Running to him, Daisy held him as best she could. ‘Eeh, Corporal Lessings, try to calm yourself, lad.’ But as she said the words, she knew they were futile. ‘I won’t leave. I’ll stay with you.’

‘No, Sister.’ Captain Vincent was raised up on his elbow, looking over at them. The effort to lift himself must have cost him dearly, as he was very weak. ‘You must go. All who have a chance of surviving must do so. Corporal Lessing, we’ll all do what we can for each other. We’ve been in this together from the start, and we’ll see it through till the end.’

‘Aye, and so will I. I’m not going anywhere.’ Daisy’s heart thumped in her chest at this decision, but she knew it was the right one for her. Taking a deep breath, she went to the medicine cabinet and unlocked it. She would carry on as normal. Some of the patients were due their medication, while others needed their dressings changed. Then, if no orderlies appeared with breakfast, she’d go to the kitchen and cook it herself! But as she thought this, she realized the hopelessness of the situation. She couldn’t look after the whole hospital.

The door to her office was flung open. ‘Daisy darling, what are you doing?’

‘Oh, Alex, I can’t leave. Me conscience won’t rest ever again. How can we leave these men – they’re in our care?’

‘We have to, please, Daisy. Florrie is out of her mind with worry about you. They’re boarding the SS Kuala now. Our orders are to evacuate.’

‘I knaw, but if we do, all these men will die. How can we leave them to that fate?’

‘Darling, listen.’ Alex had taken Daisy’s hands and lowered his voice. ‘They will die anyway – the Japanese will certainly kill them, then take you prisoner. What use will you be in a POW camp? The news that is filtering out is of horrific treatment of their prisoners. There are other men in other hospitals that we can help to save. We can’t do that in a prisoner-of-war camp. We’re not being selfish; we’re not condemning these men to death. Our situation is hopeless. Our choices are that we stay and be taken prisoner, and these men die anyway; or we leave and they die, but we are able to continue to serve our country.’

Daisy knew Alex was right. ‘Just help me to administer their painkillers and dress the wounds that need dressing, Alex, please. Together it won’t take long, but it may be hours before the Japanese get here. I can’t think of leaving the men in pain as their last medication wears off.’