The High Calling (16 page)

Parker turned and walked slowly westward, heading inland now along the Thames Estuary. He glanced out at one of the most ambitious of the coastal defense installations, the Sea Forts. These towering structures were as large as the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. They resembled offshore oil rigs and were constructed on land and then floated out to sea and sunk into place. He watched for a time as men swarmed over them, for they bristled with armament—Lewis guns, Bofors, and 3.7-inch anti-aircraft cannon.

The sight depressed Parker, and he turned his back on the water and returned to his car to drive back toward London’s East End, about an hour’s drive away. He passed a group of civilians carrying luggage along the road, surrounded by armed British soldiers. These, he knew, were German-born citizens of England. He had heard that thousands of these men were being arrested and hustled off to makeshift camps set up on racetracks or in old factories or even in elegant country estates.

The faces of the men were grim. Some of them were obviously professional men, others workingmen clad in the rough clothing of their trade. Parker felt something stir within him, for he had known many British citizens of German derivation
who were good people and loyal to Great Britain. “They’re going overboard on this,” he muttered. “I can only hope that the officials who have organized this will come to their senses soon.”

He parked his car near the hospital where Kat worked and, as he got out, was aware of a great deal of activity. He approached a bobby who was taking down a street sign and adding it to a stack of others.

“What’s going on, Officer?”

“Taking down all the street signs so those cretin Huns won’t know where they are when they invade.”

Parker stared at him in disbelief. “They won’t likely be hunting for addresses when they come.”

The man shrugged, a scowl on his face. “It’s orders, you know. We’ve got to do everything we can to stop them.”

This was only one of the measures Parker knew Britain was taking to get ready for war. All the lampposts had been ringed with white paint to make them visible for drivers and pedestrians during blackouts. Headlights had all been fitted with blackout shields that masked the light, and the windows of trains got a coat of dark blue paint to conceal the light from planes overhead.

As he reached the entrance to the hospital, he saw a crowd gathered and stopped to watch an air-raid rehearsal in progress. There were four men stretched out on the street impersonating victims, while men in white coats came to put them on stretchers and carry them off. A man in a dress suit with a derby was watching the whole thing and nodding with approval. It was all very neat, but Parker thought,
When the bombs start falling, it won’t be quite this simple and organized.

He went into the hospital and stopped to ask for help from a horse-faced woman who sat behind a desk. “I’m looking for one of my pilots. His name is Raymond Bailey.”

The woman glared at him almost suspiciously.
If a pilot in the Royal Air Force gets such a harsh glance, what would
she give to a German?
he wondered. He smiled, however, as she shuffled through a list of cards.

“He’s in room 206,” she said. “Take the elevator.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

Parker made his way across the crowded floor, which was filled with scurrying people. When he reached the elevator and punched the button, he heard his name called and turned to see Kat. She was wearing her nurse’s uniform and had a smile for him. “I’m surprised to see you here, Parker.”

“Why, I’m surprised to see you as well. I didn’t expect to bump into you in this big place. You’re still working at the mission, aren’t you?”

“Oh yes, but I do a shift here four times a week as well. They’re short of nurses.”

“That’s nice of you to give them a hand. One of my pilots is here. Maybe you could give him a little special attention.”

“Of course. What’s his name?”

The elevator door opened and the two got on. “Lieutenant Raymond Bailey. He was shot down last week and is in pretty bad shape.”

The others on the elevator were watching the tall pilot as he spoke to the nurse, and Parker felt rather confined. He waited until the elevator stopped on the second floor and the two got off. “He’s in 206.”

“How badly is he hurt?”

“He was shot in both legs. The doctors are trying to save them. I’m worried about him, Katherine. He just got engaged two weeks ago, and he’s worried he’ll lose his legs.”

The two entered a ward with eight beds lined up along one wall. One of the beds had a screen around it, and after looking around and seeing no familiar faces, Parker said, “I imagine he’s behind there.”

The two approached the screen, and when Parker stepped to one side, he nodded to Katherine, and she followed him.

