Saints Among Us (18 page)

Alice looked around her room, seeing but not seeing the familiar yellow room with its soft pastels. Her heart still was at Camp Compassion. She wondered what her sisters would say if she told them that she wished she could return.

“How are you feeling?” Jane looked at Alice strangely on Wednesday morning when she came down for breakfast. “You were so quiet at dinner last night, but Louise and I assumed you were just exhausted from your drive.”

“Not just the drive. We worked from before sunup until well after dark every day.” She ran a hand down the neat polo shirt she wore with her jeans. “It feels odd not to be wearing a T-shirt.”

“I took Miracle outside for a bit and fed her. She’s asleep now, poor thing. She must be exhausted too.”

“Well, then I’ll leave her alone. Thank you for tending to her.”

“My pleasure.” Pouring the batter for waffles onto the hot waffle iron, Jane glanced at the time. “So what would you be doing now?”

Alice took a deep sniff. Chocolate chip waffles were one of her sister’s specialties and normally Alice adored them. This morning, they smelled as wonderful as they always did, but Alice found she was not hungry. “It’s a little after eight. Let’s see… I would be finished feeding the dogs in the critical care unit, and Gina, my friend who is a vet tech, would be giving medications. I usually checked the intravenous bags for the animals on fluids. Then we would start walking them all, one at a time. As we returned with each animal, we marked the daily chart on the front of their cage for regularity, as well as for meals and meds. It was like being in a ward with more than a dozen patients at once, in a way. I didn’t have much time to stop and reflect.”

“I guess not.” Jane flipped the waffles out of the iron and poured in more batter. She slid the plate on which she’d placed the finished waffles into the oven to keep them warm.

Alice went on to provide a thorough overview of life at Camp Compassion.

Jane regarded her with sympathy. “You’re really missing it, aren’t you?”

Alice nodded. “It’s hard to explain. This is my life, but that was my life, too, for a very intense, short period of time, and it feels as if part of me has been ripped away. I know I can’t go back, and yet that is all I have thought about since I got home. I’ve never felt so needed in my entire life.”

“But you’re a nurse. Haven’t there been many times when someone would have died or suffered without your direct care?”

“Yes, but it’s just not the same.” Alice slumped in her seat. “I can’t explain it.”

“You don’t have to.” Jane left the stove long enough to bend down and hug Alice. “I can see how conflicted you are. What do you plan to do today?”

“First of all, I want to call the vet and make an appointment for Miracle. I also want to call my supervisor and let her know I’m back and able to work whenever she needs me. I thought I’d help you around here, and then this evening I have a meeting with the ANGELs. I’m eager to see what they have done with the bracelet project in my absence.”

Louise came into the kitchen just in time to hear the end of Alice’s speech. She wore a gray-blue twin set today and her pearls gleamed against the soft color. “Oh dear!” she said. “I was hoping you would go along with me to my Lucia rehearsal this evening.”

“I’m sorry,” Alice said, “but Britt Nilsen already planned this meeting and I can’t miss it. I have been away from them long enough already.”

Louise looked at Jane.

“Don’t look at me for help.” Jane waved a batter-covered spatula at her eldest sister. “Sylvia’s coming over this evening so we can go over all the craft contributions and identify the people we still need to gather things from. Besides, your rehearsals get a bit too exciting for me.”

“Why is that?” Alice’s eyes grew round.

“My last rehearsal,” Louise said, “was a complete debacle.”

“It wasn’t really that bad.” Jane cast Louise a sympathetic look. “After all, you only needed two days to calm down afterward,” she teased.

Alice laughed, and Louise cast Jane a stony glare. “It was not funny.”

“Oh, all right. It was not funny and I’m a horrible person for laughing. But”—Jane held up a plate of steaming chocolate-chip waffles’“I’m a horrible person who can cook!”

When Alice called the vet’s office, the receptionist told her to bring Miracle in that very morning at eleven. They would make time to see her.

So at eleven, Alice loaded the dog and kennel into her blue Toyota and set off to see the veterinarian. As she drove, she reflected on how odd it was to be driving around Acorn Hill again. It also felt quite strange to be driving such a small, maneuverable vehicle after spending so many hours taking turns with June driving the SUV. If she were still at camp, she would be finishing working in the CCU and probably would be out under the canopy helping to wash mountains of bowls. She wondered how many of her friends were still there.

