Brides of Alaska (15 page)

“‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,'” Julie read, “‘from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.'”

She paused for a moment, then lifted her gaze from the Bible and recited the words while looking into Sam's dark eyes. “‘The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.'”

“Amen,” Sam replied when Julie had finished.

“Amen,” Julie echoed. “I feel much better giving you over to the Lord than just worrying about you and struggling through it alone.”

Sam helped Julie to her feet and kissed her gently on the lips. “I love you, Julie. You've made me a very happy man today, and when I get back and this epidemic is behind us, I'll expect an answer to my proposal.”

Julie nodded and, after one last hug, she rushed from the room and hurried back to work.

By five-thirty, Dr. Welch was sending an exhausted Julie back to the hospital to rest. She had taken to sleeping in the same room she'd occupied her first night in Nome, and after being up and working for over twelve hours, Julie was ready to relax.

Julie made her way through the deserted streets, wondering about the serum that would save the lives of many and whether Sam was safely to his destination. She paid little attention to anything else, until a whining sound at her feet brought Julie's full attention to the source.

“Kodiak!” she exclaimed as she reached down to the dog's obviously cut harness. She felt her heart skip a beat as she recognized blood on Kodiak's fur. Pulling him into better light, Julie could see that he'd been injured.

Scooping the dog into her arms, Julie made her way to the hospital. Mindless of Nurse Emily's protests, Julie took Kodiak to her room and flipped on the lights.

“What happened to you, boy?” Julie asked as she examined the dog. He was suffering from cuts on his face and neck, but otherwise looked to be in decent shape. But if Kodiak had been cut loose from the harness, Sam was in trouble.

Bedding the dog down in her room, Julie pulled the pins from her nurse's cap and tossed it to the table. She slipped out of her uniform and donned heavy wool long johns and denim jeans before pulling on reliable sealskin pants.

She tucked a heavy flannel shirt into her pants and pulled on thick wool socks and her mukluks. Throwing together a bag of supplies, including her medical bag, Julie gave Kodiak her promise to find Sam, locked the door behind her, and went to harness her dog team.

Julie searched unsuccessfully for someone who might help her. She caught up with Dr. Welch at one of the quarantined homes and begged for his help.

“I can't leave Nome, Julie. You know these people are dying,” Dr. Welch said firmly. “Try to find someone else to help you. If Sam is hurt, bring him to the hospital, and then I can better serve him.”

“I understand,” Julie said in a resigned tone. She went in search of anyone who might accompany her, and when no one offered to help, Julie made the decision to go alone.

She packed extra ropes and blankets on her sled, uncertain of what she might need or how far she'd have to go to find Sam. Against her better judgment, Julie retrieved Kodiak from her room.

“I'm sorry, boy,” she said as she brought the dog out into the subzero darkness. “I need you to help me find Sam.” Kodiak yipped as if he understood and paced back and forth until Julie finished hanging two lighted lanterns from her sled.

She had planned on harnessing Kodiak to her own team, but realized he would be of more help if she allowed him to run free. “All right, boy,” she called out to Kodiak. “Find Sam.”

She moved the team out behind Kodiak and was surprised to find that the wounded dog responded as though he were in perfect condition. “Dear God,” Julie breathed as the wind assaulted her face, “please help me find Sam, and please let him be alive and safe.”

Cold numbed Julie's face as she struggled to fix her parka hood. How far would she have to go in order to find Sam? Should she take the time to get her brother and father's help? As Kodiak picked up the pace, Julie decided against any detours. A delay could mean death.

The trail was overblown with snow. Steep, icy embankments lined the Bering side, and darkness made it impossible to see. But Julie was sure of her dogs and pressed on.

After an hour, Kodiak began to yip and slow his pace. Suddenly, the dog howled and danced around. Julie stopped the team and buried the snow hook.

“Sam! Sam!” she called out and listened in the silence for a reply.

Kodiak sat at the side of the embankment and whined. Julie grabbed one of the sled's lanterns and peered over the edge. At the bottom of the embankment rested Sam's overturned sled.

“Sam!”

Julie returned to her sled and pulled out two lengths of rope. She secured them to the sled and threw them down the embankment. She also retrieved several blankets from the sled and tossed them after the ropes. Then, taking her medical bag and lantern, she gripped the rope and worked her way down the embankment.

When she reached the bottom of the icy slope, Julie was stunned by what she saw. Several of Sam's dogs were dead. Her heart beat faster as she righted the sled, praying that it wouldn't reveal Sam's dead body. The sled turned over with a thud and exposed nothing more than an indentation in the snow.

“Sam, where are you?” Julie called into the night. The yips of several dogs sent her in search of their source. A few yards away, Julie found the rest of the team faithfully surrounding Sam's lifeless form. He'd been able to cut the dogs loose from the tangled harness before he passed out in the snow.

Julie positioned the lantern to offer the best light and spread a blanket beside Sam. The dogs seemed to know that their job was done, and they allowed Julie to work without interference. She gently rolled Sam onto the blanket.

“Oh Sam,” she whispered as she saw the matted blood in his hair. Examining more closely, Julie found a nasty cut along Sam's hairline. She felt quickly for a pulse to assure herself that he was still alive.

Finding a steady pulse and realizing that the bleeding was minimal, Julie wasted no time tending the wound except to wrap it with a length of bandage. She examined Sam's sled basket to see if it was in good enough shape to use. The runners and the basket's side were broken, but the damaged sled would work well enough to get Sam up the embankment.

