No Distance Too Far

by Lauraine Snelling

  Ellie chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m glad Andrew has never wanted to be anywhere but here. I don’t know what I’d do if I were you. What does Elizabeth say?”

  “She doesn’t talk about it.” That was another thing that bothered Ingeborg. Elizabeth was counting on Astrid to come home and help her with the surgery and their dream of a traveling clinic and a real hospital. While two years would go by fast, the possibility of a change in plans had been a terrible disappointment. Lord, I’ve prayed for them both. And I’ve prayed for me. You know all my prayers. Sometimes, in this situation, I wonder if you are really listening.

  “You sleeping, Gamma?” The little hand on her arm made her smile and open her eyes.

  “Just thinking.”

  “You praying.” Emmy nodded, her dark eyes intent.

  “Ah, little one. You want to come on my lap?”

  “Yes.” She scrambled up, using the rocker of the chair as a step, and snuggled close.

  Carl came to her other side. “Me too?”

  With one in each arm, Ingeborg smiled at Ellie. “This morning I was so tired, Haakan ordered me to bed.” Ellie arched an eyebrow, which made Ingeborg smile. “Yes, he did, and yes, I went. I had just woken when you all came across the field. I was trying to figure out where everyone was.”

  “Andrew and Lars are seeding the south section, and Solem and Haakan are disking the west. They were all at our house for dinner, which worked out perfect. After I got things cleaned up, Carl and I went out and worked in the garden. The potatoes are up, and since he helped plant those, he watches them carefully.”

  Carl nodded and looked up at Ingeborg. “My ’tatoes.”

  “We used to have a hoe with a sawed-off handle for the children. We need to check down in the tool shed and see if it is still there. It used to be hanging on the wall.”

  “I’ll have Andrew check.”

  “Men coming,” Emmy said.

  “Which men?”

  “Grampa and Andrew. Milk cows.”

  Ingeborg heard the telephone ringing, but before she counted the rings, Emmy said, “For us.” She slid off Ingeborg’s lap and headed into the house, Carl right after her. Ingeborg stood, stretched, and then followed them.

  She lifted the earpiece from the base. “Hello.”

  “Mor, you better come. I think Elizabeth is getting worse.” Thor-liff’s voice sounded tight with fear.

  “I’ll be right there.”

  “I’ll come for you. I have the horse all harnessed.”

  I knew I should have gone in there, but here I am taking life easy when Elizabeth needs me. Ingeborg set the earpiece back and turned to see Ellie and Emmy starting to set the table.

  “We’ll take care of things here. You go on, and our prayers will go too.”

  “Takk. Mange takk.” Lord, help me know what to do for Elizabeth. Ingeborg brought her black bag out of the pantry, mentally skipping through her simples to see what might bring down the swelling and what might give Elizabeth strength. Beef broth and a mild tea might help. All the while she muttered to herself until she looked up and caught Emmy staring at her.

  “Inga come here?”

  “Perhaps.”

  “Good.” She patted Ingeborg’s hand. “You make doctor better.”

  “I pray that is so.” She glanced up to Ellie. “I’m going to call John and have him ask others to pray. I wish if there were new things that would help, I knew of them.”

  “Maybe Astrid has learned some new things. You could telephone her and ask.”

  “Interesting how I never think to use the telephone. I wonder how to get ahold of Dr. Morganstein. She would know, if anyone does.”

  “Elizabeth will know how to reach her.”

  “True.” What did Thorliff mean by “getting worse”? Ingeborg fretted as she went out to meet her son. Would she have enough strength to sustain her until they could know what to do? Lord, we need you.

  17

  By the time they arrived, Elizabeth was asleep and Ingeborg couldn’t see anything unusual, so she joined Thelma in the kitchen to finish making supper while Thorliff took Freda back home. Ingeborg checked on Elizabeth through the night but didn’t notice any changes. The next morning she sat waiting for Elizabeth to wake.

  “He worries more than a wet hen,” Elizabeth muttered when she saw Ingeborg there.

