To Everything a Season (11 page)

This Trig Vee was smiling, acting totally at home, as if he arrested bank robbers every day. He had a light touch with that shotgun. Authoritative too. “Just a simple native guide—a lady who knows every inch of this region. She even showed us how to move in from the back without raising dust. And she's been praying for the lot of us this whole time.”

Jed's chest did a little tickle. “With a braid? An old lady with a braid?”

Trig Vee looked at him curiously. “Yes.”

“Prayed for
all
of us?”

“All of us. Including you two.”

And Jed's heart made a happy little leap. So a total stranger had taken up where Granny McCrary had left off shepherding her boys.

There was hope for him yet! “Tell her thank you for me.”

D
r. Bjorklund, please come!” Annika called as soon as she reached the doorway of Astrid's office. “He's starting to wake up, but something is wrong and I cannot tell what.”

They hastened down the hall together and entered Manny's room.

“Manny, can you hear me?” Astrid checked his pulse, watching his face. “Time to wake up.”

The boy whimpered and shook his head, but his lashes fluttered. Fear pulsed from him in waves, and his entire body went rigid.

“Easy now. You have nothing to be afraid of. Your brothers are in jail and will be transported back to Kentucky, where they will be confined to prison for a long time.”

“They'll find me.” Confusion battled with fear.

“No they won't. Now, you need to get better. We had to operate again, so that is why you've been sleeping so long.”

“Thirsty.”

“I'm sure you are.” She nodded to Nurse Annika, who was standing on the other side of the bed. Together they raised his head so he could swallow more easily. He drank half a glass of
water before pulling away. “Hurts.” Now he sounded like the boy he was—sad, alone, and forlorn.

“I know. We'll take care of that again, but you need to drink more. And we need to help you move some. Your leg is back in traction, but we can help you sit up.” At his nod, she and the nurse packed some pillows behind him so he was sitting up. “Okay?”

He nodded but was panting from the effort.

“Ask cook for some of that soup she made.” Astrid turned back to their patient. “Do you have any questions?”

He half shrugged.

“As soon as you eat some soup, I'll give you another injection.” She'd planned on a bath for him but decided to wait until he was out again, to mitigate the pain. “You are doing better, Manny. Your temperature is down, so the infection is lessening, and that's the best news we can have right now.” And no sign of gangrene.

“W-why are you . . . doin' this?”

“What? You mean why are we taking care of you?”

He nodded.

“Because you are wounded and need care. Do you have any family that . . .”

When he shook his head, she dropped that subject. She knew the men were from Kentucky, but if this boy didn't want to contact any other family members, so be it. Besides, if the rest were like those brothers of his, he was better off without any of them.

Annika set the bowl on the table and positioned the tray with its legs across his body. “Can you feed yourself?” He nodded, but when the spoon didn't make it to his mouth, she took over.

After a few bites, Astrid gave him the pain-killer, he ate a few more bites, and then they helped him lie back down. He was out again before they turned around.

“Do you think there is hope?” Annika asked.

“There is always hope, and right now this case is looking up. Please take supper to the other patients, and I'll check back on him. Then we will give him a real bath, not just hit and miss.”

“Can I use a brush?”

The two shared a grin and a giggle.

They continued to fight the pain and fevers for the next two days, but praise God, both seemed to be lessening.

On Tuesday evening Astrid and Elizabeth met back at the hospital.

“I feel like we live here,” Astrid said with a smile.

“Well, we pretty much do. But just think, neither one of us spent the night here last night.”

“True. I talked with Mor and she is still planning on Manny moving in with them when he's able. If all continues like right now, we may be able to move him in early July.”

“He won't be able to withdraw there like he does here.”

Manny did not answer questions about his brothers or parents or anything other than a yes and no to direct questions regarding his needs right then. He had slipped and said thank-you a few times, so they took that as an indication that he'd been taught some manners at some time. He was indeed one tough boy.

“Maybe a visitor would help.” Elizabeth chewed her bottom lip.

“I offered to bring him books, but he said he doesn't know how to read.”

“Oh, how sad. What kind of family did he come from? That does it. We need to find someone to come and read to him. Maybe he knows how to play cards or dominoes or something.”

