𝟏 𝟗 𝟒 𝟐

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February 8th, 1942

          AS THE ENTIRE battalion crammed into the mess tent, the crimson ensign and regimental flag broke in the breeze. 

Alice felt the late-winter chill even in her uniform greatcoat. As they wove their way to where the rest of the nursing team was gathered around a table, Alice held Gwen's hand to save her shorter friend from getting lost.

When Alice noticed that it wasn't only the Colonel who was waiting to address them all, she was taken aback. In months, she hadn't seen a General in person. This meeting, whatever it was about, was crucial. She wasn't sure if the news was good or bad. Perhaps they were on their way out of England. Perhaps the war was on its way to them.

A hush fell over the tent as a Staff Sergeant called for silence.

The General stood, raising a hand in greeting before he started speaking. "The 206th is being remanded to the Americans for the foreseeable future. Medical core and all. You'll be working with the 107th Infantry Regiment and the National Guard."

There was an outcry from the crowd. 

They were all patriotic Britons. For their nation and this war, they had fought, bled, and lost comrades. They would now be leased to the American Army to serve as lackeys. No one expected the Americans to regard them as equals or even to value their sacrifices thus far.

The rest of the general's speech was mostly lost on Alice. 

As Gwen and Martha's faces darkened, she became more interested in observing them. Gwen tapped her toe on the floor. Martha's arms were folded over her chest. Alice wondered if Martha was aware of how green her eyes turned when she became irritated.

The general held up a hand to signal for the racket to quiet down. "I understand that our American friends are late to the party, but they did turn up, and they brought the big guns, so I expect everyone to play nicely. Your direct command will provide you with exact instructions."

The troops were dismissed, and they flooded out into the larger camp, the nurses huddling together in a whispering flock on their way back to the hospital tent.
  

 
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"Ladies! You are nurses not sailors. I expect you to act like it."

Over the din of female voices, the matron spoke up. The news hit the nurses like a ton of bricks. Their charges were about to quadruple, and the command wasn't going to be their command.

"Why aren't they sending their own medical staff?" Someone called from the back of the room.

"They are, but they are short on fully trained personnel that are ready for the front. We will be assisting while they set up and get their feet under them." The matron said soothingly.

"The Americans will be bringing resources and personal. Exactly the things we are always asking for."

Gwen folded her arms across her chest. Her jaw set and eyes cold. "They'd better not come in here acting like they know better. We've been over here for two years."

"We're not going to hold their hands either. They'd better be able to pull their own weight." Martha sounded determined too.

Alice agreed with the other women and nodded. She couldn't disagree that the assistance was desperately needed, yet here was their camp after two years. They were familiar with its routines and personnel, and had developed their own set of patterns and protocols in response.

They didn't need a bunch of obnoxious Americans taking over because they thought they knew best.

"We should set up a kind of orientation." She suggested. "Maybe pair off with them, introduce them to how we do things here so there isn't any confusion."

Gwen bumped her shoulder against Alice's. "You really are the nicest of us."

She laughed, shaking her head bashfully. "I figured it would save us the trouble of having to bury them under the floorboards later." 

When she started her first work, her manager had put up a similar form of orientation. It had been quite useful in assisting her in comprehending the processes and the unique office culture. Hopefully, a similar idea can be applied here as well.

  
  
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April 19, 1942

The nurses' tent was dark and quiet.

All of the girls who weren't working the night shift were snuggled up in their mattresses. Alice's blankets were pushed up to her ears. It had been a pleasant day, and she was looking forward to a restful night's sleep.

A hand covered Alice's mouth. She froze in panic, eyes snapping open. Gwen was standing over her, wearing a blue dress and pearls instead of her nightgown.

"What the hell?" Alice hissed not wanting to wake the others.

"I'm about to do something crazy and I need your help." Gwen whispered back.

Twenty minutes later Alice found herself dressed in her best dress and sneaking over the fence that formed the perimeter of the camp.

Gwen led the way surreptitiously through the still sleepy hamlet towards the spire of the old gothic church.

Lawrence, Gwen's boyfriend of three years, stood on the church steps, a bouquet of wildflowers gripped in his palm, beaming. Doctor Wright took up a position next to him.

Alice grabbed her friend's arm and dragged them to a stop. "Gwen! Are you eloping?"

"Does it count as eloping if my parents know?" Gwen asked seriously.

"Does Matron know?" If they were caught, Alice was already planning a cover story, pretending to be ignorant in some way.

"You know, I'm sure I mentioned it," Gwen answered with a small, mischievous smile. "Almost positive. It's been so busy the last few weeks."

Alice took her friend's hand, concern written clearly on her face. This was crazy. "They're going to reassign you."

"Only if they find out," Gwen shrugged. "Wright knows. He doesn't think it's going to affect my work. Montgomery knows too. He's covering for the boys."

Alice cocked her head. Gwen had given it a lot of thought. If this didn't work, telling both doctors was a major risk. Gwen didn't seem the least bit worried. "Your bohemian upbringing has given you a warped perspective on life."

Gwen set a hand on her hip and raised one eyebrow. "Are you going to stand up for me, or do I need to go wake Gracie up?"

"I can't believe you would even joke about that." Alice straightened purposefully, fighting down her worry and letting her joy for her friends swell up in its place.