As she pulled into a parking space, she remembered that she wanted to e-mail Ellen and the twins today. She’d have to get Jane to oversee the process and make sure she didn’t foul up anything. The electronic age and Alice were not on easy terms yet, but she was determined to overcome her hesitations.

She opened the door of Miracle’s kennel and attached a real leash to the new collar the little dog wore. Jane had run out to a store late the day before and returned home with both items. “Let’s go, little miss,” she said.

Miracle trotted across the lot and entered the clinic with Alice, staying close to her left side as if she’d had dozens of obedience lessons. Perhaps she had. A large dog leaped to its feet and began barking wildly the moment it spied Miracle, but the cocker spaniel merely shot it a contemptuous glance and walked right by.

Alice had to laugh. “You really do think you’re a queen,” she murmured. “Don’t you?”

Miracle looked up at her as if to say, “Well, of course.”

The receptionist gave Alice a clipboard and pen with an information sheet attached. Most of the information included things Alice could not answer, like the dog’s age and when or whether she had been vaccinated. Alice hoped there was nothing wrong with her other than the tumor, but who knew?

She led Miracle to a seat. The moment Alice sat, the little dog leaped into her lap, sitting there as if she had been doing it for years. Alice noticed the position allowed her to look down on the larger dog, who continued to bark sporadically. Fortunately, the other dog soon was called into the examining room. After a short wait, an assistant showed Alice into a second exam room. The young woman weighed Miracle by having her step onto a large metal rectangle near the floor. When the tech was done, she put her foot on a lever and the metal tray rose slowly with a quiet whirring sound until it became an exam table at waist height.

The assistant left the room. Just as Alice began to wonder how long the exam might be, a pleasant-looking woman in her fifties strode in. “Good morning. I’m Dr. Spence.”

Alice shook her hand. “Alice Howard. And this is Miracle.”

“Hello, Miracle,” the vet said. She glanced over the information Alice had provided. “So this little lady is a hurricane survivor.” She shook her head. “I imagine you had quite an experience down at that rescue center.”

Alice nodded. “It was…busy.” She was struck once again by the inadequacy of language. How could she possibly convey a real sense of the experience?

“I bet it was. Did you see a lot of injuries?”

Alice shook her head. “Some, but most of the animals were starving or dehydrated. As many as half of them couldn’t walk when they arrived.”

Dr. Spence’s eyes widened. “Were there a lot you couldn’t save?”

“Oh no.” Alice was glad to be able to be positive. “In the two weeks I was there, we only lost one dog. We had a couple of animals that were touch-and-go for a few days though.”

“That’s quite an accomplishment,” the doctor said. “I thank the Lord for people like you.” She looked down at Miracle. “So tell me about this little lady. She has a tumor, you say?”

Alice nodded. “We know very little about her. She was found loose in a backyard, so we don’t know whether that was her home or just a place she ended up after the storm. I think she was an indoor pet. She is housebroken and seems comfortable indoors.” As the vet reached for Miracle, Alice said, “And she’s not always great with strangers.”

“Okay. Why don’t I get someone in here to hold her so I can do a thorough exam?”

Alice nodded. She had seen Gina restrain dogs, but she didn’t have the experience, and the last thing she wanted was for the vet to get bitten. In short order, the young assistant returned. She efficiently held Miracle immobile while the vet checked her eyes, ears and teeth, and gave the tumor on her belly a thorough study. She ran her hands over all of the dog’s limbs, then straightened and said to Alice, “I need to take a sample of that tumor so we can biopsy it, but it needs to come off no matter the prognosis. I would like to schedule a surgery as soon as possible to remove the whole thing. I also would like to do blood work, because she appears to be an older animal. I want to check for heartworm.”

“She was wormed at the camp but not tested for heartworms,” Alice said. “And she didn’t receive any vaccines.” She hesitated. “The vets at the camp thought the tumor might be malignant.”

The vet heard her unspoken question. “We’ll know better once we biopsy it, but I’ll be honest with you, it doesn’t look good to me.” The doctor opened the door to the back where Alice caught a glimpse of stainless steel, blue scrubs and several people scurrying around. “This only will take a few minutes.”

The technician set Miracle on the floor. The little dog looked back at Alice as if to say, “How could you do this to me?” but walked away with the young woman in a surprisingly docile manner.

