16
Her heart had soared last night when she stepped out of the hospital and heard Jeremiah defending Nasnana. Even though she could probably never tell him how she felt, Gwyn gave a little more of her heart to the handsome doctor.
Linked arm in arm with Sadzi, Gwyn walked in the sunny morning air to Mr. Irwin’s office. Mr. Irwin was well liked by everyone. He was fair and understanding. She couldn’t see him locking up Nasnana for something she didn’t do.
Her older friend had asked to walk alone that morning. She wanted to pray on her way in, so Sadzi and Gwyn walked with a slow cadence together.
“What do you think they’ll do, Gwyn?”
“I’m sure it will be fine. Gertrude just got her feathers in a ruffle. That’s all.” She hoped those words were true.
“Grandmother’s not worried about it. She told me last night that God was in control.” Sadzi gripped Gwyn’s arm tighter. “I know she’s right. But I’m still worried.”
“Worry is—”
“A sin.” Sadzi laughed. “Yes, I know.”
Gwyn gave her friend a sideways hug as they continued on. “It will be all right.”
When they reached Mr. Irwin’s office, he was walking out the door with Nasnana and smiling. “I’m sorry all this happened.”
“God bless you, Mr. Irwin.” Nasnana looked up and saw the girls.
Mr. Irwin smiled at Gwyn and went back inside.
“Is everything okay, Grandmother?”
“Yes, dear, everything is fine. Gertrude’s husband came with her this morning. They were both angry and said some hateful things, but Mr. Irwin and Mr. Carr had already talked to many people in the camp. There were too many witnesses that stated I was just walking by, and they’d seen other people by Gertrude’s tent.” Nasnana looked heavenward. “Praise the Lord, there’s not any other complaints, but I think I need to stay at home for a while. Let things settle down. This has caused some unsettled feelings within the camp, and I don’t want to be the cause of any more strife.” She looked at Gwyn and Sadzi. “I think Sadzi should stay home with me as well.”
Gwyn wasn’t sure what to say. Since all the medical personnel had arrived, Gwyn had been spending most of her time with one or both of the ladies in front of her. Many of the colony women relied heavily on Nasnana and Sadzi and their wisdom about growing things in the valley. And with her father still running the hospital, they were all she had. “All right. If you’re sure that’s the best plan.”
“I think it is. And I’m going to warn my people to avoid the area for a time. There were comments about other natives stealing from the site. I think the colonists are skeptical of anyone who looks different, and when things disappear, it’s easier to blame someone other than their own kind.”
“But that’s not right. The natives here have been good to us. Father said they were helpful with the first group of homesteaders as well.” Gwyn looked at Sadzi. “We’re all Alaskans.”
“Most white people do not feel that way,” Sadzi reminded her.
“Well, I don’t care. I feel that way. You are my friends, my family. I’ll come visit every day at your house.” She pasted on a smile that she hoped looked more casual than she felt. She wasn’t naïve. She knew the matter was complicated and could erupt at any time into something bigger than all of them.
Prejudice and animosity toward those of a different culture and color really bothered Gwyn. Her father had often spoken of the way the blacks had been treated in the States. They were often seen as lazy and stupid. Now some of the comments she’d heard in the camps echoed those same attitudes toward the natives here. The arrogance behind those statements was most alarming. It seemed it took nothing more than a tiny spark to get a fire started. A fire that could well destroy them all.
The days blurred as they headed into August. So much to do and so very little time. Gwyn looked up from the huge garden at the experimental station. The sky was dark and the wind’s intensity picked up. It didn’t look good. She knew what those foreboding clouds meant. She picked up her tools and raced to find Lilly. She spotted her friend from the university across the potato field. “Lilly!”
Her friend didn’t hear her and was on her hands and knees, unaware of the approaching storm behind her.
Gwyn ran faster. “Lilly!”
Waving her arms, Gwyn continued to run. “Storm!”
Lilly jumped to her feet and looked behind her. Hail had already begun to pelt the far end of the fields. There wasn’t any time to try to cover any of the crops. All they could do was run to shelter.
Inside the tool shack, Gwyn watched the storm. “Do you think we’ll lose it all?”
A deep sigh left Lilly’s mouth. “I don’t know, Gwyn. But it doesn’t look good.”
For five long minutes, no words passed between them as they stared at the hailstorm. It pounded the ground with a ferocity Gwyn hadn’t seen in many years. One thing was for certain, though. The weather in Alaska was always unpredictable.
