Part 67 (1/2)
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 G.o.d 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.
”G.o.d,” 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 G.o.d? She remembered how her mother had correlated verses in Job with everyday life.
”Julie, we don't always know why G.o.d allows certain things to happen. We can't have all the answers just yet, because G.o.d knows they would be too much for our human minds to comprehend,” her mother had told her. ”G.o.d, 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 G.o.d'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 one hundred and one 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.”
Sam looked in to find Julie's dozing form as she sat beside the sleeping boy. Gently, Sam helped her to her feet and led her from the room.
”Sam,” Julie protested. ”What are you doing here?”
”Doc sent me,” Sam said as he took Julie's parka from Mrs. Davis. ”He said you were to go home and sleep and that he didn't want to see you back until you were rested.”
”But-”
”No but,” Sam said, helping her into her coat. ”You're going home if I have to carry you-and you know that's no idle threat-so just be cooperative and we won't cause a scene.”
”These people need me,” Julie said as the parka fell into place. ”I can't leave them.”
”You aren't any good to them if you're dead on your feet.”
”You don't understand the importance of what I do,” Julie said as Sam led her out into the street.
”You're in our prayers, Mrs. Davis,” Sam said as he pulled Julie along. The woman waved from her door. ”Now listen to me,” he continued with Julie, ”no job is worth killing yourself over. You have an important duty to these people, but it's certainly not one that anyone expects you to die doing.”
Julie tried to jerk away from Sam's grip. Maybe marrying Sam had been a mistake. Maybe he was going to expect her to give up her nursing career. Her mind reeled as Sam forced her along. They hadn't consummated their marriage, Julie reasoned. Perhaps she could dissolve it. But that wasn't what she wanted, either. Besides, she loved Sam, and she had made a promise to G.o.d to continue loving and obeying him. If Sam told her to quit nursing, she would have to go along.
Just then, George Maynard came rus.h.i.+ng down the street.
”It's the serum,” he yelled. ”The governor's relayed for us to halt the run because of the weather. Gunnar Kaasen will have to lay over in Solomon until the storm clears.”
”He can't,” Julie said as she felt her strength give way. ”He can't!”
”Hush, Julie,” Sam said as he pulled her close. ”George, are you sure there's no way to get the drivers through?”
”The wind is blowing up to forty knots, and that coupled with the snow is making it impossible for anyone to get through.”
”But people are dying,” Julie said, nearing hysteria. ”They have to get the serum through. They have to.”
Sam steadied Julie's trembling body. ”Look, keep us posted. I need to get my wife home for some rest.”
”Your wife?” George questioned in surprise.
Sam grinned. ”Yeah, we were married in between jobs.”
”Well, congratulations! It's nice that something decent can take place in the middle of this tragedy.” George went hurrying off, and Sam helped Julie make it to their house.
By the time they'd reached the house, Julie was sobbing. She'd tried so hard to hold everything inside, but with the fear that the serum wouldn't arrive in time, Julie could no longer control her emotions.