kept; two changing rooms; a rest room and a small office whose door was marked ‘Sister-in-Charge.’
Sister Hetherington led the way into her office with Kate following just behind. A man dressed in green cotton trousers and matching short-sleeved top was sitting in a chair at the desk, his long legs stretched out in front of him, talking excitedly into the phone.
He hadn’t noticed them at the door, and Kate was astonished to see a lively animated expression transforming the face of Grant Kershaw. Then she realised that another transformation had taken place and that the brown eyes of Sister Hetherington had softened, and her lips had parted in a welcoming smile.
He put the receiver down and looked up at her.
‘Dacron grafts, Tessa. I’ve just ordered a dozen. Wonderful invention—a break through in vascular surgery.’ He shook his head, as if in amazement.
‘Oh Grant!’ cried Theresa Hetherington in mock horror. ‘You musn’t try and do my job as well as your own!’ She laughed up at him coyly, then remembered Kate, who had remained politely at the door, fascinated by the scene before her. ‘I’d like you to meet our new theatre nurse. I’ve just had to practically drag her away from the clutches of young Dr. Anderson! Staff Nurse Carpenter, this is Dr. Kershaw—our Surgeon-in Charge.’
It was as though someone had pulled a shutter down in front of those grey eyes, thought Kate as he stared at her. All the passion and animation had been wiped clean from his face, which now looked blank and cold.
‘Miss Carpenter,’ he said. ‘You and I seem to be meeting with monotonous regularity.’
Tessa Hetherington was looking closely from one to the other.
‘Am I to assume that you two are already friends?’ Her voice sounded high and forced. It seemed to Kate that she was carrying a very large torch for the moody Dr. Kershaw.
‘Hardly friends, Sister,’ replied Kate evenly. ‘I’ve met Dr. Kershaw briefly on two occasions in Perth. Ours has been the most fleeting of acquaintanceships!’
‘You certainly don’t waste much time, Nurse!’ she said brightly, and turned to him conspiratorially. ‘As I said, I found Nurse Carpenter in deep conservation with Dr Anderson, and she’d only been in the building for five minutes!’
‘Really?’ The surgeon’s arch query carried a wealth of disapproval. ‘I must say I don’t envy your job one bit, Tessa. Trying to keep the nurses’ minds on their work and out of the doctors’ hair must be an uphill battle.’ He stood up suddenly and his tall angular frame seemed to fill the room.
Again, Kate found his arrogance and rudeness unpardonable, but she bit back a sharp comment. After all, it would hardly do for a new and very junior staff nurse to answer back the chief surgeon in front of Sister on her first day! It would probably infuriate him more than if she remained immune to his barbed remarks. With this in mind, she smiled innocently up at him.
As he made to leave, Theresa Hetherington stopped him with a hand on his arm. ‘Afternoon tea later, Grant?’ she asked.
‘Sure.’
The two women watched him go in silence. Then Tessa Hetherington looked Kate full in the eye.
‘Dr. Kershaw like me to scrub for him wherever possible. I’m afraid that you’ll be mainly working on fairly minor ops, with the houseman. After all, we don’t want you to be out of your depth, do we?’ she enquired sweetly. ‘And now, Nurse, if you’ve no more questions, I’ll get someone to show you to your room.’
KATE pulled down the shutters and flung herself on to the bed, kicking off her sandals. The motherly auxiliary had just left after showing her to her small flat, which was situated in a block about five minutes’ walk away from the theatre suite.
She felt indescribably gloomy. She had not exactly hit it off with Tessa Hetherington. Grant Kershaw seemed to despise her for no reason as far as she could see, and now it sounded as though she would not be able to use her wide experience of scrubbing.
Her head throbbed alarmingly. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast. She glanced at the slim gold watch on her wrist; it was four o’clock and she was far too late for lunch now. She closed her eyes and tried to relax, but the welcome oblivion of sleep evaded her.
It was going to be a pity if Tessa Hetherington insisted on regarding her as a rival. It would have been nice, thought Kate, if the two of them could have worked together side by side, perhaps have become friends. She sighed deeply. Fat chance of that now! She wondered if she would be able to convince the other girl that she had no intention of trying to poach Grant Kershaw. Bother the man—he seemed to put her back up every time they met! She turned on to her side and snuggled up to the pillow, and eventually she slept.
When she awoke it was six o’clock and she felt vastly refreshed. Stripping off her cotton frock, she stepped into the small bathroom and stood beneath a cool shower. The icy jets of water hit her skin with a welcome shock.
Clad only in a towel, she opened up her one suitcase and took out underwear, blue jeans and a bright yellow T-shirt. She would have to let her aunt know which clothes to send, she decided as she quickly dressed—although she doubted that much happened in Dampland in the way of social life.
The auxiliary had shown her the hospital canteen and told her that it opened at seven. She would just grab a light meal and have an early night.
She was startled from her reverie by a loud rap on the door. She swiftly glanced in the wall mirror before answering. The simple outfit emphasised her slender curves and her hair lay like wet seaweed down her back giving her an ethereal quality.
She peered round the door and immediately recognised the cheerful face of Craig Anderson. He had removed his white coat and looked casual in blue checked shirt and white linen slacks. His fair hair gleamed in the light from the setting sun, which was slowly slipping down behind distant mountain peaks.
The vivid scenery reminded Kate that essentially she was on a working holiday, and she felt her mood lift.
‘Hi,’ he said, ‘I didn’t know if you’d be busy?’ He looked at her anxiously. ‘I was just thinking you might be lonely, not knowing anyone yet, so I wondered if you’d like to drive into Dampland tonight. I could show you the Port itself, and then we could grab a bite to eat.’ He crinkled up his face expressively. ‘It sure beats eating in the staff canteen! What do you say?’
‘I’d love to,’ replied Kate, smiling up at him. ‘But only if you can give me twenty minutes to dry my hair and change.’
‘No problem,’ he answered. ‘Although I think you look fine just the way you are now!’ He glanced at her admiringly. ‘Listen, do you realise that thanks to our fierce Sister Hetherington, I don’t even know your christian name, and I’m far too much of an Aussie to call you ‘Miss Carpenter’ all evening!’
‘It’s Kate!’ she laughed, liking this congenial young man enormously.
‘Pleased to meet you, Kate! I only live round the other side of the hospital. Past the Social Club,’ he pointed. ‘I’ll pick you up here in my car, in about thirty minutes, if that’s OK?’
‘That’ll
