Part 7
PMDSXX
July 1944
USS Solace
Della wrote in her diary daily about Lt. Mason since he was everything she wanted in a man. She wrote a letter to her family about how she met him, and how she was falling in love with him. Although he was on another ship at sea, they vowed to wait for each other until the war ended. One evening as Della went to the gally with Gertie for dinner, Gertie noticed something about Della. Gertie couldn't pin point it at first, but with her nurse's instinct, she knew something was going on. After they ate their meals, they reported back to duty until they were relieved.
"Della, how did your date go with Lt. Mason?" Gertie asked her when they were finally alone in their berth. Della knew she was curious about her date with Perry and smiled in return at her comrade. Gertie knew something happened between them and was inquisitive.
"Gertie, Lt. Mason was wonderful, and we had a great time." Della's response was short, but Gertie wanted to know more as Della washed up and she sat down on her cot.
"How was your date with C.P.O. Drake?" Della asked and glanced sideways in the mirror at Gertie who blushed.
"It was wonderful, Della. He is a romantic at heart and he gave me a necklace too." Gertie found the trinket box from under her pillow and presented it to Della.
"It's beautiful, Gertie. Perry gave me a solitary pearl on a gold chain." Della retrieved it from under her pillow.
"Della, that must have cost Lt. Mason a fortune." Gertie gasped in awe and smiled.
"Spill the beans on Lt. Mason, Della. It looked like you had a good time, or he wouldn't have spent a small fortune on that necklace for you. Well, how did your date go?" Gertie prodded her as she tucked her keepsake box from Paul under her pillow.
"After we watched a matinee, we went to a restaurant where we ate and danced before he led me to a sacred waterfall, which was stunning. While we were at the waterfall, we decided we would be more than friends, if you know what I mean." Della giggled when she turned around and saw Gertie smiling proudly at her.
"Della, I'm so glad you had a good time and with a handsome man on your arm. Let's hope he'll remember your face when he sees you again. Paul has been so wonderful to me, wherever he is, I hope he is safe and keeps me in his thoughts. Della, I know he is a young fella, but he has been eyeing the beautiful island girls. Sometimes I think he's not a one-woman man." Gertie sounded depressed for a moment until Della approached her and sat down next to her on the cot.
"Gertie, Paul is young and foolish and sometimes war makes men do crazy things. I hope Paul is safe, and I'm sure he hasn't forgotten about you. You two looked great together that night Perry and I stopped by the hotel. In the meantime, keep your chin up and positive thoughts. If you and Paul don't work out, I'm sure another nice fellow will be waiting for you." Della reassured Gertie as she placed her arm on her shoulder and comforted her.
It had been roughly two months before an announcement was issued for USS San Diego to patrol an area of enemy infiltration. Lt. Mason stood at the helm with the captain and planned a strategic attack. If they were approached, they would wait until the enemy crossed their path before they would engage in an attack because they did not want to lose their crew to any foolishness and carelessness. With his hands behind his back, Lt. Mason paced back and forth as he constantly watched the waters through his binoculars and released a sigh of relief when all was clear. Although an aerial attack could happen at any moment without warning, the ship still wasn't safe on the open water. A lone submarine could launch an attack and sink their ship, but the USS San Diego crew remained diligent with their patrols.
Since they departed for their respective ships, Perry thought about Della constantly and became irritable and mean toward fellow crewmen for no reason. The men had been ordered to follow their instructions and not suffer the wrath of Lt. Mason. On the other hand, C.P.O. Drake knew exactly what was wrong with Lt. Mason and it was all because of a beautiful nurse stationed aboard the USS Solace. C.P.O. Drake was on edge and anxious since word filtered through the ship of an impending attack.
On September 21st 1944, the Fast Task Force struck the Manila Bay area. After replenishing at Saipan and Ulithian, the USS San Diego sailed with TF 38 in its first strike against Okinawa. From October 12th-15th, the carriers pounded the airfields of Formosa while USS San Diego's guns shot down two of the nine Japanese attackers in her sector and drove the others away; however, some enemy planes broke through and damaged USS Houston and USS Canberra.
During the attack, a brave sailor, who put his own life on the line, shoved Lt. Mason out of harm's way. A petty officer by the name of Jackson, who was a muscular young man with a chiseled jaw, and could be counted on during dangerous times. He was always up for a fight and would not back down from the enemies. The enemy aircraft had bombarded the USS Houston with bombs while their aerial gunners attacked, and the USS San Diego aided them with return gun fire since the sailors were all hands-on deck.
Meanwhile, the USS Solace sailed in the vicinity because of the heavy attacks on USS Houston and USS Canberra and was enroute to aid the injured sailors. Lt. Della silently prayed that Perry was safe since USS San Diego was ahead of the USS Solace. In the three months that had passed since they had been together, Della learned she was two and half months pregnant which was a surprise when she missed her monthly cycle, she kept it hidden from everyone including her family, but she knew she could not dismiss the fact that she was carrying Perry's child. Della's Commanding Officer, Lt. Marge Willington, and her berth mate Gertie Lade knew of her condition but when she was on duty, Della remained calm and collected. As minutes turned into hours, the crew on USS Solace anxiously waited for the heavy toll of injured sailors and crewmen from Houston, Canberra, and San Diego. The three ships crew fought off the attack while the USS Solace was trying to heal their bodies.