“Mrs. Jeffers could teach him to read. We can ask kids his own age to help, possibly Linnea or Mark Solberg. You know,
when you think about it, we don't have a lot of youngsters in that age range. The older boys are all working, and Linnea helps Penny at the store. Sorry, I'm just thinking out loud.” She smiled at Elizabeth. “Of course we could sic Inga on him. She'd have him talking in no time.”

“Or talk his ears off.” The two shared a chuckle.

Nurse Annika stopped beside them. “We are almost out of ice.”

“I'll have Thorliff bring some in tomorrow. I know it's helping a lot. What did we ever do before we used ice?”

“We used wet cloths—and kept changing and changing them. Down on the Indian reservation we put those with fevers right into the creek. That worked too.”

Elizabeth shook her head. “You are one creative woman, you know. It's a shame we don't have a creek here. The Red River is too muddy to use like that.”

“He'll never know what hit him.” Astrid covered a yawn. “Let's go home.”

She turned when she heard the outside door opening and broke into a smile when Daniel came striding toward her. “How nice.”

“I brought you some mail I forgot to pick up yesterday.” He greeted Annika and Elizabeth before handing Astrid a letter. “From Chicago.”

“Let's sit over there.” She motioned to several chairs lined up at the wall. He handed her his pocket knife to slice it open. “Thank you.” Why was it her heart would pick up the pace just because he walked into the room? Unfolding the letter, she sank down on the chair and felt his knee rub against hers when he sat. She scanned the short letter and then read it aloud.

“My dear Doctors Bjorklund,

“How good it was to receive your request. I wasn't sure if you would be ready this soon or not. I have three young
women who have agreed to spend a year in Blessing for further training. I know this is a hard thing, especially for one, since her family is dependent upon her meager pay for the extra jobs she does around here. We are working on making it easier for her to be gone. Miriam Hastings is at the head of the class, and I know she will benefit greatly, as will you. The other two are Vera Wells and Corabell Nester, also fine students.

“If this meets with your approval, we will put them on the train here the last part of July. Hopefully that will give you time to prepare. If you have any questions, please give me a call. I am excited about this new training we can provide for our nurses. Perhaps soon we can set up an intern program there for our doctors in training also.

“May our Lord bless all of our efforts.

“Sincerely,

Mrs. Catherine Klein
Administrator, Alfred Morganstein Hospital for Women”

“That soon?” Elizabeth's voice squeaked on the words. “Where will we put them? For housing, I mean. I had no idea this would happen so soon.”

“Before August.” Astrid sighed. “Too soon. Too soon.”

G
randma, we are here,” Inga shouted as she came around the house, riding on her pa's shoulders.

Ingeborg rose to her feet. “Then I had better get the cookies out. Gracious, Thorliff, did you carry her all the way out here?”

He slid his daughter to the ground so she could charge up the steps and throw her good arm around her grandma. She beamed. “Ma said Grace and Jonathan are getting married very soon, and I get to come to the wedding.”

Thorliff added, “Only if you can be quiet for the service.”

Inga frowned at her father. “It's a wedding, not a service.”

Thorliff rolled his eyes and sank into the rocker across from Ingeborg. “Maybe you should go find the cookie jar.”

“Okay, Grandma?”

“Ja. It is on the counter, so you can reach it easily.”

“On a plate for everyone?” Inga ran to the doorway and paused.

“Ja.”

She disappeared inside.

Thorliff asked, “How is Pa doing?”

“He's sleeping again right now. It doesn't take much to wear
him out. Astrid and I have been working his legs and arms to help him get his strength back. The miracle is there seems to be little damage, other than the weakness, but lying in bed like that makes anyone weak, let alone whatever happened. I'm just so grateful.”

“We all are.”

From the kitchen Inga called, “Coffee too?”

Thorliff sighed and heaved himself back up on his feet. “You sit there. We will take care of this.”

“But . . .” When Ingeborg started to rise, Thorliff motioned her back and followed his daughter into the kitchen.

Inga waited for her pa to hold open the door so she could carry the cookie plate out. “This thing sure slows me down.”

Ingeborg fought the laughter that bubbled so close to the surface.

“Grandma, can Carl come visit today?”

“Maybe another time.”

“But Grandpa needs to see him too.” She held out the plate of cookies just the way her mother had instructed her in her efforts to teach her daughter manners. Sometimes it even worked, like now.

