Sweet Home Alaska

Scott felt as if he’d already said too much, so he asked, “How long have you known Volta?”

“For about three years. Daniel does a health fair and a vaccination clinic every year, and Volta has helped with two of them. She stays overnight with me when she does. We’ve become friends.”

It sounded like they’d only spent a handful of days together, but some people didn’t take long to get to the heart of a person. Libby seemed like one of those people. “You know her daughter?”

“Emma?” Libby smiled. “We’ve never met, but I’ve heard so many stories, I feel as if I know her. Volta has her hands full with that one.”

“Oh?” Scott started to ask more, but Volta chose that moment to return from the clinic.

“Susie and Sadie have arrived, and they’re giving Lori and Paul child-rearing advice.”

Libby shook her head. “Those sisters of mine are so excited about another pair of twins in the village, Lori will never get rid of them.”

“I suspect she’ll be glad for the help over the next few weeks. She’s breastfeeding, and preemies are notorious for not sleeping more than two hours at a time.” Volta sat down at the table next to Scott. “Her BP is down another five points.”

“Excellent. Here, let me get you a bowl of Libby’s chowder.” He was determined to keep Volta in place long enough for at least one conversation. He would have preferred a private conversation, but he’d take what he could get.

“We were just talking about Emma,” Libby said. “Show him a picture.”

“Nah, I don’t want to be one of those parents always shoving photos in people’s faces.” Volta dipped her spoon in the chowder.

“I’d love to see a picture of your daughter,” Scott insisted.

Volta ate another spoonful of chowder. Libby and Scott watched her and waited. She shrugged, pulled up something on her phone and passed it to Scott. “This is Emma.”

He studied the photo of a dark-haired little girl hugging a German shepherd with one arm and holding a little terrier with the other. Her eyes were brown, not blue like her mother’s, but her pointed chin and the arch of her eyebrows were all Volta. So was her gleeful smile. The same smile that used to make his heart feel lighter.

“She’s cute. Are those your dogs?”

“No, Tal is my brother Leith’s dog, and the little dog belongs to his girlfriend, Sabrina. If Emma had her way, our house would be overflowing with animals, but my job doesn’t lend itself to taking proper care of pets.”

“I sympathize with Emma,” Scott said. “I’d love to have a dog, but I never know where I’m going to be from week to week.”

Volta gave him a little smile. “You’ve never had a dog, have you?”

“No. The closest was my neighbor’s dog when I was a kid. I spent a lot of time over at their house, playing with their animals.”

Libby looked at the photo and chuckled. “I had a brother, three sisters and all sorts of cousins. When we played outside in the summer, our neighbor’s dog used to climb over his fence to join us and our dogs. When the neighbor would discover him missing, he’d take him home, but the next day the dog would be back. Finally, he gave us the dog and got one of those wienie dogs that couldn’t jump the fence.”

Volta laughed. “Your parents didn’t mind taking in an extra dog?”

“They hardly noticed,” Libby replied. “Cousins and friends and dogs were always coming and going. At supper time, they counted heads and fed whoever was there.”

“Don’t tell Emma,” Volta told her. “She’s lobbying for a horse now, and if she heard your story she’d probably try to sneak one into our garage and hope I didn’t notice.”

The pilot who had flown Scott into the village yesterday stepped into the store and pulled a bandanna down from his face.

“Hi, Mike. What’s the word?” Volta asked.

“It’s looking better. The volcano has gone quiet. There’s still ash in the air, but unless Spurr puts out another plume, it should settle overnight. If it does, we’ll be clear to fly by tomorrow afternoon.”

“Good news,” Volta said, her voice relieved. Was it Scott’s imagination that at least some of that relief was to be able to get away from him?

“Do you need a bed tonight?” Libby asked Mike.

“Nah, I’ll camp out with Zeke. You’ve got a full house with Volta, Bridget and the doc.”

Mike pulled the bandanna up and sauntered outside.

“Now for the akutaq.” Libby scurried off to the cold foods case and returned with a bowl of purplish froth. She spooned a generous portion into a paper bowl and set it in front of Scott. “Volta?”

“Just a taste. Save some for Bridget.”

She gave Volta a small portion and turned inquisitive eyes toward Scott.

He dipped in his spoon and tasted the concoction. “Mmm. Blueberries and raspberries?”

