.
Trudy Short chewed her gum and heaved a great sigh. She wrapped her arm around her photographers neck and moaned,
" Nothing here for us, Lenny, this gig is a real bummer."
Trudy had been assigned by the big Sunday tabloid she worked for, to run a story on the nurses and midwives working in the East End of London. She had come to Nonnatus House, to write a piece on the everyday life of community midwives in one of the less privileged boroughs of London.
She understood very quickly that the chief honcho, a Sister Julienne, was not at all impressed with this intrusion. Trudy also knew, that specialized services like this were scrambling for NHS funding and any publicity was good publicity. Well, that's what her editor had convinced Sister Julienne's superior.
Trudy had interviewed the very amenable sister and some of her staff. The usually persuasive Lenny had taken a lot of photos, but had failed to convince the lovely blonde nurse, to pose on her bike in her scanties.
He had suggested to the tall attractive redheaded nurse bent over the steamy autoclave, that she was looking awfully warm and may need to unfasten a button or two before he photographed her. That was before the little Welsh nurse appeared. He couldn't quite remember, how the smiley nun had ended up bandaging his burnt hand and administering pain relief to take care of a more sensitive area.
No, it hadn't gone well. The best story Trudy had come up with was the dishy young vicar and his virginal looking bride, but there was nothing here that would get her editor excited and promote her to the celebrity and royal scandal section.
Even the juicy titbit, Lenny had found out, about the cute curate being formerly engaged to the Blonde Bombshell before Sandra Dee. It was hardly Profumo.
Lenny snapped the mothers and babies at the Tuesday clinic. Trudy was talking to the jolly little nun, who was trying to explain the origins of the Order of St. Raymond Nonnatus. Sister Winifred got a little bit confused about the orders origins in Poplar.
" You should ask Mrs Turner about the old building and the old All Saints' Parish Hall" Sister Winifred said trying to deflect the desperate reporter.
Trudy wasn't sure. The sister informed her that before becoming the local GP's wife, Shelagh Turner had been a member of the Order of St. Raymond Nonnatus and would be able to answer all her questions.
Trudy doubted it, but to placate the nun, muttered, "Which is she?"
She didn't really care,she had interviewed the GP yesterday and although very affable, he did tend to go on a bit about the wonders of the NHS.
Sister Winifred obliged," She is in the kitchen, on her break enjoying a much earned cup of tea and a pink-wafer."
Trudy wandered over to the kitchen, she collided with a blue uniform at the door.
" Sorry Nurse, but I wonder if I could just have a few minutes of your time Mrs Turner?"
" I am certainly not, Mrs Turner!I am most definitely Nurse Crane SRN,SCM, Spinster."
There was not much that intimidated hardened hack Trudy Short, but she found herself backing off, once face to face with this tall imposing nurse.
Trudy summoned up enough courage to mumble, " Where can I find Mrs Turner?"
The disgruntled nurse pointed into the kitchen at a tiny, slim nurse with piercing blue eyes and a broad smile," That is Mrs Turner."
" Lenny!" Trudy screamed, " I think we got our story."