“Hello, Ray,” Parker said.

The patient was a pale-faced man of no more than twenty.
His features were drawn, and pain had etched its lines upon his face. He attempted a feeble smile and reached out his hand. When Parker took it, he whispered, “Good to see you, Wing Commander.”

“How are you feeling?”

“All right.”

He looked down at his legs, which were swathed with bandages from thigh to ankle. Parker saw the despair on his face and said cheerfully, “Well, now, I brought you some good company. This is Miss Katherine Winslow. She’s an American, and she’ll be able to help you some. Won’t you, Katherine?”

“Hello, Lieutenant,” Kat said. She moved forward and smiled down at him. “I’m sorry about your bad luck, but I’m sure your legs will heal thoroughly.”

Bailey looked at her and barely nodded. It was obvious that he was deeply depressed, and there was no hope at all in his face.

Parker talked rapidly about the weather and his twins, trying to take the pilot’s attention off of his condition, but finally he seemed to run out of topics. Kat knew little of the specifics of his case, but she knew that depression would not help him at all. She said brightly, “Parker tells me you’re engaged to be married.”

“I was.” He looked down at his legs, and his lips drew into a tight line. “Diane won’t want to marry a man without legs.”

“Now, now! It won’t come to that, I’m sure,” Kat said quickly. “There are fine doctors in this hospital. They’ll do their very best for you.”

“They can’t do a miracle.”

“Well, of course not,” she said, “but the Lord can.”

“Why did God let me get hurt like this?” he asked bitterly.

Parker was at a loss, but Kat was not. “God is able to do all things, and I don’t know why this happened. Things like this happen in wars all the time. You know that better than I. But I would like to pray for you, Lieutenant. I’ve seen God do great miracles. Would you mind?”

“I guess not,” he muttered.

To Parker’s surprise Kat moved forward and took the young man’s hand. She held it firmly between the two of hers, and Parker saw Ray’s eyes open with surprise. Kat began to pray a simple but fervent prayer.

She concluded by saying, “O God, we’re not asking anything impossible. I pray that you will be with this young man and give him his legs, and I pray you will be with his fiancée and give her a loving heart. May she be a support for him. Give them a good life together and protect his life in the future when he flies again. In the name of Jesus.”

Parker lifted his eyes and glanced at Kat. There was a peace on her face that he admired greatly. He shifted his gaze and saw that Raymond was staring at her. Some of the strain seemed to have left, and he managed a smile.

“Thank you, miss. I appreciate it.”

“I’ll be back to see you every chance I get.”

“So will I,” Parker said quickly. “We’re a little busy right now, Ray, but the fellows will be checking on you. I know you’re going to be fine.”

The two said their good-byes, and when they left the ward, Kat said, “Do you have time for some tea? We could go to the cafeteria here.”

“That sounds good to me.”

Ten minutes later the two were sitting in the crowded cafeteria sipping their tea. Kat asked about the twins.

“I’m afraid they’re expecting you to come back with presents for their birthday next Wednesday. It would be wonderful if you could come. It’s a bit much for my mother, and Veronica could use some help.”

“I’ll try very hard to work it in. They are such lovely children.”

“Hello, Parker.”

Parker turned and looked up at a couple who were standing by the table. “Why, hello, Ann, Wade,” he said quickly. “How have you been?”

The couple were staring at Kat suspiciously, at least so she thought. They were well dressed and obviously well-to-do. They explained that they were visiting a sick relative of Ann’s.

When they left, Parker shrugged. “She’s a decorator—a good friend of Veronica’s.”

He picked up his tea, sipped it, and did not speak for a long time.

Finally Kat said, “It’s very hard on you when your men get hurt or when you lose them, isn’t it?”

“Yes, of course it is. We become like brothers in the squadron. I guess I’m the father figure and these are like my sons, although we’re all about the same age, really. I appreciate your prayer for Raymond. He’s such a fine chap.”

“I hope his fiancée is sympathetic.”

“I hope so too. Raymond didn’t sound too optimistic, though.”

