Awake Unto Me (17 page)

Addison’s superior, Major Owen, had no quarters for patients, inadequate supplies, and no fully trained hospital corpsmen. In the army, the hospital steward and the corpsmen functioned in the same capacity as civilian nurses. That was how the army had always done it and they didn’t intend to change. Major Owen had heard, however, in the East, a woman doctor named McGee, newly hired as an acting assistant surgeon general, had begun to recruit civilian female nurses, and he reluctantly acknowledged that he had to do the same. Addison was one of the first of the volunteer civilian doctors, and so Major Owen appealed to him when it came time to take the first step.

Addison eagerly encouraged him. “It’s a disorganized mess, sir!” he exclaimed. He had had to learn to always use the honorific, as he wasn’t considered the major’s equal although they had the same number of years of experience. The army way won every time. “These men are suffering and we must do something about it.”

“I am aware of that, Grant. You don’t have to convince me.”

“The Red Cross is doing very good work but they are volunteers only. So are the Ursuline Sisters. You need a number of competent professional nurses.”

“As soon as I can get the army to allocate me some money, I shall call upon your help to recruit. In the meantime, we have a dozen cases of typhoid, six cases of dysentery, and desperately need to get the hospital corpsmen into some kind of shape.” Major Owen went off to the Ferry Building to meet the next incoming troop ship and arrange for transport of men who arrived there from all parts of the country and were already ill.

The following week, Addison and Beth drove the carriage out to the Presidio. “I fear to describe too much detail of the camp conditions, especially at the dinner table. It’s too disgusting, but as a nurse, you’re trained to cope, so I’ll tell you now, Beth, it’s horrendous. I don’t see how we can keep anyone well and how we’ll heal them when they’re sick. These young men are raw recruits. They have no experienced officers to teach them proper camp sanitation. They dig privies right away, but they’re inadequate and so horrible the men won’t use them. The dunes near their tents are covered in waste and the whole area stinks. They don’t wash their hands properly and are getting dysentery right and left.

“We have no proper hospital. We have a few tents the Red Cross set up and some that Major Owen has managed to wrangle out of the quartermaster. We may get a set of barracks soon to outfit as a hospital, but for now, it’s a matter of making the best of it. The San Francisco summer weather makes it impossible for the men to be comfortable. The winds blow through their tents and chill them to the bone. The sand drifts everywhere. What is worse are the hospital corpsmen. They are the very dregs of their units. They are unlikely to make good soldiers so they are detailed for the care of the sick. Aye. Army logic!” He rolled his eyes and snapped the reins harder. “In any case, I wanted to warn you in case you should wish to change your mind.”

“No, Addison, I won’t change my mind. It sounds as though we nurses are sorely needed. In any event, it will be better than endless hours sitting and watching a sick man sleep.” Beth smiled, alluding to her employment as a private nurse. “This, at least, will give me useful work.”

“That’s indeed the truth. Here we are.” Addison stopped the carriage in front of a red-brick building and they exited. Addison went inside to find Major Owen, and Beth waited outside. She felt the chill in the air, a normal part of the summer weather, and fog still hung over the Bay. The main headquarters of the Presidio sat on a hill that gently sloped down to the shore. The post buildings were a fine red brick designed in the Georgian style, and across the water, the hills of Marin County were just beginning to take on the dull brown of summer. The sun was breaking through the fog that still floated over the Golden Gate strait.

Beth breathed deeply, taking in the grand scenery even though it was a backdrop to the bustle of an army post preparing for war. Troops marched in the distance, and the echo of gunfire in an open field created a strange dissonance in the beautiful surroundings. She pulled her jacket tightly around her. Farther to the south stretched row upon row of tents where the newly arrived soldiers lived—Camp Merritt—named for their commanding general.

Addison fetched Beth inside and into the office of a harried-looking middle-aged man in uniform.

He motioned her to a seat without rising to greet her. Beth guessed he was far too busy for such niceties.

“I am a recent graduate,” she said in response to his question. “I was in a private posting for several weeks but I want a full-time post.”

“This is full-time and then some, young lady. Dr. Grant says you’re highly competent. I wonder, though, would the army life agree with you? We must keep strict discipline. No foolery and no fraternization with convalescent soldiers, young lady. That would not do.”

“Major Owen…” she said.

He glared at her. “Address me as sir, young lady.”

“Major Owen, sir. I don’t think army discipline would be much more rigorous than nursing school. I would say that in many ways
we
were treated as soldiers. I can work through the night and the next day if I need to. My purpose is to follow the orders of the doctor and the dictates of good nursing procedure and not to deviate. I would make, I believe, a very good soldier.” She lifted her chin a little and looked him right in the eye. He was quiet for a long moment.

“Very well, then. Contract is for three months, thirty a month. We have no facilities for you to live here. You’re responsible for finding lodging as close to the post as possible. We may need you at a moment’s notice.”

Beth swallowed, thinking of the three miles’ distance between the Mission District and the Presidio. It would take a long while to walk, and there was no cable car. She would have to find a way.

She put out her hand.

Major Owen stared at her in surprise but then shook it firmly. “Report for duty in three days at 0600, Nurse.”

“I am prepared to start today, sir. Dr. Grant brought me and he is staying. Rather than make my way home, I would prefer to begin.”

“Very well. I have no nursing supervisor as yet, nor do I have uniforms for you. Report to Dr. Grant. He will no doubt be at the hospital tents. That is all.” With that, he turned back to the paperwork on his desk, leaving Beth to find her way.

Addison was still waiting out in the carriage, clearly admiring the view that had captivated Beth earlier. She climbed into the carriage and favored him with a brilliant smile.

“I shall have to go back to addressing you as Doctor,” she said, “although it seems I must call Major Owen ‘sir.’”

