Hope Rising Page 14

  Releasing a sigh, Evelyn did her best to ignore such depressing thoughts and entered the next room. This one and the one after it were also empty. The third held another collection of crates, larger than the ones with the books, and a dusty radiator. Inside the crates Evelyn discovered yards of material from what appeared to be old curtains. There were blue ones and lacy ones and thick velvet ones. The hospital’s current curtains were dark in color, designed to block inside light from being seen by the Germans.

  Evelyn sifted through the rest of the crates. Another contained a bundle of sheets, yellowed with age. She lifted one out and tugged at the material. It held firm, despite being old. Surely these could be cut up and laundered for bandage material.

  What about the curtains? She discarded the lacy ones—they wouldn’t provide enough absorption—but the blue ones and possibly the velvet might work as bandages, once they were cut into strips.

  After gathering all the usable material into a pile, Evelyn peeked inside the last room. It stood devoid of anything but dust. She shut the door, bringing herself back to where she’d begun. Only this time, she felt encouraged. Surely they could make good use of the material she’d found.

  Rather than carting the cloth to the dining hall, Evelyn set the pile on the floor outside Sister Marcelle’s office and hurried down the stairs. Sister Marcelle and Dr. Dupont would be overjoyed. The old sheets and curtains would help everyone eke by until new supplies arrived. Perhaps the men in the recovery ward could cut the material.

  Evelyn entered the noisy dining room, its ornate walls echoing with conversation and the clatter of dishes. She picked up a tray of food, Louis’s primer still in hand, and searched for Alice, but her roommate wasn’t there. Perhaps she had been detained in the recovery ward. Evelyn did locate Sister Marcelle, talking with another sister near one of the doors. After setting her tray and the book on one of the tables, she approached the two sisters. She waited at a polite distance until their conversation ended.

  “Well, Nurse Gray,” Sister Marcelle said, turning toward Evelyn as the other sister left the room, “did you find anything we might put to use?”

  “I did.”

  The sister arched her eyebrows.

  “There were a bunch of crates with old sheets and curtains in them. I pulled out what I thought we could cut up and use as bandages.” Evelyn smiled with excitement at her success. “I thought you might want to look at the material, so I set it outside your office.”

  The laugh lines around Sister Marcelle’s eyes crinkled as she returned Evelyn’s smile. “I would be happy to inspect the material. I compliment your ingenuity. You have reminded me that prayer, followed by action, is the best way to find answers. I believe God inspired you to look up there.”

  Evelyn’s cheeks flushed. She didn’t know whether to thank the woman for her compliment or argue with her over the conclusion that God was behind Evelyn’s idea. Surely He hadn’t inspired her. And yet she couldn’t rid herself of the hope completely.

  “I thought we could ask the men in the recovery ward to cut up the material.”

  “Yes, that might work.” Sister Marcelle gazed at something across the room. “I will think on it. Thank you again, child.”

  Evelyn whirled around and returned to her food. Her supper had cooled, but she didn’t care. Her important accomplishment made even the bland food taste delicious. Tomorrow she would tell Dr. Dupont what she’d found, but first she wanted to share the good news with Alice. Her roommate would be as thrilled as Evelyn.

  She finished her meal and carried her dishes to the kitchen, then headed to the recovery ward. Alice wasn’t there. The beds of Sergeant Dennis and Joel stood empty as well.

  Guessing the three of them must be outside, Evelyn ducked out the back and strode onto the lawn. She searched for Alice, but the only other nurse she saw among the soldiers was Nurse Shaw. Perhaps Alice had gone to bed early.

  She turned toward the nurses’ building, to look for Alice in their room, just as a nurse circled the corner of the hospital, pushing a wheelchair ahead of her. Evelyn’s eagerness faded to irritation when she recognized Alice and Sergeant Dennis. Alice laughed at something the man said, bringing a frown to Evelyn’s lips. Her roommate seemed to be growing more and more comfortable around Sergeant Dennis.

