Chapter 4

On the authority of government

After this initial hassle Allie got used to the life on the Air Force Base and everything went on in its arranged course.

She was fully accepted as competent pilot and her proceedings during the year could be put in an appearance.

Of course there were frictions at home with her decision but with Doolittle's help these were negotiated and her father accepted his daughter's decision.

Physically Allie had very few changed, only the length of her light brown hair varied.

But mentally she had grown up. She wasn't a girl with dreams any longer, now she was a responsible young woman. This mental maturity also helped her to resist successfully Billy's obtrusive courtship.

Even though he had complained about Rafe always being around he couldn't leave trying. Of course, Rafe could approve that but he sanctioned it, especially because Billy had no success.

But no one of those three ended the courtship. Doolittle ended it.

When the Colonel noticed what happened between the pilots of his unit he enunciated some new rules and prohibitions quickly.

And although Allie didn't stand out in a negative way she had to visit Colonel Doolittle's office with an above-average frequency. But it was nearly always about special arrangements because she was a woman. The Air Force wasn't geared to women.

About such a special arrangement was today's meeting between Allie and Doolittle.

It was mid-December 1940 and Aline sat in front of Colonel Doolittle's desk, her arms and legs crossed.

"Miss McCawley" her boss began, "this neither is fun for me, but we can't avoid the special arrangements and paperwork." He waved some printed forms in a shiftless and apologetic way through the air.

"It's time for examinations, the same as You had to pass when You joined the Air Force., but now all pilots have to be checked. It's impossible that You go there together with the boys. In skivvies."

"You don't have to worry about me, Sir, I'll be doing fine" Allie responded with a wink.

That was kind of a private joke between her and Doolittle. Of course he knew that she had no problem with walking around lightly dressed, she had mentioned that various times. But he always answered with the same argumentation, just like now.

"Miss McCawley, I don't presume to think that You couldn't handle the situation. I'm worried about my pilots and every other male attender" he explained with a wink like her before.

"So I have to ask You to accompany the nurses until one of them has the time to check you during the lunch break."

"Of course, Sir" Allie nodded.

So it happened that Allie sat pretty bored on a window ledge in the hospital wing in the early morning of December 17th 1940 and watched the nurses getting ready.

A few minutes later when the bigger part of preparation was done a nurse stepped on her side.

"Hi, you are…" she looked down on the sheet in her hand, "… Aline?"

Allie nodded.

"I'm Sandra." The women shook their hands.

"Ready for the inoculation?" the nurse asked.

Allie gave her a forced smile. "Needles… well, it has to be done."

"But we're also checking your eyes, hearing and reflexes which are not that uncomfortable" Sandra tried to cheer her up.

"So, do you want to stay here and wait or accompany me all day? Here is nothing to see except lots of naked butts that Barbara" – a nurse with wavy blonde her smiled at them – "pokes with shots. If you accompany me you get to see everything around here."

With these descriptions the decision wasn't hard.

"Well, I'd like to see everything, please" the pilot laughed.

So Allie trotted half the day around with Sandra and also helped a little.

After four hours of testing and poking lunch break was finally there. But now Allie had the pleasure to try all the things she had seen today.

First Sandra checked the pilot's hearing under the surveillance of a severe looking nurse. But Allie's hearing was fine and no thread for her career as pilot.

The testing of her reflexes came next, but also no problems here.

In Allie's eyes the last test was very simple, because it was just about reading letters from a board, what shouldn't be a problem for a 20 year old girl.

After getting through these three tests the permission for the inoculation was given.

"I hope you're not as sniveling as some of the fly boys" Barbara winked at Aline. "Today there was again such a whiner" the blond nurse continued while she was drawing up the injection, "who tried to talk me out of poking him. He wouldn't get yellow fever in his barracks. But if the government says stick 'em, we stick 'em. On the authority of government." Barbara made her point clear while fidgeting with the needle.

"He, Barb, which one was it?" another nurse asked which had introduced herself to Allie as Susan.

Now Barbara put the shot down. It seemed the chatting would take some time before the inoculation could be performed.

"Um… I think his name was Anthony… but I can't remember his last name. Started with F…"

"Like Fusco?" Allie considered. "I wouldn't have guessed that Anthony is afraid of needles. It'll be fun bantering him about that."

"As nurse you experience a lot of bizarre things" a nurse started telling a story. But first she turned to Allie.

"Hi, I'm Evelyn Johnson, navy nurse."

Allie stepped in her direction to shake hands.

"I'm Aline McCawley, only female pilot far and wide."

