The Spitfire Girls(11)
He held up his hand in a wave and bowed to them. ‘Ladies, it’s a pleasure. I’ll be doing our standard medical check today, so please come forward in an orderly fashion.’
Ruby followed him with her eyes as he set up in the corner of the room, pulling out a curtain attached to a metal pole. Not one of the women moved, including her.
‘Who’s first? I promise I won’t bite,’ he joked, although no one laughed back.
Ruby looked around, but still no one volunteered. She counted to five in her head, hoping someone else would speak up, and when nothing happened she slowly raised her shaking hand and gulped down her nerves.
‘Um, ah, I’ll go,’ she said, clearing her throat and forcing herself to close the distance between herself and the doctor.
Doc’s smile was wide as he looked her up and down, and Ruby suddenly wished she hadn’t been so forthcoming. ‘You’ll find that my care for my pilots is second to none,’ he said, his Scottish accent sounding friendly as he touched the small of her back, propelling her forward. ‘If you’d please go behind the curtain and remove all your clothes, we can begin.’
Ruby’s feet turned to lead. ‘Excuse me?’ she stuttered as heat flooded her cheeks. No clothes? She couldn’t take her clothes off in front of a man!
‘Your examination must be done naked. We have the same rules for men and women, no exceptions. I’m sorry, love.’
She turned to look at the women waiting in a group behind her, but the only one to meet her gaze was May. She walked forward, no doubt knowing precisely why Ruby was so ill at ease.
‘It’ll be over in no time,’ May said briskly. ‘I can be present if you’d prefer another woman . . .’
‘No! No, I’ll be fine,’ Ruby said, regaining her composure. The only thing worse than the doctor seeing her naked would be having May herself watching on! ‘It just took me by surprise, that’s all.’ She’d never been naked in front of a man before, not even their own family doctor. But if this was part of the job, it was part of the job, and she could either follow orders or get on the next train home.
Doc gestured again for her to disappear behind the curtain and she followed his instruction without hesitation this time, quickly taking off her clothes and folding them in a neat pile on the chair.
‘Ready,’ she called out.
He entered, and her face and neck burnt hot as his gaze swept quickly up then down, but she refused to do anything other than look straight ahead, no matter how tempting it was to cross her legs tightly and wrap her arms across her breasts.
Ruby endured the touching and prodding, the opening of her mouth and the eye check, and wondered why on earth she had to be naked for such a consultation. Couldn’t she have kept her undergarments on, at least? If she were braver she’d have said something, but she couldn’t have uttered a word if she’d tried.
Once it was finally over, and she felt more like he’d asked her to strip down to nothing for his own pleasure than out of any genuine medical need, she waited for Doc to leave her and blew out a breath she hadn’t even known she was holding. Was that it? Had she passed? She was sure there was nothing wrong with her – no illnesses or disabilities – and her eyesight had always been excellent.
‘Next, please,’ she heard Doc request as she hastily pulled her clothes back on, not wanting the curtain to be drawn back to reveal her half-naked body to the rest of the girls.
Once dressed and back out in the room, Ruby took in the wide-eyed expressions of the other girls and felt pleased she’d got it over and done with. She cast a quick look at Polly and smiled, hoping she could tell that it hadn’t been so bad.
‘Miss Sanders, would you please follow me,’ May requested.
Ruby jumped to attention and followed the woman she hoped was about to become her commander as she walked outside.
‘Yes, ma’am,’ she replied hurriedly, falling into step beside her.
‘No need for such formalities – we all work together here, and I’d prefer you to call me May.’
Ruby nodded. ‘I appreciate that. And you’re to call me Ruby, of course.’
‘Well, can I start by saying how pleased I was to receive your application,’ May said, her expression hard to decipher as she stopped a short distance from the building and turned to face her. ‘My only disappointment is that you didn’t think to make contact with us earlier.’
‘I should have, I know, but you all seemed so . . .’ Ruby took a deep breath. ‘What I’m trying to say is that I honestly wasn’t sure if I was good enough, after hearing how talented you all are.’ She sighed. ‘I’m here now, though, and I’d very much like to be of assistance.’
‘Indeed,’ May said, seemingly unconcerned by her falter in confidence. ‘I’m going to sit down and talk more closely with the other recruits, but I wanted to talk to you more directly and out of earshot.’
Ruby’s heart beat a little faster. ‘I’m not sure what I’ve done to deserve any special attention,’ she said, but the moment the words left her lips she wondered if she’d been singled out because she was about to be sent home. ‘Oh gosh, did I fail somehow already? Is that why you want to talk to me?’
‘No! Oh no, it’s nothing to worry about,’ May said, finally cracking a small smile. ‘Ruby, whether you believe it or not, you’re one of the most capable and experienced pilots to apply in quite some time – well, on paper, at least. That’s why I processed your application immediately.’