Chapter 2
“Victoria is out on a call but the two of you will meet her later,” Sister Juilanne explained to the two new nurses that had come to work at Nonnatus House. The Sisters and nurses were having their evening tea. Victoria was exhausted. She had just come back from an undiagnosed twins case and hadn’t really been able to leave her all day. It got to the point where she had to call her dad for forceps. The poor lass and her babies had to go to hospital and Victoria went with them.
The mother had a hemorrhage that caused her to need a transfusion. The babies were poorly from being born a few weeks premature. When she had left hopital they all seemed to be doing well. The father had shown up just as she was leaving and she had to console the poor lad as he broke down.
“Nurse Turner is the daughter of our esteemed doctor. She was found in the rubble after the blitz with no family to speak of so the Turner’s took her in. She is a soul unlike any other. With thy chariot yoked; and with doves that drew thee, Fair and fleet around the dark earth from heaven, Dipping vibrant wings down he azure distance,
Through the mid-ether,” Sister Monica Joan said with a far off look that she always has when she recites poetry or recalls times from before her vow.
“Very swift they came; and thou, gracious Vision, Leaned with face that smiled in immortal beauty, Leaned to me and asked, "What misfortune threatened? Why I had called thee?" "What my frenzied heart craved in utter yearning, Whom its wild desire would persuade to passion? What disdainful charms, madly worshipped, slight thee? Who wrongs thee, Sappho?" "She that fain would fly, she shall quickly follow, She that now rejects, yet with gifts shall woo thee, She that heeds thee not, soon shall love to madness, Love thee, the loth one!"
Come to me now thus, Goddess, and release me From distress and pain; and all my distracted Heart would seek, do thou, once again fulfilling, Still be my ally!” Victoria recited as she walked into the dinning room. “Sappho is a new one for you Sister Monica Joan.”
“She has also yet beaten me at poetry. She is very talented,” Sister Monica Joan said, smiling softly at her. Victoria sat down next to one of the newcomers. She was very tall compared to Victoria herself and seemed to be slightly uncomfortable with all the new things around her.
“Hello it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Victoria Turner but please feel free to call me Vic or Tori. I also swear that I don’t bite unlike Trixie over there,” they joked. Trixie let out an over exaggerated gasp as she turned to her. Cynthia had already started to giggle. She always enjoyed watching the two of them bicker.
“I’ll have you know I never bite. It’s unrefined but if you don’t watch it I’ll go get that sailor that you spend so much time with and tell him how you're just dying to go on a date with him,” Trixie teased, flipping her blonde curls back.
“Who Ralph? Ralph is a scientist not a sailor and not to mention he’s American so I think not,” they laughed softly. “I have some very interesting scientific discussions with him. That’s all.”
“Well it’s a pleasure to meet you Nurse Turner,” the woman said from her place next to Sister Monica Joan. The curly haired brunette looked a tad bit green as she looked down at her plate.
“Welcome to Poplar. It’s dirty, crowded, and rundown but it’s home. One of the reasons we are here is to help. Some places and couples are harder to stomach than most but we do it with a smile and we keep going. This is how things are and there is nowhere that needs our help more than right here,” Victoria said softly. She remembered what it was like the first time they had left the Academy. How judgmental they were to everywhere, everything, and everybody. It’s easy to judge, it's harder to help.
She also remembered the bombs that rained from the sky and how broken Poplar was. The community in Poplar was like nothing they’ve ever seen before. A person would give you the shirt off his back if he could afford another one.
Nurse Lee nodded and sat back in her chair. Obviously something they had said struck a nerve. Victoria poured herself a glass of tea and glanced around the table. She really wanted to go upstairs and sleep or write out more of what she remembered. She went through the list of names in her head so she didn’t forget them again: Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, Five, Ben, Grace, Pogo, Reginald.
“Well I think it’s all tickety boo. The people here seem lovely,” the woman sitting next to her said. “I’m Chummy by the way.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Victoria said with a smile. She ate a small bit of the crackers that were sitting in front of her as she slumped down in her chair. Sister Bernadette gave her a look of concern. Usually they were more inclined to politeness and casual banter but today she was merely overly exhausted.
“Now Nurse Lee came last week while you were away taking some extra classes and Nurse Browne came to us today and later today we will have a nurse joining us that is strictly on district rounds only. Her name is Nurse Lila Pitts. She's still studying for her midwife certification but she is a qualified nurse,” Sister Julieanne said to the table.