Evelyn raised an eyebrow when she heard the name.

"McCawley?" she asked surprised.

"Yes, why? What's about that name?" Allie asked a little irritated.

"Well, maybe it doesn't mean anything but the guy I wanted to tell you about, his name is also McCawley. Rafe McCawley."

"Oh, I know him. Pretty well actually. What sappy thing did he start again?" Allie rolled her eyes.

"Nothing sappy" Evelyn explained with something dreamy in her voice. "He had his vision tested but told the last line from memory instead of reading. I let him start at the beginning and then he couldn't tell the last line that easily. Maybe because he had to read it from right to left and just every other letter."

"Oh no, did he have poor eyesight?" Barbara asked in excitement.

"Um, I don't think that was the problem. He explained that it was the letter, that he mixes them up sometimes. Hey, Aline, if you know him that well… does he really mix them up? Or has he poor eyesight?"

"Don't worry, Rafe's eyes are excellent. He just can't read properly. But that's not the eyes, it's more the brain, that gets confused" Allie explained.

Evelyn seemed relieved.

"Thank god, because I let him pass. It would have been horrible if he hadn't the required vision."

"Evelyn, did he thank you?" asked Susan.

"No… but maybe he comes back" the nurse said hopefully. "He was very cute."

To their luck the severe nurse didn't enter the room earlier because she hated her inferiors chatting about such topics. But Allie's presence surprised her.

"Miss McCawley, You are still here? Didn't You get Your inoculation yet?" she asked acidulous.

"Erm, no" the girl answered truthfully.

"We're done in a minute." Barbara grabbed the shot.

The severe nurse raised her eyebrows and left again.

"Drop your skivvies, please" Barbara giggled.

When Allie did what she was asked the blonde nurse started to giggle even more.

"Now I get why they do so many special arrangements about you. We couldn't have sticked with all the boys around!" The giggle continued.

"Evelyn, I think it's better if you give me my inoculation" the pilot turned to the other nurse after she had taken the shot preventative from Barbara. Evelyn grabbed it right ahead.

"It'll prick in a second" Allie was warned when she felt the needle in her flesh.

But she was a tough girl and did not make any noise even though it did hurt. It was over shortly after and Allie got the stamp into her file that proofed she passed the testing.

"You can leave, if you want to" Barbara finally stopped giggling.

"Don't worry; I won't go too far away. Let's see where Captain 'Didn't say thank you' is and get him to say thank you" Allie smiled at Evelyn.

So she walked down the hallway to the main entrance. There she found the boys of her unit, all of them dressed of course because it was winter at the east coast.

It didn't bother Allie that more than half the group was smoking she also smoked sometimes. Just Rafe and Red didn't participate.

"Look, there she is, our best female pilot" Anthony greeted Allie.

"Of course I'm the best, I'm the only one" Allie responded and poked her tongue out at him. Then she took the offered cigarette. For that she got her usual dunning glance from Rafe.

But she preferred to have her cigarette lighted by Danny because she always was afraid that Billy or Anthony would also light up her hair when performing legerdemain with fire to impress her.

"You all did pass?" she asked the group whereupon she sent a meaningful glance at Rafe.

An affirmative mumble was the answer.

"And did you all say thank you?" Allie asked further and gave her brother another look.

This time most of the boys looked at her in surprise and they also saw how she kept her focus on Rafe.

But that seemed to be a thing between siblings no one wanted to get into.

Allie thought that were enough clues for Rafe and went over to banter Anthony about his whiney behavior.

"I also came to know" she started whispering like a conspirator "that one of you acted like a little girl when he got his inoculation."

Now she glanced at Anthony.

Immediately he started to fight down this statement.

"What? Me? No! I'm not afraid of a little prickle."

To affirm his point he vigorously doused his cigarette but with his boot.

"I a-a-also heard you whine" Red barged in "even though this mean nurse poked me right that moment."

"And I talked to the nurse that poked you, Anthony. Nurses are such gossipmongers. And she assured me of the fact that you did whine."

Anthony would hear about this topic for a while now what pleased Allie. Sometimes she was one nasty minx.

Meanwhile everybody was done with his cigarette and Rafe was gone. The clock also showed that the lunch break was over and they all went back to the hospital ward. They would return to their casern all together in the evening.

Rafe had disappeared and Allie had an idea where he had gone but didn't tell.

Red, Anthony and Billy already went up the stairs to get their test results and left Danny and Allie alone in the entrance hall.

The pilot bent down to his best friend's little sister.

"So, what are we doing now?" he whispered with a rough voice into her ear.