‘It’s been in there for months … it’s all been in there …’ Sophy howled. ‘I weren’t pregnant; I’ve been all swollen with all me monthlies,’ she moaned. Suddenly a pain took her knees into her chest. ‘Can’t stand it, Al,’ she whimpered. ‘Why don’t it stop? That’s enough … it must be. Where’s Mum? Get Mum for me,’ she pleaded. ‘Look at the state of it … she’s gonna kill me … the mattress’s had it now.’
Alice’s hands were covered with crusting blood as she yanked the bottom sheet up and tried to bundle it beneath her sister’s thighs and in between her legs to try to staunch the flow. ‘I’ll get some washing water,’ she panted and flew into the front room. She dragged Lucy away from the door where she was stretching for the handle and plonked her quickly back on the bed. That rough handling from her favourite sister made Lucy start to cry.
Alice upturned the crockery her mother had stacked in the bowl clumsily onto the table then she raced outside to the tap on the landing. A groan from Sophy made her speed back quickly with the bowl only half filled with water. Some of it slopped over the sides with her jerky movements.
‘It hurts, Al,’ Sophy whimpered. ‘Where’s Mum?’
Alice tried to find a bit of clean cloth but practically all of it was now soaked with blood. She grabbed at a piece that had a clean edge and dipped it into the water then frantically set about wiping her sister’s legs. Another gush of blood made her efforts wasted.
Alice shot back and for a moment just stared at the red pool that had formed beneath Sophy’s hips. She was frightened and had no idea how to help her sister. ‘I’ll see if Aunt Fran’s in,’ she gulped. ‘If she stays with you ‘n’ Lucy, I’ll find Mum.’
Sophy’s frightened eyes clung hungrily to Alice’s face. ‘Alright,’ she whispered. ‘If you can’t find Mum … d’you know where Dad’s gone?’
‘He’s looking for work down the market,’ Alice said. She quickly tried to reassure Sophy who’d started to sob. ‘Mum won’t be far. She ain’t been gone long.’ She plunged her bloody hands into the bowl to get the worst of it off before dashing into the other room. She tried to quieten Lucy’s howls with a few soothing words before flying out and down the stairs to Aunt Fran’s. She hammered on her aunt’s door with both fists. She called to no avail. With tears of frustration starting to her eyes Alice swore and dithered on the spot, unsure whether to bolt back up the stairs and see how Sophy was or to go out immediately to try and find her mother. She continued down to the street and darted searching looks here and there hoping to spy her mum close by. She didn’t but at that moment Margaret Lovat came out of next door.
At first Margaret made to ignore Alice. It was the way they all went on now since Danny had got Sophy pregnant. Didn’t look … didn’t speak. But Margaret had never had a quarrel with Alice, and from her harassed demeanour the older woman could see she had trouble.
‘Somethin’ up?’ Margaret asked, hesitating on her walk to the shop.
‘Sophy,’ Alice breathed. ‘She ain’t pregnant after all. All her monthlies have come together and it’s gone all over the place and Mum’s gone out.’
Margaret blanched. ‘Where is Sophy?’ she demanded.
‘On the bed in the back room,’ Alice gasped. ‘Can you just stay with her and keep an eye on Lucy while I find me mum? She’s gotta come back and see to her ‘’cos I don’t know what to do.’
‘Well I was …’ Margaret began. She stepped past Alice. ‘Go and find Tilly as quick as you can,’ she said. ‘Quick as you can!’ she repeated urgently as Alice succumbed for a moment to her shock and stood riveted to the spot. ‘I’ve left my lot up there on their own,’ Margaret explained. ‘I was only going to get a drop o’ milk.’
Alice nodded vigorously and jerking into action she hared off along Campbell Road. Thankfully her mother hadn’t got too far at all. Alice spied her in a dim hallway of a house opposite talking to Beattie Evans; no doubt they were tearing strips off the Robertson family.
Frantically Alice beckoned her mum and Tilly, sensing her agitation, rushed out straight away.
‘Sophy’s not well, Mum,’ Alice blurted in a cautious whisper. Despite the urgency of the situation she was still conscious of keeping her family’s privacy. ‘Her monthlies have come after all and she’s bleedin’ all over the place. Mrs Lovat’s with her.’
Tilly didn’t wait to hear more; with her skirts in her fists she began to run home with Alice hot on her heels.
‘Think it’s done.’ Margaret’s quiet statement greeted Tilly’s appearance in the doorway. She inclined her head at the bulky mess on the bed. She had been gripping Sophy’s hand strongly in comfort but now extricated her fingers and moved so Tilly could come closer to the bed and attend to her daughter.
‘If you pop next door for me, Alice, and keep an eye on me kids, I’ll stop here and help yer mum have a clean-up.’
Alice nodded but her eyes were mesmerised by the sight of her white-faced sister lying on a bed of blood. Alice found Lucy still on the mattress where she’d left her. It looked as though she’d cried herself out. Now her little eyelids were drooping and she was hiccoughing past the thumb in her mouth. Quickly Alice stooped to gather her up and take her with her next door.
The two women worked together in silence, rolling Sophy gently to one side so they could remove the soiled wadding stuck beneath her hips.
‘I’ll set water ter boil, and get the bath in from out back,’ Margaret said gruffly and received just a nod from Tilly in response. When Margaret returned with the tin hipbath she collected together the soiled sheets and rags. ‘Washin’ or throwin’? she asked bluntly.
‘Washin’,’ Tilly replied roughly.
‘I’ll set ’em to soak then get the copper alight out the back ‘n’ get started,’ Margaret said.
‘I wasn’t pregnant, after all, Mum,’ Sophy stirred to murmur, her drained features displaying a mingling of surprise and relief.
Tilly’s eyes were drawn to the purplish mess in the tin bowl. ‘That’s good then,’ she said gruffly after a long pause. ‘I’ll just get rid o’ this. Won’t be long.’ She picked up the bowl and went down into the back yard where Margaret was getting the washing copper organised. The two women exchanged a long look as Tilly proceeded towards the privy. She opened the door of the filthy brick shit house and tipped the contents of the bowl down the toilet and yanked the chain.
Tilly’s eyes closed just for a moment before she turned and went back inside to fill the bath and help Sophy into it. A moment later she came back out to see Margaret vigorously plunging the washing dolly on the sheets in the copper.
‘Thanks,’ she said curtly.
‘Least I can do,’ Margaret said, equally brusque.
‘Yeah … there’s that to it,’ Tilly said and, turning about, went back inside.
‘Would you do us a favour, Geoff?’
Geoff frowned. He’d emerged in to the street and found Alice still dawdling on the pavement. Moments ago he’d been gulping down his cup of tea while watching her from a window and wondering what was up with her. She’d been pacing restlessly back and forth, frowning and chewing on a thumbnail.
He hadn’t been expecting her to stop him and ask him to help with