  “Only about you.” Ingeborg felt Elizabeth’s ankles and feet. There was some swelling but not any worse than the day before. “What made him think you were worse?”

  “I got dizzy when I stood up and had to sit down real quick on the edge of the bed. He’d get dizzy too if he spent as much time in bed as I have.” Lines furrowed her brow. “He says I fainted, but I was just dizzy.”

  “Of course he’d have to be pregnant to get the same feelings.” The two smiled at each other. Are the circles under her eyes darker, her skin more translucent, or am I, like Thorliff, imagining things? Ingeborg held Elizabeth’s wrist and counted her pulse. At least with this she could check records. She glanced at the paper she kept on the nightstand. About the same.

  “I listened to the baby’s heartbeat, and it is holding steady. Inge-borg, you know I know and understand what is going on. If I feel truly worse, I will tell you.”

  “Is that a promise?”

  Elizabeth paused for a moment before she nodded. “I promise.”

  “Keep in mind that you might not always be objective. Your desire to take care of others is far stronger than your desire to take care of yourself.” Ingeborg plumped the pillows so Elizabeth could sit up more comfortably.

  “I am not an invalid.”

  “I know that, but you are a rather difficult patient.”

  “Doctors are supposed to be so. It’s the law.”

  Ingeborg chuckled. “How much have you been up?”

  “Only to the bathroom.”

  “What’s wrong with the potty chair in here?”

  “Inga thinks it the funniest thing ever.”

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “I hate to make more work for Thelma and Freda.” Elizabeth held up her hands, palms out. “All right. I promise that too. I will use the seat in here. I will drink plenty of water. I will stay in bed. Can Emmy come and play with Inga here in my room? I so love to watch them. Surely reading to them won’t tax my strength.”

  “All right, if you promise to send them out when you start to feel tired.”

  Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Maybe you’d better rephrase that. I feel bone weary all the time, but yes, I will send them off when I need to sleep.” Hands flat on the sheet that covered her, she sighed. “Please forgive me for being cranky. I know you are all trying your best to help me keep this baby. I guess the good Lord is trying to teach me some patience.”

  “You want me to read to you?”

  “Oh, please do. I’ve been reading the Psalms. The reminders to praise God are as necessary to me as breathing. You know all the times Kaaren reads at the quilting? That’s my favorite part. I just wish I could go more often.”

  “The kind of sewing you do has lasting consequences.” Ingeborg picked up the Bible lying beside the lamp and sat down in the rocker kept close beside the bed. “How about ninety-one to start with? ‘He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. . . .’ ”

  A bit later, with Elizabeth sleeping peacefully, a light tap on the door brought Ingeborg to her feet. Thelma stuck her head in and whispered, “There’s an emergency downstairs.”

  Ingeborg made her way down the stairs right behind the housekeeper. “What’s happening?”

  “Man bit by a raccoon that was foaming at the mouth. He’s in the first treatment room. Their dog got bit too.”

  “Thank you. Is the sterile tray ready?”

  “Ja, do you need help?”

  “I’ll call you if I do. Could you please telephone Freda and ask her to bring the girls in here? Elizabeth says them playing in her ro
om helps her.”

  Thelma went off, shaking her head and muttering. But Ingeborg knew she would do as asked. If it took walking barefoot on coals to help Elizabeth, Thelma would be the first one to take her shoes and stockings off.

  Ingeborg washed her hands in the sink in the hallway and entered the examining room. “God dag, sir. Dr. Bjorklund is indisposed, so I will be helping you today. I am Mrs. Bjorklund. Can you tell me what happened?”

  “Can I speak Norwegian? My English is not so good.”

  “Of course.”

  With a grateful smile he told her of seeing the raccoon attack the dog, and in going to save the dog, getting bitten himself. When he realized the situation, he got his gun and shot the raccoon.

  “You need to shoot your dog too, I’m sorry to say. Rabies is highly contagious.”

  “Other than stitch up this rip, what can you do for me?”

  “It is already in your bloodstream, so when the symptoms strike— fever is the first indication—you come back, and we will do all we can to nurse you through it.”

  “Does everyone die from a rabies bite?”

