Alaskan Summer (6 page)

Laurette stood back while the tender’s crew carried the patient, still strapped to a crash board, up the dock and placed him on the waiting gurney. She went to the distraught woman stepping off the tender.

“I’m Laurette with Southeast Alaska Maritime. Our van is right here, so we can follow the ambulance to the hospital.”

The flustered woman looked at her in confusion.

Another seaman approached with a small suitcase. “We had her pack a few things,” he explained to Laurette.

Grabbing the bag with one hand, Laurette put her other hand under the lady’s elbow. “Come with me,” she said softly. She led the woman up the ramp behind the patient. The medics handled the portable oxygen and IV bags. “Your husband is in good hands.”

After stowing the suitcase in the back of the van, she made sure her passenger had buckled up. “We’ll be at the hospital in a few minutes. May I ask your name?”

“I’m Gladys Sutherland. Dan had a heart attack.” Her voice quivered.

“We’ll take good care of both of you.”

At the hospital, Laurette parked the van and led Mrs. Sutherland into the emergency waiting area. “You have a patient from a cruise ship. This is his wife,” she told the nurse behind the desk. “Should we wait here for information about him?”

“We’ll need some forms filled out. Can you do that?” The nurse looked at the flustered woman with Laurette.

“Let me help.” Laurette coaxed Mrs. Sutherland to a seat and went back to pick up the clipboard. Efficiently, she got the information to fill in the necessary facts.

“I want to see Dan. Can you find out how he is?” Mrs. Sutherland pleaded.

Taking the papers back to the desk, Laurette asked, “Where will Mr. Sutherland be taken? How soon will his wife be able to see him?”

“Thank you,” the admitting nurse said, taking the clipboard. “I’m sure the patient will go into the ICU. The nurse there will tell you when he can have visitors. Do you know where that waiting room is?”

Laurette shook her head.

“Let me take you up there and make sure there’s a fresh pot of coffee.”

Mrs. Sutherland seemed to be a bit more relaxed. “You are very kind,” she told Laurette as they followed the nurse to the waiting room.

“They’ll take good care of your husband. Everything will be all right.” Laurette patted the woman’s arm.

Gladys smiled weakly. “You make it all sound so possible.”

“All things are possible with God.” The nurse left them, and Laurette poured two cups of coffee. “Do you take anything in your coffee?”

“No, thank you.” Mrs. Sutherland wrapped her hands around the cup.

“Are you cold? I could get you a blanket.”

“Just shocked. It all happened so fast. Dan was fine at dinner. Said he had a little indigestion and wanted to go to bed early. Then he collapsed.” She turned tear-filled eyes toward Laurette. “What am I going to do?”

Laurette put her arm around the weeping woman. “The doctors here are very good. The medics on board had your husband stabilized. If it had been more serious, he would have been flown in by helicopter. I’m sure they just want to monitor him for a day or two.”

“But we live in Minnesota. How will we get home?”

Handing the woman a tissue, Laurette reassured her. “As soon as your husband is able to travel, we’ll make arrangements for you to fly home. The cruise line will send your luggage to your house.” She patted the distraught woman’s shoulder. “Is there family you want to contact?”

“My son.” She looked at Laurette. “Could I call my son?”

“Certainly. With the time difference, you won’t even be waking him up. Let me find the nearest phone.” Seeing the worried look on Mrs. Sutherland’s face, she added, “I’ll stay here while you call. If there’s any news about your husband, I can let you know at once.”

After reassurance from her son, Mrs. Sutherland relaxed a little. When the nurse came to tell her she could see her husband, she hugged Laurette and begged, “Will you please stay a little longer?”

“I’ll be right here,” she assured the worried woman. While she waited, Laurette pulled her Bible from her pack.

A short time later, Mrs. Sutherland returned looking much better. Her face held some color, and she had combed her hair. “They said as soon as Dan is out of intensive care, I can have a cot in his room.” She sank into the chair next to Laurette. “All the tubes and wires look scary, but he talked to me. He says he’s not in pain. The nurse taking care of him said they’ll do more tests later today, but it doesn’t look like there is new damage to his heart.”