“And a few salmonberries.” Libby smiled her approval at his culinary taste. “I use caribou fat.”

Scott took another bite. “It’s good. It reminds me a little of kaymak with honey.”

“What’s kaymak?”

“It’s kind of a soft cheese made from water buffalo milk. Very rich, but not as rich as this.”

“Water buffalo milk?” Libby blinked. “How unusual.”

Volta looked down, but not before Scott caught a glimpse at her amused grin. “I’ll check on Lori and let Bridget have a lunch break,” she said, getting up from the table. “And maybe run the aunties out. Lori’s probably ready for a nap.”

Scott spent the afternoon at the clinic. The twins were doing fine, nursing well and sleeping, and Lori’s blood pressure was slowly improving. The clinic didn’t have much lab testing, but Scott was used to working in less than optimal conditions and was confident Lori was on the mend. He and Daniel spent the afternoon brainstorming ways to improve prenatal care.

Sadie and Susie had each claimed a baby to hold in the waiting room while their mother rested. Scott approved. Such tiny babies had little fat stored, and while the incubator would keep them warm, Scott preferred body heat and human contact when possible. The aunties took turns crooning to the babies. Paul and Lori were going to have a fight on their hands to claim them back.

Bridget had volunteered to spend tonight in the clinic, and so Volta had taken over Lori’s care for the afternoon. He could hear her in the exam room talking and laughing with Lori and Paul. Once or twice she darted in and out of the clinic, fetching items for her patients, but she never seemed to have time to stop and talk with him.

By late afternoon the wind had died down, and while ash still blanketed every surface, it was no longer floating in the air. That seemed to be the signal for everyone in the village to stop by the clinic to bring gifts and admire the babies. Daniel moved the babies into the incubator partly to keep the crowds from breathing on them, but that didn’t slow down the party in the reception area.

About five thirty, Libby came into the clinic. The crowd parted like the Red Sea to let her through. She took Scott’s elbow and said, “Show me these babies you delivered.” It was a royal command.

Scott led her to the exam room, where Lori was nursing one of the babies. Volta was rearranging pillows to support her back and arms. Volta greeted Libby before stepping out into the lobby to make room. Libby laid her hand on Lori’s shoulder as she smiled down at the tiny baby in her arms. “Is this the girl?”

“Yes.”

“Look at those beautiful eyelashes. Let me see her brother.”

Scott opened the portable incubator so that Libby could see the baby’s face. Libby ran a finger over his cheek. “He looks like his father.”

“You think so?” Paul asked.

“Oh, yes. He’ll play center on the basketball team one day.”

Paul grinned. Libby passed her hand over the soft patch of hair on the other twin’s head. “This one will be a fine player, as well. A point guard, I think. Have you named them?”

“Not yet, but we have some ideas.”

Libby smiled and turned to Paul. “You’ll find stew and casseroles in your refrigerator when you’re ready to go home. I’ll have a talk with Susie and Sadie about boundaries. Is there anything else you need?”

“Um, no. Thank you.”

Libby smiled again and gestured for Scott to follow her out. On the way through the lobby, she summoned Volta, as well. Once they were outside away from the others, she whispered, “Are they really all right? They’re so tiny.”

“Yes,” Scott assured her. “They’ll grow fast.”

Libby closed her eyes and whispered something before smiling up at Scott. “All right, then. I’m going home now. Dinner will be ready in about an hour.”

“I’ll help cook. Just let me get Daniel or Bridget to cover,” Volta said.

“No, my kitchen’s too small for two cooks. Bridget is having a nap at my house. We’ll let her sleep. I’ll see you both in an hour.”

At six, Daniel ran all the guests out of the clinic, including Sadie and Susie. After another quick exam, Scott left Daniel in charge until Bridget came to take a shift. Volta hugged Lori. They waved goodbye to Daniel and made their way to Libby’s cabin. Volta opened the door and walked in, calling out, “Something smells scrumptious.”

“Caribou goulash.” Libby stuck her head out of the kitchen at the back of the cabin. “Could you set the table, please?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Volta went to a rustic corner cupboard and pulled out plates and silverware.

Scott crossed to the kitchen. “Anything I can do to help?”

Libby thrusted a bowl of rice into his hands. “Put this on the table.” She followed behind with a platter of meat with vegetables and a red sauce.

