Chapter Nine
A day later, on Tuesday evening and the first day of April, Deirdre took a shaky breath as Calvin pulled up in his gray mud-and-slush spattered rental sedan in front of her home. Showtime.
Tuli had been transferred to Fairbanks late this morning when the weather finally broke. He was reportedly stable and undergoing additional surgery and testing.
Before he left, Tuli apparently had recovered enough blood volume to power both brain and mouth if his social media posts were any indication. He rode a wave of renewed energy, even convening an ad hoc Breakup Festival’s hospice booth subcommittee in his ED room at morning shift change.
He and the committee members assigned jobs for the hospital leaders at the Breakup Festival. She’d known because she had attended the meeting.
When he’d dangled the possibility of Deirdre staffing a kissing booth, he and the bedside nurse had laughed a bit too long. Deirdre needed to pretend, but hello? How about some boundaries from her coworkers.
Boundaries? No.
Relentless pressure? Yes.
So, Deirdre had volunteered for the snow-pie-in-the-face booth instead.
At least she hadn’t been assigned to the ice water dunk for hospice like Calvin.
She shuddered as she gripped the back of her couch. Nothing could compel her to go into a tank of ice water. Not for a good cause. Not even in a safe, controlled environment.
A wave of air-stealing grief from her parents’ watery death hit her out of the blue.
She couldn’t breathe.
Their crashed plane through the ice. Frigid water, suffocating them.
Every part of her body dropped ten degrees.
The doorbell rang, jolting her back to reality. She rubbed her cold arms through the light pink sweater. Deirdre had barely made it home from a long day at work in time to change for tonight’s date .
Finally. A public, fake date so they could both appease the relentlessly helpful family and friends.
She glanced over at patterned couch in her living room. The room was too large for one person. The furniture was too much for one person. A framed picture caught her eye, and she swallowed a lump in her throat as she tossed up a silent apology to Elijah as she gently tucked the picture in her top desk drawer.
Crossing back across the living room was a long-distance journey filled with unknown dangers and an uncertain destination. Her well-ordered and insulated world shifted, and she scuffed a foot on the carpet, trying to regain her balance.
Reaching for the doorknob felt like a huge step. A turning point. A deliberate decision.
No. She shook her head. This was just dinner with a friend she was pretending to date. A mutually beneficial and pleasant smokescreen.
She swung the door open, and Deirdre’s mouth dropped. True to weather changes in spring, last night’s blizzard had given way to an afternoon of temperatures in the forties and melting snow. As such, Calvin didn’t have on a coat. He wore a plaid green button-down with the top button open enough to show a small dusting of dark hair. Over the shirt was a black Patagonia vest. His shoulders filled out the garments well.
Deirdre rolled her hands into loose fists, resisting the urge to pat his chest and discover how he felt under those clothes. She knew she’d find his warm, lean, solid frame beneath her fingertips. She swallowed.
Every hair on his head was in place. He wore black hiking pants, the trim waistband hinted at what lay beneath the hem of the vest.
She inhaled, catching a scent of soap and spicy aftershave, which led her to examine his smooth jaw. Unconsciously, she leaned toward him, then caught herself with a startle.
“Hello,” she managed to stammer.
“You look great, Deirdre.” His voice rumbled through her, sending a tingle down her legs. “I mean, you always look great. But you look casually great today.” He frowned. “But not too casual. Socially appropriate. Unlike work attire. Which is also socially appropriate. Uh.”
In spite of herself, she laughed, a broad, loud sound that came up from a source of pure joy. She hadn’t done that in such a long time. “You look nice, too.” In those hiking pants and flannel shirt and vest, he looked good enough to snuggle into. “Glad I’m not the only awkward one here.”
“Oh, that smooth bit?” He shrugged. “I was just breaking the ice.”
“As one does in Yukon Valley.”
His wide grin set her back on her heels. “Touché.” Leaning against the doorframe, he said, “Ready to make us Yukon Valley official?”
“Let’s walk the plank.”
“We’ll walk it together.” He pretended to tug at his collar, took her hand.
Peering up at him, she asked, “Bruce and Aggie nagging at you?”
“You have no idea. They’re in cahoots with the hospital staff’s matchmakers.”
“The staff is relentless. I got all kinds of hints about how well we worked together yesterday.”
“We did. Professionally speaking.”
“Exactly.” Somehow her agreement felt a half degree off plumb. “When I tried to refocus their attention elsewhere, they keep circling back. They’re like lynxes, able to stalk a topic for hours at a time.”
