[Alaskan Quest 02] - Under the Northern Lights (33 page)

‘‘She’s feeling very tired. Jayce has made her stay in bed. She sends her best wishes for a safe trip.’’

Helaina nodded. ‘‘Please thank her for me and give her . . . ah . . . give her my . . . best.’’

‘‘I will.’’

The silence fell awkwardly around them. Helaina thought she might just take her bags and go, but something in Jacob’s expression looked so forlorn and sad that she couldn’t help but whisper, ‘‘I will miss this place . . . and the people.’’

‘‘You know . . . I have wanted to tell you—’’ ‘‘So you’re here,’’ Bjorn said as he came out of the house with Rachel in his arms. ‘‘I’m glad to have you see us off.’’

Helaina could have screamed. She longed to know what Jacob would have said. She picked up one bag and toyed with the latch as she waited, hoping Jacob would renew the conversation once he’d bid the Kjellmanns good-bye.

‘‘We’ll miss you,’’ Jacob said, ‘‘but I know the trip will do you good. I wish you safe journey.’’

‘‘Thank you, friend,’’ Bjorn replied. ‘‘And you’ll look after our Sigrid, won’t you?’’

Jacob nodded. ‘‘We’ll make sure she’s provided for and doesn’t grow too bored.’’

Helaina felt her heart sink even further. She longed only to be gone—to be done with the good-byes and the heartache. She moved away from the group as Emma came out the door. Didn’t they know she cared for Jacob—that her heart was being ripped in two?

You’ve done a good job of hiding your feelings,
she told herself.
No one
knows how you feel, save Leah. And she won’t say anything. She loves Jacob
too much to see him hurt because of me
.

‘‘Helaina!’’

It was Jacob again. She froze in place, willing herself not to run. What would he say? If he declared his love for her, she wouldn’t know what to do.

‘‘Helaina?’’

She finally turned. ‘‘Yes, Jacob?’’

He met her eyes and for a moment said nothing. She felt her heart begin to race. She longed for another kiss—even if it was to say good-bye.

‘‘You . . . ah . . .’’ He held up her other bag. ‘‘You forgot this.’’

Disappointment washed over her. Helaina reached out to take hold of her case. ‘‘Thank you.’’ Their fingers momentarily touched as Jacob released the handle to her hand. She wanted to say a million things, but the words wouldn’t come.

The rest of her traveling companions were walking toward them. Helaina feared that if she didn’t leave now, she might not ever go. ‘‘Good-bye, Jacob.’’ She hurried away, not even hearing if he replied.

Don’t look back,
she told herself.
Don’t look back
.

Leah could hardly bear the pain of her contractions. ‘‘Ayoona, it hurts so much.’’

‘‘That the way, Lay-Ya. You get great pain, but also great joy. You push now and the baby will come.’’

Oopick wiped her head with a damp cloth. ‘‘It will soon be over.’’

Leah bore down. She could feel the baby pushing through, fighting to be born. There was something so wonderful and terrifying at the same moment. What if something happened to the baby? What if he or she wasn’t strong enough to withstand the birthing? What if Leah was too weak to live afterward?

Leah screamed as the child was expelled from her body. She fell back against the bed, tears flowing down her cheeks. The sound of the baby’s first cry only made her cry harder.

‘‘It’s a boy, Lay-Ya. A nice boy. His father be very proud,’’ Ayoona said.

Leah breathed a sigh of relief but almost instantly felt the pains tear at her once again. ‘‘What’s wrong?’’ she gasped, grabbing her stomach.

‘‘You have twins, Lay-Ya.’’ Ayoona spoke the fact in such a nonchalant manner that Leah could only stare at her in stunned amazement.

‘‘What?’’ She cried out against the pain, struggling hard to draw a breath.

Ayoona handed the baby to Oopick. ‘‘You gotta push again. You gotta push hard or this baby could die.’’

‘‘I don’t understand.’’ Leah had never once considered herself to be carrying twins. There had been a tremendous amount of activity with her baby, but she had nothing to compare it to and had figured it to be perfectly normal.

The contractions increased in severity, and Leah held her breath and pushed with all her might. Gasping, she drew in another deep breath and pushed through the pain.

‘‘This baby got itself backwards,’’ Ayoona said with a chuckle. ‘‘Just like my son John. Comin’ to the world the back way.’’

