Christie Street Hospital was something Rilla had never experienced. She also wasn't too out of her realm either. She dressed the same in trousers, blouses, jackets and modest heels. She worked the same, just had different tactics and names she responded to. She wasn't used to the order and rules, the names she had to remember. Protocol, that she could only imagine that was drilled into men in training camps to never be forgotten. Ken still tried saluting people on habit occasionally, she could always tell when his arm and hand would twitch.
There were rows of beds in multiple rooms, while there were rows of chairs and rooms for games and reading. She remembered Faith talking about the hospitals in England as a VAD, the moaning, wounds, sweet smells of either and infections. The constant battle for morphine and other medicines.
Jem was shifting to a veterans hospital for Island boys, letting other doctors take more of his usual patients from his last letter, which gives congratulations upon her
She has her own little office, mostly because the other doctors seem to find her presence annoying. Something she was used to from school, men never took her seriously it was just a fact of life.
She ran through preliminaries and charts deciphering what care might be needed. Going bed to bed with quiet questions for the men who couldn't be moved, while others came to her in rooms.
She wasn't entirely wrong, she mainly was a glorified nurse with all she did in her sensible heels. Sometimes men refused to be accessed, other times she was groped or was subject to foul comments. Her wedding ring was questioned, and her age as well, she looked too young to be married twenty-some years. Sometimes they asked if she had a daughter who was old enough, like the French girls they found on break from the front. Those were met with glares of death that made them regret their words. Grown men making jokes about young girls turned her stomach.
Overall, they wouldn't let her know cases that were above her female sensibilities, and if any sort of woman came in a nurse who had been hurt they were the only ones that she might truly treat fully.
She sighed closing her things and putting away her files.
Clara, she needed to pick up Clara from Lilians and Shirley's who took her daughter for the day as the junior school had the day off.
"Off already?" Someone says to her in the hallway.
"I have children to take care of," Rilla tells her colleague. "I will see you tomorrow."
"Of course, have a good evening." He says nodding his head.
It doesn't take long to get to Shirley's house, though she was surprised to see him home already. He spent hours at the office according to Lillian but today he wasn't as he was drinking coffee in his kitchen, no one else around.
"They pulled you in as well, finally?" Shirley says from the table when he sees his sister. Her arm ranks on display, and a few pins as well.
"When the military come calling you don't say no," Rilla says after a moment. "Though I believe in your case they dragged you back into it?" Shirley mainly shrugs. He doesn't discuss his work, but as an engineer, Rilla could have only imagined what he does for the military building things.
"How's Ken doing?"
"Busy and tired," Rilla supplies an answer. "Though aren't we all tired and busy?"
"True," Shirley says standing up and putting his cup in the sink. "Jasper is running track this year and training every day. Frankly don't know how he does it, the kid can run circles around anyone."
"He has good lungs," Rilla says. "Not that Oliver's bothered him, but he was never good at high-impact sports that involved heavy breath work."
"Or you can admit he has asthma or whatever they call it," Shirley tells her leaning on the counter.
"He doesn't though, the doctors ruled it out ages ago. He just doesn't have the capacity as others." Rilla corrects him. "He can do what he needs to do, he can ride his bike and could play as a kid without hindrance. It was the heavier activities that bothered him running longer distances or anything extreme."
"His poor future wife," Shirley jokes with a chuckle
"Oh grow up," Rilla swats him. "He does just fine with dating I mostly don't want to find another crusty sock under his bed again, I don't what he does."
"Crusty socks is that what teenage boys are doing these days?" Shirley chuckles. "Boys always find a way."
"Seriously?" Rilla looks at him.
"You brought it up," Shirley shrugs grinning. "I mean it's not like you found dirty pictures or magazines did you?"
"If I had there would have been a very important talk about what is appropriate in our house," Rilla says haughtily. "Under no circumstances are those things allowed in my house. Call me a prude if you want, but I have a little one and I don't need her snooping around and finding things. Speaking of which where is my child?"
"Lily and her are in the workroom," Shirley tells her. "I believe she managed to get Lily to help her make Peter Rabbit a new waistcoat, and Tulip Bunny a wedding dress because she needs a wedding dress for something or another?"
"Sounds about right," Rilla says laughing softly. "Where did Elodie go?"
"Elodie had a date or something or another," Shirley says. "Nice boy, a bit green sometimes, but a nice young man."
"You say it so nicely, Ken has barely just gotten over the fact that Rowena has been dating the same boy for a year." Rilla jokes. "Now he's just thankful that Clara is still rather young."
