Page 75 of Sisters Under The Rising Sun

When she is satisfied Margaret has swallowed some water, she drops the rags into the bucket. Squeezing them out, she lays them over Margaret’s near-naked body.

‘The quicker we can lower her temperature, the better. You must cover her all over with these rags, not just her forehead.’

‘What’s wrong with her?’ asks Marilyn.

‘It might be malaria, but I think it most likely is dengue fever. I saw cases of it in Malaya.’

‘Is it contagious?’ another woman asks, backing away.

‘No, you won’t catch it, not from Margaret anyway. She’s been bitten by a mosquito that was infected.’

Without warning, Margaret begins to shake and shiver.

‘Help me get these rags off her and find me whatever you can to wrap her up. Blankets, coats, anything.’

One of the women produces a heavy fur coat ‘Have this. I haven’t had the need to wear it recently, may as well put it to good use,’ she says, raising a couple of laughs.

Nesta takes the coat and wraps it around Margaret. And then, to everyone’s surprise, she snuggles up to Margaret, folding her arms around the delirious woman’s violently shaking body. She stays with her until the seizure subsides.

Margaret finally falls into a deep sleep and Nesta stands, stretching her limbs.

‘She will be like this for several days, I’m afraid. Are you able to take care of her or do you want help to move her to our hut?’

There is a chorus of ‘we’ll take care of her’ and ‘she’ll be OK with us now we know what to do.’

‘Just remember, if she’s burning up, use the wet rags. It would be better if we could use cold water, but this is where we are. Get some fluids into her as frequently as possible and then wrap her up when she starts to shiver. Somebody should sit with her all the time.’

‘We’ll take turns,’ Marilyn tells her. ‘Don’t worry.’

‘I’ll come back later today and check on her,’ Nesta says.

‘I’m so worried about her,’ Norah says as she and Nesta walk away.

Nesta smiles. ‘She’s got a rough few days ahead of her, but I have never known anyone as strong as Margaret Dryburgh.’

‘I’ll look after her,’ Norah tells her. ‘I won’t leave her alone.’

Two days later, Ena and Audrey enter Margaret’s hut to find Norah dozing and starting awake on the floor beside the sick woman.

‘Norah,’ says Ena, laying a hand on her sister’s arm and pulling her to her feet. ‘You need to go and get some rest, some proper rest.’

‘I … I can’t … I need—’

‘You don’t need to do anything. You’ve done so much already,’ Audrey insists. ‘You’ve barely been home; you’re here all the time.’

‘And how do you think Margaret will feel when she wakes up to find you’re sick because you haven’t been looking after yourself?’ Ena adds. ‘June needs you at home, with me.’

‘But I have to help her,’ Norah wails.

‘What can you do that the others can’t?’ Audrey asks her.

‘I don’t know, but there must be something.’

‘Time – she needs time,’ Ena tells her.

Norah is quiet for a moment and then her eyes light up. ‘I’ve got it. Music! We’ll get through to her with music.’

‘You want us to get the choir to sing to her?’ Ena asks, equally enthusiastic.