Leah had helped with breech births before. She knew the dangers— knew that the birthing canal could close in around the baby and strangle it before birth. She found herself praying for God’s intervention. She had no idea that she’d carried twins, but now that she knew, she couldn’t bear the idea of losing either baby.

The infant came quickly and was smaller than her brother. She had a lusty cry that commanded attention long after her sibling had quieted. Leah stared in wonder as Oopick and Ayoona cleaned her children and dressed them for the first time. Twins. It was almost more than she could comprehend.

An hour after the ordeal, Jayce stood beside his wife and shook his head. ‘‘Two babies. I can’t believe it. Did you know?’’

‘‘I had no idea, though I suppose we should have considered it,’’ Leah said. ‘‘After all, you are a twin, and twins tend to run in families.’’

‘‘They’re beautiful, and how congenial that you would give me one of each—a son and a daughter.’’ He grinned at her and gently stroked her face. ‘‘Leah, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known. Thank you for my children.’’

She tried not to let her fears steal the joy of the moment. They were Jayce’s children. As he had told her so many months ago, he would take care of these babies and be their father. They would look like him and her, and they would grow up without questioning their parentage.

‘‘So I suppose the names we picked out for a boy and a girl can both be used,’’ Jayce said, looking at his son. ‘‘William Edgar after our fathers. We’ll call him Wills.’’

‘‘And Meredith Patience for our mothers,’’ Leah said, looking at the tiny bundle in her arms. ‘‘We can call her Merry.’’

Jayce nodded. ‘‘I like that. Wills and Merry. Perfect additions to our family.’’

Chapter Twenty-eight

C
aptain Latimore showed up four days later on the twelfth of June. He was a shadow of his former self, having lost a great deal of weight. It seemed he had aged well beyond his nearly fifty years. Leah felt sorry for the man. His pleasant, almost humorous demeanor was gone, and in its place was a gruff, hard man who didn’t care about the pleasantries of life.

‘‘This is an ongoing job for me,’’ he announced to Jacob and Jayce. ‘‘The Canadian company that put this plan together intends to see their men living in the Arctic for no fewer than four years. They believe this will garner much knowledge about the north. I will make a yearly run of supplies to them, and given the distance, it will take all summer.’’

‘‘So the plan this time around is simply to take the party north, help establish their camp, and then leave?’’ Jayce questioned.

‘‘That and gather a few samples for some of my American scientific friends,’’ Latimore announced. ‘‘That’s where you come in, Jayce. I will rely upon your geological and botanical knowledge to help retrieve a list of samplings. We will, however, say nothing about it to the others. No sense ruffling feathers since they are paying the bulk of the expenses.’’

Leah sat in her bed across the room while the men discussed their plans at the small living room table. She wished she might join in but sensed that Latimore wanted nothing to do with her, given the fact that she’d just given birth. He looked at her with an expression of disdain, then nodded and turned away. No doubt she was a sad reminder of his dead wife.

‘‘I have left the Canadian team on the ship. They want to purchase two teams of dogs from you, as well as sleds, harnesses, and any other gear you can spare.’’

‘‘Well, I have dogs that can be purchased but not many that are trained well enough,’’ Jacob said. ‘‘There are quite a few yearlings that show great promise and we might incorporate some of those into a team. We also have eight teams of pups that are being trained to pull, but they’ll take time and I’d rather not take any of them. And regarding the gear, I don’t have that much that I can afford to spare, but I’ll ask around. I know that John had some extra things, and perhaps he could part with one of his sleds for a reasonable price.’’

‘‘We did purchase one sled and some harnesses and lines in Nome,’’ Latimore told him, ‘‘but you know those things are going to wear and it will be necessary to replace them.’’

‘‘Yes, of course,’’ Jacob replied. ‘‘I’ll do what I can.’’

‘‘How big is the team of men you will leave behind?’’ Jayce questioned. He offered Latimore coffee, but the captain waved him off.

‘‘There are a total of six. Two are archeologists. They believe there will be signs of some sort of ancient life on the islands. Personally, it sounds like nonsense to me, but they pay well. There is also a botanist, a geologist, a medical doctor, and a meteorologist who is working for the Canadian army, which is surprising given Canada’s deep involvement with the war.’’

‘‘Which brings up another question,’’ Jacob interjected. ‘‘What happened to the U.S. Army and their interest in military sites in Alaska?’’

