She nodded. ‘You too.’
I was worried Jackson might appear somewhere on my journey to the hospital but thankfully, he wasn’t there. Though the streets were busy with emergency workers and families who’d been bombed out, and the WVS volunteers dashing about with mugs of tea and blankets, so perhaps I just hadn’t seen him.
In any case, my mind was on Nelly.
My train was delayed because there was debris from the raid on the line, so I ended up getting a bus to the hospital, which took ages, and I had to rush to my ward, worried I was going to be late to start my shift.
As I hurried along the corridor, Matron appeared. ‘Nurse Elsie Watson,’ she bellowed down the hall at me.
‘I’m here,’ I called, trying to walk even faster, because running was strictly forbidden. ‘I’m coming.’
But Matron came towards me, and held her hand out to stop me and for an awful, heart-wrenching moment I knew absolutely what she was going to say. Nelly was dead. I was sure of it. Because Matron had never sought me out in the corridor before and I couldn’t ever imagine it happening again.
My legs buckled beneath me and I reached out to steady myself on the cool, distempered wall.
‘Is it Nelly?’ I asked, my voice quiet and small in the busy corridor.
Matron had arrived at my side and now she took my arm and I leaned on her, grateful for the support.
‘She’s awake,’ she said.
My vision blurred and I thought I might faint for a second. Then it cleared and I looked at Matron, whose own eyes were filled with tears. ‘She’s awake,’ she said again.
‘Is she going to be all right?’
‘It’s still too early,’ Matron said. She was a large woman with a big bosom and a heavy tread. She rarely smiled or laughed, was sharp-tongued when she had to be, and she was very good at her job. I respected her but I could never have said that I liked her. Now, though, she seemed more human. ‘Too early to be sure,’ she added. ‘You should go and see her.’
‘Now?’ I was surprised. ‘But my shift is about to start.’
‘Nurse Bateman will cover until you’re back,’ she said. The tiniest of smiles crept across her lips. ‘She wasn’t busy last night so she’s fine to stay.’
Nurse Bateman – Petra – was sweet, but she was a devil for taking ages to move patients or fetch files from the records office. If there was an opportunity for her to skive off work for five minutes, she took it. I was amused to know that Matron had spotted her habits, too. ‘Thank you,’ I said.
‘Half an hour,’ Matron said. ‘I need you back on the ward by half past eight. Don’t make me send Nurse Bateman to fetch you.’
‘I won’t,’ I said, half over my shoulder because I was already turning to go. ‘Thank you.’
Not caring about any rules about not running, I pounded along the corridor to Nelly’s ward, and burst through the door. It was a different matron in charge today, but she obviously knew I was coming because she looked up at me and smiled.
‘Here to see Nelly Malone?’
‘Is she awake?’ I gasped. ‘Is she talking? Will she be all right?’
She got up from behind her desk and came round to where I stood. ‘Don’t get ahead of yourself,’ she warned. ‘Nelly is very poorly. She’s off the sedation but she is still on a lot of pain medication. She’s drifting in and out of consciousness, but I think she’ll know you’re there and be glad of it.’
‘That’s what I think,’ I said. ‘I always think that.’
She nodded. ‘She can’t speak.’
‘Because of the oxygen?’
‘We think her airway was scorched by the flames. She’s responding to our words but can’t make a sound herself.’
I put my hand to my mouth. ‘That could heal though? With time?’
‘She’s very badly hurt,’ the matron said softly. ‘Her burns are extensive and there is a high risk of infection.’
‘Can I see her now?’
