Brides of Alaska (16 page)

Julie divided her time between Sam and the diphtheria patients. She was glad to see Sam's body healing so quickly, but worried as he became more moody and distant.

“I've brought you a special lunch,” Julie said as she brought Sam a tray she'd prepared for him.

“I don't want it,” Sam said and continued reading the newspaper that she'd brought him that morning.

“Sam,” Julie said as she put the tray on the table beside his bed, “why are you doing this to me?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you still love me?” Julie asked directly.

Sam's grim expression softened a bit. “This has nothing to do with you. Of course I still love you.”

“Then what is this all about? Why are you so angry?” Julie demanded. “It's more than enough that I deal with dying children day by day. It's almost too much to bear that, with all the schooling and training I've received, I still can't help them. Now you're acting strange, and I haven't a clue what it's all about.”

“This,” Sam said as he threw the paper down, “is what it's all about.”

Julie noticed the headlines. They were bold reminders that the life-saving serum was ever closer to Nome. “I don't understand. You're upset because the serum run is nearly complete?”

“I don't expect you to understand,” Sam said and folded his arms across his chest. “It's just that I wanted to be part of it. I wanted to help bring the serum to Nome. Instead I'm here in this hospital like a useless lump of coal.”

“Sam Curtiss, I don't believe you. You were nearly killed, and now you're feeling sorry for yourself?”

“I told you I didn't expect you to understand. Now just let me alone. I'll deal with it myself.”

“I will not,” Julie said firmly. “Would you walk away from me if I were behaving this way?”

Sam grinned sheepishly. “You have acted this way and, no, I didn't leave you alone.”

“Well, then,” Julie said and pulled a chair up to Sam's bedside, “I'm just as stubborn as you are and,” she paused and smiled lovingly, “I care just as much.”

Sam shook his head. “I've always been lucky, fortunate, blessed, whatever people want to call it. I usually get what I set my mind on, and it's hard not to go on getting my way.”

“I'm certain that, for a man like you, missing out on something important is very difficult, but God has all of this in His perfect plan. Sam, it doesn't matter that you won't be the one to bring the serum into Nome. What matters is that the serum gets here safely without any more loss of life.”

“I know all that. Believe me, I've reasoned it out in my head, but I wanted to do this. Not just for me, mind you.” Sam paused and seemed to struggle to put his feelings into words. “But for God. He's done so much for me, and I wanted to offer Him a small token of thanks.”

“You do many things that offer God thanks, Sam. You are a positive asset to God's family, and you simply need to keep in mind that whatever you do, you are doing the work of God.”

“Colossians 3:23, huh?” Sam said reluctantly.

“‘And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men,'” Julie quoted. “My mother was fond of that verse. She told me that anything a person did was a mission for God so long as they committed their ways to Him.”

“Kind of humbles a guy,” Sam said with a grin.

“It doesn't matter that you didn't run the serum, Sam. It doesn't matter what you do, so long as you do it for God and do it for His glory. I'd love you whether you raised dogs or panned gold. It doesn't matter to me what you do with your life so long as it's committed to God's will and I'm part of it,” Julie said with all her heart.

Sam wrapped his arms around Julie. “You will always be a part of my life,” he whispered against her ear. “Just as God will always be at the center of it. I'm glad you had the strength of faith to speak directly with me. We're going to be good for each other, because when one of us falls, the other will lift him up.”

“Two are better than one,” Julie murmured.

“Yes,” Sam said. “Reminds me of Genesis 2:18: ‘And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.'' Will you be that for me, Julie? Will you marry me?”

Julie held up her left hand. “You told me one day I'd come to you wearing this ring and you would have your answer. Well, here I am, and the answer is yes.”

S
am was released from the hospital the next day. The first thing he did was to find a minister who could leave the sick and dying long enough to perform a wedding ceremony.

Julie was heading from the hospital to the doctor's office when Sam caught up with her. Protesting all the way, Julie allowed Sam to lead her to the church.

“But Sam,” she said as they neared the church building, “I'm still wearing my nurse's uniform.”

“It doesn't matter,” Sam said with a grin. “You could be wearing long johns and it wouldn't matter to me. Besides, it's white.”

Julie sighed and realized the weariness that threatened to overtake her. “I suppose you're right. It's just that, well,” she paused as they approached the church steps, “a girl kind of has in mind all of her life the type of wedding she wants. This just doesn't fit my dream.”

Sam stopped and pulled Julie into his arms. “Look,” he said softly, “if you don't want to get married today, I understand. I won't force this on you.”

Julie looked up at Sam, noticing the bandage on his forehead and the discoloration around his eye. He was still handsome to her and with all of her heart she wanted to be his wife. “No one's forcing anything on me,” Julie answered as she reached up and pushed a wave of brown hair back off Sam's face. “I want to marry you today.”

“Maybe we could have a big church wedding after the epidemic is resolved. I heard that the serum is due in within twenty-four hours—that is, if the weather holds.”

