Home Sweet Alaska

by Beth Carpenter

  “Good thing we’re in the smallest plane. Talpukna’s landing strip isn’t any longer than the one at Sparks. Does Ruby know you’re coming?”

  Scott’s note listed his contact as Ruby Byrd. Impressive that Volta knew the name of the health aide in a random village without any prompting. “Yes. The plan is to spend the first part of the day with her, and then fly to Black Bear to meet with Benny Hunter.”

  “Be prepared. Benny has opinions. Numerous and strongly held.”

  “That’s good. I can find out a lot by talking to these people.”

  Volta tilted her head and addressed one of her colleagues at the coffee machine. “Jim, wasn’t it Talpukna where you evacuated the pregnant woman in a diabetic coma a few months ago?”

  “Yeah. February. It was touch and go, but she made it.” He shook his head. “The baby didn’t.”

  Scott nodded. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t save them all, but most times, against all odds, they saved a life. And that was why they did what they did.

  “Back here after Black Bear?” Volta asked Scott.

  “Yes. We have a lot to cover, though. It may be a late evening.”

  “No problem. I’m on a twenty-four-hour shift anyway. Emma’s spending the night with my folks.”

  Bernie sat down at the table and outlined what they had scheduled for the day and what level of care they’d need to provide for the long-haul transport to Boston. There was some general discussion before Bernie looked at his watch. “All right, then. The ambulance from the base hospital should be here in about thirty minutes. The jet is fueled. Let’s get her loaded.” He turned to Scott. “Once they’re on their way, you’re up.”

  “Understood.”

  The teams secured the necessary equipment in the jet for transport. Scott helped. “Take good care of this guy,” one of the men mentioned to Jaci, the assigned paramedic. “He’s a vet. His mom lives down the street from me. Good man.”

  “What can he get in Boston that he can’t get here?” Scott asked.

  “He’s an amputee. Lost both hands. They’re evaluating him for a possible transplant.”

  “That’s fantastic.”

  The crew rolled the plane from the hangar. Shortly afterward, the ambulance arrived, and they transported the patient on board. The young man had a joke and smile for everyone. A few minutes later, the jet taxied out toward the runway.

  “We should be ready to go in twenty,” Mike told Scott and Volta.

  “Okay.” Volta motioned to Scott. “Did they assign you a flight suit?”

  “No, but—”

  “Company policy,” Bernie told him. “Last time you were hitchhiking back, but if you’re flying with us, you need a flame-retardant suit. Volta, can you take care of that?”

  “Sure.” Volta gestured for Scott to follow her. “I’m sure we have something that will work.” They left the hangar, and Volta led him through the adjoining office space and upstairs to a large room with a couple of couches, a television and a compact kitchen.

  She took a hallway to the right, which led to an area with computers, phones, a fax machine and filing cabinets. She opened a door and stepped into a large walk-in closet. Scott followed behind her. A row of blue flight suits hung on the rails. She swept her eyes over him and selected one, holding it up beside him. “I think this will fit you.”

  “How about you?”

  “I’ve got mine in my bag. I’ll change in the other room, so you can get dressed in here. I’ll meet you in the middle in five minutes.”

  Scott stripped down, stepped into the jumpsuit and zipped it up. Not the scrubs he was used to wearing when he worked, but comfortable enough. In the living area, he found Volta already dressed. He waved a hand toward the other hallway. “What’s back there?”

  “Sleeping quarters.”

  “You sleep here?”

  “Sometimes. Especially when I’m in the first team up on call. But my house is within ten minutes, so I mostly sleep in my own bed.”

  “How many days a week are you on duty?”

  “It varies. I work eight twenty-four-hour days a month. Sometimes they’re packed in together, and sometimes spread out. Come on. Let’s see if Mike is ready to fly.”

  Scott followed her down the stairs. “I was wondering how you manage such an unpredictable job along with being a single mom, but I can see it has its advantages.”