Bridget climbed down the ladder leading to the loft and greeted them. “Everything all right at the clinic?”

Scott gave her a medical update. They all sat down at the round table. Libby reached for each of their hands. “We have so much to be grateful for today. Let’s say our thank-yous.” They bowed their heads. “We give thanks for this food, for the birth of two beautiful babies and for bringing Scott, Bridget and Volta here today. Amen.”

Scott opened his eyes. Volta sat across the table from him, looking even lovelier since she’d let her shiny dark hair down to fall in waves over her shoulders. It all felt so familiar. How many meals had he and Volta eaten together, talking, sharing and laughing?

Tonight might well be their last meal together. So he would enjoy it, would linger and tell funny stories to make her smile. And then, he would ask to be alone with her because he had some things to say to Volta before they parted again. Maybe forever.

After dinner, Bridget excused herself and headed for the clinic to relieve Daniel. Volta insisted on washing the dishes, so Scott insisted on drying, but Libby stayed to put the dishes away. Then the two women fussed over getting sheets and blankets for one of the cots in Libby’s loft and loaning Volta some sweats to sleep in. Scott noticed that of the three cots left in the room, Volta chose the one furthest from his. He was starting to wonder if fate was playing with him, dangling Volta in front of him without ever giving them a minute alone.

He reached into his pocket for his cell phone to check his email. When he pulled out his phone, something else came out of his pocket and skidded across the wooden floor.

Volta picked it up. A grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. “You’re still carrying this around.” She examined the tiny silver horseshoe.

“A little extra luck never hurts.” The charm was the only thing he owned that had belonged to his mother. He’d told Volta the story of discovering it wedged in a crack in a drawer. It must have fallen off his mother’s charm bracelet. One of his few memories of his mother was of that bracelet jingling when she would dance around the house. Volta knew all about that, too.

She handed him the charm, but then she withdrew to her side of the room, still in conversation with Libby. Eventually, Libby climbed down the ladder and disappeared into her bedroom, and Volta couldn’t avoid him any longer.

Not that she didn’t give it a valiant effort. It was only eight thirty, but she gave a big yawn. “Wow, long day. You’re probably exhausted.”

“In fact, I’m feeling a bit restless. Now that the ash has settled, it’s nice outside. Why don’t we take a walk?”

“I don’t really feel like walking.”

He blew out a breath. “Then just sit down with me for a few minutes. Talk to me. Please.”

“I—” Volta’s phone rang, and she snatched it from her pocket. “I need to take this.”

“Of course.”

“Hi, Emma. What’s up?” Volta listened for a little while. “Uh-huh. So school isn’t canceled tomorrow? Sabrina said she’d do cookies.” There was a pause. “That sounds fun. Is she picking you up after school? Because if she is, I’ll need to call in and put her on the approved pickup list.” Volta got up and paced around the room. “Yes, I can do that. It looks like we’ll be able to fly tomorrow so unless something changes, I’ll be back in town. Tell Grandma I said it’s fine for you to go with Sabrina.” After another long pause, Volta laughed. “All right. You should get to bed, sweetie. I love you to infinity.” She listened for a moment and smiled. “Okay. See you tomorrow. Good night.”

She dictated a reminder to call the school tomorrow and pocketed the phone. “My daughter.”

“I guessed. Big plans?”

“Tomorrow is a half day at school, and my brother’s girlfriend wants to take her to a movie afterward. She’s excited.”

“She sounds like a busy kid.” Good; they were talking. Maybe if he eased Volta into a conversation, she wouldn’t run away. “You mentioned she was asking for a horse before.”

“Yeah. We went to visit friends on a farm. They have two horses and let Emma and their son, Ryan, ride them around in a corral. She loved it. I’ve registered her for a two-week session of horse camp this summer. It was expensive, but she’ll love it. It will be her birthday present.”

“Horseback riding made a world of difference to me.”

“How old were you when you started riding?”

“Nine. That was when my father married Gayle. She had horses, so we moved to a property where we could keep them, and she taught me to ride competitively. It was great. Of course, when their marriage broke up, she took her horses with her.”

“That’s a shame.”

“Thankfully, one of our neighbors let me ride his horses in exchange for stable chores. He was good to me. In fact, in high school he got me an after-school job as a riding instructor.”

