Beth Carpenter - Sweet Home Alaska

“Good soup,” he told Libby.

“Wait until you taste my akutaq. I had to fight off my grandkids to save you some.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

Libby took a drink from her coffee. “I thought last night you said this was your first time in Alaska.”

“It is.”

“Then how do you know our Volta?”

He took his time with another spoonful of soup before answering. “I knew her in Hawaii.”

“Volta was in Hawaii? I thought she grew up in Alaska.”

“She did, but she was in college in Hawaii while I was doing my residency at Royal Honolulu Hospital.”

“Hmm.” Libby was clearly not satisfied with that answer. “And you were friends, in Hawaii.”

“Yes.” Much more than friends, but that was between him and Volta.

“I never heard about that. You kept in touch?”

“No.”

“But you came to Alaska to reconnect with her.”

“I came to Alaska on the assignment we talked about yesterday.” And maybe partially to find Volta. Maybe mostly to find Volta. But officially, he was here on assignment.

“Hmm.” Libby clearly wasn’t buying it.

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.