Working the ropes around the sled, Julie prayed for strength. She had to take off her mittens for several minutes at a time in order to tie the ropes securely. Fearing frostbite, she worked quickly to finish with the ropes.

When she felt confident that the sled was secured, Julie positioned the basket beside Sam's still form. Wrapping the blanket around Sam, Julie rolled his body into the basket and tied him securely in place. The dogs who'd survived the accident scurried up the embankment behind Julie as she prepared to pull Sam up.

Realizing Sam's dogs could help, Julie pulled out an extra harness and added them to her team. Then she pulled the snow hook and took hold of the harness.

“Come on, boys. Let's go,” she called as she pulled them forward. The dogs strained against the basket but pulled eagerly as if they sensed the life-and-death issue at hand.

As the basket with Sam's battered body appeared over the top of the embankment, Julie quickly secured the snow hook and went to him. He was still unconscious.

“Please, God,” she prayed as she packed Sam in blankets. “Please help me to get him home.”

Julie knew the basket containing Sam's body was useless for the trail. Using all her strength, she lifted first one end of the broken basket and then the other until she'd managed to place it solidly atop her own sled. Convinced that Sam was as safe as she could make him, Julie moved the dogs out and headed for Nome.

J
ulie paced anxiously while Dr. Welch inspected Sam's wounds. She tried to remain objective, reminding herself that she could only help if she kept her fears under control.

“There's quite a bit of swelling,” Dr. Welch said as he finished his examination of Sam, “especially his left eye. We'll watch him closely. Hand me some gauze, please.”

Automatically, Julie performed her duties as she would for anyone else, but her heart kept reminding her that this wasn't just anyone else. This was the man she loved. What would she do if he didn't make it? Julie watched Dr. Welch stitch up Sam's head wound.

“Why doesn't he wake up? He should be awake by now.” She knew she sounded frantic.

“Julie, you're a nurse. Get ahold of yourself or leave the room. You know these things, especially when they involve concussions, are very unpredictable.”

“I know,” Julie replied. “I just wish it didn't have to happen to Sam.”

“We've done all we can,” Dr. Welch said as he tied a bandage in place. “Now, we'll have to wait and see what happens. Come along.”

Julie nodded and went to the sanctuary of her own room. As soon as she closed the door, she fell to her knees and threw herself against the bed. “Dear God, I love Sam so very much. Please help him.” Julie stayed on her knees praying for over an hour. When the clock chimed eleven, she rose and went down the hall to where Sam lay motionless.

Sitting beside his bed, Julie held Sam's hand and felt for a pulse. Finding it steady and strong, she exhaled deeply. She patted Sam's hand gently and spoke to him as if he were wide awake.

“Sam, I wanted you to know that your dogs have been cared for. I treated them as if they were my own. Kodiak had some nasty cuts, but I washed them out and put salve on them. He'll be just fine. I knew you'd be worried about the dogs, so I wanted to tell you.” She grimaced as she leaned closer. Sam's left eye looked painfully swollen, and Julie offered up a prayer for his healing.

“I love you, Sam. Please wake up. Please be all right,” she whispered as she held his hand against her face.

Julie sat in the soft light and watched Sam's chest rise and fall in even, rhythmic breathing. She lost track of time, needing to know that Sam was alive, even if he wasn't conscious.

“Julie?”

Julie roused herself, startled to find that she'd fallen asleep.

“Julie?” The strained, husky voice belonged to Sam.

“Oh Sam!” Julie said, with tears streaming down her face. “You're awake. Oh, thank God.”

“Where am I?” he asked weakly.

“The Nome hospital,” Julie answered and rinsed out a cloth in cool water. She placed it against Sam's forehead.

“I hurt,” Sam said with a sheepish grin. “I guess I took a bit of a fall.”

“Just a bit.” Julie returned the smile.

“Who brought me in?”

“I did,” Julie answered, and nearly laughed at the surprised look that crossed Sam's face. “I tried to get someone to help me, but with the epidemic and the serum run, well, people were just preoccupied.”

“How did you find me?” Sam asked as he tried painfully to sit up.

“Stay put,” Julie said, with firm hands upon Sam's shoulders. “You took a nasty hit on the head, and you need to rest.”

Sam fell weakly back against the pillows. “All right.”

“Kodiak found me,” Julie said abruptly.

“Kodiak? Is he okay?”

“He's fine. He's cut up a bit, but he led me to you and helped to pull us back to Nome.”

“What about the others?”

“There were four dead when I got there,” Julie said softly. “I'm sorry, Sam. I know how you love your dogs.”

“I remember cutting them loose from the harness, but after that—nothing.”

“The dogs saved your life,” Julie added. “They were keeping you from freezing to death when I found you.”

“They're a good bunch,” Sam said, sounding tired.

“You'd better rest now. I'll check in on you from time to time, and Dr. Welch will be back in the morning,” Julie said and got to her feet to leave.

Sam took hold of her hand and pulled her down. “Kiss me,” he said, refusing to let go of her.

“Same old Sam,” Julie said, and pressed her lips gently against his.

Sam smiled up at Julie. “You wouldn't have me any other way,” he murmured.

“No,” Julie said, “I suppose I wouldn't.” She gently let go of Sam's hand. “Now, sleep.”