Ingeborg watched her, smiling. So Grace was finally marrying. Her mother-in-law to be had succeeded in getting Jonathan and Grace to postpone the wedding a bit, no doubt hoping it wouldn't occur at all. Uff da! This spring and summer were indeed taking different turns than others had. Nothing ever remained the same. That was for sure.

Suddenly the day came when Grace and Kaaren left on the train to go to Jonathan's graduation ceremony. While Ingeborg would love to have gone, she knew there was no leaving home
right now. She could not yet leave Haakan for so long. But he was gaining strength daily and had graduated to a cane, so he could move about by himself. Stairs seemed to be a bit daunting yet, but he spent hours on either of the porches, sometimes visiting with those who came to call, other times content to watch the land grow its crops.

“Do you think I'll be able to attend the wedding?” he asked on Thursday evening when the sun was already heading downward.

Ingeborg took his hand. “Squeeze.” He did so, then changed hands and let her test the other one. “You are getting stronger, that's for sure, but you have to be able to handle the stairs, both here and at the church.”

“You would go without me, right?”

“I don't want to, but Freda will be here in case you need anything.”

“Good.” He gazed off at nothing for a while. “Grace will be a lovely bride, and Jonathan already seems like a member of the family. They have big plans for the deaf school.”

“I know, yet what he dreams about is farming, just as he has every summer. Between you and Lars on the farming and Thorliff's crew on construction, he has received a well-rounded education.”

“He doesn't care much for repairing machinery, but he is willing to learn.” Haakan sighed. “There is so much more to learn now than when we started out. All that machinery is supposed to make a man's life easier. Instead, we farm more land or different crops, and the pace seems to pick up all the time.” He cupped both hands over the handle of his carved maple cane and rested his chin on his hands. “I never tire of looking out over the land. It changes moment by moment.”

“God is so good to us.”

“That He is. I thought perhaps I was going to go on to heaven
this time, but He let me stay here.” He laid one hand over hers. “But when He calls me, I am ready to go. John and I talked about heaven the other day when he was here. Beautiful as this is, heaven is even more so.” He nodded slowly, pensively. “I do hope there is farming there, for that is what I love the best. Other than you and our families.”

The birds twittered overhead, parents bringing meals to their hungry brood.

Love brimmed over and ran down her cheeks. “I hope your time is a long time away.” She sniffed. “I'm not ready to say good-bye yet.”

He turned to smile at her over his shoulder. “But, my dearest Ingeborg, it is not good-bye, but rather, ‘I'll see you soon.'”

“Ja, I believe that, but I'm selfish. I want you here where I can touch you and feed you and laugh with you and enjoy moments such as this.”

“Ja. That is how I feel too.”

For a man of few words, he had just poured the gift of his thoughts into the reservoir of her heart, for her to take out and remember when she needed them.

The morning of the wedding, Ingeborg cut all the roses she could find, along with the daisies and the lily of the valley growing in the shade. The flowers would add a beautiful touch to make this celebration perfect. She stuck them all in buckets of water and sent them on to the church with Kaaren when she stopped by.

“Don't you worry, we have plenty of help, and it looks like a beautiful day, a perfect day for a wedding—neither too hot nor raining.”

Ingeborg looked heavenward. “Thank you, Lord.”

“Will Haakan be able to come?”

“He is planning on it, determined man that he is.”

Kaaren frowned. “Will you need help?”

“Most likely. We'll go early. Thorliff, Andrew, and Daniel are coming. They said they'd carry him out in a chair, if need be.” She gave Kaaren a hug. “Don't let the thought of Mrs. Gould give you any concern. We are not New York and have no plans to be so. If she can't appreciate the life her son has chosen here, she is the one who will be the loser. How's Grace?”

“Remarkably composed, ever since she came over and talked with you. Did I tell you that she asked me to sign the service for our deaf friends who are visiting?”

“That will indeed be beautiful.”

Through all the preparations and plans, the wedding had hovered out there somewhere, an event far in the future. Then it was here. Right now. This minute.

Their young men helped Haakan down the steps and into the buggy and out again at the church. They seated their father in the second row from the back, as he'd asked.

“Tusen takk,” he whispered and gripped their hands.