“That would be wonderful,” Julie said to both thoughts.

“Well then, let's not keep the minister waiting,” Sam said and pulled Julie with him up the steps.

It wasn't an ideal wedding, but it was more than enough to serve the purpose for which it was intended. Two people pledged to God and one another that they would love each other forever and never allow anything or anyone to come between them.

Looking down at the ring on her finger later that day, Julie remembered the hasty ceremony. She tried to imagine how surprised her father and brother would be when they received the short letter she'd sent. With the quarantine in place and no telephone at the Eriksson household, it was difficult to get information to them.

Her father would be pleased; August, too. Of that, Julie was certain. How she wished they could have given her away to Sam. For a fleeting moment, Julie thought of her mother. Agneta would have approved of the hurried wedding.

Julie's reflections were pushed aside, however, in the face of Nome's crisis. Once again she'd been called to the house of yet another victim of diphtheria, and as she felt the forehead of a small Eskimo girl, Julie's happy memories blurred. The child was burning with fever and most likely would die sometime soon. It seemed strange that something as wonderful as her wedding day would also be the day this child's parents would bury their only daughter.

Julie moved from one house to another. Always, she found various stages of diphtheria. Many were frightened at the news that they were showing the early signs of the disease. Julie worked to calm their nerves, reminding each one that the serum was due into Nome any day. Others were too sick to worry, and Julie prayed aloud for them as she nursed their weakened bodies.

As Julie stood beside the cradle of an eight-month-old baby, she thought how unjust it all was. There was help for this disease. She had training and skills that should save lives, but it still wasn't enough.

“God,” she whispered, “why must it be this way?” She thought of the verses in Job and of her mother's dying. Surely her father had voiced that question enough times while sitting beside his dying wife. Hadn't Julie herself asked it of God? She remembered how her mother had correlated verses in Job with everyday life.

“Julie, we don't always know why God allows certain things to happen. We can't have all the answers just yet, because God knows they would be too much for our human minds to comprehend
,”
her mother had told her. “God, in His sovereign wisdom, made all things for a purpose, and how each of those things comes into this world or goes out is entirely up to Him
.”

“‘Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?'”
Julie's mother had shared from Job 28:20. Julie remembered the moment with fondness. Her mother's greatest desire had been for her family to understand that her illness was neither just nor unjust. It was part of God's overall picture for their lives. That same chapter had answered its questions:
“And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding
.”

Julie lifted the dying infant into her arms. The baby's lifeless eyes stared up at her as his tiny lungs drew a final breath. She felt the child's body shudder and knew that he was gone. Gone from this earth but at peace in heaven with his Creator. Julie noted the time, returned the infant to his cradle, and recorded facts about the death before breaking the news to the parents.

Several hours later, Dr. Welch found Julie in a near stupor as she sat beside a child while its mother napped.

“You need to get some rest,” Dr. Welch said as he checked the child over. “You've been on duty for over twelve hours by my calculations, and that's too much. Go home, Julie. Go home and get some rest.”

“I'm fine,” Julie said as she stood on the opposite side of the child's bed. “This is Joey. He's only been showing signs of diphtheria for the last eight hours. Temperature is 101 degrees, and his throat is sore but not overwhelmingly so.”

“Good,” Dr. Welch said as he finished listening to the boy's chest. “The serum should arrive in time to fix you right up, son.” The boy smiled weakly but didn't say anything. He'd already told Julie it hurt to talk, and she had encouraged him to remain silent.

Dr. Welch packed his bag and headed for the open bedroom door. “Don't tarry any longer than you have to, Julie. Go home and sleep.”

Julie nodded, even though she had no intention of obeying.

When Dr. Welch returned to his office, he picked up the telephone and put a call through to Sam.

“Sam?” he said as a voice sounded through the line.

“Yes, this is Sam Curtiss.”

“Sam, this is Dr. Welch. Look, I need you to come get your wife.”

“Is she sick?” Panic filled Sam's heart.

“No, but she will be if she doesn't get some rest. She's ready to collapse, and I've tried to send her home to sleep, but she won't go. I was hoping you could come force the issue.”

“No problem. I'll be right there,” Sam answered. “By the way, where should I look for her?”

“I left her at the Davises' house. I imagine she'll be there for a while.”

“I'm on my way,” Sam said and hung up the phone.
Stubborn woman
, he thought as he pulled on his coat and hiked out into the darkened streets.

At the Davises' house, Sam knocked, then opened the door and walked in. Mrs. Davis appeared in the hallway just as Sam stepped inside. “Sam Curtiss,” she said in a surprised tone. “What are you doing here?”

“I've come to get my wife,” Sam said firmly. “I'm sorry to bother you, but Doc says she needs to rest and won't go home.”

The woman nodded and led Sam to her son's bedroom. “She's in there,” Mrs. Davis said as she opened the door. “I tried to get her to take a break, but she wouldn't hear of it.”