Arrival: Summer 1964
The taxi carrying all five Turners drove down a shady, suburban street before pulling up in front of a small, bungalow style home. The tan house sat just behind a patch of lawn bisected by a cement walkway. Two steps led up to a covered stoop and a dark brown front door with wood paned windows on either side, a small flower bed below each one. A sidewalk ran in front alongside a strip of grass, parallel to the street, from which the tiny green leaves and lavender flowers of two jacaranda trees flourished.
Many of the houses on the street were of similar size and shape, with the same modest front gardens, but others truly reminded Shelagh she was in California now. These were white stucco with Spanish tile roofs and huge palm trees towering in the parkway by the street.
Stepping out of the car, she welcomed the late afternoon sunshine accompanied by the clean, salty smell of a sea breeze, nothing like the fishy odor of the East London docks. They had been told Professor Bartlett's home wasn't far from the Pacific Ocean and the fresh, cool air was a delightful reminder.
A month ago none of them could have dreamed they would be spending a week of their summer on the west coast of America. Shelagh's mind still spun at how quickly it had happened as she thought back to the evening Patrick had arrived home, excited to share some interesting news.
"Shelagh," he greeted her in the kitchen with a quick kiss to her cheek, mid-sentence, "a group of doctors from the London has been sponsored by the NHS to visit a teaching hospital in California."
"Hello, Patrick," she remarked wryly. "Why California of all places?"
"They have been commissioned to learn first hand from the cutting edge techniques being used at Bonita Beach Community Hospital in the hope they can be put into practise in our British hospitals; but there's more!"
She chuckled at his enthusiasm while continuing to wipe down the countertops, "Yes, dearest?"
"Well, unfortunately," and here he tried to look contrite, "all four men were exposed to rubella during a review of patient records protocol at Great Ormond Street and have been advised not to travel internationally."
The sparkle in his eye raised her suspicions and stopped her work, "Patrick…?"
He sighed, but it was accompanied by a small smile as he leaned against the adjacent counter, "They've asked me to go instead, and to assemble a team from Nonnatus to travel with me."
Her expression revealed her confusion, "From Nonnatus?"
"Yes," his keenness bubbled to the surface again with a boyish grin, "our joint work in district practise as well as at the maternity home make us an ideal team to benefit from this training."
"Well," she hummed, her brain already calculating the possibilities, "we now know of a good locum to cover for you, but how are we going to make up for the lack of nurses at the maternity home, at clinic, and in the community?"
"We'll manage," he offered earnestly, "perhaps in the same way as when so many of us were in South Africa."
She nodded; he was right, somehow it had all worked out.
"And speaking of South Africa…" he continued.
A sense of unease began to settle over her, "Yes?"
"Jim Stephens specifically asked that you be included; seeing as you're the bridge between my practise and Nonnatus."
Now her anxiety was real, "Oh no, Patrick; I am not leaving the children again!" Tears began to sting her eyes, "Not with Teddy being so young!"
Putting his arm around her, he drew her in close to his side, "Nothing has to be decided right away. We'll set up a meeting with Sister Julienne and go from there." Both his words and his touch reassured her, even as the number of unanswered questions seemed to multiply, especially concerning how this would affect their family.
Just a few days later, their meeting with the Nonnatus sister in charge produced as many surprises as answers to those questions. Sister Julienne listened and considered; her years of wise counsel made her sensitive to the slightest discontent. Attuned to the root of the tension, she astounded both Patrick and Shelagh with her proposal, "I don't see why you would need any other representatives from Nonnatus House when you'll have Nurse Turner with you." The sister smiled benevolently at their stunned expressions and continued, "I know it was difficult for you to leave the children when you assisted at Hope Clinic, you could take them with you this time, while the rest of us oversee everything here."
"Take them with us?" Patrick was as astonished as his wife.
"Of course! The two of you are more than able to garner and convey the medical information that will be presented. Timothy and Angela can use the two extra aeroplane tickets; I do not expect Teddy will yet be needing his own." The sister watched, with contented countenance, as the Turners' faces turned from amazement to relief and then joy.
Thus began a whirlwind of preparations as Shelagh arranged passports for the children and tried to fit into her already busy schedule some shopping and a bit of sewing to fill out the family's summer wardrobe. Lodgings had providentially been arranged for them by Patrick's colleague, James McAdam. Evidently his great aunt had emigrated years ago and he had a cousin living in a southern California beach town not far from the hospital they were to visit. Professor Nicholas Bartlett lectured at the local university and he and his small family were happy to host the Turners for a week in exchange for a bit of lively conversation and a few home-cooked English meals.
Mrs Bartlett had written to suggest Shelagh order any clothing items she was still in need of from the Sears catalogue and have them delivered to their home in California. This would ensure they would arrive in time for their visit as well as save on overseas shipping fees. Shelagh was thrilled to find a copy of the catalogue at the Poplar library and brought it home to peruse during her rare moments of free time.
Out of all the Turners, Timothy was the most excited about their upcoming visit to the States. He considered himself the family expert on the country; the girl he was seeing had lived most of her life in the American Midwest. Tim took every available opportunity to educate them on the different words Americans used, their unique pronunciations, famous landmarks and any other random fact he found interesting. In addition, he couldn't let the occasion pass without teasing Patrick, reminding his father how he had not so long ago displayed an unsavory bias towards Americans in general. This was met with mixed reaction; although Patrick received Tim's ribbing good-naturedly, Shelagh knew he was still tender about his error and the temporary breach it had caused between him and his son. With a subtle nudge from her, Tim scaled back the barbs but doubled his efforts on their American education. It was a small price to pay, his mother reasoned.
And then finally, close to twenty-four hours ago their family had left home for the London airport and boarded a flight with a stopover in Baltimore, Maryland. Peering out the windows of the aeroplane, the Turners experienced their first view of the eastern United States. Now having flown to the opposite coast, followed by a long taxi ride from the Los Angeles airport, Shelagh prayed her family would have enough energy for the good graces necessary to make a proper first impression on their hosts.
As Patrick helped the cabbie remove their luggage from the boot, Timothy and Shelagh coaxed the little ones out of the taxi. Angela clung to Shelagh in fatigue and apprehension, while Teddy struggled against Tim in an immediate bid for freedom. The victorious tot set to exercising his wee legs, first toddling along the pavement then reaching down to investigate several twigs that caught his interest.
The door to the house opened and a smiling welcoming committee emerged. Professor Bartlett was the first down the steps with Mrs Bartlett close behind him, wiping her hands on a tea towel. Hovering for a moment just inside the doorway stood their daughter Mary, twelve years old and according to her mother's letters, as shy as Angela. After a gentle maternal suggestion she followed her parents toward their guests.
As the two families greeted each other with handshakes and introductions, a grey and white cat strode confidently out of the front door and leapt off the side of the stoop, not stopping until he reached Angela's feet. Her tired, anxious face lit up at the sight of him, "Look, Mummy!" she exclaimed, before plopping down beside him. The family pet stepped lightly into her lap and indulged himself in a cuddle.
While Mrs Bartlett cooed over the little girl's precious accent and Mary wore a look of endearment at Angela's excitement, the three eldest Turners breathed a sigh of relief at the dramatic rise in Angela's comfort level.
Professor Bartlett began to laugh, which ultimately infected the rest of the group, "Well now you've met all of us, this is our Rascal!"