Ingeborg settled down beside him but on the aisle so she could see better. And enjoy the fragrances! They floated from the flowers at the windows, at the altar, on the steps up to the altar, and anywhere else a bouquet could sit.
It's a wonder that there are any
blossoms left in any garden in town with all the
flowers I cut,
she thought with a smile.

So many people stopped on their way to their seats to greet Haakan that he glanced at Ingeborg and shook his head. He leaned close and whispered. “I've not been gone that long.”

“You were missed.”

He nodded and rested his hands on his cane as the organ came to life when Elizabeth's fingers caressed the keys. Music,
flowers, peace—a wonderful way to bless the ceremony. Inga sat next to Haakan, with Thorliff beside her.

The men gathered at the front. Jonathan had asked Trygve to stand up with him, and Sophie almost danced down the aisle to stand up for her twin sister. When the organ moved from Handel into Mendelssohn, everyone stood and turned to see Grace. She and Lars paused in the doorway. Instead of walking, she floated down the aisle, her gaze never leaving that of the man she had loved for so long.

Inga had come to stand right at the edge of the pew and, turning to smile at her grandma, sighed. “They are so beautiful.” She sniffed the roses on the end of the pew and snuggled in between the arm of the pew and her grandma.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God and this company. . . .” John Solberg's voice carried both authority and blessing as he recited the wedding ceremony.

Kaaren stood off to the side, signing as he spoke, and Elizabeth played the organ so softly that they almost didn't notice it was there. Jonathan and Grace both repeated their vows in firm voices, their eyes pledging more than words ever could.

After the final prayer and blessing, John Solberg lifted his arms. “I now pronounce you man and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Gould. You may kiss your bride.” After the kiss he turned to the congregation. “The cake and a few other refreshments will be served in the basement, although as lovely as it is today, we could all go outside.”

Grace beamed as though the sun had taken up residence behind her eyes. She put her arm through Jonathan's, and together they greeted their guests as they made their way back down the aisle.

Haakan and Ingeborg visited with the guests while they waited for the folks to go ahead of them down the stairs.

“Are you sure you can manage those stairs?” Thorliff asked.
“Perhaps it would be better if we set you up under the cottonwood tree and brought the cake to you.”

“That's a good idea.” Haakan nodded to his son. “Takk.”

Good idea, indeed. It wasn't long before everyone brought their food outside, and the bride and groom came out as well to visit with them.

Ingeborg smiled when Mr. and Mrs. Gould came walking toward them. Mr. Gould looked older, for sure, but more dignified than ever. Age certainly became him.

She held out her hand. “So good to see you again, Mr. Gould. We are glad you could come.”

“Mrs. Bjorklund, I want you to meet my wife, Geraldine.”

Mrs. Gould nodded, her parasol shading her face. “How do you do. My husband has always spoken highly of you.” So this was Jonathan's mother. She was unlike her son in every way. He was robust, she thin and angular yet without looking frail. And sour. And grumpy looking, something Jonathan never was. With a smile that never quite made it to her eyes.

“And Mr. Bjorklund, I am so glad to see you up and about.” Gould shook Haakan's hand. But when Haakan made to rise to meet his wife, Gould put his hand out. “Please, we need not stand on formality. My wife and I are happy to be able to celebrate this time with you.”

Ingeborg smiled and nodded. Happy? Certainly not Mrs. Gould. Ingeborg wished Mrs. Gould could just relax and enjoy herself, engage in the happiness of this day. “I do hope you'll be able to remain in Blessing a few days at least and—”

“I'm afraid we cannot,” both Goulds said simultaneously.

Mr. Gould added, “We have commitments in both Minneapolis and Chicago, so we must leave on the eastbound train tomorrow morning.” He glanced around. “Is there by any chance a chair for my wife?”

By Ingeborg's elbow, Thorliff said, “I will bring one right out.” He returned in a moment and set a chair, a padded one from the church narthex, in the shade of the tree. “Sir, would you like one too?”

“No, thank you.” He seated his wife and whispered something in her ear. She nodded tersely.

“Let me bring you some refreshments.” Thorliff hurried off.

What to say? Could Ingeborg dispel the dissatisfaction in the woman's face? Probably not. “You must be very proud of your son, graduating with honors like that.”

“Yes. He lived up to his word, to the agreement he made with his father to do well in his studies.” She didn't sound particularly pleased.