The Pull of the Stars

As Bridie and Julia get breakfast and make their way back to the Maternity/Fever ward, Julia thinks briefly about inviting Bridie to live with her and Tim. In the Maternity/Fever ward, Sister Luke reports that Mary has been breastfeeding her baby and that Honor’s baby has had two bottles. Julia thinks, “I had to grant the nun this much—her prejudices didn’t get in the way of her looking after patients” (258). Delia tells Julia that she’s going home that day. As Julia and Bridie tend to the patients, Groyne arrives with a wheelchair to take Delia downstairs, where she’ll be released from the hospital. After Delia leaves, Julia and Bridie ask Mary if her husband ever loses his temper. Mary says that he does sometimes, confirming that he is physically abusive toward her. Julia thinks, “Now that Mary O’Rahilly had confessed the truth, what in the world was I going to advise her to do?” (263). Julia and Bridie tell Mary that she must tell her husband to stop next time he becomes violent and that if he doesn’t she could threaten to move back in with her father.

Julia checks on Honor and realizes that she has died.