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Julienne hadn’t slept well that night.
Evangelina and Trixie had been called out for a delivery on a cargo ship. And it sounded odd since women were rarely allowed on that kind of ship. However, the nun and the nurse took off at about 10:30.
Julienne got up at about 3 and went to Sister Evangelina’s room, they weren’t back yet. She went to bed and stared at the ceiling until the alarm clock went off at 4:30.
The morning started as usual, Julienne gave directions to the other nun and midwives and looked at their ledger when the phone rang. Her heart skipped a beat, she was a bit worried. Just the two of them surrounded by seamen.
“Nonnatus House, midwife speaking” said Julienne hoping to have some news from Evangelina and Trixie.
“Good morning Sister, it’s Trixie. We are at the London Hospital. The delivery went well and the baby and the mother are well. I’ll start visiting tomorrow. However, Sister Evangelina dislocated her shoulder last night. She suffered the whole night, and I persuaded her to come to the hospital and have the injury treated. She is quite fussy, as you can imagine. And please come over and I'll come home and mind the phone.”
“Oh dear,” said Julienne thinking how difficult was for Evangelina to be a good patient, she was a good person and an amazing nurse and midwife, with endless skills. But being a good patient wasn’t in her books. “I can imagine how fussy she is right now and how difficult is for her to be a good patient… I am just getting ready, I’ll ask Nurse Lee to wait for you before leaving for her rounds.”
“We are still in the first aid department. And she had refused pethidine the whole night. She must be in agony.”
Julienne got ready and took off to the hospital. Evangelina had been quite lucky on the health side, she had had a few brushes with the hospital but she had never broken a bone or dislodged a shoulder and she had a very high pain tolerance. During the war, she was injured several times, but she had always been stitched up by random doctors in rather unsanitary places.
As soon as Julienne arrived at the hospital, she was greeted by a shattered Trixie who needed a cup of tea, something to eat and lie down: “Go back home and get some rest. Sister Bernadette is minding the phone this morning, you look about to drop.”
“I am shattered, Sister Evangelina had tried to kick me out of the hospital for almost an hour, but the doctor and the nurses didn’t trust her to stay in bed… and she was so much in pain that she asked me for gas and air while we were in the ambulance, but now she didn’t want stronger painkiller, but she is nauseous from the pain.”
“Leave it to me. Go home, have a cup of warm tea or cocoa and go to bed. She must have been in agony to ask for gas and air, but she needs to have her pain managed if she wants to be home.”
“Thank you, sister. Keep us posted.”
Trixie went to the hall and called Fred to pick her up. Her bike was still at the docks and she was too tired to even think to cycle.
Julienne arrived near the reception of the first aid department and she was pointed to the cubicle where Evangelina was by a nice nurse then she met an orderly who said “Is the grumpy nun one of your flock? She is in cubicle six…she had chased away the matron in charge and two sisters. I just wheeled her back from x-rays”
“Yes, she’s my sister… She can be a bit grumpy when she is in pain.”
“We are all grumpy when we are unwell.”
Julienne arrived in Evangelina’s cubicle and the older nun was propped up on several pillows, the injured arm was tied to her neck and she looked in pain and very tired.
She was just in her slip and her thermals and wore her cap without the wimple.
“How do you feel?” asked Julienne sitting next to Evangelina and gently stroking her free hand.
“I am fine…” said Evangelina, with a fake voice and a long sight.
“Lying is a sin, you know it… I bet you are in pain…”
“I don’t want to be a bother to anyone. My shoulder is back in its place and I’ll be alright.”
“You are clammy, your pain isn’t well managed. What did they give you?”
“I don’t know…”
Evangelina hated to be fussed around, hated to be a patient and hated to be in pain.
Julienne looked around to see if she could find the doctor in charge of Evangelina. She knew quite well that to be discharged the pain needed to be well managed and she needed to know how long Evangelina needed to be resting.
Evangelina moaned in pain and she was almost in tears. Julienne knew that her sister was suffering and seeing her in the hospital bed made her stomach turn. It wasn’t Evangelina's natural habitat. She had worked through painful periods, headaches, toothaches, and falls from the bike, she had never complained once about being in pain. She took some Aspirin and carried on but it wasn't the same, this time.
Julienne took a flannel from the bedside table and put it on Evangelina’s forehead. The pain was making her perspiring and she feared it was making her sick too, since she was pale with a touch of green on her cheeks.
“Do you feel sick?” asked Julienne taking a kidney dish from the side of the little cabinet.
“I am fine. Just a little nauseous, but there’s no need for the basin.”
“Are you sure?” asked again Julienne looking quite concerned at Evangelina's complexion.
Evangelina didn’t reply, she just accepted the kidney dish in front of her mouth. She didn’t have anything in her stomach to bring up, but she only spit up some bile and saliva.
“Vomiting from the pain means that you are atrociously in pain, you know it..."
Julienne felt sorry for Evangelina and wished with all her heart that the older nun would admit that she was in a great deal of pain and discomfort.
“Sorry for the waiting, I am Dr McAllister.”
The doctor was a woman in her late 30s with a broad smile and clever eyes.
“So, I guess we can try with some stronger painkiller since for now, you have been in pain because you refused anything stronger than an Aspirin. Come on, Sister Evangelina, I know you are a nurse and midwife, you can have yourself suffering like that. And you have been sick from the pain, you can’t keep up like this.”
