The Mechanic & The MD

Chapter One The factory’s end-of-shift signal shrieked, piercing Doris Strealer’s ears. She laid down the bucking bar then yanked off her red-and-white bandanna and finger-combed her brown hair. The only sister in the family with mousy brunette hair. Not russet-auburn like Emily’s or corn-silk blonde like Cora’s. She frowned. What did the color of her hair matter? It wasn’t as if she was ever getting married. She had yet to meet a guy willing to date a tall gal, and at five foot eleven, she’d towered over every boy in high school and college. The workplace was proving no different. Striding between the endless rows of airplane wings, she walked to the time-clock station and slid her card into the machine’s slot. The clock punched her card with a bang, and she returned it to its niche. She rotated her neck to ease the kinks in her shoulders. Gripping the metal bar for twelve hours a day while her partner Teresa attached thousands of rivets to airplane wings knotted her muscles like one of Grandma’s homemade pretzels. She stuffed the kerchief into her pocket and trudged to the women’s locker room. Being one of America’s Rosie the Riveters was nowhere near as glamorous as the magazine articles touted, but at least she wasn’t stuck at a desk. She’d do almost any job to avoid holding a sedentary position. “Want to go to the movies tonight, Doris?” Petite and pretty, Teresa had already exchanged her coveralls for a cute yellow polka-dot dress and white peep-toe shoes. “A bunch of us are going to meet up at the Majestic. The new Betty Grable musical Coney Island is playing. I’m sick to death of war movies, aren’t you?” “Maybe another time. It’s my grandma’s birthday today, and we’re having a party for her.” “That sounds like fun.” Doris changed into her street clothes. “It’s something to do. But the festivities won’t be the same without Emily, who is overseas, and Cora is still mourning Brian's death even though it’s been two years since he was killed during the Pearl Harbor attack. Not a very joyous atmosphere, but we give it a go.” “Yvonne says the war will be over by Christmas, then life can get back to normal.” “Even with the German army surrendering in Stalingrad in February and last month’s victory in Tunisia, I don’t think that’s going to happen. The Allies have a long fight on their hands before Hitler gives up.” Teresa combed her raven-colored tresses. “Stalingrad. Tunisia. El Alamein. So many places I’d never heard of before this war started.” Doris c****d her head. “A lot has changed in the last eighteen months. Do you like your job, Teresa?” “Well enough, I guess. Why? Don’t you?” “Not really. I’m proud to be doing something for the war effort, but I’m bored. Our work doesn’t exactly require a lot of thought.” “Are you going to look for something else?” Teresa grabbed her pocketbook from inside the locker and slammed the door. She slipped her arm through the handbag’s strap and headed toward the exit. “What else could you do?” “I’d rather tinker with engines.” Doris walked beside her partner. “Unfortunately, none of the garages in town will hire a female mechanic, and when I brought that issue up during my interview for this place, Mr. Meyer rolled his eyes. There must be somewhere I can work on cars or trucks.” They followed the crowd of women out of the building and walked across the street to the bus stop. Doris shielded her eyes from the pink-and-orange rays of the setting sun. “It’s been over twenty years since women got the right to vote. Why don’t we have the right to get the job that we want? It’s not fair.” “No matter what job you secure, you’re going to have to give it up when the men come home. Do you want to take a position you might love, only to lose it when the war is over?” The six-fifteen bus shimmied and bucked as it rumbled toward them. Acrid diesel exhaust belched from the vehicle. Brakes squealed, and the lumbering beast came to a stop. Teresa coughed and waved her hand to dispel the fumes. “I like you, Doris, but I don’t understand why you want to work on stinky engines.” She climbed the stairs into the bus and deposited her coin in the box. Doris followed her on board. “You may think it smells bad, but to me it’s better than the scent of Evening in Paris.” She sighed and dropped into the first vacant pair of seats. “Boyle Brothers and Mighty Mechanics are both hiring, but they’re not accepting female applicants. They’re going to be in a bind when the rest of the men are called up.” “Then you can swoop in to the rescue.” Teresa grinned and sat next to her then leaned over and pointed out the window at a poster on the side of the bus stop shelter. “Or you can contact the Red Cross Motor Corps. They’re looking for volunteers.” j Ron McCann bent over the patient lying on the operating table and began to remove the blood-encrusted bandage on the young soldier’s leg. Thunder boomed and rain pounded the windows. The lights flickered but remained illuminated. For the time being. Deplorable conditions for an operating theater. Sweat trickled down his spine despite the chill in the massive ballroom that once held dancing couples. One of thousands of centuries-old castles requisitioned by the British, Heritage Hall now served as a convalescent hospital. After a bombing in the north end of London by the Jerries, Heritage also acted as an overflow surgical center, today being the third time this week. He glanced across the mahogany-paneled expanse at the sea of wounded-filled gurneys. How many more young men waited in the corridors? Piece by piece, he removed shrapnel from the boy’s knees and shins then stitched the openings. Fortunately for the lad, the metal fragments had not done extensive damage. He might limp a bit but wouldn’t lose either limb. On the downside, with such minor repairs required, the youngster would probably be back in