Page 26 of Sisters Under The Rising Sun

The jungle!

Vivian crawls out of the sea, along the sand and into the shade of the forest. Her thirst is terrible; she can think of little else now, other than cool water sliding down her throat.

From the shelter of the trees, she flinches when she hears Japanese voices, but then they’re gone. She’ll wait, rest, and then go back to the sea to check for survivors.

Vivian listens hard and that’s when she hears it, the gurgling of a stream. Her injuries forgotten, she’s on her feet and stumbling towards fresh water. And when she reaches it, she buries her entire face in the lapping brook.

‘Where have you been?’ A voice snaps her out of her reverie.

Vivian turns around to see a young man, obviously British Army, lying wounded at the edge of the jungle, half his body on the sand.

‘Who are you?’ she asks, aghast.

‘Kingsley, Private Kingsley.’

‘You’re injured.’

‘Isn’t it obvious, nurse? When they didn’t finish me off by shooting at us, one of the soldiers ran his bayonet through me. Twice. I managed to crawl up here after they left.’

Thirst quenched, Vivian stands and approaches the young soldier.

‘Can I take a look at you?’ she asks gently.

‘I’d be grateful. But aren’t you injured too?’

Vivian manages a smile. Her wounds are painful, but right now, she has a patient.

‘I am. But let’s see what’s going on with you first.’

‘What’s your name?’ asks the private as Vivian kneels beside him.

‘Vivian, Vivian Bullwinkel. I’m a sister in the Australian Army.’

Vivian peels away the private’s bloody jacket and shirt. She sighs.

‘These bayonet wounds; I’m afraid they’re already starting to look infected. You really need a doctor.’

‘Well, you’re all I’ve got right now.’ Private Kingsley attempts a laugh, which turns into a fit of coughing. Vivian lays a hand over his.

‘I’ll need to dress these wounds, but, as you can see, I don’t have anything we can use for bandages. I’ll go back to the beach and see what I can find.’

‘The beach?’ he exclaims. ‘I don’t think you should go back there.’

‘Well, we can’t stay here; I’ll be right back. I promise.’

‘The jungle is still crawling with Japanese. Can’t we just wait?’

But Vivian is already on her feet and moving towards the sea. The pain in her side is throbbing, but at least blood is no longer flowing from the wound. If she doesn’t think about it, then she can just keep going, keep placing one foot in front of the other, keep taking care of those who need her. She knows how to do this, if nothing else.

There are no soldiers on the beach, no one at all in fact. Vivian doesn’t dare look out to sea; the bodies of her friends floating in the water might just undo her.

Where beach meets jungle, she finds two life jackets and a canteen for water. She goes a little way into the foliage and begins to tear off some fibre from the coconut trees. This should do, she tells herself and heads back to her patient.

Private Kingsley is asleep when she returns, and he doesn’t stir as she binds his wounds using the only materials she can find. And then, when she is satisfied with her work, she lies down beside the solider and falls asleep herself.

Vivian wakes with a start, disorientated, in pain. But her first thoughts are for the private. He is awake, watching her.

‘How long have I been asleep?’ She sits up slowly, stiffly.