Chapter Sixteen

M
 iracle was brought back into the waiting room a short time later by the veterinarian’s assistant. “She is darling,” the girl said. “I had a cocker spaniel when I was growing up and I forgot how much I love those sweet little faces.” To Alice’s surprise, the young woman bent and scratched Miracle’s ears and the dog seemed to like it. It appeared that she had strong opinions about whom she liked and whom she did not.

A moment later, the vet also approached.

“I’ll let you know as soon as possible on the heartworm test.” The woman held out her hand. “I think it was a wonderful thing you did.”

“Thank you so much.” Alice was touched by the vet’s words.

“I don’t think we should wait to remove that tumor. Even if it is benign, it is growing and I’d like to get it off. I have surgeries on Friday. Could we schedule her then?”

“I don’t see why not.” Alice looked down at Miracle. “The sooner we can get her healthy, the better. Then it would be best to settle her in a foster home before she gets too attached to my sisters and me.”

“Do you have any prospects?”

“Not yet,” Alice admitted.

“Why don’t you put a poster on our bulletin board? Have any interested folks talk to the girls at the desk. That way, we can prescreen potential homes for you. There are some homes that we know wouldn’t be suitable and others we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.”

“That would be wonderful,” Alice said.

“She’s already had enough traumas in her little life,” the vet said. She bent to stroke Miracle’s head but hastily withdrew her hand when Miracle curled her lip and uttered a low, warning growl. The vet laughed. “After what this old girl has been through, I suppose she is entitled to be a bit cranky with me.”

“I appreciate all your help,” Alice said. “We want to find the very best home for her that we possibly can.”

“Wish me luck.” Louise looked as if she were readying for a confrontation rather than going to a rehearsal after dinner.

“Luck,” Jane said. “Don’t worry, Louie. I have a feeling it’s going to go better this evening.”

“I surely hope so. Karin is over her illness, so there will be two of us again. That alone gives me comfort.” She paused. “Would it be really, really wrong of me to wish the Trimble brothers would catch whatever she had?”

Alice and Jane burst out laughing.

“Beyond wrong,” Alice said. “Now go on. Jane and I will say a prayer for you.”

“I’m going to need it,” Louise muttered beneath her breath as she selected her gray wool dress coat from the closet.

But her sisters’ prayers must have worked. As the children filed into the Assembly Room a short time later, they all seemed happy and ready to rehearse. Even Morley Trimble was cheerful.

“I got three dollars from my daddy for being brave at the doctor!” he told Louise.

Her eyebrows rose. “Indeed.”

Karin Lindars chuckled. “Inflation, just like the tooth fairy. When I was small, I got Swedish currency worth about two cents American. Now the kids get dollars.”

The last child arrived.

“All right, boys and girls.” Louise clapped her hands. “Tonight I would like to rehearse all the group songs quickly, and then practice our processional. Afterward, everyone but the soloists may be dismissed.”

They practiced “The night goes with weighty step” and the lovely round she had found, “Santa Lucia, thy light is glowing.” She was surprised, pleasantly so, at how well most of the children knew the lyrics. She had given each family a printout with the songs on it, but she really had not expected that the children would practice diligently. Apparently, she had underestimated them.

“Very nice job!” she told her young charges. “Now let’s line up and we’ll sing ‘Hark! Through the Darksome Night’ as we process. Do you all remember your places in the line?”

They did. Louise barely could conceal her relief.

Karin, who skillfully lined up the children, was smiling. “This is going to be lovely.”

“How are the costumes coming along?”

“Quite well. We are using a set of old children’s choir robes for all of them. A friend of mine has borrowed them from a church in Lancaster. Mrs. Trimble is making long wands for all the star boys. I admit it gives me pause thinking of handing long sticks to all those active little guys.”

Louise laughed. “Yes, I can understand that.”

“I bought tinsel for all the girls except the Lucia, and we’re using a wide red ribbon for her sash. The only part that is giving me problems is the Lucia’s crown.”

“How so?”

“I’ve tried using a number of things to fashion a circlet that would hold those battery-operated candles, but I can’t seem to get it right.”

“What did you use in Minnesota?”

“Each year, one family loaned us a crown that had been passed down through the generations but I have had no luck locating anyone here who has something like that.”

Louise thought for a moment. “What about using the frame of an Advent wreath? It is open in the center for the Christ candle, so it probably would fit down over Marit’s head far enough and there are four candleholders on it. Perhaps we could use craft glue to affix the electric candles to it. Once it is covered with greens, no one will be able to see the frame anyway.”

