Christmas Carols at Rookery House: An emotional and uplifting festive novella. by Hendry Rosie

Author:Hendry, Rosie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rookery House Press
Published: 2024-10-21T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

Evie felt like her hands weren’t cooperating this morning, and that, combined with the inability of her mind to focus on the job, was making for a difficult shift. The task she and Hazel had been assigned was one they’d done countless times before. It was a cornerstone of VAD duties and essential for the health and well-being of their patients. Although it might only be a thorough clean of Dining Room Ward, removing all dirt, dust and potentially harmful unhygienic organisms, it was important and a job that Evie normally found satisfying. It certainly wasn’t fancy and involved plenty of getting down on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor or washing down bed frames and lockers – however it usually gave her a sense of a worthwhile job well done. Even the monotonous parts could be restful, giving her time to think. Unfortunately, today she wished her thoughts would be quiet and let her get on, only they wouldn’t. Ned’s surprising proposal and its potential consequences kept going round and round in her head.

Dunking the cloth she was using to wash a bed frame into the bucket of hot soapy water, Evie caught the bucket handle with her elbow and, before she could stop it, the whole thing tipped over. Its contents puddled out across the floor and a strong smell of carbolic soap filled the air.

She stared at the spill in horror, as if frozen to the spot.

‘Nurse Jones! What is the meaning of this?’ Matron’s strident voice made Evie jump, her heart leaping in her chest.

She closed her eyes briefly and let out an almost silent sigh, wondering how Matron had the knack of appearing whenever somebody had done something they shouldn’t have.

‘Well, don’t just sit there staring, get it cleaned up!’ Matron’s command was laced with impatience. ‘What are you playing at this morning? I expect more from you than this. If you don’t…’

‘Matron Reed?’ Flight Sergeant Parish called to her from his bed on the other side of the ward. ‘I have a question for you and wondered if you could help put my thoughts straight about it.’

Matron swivelled on her heels and, leaving Evie to clean up the mess, headed over to find out what he wanted to ask her.

‘I’ll help,’ Hazel said, coming over from where she’d been washing down bedside lockers. ‘How does she always do that – turn up just when we wouldn’t want her to?’

Evie shook her head. ‘I don’t know, but she does. Time and time again,’ she whispered. She doubted Matron would hear over the cheerful chatter about Christmas arrangements at the hospital which Flight Sergeant Parish was engaging her in, but Evie dared not risk further annoying her boss. She was thankful Flight Sergeant Parish had called out to Matron when he did. It had saved Evie from a much longer telling off.

‘What happened?’ Hazel whispered, using a cloth to mop up the soapy water, wringing it out in the righted bucket.

‘I don’t know. I must have caught the handle with my arm,’ Evie said as she blotted up the spill with towels.

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