  “Yes. I volunteer in Emma’s classroom twice a month, and if they have a field trip or something planned, I try to schedule it so I’m free to chaperone. On the days I’m on duty, Emma stays over with my mom and dad. They only live a couple of blocks from me, so Emma rides the same school bus. It works out well.”

  She walked over to a row of shelves and lifted a box labeled Black Bear. She rifled through the items inside and then closed the box and carried it with her to the plane.

  “What’s that?” Scott asked.

  “Sometimes the villages have people drop off items they need transported, and we bring them along when we come. Benny must have had a relative send a few things he can’t get in the village.”

  At the plane, Mike completed his checklist, and soon they were soaring far above Anchorage. Scott gazed out the window, watching the snowcapped mountains in the distance. Train tracks snaked across a valley and crossed a winding river, only to cross again in another few miles. They followed the valley for a while before flying over a mountain pass to a second, more heavily wooded watershed.

  After almost an hour of flying, Scott spotted a landing strip carved out from the forest. The town was clustered between the landing strip and a bluff overlooking a wide blue river. Mike set the plane down and they climbed out. Volta led the way.

  Mike walked on past. “I’ll head over to the diner,” Mike said. “Call me when you’re ready to go.”

  “Okay.” Volta opened the door and called, “Ruby, are you here?” as she stepped inside.

  A middle-aged woman with black hair swept up in a loose bun stepped in from another room and exchanged greetings with Volta and Mike.

  “Ruby Byrd, this is Dr. Scott Willingham,” Volta said. “Ruby is the community health aide here in Talpukna.”

  “Hello, Doctor.” Ruby was tall, only a few inches shorter than Scott. She wore a blue calico dress with a deep front pocket and a ruffled hem over faded jeans. As she shook his hand, she studied his face as though she was trying to size him up.

  “Call me Scott.”

  Ruby nodded. “I got your email, but I’m not sure exactly what you want from me. Do you want to see the clinic records?”

  “No, nothing like that. I only want to know about the challenges you face in a remote village like this.”

  She shrugged. “It’s mostly blood pressure and temps. Bandages and braces. If it’s more than I can handle, I send them to Anchorage. I just do the best I can.”

  Volta stepped closer and smiled. “Scott isn’t here to evaluate you. Somebody donated a bunch of money to help bring better prenatal care in the villages, and they decided the first step would be sending someone to talk to people and find out the best strategies to support you. So they don’t have the prom scenario again.”

  Ruby laughed. Scott shot a quizzical look at Volta.

  “One of the high school girls won some dream prom contest,” Volta explained to him. “The package was for a five-hundred-dollar dress, tux rental, flowers, hairstyling and a limo for twelve friends.”

  “But we only have about a hundred and twenty students in school,” Ruby said. “Only eight graduated that year, and the closest thing we have to a prom is a village potlatch in the gym.”

  “It was supposed to be a big surprise,” Volta said. “The dress company sent a representative and film crew to ambush the girl. They were really excited about filming in a small town in Alaska until they figured out there were no pave
d roads, no limos and no prom.”

  “What did they do?” Scott asked. “I assume there was some clause in the rules?”

  Ruby smiled. “Technically she was disqualified, but they’d already come all the way here to film her getting the prize.”

  “And Markie was particularly photogenic,” Volta pointed out. “Everyone huddled and they came up with an alternate prize.”

  “She got the dress,” Ruby explained. “And they allowed her to use her limo allowance for an air taxi to Anchorage for the Alaska Teen pageant.”

  “She came in second and won a scholarship,” Volta said. “She’s a senior at UAF now, studying nursing. She’s also done some modeling work for the dress company.”

  “Sounds like it all worked out, then,” Scott said. “But yes, that’s what we’re trying to avoid. Wasting money on something you can’t use. I chose Talpukna as a place to visit because I saw you had several births in the last three years.”

  Ruby chuckled. “My nieces and nephews were responsible for five of those births.”

