There's Always Tomorrow

by Darlene Mindrup

  Sean and Keith dropped to the ground, the sweat running in rivulets down their faces despite the cold temperatures. Keith was visibly shaking.

  “Thank the good Lord that’s over,” Sean breathed, glancing at Dathan. “Do you think he’ll live?”

  Worry lines etched across Dathan’s brow. “Time will tell. We need to get him to the mainland, to the nearest city with a hospital.”

  Smiley peered inside the tent having overheard their conversation. “We’ll take him, Cap’n.”

  Nodding, Dathan helped the men prepare Henry for travel. He only hoped the boy would stay unconscious. It was a long eight miles to the mainland.

  “Use the skiff, it will be faster,” he told them.

  It was a solemn group of men that set off through the woods.

  When the rest of the crew gathered for supper that night, Adrella missed Smiley’s cheerful face. The old man was always joking and laughing. There was an ominous quiet about the remaining men.

  Sean glanced across at Dathan, his face full of respect.

  “I’ve never seen anythin’ like what you did today. You pieced poor Henry’s arm back together like it was a bit of quilt.”

  Adrella heard the mumbles of assent from those present and had to agree. She had never seen anything quite like it herself. Her gaze fixed on her husband. He had an incredible gift from God. He should be using it to help others, not hiding away on this remote island.

  He glanced her way, and as though he could read her thoughts, his lips thinned with displeasure and he turned away.

  “It may not work,” Dathan rebutted.

  Sean shrugged, holding his hands out to the fire. “Maybe not, but it’s not for want of tryin’.”

  Later, when they crawled into their beds that night, Adrella sat up and addressed her husband.

  “Dathan, you have such a gift. Why aren’t you using that gift to help others?”

  He turned his back to her, burrowing under his own quilt. “I already told you.”

  Undaunted, she moved closer so that he could better hear her without her having to raise her voice.

  “I know. You gave up on people, not on God.” She had a hard time trying to keep the censure from her voice. “But Dathan, don’t you remember what Jesus said? To seek and save the lost?”

  Dathan didn’t answer her, but through the dim light afforded by the fire outside she could see him stiffen.

  “Dathan,” she countered softly. “When you give up on people, you are giving up on God. We are all God’s children. Where would you be now if Jesus had felt the same about us. About you.”

  He slowly turned to face her, and through the darkness she could see that he was listening intently.

  “Do you remember the parable that Jesus told about the men with the talents?” she asked.

  His lips pressed tightly together. “I remember.”

  “Although the talents spoken of there refer to money, the principle is still the same,” she told him. “God has given you an incredible gift, and you are burying it in the sand.”

  Dathan sat up, pushing one hand back through his hair. His eyes glittered at her through the darkness. “That’s enough, Adrella.”

  She wanted to argue with him more, but she could see that her words had struck their mark. Now she needed to let him think about what she had said. Still, she offered one more bit of wisdom.

  “When the hurricane hit and my da...my da died...my faith was shaken. It was shaken again when I knew I had lost everything. I began to doubt God. But do you know what? He sent me you. He sent you to take care of me when I thought I had no one, and then I realized that He hadn’t really given up on me at all.” She reached across the space between them and touched the gold band on Dathan’s hand. Her father’s ring fit his finger perfectly. “Me da knew you were a good man, Dathan. He wouldn’t have trusted me to just anyone.”

  * * *

  Dathan stared at her through the darkness and knew that in a sense she was right. Without conceit, he knew that few people could have done what he did today. It was a humbling thought, though, to know that his skill came not from anything of his own, but rather from God Himself. In the end, regardless of what he might know or what he could do, God’s will would prevail.

  Adrella pulled back, settling down under her quilt. She turned her back to him and left him alone with his chaotic thoughts.

  He felt responsible. Henry was just a boy. He shouldn’t have entrusted him with such a dangerous job. The boy was his mother’s only means of support. He had no idea if his surgery would keep the boy from losing that arm. There were too many variables.

  Doing surgery in a tent. The memories came back to haunt him once again. How many people had he watched die because of the same primitive conditions?

  Yet, at the same time, how many people had he helped to save? Why was it that a loss seemed more profound than a win?

  He should have gone with the boy. Things had happened so fast, he hadn’t considered it at the time. There was no way that he would leave Adrella here on the island alone with four men, and the skiff wouldn’t have held them all. Still, he should have gone.

  He could hear Adrella’s soft breathing telling him that she was fast asleep. Her faith in him made him want to live up to her expectations. He wished he could say that he had as much faith in himself.

  What was he to do? Her words had brought him up short. To give up on mankind was to give up on God. He had never seen it that way before. All this time he had thought himself so spiritual. By walking away from his fellow man he had, in truth, walked away from God. He had denied the gift that God had given him, that gift that was made to help those created in His image.

  It was no good trying to hide from God. He could run and he could try to hide, but it was useless. He could hide from himself maybe, but that was about the extent of it.

  It was time to quit running.

  Chapter 13

  Dathan watched the sun rise in glorious shades of pink, orange and yellow. The beauty didn’t fool him, though, for the colors were precursors of a storm to come. He only hoped it would avoid his little island.