A break in the storm moved Lilly to the door. “I’m going to go see the damage.”
“I’m coming too.” Gwyn pulled her gardening hat back onto her head. “But we’d better be careful. It might not be over yet.”
In silence, they walked through the fields. Row after row was demolished. There were patches of vegetables that were sturdy enough to withstand the hail and others that had taken more of a beating. And to shock them the most, an entire patch of potatoes was destroyed by the largest of the hailstones. Their only consolation was that it was only one of the patches, but still, they needed this food. Continuing on their inspection for several minutes, Gwyn felt a deep sense of discouragement. They needed these crops to feed the people. Why couldn’t God have kept them safe?
“Most of it survived,” Lilly said, as if to convince herself. “It’s not a total loss.”
“No, but it’s a loss just the same. We needed this food to can and store up for the long winter to come.”
A chill now filled the air, as if to remind them both that winter would soon be upon the colony. Lilly moved farther down the rows of damaged vegetation, stopping here and there to give closer inspection.
Gwyn shivered and looked up to the sky. As the storm moved on and the clouds rolled away, the mountains now wore a new coat of snow. The colonists wouldn’t be ready for that. Only a few of the families had moved into their homes. Dread washed over Gwyn. The people would be in an uproar. Gwyn ran toward Lilly for the second time that day.
Lilly stood with her hands on her hips surveying the damage. “It’s not pretty, is it? Dr. Miller from the university is supposed to come out and inspect us next week. I imagine this will not go over well.”
“Look, Lilly, I’m sorry to abandon you in this, but I’m worried about people in the colony. I want to go do what I can to keep them from panicking.”
Lilly’s brow furrowed. “I’m sure they’re fine, Gwyn. Most of them probably took shelter from the storm.”
“Look at the mountains.” Gwyn pointed.
A slow nod as her friend surveyed the land around them. “Oh, I hadn’t thought about the possibility of snow on the mountains. You’re right to worry. They’ll probably think a blizzard is right around the corner. You’d better go. Poor Mr. Irwin is probably getting run over by all the people who don’t have homes yet.”
“I knew you’d understand.”
Gwyn walked toward the tent city and then picked up her pace. Panic among the colonists could be devastating—even dangerous. It was only the beginning of August. Snow covering the mountains now would make them think that winter was upon them. Gwyn had seen some of the people get into scrapes over issues far less important. She’d better hurry and help calm everyone down.
Out of breath, she reached the edge of the small town that had popped up over the summer. The ARRC construction office had a large crowd of people around it. But instead of panic and complaints, she heard only one voice. Her father’s.
“There’s nothing to worry about. While sometimes we get snow early—yes, even in August—the cold season is not upon us yet. We will continue to have long days of sun to keep things warm until the end of September.”
Gwyn tried to breathe normally as she listened to the people’s reactions. Most of them were content to listen to her father, a man who had lived in this valley for almost two decades. A few rumbles of questions, though, brought Mr. Irwin forward.
“I understand you are concerned. But we are still on schedule for the most part. We’ve put aside any other building until the homes are done. That’s the priority. Seventy-five more workers arrived a week or so ago, and a hundred fifty new men arrived two days ago.”
Gwyn watched as several of the families looked toward the tent city that made up the transient workers’ housing. A bustle of activity was present everywhere.
Mr. Irwin continued. “With the portable sawmill up and in use and other sawmills running in the camps, we should have things under control.”
A few more hands and caps were raised in the air. Don pointed to a gentleman.
“Mr. Irwin, we’re concerned for our children. The school building hasn’t been started, but we noticed that desks have arrived. Will there be any teachers? We didn’t come up here to have our children uneducated.”
“Yes, I know it’s true about the school building, but like I just stated, we’ve decided to put the construction of other buildings on hold until the homes are completed.” Mr. Irwin raised a hand as others tried to interrupt. “Please let me finish. As to the teachers, we’ve got fifteen high-quality teachers coming. They will be here before school is scheduled to begin, and at that point, we’ll coordinate how the schooling of the children will take place this fall.”
More hands shot up. Mr. Irwin began addressing another question in his calm manner.
Mr. Schaleben from the Milwaukee Journal circled the crowd, taking pictures and writing notes on his pad.
Gwyn spotted her father walking back to the clinic. She left the crowd and hurried to catch up with him. “You look exhausted,” she teased.
“I am.” His smile was genuine, but the bags under his eyes looked horrible.
