Excerpt
Chapter Six
With Christmas only three weeks away, every student nurse at the
Holy Cross waited impatiently to find out what hours she would be
working over the holidays. A few would have enough days off to go
home, even if they lived some distance away. Others would be on
duty throughout the season.
Tyne hoped for three days off to make it worthwhile to take the bus
home to Emblem. Morley had offered to come to Calgary to get her,
but she did not think he should leave his farm and the livestock. His
father had not been well, and Morley had more than enough to do
with his own farm and his daily trips to look after his parents’ place.
Tyne had not been home for Christmas since beginning her nurses’
training. In many ways she did not mind. She counted it a blessing
to be able to make the day as pleasant as possible for her patients
although at times she found it heartrending, especially on the children’s
ward. But the Christmas she had spent on Maternity was one
she would never forget. The joy of the new mothers made her own
heart joyful, and in each little occupant of the nursery she saw the
baby Jesus.
Even if she could not get home to Emblem, Tyne would have a
Christmas dinner. Moe’s parents were coming from Lethbridge to
spend the holidays with Moe’s older, married sister. The sister had
promised to plan her dinner around whatever hours the two nurses
were off duty, providing they worked the same shift.
Tyne was surprised not to have received an invitation from the
Shaughnessys as she had for the previous two years. They had not
invited her or Moe to their home since Carol Ann left the hospital
Manolis Aligizakis 