The Sleeping Army Awakes

Part 90 Preparing the bridal party

Inside the mine both Eliška and Katka were being prepared by a strange combination of two women and one robot. Camp David fussed and primped, with his arms darting out within millimetres of Jana's and Sacha's while they attempted to pin flowers and ribbons onto their respective charges, Jana for Katka and Sacha for her niece. This was more of a task than it sounded because neither Katka or Eliška seemed to be capable of staying still for more than a couple of seconds and Camp David was getting in the way more than he was helping.

"Get out of my way you... robot you!" Auntie Sacha demanded, lost for a polite description as Camp David shot an arm out and dislodged a particularly precarious bloom, that had been perched on Eliška's head band. "These flowers don't grow on trees you know! Still mustn't grumble!"

Sacha threw some discarded stems at Camp David, who minced out of the direct line of fire and into a corner, where he could view the both girls better.

"Some do though!" Jana felt compelled, "Just not this time of year!"

"Generally I don't hold with picking flowers." Sacha said philosophically, "They always look so much nicer with bees and still attached to their plants!"

"I've always said the same myself!" Jana agreed, "And they last so much longer!"

"Do you know that robot Matron thing won't even let me in to see those poor young men in ward! They still aren't talking you know!" Auntie Sacha complained, as she tied another bow in Eliška's hair looked at it critically with her head on one side and then untied it replacing it with one of a different colour. "And I told her that I have antidote to cider! Still mustn't grumble!"

Jana choked back the comment that if she had been Matron on the day of the evacuation, then she would probably have banned Sacha Horníčkova too, considering the state that Sacha had been in.

"Matron is only doing her job according to her programming!" Camp David observed. "Just as I do!"

Auntie Sacha said nothing but threw a garter at him. He retreated further into the corner.

"That's nothing she banned me from infirmary simply for being civilian!"Jana complained, "Just as if being civilian made me infectious. Like I were some plague victim and me... trained nurse and forty years experience!" She dropped the ribbon that she had been close to tying in indignation. "Still as you say mustn't grumble!"

"Because it don't make no difference if we do!" All four women said in unison and all of them started to laugh.

"You both look so beautiful!" Camp David crooned, looking at first one then the other. "I only wish that I were human and could be marrying you myself Kapitán ma'am and Eliška ma'am!"

"You didn't even know that I was girl first time you saw me!" Katka laughed. "Now you are expert?"

"I have downloaded lots of data about females since then Ma'am!" Camp David defended. "If you would like, then I could recite some it to take your mind off terrible anxiety of marriage!"

Katka hadn't been feeling anxious until that point. There had been too much frantic activity for either of the brides to have time to be really nervous, despite Michal's assessment of Katka's mood, though in fairness Katka really had forbade them to let Samuel or Spencer into the mine. But now Katka had a knot in her stomach or perhaps it was the baby, Tramal, kicking just to say "hello I'm still here mummy!"

Now she wished that Samuel were there comforting and supporting her.

"I am always here for you!" Samuels voice sounded in her head. "Isn't it funny that Jana and Auntie Sacha have formed something of a temporary truce?"