  He pulled back the flap on his tent and ducked his head inside. Adrella slept peacefully, curled into a small ball, one hand resting beneath her cheek the other on the cat. Heavy red lashes fanned out across her creamy pale cheeks, her breathing soft and even.

  The picture she made drew him inside, and he hunkered down next to her sleeping form. The innocent image caused such a wave of tenderness to swamp him that he could hardly breathe.

  He had tried to fight it but there was no denying the feelings that coursed through him. He was in love with his little wife. The question was, what exactly did she feel about him? He could tell that she was attracted to him, but was that just a small feeling of gratitude for what he had done for her?

  The day before yesterday he had almost kissed her again. That’s when he knew. His whole world had suddenly turned upside down. The feelings had crept up on him so slowly that he had been unaware they were even there. The look she had given him had made him wish they were alone on the island, or anywhere for that matter. He sighed. Maybe it was a good thing they weren’t.

  “Adrella,” he called softly.

  She stretched like a sleek cat, her eyes blinking drowsily up at him. Her rosy lips curled up into a smile.

  “Good morning.”

  “Good morning, yourself.” He grinned. “I hate to bother you, but the men are waiting for their breakfast.”

  * * *

  Eyes going wide, Adrella sat up quickly. “Oh my. I overslept!”

  “Don’t feel badly about it,” Dathan told her. “I think everyone had trouble sleeping last night. They are very fond of young Henry.”

  Adrella knew that was certainly true. Being
the youngest, the other men treated him much like a younger brother, or in the cases of some, more like a son.

  She allowed Dathan to help her to her feet. His eyes slowly went over the nightdress he had brought her, bringing color rushing to her face despite the fact that it was made of yards and yards of material and hid every inch of her body.

  “I’ll be outside,” he said dryly.

  Making a hasty toilette, she hurried to feed the men.

  His frown told her that Dathan noted she had changed into one of the new dresses, one less fancy and made for day wear. He said nothing, just looked at her quizzically. She knew that he had been disappointed in her reaction to the new clothes, but she couldn’t help it. She would have much preferred dresses more appropriate to her position here on the island. She was uncomfortable in the fine clothes, clothes she felt she could never live up to.

  While she was frying the flapjacks, Sean came over to talk to Dathan. Doffing his cap respectfully, he nervously cleared his throat. Dathan instantly gave him his attention.

  “Cap’n, I’d like to speak with you a moment.”

  The men called him captain after finding out that he had that rank in the war.

  Dathan nodded, and he continued. “Well, it’s like this. The men and me, we figured since young Henry won’t be able to work for a while, and since he was the only means of support for his mama, well, we figure we’d like to help out.”

  Sean finished this rush of words by coloring hotly. Ducking his head slightly, he twisted his hat in his hands.

  Dathan laid a hand on his shoulder, squeezing reassuringly. These men made such a show of being tough, but anyone who knew them knew that they had very large hearts, especially concerning one of their own.

  “What do you want to do?” Dathan asked.

  Looking relieved, Sean pulled a large roll of bills and coins from his pocket. “The men and me, we took up this collection. We wondered if you could get it to Henry whilst we finish your house here.”

  She could see Dathan swallow the lump in his throat. Adrella hastily brushed the tears from her own face.

  “Mrs. Adams and I will see to it right away,” he told Sean huskily.

  Grinning from ear to ear, the big man shook Dathan’s hand.

  “Thanks, Cap’n.”

  Adrella watched him hurry away to tell the others. Dathan cocked a brow at Adrella. “Is that all right with you, Mrs. Adams?”

  She smiled her answer. Nodding slightly, Dathan picked his cap off a rock, dusting it against his trousers.

  “Then I’ll see about getting the light in order so we can leave as soon as possible. We need to be back before evening.”

  * * *

  It took most of the day for them to reach Henry’s location since he had been ferried inland to a hospital untouched by the hurricane. The little hospital was packed wall-to-wall with people from the surrounding communities devastated by the storm. Henry’s mother was sitting at his side holding his good hand. Henry was still unconscious, more than likely due to the drugs he would have been given for the pain.

  Dathan placed a hand on his brow and Adrella searched Dathan’s face for a clue to Henry’s condition. Dathan stepped back, nodding his head in satisfaction.

  “No fever so far. That’s good.”

  Adrella noticed the quizzical look Mrs. Pierson was giving them. She stepped to her side.

  “Mrs. Pierson, my name is Adrella Adams and this is my husband, Dathan.”

  When the name registered, her eyes lit with gratitude. “Oh, you be the one who stitched my Henry back together, the one who saved his life!” She grabbed Adrella’s hand. “Your husband, he be an angel of God,” she said fervently.”

  Adrella wasn’t sure just how much of an angel he was, but she agreed that his gift came from God. She didn’t think another man on this earth could have done the job that he did.

  Dathan shifted uncomfortably and Adrella hid a smile. He was always ill at ease under other people’s praise. He pulled out the pouch that contained the funds collected by the other men and held it out to her.