"Lt. Street, you are solely in the operating rooms. I do not want you on the floor because of your condition." Commanding Officer Willington told her as Della nodded at her orders before Gertie stopped her in the corridor and talked to Della.
"Lt. Street, are you feeling alright? My orders are to receive patient's when they are brought aboard." Gertie saluted Della and dropped her hand.
"I'm fine but go to the receiving area before Commander Willington finds you here in the corridor." Della whispered to her before she walked to the sick bay and waited for the injured servicemen.
As Gertie rushed toward the receiving area, Della laid her palm on her belly for a moment and visualized seeing Perry's face on the island. The dispatch over the intercom interfered with her thoughts, and she quickly walked toward the sick bay. The USS Solace was several miles out from the wounded sailors and crewmen. There would be total chaos when the corpsman assisted the nurses with the injured quarry of sailors with burns, broken bones, severe trauma, and the corpses.
The nurses did their best with the limited space between each cot and makeshift tables. The surgeon took the badly injured men with broken limbs into their wards while others were taken to the burn units. As Della witnessed the chaos, she noticed a familiar face who was being rushed toward another operating room. Although he was partially covered with a white sheet over his body, she knew he was Lt. Perry Mason.
Della immediately rushed to his side while the sailors carried him to one of the surgical units. After she looked at Perry, Della wasn't sure what injury he suffered from until she approached the recovery team. As she looked him over with a keen eye, she noticed he had bruising on his face and black soot which looked like it was from an artillery shell on his jacket which was torn at the shoulder and covered in blood stains. With a concerned look, Della quickly followed them and didn't want Perry out of her sight since he was in her presence, and she would do everything to be with him including being subordinate to her superiors.
"What happened to him? The surgeon is with another patient, and I need to anesthetize the injured man before he has his operation." Della's voice was serious as the men transported Lt. Mason into the room.
"Lieutenant Perry Mason from USS San Diego, and he has an injured shoulder which is all we know at this time." The young man reported to Della and quickly left to retrieve more sailors coming in from the attacks.
While he remained unconscious, Della discarded his jacket. Perry felt tugging on his clothing and heard voices in the room. The hospital ship was under chaos as more men were brought aboard as the noise level escalated deafening the stressed doctors and nurses. Perry woke up in severe pain in his right shoulder and began to move on the table. He felt a tender touch on his chest and saw Lt. Street. He thought he was dreaming and blinked his eyes to make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. Although her mouth was covered, he remembered her hazel eyes which looked directly into his blue iris with concern. When she returned her gaze to him and assisted with the anesthesia, she surprised him, and whispered something in his ear.
"Lieutenant Mason, the surgeon is going to mend your shoulder, and you should be out of recovery in a few hours. By the way, Lt. Mason, I have a secret. I'm pregnant." Della calmly whispered into his ear, and surprised that she announced that she was carrying his child. At the moment, he gave her a questionable look and fell unconscious before he reacted to her comment.
"Lieutenant Street…..what are you saying…." His voice questioned her words since he was under the effects of the drug.
While Perry was in surgery, Della assisted the surgeon and remained by Perry's side for the duration of his operation until his surgery ended. They cleaned up his wounds, mended his shoulder, and set it in a cast. After the cleanup process, Lt. Street escorted her patient to his recovery room. Perry was still unconscious until the anesthesia wore off and he heard voices in the corridor along with some shouting from the men in distress. Perry's ears picked up conversation in his room between a familiar female voice and unrecognizable voice of an older male who he assumed was the physician.
"Lt. Street, the operation was a success for the patient, and I have strict orders for him that you can go over the details with him when he wakes up. I'm needed in the next room because another patient needs my assistance. When you are done with the patient, I will be needing your assistance again." The physician handed the report over to Della before she turned and looked at Perry.
"Yes, doctor as soon I am done with the Lieutenant, I will be right with you." Della informed him as she observed Perry from the bedside until he moved his hand into a fist. He slowly opened his eyes and turned his head to where she stood with a clipboard in her hand. He blinked again and groaned at the pain in his shoulder as she approached his bedside. Della removed her mask so that he could see her face, and he couldn't believe his eyes. Lt. Della Street, the woman he fell in love with and promised to be waiting on him once they were on land, told him that she was carrying his child.
"Lt. Mason, I'm sorry we had to meet like this. The surgeon set your shoulder, and you have orders to rest for at least a week." Della placed her hand on his chest, and he took it into his left hand and kissed the top of her fingers and closed his eyes. He lay there in his hospital bed for a moment and gathered strength to formally talk to her.
"Lt. Street, is it true? I heard everything you said along with you being pregnant. Is it true, or are you making a fool out of me?" Perry solemnly asked since he was in a great deal of pain and looked right at her with his piercing blue orbs.
"Lt. Mason, I assure you that indeed I am carrying our unborn child. I have no reason to lie to you, furthermore, I am proud to be the mother of your unborn child." Della whispered to him so that eavesdroppers wouldn't hear their conversations.
