The activity at sea was relentless. The operators not only had to detect the type of vessel but now they relayed information to Freddie to warn friendly ships that were in danger of running aground in the poor weather and unpredictable seas. No lighthouse was permitted to shine at night since the blackout orders had been given.
Sunday’s devotional service was regularly attended by everyone that was not on duty. On Thursday evenings, a study was initiated by Harvey, especially for those that were unable to attend the Sunday service. Both services were comforting especially in these stressful times. When Dorothy told Peggy, it was Harvey who initiated the Thursday study it satisfied Peggy immensely.
It had been a very frustrating day on a particular Thursday; every sort of technical hitch that could possibly go wrong went wrong and to make matters worse the Hangklip Radar Station had all but gone completely dead. Only Harvey and Cecil were not assisting with the repair work at the Hangklip Radar Station; they were on duty at Silversands. Frank was ordered to collect supplies with the ration van since the new driver had not yet arrived.
Pork chops and mash potatoes were served for dinner on a very wet and rainy Thursday evening. Maisy dumped her plate on the table, threw her napkin over her head and dashed to the rear of the kitchen.
“What’s up with Maisy?” Chef asked popping her head into the function room.
“We’re eating pork!” Audrey replied as a matter of fact.
Chef looked confused for a second or two, and then the penny dropped in her head. “Does she honestly think I would cook my pigs? Oh, the nerve of her!” Chef was not impressed and darted back into the kitchen and caught Maisy as she was coming back from the pig pen.
Everyone heard Chef scolding Maisy and Maisy’s poor attempt at an apology that fell on Chef’s deaf ears. Maisy returned to her seat at the dinning table, picked up her knife and fork and announced: “Ham and Bacon are fine.” She cut her pork chop and ate the piece. Everyone burst out laughing. Everyone except Harvey; he sat at his table hardly touching his food.
Peggy looked at Harvey wiping his brow for the umpteenth time. “I wonder if Harvey is feeling well?” She thought to herself watching him until he caught her eyes and she hastily resumed eating.
After dinner, in the Rec. room, the ladies knitted, played bridge or read biding the time away until Cecil’s shift ended and they’d have their Bible study. Harvey had walked slowly to his favourite chair in front of the fireplace and gingerly sat down. Peggy was drawn into watching his every movement as though he were under surveillance, pinching a nagging feeling in her stomach. Although it was not her turn on coffee duty, she poured a cup, plonked a few biscuits onto a side plate and took the offering to Harvey.
He thanked her, wiping his brow once more and Peggy noticed that he had not even lit his pipe. “Harvey, is everything okay?” Peggy asked caringly.
“Yes, Peggy.” Harvey’s reply was not at all convincing. Peggy nodded, returned to her seat and resumed her knitting but still kept a vigilant eye on Harvey.
It was soon time for the shift takeover, and those who were on duty left the room. Harvey stood slowly; he seemed to sweat excessively from the effort, and he grit his teeth as though in pain. Peggy now heedful stared at Harvey, her knitting rested on her lap. Harvey took two steps, staggered, swayed and fell to the ground.
Peggy flew to Harvey’s side in a split second; all the ladies gathered around asking impractical questions and making even sillier assumptions. Peggy spoke calmly to Harvey and at the same time ordered for one of the ladies to fetch Lt. Mrs. Simpson instead of Cpt. Vogel; he was up at the Hangklip Radar Station. She also ordered one of the ladies to go to Cecil and to inform him that he would have to continue with the next shift and get help from Hangklip for the shift after that.
By the time Lt. Mrs. Simpson got to Harvey’s side he was writhing in pain. Lt. Mrs. Simpson ordered all the ladies to retreat and to leave Peggy and her to attend to Lt. Newsome. Carolyn sat but not without complaining that it should be her attending to Harvey. The ladies simply ignored her and joined Audrey in prayer for Harvey.
“He must get to the Military Hospital in Somerset West urgently. I fear his appendix has burst.” Lt. Mrs. Simpson told Peggy.
“Yes, I feared the same,” Peggy whispered wiping Harvey’s brow with a damp cloth.
“Peggy, you are going to have to take him. All the men are up at Hangklip; an ambulance will take hours and Frank will only return tomorrow. What do you say will you manage? I will go with you.” Lt. Mrs. Simpson implored Peggy.
Peggy paled at the mere thought of driving the treacherous dirt road full of potholes in the rain with only dim lights thanks to the blackout order. She looked at Lt. Mrs. Simpson with wide eyes searching for an excuse not to agree then Harvey let out an anguished groan, and she immediately confirmed her willingness. The pain that shadowed his beautiful masculine features was more than she could bear.