“They work fast to set people up.”
“I wish they’d do their quarterly training modules as quickly.”
The low bark of his laugh caught her off guard, but she chuckled along with him.
“Always the administrator,” he said.
She shot him a grin as he helped her shrug into her light coat. “Sure.” Stopping, she asked, “Hey, any recent updates on Tuli?”
His warm smile melted her insides. “I spoke with Dr. Yang right before I got here. They had brought him back from the OR where they had performed a second cleanout of the wound. She said our repair was solid.”
“ Your repair. I only dabbed and cut suture.”
“Oh no, that was a full-contact team sport yesterday in the ER.” He waited while she locked the door. Unnecessary in this tight-knit community but a good habit for safety. “They cauterized small arteriolar bleeds in the area and did extra microsurgical work on the femoral nerve that had been severed.”
“Will he have a limp or sensation issues?”
“Initially, probably. But physical therapy should help him recover. How much, we don’t know. It’ll take time to see how he does.”
“Well, at least he’s in good hands for the best chance of recovery.” Pocketing the keys, she turned to him. “Um. So.”
He tugged her away from the entrance and waved at no less than three neighbors peeking out their windows or front doors. In the twilight, silhouettes were clear with lamplight behind them. “Let’s do this right.” He drew her hand up to his mouth and pressed a kiss over her knuckles.
Deirdre giggled.
What the heck? Giggled? She hadn’t giggled since…
A prick of pain to her chest came and went.
Far too long.
It was long past time for more giggling.
He held out his arm, and Deirdre looped her hand in the crook of his elbow. Such a simple act, but it came with a flood of emotions that she was not prepared to explore.
Dinner with a friend.
A little show for folks in town so they’d let up on the matchmaking efforts.
Curiosity appeased. Gossip fodder controlled and directed. Social pressure removed.
Everyone would win.
He handed her into the car, and they drove three minutes to the local diner, eventually sitting at a table by the window. Not Deirdre’s choice of location.
“Maximum exposure,” Calvin explained.
“Because everyone craning their necks in here won’t give us exposure enough?”
Deirdre waved at Gordy Wright, who was having dinner with his parents. His big lopsided grin and jerky wave spoke to the developmental delays and physical challenges he’d had growing up. The whole town knew and loved Gordy. His younger sister, Louise, one of the town’s EMT’s, wasn’t with the family this evening.
“Hey, Gordy,” Calvin called out, and the young man gave a yelping laugh, extra loud in the diner. No one seemed to be bothered. “You staying out of trouble?”
Gordy shook his head and made a choppy no way sign. With smiles and murmurs, his parents drew him back to his dinner.
Calvin turned to Deirdre. “Good to know some things haven’t changed even after all these years.” He lowered his voice and leaned forward. “Although Mom was saying that he’s slowed down a bit.”
Deirdre nodded. “Still going like the Energizer bunny. Gordy’s an institution. Always has been. As soon as the weather gets better, he’ll have his safety jacket for his daily rounds walking around town, checking in at every store and stopping by the hospital for a lap or two inside. Seems like he conveniently ends up at the hospital right at lunch time. And just as conveniently, Chef Luka has a sandwich cut up into small pieces, ready to go.”
Calvin chuckled until the waitress arrived to take their orders. Leaning back in the seat, he crossed his arms and exhaled. “Mom’s cooking is great, and my frozen meals in the hospital’s rental are fine, but a meal out at the Yukon Diner is a treat.”
“I’ll say.”
“Do you get out much?”
Her face warmed. “Too busy with the hospital and the lodge. There’s always something going on, it seems.”
“You haven’t had another reason to go out for a nice meal?”
“Are you prying?”
“I mean, we are fake-dating. We should get to know each other better.”
“Seriously. We know each other too well.” Which might be the problem. Deirdre toyed with her water, her thumb encouraging a drop of water to slide down the side of the glass. “Things have been different since… Elijah passed away. You know?”
“I can imagine.”
A bitter taste coated her tongue. Calvin hadn’t been around from the time he left for college until now. Except for a few quick visits with his parents and the time when he visited Elijah in hospice, which she figured had been an obligation. He certainly hadn’t reached out to her over the years. But she wouldn’t judge. People had their own lives and their own way of dealing with grief.
“He was a great guy.” Calvin’s gaze slid off toward the window. “You two were the perfect couple.”
An invisible knife twisted in her chest. “The three of us were such good friends, back in the day.”
