I mixed up the parts of this chapter; this is the first part of Sister Evangelina's view followed by the second which I accidentally posted yesterday.
Sister Evangelina speaks - Part 1
„Oh, Timothy, I didn't know you were in here," Sister Evangelina exclaimed upon discovering the little boy on the settee in the Nonnatus House living room. It was late afternoon and she had returned from a delivery, tired and with an aching back. She had aimed for a quick rest before getting her things ready in preparation of the next day.
Timothy seemed a bit lost, all by himself. "Did you come here with your father?" the nun asked gently.
"Yes," the boy replied meekly. "He only wanted to drop off some medicine for Nurse Miller to take along to someone but then the phone rang and Sister Bernadette came and asked him to go to an urgent case with her. He told me to wait for him and not move."
"Oh, I see. Well, has no one taken care of you then?" Sister Evangelina huffed. It was the Saturday before Easter and Mrs B was not in, but somebody else must be here. Sister Bernadette could at least have given the poor boy something to eat, the older woman thought.
"Come along, should we try and see whether there is any cake left in the tin?"
Timothy's eyes lit up "Yes," he whispered and jumped up to follow Sister Evangelina through to the kitchen.
A few minutes later, the boy was already on to his third slice while Sister Evangelina put the tea pot on the table. She treated herself to a rather generous slice, too, and watched the little boy affectionately.
"You know, you do look a lot like your mother," she said.
Timothy stopped eating and looked up from his plate. "Really? Do you think so? Everyone else keeps telling me how I look exactly like my dad."
"Yes, you do, with the colour of your hair and you being rather tall. But you also do have your mothers' eyes, and her cheekbones. And her smile, too."
"You knew my mother very well, isn't it?" Timothy asked. "My Dad told me that it was you who made them move to Poplar."
Sister Evangelina chuckled. "Did he indeed? Well, I believe I may have been part of the story, but they decided on their own. I did, however, know your mother before I met your father. She used to work with us for some time during the war and she always struck me as a very compassionate and kind-hearted woman."
"Good Morning, Nurse Parker," Sister Evangelina barked. "Bit late, aren't we?"
"I am sorry, the bus was late again, it had to take a detour," Marianne said, still breathless from having jogged all the way from the bus stop to Nonnatus House. It was her third week working as an assistant nurse for Nonnatus House. She was given easy routine tasks like sterilizing equipment, rolling bandages, seeing the supply cupboards stocked, lists filed, and the like.
Unlike the sisters and the one fully trained nurse, Marianne was not working shifts, and therefore had not seen the need to move to the convent. She had opted to stay with her mother who was glad to have Marianne back after her year in Aldershot. Perhaps it hadn't been a good idea after all, Marianne thought. She used to pride herself on being punctual and reliable, but here she was, making Sister Evangelina think she was the most irresponsible person they had ever hired.
Soon after she had taken up work in Poplar, Marianne realized how difficult it was to get to Poplar from her mother's home in West Ham. Today was the third time she was late, and she felt ashamed to be reprimanded again by Sister Evangelina in front of everyone else. She normally took the bus which was supposed to arrive 45 minutes before the beginning of her shift, and it still often didn't suffice.
Marianne took a deep breath and bit her lips. "I am sorry, I am going to make up for it and stay on in the afternoon," she said after a few seconds. She did not dare to argue with Sister Evangelina.
Sister Evangelina huffed again. Marianne liked the sisters. Gentle and airy Sister Monica Joan, kind Sister Julienne, hearty Sister Barbara, the superior of Nonnatus House - only hands-on Sister Evangelina was still intimidating her.
Marianne closed her eyes. She had woken up with a headache, and an aching tummy. Her vision was blurred occasionally. She wondered whether it had to do with the unusually warm weather. Perhaps her body wasn't just ready for summer. Not while Patrick was away, somewhere in the Mediterranean. He had vowed to write her every day, but had not been entirely certain when he would be able to post his letters. While out on the battlefield, letters sometimes could not be sent for weeks, Marianne knew. She couldn't stop thinking about him, hoping he was all right, and alive.
"Now, if you are done dreaming, Nurse Parker, I would be glad if you began working on those bandages over there and yes, I appreciate your offer in making up for the twenty minutes you have been late today."
Before she could even nod, Marianne suddenly felt the need to vomit. She was able to turn towards the sink close to her and all of her breakfast came out in one splash. Before she was able to apologize to Sister Evangelina, she felt the floor give in under her and everything went black.
"Ah, there she is," Sister Evangelina said. Marianne slowly opened her eyes. She found herself in a bed, somewhere she had never been. Was this a room at Nonnatus House?
"You are at The London Hospital, my dear," the nun explained gently as if she had guessed Marianne being temporarily without orientation.
Marianne opened her mouth, but her tongue was glued to her gum and she was not able to speak. Sister Evangelina noticed and handed her a glass of water. "Gently, only take one or two sips, and we shall see whether your stomach will keep it," she advised.
Marianne handed back the glass and whispered: "What happened? Why am I in hospital?"
