Chapter 17

手术后我醒转来，我这人并没有离开过。你这人并没有离开过。人家只是要使你窒息。这不像死，只是麻醉药使你窒息，叫你失去感觉，事后就好比醉酒，只是吐的时候只吐胆汁，吐后人也并不好过些。我看见床尾有些沙袋。沙袋堆在石膏下突出来的管子上。过了一会儿，我看见盖琪小姐，她说：“现在觉得怎么样？”

“好一点了，”我说。

“他在你膝头上动了一次奇妙的手术。”

“用了多少时间？”

“两小时半。”

“我说了什么不伦不类的话没有？”

“没有说。别开口。安静休息。”

我感到恶心难受，果真不出凯瑟琳所料。谁上夜班对于我都是一样。现在病院里多了三个病号，一个是红十字会的瘦瘦的青年，佐治亚州①人，他患的是疟疾，第二个也是瘦子，是个很不错的青年，纽约州人，患疟疾和黄疸病，还有一个是个好青年，因为想扭开一颗榴霰弹和烈性炸药的混合弹的雷管作纪念品而受了伤。山间的奥军用的这种榴霰弹，上面装有一种铜弹头，在炸弹爆炸后还不能碰，一碰就会重炸一次。护士们很喜欢凯瑟琳·巴克莱，因为她肯天天值夜班。那两个患疟疾的花了她相当多的时间，那个扭下雷管的少年跟我们成了朋友，他夜里从不按铃，除非万不得已。夜间除了凯瑟琳的工作时间外，我们都是在一起的。我很爱她，她也爱我。我白天睡觉，我们醒时互通信札，请弗格逊做送信人。弗格逊是个好人。关于她的事我不清楚，只知道她有个兄弟在第五十二师服役，还有个兄弟则在美索不达米亚②， 她待凯瑟琳非常好。“我们举行婚礼你来不来，弗基③？”我有一次问她。“你们永远不会结婚的。”

“我们会的。”

“不，你们不会的。”

“为什么呢？”

“结婚前就会闹翻。”

“我们从来不吵架。”

“来日方长。”

“我们不吵架。”

“结了婚你就要死了。不是吵架便是死。人们总是这样子的。他们不结婚。”

我伸手抓她的手。“别抓我的手，”她说。“我不是在哭。也许你们俩没有问题。但是你得当心，别给她惹出事来。惹出事来我可要叫你死。”“我不会给她惹事的。”

“那么你得小心。我希望你们俩好好的。你们过得很快活。”“我们俩好快活。”

① 在美国东南部。

② 美索不达米亚是中东一古地区名，当时为土耳其的一个行政省，第一次世界大战后，成为英国托管下的独立的伊拉克的一部分。

③ 弗基是弗格逊的简称。

“那就不要吵架，不要给她惹出事来。”

“我不会的。”

“但是你还得当心。我不想让她生个战时的私生儿。”

“你是个好姑娘，弗基。”

“哪里。你用不着奉承我。你的腿觉得怎么样。”

“很好。”

“你的头呢？”她用手指摸摸我的头顶。它敏感得就好比人睡着时的一只脚。“从来没让我怎么难受过，”我说。

“头上这样一个肿块，可能把你弄得神经错乱。从来不觉得疼吗？”

“不觉得。”

“你真是个运气好的青年。你信写好了没有？我要下楼去啦。”

“就在这儿，”我说。

“你应当叫她暂时停止上夜班。她越来越疲乏了。”

“好的。我跟她说。”

“我本想接替她，但是她不肯。别的人都乐得由她去做夜班，你该让她稍微休息休息才是。”

“好的。”

“范坎本女士说起你天天上午睡觉。”

“她就会说这种话。”

“最好你让她暂时停止上夜班。”

“我也要叫她这样。”

“你不会的。不过，要是你能够叫她停止，我才瞧得起你。”

“我就叫她停止吧。”

“我不相信。”她揣着字条走出去。我揿揿铃，过了一会儿盖琪小姐进来了。

“什么事？”

“我只想找你谈谈。你看，巴克莱小姐应该暂时停止上夜班吗？她那模样，十分疲乏。为什么老是她上夜班？”

盖琪小姐眼睁睁地望着我。“我是你们的朋友，”她说。“你用不着对我打官腔。”

“你这是什么意思？”

“别装傻啦。你叫我来就是这件事吗？”

“来杯味美思好吗？”

“好的。喝完我就得走了。”她从镜橱里取出一只杯子。

“你拿杯子喝，”我说。“我就拿瓶子喝。”

“这杯敬你，”盖琪小姐说。

“范坎本女士还说什么我上午睡到很晚才醒？”

“她不过是唠叨一番。她说你是我们的特权病人。”

“见她的鬼。”

“她人倒不见得恶劣，”盖琪小姐说。“她不过是又老又怪。她一向不喜欢你。”

“是的。”

“嗯，我倒是喜欢你的。而且我是你的朋友。不要忘记这一点。”

“你待我太好了。”