“I miss those times.”
“Me too.”
She swallowed a hard lump, needing to redirect the conversation before a wave of grief embarrassed her. “Hey, my brother might be a stinker at times, but Mav’s been helpful over the years.”
A gentle smile crinkled lines around his thoughtful gray eyes. “Maverick’s good people. Most folks around here are.” His gaze turned serious as he leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Listen, I wanted to let you know that I’m sorry. I should have been here more. During Elijah’s illness and afterward. It was… time and work and all.”
“You don’t have to explain your obligations to me, Calvin.”
“I don’t have to explain avoidance to you, either.”
“Ouch.”
A wry twist lifted one side of his mouth. “Hey, I was talking about me.” He spread his hands and arms wide. “Exhibit A. This dinner. A monument to Avoidance101. Hey, cheers to our teamwork.” He lifted the amber beer, and she clinked her water glass against his.
“That’s funny.” She took a sip. It would have been wonderful to have an IPA, but she wanted to be totally clearheaded this evening. “Have you thought about for-real seeing anyone?” She paused. “Oh, that’s presumptuous of me. You might already be doing that in Seattle.”
“First of all, I wouldn’t have agreed to our deal if I was in a current relationship.” He lifted one finger then two. “Second of all, I could ask you the same question. Why aren’t you dating? It’s been five years since Elijah passed.”
Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. “It’s a small town. Work and the lodge keep me busy.”
“That’s not an answer.” He rested his fingertips on the back of her hand.
The truth was too close to speak the words. “It’s the answer I am able to give.” She rotated her hand, so his fingers nestled in her palm. Tingles coursed up her arm. She swallowed and slid her hand away and into her lap.
He studied her for several long seconds—enough to make her heart flop beneath her ribs. “I noticed you changed your last name back.”
A nod. “Last year. Finally. Felt like I was ready for that step.”
“Good for you.”
Time to bail out of this topic and fast. She dropped her voice, ensuring no one could overhear. “Hey, great job with Tuli yesterday. That was some neat work you did.”
He paused. “ Hmmph. Good conversation dodge. Fine, I’ll play along.” Drawing a hand over his face, he shook his head. “That was hairier than I had wanted to manage. Glad he’s doing better today. I don’t think I mentioned it, but Fairbanks was running a CT angiogram as well this evening.”
“At least they know what to watch for and can fix any issues right away.”
He nodded. “The part Tuli won’t like will be the light duty for at least eight weeks. No lifting or exertion.” He paused, brows drawn together. “If he has lingering issues related to the femoral nerve damage as well? His job may need to change.”
“That’s going to be a tough road, what with his work as a firefighter.”
“Knowing Tuli, he’s the Fire Chief. He can easily shift into a fully admin role where he gets to show up and direct everyone around him.”
Deirdre laughed. “Organizing and assigning tasks? That’s on brand.”
“He’s still making eyes at Louise?”
“See, now there’s a worthy matchmaking project the town and the hospital staff should get behind.”
“It’s an obvious pair. Not sure why they haven’t gotten together yet.” He shrugged. “At the end of the day, it’s not my business. I know what it’s like to be under the social microscope. Those two have to figure things out for themselves.” He glanced up as an older couple got up to leave, and he nodded at them. “I do vaguely remember Tuli and Louise being friends in school. He always looked out for her.”
“They were in sixth grade when you were a senior in high school. How did you know?”
“I know all about childhood sw—” He cleared his throat. “You realize that this is a ridiculously small town, right? My parents keep me updated on their observations and every last bit of the gossip.”
Deirdre turned her head as someone coughed at one of the tables, then focused on Calvin. “In general, everyone knows way too much about everyone. Getting into people’s business is like the town hobby.” She sighed. “In good news, we do have some influx of non-Yukon Valley born population from time to time, what with the Alaska Fish and Game office in town. Folks in town are developing tourism offerings, like we are with our lodge. The Yukon River recreation activities and the corporation’s new Koyukon Athabascan cultural center also bring tourists to the area.”
“Not to mention dogsledding, right?”
“Hopefully, we can increase the interest in recreational dogsledding, yes. Take advantage of the Iditarod publicity each winter.”
Food came, and they tucked into a few bites of meatloaf for Calvin and battered halibut for Deirdre. When had she last had a nice meal out like this? Far too long.
He swallowed his bite and took a sip of his beer. “I’m glad your lodge business is coming along. I heard about the stupidity Maverick and Lee—and you—had to deal with.”