“Once horse camp is over, I’m not sure horses are in the cards for Emma. I did some checking and it costs a fortune to keep a horse in Alaska. We’d be better off with sled dogs, which I’d better not say out loud or Emma will want them, too.”

“Do they rent riding horses in Anchorage? Maybe we could all ride together.”

“Thanks, but no.” Volta answered quickly.

Well, chitchat wasn’t working. Maybe the direct route was better. “Can we talk about Hawaii?”

Volta’s eyes darted around the room as though she were getting ready to make another excuse, but finally she sighed. “Let’s go out on the porch.”

They climbed down the ladder from the loft and tiptoed outside. Scott sat on a rustic bench. Volta perched on the other end. The landscape didn’t seem so weird at night, the moonlight washing out the ash and displaying only the undulations of the land.

Volta broke the silence first. “What did you want to talk about?”

He decided to cut to the chase. “I never got the chance to say I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For the way I ended our relationship.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, the way you ended it? Didn’t you want it to end?”

“No. I mean, yes, it had to end. But I’m sorry I broke it off so abruptly.”

“Oh, so, I had to go, but you should have, what? Dropped a few hints first? Let me fall even deeper in love with you before you said goodbye?”

This was going from bad to worse. “When I asked you out, I never thought it would get serious.”

“Well, it didn’t for you, did it?”

“That’s just the thing. It did. That’s why—”

“Don’t.” She stood up and paced to the corner of the porch, then turned to face him. “Don’t give me that stupid line about how you broke up with me because you loved me. It didn’t work then, and it doesn’t work now.”

But he did love her. How could he make her understand? “I was a few months away from starting my career with DEMA. You still had five more years of college and grad school to go. I couldn’t ask you to—”

“You didn’t ask me anything. You informed me of your decision.”

“I watched a marriage go down the tubes because my father devoted all his time and energy to his career. And he lives in Houston, whereas most of the time, I don’t know where I’ll be next. That’s no basis for a marriage.”

“So when you said you didn’t want to see me anymore, you were just looking out for me. Protecting me. Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes. Exactly.”

“It’s so good you were there to make that decision for me. After all, you were a doctor. I was only a college student. I guess my opinion was irrelevant.”

“Volta, no. I never...” He shook his head. “It wasn’t that I thought I was smarter than you. Just that I’d lived with my father. And I’m enough like him to know I can get caught up in work to the exclusion of everything else.”

“And you didn’t want to have to feel guilty about that. It sounds like you broke up with me for your own convenience, not for mine.”

“Volta...” He’d made a hash out of this one. He’d only wanted to apologize, make her see why he’d had to hurt her. “I’m sorry.”

“Yes, you’ve said that. It doesn’t really matter, though, does it? We broke up and I went home. I got married. I have a daughter. I have a career. Congratulations. You saved me from whatever terrible fate awaited me if I’d stayed with you.”

For someone saying she’d moved on, exactly as he’d hoped she would, she was surprisingly sarcastic. He wanted to ask if her marriage had been happy. If she would have preferred her original career choice of physical therapist. But it really wasn’t any of his business.

“You’re right. I made my choice. What I have to say now doesn’t matter.”

“Well, then. Let’s get some sleep. With any luck, tomorrow we can fly home.”

Home. She spoke with such certainty of where her home was. Scott didn’t have a home. Certainly not in Houston, where he’d grown up. After a couple of days there with his father last week, he’d been itching for an excuse to leave.

He loved working all over the world, but once in a while, it might be nice to have a place to come home to. But as Volta had pointed out, he’d made his choice.

* * *

THE NEXT MORNING after breakfast, Libby handed Scott a handmade baby afghan and sent him and Volta to deliver it to the clinic. “Good morning,” Bridget greeted them at the door. “Daniel’s here.”

“Good morning yourself. How did it go last night?” Volta asked.

“Good. No problems to speak of. Lori’s feeding one of the twins now.” She yawned. “I think I’ll get a nap in until Mike says we’re ready to go.”

“Good idea,” Volta said.

Daniel was in the lobby, working on his laptop. He greeted them and waved them through to the exam room. Scott knocked on the door frame and entered at Lori’s invitation. Volta followed. Lori was sitting up in bed, smiling down at a sleeping infant. “He passed out halfway through breakfast.”