"Actually Rilla…this is a bit awkward but you may want to tell Clara that going around saying Ollie has a boyfriend isn't…how do I say it…correct word usage. Sure he has friends who are boys but boyfriends is a whole other level and rather damning to himself and you and Ken in the long run. I mean doubt the proud businessmen of Toronto would want to do business with a family that promotes sexual deviance and all? And don't go into your mumbo jumbo psychology stuff either, I know Ken thinks it all nonsense and would never be all right with such rumours."
"I will talk to her, but seriously Shirley ever say anything so repugnant like that again I will make you regret it." Rilla glares at him seething. "You once were courting a married woman who trying to get a divorce and once warned me to make assumptions because you were in love. So I think your sense of morality needs to be checked greatly."
"Divorce is nothing compared to being a deviant, also why does it sound like you aren't shocked by any of this?" Shirley looks at his sister quizzically and Rilla looks at him with the same hard look. "This isn't something new is it?"
"Just leave it alone Shirley, " Rilla warns him. "Whatever I tell you will make no difference in what you think. Ollie is normal as can be for a boy of sixteen and that is all the world is entitled to know about him." Rilla turns on her heels and goes to collect her child.
"Hello?" She calls out moving towards the front of the house.
"Mummy, Mummy, look what we made!" Clara comes rushing over holding one of her rabbits, her glasses eschewing on her nose as she pushes them up and holds up her bunny in a new fancy waistcoat and a pair of trousers.
"That is adorable," Rilla says rubbing her daughter's head lovingly. Still a little girl in so many ways, but at seven it was slowly starting to melt away. "Did you have fun today? Did you thank Aunt Lily?"
"Merci Tante Lilly, " Clara sweetly. "I'll go to the bathroom and then home?" She looks at her mother
Rilla nods her head and sees her sister bite her lip, deciding if she should mention something and Rilla sighs.
"Shirley has already mentioned it," Rilla says to her and Lilian sighs. "I'll talk to her, I thought I had but she needs another one."
"This has happened before?"
"She's seven, she mixes words up last time I told her that she shouldn't call Oliver's friend boyfriends. That people that aren't family might not understand what she means." Rilla explains sighing. "Shirley is jumping to all sorts of conclusions, can you just try and keep him from overthinking things?"
"Of course Cherie," Lillian says after a moment. "Please know that that whatever is going on Shirley does love family more than societal morals?"
Rilla gives Lillian a look and a sigh. "Thank you for watching her today," Rilla says as Clara comes back with her coat and bag.
She gets Clara in the back of the car, secured and belted in as she makes sure all her children do when in a car.
"Did you have a good day?" Rilla asks her daughter, backing out of the driveway.
"I did Mummy, we played games and made some clothing for Mr. Rabbit and Tulip Bunny," Clara tells her. "Did you fix anyone today?"
"I helped some people yes," Rilla tells her smiling. "Though Aunty Lillian said you were telling them about Oliver's friends?"
"I think I said something wrong because Uncle Shirley got real quiet and told me that I boys don't have boyfriends, and I nuh-uh Ollie does, and then Aunty Lilly went quiet and suggested we go play a bit?"
"You didn't do anything wrong Clara," Rilla says quietly. "It's just, sometimes people don't understand. Maybe it's best you just keep certain things to yourself when telling stories."
"But you said family was safe?" Clara says quietly.
"Our family is safe Clara, our house is safe, but your Aunts and Uncles they don't always think the way we do. We love them of course they are family but we still have to be prudent about what we tell them?"
"Prudent?" Clara asks brows furrowing.
"To think about what your actions or words may do before acting or saying things," Rilla explains to her as she pulls into the back lane to park the car. "If you think it might hurt someone, sometimes it best to keep things to yourself."
"You look exhausted," Kenneth notes as Clara comes in hurriedly versus Rilla who is quiet and tired-looking.
"It's been a long day, and only getting longer," Rilla says sighing, but lets him kiss her hello.
"What happened?"Ken asked wondering.
"Nothing really, but Shirley said a few things I didn't appreciate and had to explain to Clara a few things about family and who is safe."Rilla rubs her temples.
"What do you mean?" Kenneth frowns. "Did someone do something to her?"
"No, but I think we need to tell Oliver to try and be more conscious of who he brings around her. I don't want him to hide, but Clara just doesn't understand and it can hurt him, and the business." Rilla says quietly. "I don't want to, but it's the only option I can think of right now until she's older?"