‘‘I’m sure the interest remains, but their sight is now fixed on Europe. Things are not looking good. Back in March the Germans torpedoed a French channel ferry called the
Sussex
. That in turn caused an international crisis. Twenty-five of the fifty killed on that ship were Americans.’’

‘‘How awful,’’ Leah said from her bed. Latimore seemed not to even hear her.

‘‘President Wilson immediately condemned the act and those responsible. He threatened to sever diplomatic relations with Germany. The Germans abandoned their U-boat campaign immediately. They are terrified, in my opinion, that we will come into this war and put an end to their bullying.’’

‘‘And you believe that to be the case?’’ Jayce asked.

‘‘I do. That is another reason I’ve committed my ship to a four-year plan. If there should be a war, and should they need my vessel, they cannot confiscate my ship without compensating me quite well. I would even have the ability to protest any kind of government interference based on the fact that lives would be at stake should I be unable to fulfill my contract.’’

Leah thought he seemed pleased with himself, and in actuality she couldn’t blame him. The idea of sending Americans into a foreign war was outrageous to her. She hadn’t understood the Spanish-American War, and she certainly didn’t understand this European war.

‘‘There is also the Battle of Verdun. It began last February,’’ Latimore continued. ‘‘The fighting goes back and forth between the Germans and French, sometimes with one side winning and then the other. It’s a battle for the hearts of the French, as I hear it. Verdun is quite special to them. There appears to be no end in sight, however.’’

‘‘I am sorry to hear that,’’ Jacob said, shaking his head. ‘‘I’m sure many lives will be lost before this war ends. Tragically, I wonder if the people even understand what they are fighting for.’’

Latimore rubbed his bearded chin. ‘‘That remains to be seen. My purpose is to remain in service to myself. We shall leave on the morrow. Can you be ready?’’

Jacob and Jayce looked to each other and then nodded. ‘‘We’ll be ready.’’

‘‘Wonderful. Now why don’t you show me your dogs.’’ It was more a command than a question. Latimore got to his feet and nodded toward Leah. ‘‘Mrs. Kincaid, I wish you the best.’’

Leah thought him without emotion or feeling, and the next morning she had a chance to prove that her summation was correct. She was up from bed finally, tired but needing to show Jayce that she was fully recovered from the birth of their children. She hated knowing that Jayce would leave that day and be away for several months. It was apparent to Leah that he would remain behind should she ask him to do so, but she knew how much he desired to go on this quest. He had talked of nothing else since the sun had returned to last the length of a normal day.

In her heart Leah felt there was little choice. She had to let Jayce go, and she felt almost comforted to know that he and Jacob would look after each other. She would worry less with the two of them together, but in some ways she would also worry more. If anything happened to the ship and crew, she might lose them both.

‘‘Good morning, Mrs. Kincaid,’’ the captain said as he entered the kitchen. ‘‘Is your husband here?’’

‘‘He will be shortly. He’s gone to see someone. Why don’t you have a seat and I will fix you breakfast.’’

‘‘No, thank you. I ate aboard the ship. I have a fine cook there.’’

She smiled and felt it necessary to speak about her husband’s involvement. ‘‘I hope that you will make every effort to keep my husband and brother safe. They are all I have now besides the children. Given your loss, I’m sure you can understand. You are all that your son has now.’’

‘‘My son is no longer my concern. I have given him over to my sister to be raised. I seriously doubt that I will ever see the boy again.’’

‘‘But how can you say that?’’ Leah questioned.

‘‘I don’t believe I will be long on this earth, ma’am.’’

The words startled Leah and she found herself gripping the back of the chair as though it were her lifeline. ‘‘Why would you believe such a thing? You’re not that old, and while you appear thinner than the last time I saw you, you surely are in very good health or you’d not venture north.’’

‘‘I have no idea of whether my health is good or bad. I simply feel that my days are numbered.’’

‘‘No doubt you are mourning the loss of your wife. You may feel different in a year or two,’’ Leah offered in a sympathetic tone. ‘‘Your sorrow must be great indeed, for I remember the way you spoke of Mrs. Latimore. You held great fondness for her and for your son.’’

The captain met her gaze and for a moment Leah thought he might contradict her statement. Then his features softened, but only a bit. ‘‘I do mourn Regina’s passing, but perhaps that is why I have no fear of my life coming to an end. If I am to rejoin her soon, then this interlude will become nothing more than a brief nightmare.’’