  “No, but I’ll be honest with you, we have a hard battle ahead.” Ingeborg cleansed the wound as she talked and got ready to put a few stitches in. “Do you need some help, or can you stand this?”

  “I doubt it will hurt more than what you’ve been doing.”

  “Sorry. I should have warned you.” Ingeborg sprinkled alcohol on the wound and proceeded to stitch the slashed skin closed. “I’m going to spread honey on the wound now, as it helps with both disinfecting and healing. Keep it bandaged, and I would suggest a sling for a few days to keep from banging it. Do you have a wife or someone to help you change the bandages?”

  “Yes. My wife and our two children are at home.”

  “Where are you working?”

  “For a farmer south of town. Owner told me to ride up here and get fixed up.”

  “I see. Well, return as soon as you feel the symptoms.”

  “Mrs. Bjorklund, I don’t have money for all this.”

  “We don’t deny medical care because someone has no money. We’ve all been there. You just come. Is there a telephone at the farm where you are?”

  “No, ma’am. My cousin, who brought me here to help him, doesn’t much like newfangled things.”

  Ingeborg showed him to the door, her heart heavy. Lord, what can we do to help this young man? If there was one rabid raccoon, there would be other rabid animals in that area. “Go with God.”

  “Ja, I will.”

  She watched as he swung aboard the workhorse using the fence as a mounting block, since he had no saddle, and one handed, with the wounded arm clutched to his chest. She’d forgotten to ask him how far away the farm was, but Thorliff or Haakan would surely know. How they kept track of all the families in the valley was beyond her.

  “You leave that for me,” Thelma ordered as soon as Ingeborg returned to the examining room. “I will clean up.”

  “I’ll go check on Elizabeth, then. Is Freda bringing the girls in?”

  “She said after dinner.”

  “Do you know where Thorliff is?”

  “He prints the paper tonight.”

  “I think I’ll go talk with him. Maybe he can put an article in regarding rabid animals south of here.” Stepping out on the porch, she stopped to inhale the fresh air, and then followed the path over to Thorliff’s office and the home of the Blessing Gazette.

  Pushing open the door, the smell of ink smote her. Inga always called it stinky, but to Ingeborg it smelled of newspapers and hard work. Thorliff dreamed of having a more modern printer, but he kept investing his money in other projects. He wanted to put out a daily someday. Now he’d be satisfied to go to twice a week as soon as possible. But he needed an extra person to work for him to make that happen. Maybe they needed to see if there were any more relatives in Norway who wanted to come over, or maybe someone else from Valdres, Norway. He’d said he was going to start running advertisements in regional newspapers stating that there were plenty of jobs to be had in the booming town of Blessing.

  “Is she all right?” he asked, barely looking up from the layout he was still working on.

  “Yes. You are not to worry.”

  “Right. That is so easy to say and hard to do. You didn’t see her face. Just dizzy, my foot.” He nodded toward the printer. “You want to come set type for me?”

  “Remember how Astrid used to do that? She is so quick with her hands.”

  “And her mind,” he said rather abruptly. “What brings you out here if Elizabeth is okay?”

  Ingeborg hesitated. She knew her son well enough to know he was trying to avoid talking to her. Yet he had called her there to help Elizabeth. Maybe it was just getting to be too much for him. “I just treated a young man for a raccoon bite. His forearm was slashed rather severely.”

  Thorliff nodded and turned his head slightly. “And?”

  “And the raccoon was rabid, foaming at the mouth. He shot the raccoon, and I told him to shoot his dog too, which had also been bitten. I thought maybe you could put a short article in the paper about rabid animals south of here and what people should do.”

  “Besides shoot them on sight?”

  “I know. But some need to be reminded.”

  “I’ll take care of that. I’ll have to make room on this page. The others are all set.”

  “Thank you.” She turned to leave but stopped when he started to say something else. At the door opening behind her, she turned to see who it was. “Why, Mr. Jeffers, how good to see you.” Never would she have thought to say those words, because the imposter Harlan Jeffers they first met had been a scoundrel who bought the general store from Penny and ran it into the ground.