When they had finished their tea, Parker reminded her again of the birthday party. As Kat went back to her duties, she made a note to make as many trips as possible to the bedside of the wounded pilot.

****

Parker looked up from his desk at the RAF station, and his eyes widened with surprise. “Veronica!” Getting up, he came to meet her. “Is something wrong? Are the children sick?”

“No. They’re fine.” Veronica was dressed to perfection as always, and she had obviously been to a hairdresser. Parker could not conceal his surprise, for she never came to his office. “Here, sit down. Let me have someone bring us some tea.”

Veronica nodded, and Parker sent his assistant to brew a fresh pot of tea. They made small talk while they waited for the tea, and Parker wondered why Veronica had come. She did not do many things impulsively, and now as the man left, he studied her face closely. He had learned to read her very well and knew that something had upset her. “Is there anything wrong, Veronica?”

“Yes, something’s wrong!” she said tersely. Her lips drew together in a tight line and for a moment she could not speak. Finally she said, “I’ve heard about your date with your American girlfriend.”

“What in the world are you talking about?”

“Ann told me she saw you two having lunch together.”

“Oh, that. I went to the hospital to see Raymond Bailey. You remember the guy who got shot in the legs? I didn’t even know Katherine worked there. We ran into each other, and I asked her to go with me while I visited Ray. She seemed to care for him quite a bit, I think.”

“That wasn’t the way I heard it. Ann said you two seemed to be having a very good time.”

“Veronica, this is ridiculous.”

“Is it?”

“Of course it is. If I were going to have a date, as you put it, with a woman, I certainly wouldn’t do it in the middle of a crowded hospital cafeteria.”

“Where would you do it, then?”

“I wouldn’t do it anywhere. That’s the point.”

Veronica Braden had never expected her marriage would be perfect, or even especially happy. She had not truly loved Parker when she married him, though she had made a good pretense of doing so in order to hook him. At the time she was mostly thankful to have found a means of support and a father for her children. With such a shaky basis for a marriage, their relationship had only grown terse. She knew he didn’t love her anymore, but in her mind that didn’t give him any right to have an affair right under her nose. She had suffered enough scandal in her life and wasn’t prepared to endure any more. She glared at him, her eyes hard. “I won’t put up with this sort of thing, Parker! I don’t want you to see that woman again.”

Parker’s nerves were taut. He was upset over the losses in the squadron and was worried about the new men who were coming in with not nearly enough training. Now he
said quietly, “There’s nothing between me and Katherine Winslow.”

“I’m going to make sure of that. Don’t bring her to the house anymore.”

Parker’s temper was rising within him at her accusation. He knew it was unwise to argue, however, for he had learned long ago that Veronica was much better than he at domestic battles. But he couldn’t help himself. The tension of his duties had drawn up his nerves to a breaking point. He put both hands on the table and glared at her. It was the expression he had when he was honing in on an enemy aircraft with his finger on the trigger. “That’s ridiculous. The children have already asked her to come to their party.”

“I told you I don’t want her there.”

“I don’t care what you want, Veronica. She’s coming and that’s it. Don’t make me say something I’ll be sorry for. The discussion is closed.”

Veronica’s face was pale. Parker had never set himself against her like this. He had always been easygoing, eager to avoid quarrels. Now seeing the way he stared at her, she knew she could go no further. She got up and left without a word, but she was thinking,
He’s lying to me. There is something between the two of them.
Even though she didn’t love her husband, she had no intention of being pushed out of the way by another woman.
She may come, but I’ll make it so unpleasant for her she won’t ever come back.

****

The scene with Veronica had not helped Parker’s emotional state. He hated confrontations with her and avoided them whenever possible. He was glad when it was finally time to scramble the squadron. He took only six planes out for reconnaissance, which was uneventful. When he landed, he gave his report and then started toward his office. He pulled up short when he saw a civilian lounging in a chair beside his desk. He could not see the face at first, but something about
the man seemed familiar. Not many visitors wore cowboy boots and impressive western-style hats. Recognition came when his visitor shoved the hat back and rose to his feet.