Sister Evangelina looked at her with her lips pressed together before she spoke: "You suffered a miscarriage. You passed out at Nonnatus House, and started bleeding right away. Fred and I took you to the hospital. This was yesterday. I informed your mother that you were unwell and were staying with us. I don't believe in lying," she added, "but I assumed from the lack of a ring on your finger that you'd rather want to tell your mother yourself."
Marianne's eyes filled with tears and she slowly nodded. The baby, her baby, Patrick's baby. It was no longer. She had suspected she might be pregnant, and the thought had been pleasing, and frightening at the same time. But right now, she was not yet able to feel anything. She could not allow herself to feel the pain and sadness. She needed to get healthy and out of hospital and talk to her mother. Also, the nuns would certainly dismiss her, so she needed to find something else to keep her busy. Else she would run mad, not being able to take her mind off Patrick in the middle of the battlefield.
"You are not the first woman I have encountered who is experiencing a situation such as this," Sister Evangelina suddenly said. "And I am not holding it against you. While I may have my own private opinion about things, I know we are living in hard times. And I have heard you talking about a fiancée to Nurse Campbell. I sincerely hope this fiancée will be coming back to face the consequences of all of this," she huffed. "Most men …, well, perhaps I am going to spare you this for later. For now, we want you to get back on your feet again."
Marianne smiled a sad smile. "Thank you," she whispered. She looked at the clock at the wall by the door. "Shouldn't you be at compline by now?" she asked?
Sister Evangelina smiled. "Never mind, I wanted to make sure you are all right. They were a bit worried because you didn't wake up earlier, but now you have, everything will be alright, I say. How could I have missed checking on you?"
Marianne's eyes moistened. She swallowed and thankfully accepted another few sips of water with Sister Evangelina's assistance.
"You know, he isn't even my fiancée, for he said he will only ask me to marry him once he has come back from the war in one piece. He doesn't want me to have to take care of him, and he didn't want me to be a young widow as well."
Sister Evangelina remembered how Sister Julienne had been wary of hiring Marianne Parker. She had rather wanted to hire another fully trained nurse. But Sister Evangelina had immediately liked the younger woman. "We have been looking for a nurse for quite some time now. Most are busy with the war effort, the fully trained ones who don't mind a bit of mess all are with the army now. Nurse Parker seems a reliable lady. She has worked at Aldershot for quite some time, she certainly knows how to roll up her sleeves. And she is a trained teacher, she isn't one of these young flirty things. Let us give it a try," Sister Evangelina had made her point, and Sister Julienne had followed.
Marianne, of course, knew nothing of the talk. She was under the impression that while Sister Evangelina could be quite gruff at times, she always wore her heart on her sleeve. With Sister Julienne, this was different. While she was gentle and friendly, she had a very guarded self, and Marianne never could tell what she was really thinking.
Now tears were rolling down Marianne's cheeks, and Sister Evangelina felt a wave of compassion flow through her. "Oh now, girl, it will be alright. These things happen, and you'd be surprised how often. For every child born, there are so many never really going that far," she said.
Marianne shook her head. "I think it is not that. Not just. I am so afraid. What if I never see him again, and can't tell him? He is a doctor, he would want to know."
Sister Evangelina nodded. Who was she to judge. Not that she wasn't a judgemental person, not at all. Especially when it came to men. But she had seen anything a human being could see when it came to relations between men and women. Also, Nurse Parker struck her as a sensible woman, not one to fall for a momentary infatuation. Rather, Sister Evangelina resolved, she would have a pep talk to that Dr Someone should he ever return to the poor woman.
"If he is a doctor, he should have known better than to leave you in this condition," Sister Evangelina felt inclined to say, but she didn't. Even she knew when to stop her mouth from voicing her thoughts.
5 September 1943
Summer holiday is over. Not that we would really notice, but still, my former teacher self still pays attention to holidays and everything else important for the school year.
I have had three letters from Patrick today. They are making good progress in Italy, heading North. I do hope they will soon finish off Hitler's army and give us peace again. Patrick is telling me in every single one of his letters how sorry he is for not having been with me while I was ill. But what could he have done? I think it is more important that we focus on the future and our reunion which I hope will not be too far in the future.
What good has come out of it, if any, is that I have found a friend, if I can call her that. I used to be almost scared by Sister Evangelina, and now I will always be grateful for her for having been with me in the hospital. Ever since, she has never once said anything when I was late, for I think she knows that I am good at what I am doing, even though I never was and never will be a nurse with a calling. I am doing it because times require it and I am longing to resume teaching as soon as possible. But for now I have found a place where I can help and where I feel welcome and safe. Who would have thought that this would be in Poplar? The place everyone warns you about, and when I tell my friends about where I am working, no one understands really why I would go there, rather than one of the larger hospitals where, some say, you can even meet one of the doctors.
But I feel in the right place with the Sisters. Still, I can't wait for Patrick to return and become his forever.
"So you taught Mummy to be a better nurse then?" Timothy asked.
"She was a good nurse already, and she was an eager learner with us," Sister Evangelina said. "Just like you. You take in everything you see, and you ask many questions. Just like her."
"Mummy told me that you were with her when I was born. So you are really the first person who met me, right? Even before my dad?"
"Oh yes, this is right," Sister Evangelina laughed. "You were quite an attraction. The heaviest boy born in Poplar in 1947."