“Splendid! I was sure you would be accepted.”

“I do have a small difficulty. They have no place on post for us to live.”

“Ah. I’m aware of that and have a perfect solution. You’ll come and stay with us for the duration. I assume you and Kerry won’t mind sharing a room since you’re such great friends.”

Beth stared at him, then recovered herself and said, “That’s very generous. Thank you.”

She recalled Kerry’s invitation from two months earlier. She had hesitated to agree since it wasn’t really Kerry’s place to extend it, but now, coming from Addison, she was happy to accept. It would mean more time spent with Kerry. She hoped their proximity would make them easier together, since they had some tension between them, even though they’d discussed the kiss. The visit to the Sutro Baths seemed to have opened up a new source of uneasiness. On the way home, Kerry had been uncharacteristically silent. Beth wanted to ask what was on her mind but felt that she couldn’t. She very much wanted to know more about Kerry and understand what led her to wear men’s clothes and work in a restaurant. Maybe living together would induce Kerry to be more forthcoming.

“Well, Nurse, shall we get to work?” Addison asked with a grin.

“By all means, Doctor. Let’s begin. It’s handy that I brought my nursing uniform. Now, do you suppose they have a private place where I may change?”

Addison stared at her, then laughed. “It’s hard to tell either way but we’ll improvise.”

*

Kerry walked into the bedroom where Beth was busily putting away her clothing. Kerry stopped to admire her neat economy of movement and to have the pleasure of watching Beth’s sweet body without her knowledge.

“I hope I’ve cleared enough room in the dresser for you.”

Beth must have been absorbed in her task because she jumped. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s nothing.” Beth turned back to her task, but not before Kerry noticed her frowning.

Relieved when Beth turned away to put on her nightgown, she quickly did the same, trying to ignore her growing agitation.

I’ll be damned if I’ll say anything. It’s up to her.
Her stomach was full of butterflies at the thought of how close Beth would be to her for this night and for many more to follow. She had many times imagined lying in bed with Beth in the night, but the reality clearly wouldn’t fulfill her fantasy.

Beth knelt to say a prayer before she got into bed and Kerry watched her from lowered eyelids, her heart melting at the sight of such sweet purity. But she turned over as Beth climbed under the covers next to her.

Kerry pretended to sleep but it eluded her. Their combined body heat filled the space and Beth’s scent filled her head. Every one of her nerves was on full alert. She tried to keep still since Beth had seemingly fallen asleep quickly and she didn’t want to wake her and make her regret her decision to live in Addison’s house. Sleep eventually took her, dreams full of soft skin and pink lips making her restless in her slumber.

*

In the week Kerry had taken up her new position in the kitchen, she had continued to cook every lunch shift, and Chef gruffly informed the other cooks that Kerry had Danny’s place at the grill. Chef was a practical man. Girl or not, Kerry was skilled and a reliable cook. He was not one, however, for any more coddling than necessary. He made no speeches of welcome nor did he instruct his staff to respect his female cook. His other cooks, therefore, felt free to make Kerry’s life as miserable as possible. They hid her utensils and snickered as she searched for them. They tossed her
mise en place
—the setup of ingredients that she needed to cook—so that she spent precious time reorganizing it before beginning service.

Kerry cursed under her breath but didn’t complain, which she knew would be futile. She would have to keep to herself, do her work, and hope the harassment would stop as they got bored with her lack of response.

With cheerful malice, Jim assigned her to the deep fryer as well as the grill.

“You know,” he said, “you need to strain the oil to clear it.” He looked around at the other cooks, who nodded sagely. “Or you can use egg white.”

“Egg white?” Kerry asked, mystified.

“Of course. You clear consommé with egg white, do you not?” he asked loftily.

Kerry saw the other cooks smirking and knew something was wrong, but since she couldn’t figure out what it was, she ignored it and went about her work.

A few days later, Jim ordered her to clean the oil for the deep fryer. She added egg white but the oil didn’t seem any cleaner.

She built up the stove fires in preparation for luncheon service, noting that for once her cooking utensils were present and her
mise en place
undisturbed. She went downstairs to cold storage and was gone some minutes collecting all the fillets and steaks the prep cook had prepared earlier that morning. When she returned, Davey, the one cook who had taunted her least, said, “Kerry, somethin’s amiss with the fryer!”

She looked and was horrified to see a mass of billowing, greasy white material boiling out of the fryer and dripping onto the floor. Seeing her expression, the cooks burst into laughter. Jim stood with his arms crossed. “You best clean up this mess quickly before someone slips on it. Luncheon service starts in fifteen minutes.” She glared at him and went about cleaning it up, and Davey helped her when he saw Jim’s back was turned.

After her shift, Kerry went to find Teddy and smoke a cigarette. She told him what had happened in the kitchen.

He said, “They’re going to keep after you until you can show them.”

“What can I do? Jim’s the worst. The rest follow him.”

“Then he’s the one you have to deal with. Just think about what your dad would do.”

Kerry thought. Lucky Jack wasn’t especially vindictive, but no one ever got the better of him until big Moe.
I have to find Jim’s weakness
.

Teddy encouraged her. “You’re tougher than those boys. You’re from the BC, remember?”

Kerry nodded grimly. She resolved to look for an opportunity.
Jack would have said the same thing as Teddy, and I won’t let him down.

*

It was the first Saturday after the beginning of Beth’s stay. They were having dinner and Addison said, “Kerry usually has her bath on Saturday night. Laura and I retire to the parlor and stay out of her way. Would you like to bathe tonight as well?”

Beth glanced at Kerry and saw that she was blushing. It unsettled her but she managed to reply, “Yes. I would. That is, if you don’t mind, Kerry?”