"Well then. I believe we have a wedding to get to.." Gwen lit up at the thought.

Lawrence picked Gwen up and spun her around as soon as she was within arm's reach. "I love you."

"I love you." Gwen curled her hands around his biceps, melting into his hold. "Mrs. Gwendoline Keller. It sounds right."

Lawrence rested his forehead against hers. Love showing in every inch of his body. "Not as good as Doctor Gwendoline Keller will."

"Priest is waiting on us." Doctor Wright said nodding towards the doors.
  

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Alice was too much of a lady to swear as they hurried into the hospital twenty minutes late for their shift. It was tempting though. Her stocking was twisted and her wimple was going to fall off.

The matron regarded them sternly over her clipboard. "You're late for morning rounds, ladies."

"Sorry matron." Gwen bobbed a curtsy. "I had a sudden urge to visit church. Pastoral care is so important in these trying times. Forgive Sister Alice, I dragged her with me."

"Of course, dear." Matron patted Gwen's cheek affectionately. "At the present, we just have Lowe and Brenner, who are both doing well. For your tardiness, I'll ask that you change Brenner's dressing today."

"Yes, ma'am." Gwen bobbed another neat curtsey. The matron straightened Alice's wimple before she left the girls to their work.

Alice gaped at Gwen as the matron walked away. "Are you kidding me? It was your turn to do dressings anyway."

Gwen grinned evilly. "The world will only dance to your song if you play it, as my grandma often says. Confidence is all it takes nine times out of ten."

"Some days I hate you and your suffragette forebears." Alice sighed and resigned herself to another day of charting.

Gwen laughed and grabbed a tray full of supplies. "I'll try to remember that the next time mama sends me jam."

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July 20th, 1942

"The Americans have quite the circus going on. Who's the big cheese?" Polly let the tent door flap as she breezed into the room, damp hair wrapped up in a paisley scarf.

Martha flipped the page in her magazine. "Some colonel with a special mandate."

"What colonel gets this kind of treatment? We didn't roll out this kind of red carpet for our own general." Polly sneered and reached into her footlocker for a half-full bottle of nail polish. To free up the good chair, she tossed Gwen's knitting on the floor and began painting her toes.

From behind her magazine, Martha grinned. She was friends with a few of the secretarial pool ladies. Her camp gossip was usually the most accurate and reliable. "Apparently it is a very special mandate."

"The line in the mess is going to be a nightmare." Gracie groaned.

A voice sounded from the door of the tent. "Well I do hope we're not too much of an imposition."

"Peggy!" When they saw her, the small group of nurses present cheered. Peggy had quickly become one of their favourites the previous time she was with them. It was great to see her again in a more favourable light.

Peggy smiled and raised the duffle bag she was carrying. "Do you ladies happen to have a spare cot I could commandeer again?"

"The one next to me is free." Martha happily volunteered. Lillian had gone months before, leaving the home office for a comfortable position at a London hospital and a handsome new English husband.

Peggy sat down on the supplied cot and slid her duffel next to her. It was great to be back in the company of women.

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July 26th, 1942

It didn't take long for Peggy to become a staple around the nurses' quarters. 

Her working hours were almost as irregular as the nurses'. At all hours of the day and night, in and out. She was always up for a cup of tea, a short game of chess, or just being a shoulder to cry on when she was around.

Peggy's decision to bunk with them, Alice believed, was partially due to their tea supply. Every care box included jars of herbal teas from Gwen's mother's victory garden. The nurses had plenty of chamomile, mint, and blackberry leaf tea, even if they didn't have Red Rose or Imperial. Mother Richardson's medical blends were far superior to the gunpowder in their rations. It was also better than the 'coffee,' which consisted basically wheat bran.

She was lucky. Sometimes Alice's mother sent her useful things -- a notebook and pens, occasionally some chocolate or cookies. Her care packages, on the other hand, were frequently filled with cosmetics. Because, evidently, a woman should not be seen without her lipstick even in a warzone. Well, at least Alice could trade them for other things when she needed them.

Peggy perched herself on the edge of her cot, taking off her shoes with tired movements. 

"Any chance you can keep this bed open for me? It looks like we are going to be in and out from the front a lot in the next little while."

Alice thought getting another nurse to fill out their numbers was a long shot. "Consider it yours."

"You really are angels." Peggy smiled and laid back.

She often appeared fatigued after a long day at work. Alice understood that. It was exhausting to be a woman in a man's world. The nurses saw that, and they were more sheltered than Peggy.

If Alice had a dollar for every time a soldier she was treating insisted on speaking with a "real medic," she'd be a millionaire. She couldn't image how much more difficult it was for Peggy to work with the males.

"We've got the kettle on. Do you want a cup of tea?" Martha asked, taking a jar of dried blackberry leaves and rosehips off a shelf.

"Could I coax you into adding a splash of something stronger?" Peggy asked, propping herself on an elbow and looking at Gwen hopefully.

Gwen waved a hand flippantly. "Oh, go on."

Gwen's foot locker yielded the bottle of whisky. All of the women who weren't on duty poured a dash into their teacups. They spent the remainder of the evening laughing and joking, attempting to forget about the war and simply enjoy the company of other women.