“Just what we need more unqualified nurses on our ledgers,” Sister Evangelina grumbled under her breath. Victoria let out a small snort. She adored all the Sisters but she sees Sister Evangelina as an aunt of sorts. She had always been there for her tough battles and she was kinder the most give her credit for.
“You speak of a woman you have yet to meet with such hostility Sister. When we need all the help we can get. We deliver nearly 100 babies a month in Poplar. It would be good to have someone who can handle our district patients more personally,” Sister Bernadette said heatedly. Sister Evangelina looked over at the woman in shock. Sister Bernadette was usually very soft spoken but this seemed to have riled her up.
A knock sounded on the door before anyone could get a word in edgewise. Victoria was up and out of her seat heading to the door. She answered it with a smile.
“Hello I’m Lila Pitts. I believe I’m expected,” She said with a kind smile.
“Yes Sister Julieanne was just informing us of your arrival, please follow me,” they said, leading the woman back to the dining room. “I would offer you some cake but I’m not sure we have any.”
“That’s quite alright. I’ll settle for some good tea. I’ve been in the states for the last few years. My adopted mother knew nothing about good tea,” Lila said as they entered.
“Well then I’ll make you a cuppa right now. Please take my seat. If it is alright with you Sister Julieanne I’d like to retire upstairs after I get Nurse Pitts here a cuppa,” Victoria said as she poured the woman a cup of tea.
“Please just Lila,” she said with a small nod.
“Well I’m Victoria Turner but do please call me Vic or Tori,” she replied with a small smile. “May I retire Sister Julieanne?”
“Of course you’ve had a rather long and eventful day. Get some well needed rest and we will settle in the newcomers,” the nun said with a smile. She looked at the girl she considered her granddaughter nearly run to get to a bed and chuckled softly.
“I love that girl dearly but something ain’t right with her,” Sister Evangeline mumbled. She was always worried for her. She watched her eyes wonder as she grew up and knew that things weren’t as they should be. The girl would stare blankly at a notebook for hours before writing something down and shutting it.
“Something would be amiss with you as well if bombs and buildings rained down on you when you were nothing but a tot,” Sister Monica Joan said before standing. “I will retire as well. I will see you all at complan.” She got up and left the table without another word.
Victoria was almost asleep when Sister Monica Joan entered her room. She sat at the foot of her bed and waited. They sat up and pulled their knees to their chest.
“What haunts you today my dear child?” She asked laying a hand on the nurse.
“Names,” she said in a whisper. Sister Monica Joan was the only one she felt safe enough to talk to about her memories. She had sat with Timothy and them enough times to gain all of their trust. It was slow going but eventually she knew all the things that caused them to space out.
“What are their names, child? You tell me and let me keep them in my mind. You tell me about them,” she said, holding Victoria’s hand tightly.
“Well there is Luther. He was the leader or tried to be. Then there’s Diego, he always had something to prove. He was born with a stutter and the headmaster always put him down. Allison was a busy body; she was always trying to be on everyone's good side. Klaus was a drinker from the moment he first had the stuff it was always in his hands. Five was the smartest person. He was the oldest and tried to keep us young ones alive and as happy as he could. Then there was Ben. He died very young and I think it was why I ran away. I don’t remember how I ended up in Poplar’s street or how I survived the bombs but I remember them so vividly yet I can’t find them no matter where I look,” they said as tears streamed down her faces. “I remembered my name too… It was Vayna. I was Russian but now I’m English. I’m happy and well taken care of but I still miss them. I don’t know them but I miss them,” they sobbed as they leaned into Sister Monica Joan’s embrace. Their time in remembering these cold distant siblings and thinking they were better off; they hadn’t thought about how much they missed the siblings.
“It is normal to miss family my dear,” Sister Monica Joan said stroking their hair. “So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; and it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.”
Victoria fell asleep crying in Sister Monica Joan’s arms. The nun laid her down and covered her up before leaving the girl’s room. She needed to talk to Sister Julieanne and the girl’s father. The two of which she found conversing in the parlor.
“Something is troubling your little girl Dr. Turner,” She said as she walked up to them. “Her memory from before has been coming back and haunting her since she started talking. Their names were haunting her today. She cried herself to sleep over people her memory fails to grasp.”
“What is she alright?” Dr. Turner asked worriedly. His daughter had always been the strongest person he has ever known and he couldn’t imagine them crying themself to sleep.
“She could use her father and little brother. Maybe tomorrow you can get dinner together,” Sister Monica Joan said with a nod and a voice that left no room for argument.