Scarlet would have gone looking for Spencer, asked if he could help, but it was useless. Ambulances were coming in faster than patients could be seen – they had been for hours, and the doctors hadn’t had a break, either. As well as the ambulances rushing in, trucks were racing out with injured soldiers headed for the harbour, the worst of them being airlifted out. But so many had died, so many weren’t going to make it, and Scarlet was finally, heartbreakingly losing her belief that Thomas could make it home alive. Part of her was starting to think that no man was going to make it out of this war alive or without body parts missing. It was the most dismal, heartbreaking thing she’d ever witnessed or imagined possible.
Scarlet turned from Lucy and Ellie and rushed to assist. The doctor who’d been yelling was still working with no nurse at his side. She had to forget about Ellie for now and believe that Lucy would look after her. The other nurse seemed capable and caring, and Scarlet had no choice but to trust the decision she’d made. From what she’d seen of her, she was as trustworthy as anyone she’d met.
‘Spencer?’ She hadn’t recognised him when he’d called, his face smudged with blood and what appeared to be dirt, his hair full of dust. She reached for a cloth and wetted it, hastily wiping his face clean for him. Of course it was him, she chided herself. He was the only doctor who seemed capable no matter the circumstances.
‘What can I do?’ she asked.
‘We need to amputate. I have this one and more waiting. It’s the only way I can give them a chance of making it home, otherwise they’ll never survive the airlift out.’
Her stomach turned but she stayed strong. There was nothing she wouldn’t do if it meant helping to save a soldier’s life, and there were so many to get on the boats headed for home.
‘Tell me what you need,’ she said.
Scarlet didn’t mention that Ellie had just had to be virtually carried out. Spencer was already looking like he was on the brink of collapse, and she was certain he’d heard and seen the commotion anyway. His usually handsome face was etched with concern, lines deep around eyes that were usually bright, now dulled with tiredness. They were all struggling, even good doctors like him.
She administered morphine, prepared for surgery, did everything Spencer asked of her without faltering, but after they’d amputated both legs on one soldier and later the arm of another, Scarlet ran as soon as she was dismissed. She barely made it outside, tucked away from view, before she started to vomit – over and over again until the pain in her empty stomach was unbearable. She wondered if the smell of blood and burnt flesh would ever leave her nostrils.
Scarlet breathed hard, finally straightened and went in search of Ellie. She was worried about her friend; the fun-loving, always-smiling nurse that had kept them both full of laughter seemed to have slipped way, replaced by a shadow of the woman she’d been only a week earlier. Even on the dreadful voyage over, she’d kept her spirits up, and Scarlet was more than worried. She was terrified that Ellie might do something silly. She didn’t know what, but—
‘She’s fine.’
Lucy appeared just as Scarlet was about to go into the tent.
‘Sleeping?’ Scarlet asked.
‘Yes.’
Scarlet threw her arms around Lucy and pulled her in for a hug. She was not usually one for displays of affection like that, but beyond being tired, and feeling emotional, it seemed like the only thing left to do.
‘Thank you.’
Lucy was stiff as she held her tight, but Scarlet didn’t care. She hadn’t realised how much she’d needed the contact, to touch another human being, to be held. She understood why, after so long away from home, the soldiers they cared for were desperate for the words, care and affection from their nurses. They just needed someone to hold them and tell them everything was going to be fine.
‘I finally have a break. Do you have a moment?’ Scarlet asked.
Lucy nodded. ‘Of course. I’m going to get dinner.’
They walked side by side, Scarlet’s legs so tired she feared they’d give way.
‘Tell me about yourself, Lucy. You’re a great nurse,’ Scarlet said.
‘Oh, well, you know. It’s been full on here,’ Lucy said. ‘I arrived with my unit as part of the Royal Air Force, so I’ve been here since immediately after the Normandy landings.’
Scarlet nodded, impressed. ‘Well, I know I’ve already said thank you, but I really appreciate your help with Ellie.’ Scarlet paused, considering her words. ‘She’s not usually like this. I mean, it’s not her personality to be so down; she’s usually so positive. Being here has changed her.’
‘It changes a lot of people,’ Lucy said in a low voice. ‘I’ve seen doctors take their own lives after making mistakes, and a nurse hang herself. I know how easily people can snap out here when they’re pushed to their limits, and I don’t want to see that happen to your friend. That’s why I offered to assist.’
Scarlet didn’t know what to say. She was numb. She’d experienced sleep deprivation and hunger pangs that hit deep inside of her, and witnessed hideous wounds, but from the glint in Lucy’s eyes, she could see the other nurse had witnessed far worse.
‘I don’t know what to say,’ Scarlet admitted.
‘You don’t need to say anything, and I don’t want to relive it,’ Lucy said simply. ‘But I’ve seen the signs, I know when enough is enough. Not everyone is built to deal with the intensity of what we’re doing here.’
‘And you? How are you faring?’ Scarlet probably didn’t need to ask, because Lucy struck her as very capable.
‘It takes some adjusting to, but I’m fine,’ she said simply. ‘We have a job to do, and when we get back I want to train to be a doctor.’
Scarlet stopped walking. ‘A doctor?’
‘Yes,’ she said matter-of-factly. ‘I doubt it’ll be that unusual in years to come, and I like the work. It’s one of the reasons why I was sent to help your unit. I have a real interest in difficult surgeries and I made a bit of a name for myself volunteering for anything and everything. I want to learn everything I can.’
Scarlet was surprised. A woman wanting to be a doctor just wasn’t something she’d heard before. ‘I grew up with women who dreamt of being wives and mothers,’ she said. ‘But the more time I spend here, the more I truly see the world, the more I realise how narrow-minded that seems.’
‘There’s nothing wrong with wanting to have a family,’ Lucy said, her smile softening. ‘I’m not saying I don’t want that one day, but I don’t want that to be all I’m good for. It sounds high and mighty, but I can’t help how I feel.’
Scarlet smiled. ‘You might be the most interesting woman I’ve ever met. I mean that, Lucy. You know, my family weren’t exactly happy for me volunteering here, but if I’d told them I wanted to be a doctor once all this is over, I think my mother would have had kittens!’
‘I know the feeling,’ Lucy said with a laugh.
‘So you don’t have a sweetheart back home?’ Scarlet asked.
‘No, I don’t. You?’
‘It’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it one day. Let’s just say I’m engaged, and I’m hoping to find my fiancé while we’re here.’ She felt a pang from talking about Thomas when her mind had instantly jumped to James.
‘I’ll hold you to it,’ Lucy said. ‘One night when we can’t sleep you can tell me every single detail.’
‘I’ll see you shortly,’ Scarlet said, reaching out to touch Lucy’s shoulder. ‘Thank you again for everything you did for Ellie.’