  The young man removed his fedora. His dark unruly hair still tumbled down on his forehead. “Good day to you too, Mrs. Bjorklund. I am glad to be back in Blessing and with a bit of news.”

  “You found your father’s grave.”

  “How did you know?”

  “My mother often knows things the rest of us don’t. Sit down.” Thorliff rose to shake his hand.

  “I know you are busy. I’m going to go check into the boardinghouse, and then I’m going to talk with Hjelmer. Any chance we could bring Haakan into this discussion—and Lars?”

  “If you wait until this evening. They are seeding and need to get it into the ground.” Ingeborg nodded to both of the men. “I must get back to my post. I’d like to come to the meeting too, if that wouldn’t be a bother.”

  “You know Far would invite you whether you asked or not. He always values your opinion.”

  “As do we all,” Mr. Jeffers added.

  “Well, my curiosity is certainly piqued,” Ingeborg said with a smile. “You are welcome to come to our house. I’m sure Freda is baking pies today.”

  “Mor has been filling in for the doctor since my wife is under the weather.”

  “Where is your sister?”

  “She is attending missionary school in Georgia, after doing a surgical rotation at a hospital in Chicago. Lots of exciting things going on here.”

  “Missionary school?”

  Ingeborg stayed instead of leaving, interested to hear his reaction to Thorliff’s words. She got the feeling he’d been looking forward to seeing Astrid. Hmm.

  “She feels that God is calling her to go to Africa.” Thorliff’s voice tightened.

  “Africa?” The shock on his face said more than the words.

  “For a two-year term of service. At least she is hoping for the confirmation of that. Otherwise I’m not sure what she will do.” Ingeborg felt like she was pouring oil on troubled waters.

  “Other than come home where she belongs and is very much needed,” Thorliff muttered.

  Ingeborg studied her elder son. Was that resentment she was hearing or just frustration because right now his wife needed help? While he’d been pretty quiet when Astrid made her announcement, having the two doctors
serving here and building a hospital had been Thorliff’s plan as much as anyone’s. When he wouldn’t meet her gaze, she caught herself wondering what was going on. Thorliff had always been honest and forthright to a fault. Was he hiding something?

  “I don’t want to be far away from Elizabeth right now. Let’s have the meeting here. Thelma can fix something for supper so we can eat and talk at the same time.”

  Something was out of kilter. She was sure of it. “I’ll ask Haakan and Lars to leave the milking to the others and meet us here, then.

  What time?”

  “As soon as possible. I’ll get ahold of Hjelmer.”

  “What about the paper?”

  “I’ll print it tonight, same as always.”

  Ingeborg turned to Mr. Jeffers. “Is there a reason for us to hurry on this meeting or can it be scheduled for tomorrow night?”

  “Tonight would be better for me. I need to get home and help my mother. I haven’t told her the news yet, not something I want to do over the telephone.”

  “I see. Then tonight it will be.” Ingeborg headed for the house before any more discussion. Inside, she called home and told Freda what was happening. “If you could tell the men as soon as they come up with the horses, that would be good. Are you bringing the girls in?”

  “I just haven’t had time. Inga said they could walk by themselves, but I didn’t feel right letting them do that. As soon as these pies come out—”

  “Bring two of the pies with you when you come. We’ll serve those for dessert. Thelma will have her hands full as it is.”

  “How’s Elizabeth?”

  “Sleeping again. She is having a hard time staying in bed.”

  “I would too, but that must mean she is better. Oh, Pastor Solberg called. He asked for you to call him back.”

  “All right.” Ingeborg hung up the telephone and walked slowly to the kitchen, pondering all that was going on. Why didn’t John just call here if he knew where she was? She’d half expected him to show up this afternoon when she was praying for that young man. She paused and thought a bit. What was his name? Oh, Lord, am I now losing my mind? Still in the hallway, she stopped and leaned against the wall. Weariness rolled over her like a sudden storm. She ached in more places than she could count. Am I catching something? If so, I need to stay away from Elizabeth. But then who would take care of her? She stuck her head into the kitchen.