  If she could think of an excuse to relieve Alice of helping the man tonight, and in the future, she might be able to prevent any further camaraderie between the two.

  Before she could think of a solution, though, she heard Louis call out, “Nurse Gray. Come here.”

  He waved at her from a small group gathered near the trees on one side of the lawn. Evelyn waved back, happy to see he hadn’t gone home yet, but she hesitated joining him, torn between talking with him and rescuing Alice. The boy won out, though. She hadn’t seen him the day before like she’d hoped, and there would be time later to sort things out with Alice.

  Evelyn walked toward Louis. As she came closer, she realized the group was comprised of several other children. They stood or knelt around someone in a wheelchair. When the man raised his head, Evelyn saw it was Joel. His eyes held hers as she approached, and a warm smile spread across his face. Her stomach fluttered in response. He was already handsome, but when he smiled like that, he looked the picture of a Greek hero, full of self-assurance and energy, even confined in his wheelchair.

  “See what I found, Nurse Gray.” Louis grabbed her hand and tugged her forward the last few feet.

  Evelyn stopped at the edge of the group and looked down. Near Joel’s feet sat a bird’s nest with three empty eggs inside. The small eggs were gray in color with brown speckles. Grateful for something—or someone—else to look at, she knelt on the grass to study the treasured objects better.

  “They’re beautiful.” She ran a finger over the smooth, glossy eggshells. No wonder Joel and Louis found all things bird related to be so fascinating.

  “We’re taking guesses as to what type of bird the nest and eggs belong to.” Joel lifted his notebook for her to see, the one he’d placed his feather in the day before. “Louis has to translate, though.”

  Evelyn smiled into the four unfamiliar faces peering at her. “Who are your friends, Louis?”

  Louis introduced the other four boys, but their names disappeared from Evelyn’s memory as quickly as he said them. Instead her attention was drawn to the toughened look in their young eyes and the stains and holes in their grubby clothing. They reminded her of the first time she’d seen Louis. Had it really been eleven days since she’d met the boy? He had become a significant part of her daily life at St. Vincent’s. Much like Joel.

  She glanced at him and found those hazel eyes watching her intently. Too intently. Would he read her thoughts? She blushed at the prospect and stared down at the nest again.

  He was different from Ralph in many ways, and yet she liked him, probably more than she should. What if he didn’t return her feelings? She wasn’t sure which would be worse—falling for him and having him decide they shouldn’t marry, or living in a marriage where she was the only one who felt real love.

  Joel’s voice interrupted her mental quandary. “What is your vote, Nurse Gray?”

  “My vote?” she repeated.

  “For what type of bird the eggs belong to.”

  “Oh.” She pried her gaze from the eggs to Joel’s amused look. The memory of touching his face returned full force. What would it be like touch his face not out of duty, but out of love? Would it feel as jolting and wonderful as touching his hand? She gulped as she realized Joel was still waiting for an answer.

  “I…uh…don’t know. What are the other guesses?”

  Joel read them off to her, pointing to each boy as he stated his vote. The boys smiled shyly at her. Like Louis, they sported dirt on their thin faces and had no shoes on their feet. A swell of motherly compassion filled her. If only there were more she could do for these boys, as Dr. Dupont’s wife was doing in their village. There had to be some way to feed the
m, to help them, to let them know the world wasn’t entirely devoid of kindness and love.

  An idea brought her to her feet. The boys could cut the material she’d found into bandages, in exchange for bread or vegetables for their suppers.

  “My guess is the same as his.” She pointed to one of the boys, who grinned when Louis translated her words. “And now I’ve got to see the hospital administrator, Sister Marcelle, about something.” Louis’s mouth turned down, in obvious disappointment at the shortness of her visit. She ruffled his hair as she walked past him. “I’ll be back. I may have found a way to get all of you a little more food.”

  All four boys perked up at the word food, especially when Louis translated the rest of her words. Hopefully they would stick around long enough to see the fruition of her plan. She hoped Joel would stay, too. She wanted more time with him, despite her conflicting thoughts about him.