"You really are expecting. I cannot believe what I am hearing right now." Perry's voice trailed off and closed his eyes. When he was about to speak, one of the nurses came in and informed Della that she was needed immediately in the next room.
"Lt. Street, you're needed next door. I'm sorry to be intruding, but another patient is in trauma." The young nurse hurried off to the next patient.
"I have to tend to the next patient, Lt. Mason. I will be back later to check on you, but another nurse will look in on you." Della wanted so badly to kiss him, and Perry knew it. Since she was on duty, she had to control her urges after not seeing him for three months and upon seeing him in his injured state, she loved him even more now.
"Lt. Street, I'll be here waiting to see you again." Perry watched her walk out of his room and closed his eyes due to the pain. He wanted to ask her to marry him the first day he met her, and now she is carrying his unborn child, which was important to him now. Perry knew he could get transferred to another base on land if his commanding officer approved it; however, Della's transfer would be in question now, and she would have to ask her commanding officer to get transferred. Perry wanted them to be together, and the only way to do that was to get married.
Della helped more patients once they were admitted to different unit as exhaustion took over her body. She needed to take a break, or she would faint after she treated the last solider. While Gertie was in the corridor, she spotted Lt. Mason asleep in his bed when she looked in on him. After she checked his, vitals and his pulse, she was leaving his room when Perry called out to her.
"Nurse, I need a drink of water! Please don't leave. I'm thirsty!" Perry exclaimed.
"Lt. Mason, I'll be right back with your water." Gertie filled up a cup, rushed back to Perry's room, and carefully handed him the cup.
"Ms. Lade? Thank you for the water. Have you seen Lt. Street? I need to see her." Perry drank from the cup and handed it back to Gertie before he looked over her shoulder and watched for Della in the corridor.
"No, I haven't seen Lt. Street. She was assisting in the trauma unit a few hours ago. If I see Lt. Street, I will tell her you asked for her." Gertie quickly turned on her heels and checked on another patient in the next room.
Hours went by before the majority of the injured sailors were treated, and Della checked in on Lt. Mason's room because she knew he had a lot to say to her. As she slowly entered his room and watched him peacefully sleep, his eyelids moved as she came closer to the bed. When she gently took his left hand in hers and held it, he slowly opened his eyes and saw her beautiful face. He saw the exhaustion on her face and pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles.
"Lt. Street, I have a lot on my mind, and I wanted to talk to you." She nervously bit her lower lip and thought that he did not want to be with her, which was the last thing she needed to hear from him.
"Lt. Mason, I know you wanted to talk, and I do too. You need to get some rest because I am sure you are in a lot of pain. I will get you some pain killers, and we can talk tomorrow." Della quietly told him, and he shook his head in agreement.
The following day Della made her rounds, she visited Lt. Mason's room first. He was out of bed and stood at the port window with his arm in a sling. She wanted to rush up to him wrap her arms around him and kiss him hard on the lips but she controlled her emotions. Perry heard the heels as they approached, and he wondered if Della or another nurse were making rounds and checking on their patients. He slowly turned around on his heels and took in her beauty. When he couldn't control himself any longer, he walked towards her, closed the gap, and touched her cheek tenderly. Della closed her eyes at his touch and leaned into his palm.
"You have no idea how many sleepless nights that I had thinking about you." Perry quietly told her and caressed her lower lip with his thumb. She leaned into his touch and momentarily closed her eyes.
"I've missed you so much. At times, I kept thinking I might not see you again. Since I am carrying your child, I didn't know if we had a future together, because I might get transferred off of USS Solace before I saw you again. If we got separated, how would you find me if you wanted to see me again?" Della combed her fingers through his dark hair and placed her hand on his cheek as he closed his eyes at her tender touch.
"If we got separated, I would do everything to find you. Nothing would have stopped me from looking for you. Don't you know that, Lt. Street? Because when I told you I was falling in love with you, I meant every word." Perry took her chin with his index finger and pulled her to his mouth and chastely kissed her before he reluctantly pulled away from her to give her space, and she looked up at him with a sparkle in her eyes.
"How's your shoulder?" Della changed the subject, but that wasn't going to work on Perry.
"It hurts but not as much now since I was brought aboard the ship. I have a question to ask, Lt. Street." Perry moved toward the door and looked for any unwelcome visitors. He looked around quickly knelt on his knee and asked her the question.
"Perry, what's going on with you?" Della looked confused at first although she knew exactly what he was doing.
"Della, I have wanted to ask you for your hand in marriage since the day we departed from the island, but it was not the right time. However, it is the right time now. Will you marry me?" Perry asked her, and without hesitation, she shook her head much to his delight.
"Yes, Lt. Perry Mason, I will marry you." Della replied. Perry slowly got to his feet and passionately kissed her. He rested his forehead against hers and held her with his free arm before he slowly stepped back from her.
"We need to talk about our situation with our commanding officers, especially you, Della. I hope that they can see our point of view, and we get transferred." Perry said with a faint smile and placed his large hand on Della's stomach.
