The first train ride was a breeze, she had taken the train to Aberdeen a couple of times before and the almost hour long ride was over in no time. She got off the train and found her way to the next train she was supposed to get on without a problem. After briefly waiting for its arrival, she boarded the train and made sure she got comfortable in the seat she would spend almost eight hours in. Once they set off, she started reading to pass the time until lunch was served. After lunch, she looked out the window and watched the countryside pass by and even managed to take a short nap. When she woke up, she decided to read some more and the next thing she knew they made their last stop before arriving to London. She put her book away and located the papers that The London sent about her lodgings and the training program. She skimmed the pages until she found the instructions that applied the most to her at the moment, how to get to The London from Victoria station. She looked over the information and suddenly became nervous about navigating this new city alone.

She had to put all apprehensive thoughts aside because the train pulled up to Victoria station. Once they got the all clear, she grabbed her two suitcases and handbag and then exited the train. She had to find her way to the bus stop to take the number 38 bus and ride until it arrived at Redwood Street. She made her way to the station without trouble thanks to helpful signs along the way. She sat on one of the benches with her suitcases sitting beside her and when the 38 bus finally arrived, she looked down at her watch and realized she had been waiting for almost thirty minutes. She sighed and got up from where she was sitting to get on the bus. She paid her fare and she looked out at the street that they were on and the buildings that surrounded it. London looked similar to the city streets of Aberdeen, except much busier and it made Inverurie look a lot smaller than it really was. She always loved the city streets of Aberdeen the few times that she got to visit and she smiled at the thought of seeing the city streets in London everyday. As they got farther away from the center of London, she saw some of the damaged buildings that were yet to be fixed from The Blitz.

She looked out for the different signs that indicated which stop they were approaching. She watched and waited to see a sign saying Redwood Street, but it started taking a lot longer than expected for the bus to arrive at that particular stop. She looked to find a sign that said West Chelsea Street, which set a slight panic in her stomach since the map that she looked at showed that The London was closer to the east side of London. It was just the one street name, she thought to herself, surely it didn't mean that she was at the wrong part of London. She looked through her papers again which made the panic rising within her get a lot worse because she realized she had misread which bus to get on, she was supposed to take the number 58 instead of 38.

When the attendant taking up fare money walked by, she asked him "How do I get off of this bus and on to the number 58 bus?"

"Well the number 58 bus does not come this way, where did you get on this bus at?" he asked her

"At the Victoria train station" she answered

"You will have to stay on this bus until it circles back around to the Victoria again and then you will have to wait for the 58 bus from there and then you will be on your way" he told her

"Thank you for your help" she said

"You're welcome" he replied

She anxiously waited until the bus returned to Victoria station, which wasn't for another half hour. She was frustrated at herself because she was going to have to pay for bus fare again. She had a good chunk of change from her graduation gifts, but she also didn't know when she was going to get her first paycheck which meant she was trying to save as much as she could. She was also getting hungry and wasn't sure what food options would be around once she got there. When the bus finally pulled into the stop closest to Victoria station, she got off and went back to the seating area outside for people waiting on buses. As she was about to sit down, she got a whiff of what smelled like fried fish and turned to her right to see a fish and chips stand just at the end of the street. She briefly debated on whether or not to eat now or later, but then she remembered that she had to wait almost half and hour for the last bus and was sure she could eat and still make it in time to get on the 58 bus. She purchased some fish and chips and sat on a bench by the bus stop to eat her meal. She had only had fish and chips a handful of times in her life, but it was a good thing she liked it because she had a feeling that she would be in need of many more quick meals to come.

She finished eating with just enough time to discard the newspaper it was wrapped in when the 58 bus arrived. She got on and paid the fare once again and after five more stops, the stop for Redwood Street finally arrived. She got off the bus and followed the directions in the letter. After walking a couple of blocks, she had finally arrived at the Nurses Home that was two doors down from The London. She walked into the main entrance, unsure if anyone would be there to check her in considering it was well past seven at night. She looked up to fine a middle aged woman in a nurses uniform sitting at the front desk.

She walked up to her and said "Hello, I am Shelagh Mannion and I am here to check into my lodgings, I start training on Monday"

"Better late than never I guess. Do you have your acceptance letter?" she asked firmly

"Yes, here it is" she answered as she had already had her papers in hand from trying to find her way there

She examined it and then looked on her list on the front desk. She then opened a drawer to get a key and a couple of papers before replying "Ms. Mannion, you will be in room 104, here is a list of the rules along with your schedule for next week. You will have a roommate and the communal bathrooms are located at the end of each hallway"

"Thank you" she replied kindly

"You're welcome" the woman replied

She walked down the hallway until she found room 104 and was thankful that her room was on the first floor so she wouldn't have to go up and down stairs after long days. She was also nervous because she had never had a roommate before, what if she was put with someone that she didn't like? She unlocked the door and opened it to find that her roommate was sitting in her bed reading.

"You gave me a fright" she said to Shelagh

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I'm Shelagh, your roommate" she replied and extended her arm to shake her hand

"I'm Charlotte it's nice to meet you" she replied as she shook Shelagh's hand. She was so pretty with her blonde hair and blue eyes, she thought to herself.

"Where are you from?" asked Shelagh

"I'm from Manchester. What part of Scotland are you from?" Charlotte questioned

"Inverurie. It is about a hour train ride from Aberdeen" she answered

"So we will be figuring out London together then? I have been here a couple of times when I was a child, although the last time I was here I was only eleven" Charlotte told her

"Apparently so, although I haven't been here but a couple of hours and I have already taken a wrong bus. That's why I am just now getting here" she said laughing

Charlotte laughed and replied "Well thankfully you are here now"

"Yes, finally" she stated

Shelagh put her suitcases on the other bed and unpacked her things. She put her clothes in drawers along with her "Here Is Love" sheet music. She then unpacked the blanket Marjorie crocheted her on the bed and her handbag along with her toiletries that she was about to use to shower and get ready for bed. She took the lighter and bracelet Henry gave her along with her Bible, stationary kit, the camera that Ella gave her and the stethoscope from her Da into her nightstand drawer.

She gathered her toiletries along with towels, her key and pajamas before saying "I am going to go shower, I will be right back"

As she walked to the bathroom, she realized that it would have been nice to have a smaller bag to carry everything in. She showered and then came back to her room to get ready for bed. She tiptoed quietly because when she opened the door, she found that Charlotte was asleep. She put her things away and climbed into bed. She read a chapter from Proverbs to wind down before she went to sleep. She cut off her lamplight that night and said a prayer of thanks to God for getting her there safely and then fell asleep.