  “Mrs. Pierson, the men Henry works with took up a collection. They wanted you to have it.”

  Adrella didn’t miss the fact that Dathan left out mentioning that he had added a large chunk of money as well.

  When Dathan handed Mrs. Pierson the money, she burst into tears. Dathan passed her his handkerchief and she hastily wiped her eyes.

  “Will you thank them for me, please?”

  He nodded, his face that was so often devoid of emotion now drawn with the feelings he was trying to suppress.

  “I will, you can be sure of it.”

  They spent a few more minutes with Henry and his mother and then took their leave. Dathan was quiet as they walked down the hall.

  Before they left the ward a doctor in a white coat approached them.

  “Dr. Adams?”

  Dathan opened his mouth to object, but Adrella interceded.

  “Yes, this is Dr. Adams. And you are?”

  The man beamed at them both, though his look of admiration was for Dathan alone. “I’m Dr. Jared,” he said, reaching his hand out to Dathan. “I just wanted to compliment you on the fine job of surgery you did on young Henry Pierson. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  Dr. Jared was young, his face haggard with lack of sleep, yet his eyes were full of excitement.

  Dathan slowly reached out to take the man’s hand. “How is he doing?”

  “He’s doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances. So far there’s been no fever, but then you probably noticed that already. We’ve decided to keep him chloroformed for a time so that his body has time to focus on healing. If you would like, I’d be happy to show you around.”

  Adrella had to hide a grin behind a cough. Young Dr. Jared was treating Dathan as though he had just descended from Mount Olympus.

  “Another time, perhaps,” Dathan answered smoothly. “I’m sure you are quite busy.”

  “Sure. Sure. Anytime. We could sure use a man like you,” Dr. Jared continued. “Every hospital in the vicinity is full to overflowing with people hit by the hurricane. There are far more than we can manage.”

  Dathan stiffened. Adrella could see the pain from the resurfacing memories in his stormy gray eyes. She had seen that same look when he was faced with the enormous responsibility of saving Henry’s life.

  “Thank you for the compliment,” Dathan said flatly. “If you’ll excuse us, we have to catch a train.”

  Crestfallen, the young man hastily stepped back. “Of course. Forgive me.”

  Dathan almost pulled Adrella out of the building. Everywhere they looked, people were huddled waiting for a turn to see a doctor. Dathan’s lips pressed into a grim line.

  Adrella’s heart went out to them. So much suffering. So many eyes filled with despair. She laid a hand on her husband’s arm. “They could use you, Dathan.”

  “I have a light to attend to,” he reminded her.

  “Oh, my goodness, I almost forgot.” In truth, when faced with such adversity, she hadn’t given the lighthouse a second thought. She noticed the sun already beginning its afternoon descent. “Are we going to make it in time?” she asked anxiously.

  He sighed heavily. “Probably not. We had to come farther inland than what I expected and with all the delays, we will never make it back to Apalach tonight.”

  Her eyes widened in alarm. “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to see if I can find us a hotel for tonight. We’ll have to stay the night and leave early in the morning.”

  Adrella was appalled. “But what about the light! It has to be lit, Dathan. There could be ships out there. More than likely there are! They could wreck!”

  He placed a hand gently over her
mouth to stem the rising tide of her fear-laced words.

  “It’s all right, Drell. I already planned for such an emergency.” He moved his hand from her mouth and allowed it to settle on her shoulder reassuringly. “I showed Keith what to do in case we didn’t make it back tonight.”

  Adrella blew out a breath of relief. “Oh. Did you know this would happen?”

  He shook his head, placing both hands in the pockets of his pants. “I didn’t know it, but I wasn’t taking any chances. The hurricane did a lot of damage throughout these parts, so I had a feeling there would be problems even farther inland. It’s what took our supplies so long to arrive.”

  She glanced around helplessly. “Where can we go? Don’t you think all the hotels will be full?”

  Taking her by the arm, he began walking back the way they had come. “Let’s find out.”

  * * *

  Dathan finally found them a room not far from the hospital. The cost was exorbitant, but that was the least of his concerns. He handed over the money without a qualm, giving the hotel clerk a look that let him know what he thought of the hotel’s use of people’s misfortune to make a dollar. The man had the grace to blush.

  Adrella frowned. “We could have tried somewhere else.”

  He spoke slowly as if to let his words fall with effect. “Adrella, would you please stop worrying about money? You need to trust me on this.”

  She didn’t answer, her straight shoulders letting him know just exactly how she felt. He smiled slightly, shaking his head at her stubbornness.

  “Come on. Let’s find our room.”

  The room was spacious and elegant. Adrella’s mouth dropped open in surprise. He was watching her carefully.

  “Do you like it?”

  “Like it?” she squeaked. “Who wouldn’t like it?”

  His eyes met hers and held. “If you like it, then it was worth the price,” he told her softly. “Get used to it, Adrella. I intend to spoil you like you’ve never been spoiled before.”

  Her face filled with soft color and he thought again how lovely she looked. The new dresses helped, but only in as much as they lifted her confidence. Adrella’s beauty, he had already learned, came from within.