“We haven’t had a chance to talk in a long time, other than seeing each other in passing. You’ve been working so late into the night that I’m often asleep by the time you get back. Then when I wake up in the morning you’re already gone. I think you’re working too hard.”
Her father gripped her shoulder. “I’m sorry we haven’t had time together. We’re doing well containing everything right now. We finally have enough hands. But in preparing the hospital for winter, we are a little behind schedule.”
Gwyn nodded. Preparing a colony of thousands for a harsh Alaskan winter would be difficult. Especially with how easily sickness spread among the children. Fortunately, most of these families had come from areas that were acquainted with temperatures below zero and lots of wind and ice. But they were much more isolated now. And she doubted all the homes would be up before the first real snow flew.
“When I saw the snow on the mountains, I worried about how the people would react. They know little of our weather up here. Because we’re so far north, I’m sure they fear we’ll be buried in snow by next week.”
Her father nodded. “I thought the same. That’s why I went out to offer my thoughts as soon as the storm passed.”
“Why don’t you come back to the cabin and I’ll fix you something to eat,” Gwyn suggested. “We can have a little time to ourselves.”
He shook his head. “I wish I could, but there’s just too much to do.”
“Can I help you with anything?”
Again he shook his head. “No. You have your hands full getting our place ready for winter. I haven’t had a chance to ask you about the garden or our wood supply. And we haven’t made up a list of supplies to order. I’m afraid I’ll have to leave it all to you.”
Gwyn frowned but looked away quickly so her father wouldn’t see. “I can manage.”
They walked in silence for a moment. Would she ever have any leisure time with her father again? She would never accuse him of abandoning her, but she couldn’t help feeling a nagging sense of loss. He loved her. She knew that and wouldn’t want to hurt him. But that didn’t take away her feelings of loneliness.
Overall, the only word she could find to define how she truly felt was unsettled. Everything was changing, including her relationships, which was something she hadn’t bargained for. Nasnana and Sadzi felt the need to stay more with their own people, and now Father was far more concerned with the new hospital and colonists than anything else. All that had been a constant in her life was quickly being altered, and Gwyn didn’t like it one bit.
She missed the quiet times she’d spent with her father all these years. And even though her fears about the new colony had been unfounded, for she loved the people and their new town of Palmer, she still couldn’t help but wonder—what did her future hold?
Harold’s heart ached. In the week since he’d walked with Gwyn, they hadn’t had one conversation. How could that be? She was his daughter, and he hadn’t taken the time to find her even once to see how she was doing.
Guilt flooded through him. Since the ARRC first contacted him about the Matanuska Project, he’d been elated. And it had given him excitement and hope for the future. There’d always been too much time alone at night to think of Edith before the president’s announcement. Now he had barely enough time for his head to hit his pillow before exhaustion overtook him.
Dr. Albrecht was the greatest asset the valley had seen all summer. With his arrival and the arrival of more staff and equipment, Harold finally had hope for a successful hospital. Jeremiah was amazing as well. But Harold knew he still needed to speak with his young mentee.
He glanced to the mountains. Thankfully, the snow from the storm a week ago had melted, but he was hearing plenty of rumbling among the colonists. This was Alaska, after all, and many were afraid they wouldn’t be in their homes before snow fell on the valley. The duskiness of midnight forced Harold to call it quits and go home. He was so close to finishing all the notes and files on each case. Things were quiet in the hospital. But as the lingering light dimmed, Harold decided he’d rather go home and sleep than turn on a lamp and try to finish. He’d be worthless tomorrow if he didn’t catch a few hours of rest.
He straightened the table they all used as a desk and stored all the confidential notes away.
A noise outside the window startled him. He stopped for a moment and listened. Nothing. Must’ve just been a bird or something.
He had the urge to pray at that moment and sat back down. The Holy Spirit must have been prodding him because his brain didn’t even have the words to lift up to the Father. But he took several moments to pray, lifting up Gwyn, Jeremiah, Earl, all the patients, Nasnana and Sadzi, and everyone in the colony he could remember off the top of his head.
Feeling refreshed, he smiled. Prayer was always a balm to his soul. Now he just needed some sleep and all would be right with the world again.
In the quiet of the hospital, Harold picked up his things and tiptoed out of the room so as not to wake Earl. The other doctor had fallen asleep around midnight, and Harold didn’t have the nerve to wake him. At this point in time, they all needed their rest no matter when or where they got it.
Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. The movement was silent, but there was no mistaking the fact that he’d seen it. Harold changed direction and went toward the medical supply room.
A slight rustling caught his attention and confirmed that he wasn’t dreaming things. When he reached the door, he quickly flicked on the light.
“Clarence?” Harold wasn’t sure what to make of the situation. “What are you doing in there?”
Clarence Novak stood to his full height. He slipped something into his pocket.
Harold reached into Clarence’s jacket and pulled it out. “Morphine?” He pushed Clarence out of the way and headed to the cabinet where they locked all the medications. “How did you get in here?” Dr. Albrecht had recommended they put a lock on the cabinet. He said that all the larger hospitals were doing it now to keep anyone from stealing the medicines. At first, he’d thought it ludicrous. In this little area of the world, Harold had never encountered any problems with people stealing their supplies, but now he realized what a wise decision it had been. “Where’s the lock? Did you break into this cabinet?”
A smile that appeared all too fake creased Clarence’s lips. He held his hands out in front of him. “I didn’t want to disturb anyone, but I was concerned about my niece. She fell down this morning and has been in a lot of pain.”
“So you just assumed that you could come in here and take what you wanted?”
“No, no. Not at all. There just wasn’t a doctor around. I didn’t want her to suffer all night.” The man was too prim. Too smooth. “I’ve been in here the whole time, Clarence. You didn’t call out for anyone. You didn’t even check to see if anyone was here.” His temper was getting the best of him. Harold tried to remain calm.
“Please, come with me now, Doctor. You could help the poor child yourself and see that I’m not lying.”
Why would Clarence invite him out if he wasn’t telling the truth? But then why would he sneak into the hospital and steal morphine? Could he be addicted? Harold hadn’t noticed the regular symptoms, but still, he didn’t trust Clarence.
Too little sleep and distrust for the man in front of him clouded Harold’s judgment. He’d better take Clarence at face value for now and see if there really was a child in need of help. “All right. Let me get my things and I’ll head on over.”
“Thank you, Dr. Hillerman. Thank you.” Clarence smiled again. “I’ll run back and let Suzanne know you are coming.”
Harold allowed Clarence to leave and looked back to the bottle containing the morphine powder in his hand. What was that man up to?
He wrote Earl a note and headed to the construction office. Irwin had told him that during the night if they needed to use one of the vehicles, they could, so Harold found the keys the construction manager left for him and headed to the truck. Maybe if he arrived before Clarence, he could find out the truth.
Driving over the bumpy terrain at night at least kept him awake. When Harold reached the Novaks’ tent, Clarence was nowhere to be seen. He knocked on the frame of the tent and whispered, “Suzanne? William?”
Suzanne Novak appeared in seconds. “Oh, Dr. Hillerman, how did you know?”
“Didn’t you send Clarence?”
“Well, no. But I’m glad he went to get you.” She looked surprised and pulled him inside. “Heather has been moaning all night. She can’t sleep because of the pain.”
“What happened?”
“She fell out of a tree this morning. Said she landed on her feet, but her ankle twisted.”
Harold reached under the covers to look at the young girl’s foot. After a quick exam, he left Suzanne with some aspirin. “She’ll be fine. It’s just a sprain. I’ve written on that paper how much you can give her and how often.”
Suzanne’s shoulders slumped. She looked relieved.
“Keep it elevated and keep wrapping it in cool cloths. The swelling is what’s causing her the pain right now.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” The mother’s red-rimmed eyes spoke volumes. “I’m sorry you had to come in the middle of the night, but thank you again.”
“You’re most welcome. Just bring Heather in to see me in a day or two so that I can check up on her, all right?”
Suzanne nodded and closed the flap to their tent.
Harold climbed back into the ARRC truck and started the engine. Something didn’t add up. Granted, it was a long hike to the camp where the Novaks lived, but Clarence should have returned if he’d truly run like he said he would.
And then there was the morphine. Why had he snuck around like a thief, broken into the medical cabinet, and put it in his pocket?
Harold’s thoughts went every which way as he drove back to the hospital. Clarence had spent entirely too much time pursuing his Gwyn. She’d been nice enough to him, but Harold knew she was annoyed with the attentions of the man.
Maybe he needed to sit down with Gwyn tomorrow and talk to her.
Something about Clarence Novak put his senses on edge.
Now if only he could find a few minutes to talk to his daughter to warn her to keep her distance from him.
Harold shook his head. With their busy schedules, he wasn’t sure when that would be.
Hopefully not months down the road.