Alaskan Christmas by Maryann Landers

Author:Maryann Landers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Maryann Landers

CHAPTER 8

The nurses raised the railing on the bed and showed me where the call button was. They’d moved Collin into the room and hooked him up to a few different machines, each signaling something or other to them at their nurses’ station. It was all Greek to me, but I’d nodded like I knew some of what they were saying. All I knew was that they were close by if we needed them.

I stood holding Collin’s hand, and the warmth of his fingers reassured me he was on the other side of the worst part of this day.

"We’ll be back in about fifteen minutes to check his vitals," the nurse stated as she touched my shoulder and turned the overhead lights off near the head of the bed.

"Thanks." I kept my voice quiet as I answered her, then leaned close to Collin. Gauze stretched across his forehead and wrapped around to the back of his head, covering his ears.

I wanted to pull back his bandage, clasp his face in my palms and kiss him. More than that, I wanted to press rewind and restart the day before when we’d disagreed about the wedding reception. How could we have handled it differently?

Collin slept, unaware of the storm I’d battled over the last few hours. The waves of worry and fear, then the crashing realities of the accident. His breathing was peaceful, and I didn’t want to disturb him, so I eased into the chair at the foot of the bed.

I’d swum upstream over the last few years. Graduating from high school and going to Bible school out of state, I’d spread my wings of independence. Now, in the last year of college, I was well on my way to being one of the first females in my family to pursue an education beyond high school. It was an opportunity I realized not many of my relatives had had. I anticipated wearing my graduation cap with honor. But now, would I have to set aside my last semester and find a job? Would Collin and I both have to work to make ends meet and pay these medical bills? Even if friends did give us money and meals, it would certainly only cover a fraction of the cost.

I laid my head back and let out a sigh. I was sure my parents had depended on God and others. But I’d watched them build their own log cabin one step at a time and weather hard Alaska winters alone. There were times when you really did have to rely on yourself to solve your problems and not burden other people with them. I supposed I would follow that example and ask for my job back.

Collin rustled the sheets, and I darted to the bedside. "I’m here." I coughed, holding back the emotion I’d stuffed deep down.

He moaned and turned his head to the side, his eyes still closed. "Pam?" he whispered.

"Yes." Grateful he couldn’t see my tears, I clasped his hand, which he raised off the bed.

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