“That’s a wonderful idea. I wonder where I could get an Advent wreath frame.”

“Why don’t we check with Rev. Thompson? Perhaps there is something suitable here at the chapel.”

After several practices of the processional, Louise dismissed the children, keeping Marit and two other girls for a bit of one-on-one work. Finally, she was satisfied with the songs. The other soloists left, and Marit settled down with a book to wait for her mother.

Karin and Louise settled onto chairs in the front row to review their plans. Costumes and the service were in good shape.

“I gave your recipe to Jane,” Louise told Karin. “She will bake the saffron buns.”

“And I am making gingerbread. I’ll do a punch too.”

“Decorations. Are there any traditional ones?” Louise asked. “In my research, I found very little about decor. Apples and eucalyptus were mentioned, I believe.”

“Since the Lucia’s sash is red, we could make eucalyptus swags to hang on the pews and decorate them with red ribbons. In addition, I saw some lovely miniature apples at a store in Riverton the other day. Those would brighten the swags a bit.”

“That sounds lovely.” Louise was delighted. “There is just one small problem.”

Karin looked puzzled. “What’s that?”

“We are not going to be able to find anyone to help make them until after the crafts fair, I suspect. My sister Jane seems to have asked every person in the congregation to make something for the event.”

Karin laughed. “Yes. I’m making hand-dipped candles for it.”

“See?”

“Leave it to me, Louise. I will line up a few mothers to help put them together the week after the craft show. I can’t thank you enough for your help. This is going to be beautiful.”

“Yes, it will. And it has been fun, hasn’t it? Well, parts of it have been fun,” Louise said, smiling. “I think it will be a lovely addition to Grace Chapel’s holiday traditions.”

The excited babble of adolescent girls’ voices greeted Alice the moment she walked into the ANGELs’ meeting at seven o’clock Wednesday evening.

“Miss Howard!”

“We missed you!”

“You’re back!”

Alice smiled. “I missed all of you too.”

“What was it like?”

“Did you bring back any pets?”

“Was it scary?”

“Did you see hurt animals?”

Alice supposed she had not realized how many people in the community were interested in and aware of the trip she and June had made. She gathered the girls around her and gave them a short talk about her adventure and all the things that had been involved.

Britt Nilsen, Ingrid’s mother, who had helped with the girls’ bracelet project in Alice’s absence, appeared fascinated too.

“How long are they going to need people in Florida?” she asked Alice after the girls had gone to their seats.

Alice sensed more than causal interest behind the question. “Volunteers are going to be needed for weeks yet, if not months,” she told Britt. “They still are finding animals alive, and all the rescue sites like Camp Compassion are chock-full of rescued animals with no homes. Rescue groups are taking some, but if owners don’t show up, they all will have to be cared for until they can be adopted into new homes.”

“I would like to talk more about it with you when you have time.” Britt smiled. “You have inspired me, Alice. There is no reason I could not go down there and help for a week. My children aren’t babies anymore.”

Alice was thrilled. “Oh, Britt, that would be wonderful. Why don’t you come over to the inn anytime tomorrow morning? I have to work at two, but until then I’ll just be working around the inn and I would be happy to tell you about it in detail.”

Britt smiled. “Thank you, Alice. It’s a date. Now I’ll make myself scarce and let the girls show you what they have made for the crafts fair.”

Alice bid her good-bye and moved to the table Britt had indicated.

Ingrid, Britt’s daughter, took her hand. “We worked hard on these. I did that one and that one there.” She pointed to two of the many macramé bracelets on display.

“Girls! You really are angels,” Alice said. “I had no idea you would be able to make so many of these in such a short time.”

On the table before her were more than two dozen of the pretty bracelets braided and knotted with embroidery floss in all colors of the rainbow. One in shades of aqua and blue caught her eye. The colors should not have gone well together but they looked fabulous. There were equally lovely pinks, browns, brilliant greens and yellows, magentas, purples and many, many more. Alice picked up one after another, marveling at the color pairings and the intricacy of the knots.

“My sister, Ms. Howard, will be thrilled with these,” she finally said. “She is the person in charge of gathering crafts to sell. Oh, I do have one request from her. Vendors are being asked to donate one of their items for a raffle. Why don’t we choose a bracelet for the raffle and then talk about a price for the rest? My sister may have a different price in mind, but I am certain she will be willing to consider your recommendations. While we’re chatting, we can pin them to this piece of foam board. They’ll be easy to see against the white background.”