combat within a matter of weeks. Hours passed, and Ron continued to patch up American and British soldiers returning to merry old England from the lines. Most of his buddies from med school were assigned to various fronts, and he’d asked to serve nearer to the fighting, but the powers that be felt his skills were better used on English soil. His eyes burned with fatigue, and his back screamed from hunching over the broken bodies of the boys who should be chasing girls in high school or pursuing their future in college. He was an old man in comparison. Fresh out of residency, he’d received his draft notice three months ago. A few weeks of army training, then a troop transport across the ocean, and a bumpy ride from Portsmouth to the crowded streets of Hemel Hempstead. “This is the last patient, Dr. McCann.” Sister Greene dabbed the perspiration from his forehead with a linen square clasped in a surgical clamp. He had no idea of the woman’s age, but rumor had it she’d seen action during the Indian wars, the Mexican Revolution, and the Great War. Now in the twilight of her life, she was in the midst of armed conflict again. Her steely gaze and sharp tongue had sent more than a few junior cadet nurses crying into their pillows. Personality aside, she was a godsend in the operating room. Nothing caused her to flinch or faint. “Thank you, Nurse. Another fine job. I appreciate your help.” Ron snipped the last thread. He covered his work with a bandage and stepped back from the table. Two orderlies moved the patient to a gurney and wheeled him out the door to the dormitory-style ward. “You should get some rest, Doctor.” “As should you.” He smiled at the indefatigable woman. “But I’m guessing you plan something else for the remainder of the daylight hours.” A shrug lifted her shoulders. “There’s inventory to be done, laundry that never ends, and as good as my staff is, I check their work to ensure the boys are getting the best possible care.” “Your work ethic and energy put me to shame, Sister Greene.” Pink tinged her cheeks, and she pressed her lips together. “Flattery will get you nowhere, Doctor.” He threw back his head and laughed, the sound echoing against the hard surfaces of the cavernous space. “Let me help you with inventory. Surgery always leaves me keyed up, so sleep is out of the question for the time being. I’d like to be of some use.” She studied him for a moment, then nodded. “Very well. I’ll meet you in the dispensary. We’ll begin there.” “Yes, ma’am.” He touched his fingers to the side of his head in mock salute. “You’re not too old or too big for a paddling.” She shook her index finger at him, but the twinkle in her eye belied her firm voice. “Ten minutes. Don’t be late.” She toddled through the door. Ron removed his gloves, tossing them into an enamel bowl on the tray near the operating table, then untied the string the held the sterile gown over his uniform, dropping the soiled garment into the mesh bag propped against the wall. He walked to the sink and washed his hands, watching the orderlies and nurses clean the room and put it to rights for the next round of wounded. He left the noise behind and hurried down the wide, gleaming staircase, its balusters individual works of art. The home’s former ancestors glared at him from intricate, gilt frames, and he lifted a hand in greeting as he trotted past. Sister Greene stood in front of a glass cabinet, holding a clipboard and wearing a deep frown. “What is it?” He peered into the cabinet, and his eyes narrowed. The stock of pharmaceuticals, bandages, tape, and other consumables was minimal. “Did we use that much with this last influx of patients, or did the delivery fail to arrive again?” “The latter, I’m afraid.” He raked his fingers through his hair and blew out a loud breath. “What is wrong with the army's system? We put in requisitions, and they fill them. How hard can that be?” She opened her mouth to respond, but he held up a hand. “Strictly a rhetorical question, Nurse. I don’t expect you to know the answer. Let’s pray for a miracle and hope God sees fit to grant one.” Engines thrummed outside. “If I’m not mistaken, more visitors just arrived.” Ron frowned. “Inventory will have to wait.” “We’ll be ready for you, Doctor.” “I’d expect nothing less, Sister.” He flung the words over his shoulder as he raced from the room and headed to the foyer. He pushed open the heavy front door. Outside, the raging maelstrom now simmered with a light mist and occasional thunder. A pair of ambulances parked on the gravel in front of the stone entrance. Each of the drivers held one end of a stretcher, and a hospital orderly gripped the other. They carted their loads inside. He pointed toward the ballroom, and they swept past him. The lingering fragrance of flowers filled his nose, and he whipped his head toward the uniformed figures. Both women. With their hair stuffed underneath their tin hats, he hadn’t noticed their gender. More and more of the drivers were female. What was Roosevelt thinking when he signed the order letting women into the armed forces? Neville Thorson, a brilliant surgeon from London nudged his arm. “Your opinion is all over your face, and it’s going to get you in trouble one of these days. Face it, Doctor. The gals are here to stay.” Ron shook his head. “They’re to be protected and provided for, not assigned to war zones.” “Since when is England a combat zone?” Neville shoved his hands into his pockets. “Hitler may not be bombing as regularly as he did in forty-one, but death remains a dangerous possibility every day.” “Get used to it, chap. Working side by side with the ladies is our reality.” He grinned. “One for which I’m eternally grateful. Some of the drivers are real lookers.” “Women have no right in the Medical Corps, and I’m going to contact HQ about it. I don’t want these women coming to my hospital.”