. Now Paul was the smooth operator of the group. Always with a smile on his face and laughter in his voice, he was a brilliant writer. Enough so that Trinity was happy to have him until it was realised that he’d failed at his native tongue, Gaelic.
David, however, had made the decision to take two years off after finishing school to attend Trinity College. If only he’d decided to start studying a year prior, he’d have been immune to conscription as a student. Instead, he was spending his days here, watching the way Lyneth’s skirt hugged her hips as she bent over the bed of another injured soldier to change his bedpan.
That was the way he chose to think about the situation he was in. He was here to find love. That had to be why things happened the way they did. He couldn’t bear to think that soon enough he would be sent out to the field in Germany, cradling soldier upon soldier while they died in his arms. He’d learned early on in his training that there was only so much that could be done - and it was never enough.
Lyneth shook her head and continued to the nurses station. She wasn’t quite sure of the lad’s name. Was it David? No... Daniel. That was it. Wasn’t it?
“Excuse me, nurse,” a blonde-haired young man interrupted her thoughts, speaking hurriedly in a thick Irish brogue. “Has anyone been brought this morning from Uxbridge?”
“No one on my watch, but I’ve only just come in myself,” Lyneth answered, seeing the look of desperation in his eyes. “I will ask about for you if you give me a moment.”
She gave him a demure smile, trying to calm him as he was clearly looking for someone important to him. He wore an RAF issued flight mechanic’s suit and he was breathing heavily.
“I will ask the ward nurse who’s just finishing the night duty. Is there a name I can ask after?”
“Aye - Paul Hewson - he’s my brotha...” he trailed off, the worry escaping from his voice. “Or Adam Clayton - he’d be the pilot.”
Lyneth rushed off to find Nurse Clarke; she wanted to help this young man. He was polite and sincere, and clearly very worried about his brother.
“Larry, what are ya doin’ here?” David exclaimed, surprised to see his friend saying more to Lyneth than he’s ever been able to.
“Aw, Dave - have ya heard? Something’s gone bad on Paul and Adam’s mission. I don’t know how bad it is ‘cos they wouldn’t tell me more except that they’re due here. Have you been graftin all night?” his head whipped around, not even looking at David.
“Yes, but no one’s come in yet that I’ve seen. Maybe...maybe he’s...” David stuttered, “have you...”
“I’ve already gone and asked a nurse and she’s gone to check, for feck sakes...” Larry snapped under his breath, more quickly than he should have.
“I was just trying...”
“I’m sorry, Dave. I’m near sick about it...”
Lyneth returned right then with a notebook in hand, scanning the last few pages again before she spoke.
“No, there’ve been no new patients named Paul or Adam in the past day, I’m afraid.”
She looked up and smiled meekly at Larry, wishing she’d had some solid good news for him. She glanced over at David but he looked away the instant her gaze met his; the two of them knew each other but surely she’d never learn how if it was up to that reticent slip of a lad to tell her.
“Thank you, nurse,” Larry nodded at Lyneth and pulled at David’s sleeve. “If you’ll excuse us...”
“Certainly - I hope it turns out all right,” Lyneth called after them as they made for the door. She couldn’t stand to give anyone bad news, let alone a couple of lads her own age. After all, telling someone that their family member had been maimed or died in hospital made one grow up far too quickly.
Larry stepped outside the front door, immediately lighting a cigarette to calm his nerves. He handed the pack to David.
“Nah, you know I’m not one for smokes, Lar.” He shuffled his feet not knowing what to say.
Larry’s hands shook as he shoved the lighter back into his pocket. “Dave, I’m scared shiteless. Sure, Paul has had some close calls.....but what if...”
David placed a hand on his shoulder. “Lar, you can’t think of that now. It’s Paul - that gobshite can get out of anything. Remember the night Maggie O’Hare’s da found Paul with his pants down in his daughter’s bedroom? He managed to escape out that tiny bedroom window in short order.”
Larry chuckled as he thought back to tear in Paul’s knee. “Yeah, but this is different.”
