[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.How besotted can you get?And then I forgot about the case, about everything except that Peter had asked me to meet his parents.I fell asleep with a silly smile on my face.To meet my future in-laws, I told myself drowsily.Nothing could have made it more obvious that Peter loved me.No man takes a girl to meet his family unless he intends to make her a member of that family.“Mrs Peter Chester,” I whispered into my pillow.“Mrs Peter Chester.”CHAPTER TWELVEI was a little nervous when I went on duty the next morning.What would Sister say when she heard what had happened last night? But much to my relief, she was quite reasonable about it all.I told her everything, including what had happened with the silk drums; and she listened quietly, without interrupting, before she spoke.“You should have called me, perhaps, but I suppose you must learn how to cope with every kind of emergency sooner or later.The man is still alive, I understand - I heard all about him from Night Sister this morning.He’s very ill, but that’s to be expected.We can’t tell how severely affected he is until he recovers full consciousness - I gather he’s still in a coma.We must hope for the best, that’s all.But you must learn the correct setting for a decompresson today, Nurse.It was very stupid of you to forget to put out the silks.Before you go off for your weekend, you must set a perfect trolley for me, do you understand?”I escaped to my morning routine gratefully.To get off with such a mild reprimand was a great comfort.Then I dismissed the whole matter from my mind, and thought instead about Peter’s invitation to meet his parents.I told Chick about it when we met in the dining room for lunch.She had been too late for breakfast to offer more than a gasped “Hi!” before duty.“Now perhaps you’ll stop slanging Peter,” I told her triumphantly.“He wouldn’t ask me to meet them if he wasn’t serious about me, now would he?”“I suppose not,” she said doubtfully.“But all the same, honey, try to keep your head.There’s many a slip and all that.”“Don’t be such a Jeremiah! As for keeping my head - you aren’t exactly the epitome of sanity yourself, are you? You and your Joe! Up to your eyes in love, and you expect me to be sensible even though I’m in the same state! Have a heart, Chick!” I scoffed.She relaxed, and started to tell me about the way Joe had played the fool the night before, telling completely strange passers-by, on the way back from the cinema, that “his fiancee beat him regularly,” until we both collapsed in helpless laughter.I spent the weekend in last minute revision of all the theory we had learned over the past three years, even though I really felt quite confident about the exams.On Saturday, I got a letter from Susan that made me more determined than ever to try to get the Gold Medal.She told me she had already made the arrangements for my Grad Party.“Because I’m sure you’ll deserve it.I’ve ordered a cake for it with a Gold Medal made of gilded chocolate on the top - I hope you’ll like it.Even Father’s getting interested, now I’ve explained to him about it all.So don’t let us down, will you?”I wished Susan hadn’t been so premature, but all the same, I felt very happy.For the first time since my mother’s death, I felt I had a family that really cared about me, and what I did.It was an unusual and pleasant feeling.Monday arrived at last, and I reported to the school with the rest of my set, all of us looking a little strained, and unnaturally neat and tidy.Before we started on the first paper of the day, the Pawn delivered her usual pre exam speech.“You will have your State examination tomorrow, both medicine and surgery, and on Wednesday, the hospital viva voce exams, followed on Thursday by the State practical.So you have a heavy week ahead of you.I want you all to make sure you get plenty of rest and recreation in the evenings - and that does not mean staying up till all hours, of course - because there will be no point in last minute studying.If you don’t know what you need to know by now, then you never will.I wish you all the very best of luck.”By the time Friday came, and the exams were behind us, we were exhausted and dazed.The strain was tremendous, and most of us reacted by getting very short tempered with each other.Jane Mellows, with real venom in her voice, told Barbara Simpson she would personally see that her throat was cut if she, Barbara, didn’t stop sniffing all through the papers, instead of using a handkerchief in a civilized way.At which Barbara promptly burst into tears, which the Pawn managed to staunch before Barbara gave way to real hysterics.As Chick said to me, in an undertone, the Pawn’s face was enough to stop Niagara, when she got really mad.I enjoyed the week.Not one of the papers really bothered me, although I joined in the moaning and groaning about them, just for the sake of it.It was a hospital tradition to behave as though each question had been designed to catch you out, and that the people who set them were devils incarnate [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

zanotowane.pl

doc.pisz.pl

pdf.pisz.pl

listy-do-eda.opx.pl