Nurse Jess Read Online Free PDF Page A

deferentially to her side. She sighed and took her turn in the small queue at the self-serve.
    Margaret reached out for a tray and Jessa copied her. “ It ’ s a n unusual name, isn ’ t it? ”
    “ What name, Jessamine? ”
    Jessa said, “ Gink. ”
    “ Oh, I don ’ t know, you ’ d probably find quite a few on the electoral roll or in the telephone directory. ”
    “ Not in Crescent Island ’ s roll or directory, ” said Jessa. “ We have only thirty voters and eleven on the phone. ” She added sadly, remembering the fame that was about to flood the island, “ At least, we did. ”
    They chose a table near a window. Outside dew gemmed the lawns, hung shining jewels on the delicate lace the spiders had woven overnight on the branches of the shrubs.
    “ Do you think, ” asked Jessa, turning back her gaze, “ he could be a relative of Professor Gink? That parent, I mean. And why isn ’ t Professor Gink Professor Mary or Professor Ermyntrude or something, the same as the rest of the allwoman staff? ”
    “ Probably she isn ’ t staff, ” said Margaret. “ Probably she ’ s that valued adviser we have been told about. Come to think of it, Jessa, I believe I ’ ve often heard the name of Professor Gink, the same as one hears of the names of great pianists, or actresses, or social workers, only this time a fame associated with babies, of course. ”
    “ Like Truby King or Spock or something? ”
    Margaret buttered toast and said, “ Yes. ”
    They dropped the subject of the pink uniform and the coincidence of Professor Gink having the same name as Jessa ’ s parent by unspoken consent. They fell to and depleted their plates in silence. They had no illusions as to what lay ahead of them, and knew they would need all their strength. When Jessa did speak at last it was with a mouthful of food, and she said, with a sharp awareness of the task that lay before them, “ Meg, it ’ s not going to be a piece of cake. ”
    She looked down at the depleted plate of bacon and eggs and they both laughed.
    At eight o ’ clock they reported for duty. On this first day in their newness they were grateful that Matron Martha had kept them together.
    They went up to Ward Two and Jessa kept close behind Margaret, who was already much more adept at “ arriving ” anywhere than she was. They went into the warm bright room.
    It was not like a ward—it was more like a personal nursery, but a big nursery. In a laboratory adjoining, nurses and sisters were preparing the injection foods, the bottled foods having been made up already and put into hygienic storage for use throughout the day.
    Jessa saw that every bottle was labelled with a baby ’ s name. She found herself looking for Gink, but could not find one. Poor little Gink mite, she thought, he must be an intravenous or a drop baby.
    “ Nurse Margaret? Nurse Jess? ” asked a sister briskly. “ Which is which? ”
    They disassociated themselves and Jessa was taken by a second sister, Sister Helen, she was smilingly told, to learn how to give a bath.
    “ We ’ ll be easy on you on your first day and give you the Bouncer. He ’ s a whopper child, fully four and three-quarter pounds. He was an eight-monther, which gives him a start on the rest. ”
    “ What, ” trembled Jessa, looking down to the Bouncer, who seemed anything to her but a bouncer, who appeared delicate and dresden enough to break, “ would a small baby weigh? ”
    “ Fairy in Ward Three is four months premature, and her nappy safety-pin is as wide as she is, ” said Sister Helen. “ We haven ’ t dared weigh her yet. ”
    Jessa looked with relief on the Bouncer. Compared to Fairy he would be a push-over. “ Do I wash him? ”
    “ You certainly don ’ t, but after next week you can every third day. But right now you ’ ll oil him, then apply lanolin. When you ’ ve diapered and put him down again, come to me and I ’ ll give you Bing for his two-hourly feed. ”
    “ Bing croons, I suppose.