  “Can you walk me through the usual prenatal process?” Scott asked.

  “Yes.” Once she relaxed, Ruby was an excellent source of information on the sort of care she could and could not offer pregnant women in the village, and how things had changed over the years she’d worked as a health aide. She explained that taking an air taxi to see the doctor throughout pregnancy wasn’t in the budget for most of her patients. “A midwife comes in every month to check them.”

  “Tell me about the midwife program,” Scott urged.

  “It’s connected with the hospital in Kotzebue. They handle the prenatal, and then two weeks before they’re due to deliver, the women travel to the hospital in the city.”

  “Where do they stay?”

  “There’s a residence adjacent to the hospital for them,” Volta said.

  “How do the women feel about it?”

  Ruby shrugged. “My niece Cassie had her baby about two months ago. Do you want to talk to her?”

  “That would be great.”

  Ruby led them along the narrow street. A few four-wheelers were parked in front of buildings, but Scott didn’t see any cars. They reached a small house, and Ruby opened the door. The sound of television and children’s voices filtered out. “Cassie?” Ruby called.

  “Auntie Ruby!” Two preschoolers ran to Ruby and wrapped their arms around her knees.

  A young woman stepped from the kitchen. “Hush. Don’t wake the baby. I just got him to sleep.” She looked toward the door, her eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, hello.”

  Ruby introduced them to her niece and the children. “The doctor wants to know about the home by the hospital when the youngest was born.”

  “Come in.” Ruby’s niece led them to a small kitchen, where they all sat at a square table. The kids followed them in. The middle daughter climbed onto Ruby’s lap, while the older girl leaned against her mother and peered at Scott. On the floor in the corner, a baby slept in a homemade cradle. “What about it?”

  “How long were you there?”

  “Almost three weeks this time. It was four with this one,” Cassie put her hand on her older daughter’s head. “She always keeps us waiting.”

  The girl giggled.

  “The care is good,” Cassie continued. “But it’s boring. You know, waiting. That last month is hard anyway, and to be away from home, especially when you have other kids... I felt like I was going to be pregnant forever. My husband flew up one weekend, but he couldn’t be there when the baby came.”

  “That’s a shame.”

  “If I could, I’d stay home until it’s time to have the baby, but the doctors say it takes too long to get to a hospital.”

  “We try not to deliver a baby on a plane,” Volta said. “Lower oxygen and air pressure differences put stress on the baby and the mother. And we can’t fly in bad weather.”

  Cassie nodded. “Some of the first-timers really like being there. They get a break and meet women from other villages who are going through the same things they are.”

  “I imagine being around experienced moms like you helps the first-timers.”

  Cassie laughed. “Some of them don’t even know how to change a diaper. So I guess that part is good.”

  Cassie answered more questions candidly. The baby let out a cry. Cassie reached into the boat-shaped cradle and picked him up. “This is Sammy.”

  “Hi, Sammy.” Scott smiled at the tiny baby. “May I hold him?”

  “Sure.” Cassie seemed surprised but pleased. She passed the baby into Scott’s arms.

  Reflexively, Scott examined the baby. Good color, bright eyes. A little cradle cap, but nothing to worry about. “He’s a handsome boy.”

  “He looks like his father.”

  Scott passed the baby back to Cassie. “You have a beautiful family. Thank you for talking with me today.”

  After they stepped outside, Scott checked his watch. “I guess we’d better round up our pilot and head out.”

  “Or we could take Ruby to lunch first,” Volta whispered. “Mike said he’d be at the diner,” she said louder.

  “Great idea.” Scott turned to Ruby. “May I buy you lunch before we head out, as a small thank-you for all your help?”

  “I... Yes that would be nice.” Ruby smiled. “Although I don’t know that I was much help.”

  “Believe me, you were. The information you’ve given me was invaluable.”