“Those investors were real snakes,” she hissed.
His flinch surprised her, but he recovered. “Glad they’re gone.”
That was a bland answer, but she nodded. “You don’t see Mav mad much. He made an exception for those jerks when they tried to push us into foreclosure.”
“That’s wild.”
“I’ll say.” She set down her fork. “Mom and Dad never let on that the property had any value beyond the acreage and the lodge. I don’t think they knew. Mav and I certainly had no idea about the ores and rare earth minerals on our land.”
“What are you going to do with that information?”
“Why? You looking to invest?”
He pulled his head back and lifted a hand and a fork. “No, but I’m wondering about my parents. Mom and Pop’s property lies on the Ray Mountain range as does the Koyukon village land. The question is, how can we keep those outsiders from being a nuisance? If they’re determined, then they will find a way to gain access.”
“Mav and your dad were talking strategy the other day. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources and the Bureau of Land Management could issue a mining permit for a prospector to access BLM-managed land. The entire Ray Mountain range is managed by BLM. But Yukon Valley’s citizens own all of the access to the mountains. It’s prohibitive for someone to go around our collective property to reach the ore. For example, if Randy Nelson picked up our land, he’d have an easy straight shot across the meadow to the base of the range. Right now, he would have to go over and around the Yukon River, and that’s a massive and expensive engineering feat.”
Calvin nodded. “If there’s going to be any extraction, it should be the way folks here feel is best. Ensure that it’s done right. Pay a reasonable price for the access.”
“Where did that come from? All of a sudden you sound like an old timer here!”
“Probably have some of Pop rubbing off on me.”
She laughed. “Ol’ Bruce is so stubborn, he won’t sell.”
“Funny, but I’m trying to get him to do exactly that. For his health. Get him to move somewhere better suited.”
A twinge hit her, unrelated to the unscrupulous investors. “Your dad won’t leave.”
“Despite my best efforts.”
Another barking sound came from a few tables over. “Well, I—”
“Gordy?” his mother’s voice rose. “Gordy, are you okay? Steve, lay him on the floor so he doesn’t get injured.”
Deirdre pushed her plate forward and stood up. “Melinda, you need help?”
“No, we’re fine—” She and her husband struggled to carefully ease Gordy to the floor. Jerking movements and a twisting flexion of his hands, arms, and wrists told the tale of his seizure.
Deirdre strode over. “Let me help.” She tugged on Gordy’s thin shoulders and eased him to his side in a recovery position. “I don’t remember if this is his usual routine.”
Calvin knelt and checked Gordy’s pulse, scanning the young man’s shaking frame.
Sitting next to his son, Steve glanced at his wife and then to Deirdre. “He generally has a light seizure then comes right out of it.”
Melinda added, “The pattern has been changing lately. More frequent and severe seizures. Dr. Burmeister and the tele-neurologist were adjusting his medications over the last few weeks.”
Gordy continued the tonic-clonic seizure for another twenty seconds, without abating.
Deirdre called to the waitress from where she knelt on the floor. “Could you get EMS here, please? He may need to go to the ED.” The bluish tinge to his lips worried her. Transient drops in oxygen were normal in seizures but could become dangerous if the seizure didn’t stop.
Calvin swiped some napkins from an empty table and gently wiped saliva and food from Gordy’s mouth. The diner owner rushed out with clean towels to use. Calvin kept a loose, protective hand beneath Gordy’s head so he wouldn’t hurt himself. Fishing out his phone from his pants pocket, he hit a number. “Hi, Lee, it’s Cal. Gordy Wright is headed your way with what looks like a grand mal seizure. Intractable. No vitals at this time. I’ll direct EMS to give some lorazepam when they get here. Yeah. Okay, we’ll see you in a bit.”
Deirdre tried to reassure Steve and Melinda while keeping Gordy on his side. There was Calvin, calling in report to the on-call doc, making sure the ED was prepared for the patient.
The front door clanked and EMTs Hilda and Moose rolled in, quickly applied oxygen and EKG leads while Deirdre placed an IV. Hilda then gave a dose of lorazepam at Calvin’s direction. Once the seizure subsided, they carefully transferred Gordy onto the lowered gurney. His respirations had a gurgling quality to them, alarming to hear but typical in a post-seizure state.
Melinda and Steve collected their coats and followed the gurney to the front door.
“Hey, Melinda,” Deirdre called out. “Leave me your keys. You two go with him. I’ll drop your car off at the hospital in a little bit.”