“That means he’ll be demanding the other half in an hour or so,” Scott predicted.

“Libby sent this for you.” Volta took the blue blanket from Scott and handed it to Lori. “She says she’s working on a pink one.”

“Aw.” Lori pressed the blanket to her cheek. “Everyone has been so good to us.”

“You’ve been good to them, taking care of everyone at the school and helping Daniel. And look at these beautiful babies. Have you come up with names yet?”

Lori looked at Paul. He grinned. “We have. We’re both so grateful to all of you from yesterday.” He took the sleeping baby from Lori. “We’ve named this one Daniel Scott Vaughan.”

“Daniel Scott. I love it!” Volta said.

“I’m honored.” Scott ran his hand over the baby’s head. “And I’m sure Daniel is, too.” He turned toward the other baby, sleeping in a bassinet beside the bed. “And what are you calling her?”

Paul and Lori exchanged glances. “Well, Volta was holding my hand—”

“Oh, no, no, no.” Volta cut in. “I’m flattered, but please don’t do that to another innocent little baby. I’ve never forgiven my father.”

Lori laughed. “We were thinking Morgan Bridget Vaughan. We’d call her Morgan.”

Scott vaguely remembered Daniel introducing her as Volta Morgan. Her married name. It would take some getting used to. She was still Volta Jordan in his mind.

“Morgan.” Volta crossed to the incubator and looked down at the baby. Color rose in her cheeks. “She looks like a Morgan Bridget. I’m sure Bridget was over the moon.”

“She was.”

The baby girl woke up and yawned. Volta picked her up and cuddled her. “Hi, little Morgan. You’re a sweetheart, aren’t you?” She brought the baby to Lori. Lori rearranged a shawl over her shoulder and brought her daughter to her breast. The baby made happy little noises as she nursed.

Volta laughed. “What an appetite. By the time you bring them to the tournament in December, the babies will be so big I won’t even recognize them.”

“What tournament?” Scott asked.

“The high school teams play in the state tournament in Anchorage every year after Christmas,” Paul explained. “For the last three years, Volta has been letting the whole team from Sparks camp out in her living room.”

“It’s fun,” Volta said. “Besides basketball, we take the kids to a movie and the mall. They have a blast.”

“Sounds like a good tradition.” Traditions were something missing from Scott’s life. He loved his job, but he didn’t have connections like this. Even his coworkers were constantly changing. “Well, Daniel promised to go over some statistics with me this morning, so I need to head in that direction, but I’ll do one more health check before we all get on the plane.”

Volta sat in with Scott and Daniel, going over infant mortality and complication rates in rural Alaska and discussing how to mitigate some of the dangers. It was obvious Volta and Daniel had discussed the subject before and they both had suggestions Scott intended to include in his report.

Bridget stopped in at the clinic a little before two. “Mike says they’re lifting the flight ban. He’s checking all the equipment, so let’s load up.”

“Okay.” Scott gathered up his notes and shook Daniel’s hand. “Thanks for all your help. It was invaluable.”

“Anytime.”

Scott and Bridget went to do a final check of Lori and the babies and get them ready for transport. Mike stepped into the clinic. “They’ve cleared us, and the plane is good. Let’s boogie before they change their minds.”

Everyone worked together to transport the incubator holding the two babies into Libby’s SUV. Lori followed along behind, supported by Volta and Paul. Libby drove them all to the plane and waved her goodbyes.

They got the babies’ incubator loaded onto the plane and Lori settled comfortably on the patient bed. Paul kissed his wife and strapped himself into a seat, near Volta and Bridget. Scott found himself sitting in the front beside Mike. Once they were in the air, the pilot turned chatty.

“Did you get what you needed from Daniel?”

“Yes, Daniel is very knowledgeable. He tells me I’d be better off taking someone local with me on the rest of my visits to help smooth the waters and show me the ropes. Do you know anyone in your company who could do that?”

Mike glanced over his shoulder. “Volta would be good. She’s always volunteering to help with events in the villages, so they all know her.”

“I’m not available next week,” Volta said into her headset. “I’m doing that transport to Boston on Monday.”

“Jaci would take it, I’ll bet,” Bridget said. “She’s got a boyfriend in Boston now. You should ask if you can switch.”