“Your brother is very resourceful,” David patted his back, but he was unsettled inside. What would the poor Lawrence do without his older brother?
Larry rubbed the back of his neck red as he paced in a circle. As people passed, he stared straight at his worn boots. The screeching of wheels snapped his head up. A white bus pulled around to the back of Hillingdon. Could that be, he wondered? He looked to David’s ashen face. He considered running around to the back of the hospital to see if Paul and Adam were in there. Seconds later, a jeep came to a screaming halt at the curb. Larry whirled around to see Paul hop out of the passenger seat - his clothes soiled with blood.
“Paul!” Larry shouted as he ran to him.
Paul looked dazed as his eyes followed the voice. “Where did they bring him?”
“Who?” Larry reeled as he spied Paul’s hands covered in blood. “Feck, are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“What?” He glanced down at his hands. “This isn’t mine. It’s Adam’s.”
David stepped forward. “Is he alright?”
Paul shook his head. “I-I don’t know. He was awake when they put him in the bus.”
“Are you sure you aren’t hurt?” Larry looked Paul up and down. Was any of the blood his?
He looked at Larry for the first time since hopping out of the jeep. The others had run past him into the hospital. The look of terror in his little brothers’ eyes brought him out of fog.
“Yes, Lawrence, I’m fine,” he pulled him into a hug.
For a moment, Larry felt tears of joy prick at his eyes. His whole life flashed before him. If anything happened to Paul, what would he do?
Larry cleared his throat. “I guess I don’t get top bunk after all,” hoping that he hadn’t made too much of a fuss.
“What happened to Adam? Where was he hit?” If David knew the point of entry or the type of injury, he might understand how serious Adam was hurt.
Paul ran his fingers through the auburn mop of hair that flopped in his eyes. “It was just his leg but there so so much blood. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“How did you get so bloody?” Larry eyed his clothes.
“I had to hold a parachute over the wound. Looked like metal bits tore through his leg. One cut was pretty deep,” his already pale face grew whiter.
David’s nerves were quelled for the moment. Unless it sliced a major artery, Adam would be all right. “Was anyone else hit?”
Paul nodded. “Simon and Roger were hit, but not as bad as Adam. They were bleeding - but was under control. Adam bled a lot.” He shuddered thinking about how the blood poured out of his torn flesh like a never ending faucet. He had a few wounds that just seemed to bleed and bleed.
“Can we go see him, Dave?” Larry asked.
“I’m sure they won’t let us near right now if they’re working on him. I can go in and see what I can find out though. Do you want to wait for me here?”
“That would be good, Dave - thank you.”
Paul had grown close to Adam these past few months and he was worried about him. Adam had become his first real friend over here outside of David. An Irishman surrounded by Englishmen was always set up to be the odd man out, and Adam was one of the few Brits who gave him the time of day. Both him and Larry felt ostracized ever since they’d arrived here, yet they were too proud to give in. They were fighting for a common good - whether Ireland had officially bought into that was of no matter to them.
David had things a bit easier as he held a British passport, but when people learned that he’d grown up in Ireland and been called back to fight for England, they’d questioned why he’d ever left. He gave the brothers a nod and walked quickly back into the hospital, his unruly hair blowing in the wind. He’d have to cut it shorter when he reported for duty but for now while still in training he’d leave it as long as he liked - in quiet defiance of his own reality while he still had the chance.
Casualty was a flurry of activity, nurses rushing about in a strange sort of organized chaos while David looked on. There were several very capable doctors on site, and although the incident was of great importance to the boys personally, it was just another day to the medical staff at Hillingdon. David was just coming to the end of his shift and didn’t have much of a place in any of this - his last duty was to stock the supply closet - important work set aside for a lackey medical trainee such as himself.
He ignored his final task for now and joined the orderly commotion, catching a quick glimpse of Lyneth as she rushed to and from the operating theatre with a clean supply of towels. He stopped her the third time she emerged, her nurse’s cape flitting behind her as she strode deliberately toward the supply closet.
“Um, Nurse Morgan, I know you’re terribly busy, but might I ask if...” he started meekly, “...everything is all right in there?”