Julienne sighed and looked at the doctor.
“Because… I don’t want to be a bother…” said Evangelina almost breathless from the pain.
“You are not a bother, you are hurt. You dislocated a shoulder, you have spent 12 hours assisting a complicated birth.”
“I barely did anything.” protested Evangelina, knowing that she had spent most of the night watching over Trixie who had revealed to be an amazing midwife.
“You were there, come on, Sister Evangelina, if the pain isn’t well managed you know how long it will take to be back on your feet delivering babies.”
Evangelina let tears fall and said: “I am so sorry, I am not a good patient. I am sorry to be such a grumpy person.”
“Don’t worry, pain makes us all nervous. I’ll give an injection and then some pills to take home. And I advise your sister to keep you at rest for at least a fortnight. From the x-ray, the shoulder’s ligaments aren’t damaged.”
“Thank you doctor…” said Julienne smiling gently and looking fondly at Evangelina.
“I’ll discharge you before my shift is over at 1 PM. Try to rest. You haven’t slept in 36 hours. Do you want some chloral hydrate?” asked the doctor.
“No, thank you…” replied Evangelina feeling bad enough already.
Julienne shook her head and smiled softly at Evangelina who was still pouring tears from her eyes and looked dead to the world.
“I am so sorry, Sister Julienne.”
“You don’t have to be sorry. It can happen to anyone to get injured…”
“I have messed up all schedule, now nobody will rest properly because of me.”
“We are blessed with very good young women, who care about you very much and who are willing to take your duties until you are back on your feet. Trixie didn’t want to leave you this morning.”
“I don’t deserve all this love.”
“Why? You are giving love, in your way… you are a skilled midwife. And to me, you are the best friend I’ve ever had.”
Julienne looked again at Evangelina. She seemed so small in the hospital bed and the pain was making her so pale and clammy she started to get worried. But thankfully the doctor appeared with a syringe that Julienne hoped to be morphine or codeine.
“Sister Julienne, painkiller every 8 hours. You can top it up with some paracetamol or Aspirin. She’ll be fine. And she needs rest because she looked so tired when she arrived here. Her blood pressure was a bit elevated, but I guess from the pain.”
“We will keep an eye open for it too, usually she has a perfect 120 over 80. Thank you, Dr McAllister.”
By the time Julienne was back from the chat with the doctor, Evangelina was, finally sleeping, so she went to the hall to call Nonnatus House and let them know how things were going.
“Nonnatus House, midwife speaking,” said Trixie, sitting in the chair and taking the pencil from the paper pad.
“It’s me, Sister Evangelina will be discharged later today. I trust you and Sister Bernadette with the clinic today. If we are discharged before 2 PM I’ll join you. Can you prepare Sister Evangelina’s room? I need some flannel, a basin and a kidney dish, just in case. And she doesn’t want to be fussed around. So tonight I hope nobody bothers her. Except for Sister Monica Joan, maybe. They have worked together for ages and it’s the first time in a lifetime that Evangelina is in hospital.”
“You’ll find everything you’ll need. At what time do you need Fred to pick you up?”
“I’ll phone again because we have to wait to see how the pain is. But now she’s sleeping, so I guess the morphine or whatever she was given is working.”
Evangelina agreed to all the prescriptions given by the doctor. Paracetamol and an opiate every eight hours for at least three days, rest for at least two weeks, light lift, nothing heavier than a plate. And a follow-up in a week to see how the recovery was going.
“Can I go to the chapel?” asked Evangelina as soon as Fred pulled over in front of Nonnatus House.
“Yes, of course. I can join you for the Sext Hour*if you want, but if you want to be alone, I’ll go later.”
“I just need a moment with the Almighty. Just a few minutes. Then we will say Sext together.”
Evangelina sat heavily on the chair closest to the altar. At that time of the day, the stained glasses of the chapel lit the room with the most beautiful lighting and Evangelina found it very helpful with her devotion.
“I know, Lord, I know. I shouldn't keep my pride too high I should be more humble and I should accept help when I need it. I am so sorry for how I behaved today. And please, look over Trixie, she is an amazing midwife, and she is one of the most skilled under this roof. Please, give her a good guardian angel.” Evangelina was facing the cross and talked to Jesus as if He was her husband of thirty years, after a long and tiring day.
Julienne was in the doorway and smiled fondly. Evangelina had her way of praying and speaking with the Lord and her Faith, with her actions, rather than with her words, and it was what people saw about her. She had been spreading love, a bit grumpy sometimes, around one of the poorest boroughs of London for over 40 years. Unfortunately, because of her upbringing, Evangelina always felt she didn’t deserve love back.
Julienne, on her side, after almost twenty years of working together knew far too well that under a very tough surface, there was the kindest and most gentle soul.
“Shall we pray together?” asked Evangelina looking at Julienne.
“Of course.”
When they were done praying Evangelina said: “Can you ask Trixie if she can come to my room? Not today, but when she has ten minutes… I want to have a little chat with her.”
“Of course, I’ll let her know at dinner. Now, you are going to bed and you have some good sleep. I’ll bring a tray up soon. Are you still nauseous?”
“A bit, but it’s the opiate, I know it. But I am much better than I was earlier today. You were very kind today, I didn't deserve it."
"Love is kind, don't you remember what Sister Ada always said?" asked Julienne smiling again and squeezing Evangelina's hand.