  After lunch, Mike flew them to Black Bear. Once they’d climbed out of the plane, Volta stopped and pulled out her cell phone. “Good. Three bars. I didn’t have any in Talpukna. Can you give me a minute? I want to check in with Emma.”

  “Sure.”

  Volta walked a few steps away, but Scott could hear snippets of the conversation. “This afternoon? Yes, that’s fine. Can’t wait to hear all about it when I get home tonight. Love you to infinity. Bye.”

  She caught up with Scott, a smile on her face. “Emma has her first riding lesson this afternoon. She’s so excited, she’s about to ignite.”

  “That’s great. I’m sure she’ll enjoy it.”

  “Come on.” Volta led the way. “I’ll introduce you to Benny.”

  Just as Volta had predicted, Benny Hunter, the community health aide at Black Bear, had opinions on everything from the model of plane they flew in on to the best brand of dental floss. In fact, when he opened the box Volta delivered, it contained a twelve-pack of his favorite floss, along with some first aid supplies.

  They followed him into the clinic, where he put away the supplies. “So, what’s this study for?” Benny asked suspiciously. “To get some sort of grant or something?”

  “It’s kind of the opposite,” Scott explained. “They have the grant, but they want to figure out how to use it to do the most good.”

  “Scott is with Doctors, Education and Medicine for All,” Volta said. “They hired them for the study.”

  “You work for DEMA?” Benny’s expression told Scott he’d just stepped up a notch in Benny’s estimation. “Okay, what do you need to know?”

  Three hours later, Scott had collected a massive amount of information, some of it pertaining to the subject at hand. It was going to take some work to organize everything he’d gathered.

  They each shook Benny’s hand, found Mike at the diner where he was watching a baseball game with a group of locals, and headed for the plane. Before they reached it, Scott’s phone rang. He checked the screen and frowned. His dad was calling.

  “Go ahead and take it,” Mike said. “I need to run through my checklist.”

  Might as well. Scott answered the phone. “Hi, Dad.”

  “I can hardly hear you. Are you still in Alaska?”

  Scott walked a few steps closer to the plane, where Volta had her phone out and was texting. “How�
��s that?”

  “Better.”

  “Yes, I’m in Alaska doing that study I mentioned.”

  “When will you be done?”

  “Not sure. Why?”

  “Because it’s time. We didn’t finish our talk while you were here, but you’ve been saving the world for ten years now. When are you going to join my practice and make some money?”

  Scott shook his head. “You’ve been making money for a lot longer than that. When are you going to shut down your practice and save the world?”

  His dad scoffed. “Seriously. I can barely meet the demand. I’m going to have to bring on another surgeon. It should be you.”

  “Thanks, but no thanks. That’s not the kind of surgery I do.”

  “No reason it shouldn’t be. You can always learn.”

  “I could. But I don’t want to take up sports surgery.”

  “Think about it. I’m not kidding about expanding the practice. I need you here.”

  “You’ll be fine without me. Got to go, Dad. A plane is waiting. Talk with you later.” He ended the call.

  Volta looked up. “Sorry, but I couldn’t help overhearing. Your dad?”

  “Yep.”

  “He’s still trying to get you to join his sports medicine practice?”

  Scott nodded. “He says I’ve spent enough time saving the world.”

  “Like he would know.” Volta rolled her eyes. “Is he still promising to name it Willingham and Son?”

  “I don’t know. We didn’t get that far.”

  Volta pocketed her phone. “Ready to board?”

  He nodded and followed her to the door. “Good day. Lots of useful information, and I doubt they’d have been as open if you weren’t there to vouch for me.” He smiled at her. “I’m glad you decided to come along.”

  She returned the smile. “Me, too.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  THE MINUTE VOLTA stepped into the doorway at her parents’ house, a missile flew across the living room to hug her. “Mommy!”

  Volta wrapped her arms around her daughter. “Hi, sweetie. How was the riding lesson?”

  “Awesome! Granddaddy got video. Come look.”