He couldn’t bring himself to look right at her when he asked.
“Why yes - we have two minor injuries - some shrapnel wounds, and one a bit more serious...”
“Is that... Is his name Adam? With blonde hair? The serious one?”
“I’m not sure of his name, he was a pilot...”
David froze.
“What...what do you mean was a pilot?”
“Oh,” she smiled, her brown eyes searching his, “he is still very much a pilot. I didn’t mean to say...”
He took a deep breath and then let out a sigh of relief. He was still far too worried about Adam to dwell too much on the fact that Lyneth had just smiled at him for the first time...
“Is this your friend? The one that the Irish lad was asking about earlier?”
David nodded, his eyes downcast. Lyneth seemed concerned for him - she knew he existed now. It was unfortunate that it took this for her to notice him, he thought.
“Well, it must be him then if he’s got blonde hair, the other two of them are dark-haired. I can tell you that he’s got shrapnel wounds as well, but he was also was grazed by a bullet - nothing was severed and Doctor Hilliard has the bleeding under control. He’ll be wrapped up for a little while but he’ll be out before you know it.”
Her voice was calm and assuring, music to his ears in more ways than one. He mustered up the courage to meet her gaze - the least he could do to thank her for telling him all that she knew was to look at her when he said it.
“Ehm, thank you for...for the...the update,” he stammered, looking right into her eyes for the first time. The corners of her lips turned up in a smile; he’d had not one but two smiles from her today, he was in heaven. Now that he knew Adam would be fine, he took a moment to concentrate on her fine features, made even more beautiful when she smiled.
“I must get back,” she said softly, interrupting his reverie when she spoke.
His face felt hot, like he was being taken over by a blush, and he found himself speechless yet again.
God, she was beautiful. But whatever would she want to do with someone like him?
“Adam will be all right,” she assured him, “he is in very good hands. We’ll be bringing him out soon enough and you can see for yourself.”
At that she turned away and continued on to her work, leaving David standing in the hallway, watching the sway of her hips as she made her way to the supply closet once again. He daydreamed for a full 5 minutes before heading back outside to retrieve Paul and Larry and give them the good news. They could sit in the waiting room until he’d finished his job, and then they could wait together to see Adam, injured but very much alive.
* * * * *
Lyneth poured a glass of ice water from the pitcher on the bedside table, holding it to Adam’s lips and letting him take a drink. He’d rather have a shot of whiskey, truth be told, but this would have to do.
“There you are,” she said, replacing the glass on the table when he was through. “I’ll leave this with you if you feel you need more.”
“Thank you,” Adam looked up at her. “What is your name?”
“Nurse Morgan,” she answered, smoothing down the corner of the sheet on Adam’s bed.
“No, not your professional name - your real name. If you’re going to be changing my dressings, I feel that I need to know.”
Adam held out his hand and took hers in his while he introduced himself formally.
“Let’s try this once again. I’m Adam Clayton. And you are?”
“Lyneth Morgan,” she said softly, studying the shade of blue in his eyes, her hand still in his. There was no doubt in Lyneth’s mind that Adam Clayton was a very handsome man.
He’d already impressed her more than she wanted to admit, if only because he was pilot in the Royal Air Force. They rarely had them as patients at Hillingdon - the truth of it was that many of them did not survive their injuries. Adam was very lucky to be alive.
He looked a bit disheveled at present, granted, but she was quite sure that he cleaned up very nicely indeed. He had strong features and piercing blue eyes - she was certain that he must have some lass waiting for him back home as men like this did not go untaken. She didn’t see a ring on his finger, but that didn’t mean a lot in this war.
When he spoke he had a posh British accent that Lyneth found very alluring. There were far too many Cockney lads around - when she heard them speak it was like aural torture. She thought that she could very easily listen to Adam for quite a while.
Although she would have enjoyed having Adam all to herself, there were others that were waiting to see him. She was due to begin her rounds any time now. “You have some friends here to see you. Shall I call them in?”
“Oh yes, that would be grand. An Irish bloke? Blonde?”