  “Corporal Campbell?” She pressed her slightly shaking hands together.

  He glanced in her direction, an unreadable expression on his face. Could she break down the wall that guarded his feelings, help him see she was beginning to like him?

  Her heart raced a little faster as she said, “Please don’t leave either. I’d like to be the one to help you with walking today, if you haven’t exercised too much already.”

  The smile he gave her made her pulse quicken even more and eased any worry she felt over her boldness. “I’ll be here.”

  * * *

  The other boys left for home before Evelyn returned, though Louis assured Joel they’d be back the next day. After his friends had gone, Louis entertained himself near Joel’s wheelchair by looking through the bird notebook. Joel noted the careful, almost worshipful, way the boy turned each page. Here was a child as captivated with birds as he was.

  The only other thing Louis seemed to care about as much as food and birds was Evelyn, and Joel couldn’t blame him. The nurse was beginning to rank quite high on his own list of interests. He watched as she walked across the lawn right then, her movements graceful, her face lit with a smile. In her arms she carried a bundle of cloth.

  Joel nudged Louis’s knee with his boot. “I think Nurse Gray has brought us something.”

  The boy looked up. “What is it?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  Louis set the book on the grass and hopped up. “What did you bring, Nurse Gray?”

  “Some old sheets,” she called back.

  Louis scowled, making Joel laugh. “Let her explain,” he told the boy. “It may prove to be better than you think.”

  Evelyn set the cloth near the wheelchair. “I have permission, Louis, for you and the other boys…” She looked around, her face clouding with confusion. “Where did they go?”

  “Home,” Joel said. “But they promised Louis to come back tomorrow.”

  The boy cocked his head and eyed the sheets. “They want to see your surprise. But they will not like a bunch of sheets.”

  “These sheets”—Evelyn playfully tweaked Louis’s nose—“are a way for you and your friends to have food from the hospital kitchen.” She lifted the corner of one of the sheets for the two of them to see. “If you cut the sheets into strips for bandages, Sister Marcelle has promised to have Cook give you something for your supper.”

  Louis’s demeanor brightened at the news. “All right, Nurse Gray. We will cut.”

  “Would you like to start now?” Evelyn asked. “Is your mother expecting you home for supper?”

  A bleak expression settled on the boy’s face. “Non. I already had a little food. And ma mère likes me here. She thinks I do not know she cries after I leave.” He ran a hand under his nose.

  Evelyn knelt beside Louis and wrapped his thin body in a hug. “She wants you here because she knows you’re with friends, Louis. Isn’t that right, Corporal Campbell?”

  Joel leaned forward in his chair. “I’m sure your mother will be real proud to hear you’re helping out at the hospital. Especially doing something so important. Just think, Louis, the bandages we cut will be used on soldiers all throughout the hospital.”

  The boy pulled back from Evelyn and turned to face Joel. “Like you?”

  Joel chuckled. “Like me.”

  “That’s right.” Evelyn shot Joel a look of gratitude over Louis’s shoulder and mouthed the words thank you. He nodded back. They made a rather good team. “Even if you’ve already eaten, Louis,” she added, “I bet there’s still something in the kitchen for you to take home. Maybe even some sweets.”

  “Really?” Louis grinned.

  “Let me show you how to cut these first.” Evelyn removed a pair of scissors from her pocket. A folded piece of paper fell to the ground as she withdrew her hand.

  “You dropped something.” Joel pointed at the paper.

  Evelyn glanced from him to the ground and blushed. “It’s only a letter.” She shoved it back into her pocket, then began tearing the sheet into smaller sections.

  Her reaction made it easy for Joel to guess who had sent the letter. Was it the last one she’d received from Ralph? Is that why she kept it with her, as a reminder of him? The idea rankled, though he knew it shouldn’t. She wasn’t his to be jealous over.