Peggy parked the Jeep sideways to the French doorway of the Rec. room; Harvey was gently maneuvered onto a stretcher, and it took six ladies to lift him, carry him to the Jeep and lay him across the back over the seat and behind the two front seats. Lt. Mrs. Simpson made sure the stretcher was secured tightly to the Jeep with ropes before climbing in from the rear and sitting on a makeshift seat so she could be close enough to Harvey the entire trip. Peggy started the Jeep and slowly pulled away.
When they got to the gates, Phyllis and Sally were already there and had informed the guards of the dilemma and its urgency. They offered a prayer in their native tongue as the Jeep drove through the gates.
The roads seemed excessively difficult for Peggy in the dim light, at every bump or a quick turn at the steering wheel Harvey cried in pain. Peggy had to fight her tears back into her sockets at the sound of Harvey’s cries, concentrating on the road kept her from flinging her arms around him to comfort him.
Then, as if they had been transported into a thriller movie scene, the sky lit up with flashes of lightning and the ominous drone of thunder. Peggy looked upward at the skies and felt the heavy drops of rain pelting down to earth.
She stopped the Jeep not caring to pull over to the side, for who would anyhow be passing by; and pulled the cover over the Jeep. Lt. Mrs. Simpson maneuvered Harvey to a position where the cover would shelter him. His feet had to exit the cover as there was no possible way they were able to avoid it other than to make Harvey sit up; this was not an option.
Between his groans, moans and cries of pain Harvey became delirious uttering words of confused nonsense. As slow and as cautiously as Peggy was driving she still misjudged the distance of a pothole in front of her and the right wheel sunk into it, jolting the Jeep sideways. Lt. Mrs. Simpson grabbed the seat in front of her saving her from exiting the Jeep like a boulder in a catapult when her butt left the seat. The stretcher even though securely tied down jolted in all directions and if it were not for Peggy’s grip on the steering wheel, she would have flung herself directly into the dense bushes. Harvey screamed out so loud the owls felt his pain. “I’m so sorry; I’m so sorry.” Peggy cried to both passengers; her tears, this time, did not remain at bay.
She revved the Jeep, turning the wheels to the right; the Jeep jerked to and fro fighting against the pothole. Harvey screamed, Peggy cried out in return. “Sorry Harvey, I’m so sorry.” And then she turned her attention to the Jeep again “Come on, please.”
Lt. Mrs. Simpson wiped Harvey’s face continuously with a damp towel speaking calmly and reassuringly; she offered her kind words to Peggy at the same time.
Peggy slammed her foot on the accelerator, the engine revved objectively, spewing gravel and mud everywhere and suddenly like a Jack-in-the-box the Jeep’s wheel popped out of the pothole. With Peggy’s foot still flat on the accelerator, the Jeep jolted fast forward into the bushes on the side of the road. Harvey shot out a horrendous plea of agony. Peggy slammed on the brake pedal with both feet; when the Jeep halted, she rested her head on the steering wheel and prayed there was no damage to the Jeep. She left the Jeep idling and got out to inspect the front of the Jeep and the tires in the pouring rain.
“How does it look? Can you see any damage?” Lt. Mrs. Simpson called out.
“I can’t tell, and we cannot waste any more time,” Peggy shouted out from the front of the Jeep in the bushes. She might have sounded calm to Lt. Mrs. Simpson, but she was a soaking wet wreck of chaotic nerves. Peggy climbed back onto her driver’s seat and slowly reversed the Jeep out of the bushes. The Jeep caught a few branches in its front grill on its way out of the bushes and other than a shudder from the injured wheel Peggy faced the Jeep forward, creeping ahead at an even slower pace. She continuously prayed as she squinted through the rain on the windshield, the dim lights offering next to no assistance on the gravel road whatsoever.
The road eased out relatively smoothly for a few miles, and with it, Harvey seemed to calm down. His random vocalizations got worse and more erratic, but now and then he spoke coherently. Lt. Mrs. Simpson comforted Peggy mentioning that this was a good sign.
“Peggy, Peggy,” Harvey called out repeatedly.
“I’m here Harvey; it’s going to be okay we will get you to the hospital I promise.” Peggy cried back at Harvey.
“Peggy, marry me. Marry me, Peggy?” Harvey spoke in stutters.
“Well now, this must be the best proposal I have ever heard.” Lt. Mrs. Simpson said before setting off a rasping laugh.
“He is delirious,” Peggy answered, but her heart was singing at the thought that perhaps he meant it. She strained to concentrate on the road. What she really wanted to do was hug Harvey and give him a “Yes” answer for real.
“Peggy, marry me. Marry me, Peggy?” Harvey asked over and over, and every time Peggy answered “Yes.”
It was hard for Peggy to believe he wanted to marry her; she had to realize that he was only speaking unintelligibly.
They arrived at the Steenbras River mouth; the Military Police had an ambulance waiting. Cpt. Vogel had broken radio silence and phoned through the order. Peggy made a mental note to buy him chocolates with her next ration stamps.
Harvey was lifted into the ambulance but not before they administered a drip of morphine into his arm.