“Yes...and a dark-haired lad that works at the hospital. I’m not sure of his name, to be quite honest.”
“Oh yes - that would be Dave. And Paul? He should be here too...”
“I don’t know if I could possibly keep tabs on all of your friends, Officer Clayton. You seem a very popular patient.”
Adam cringed. “Please love, don’t call me Officer Clayton,” he said with a smile. “And I won’t refer to you as Nurse Morgan.”
“I haven’t told you that you can’t...yet,” Lyneth answered, crossing her arms as she regarded him.
He raised an eyebrow. “Well, in that case, Nurse Morgan, please send in my visitors.”
“Certainly, Adam,” Lyneth winked, walking out to the lobby to find the Irishman and the shy boy that she now knew as David.
* * * * *
Lyneth didn’t have to go far to find the three of them - the blonde Irish lad, David, and another dark-haired lad were all waiting anxiously on those uncomfortable wooden chairs inside the front entrance. David and the Irish one were having an animated conversation while the third young man dozed off the best he could manage in his chair. His flight suit was soiled with blood and Lyneth assumed that he was part of Adam’s flight crew.
“David?” Lyneth spoke softly, not wanting to interrupt the conversation but sure that they would welcome it regardless.
His head whipped around to the sound of his name. He wasn’t expecting it to be coming out of Lyneth’s mouth. She did know his name after all...
“Um, yes?” he peered out from under his mop of hair. He hoped that it was camouflaging the blush settling into his cheeks.
“Your friend Adam is ready to see you,” she smiled warmly as his green eyes lit up.
He ducked his head. “Thank you so much.”
He leaned over Larry to touch Paul’s leg in effort to wake him. David felt bad rousing him since he only dozed off to a sleep about 20 minutes ago. Paul snorted and shifted against the wall. His mouth hung open slightly as a snore escaped from his mouth.
“Oi,” Larry’s boot kicked Paul. “Get up. We’re goin’ to see Adam.”
Paul’s eyes fluttered open. Stretching, he looked around. “How long was I out?”
“Not long. C’mon, we’re going in to see Adam,” David said softly.
“You were on the plane, right?” Lyneth stepped forward.
“Aye,” Paul nodded looking up her. She was very pretty with kind eyes. Quickly, he ran a thick hand through his unruly hair.
“Have you had anyone check you out?” she asked.
Despite the night he endured with lack of sleep, he managed to muster a lopsided grin. “No one as pretty as you, miss.”
David stiffened. Anyone but her, Paul. Please not her.
Lyneth laughed gently. “I’m going to guess that you are just fine.”
He straighten in his chair. “I am now. I’m Paul, and you are?”
“Nurse Morgan,” she nodded to him. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll bring you to Adam.”
Paul scrambled to his feet to follow Lyneth down the hall.
“He’s such an eejit,” Larry muttered to David who agreed wholeheartedly.
Paul fell in step beside Lyneth. “Nurse Morgan, I actually think I may have some bruisin...”
She shot him an amused glance. “Really? Where?”
He thought for a moment. “I think around my torso area...the chest, like. I was tossed around quite a bit in the attack.” He attempted to flash his sad blue eyes at her. It normally worked like a charm on pretty lasses like her.
She looked him up and down. “Well, no wonder being just a bitty thing like yourself.”
Paul winced a little while Larry and David chuckled behind him. He dropped behind with the other two, his pride a bit wounded.
“Shut it,” he muttered.
“It’s what you get for showing no respect in a place of medicine,” David said. Inside his heart swelled with Lyneth’s refusal against Paul’s usual charms. Perhaps, he did have a shot with someone as amazing as her.
All three watched the hitch in her hips as she led them to the last room down the hall. “Adam? You have some visitors.”
Adam raised his tired eyes, the corners of his lips turning up in a smile at the sight of his three best friends.
"Hey mate, how are you keeping?" Paul greeted him excitedly.
Adam winced as he tried to sit up.
"I'm bloody sore..." Adam winced as he tried to sit up. Lyneth quickly placed a pillow behind his back to help him.
