Kathleen flushed. Of course she’d been missing meals. There wasn’t the money to eat properly every day, but she was damned if she’d admit that to the kind nurse.
Alice had finished her tea and was making ready to leave when there came a knock at the door and a young woman came in without waiting for Kathleen to answer. In the dim light the first thing Alice noticed was her hair – there was so much of it, partially pinned up but most of it falling down around her shoulders, windblown and untameable. ‘Thought you were coming round?’ she demanded, and then stopped in her tracks. ‘Sorry, didn’t realise you had company.’
Alice stood. ‘I was just leaving. I’m Nurse Lake, Alice Lake.’
Kathleen hurriedly stood as well. ‘Oh, Mattie, Brian was took bad and I clean forgot. I’m sorry, I hope your ma didn’t go to no trouble …’
‘Don’t be silly.’ Mattie took one look at her friend who was all of a fluster and went and gave her a big hug. Then she turned to Alice. ‘You’re not going on my account, are you?’
‘No, no, I was on my way anyway,’ Alice assured her. ‘I’ve taken a look at Brian and I’m sure he’s in no danger. He just needs good care and plenty of rest.’
Mattie nodded. ‘Glad to hear it. I’m Mattie Askew, by the way. I’ve got a baby Brian’s age so I know what it’s like, don’t I, Kath? Only I live at me ma’s while my Lennie’s away, so I got someone to help me out and look after her now and again.’
Kathleen breathed out. ‘Your ma’s a diamond, Mattie. She’s been good to me an’ all. I don’t know where I’d be without her, that’s the truth.’
Alice picked up her bag. ‘Well, I’m glad to see you’ve got a good friend, Kathleen. A trouble shared is a trouble halved, that’s what they say.’ She moved towards the door.
‘Works both ways,’ Mattie said staunchly. ‘When my Lennie joined up I was in a proper tizz, and Kathleen looked after me then. He always wanted to go into the army but when he went ahead and did it I didn’t know what to do. It was Kathleen what stopped me running after him and making a fool of myself.’ She grinned at her friend with affection. Alice saw Kathleen in a different light, not a poverty-stricken young woman panicking about her child’s health, but a steadfast friend who could be relied upon. It was a good lesson to learn on her first real visit as a district nurse. People had different sides and you couldn’t presume that you understood everything about them on one short visit.
‘I’ll say goodbye, then,’ she said. ‘Don’t hesitate to call on me again, Kathleen. Remember what I said earlier.’
‘I will. I reckon he’ll be right as rain now,’ said Kathleen, stepping towards the door to see Alice out. ‘Thank you, Nurse. You’ve set my mind at rest and I’m really grateful.’ She stood at the open door as Alice lifted her Gladstone bag into the wire basket of her bike and set off.
Mattie took a look at Brian and carefully placed her hand on his small forehead. ‘He is a bit warm, isn’t he? What did she think it was?’
Kathleen came back inside and shook her head ruefully. ‘He’s better than he was. She sponged him down ever so gently and he settled at last. He was ever so hot this morning, and I thought … I thought …’ She could barely form the word as the fear leapt up inside her once more, but she forced herself to stay calm. ‘You know. Like down in Shoreditch. I thought it had come here and he’d got it.’
‘Oh, Kath.’ Mattie knew exactly what her friend was thinking, and if she were honest she’d worried about it herself, even though she rarely went anywhere near the area. ‘It won’t be that, really it won’t.’
‘I know that now.’ Kathleen composed herself again. ‘She said he probably had a bit of a cold and that babies his age can get a temperature where you or me wouldn’t have more than a bit of a sniffle.’
‘Probably got it off our Harry.’ Mattie shifted uncomfortably. ‘I’ll kill him. I said to stay away from the little ’uns but he can’t resist them. He was picking up your Brian and playing with him a few days ago, wasn’t he?’
Kathleen nodded. ‘Don’t blame him though, Mattie. I’m glad he plays with them. Brian likes it, you can tell. Does him good to get a cuddle from someone apart from me. Not all men like to do it, so don’t you go stopping him.’
Mattie knew what Kathleen really meant. ‘Still no word from Ray, then?’
Kathleen shook her head. ‘He can’t send word if he’s halfway to Canada, can he? Stands to reason, that does. I don’t expect to hear nothing till he’s back in port, and who knows when that’ll be?’
‘Who knows,’ Mattie echoed loyally, keeping her true feelings out of her voice. She wouldn’t trust Ray Berry as far as she could throw him which, given that he was six foot tall and she was a shade over five foot two, wouldn’t be far. She knew Kathleen loved him with a fierce and unstoppable passion, which meant she never complained about being left high and dry with a baby to look after on hardly any money. She herself wouldn’t have put up with it. But then, her Lennie sent home a portion of his wages regular as clockwork, and wrote letters every time he could. He was desperate for news of his baby daughter. He and Ray were as different as chalk and cheese.
‘You going to come back with me, then?’ she asked now. ‘Bring Brian – if he’s got what Harry had then we’d all have caught it by now if we were going to. Ma’s made a big pot of stew and says it won’t last, and she’ll be furious if I don’t bring you home with me.’
Kathleen briefly shut her eyes. She knew she was a bit of a charity case, and didn’t want to presume on Mattie’s mother’s kindness. All the same, her mouth was watering at the thought of her stew, and Nurse Lake had been very clear: she had to eat well to keep Brian in good health. She really didn’t have much choice.
‘I’d love to,’ she said.
Edith was deep in conversation with Mary Perkins when Alice returned, a little shaky after the ride on the unfamiliar bike.
‘Come and have a cup of tea,’ Mary said at once. ‘I know what it’s like to ride that boneshaker. You’ll want a good sit-down to recover.’ She got up to boil the kettle and refresh the pot that she and Edith had already started. They were in the big room on the lower-ground floor, which was comfortably if slightly shabbily furnished to function as a combined dining and common room, next to the handy service room with all that thirsty nurses could need, as each had their own cupboard for drinks and snacks as well as a communal iron and ironing board. Light poured in through the big windows, and Alice could see the bike stand through one of them.
‘Don’t mind if I do,’ she said, collapsing onto a wooden carver chair, the seat of which was softened by a big patchwork cushion. ‘I found my way there and back all right though. I’m slowly getting my bearings.’
Mary set a cup and saucer in front of her. ‘There you are. What was it like? Was the baby very sick?’
Alice sipped the welcome tea and thought for a moment. ‘No, not really. Well, he had a temperature but I’m pretty sure it was nothing to worry about. It’s just that the real reason for concern is he’s undernourished, and we can’t do much about that unless the mother lets us.’
Edith looked at her. ‘Remember, they warned us about that in our lectures. You can’t save everyone, Alice, even though I know you want to.’
‘I know, I know.’ Alice was only too aware that she had a tendency to get drawn