“那也不见得。我知道你心中认为好的是哪一个。不过我还是你的朋友。你的腿觉得怎么样？”

“好。”

“我去拿一点冷矿泉水来洒一洒。腿在石膏底下一定好痒吧。外边天气很热。”

“你真好。”

“很痒吗？”

“不，还好。”

“我来把那些沙袋摆摆好。”她弯下身来。“我是你的朋友。”

“我早就知道。”

“不见得吧。但是有一天你总会知道的。”

凯瑟琳·巴克莱停做了三个夜晚的夜班，到第四夜她又回来了。当时的心情，就好比是各自作了长期旅行后的重逢。

When I was awake after the operation I had not been away. You do not go away. They only choke you. It is not like dying it is just a chemical choking so you do not feel, and afterward you might as well have been drunk except that when you throw up nothing comes but bile and you do not feel better afterward. I saw sandbags at the end of the bed. They were on pipes that came out of the cast. After a while I saw Miss Gage and she said, "How is it now?"

"Better," I said.

"He did a wonderful job on your knee."

"How long did it take?"

"Two hours and a half."

"Did I say anything silly?"

"Not a thing. Don't talk. Just be quiet."

I was sick and Catherine was right. It did not make any difference who was on night duty.

There were three other patients in the hospital now, a thin boy in the Red Cross from Georgia with malaria, a nice boy, also thin, from New York, with malaria and jaundice, and a fine boy who had tried to unscrew the fuse-cap from a combination shrapnel and high explosive shell for a souvenir. This was a shrapnel shell used by the Austrians in the mountains with a nose-cap which went on after the burst and exploded on contact.

Catherine Barkley was greatly liked by the nurses because she would do night duty indefinitely. She had quite a little work with the malaria people, the boy who had unscrewed the nose-cap was a friend of ours and never rang at night, unless it was necessary but between the times of working we were together. I loved her very much and she loved me. I slept in the daytime and we wrote notes during the day when we were awake and sent them by Ferguson. Ferguson was a fine girl. I never learned anything about her except that she had a brother in the Fifty-Second Division and a brother in Mesopotamia and she was very good to Catherine Barkley.

"Will you come to our wedding, Fergy?" I said to her once.

"You'll never get married."

"We will."

"No you won't."

"Why not?"

"You'll fight before you'll marry."

"We never fight."

"You've time yet."

"We don't fight."

"You'll die then. Fight or die. That's what people do. They don't marry."

I reached for her hand. "Don't take hold of me," she said. "I'm not crying. Maybe you'll be all right you two. But watch out you don't get her in trouble. You get her in trouble and I'll kill you."

"I won't get her in trouble."

"Well watch out then. I hope you'll be all right. You have a good time."

"We have a fine time."

"Don't fight then and don't get her into trouble."

"I won't."

"Mind you watch out. I don't want her with any of these war babies."

"You're a fine girl, Fergy."

"I'm not. Don't try to flatter me. How does your leg feel?"

"Fine."

"How is your head?" She touched the top of it with her fingers.

It was sensitive like a foot that had gone to sleep.

"It's never bothered me."

"A bump like that could make you crazy. It never bothers you?"

"No."

"You're a lucky young man. Have you the letter done? I'm going down."

"It's here," I said.

"You ought to ask her not to do night duty for a while. She's getting very tired."

"All right. I will."

"I want to do it but she won't let me. The others are glad to let her have it. You might give her just a little rest."

"All right."

"Miss Van Campen spoke about you sleeping all the forenoons."

"She would."

"It would be better if you let her stay off nights a little while."

"I want her to."

"You do not. But if you would make her I'd respect you for it."

"I'll make her."

"I don't believe it." She took the note and went out. I rang the bell and in a little while Miss Gage came in.

"What's the matter?"

"I just wanted to talk to you. Don't you think Miss Barkley ought to go off night duty for a while? She looks awfully tired. Why does she stay on so long?"

Miss Gage looked at me.

"I'm a friend of yours," she said. "You don't have to talk to me like that."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't be silly. Was that all you wanted?"

"Do you want a vermouth?"

"All right. Then I have to go." She got out the bottle from the armoire and brought a glass.

"You take the glass," I said. "I'll drink out of the bottle."

"Here's to you," said Miss Gage.

"What did Van Campen say about me sleeping late in the mornings?"

"She just jawed about it. She calls you our privileged patient."

"To hell with her."

"She isn't mean," Miss Gage said. "She's just old and cranky. She never liked you."

"No."

"Well, I do. And I'm your friend. Don't forget that."

"You're awfully damned nice."

"No. I know who you think is nice. But I'm your friend. How does your leg feel?"

"Fine."

"I'll bring some cold mineral water to pour over it. It must itch under the cast. It's hot outside."

"You're awful nice."

"Does it itch much?"

"No. It's fine."

"I'll fix those sandbags better." She leaned over. "I'm your friend."

"I know you are."

"No you don't. But you will some day."

Catherine Barkley took three nights off night duty and then she came back on again. It was as though we met again after each of us had been away on a long journey.