Nurse Trudie is Engaged Read Free Page A

likely to need next, what the next stages of the operation would be ... things like that. I suppose I made some lucky guesses. Anyhow, he seemed pleased. He thanked me for my help when he ’ d finished— ”
    “ He what ?” Mary sat upright on her bed. “ I ’ ve never heard of such a thing before, ” she said in tones of great bewilderment. “ Do you think he ’ s fallen for you? ” she ended abruptly in a tone of awe.
    “ Don ’ t be so silly. ” Trudie ’ s tone was light, although her heart had begun to hammer at an alarming rate, and the little pulse at the base of her throat was beating as if fired by a motor. “ He ’ s not the type. He doesn ’ t see nurses as people, ” she went on thoughtfully. “ I don ’ t believe he even sees women that way. We ’ re just an appendage to the work he has to do, a necessary part of the completion. Women themselves, ” she was speaking more to herself than to Mary, “ don ’ t appear to exist for him. I expect that ’ s because he ’ s had so little to do with them. ”
    “ How do you mean? ” Mary was curious. “ He sees plenty of them around every day. There are hundreds in St. Catherine ’ s alone. ”
    “ Sister Meredith was talking about him once, ” Trudie said thoughtfully. “ It ’ s some time ago now, and she wasn ’ t talking to me, but I ’ ve always remembered the conversation. It seemed to explain such a lot about him. ”
    “ Such as? ” Mary demanded. “ Really, the way you tell a story, it ’ s a good job you don ’ t have to make your living at it! What is the explanation, and why should he be so different from other men? All the other doctors and specialists are friendly. That ’ s not the word I want—he ’ s friendly enough, but it ’ s in such an impersonal sort of way, as though the rest of us were just part of the equipment, not people at all— ”
    “ I know, ” Trudie interrupted. “ It seems he sort of ... uses us, as he does the instruments, the oxygen unit, the rest of the works. I know exactly what you mean, and that ’ s what I ’ m trying to explain. His mother died when he was very young. His father and his uncle were both surgeons in partnership together. They brought him up in an all-male household, so Sister Meredith said. He went away to school, on to university, on to medical school and all the rest of it, but the atmosphere was mainly male. I think, ” she ended with a sudden flash of insight, “ he ’ s scared of women and the only defense he has is to treat us all as part of the hospital, nothing more. ”
    “ Well, rather you than me. ” Mary sighed and rose. “ I ’ m due in Casualty in three minutes. Thank heaven for Doctor Stark! ” she ended piously.
    Trudie laughed. Doctor Andrew Stark was a young houseman, new to St. Catherine ’ s, who had, apparently, set many hearts awhirl. Mary was the current favorite, and apparently, Trudie realized, enjoying the sensation.
    “ Don ’ t you go falling for his lordship, ” Mary advised, turning at the door. “ Better to stick to types like Andrew, at least we know where we are with them. Have a good week, ” she ended. Then the door closed behind her and Trudie was left alone with her thoughts.
    For a few minutes Trudie made no move. She was thinking how much of life was a game of pretense and wondering if other people found the same thing. As far back as she could remember there had always been something to pretend to other people. At school she had always pretended she did not mind when other people did better than she did, when she longed so passionately to outshine others and prove to herself and the family that girls were every bit as good as boys.
    She had had to pretend that she did not mind being the only girl among four brothers. Although they loved her and always included her in whatever they were doing, she had been well aware that at times her sex was a handicap; and there were limits to which she could be included in some