"Officer Clayton, try to keep still, I know it's going to be hard for you but the less you move the better those bandages will keep."
Adam looked at Paul’s stained uniform. “Is that mine?”
He looked down at the dried blood. “Yes it is. Didn’t know you were a bleeder, Clayton.”
Adam winked. “Just giving you a little more.”
Paul’s face fell serious for a moment. “Are you okay?”
Adam gave a short nod. “Yeah, thanks for shooting the bastard down.”
Paul shot a smile back to Lyneth. “Did you hear that? I’m a hero.”
“Congratulations,” she turned her attention back to Adam. “Can I get you anything love?”
David noted the twinkle in Adam’s eyes as she spoke. He shuffled his hands behind his back.
“Some more water, please?” he asked.
She winked. “Sure thing.” As she walked away, four sets of eyes rested on her behind.
“She’s quite something,” Paul said.
“Not a bad way to spend a day in bed,” Adam joked. “You know, being laid up in the hospital.”
The back of David’s neck was on fire. How dare they talk about her like that?
“Are you playing brave for her?” Larry asked. “Are you in a lot of pain?”
“It’s manageable. I wonder how long I’ll be in here,” Adam mumbled. “As nice as the scenery is, I’m bored stiff.”
Paul nudged him. “I’ll bet.”
Rolling his eyes, David peered at the chart hanging off the end of the bed. He read Adam’s chart a few times, trying to remember all that he’d learned in training and working at the hospital. “Looks like you’ll be sprung soon.” David hoped it would be soon. The looks that passed between Lyneth and Adam made him uncomfortable.
“What does it say, doctor?” Lyneth joked as she saw the young man eyeing the chart seriously.
David jumped away from the foot bed and turned purple. He shrugged and muttered something she couldn’t make out. He was certainly skittish, Lyneth mused.
“Here you are,” she handed him a cold class of water.
“Thank you very much,” he bowed his head.
“Nurse Morgan, do you have a first name?” Paul asked as his eyes poured over her form.
“Yes I do,” she went about smoothing out the linens on Adam’s bed.
Paul scratched his ear. She was a tough one to figure out. “Where does a lovely girl like yerself head out for the evening? We’re a bit new around here and searching for a good local.”
“Where do I go?” she asked. As much as she didn’t really want this Paul to turn up at the White Hart, she noticed Adam leaned forward in interest. Perhaps he would accompany his pushy friend. “I’ve been to Coach and Horses a few times. I usually go to the White Hart to see my friend sing.”
“Does she sing there frequently, like tonight?” he asked.
Lyneth knew she might have said too much. It was very possible that Paul would be there tonight and without Adam as he would be here. “She does.” She turned away from him. “Adam, I’m afraid that you need your rest. Your friends should probably go.”
Adam smiled slightly. Rarely did he see Paul so flat on his face. Usually his charm swept most girls off their feet. He might not have been as classically handsome as his younger brother Larry, but his impish grin and boyish good looks got him pretty far with most girls. Not his Nurse Morgan - she was clearly not the least bit impressed.
“Thanks for coming by guys,” he pointed to Paul. “You should probably clean up.”
Paul nodded. “Right, especially of we’re headed out tonight.” He turned to Lyneth. “Perhaps we will see you tonight.....”
“Perhaps you will,” she said walking away. “Let me know if you need anything Adam.”
“Thank you Nurse Morgan,” Adam nodded.
“Lyneth, call me Lyneth...Adam,” her voice dropped as a small smile curled at the corners of her lips.
“Thank you, Lyneth,” he said, smiling up at her.
David felt his stomach turn violently. Did it have to be her?
It wasn’t only Paul who was flirting with her - he expected that from him - Adam had his sights set on her as well.
Paul slung an arm around David. “I think I know where we are headed tonight.”
David had a feeling that would be Paul’s plan. He had not only two men to compete for Lyneth’s attention - but his two friends. At the very least, he would be close to her. He still had about twelve hours to work on his courage, and maybe tonight he would actually talk to her. He might need a bit of help, in the form of a drink or two.
