Yankee Surgeon by Elizabeth Gilzean Read Free Book Online Page B

a bit slower than Weymouth-Smythe, but does good careful surgery...” H ow absurdly tame it all sounded and gave no hint of the man he was...
    Her classmates seemed to be of the same opinion. “Sounds rather dull...”
    “Wasn ’ t there a flap about a transfusion?”
    Sally found herself defending. “Was there? I didn ’ t notice. I had a trolley laid and the blood was in the fridge...”
    There was visible disappointment on their faces.
    “Oh ... it wasn ’ t how we heard it ... b ut I suppose it got exaggerated as it went around...”
    To her relief they lost interest and she was left to drink her cup of tea in peace until Night Sister made her customary remark. “Nurses, isn ’ t it time—”
    They were on their feet and filing out of the dining room before she could complete her sentence. There was not any item of hot news tonight to keep them enthralled ... and Sally could hug her thoughts to herself.
    Sally went up the stairs slowly, wondering why the idea of no special session this evening should bother her. There was no extra bustle going on ... no clinking of instruments ... no coming and going of gowned and masked figures with that faraway intent look in their eyes which seemed to hint at such drama and merely indicated that they were wondering whether they had left something off the trolley they had laid up. It was only weariness tonight that was reflected on their faces ... sighs of relief that they could go off duty beyond the sound of the theater super ’ s voice ... away from the constant lash of things not done ... not remembered ... not finished.
    Sally greeted them cheerfully as she hung up her cloak in the nurses ’ room. “Anything on the way in? Had a good day?” There was a little silence and then Smithers spoke up.
    “I suppose it was the same as usual but you wouldn ’ t know it! No one could do a thing right even though it had been done the same way for simply ages. I don ’ t know ... sometimes I wonder whatever made me take up nursing.”
    She sighed and her sigh seemed to be taken up by everyone else in that small room.
    “But what happened? Something must have started it off!” Sally insisted.
    Smithers picked up the last gown out of the laundry basket, saw that it was torn and added it to the pile for the sewing room.
    “I suppose you could say that the theater super ’ s got her knife into the new house surgeon—that ’ s the nearest diagnosis I can give you. This Dr. Stornoway started flaunting her little airs about the theater just as the early list was beginning. You know the sort of thing—why weren ’ t there any size four wellingtons put out for her ... she couldn ’ t be expected to wear sixes. And this went on until the theater super came down on her like a ton of bricks. Most house surgeons wouldn ’ t have raised a peep after that, but this one isn ’ t squashable. Then of course she had to go and help herself to some instruments from Sister ’ s trolley ... talk about live voltage sizzling around a theater! Static electricity wouldn ’ t have stood a chance...”
    “Then what happened?” Sally asked eagerly.
    The other staff nurse shrugged her shoulders. “I don ’ t know exactly. Dr. Stornoway didn ’ t turn up for the afternoon lists although it was her duty. She wasn ’ t to know that the theater super is always off for half a day after the chest list. So where she ’ s gone I don ’ t know.”
    “I saw her getting into that big red car belonging to the new American surgeon.”
    The junior staff nurse volunteered the information gaily, not knowing what she was doing to Sally ’ s spirits.
    “When was this?” Even in her own ears her voice sounded flat, Sally was sure.
    “Must have been about tea-time, I think.”
    Sally took over the department from the day staff and started in on her nightly routine, but her heart didn ’ t seem to be in it. For no apparent reason she found herself wandering over to the big window that overlooked the