Laurette had closed her Bible with a silent prayer of thanks.

“Were you praying?” Mrs. Sutherland asked.

“Yes.”

“Would you pray with me? I believed you when you told me all things are possible with God.” She clasped Laurette’s hand. “I’d feel better if we both prayed for Dan.”

❧

Ryan had received Tyler’s message when he returned from an evening of playing piano at the Dockside Hotel. He got to the office early and sent the two helpers out on the most critical tasks. He called the hospital to get a report on the heart attack victim and notified the ship’s captain of the man’s condition.

“They won’t be able to rejoin the cruise. We’ll see that they get a flight back home,” Ryan told him.

“Understood. We’ll take care of their luggage and see that it’s shipped to them.”

Taking over the office kept Ryan busy until late morning. He finally made it to the hospital to check on Laurette. She hadn’t called in. “I’d better make sure the patient’s wife is all right and see if Laurette needs help.”

After checking at the front desk, he dashed to the waiting room. He paused at the door to watch the women. Laurette held the older lady’s hand. He could see by the woman’s expression that she was listening raptly to Laurette’s words. “That girl is a charmer,” he muttered.

Approaching the two, he noted the dark circles under Laurette’s eyes.
Wonder if she got any sleep last night.

Laurette jumped up when she saw him. “Are you looking for me?”

He smiled. “No. I only came to see if you needed help.”

Laurette turned to her companion. “Gladys, this is my coworker, Ryan Nichols. Ryan, this is Mrs. Sutherland.”

She stood to take Ryan’s hand. “This girl has been with me ever since we got to the dock. I don’t think I could have managed without her.” Her look changed to one of concern. “She isn’t in trouble for staying with me, is she?”

Ryan shook his head. “No, Mrs. Sutherland. Southeast Maritime is here to help you, and it looks like she has done a good job.” He turned to Laurette. “Does Mrs. Sutherland have a place to stay?”

“They’re letting her stay here. She can even get her meals here, so she never has to leave her husband. He’s doing well, and I assured her we’ll see that they get a flight home as soon as he can travel.”

“Right. I let the ship’s captain know so your friends on board will know you’re all right,” he told Mrs. Sutherland.

“I really should get back to work, Gladys, but I’ll check on you later today.” Ryan watched Laurette pick up her Bible and put it in her pack. “Maybe you could catch a nap while your husband’s resting. You had a rough night.”

“Thank you, dear. I’ll try to do that. Would you pray with me again before you leave?”

Ryan stood back and watched as the women stood together and held hands. He heard Laurette’s prayer and murmured “Amen” when the women did.
I’ve taken care of distraught family members before. This lady is calm and under control. Maybe there’s something more to praying with another person than I realized,
he thought. Other than politely waiting while Laurette and Ruth said grace, he certainly hadn’t done it recently. Not even alone. He’d have to give that some thought.

“I’ll see you later,” Laurette said, then gave Gladys a quick hug. “You ready to go?” she asked Ryan.

“You look beat,” he said to Laurette as they exited the hospital. “How early did you get to the dock?”

“Oh, not until nearly four.” She sighed. “Had a late night with Ruth.”

“Is she okay?”

Laurette smiled up at him. “Just got her days and nights mixed up. I’ll catch up on my sleep tonight.”

“Come in late tomorrow. Tyler will be back, and we can struggle without you.” Ryan longed to hug Laurette and comfort her. She did so much for others. Could he do anything for her?

“Thanks.”

He walked her to the van she had left in the parking lot. “You want to stop for something to eat?”

She looked surprised. “Now that you mention it, I am hungry. I’ll meet you at the coffee shop by the office.”

He watched her drive off. “I wonder if she ever gets grouchy.” He shrugged and walked to the company truck to follow her to the café.