  “Got an extra pair of scissors? I think I can help, even one-handed.” Joel wanted to prove to her he could be useful. Any minute now, he expected one of the other nurses to come wheel him back to the hospital. If he was doing something, though, he might be able to have more time with Evelyn, even if it meant having Louis along as company.

  “If you’re sure…” Evelyn pulled a second pair of scissors from her pocket and handed them to Joel.

  Once she explained how she wanted the material cut, Joel went to work. It was slow going, with only one good hand, but he wouldn’t give up trying. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Evelyn as she helped Louis. The boy’s first bandage came out as jagged as a saw blade, but she praised his effort.

  “Keep going, Louis,” she instructed. “You’re doing well. You, too, Corporal.”

  The compliment pleased him until he realized his grin had grown as wide as Louis’s. He forced his mouth into a frown. He wasn’t an infatuated schoolboy, though he couldn’t deny he was beginning to like Evelyn. Such a realization only heaped more guilt on his already troubled conscience. He needed to help her, for Ralph’s sake; liking her wasn’t part of the bargain. What would his best friend say about Joel’s growing attraction for his girl?

  He shook his head. He needed to respond—and think about—Evelyn with complete neutrality. If only she’d stop surprising him, as she had with the feather yesterday. Her thoughtfulness toward him and her compassion toward Louis and the other boys were fast wearing through his defenses against admiring her.

  She certainly had a way with these children. He might deem marriage as the last possible way to help her, but if they did marry, was it fair to consign her to a life with only one child? Evelyn deserved a husband who could provide her with a whole houseful of children whom she could care for and teach, just as she was doing with Louis.

  The notion of her marrying someone else left him more unsettled and annoyed than he wanted. He frowned at the material beneath his scissors. Why should he care if she chose a different man to be her husband?

  “Would you like me to take over, Corporal? You’re scowling at that cloth like you want it to surrender.”

  He cleared his throat, reining in his misguided irritation. “No. I’ve got it.”

  “All right.” She shot him an impish smile before turning to Louis. “Look how much you’ve done already, Louis.”

  An irrational desire to show up the boy, especially one-handed, overtook him, and Joel doubled his efforts to cut the material. At last Evelyn announced, “That’s enough for today. It’s getting late. Let’s get your sweet, Louis.”

  Joel finished cutting the piece on his lap, then relinquished his scissors to her. He bit back a triumphant smile when he saw his own pile was larger than Louis’s.

/>   “I’m impressed, Corporal.” Evelyn added his pile of cloth to Louis’s and the rest of the uncut material. “Clearly you are a man of many talents.”

  Her compliment shouldn’t inspire as much pride as it did. “Should I walk back, instead of having you push the chair?” he asked, noting her full arms.

  “If you’re up to it. Either way, I’m afraid if I don’t have you back in the recovery ward soon, we’ll both be in trouble.” Her tone was light, but Joel didn’t miss the meaningful look she gave him as she spoke. If they wanted more time together in the coming days, he would have to relinquish a walk around the lawn with her tonight.

  “I can walk, if Louis doesn’t mind pushing the wheelchair.”

  The boy’s black eyes widened. “Can I?”

  Joel laughed. “Sure, kid.”

  He rose to his feet with the help of Evelyn and his cane. She fell into step beside him, while Louis pushed the chair.

  “You’ve improved in the last few days.” Her tone held a note of appraisal.

  “I’m hoping by next week I won’t need the chair to get around.”

  “You’ll be walking back and forth before you know it. Then you’ll be off to the convalescent home.” Instead of a smile, her lips appeared to tighten at the thought. What about his leaving made her frown? Did she harbor the same attraction for him that he felt for her? Joel schooled his expression to keep from revealing the absurd hope.

  “What is a con-ves-scent home?” Louis swerved the chair one way, then another.

  “Convalescent,” Evelyn corrected. “It’s a place soldiers go to finish resting and getting better before they return to the front lines.”

  “You mean you have to go fight again?” Louis stared in wonder at Joel. “Are you scared?”