sheets.”
“But you’re all officers, aren’t you? I never heard of officers scrubbing anything.”
“I’m regular Army, Medical Corps. But all the other nurses are Army Nurse Corps. They’re lieutenants, but the army came up with something called relative rank.”
“What’s that?”
“With relative rank you get half the pay of a man, and no salutes. It wouldn’t do for an enlisted man to salute an officer while she’s scrubbing the floor or emptying a bedpan, so no salutes for nurses.”
“You must be pretty sore at the army.”
“I love the army, Billy. It gives me a chance to serve at the front, and every woman here is proud to do what she can. But I’d like some clothes that fit.” She smiled that warm smile again, and all the complaints just vanished.
“Tell me, Billy, why do you want to talk to our French patients? They don’t need any unnecessary stress while they’re recuperating.”
“Don’t you think the Gardes Mobiles and their SOL pals are a pretty stressful bunch? Do you have any idea what they do to kids like these?”
“What’s the SOL?” she asked.
“Service d’Order Legionnaire, fascist militia . . . and you’re avoiding the question.”
“You’re right. And so are you.”
How could I answer her question? Tell her I want to talk to the French rebels because one of them might know Diana and have an idea where she is? Oh, and by the way, she’s a spy and I’m Uncle Ike’s secret agent when I’m not working for your old boyfriend Sam. Then I remembered. Georgie said he had a kid brother in with the rebels.
“I met a French officer the day we came ashore. He told me his brother was a university student and involved in the coup attempt. I’d like to find out if he’s among the wounded.”
“All right, Billy. I’ll take you to Ward C. Why don’t you contact this officer and bring him over here?”
“I can’t. The Gardes Mobiles killed him. He was murdered by a Captain Luc Villard.”
Gloria looked stunned. She opened her mouth to say something but I couldn’t hear it over a high-pitched wail that started out slow and then became a shrill sound that felt like an icepick in the ear.
“Air raid!” someone shouted and then everybody jumped up and made for the door.
CHAPTER • NINE
WE DOVE INTO A slit trench behind the main building and stared up into the blue sky, swiveling our heads, straining to see any sign of enemy aircraft. The sirens were wailing, the shrill sound mixing with the voices of nurses, doctors, and GIs as they tumbled out of the building and made for the newly dug trenches that littered the area. They were yelling to or at each other in high-pitched nervous voices, excited and scared at the same time, trying to sound like they were in charge, still in control of things. Several more people jammed themselves into our trench, one nurse laughing as if this was school recess, another trying not to cry, her hand held to her mouth.
“They wouldn’t bomb a hospital, would they?” she asked, the quivering of her lower lip just visible.
Gloria reached over at patted her arm. “Don’t you worry, honey. They’re probably ours and it’s a false alarm.”
The sirens wound down and stopped, and another strange sound took its place. The air filled with a low, dull, throb that seemed to come from all around us. The yelling stopped as this new sound enveloped us, growing stronger each second. It took on a nasty, buzzing quality that reminded me of hornets or yellow jackets. People started popping up from the trenches, twisting their necks, looking for the source of the droning, ever-increasing noise. I knew that it might be too late once they saw it.
“Get down!” I yelled. “Get your heads down!” I threw my arm around Gloria, yanking her down, nearly burying our heads in gravelly dirt at the bottom of the trench. As the smell of damp, chalky soil hit my nostrils, I had to force myself to keep my face in it. The sound grew. I didn’t know
“But you’re all officers, aren’t you? I never heard of officers scrubbing anything.”
“I’m regular Army, Medical Corps. But all the other nurses are Army Nurse Corps. They’re lieutenants, but the army came up with something called relative rank.”
“What’s that?”
“With relative rank you get half the pay of a man, and no salutes. It wouldn’t do for an enlisted man to salute an officer while she’s scrubbing the floor or emptying a bedpan, so no salutes for nurses.”
“You must be pretty sore at the army.”
“I love the army, Billy. It gives me a chance to serve at the front, and every woman here is proud to do what she can. But I’d like some clothes that fit.” She smiled that warm smile again, and all the complaints just vanished.
“Tell me, Billy, why do you want to talk to our French patients? They don’t need any unnecessary stress while they’re recuperating.”
“Don’t you think the Gardes Mobiles and their SOL pals are a pretty stressful bunch? Do you have any idea what they do to kids like these?”
“What’s the SOL?” she asked.
“Service d’Order Legionnaire, fascist militia . . . and you’re avoiding the question.”
“You’re right. And so are you.”
How could I answer her question? Tell her I want to talk to the French rebels because one of them might know Diana and have an idea where she is? Oh, and by the way, she’s a spy and I’m Uncle Ike’s secret agent when I’m not working for your old boyfriend Sam. Then I remembered. Georgie said he had a kid brother in with the rebels.
“I met a French officer the day we came ashore. He told me his brother was a university student and involved in the coup attempt. I’d like to find out if he’s among the wounded.”
“All right, Billy. I’ll take you to Ward C. Why don’t you contact this officer and bring him over here?”
“I can’t. The Gardes Mobiles killed him. He was murdered by a Captain Luc Villard.”
Gloria looked stunned. She opened her mouth to say something but I couldn’t hear it over a high-pitched wail that started out slow and then became a shrill sound that felt like an icepick in the ear.
“Air raid!” someone shouted and then everybody jumped up and made for the door.
CHAPTER • NINE
WE DOVE INTO A slit trench behind the main building and stared up into the blue sky, swiveling our heads, straining to see any sign of enemy aircraft. The sirens were wailing, the shrill sound mixing with the voices of nurses, doctors, and GIs as they tumbled out of the building and made for the newly dug trenches that littered the area. They were yelling to or at each other in high-pitched nervous voices, excited and scared at the same time, trying to sound like they were in charge, still in control of things. Several more people jammed themselves into our trench, one nurse laughing as if this was school recess, another trying not to cry, her hand held to her mouth.
“They wouldn’t bomb a hospital, would they?” she asked, the quivering of her lower lip just visible.
Gloria reached over at patted her arm. “Don’t you worry, honey. They’re probably ours and it’s a false alarm.”
The sirens wound down and stopped, and another strange sound took its place. The air filled with a low, dull, throb that seemed to come from all around us. The yelling stopped as this new sound enveloped us, growing stronger each second. It took on a nasty, buzzing quality that reminded me of hornets or yellow jackets. People started popping up from the trenches, twisting their necks, looking for the source of the droning, ever-increasing noise. I knew that it might be too late once they saw it.
“Get down!” I yelled. “Get your heads down!” I threw my arm around Gloria, yanking her down, nearly burying our heads in gravelly dirt at the bottom of the trench. As the smell of damp, chalky soil hit my nostrils, I had to force myself to keep my face in it. The sound grew. I didn’t know
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