SIX

“How’s Ruth? Has she still got her days and nights mixed up?” Ryan asked when Laurette came into the office a few days later.

“She’s been great for the last week. John came by Sunday. He even cooked dinner for us. He called it halibut cheeks. Do fish really have cheeks?”

She watched, embarrassed as Ryan’s lean frame nearly doubled in laughter. Finally, he gasped out an answer. “Yes, Rette, halibut have cheeks. It’s a delicacy.”

Feeling a warm glow at hearing her nickname, she looked shyly at Ryan. “Sorry I had to ask. It tasted delicious, and I didn’t want John to know how dumb I am.”

His gaze softened. “I’m sure there are lots of things I wouldn’t know about growing wheat. Sorry if my laughter made you uncomfortable.”

“I like to see you happy. I’ll try to ask more dumb questions.” She smiled at him.

The phone rang and the fax machine rattled.

They had no more time to talk that day. By late afternoon, Laurette heaved a sigh of relief. The last ship had weighed anchor, and she could go home. Her stomach growled. Other than some pastry Tyler had brought back from one of the ships, she had not eaten since a bowl of cereal at five thirty that morning. She thought about all the groceries John had brought on Sunday. “Maybe I’ll cook some pork chops,” she muttered as she crossed the parking lot to her truck. “Oh, that doesn’t look good.” She changed her path and headed toward a couple on the dock. They stood where the tenders landed, and neither appeared happy.

“Hello, I’m Laurette with Southeast Alaska Maritime. Is there something I can help you with?”

The man turned to her. She could read the frustration on his face. “I told my wife the last tender left at three, but she insisted it was four. Now she won’t believe me when I tell her that’s our ship sailing out of the harbor.”

“It’s so pretty, Harold. I wish you’d take a picture.”

“It is pretty. But I’m afraid your husband is right.” Laurette kept her voice soft.

The look of surprise that came over the lady’s face twisted Laurette’s heart.

“I told you, Mabel, but you wouldn’t listen.” He looked at Laurette. “What can we do? Our luggage and our friends are on that ship.” He waved his arm toward the departing vessel.

“Let me take you to the Dockside Hotel. You can stay there tonight, and we’ll get you on a flight to your ship’s next port of call. We should be able to get you on your way sometime tomorrow.”

“Can you do that?” he asked, relief sweeping over his countenance.

“I don’t like to fly,” Mabel stated harshly.

“Come now, dear. It’s all we can do, and this nice girl has offered to help us.” He put his hand on his wife’s arm and led her up the ramp to the street level.

“Do you see that building over there?” Laurette pointed to a large rustic building across the corner from the parking lot. “It’s a nice hotel where you can be comfortable until we arrange for you to rejoin your ship.”

“Why can’t we take another boat out there now?” the woman asked with a frown.

“It would be a very rough ride in a small boat. Plus, you would have to climb a ladder on the side of your ship to get on board.”

The lady smiled weakly. “How do we get to the hotel?”

“I’ll take you there. It isn’t far.”

“I’m Harold Harris, and this is my wife, Mabel. I didn’t catch your name, miss.”

“I’m Laurette Martel.” She had been walking slowly across the parking lot and now guided them across Harbor Drive to the Dockside Hotel. “The reservation desk is right there if you would like to sign for a room. I need to call my office,” she told Mr. Harris. Pulling her cell phone out of her pocket, Laurette called the SAM office. Ryan answered. “I’ve got Mr. and Mrs. Harold Harris here at the Dockside Hotel. They didn’t make it back to their ship before it sailed.”

“Their ship’s on its way to Vancouver, B.C. The Harrises will catch up with it in time to pick up their luggage and go home,” he told her.

“Can’t be helped. Should I call the airlines tonight?”

“I’ll take care of it, and I’ll notify the ship where they are. You get them settled at the hotel. Are they going to need medicine?”

“I’ll ask and get back to you,” she said, pushing the disconnect button.

She waited until Mr. Harris had finished at the desk and approached the couple. “What will you need?”