The Surgeon's Convenient Husband

by Amy Ruttan

  “Why?”

  “You seem a bit tense.”

  “I’m fine. Sorry, I forgot you said you were from San Diego. I forgot you didn’t grow up here.”

  And it was mistakes like this that made her worry about what they’d done.

  “Don’t get me wrong—I love my mom. It’s just she does certain things a certain way.”

  “Oh... That’s not going to bode well for us, then,” Ruby teased.

  Aran cocked an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”

  “I am a bit of a stickler when it comes to doing things a certain way—like being on time.” She pointed to her watch and hoped he’d get her joke. She was relieved when he smiled.

  “I think it’ll be fine.” He shoved his hands in his jean pockets. “Where do you want to go?”

  “There’s a little crab shack down by the water. Do you like crab?”

  He nodded. “I do—and it’s been some time since I had Alaskan crab.”

  “Good. I can drive—or we can walk? It’s not far from here.”

  “A walk would be nice. Lead on, Macduff.”

  She hadn’t heard anyone say that to her in a long time. Her father had used to say it all the time, and it brought a memory flooding back to her.

  “And where did you see this footprint, Ruby?”

  “In the woods. Just before the ice road.”

  “The ice road is closed and that’s all muskeg.”

  “I know, Papa. I didn’t go traveling through that. I was on my way back from the corner store and I saw the footprint. I want to show you.”

  Her papa smiled. “Okay, show me. Lead on, Macduff.”

  They walked the way she had taken back from the corner store. She always listened to her parents and kept to the paths she’d been taught to. She knew not to wander in the woods because of bears and other wild animals—not that many would be out in the middle of the day in the summer. Usually the heat and the bugs drove the animals further into the woods. Animals were most likely to come out during the early morning or when it briefly went to dusk.

  It was a short walk along the well-worn path from her parents’ place, and they stopped when Ruby found the strange footprints she’d never seen before.

  Her father knelt down. “Ah, this is a wolverine.”

  “A wolverine?”

  “Yep—and they’re nasty. You did good, showing this footprint to me.” Her father stood. “Let’s go inform the elders and make sure that the other kids keep away from this area. The wolverine has obviously found a food source and will come back, like a bear. A wolverine would attack a young child if it was hungry enough. Remember that, Ruby. Remember that sometimes in the north it’s a battle of survival. Eat or be eaten. But you must also respect the land.”

  “Right, Papa.”

  “What?” she asked quizzically now, trying to shake the memory away.

  Her father had never learned a lot of stories, except what he had been taught when he had been forced to attend a school far from home. The residential school was something he didn’t like to talk much about to her. It had been an awful place where his culture and heritage had been forced out of him. Where his language had been stolen. All he had known was what the priests and nuns had taught him, but her father had liked Shakespeare.

  “It’s ‘Lay on, Macduff’,” Aran remarked offhandedly as he held open the door for her. “‘Lead on’ is a popular misquote.”

  “I know. It’s just... I haven’t heard someone say that in a long time. The way my father said it.” She cleared her throat and tried not to let emotion overtake her. She didn’t have time to deal with her grief or her sadness.

  Aran didn’t say any more as they walked down the street from the hospital to the waterfront.

  Because it was summer, it was nice to have sunlight so late. It made for pleasant evenings. And it was nice to have the sun because in the winter the sun wouldn’t be around long, and there would be a period of time where it just stayed dark, especially the further north you went.

  “How long have you lived in Alaska now?” Aran asked.

  “This is my sixth year.”

  “Right!” He chuckled. “We got married five years ago—right after our residency finished. I’m sorry I forgot.”

  “Well, now I’m going to have to hold it against you.”

  “Hold what against me?”

  “Forgetting our anniversary,” she teased.

  He shook his head. “So, where in Canada are you from?”

  “Behchokǫ̀.”

  His eyes widened. “I have no idea where that is.”

  Ruby laughed. “Well, it’s just outside of Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories.”

  “I do know where that is. So you’re from the north? That makes a lot of sense of why you love it up here.”

  She nodded. “I went to university and then medical school in London, Ontario. That was a hard transition. I much prefer the north over the city. Although Anchorage is a city, so it must be the north I love.”

  She was rambling. She knew that. But she really didn’t know what else to say to ease the awkward tension that had fallen between them.

  “I prefer the south,” he said.

  “Then why did you come north?” she asked.

  “My mother had an opening for a residency.”

  “I know that. That’s how we met.”

  “Right...”

  “I mean now...besides our marriage, I guess.”

  “It’s because of our marriage,” Aran stated, making her blush.

  “Oh?”

  “Also it’s an opening now I’ve been discharged from the army.”

  “And your father? How does he feel about you moving near your mother?”

  Aran’s expression hardened. “My father died just before I was deployed.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  And she truly was. She knew what it was like to lose a parent when you were young. It sucked. And she felt bad that she hadn’t known that, since they’d got married right before he’d deployed.

  Of course. Now it made sense why he’d been so distant during their wedding...

  “Look, if you don’t want to go through with this it’s okay,” Ruby offered. Aran was not his usual jovial self.

  “No. It’s fine,” he said quickly.

  But he didn’t offer a reason why he was so cold. So preoccupied.

  “Is it something I did?”

  “No,” he said tersely.

  Before she could back out the court reporter came out into the hallway. “Dr. Cloutier and Dr. Atkinson?”

  Aran took her hand and led her into the judge’s chambers.

  He looked down at her. “Why are you smiling like that?”

  “Like what?” Ruby asked. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

  “Relax. It’s okay.”

  Only it wasn’t okay. He’d married her when he’d been grieving. People made a lot of mistakes when they were grieving. Life was like a blur. And when you lost a parent it was as if a piece of your soul had been gouged out from you and you had to relearn the world without that vital piece there. Even twenty years later she was still mourning the loss of her father. She was still grieving him, even though she kept it to herself.

  They didn’t say much else as they walked the rest of the way to the crab shack. When they got down to the docks the familiar scent of Old Bay seasoning, melted butter and salt water hit her and her stomach growled in response. It had been a long time since she’d come down here and had some Alaskan King Crab. She’d been so busy at work.

  Aran held open the door for her and they took a seat in the screened porch that looked out over the Cook Inlet.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been here in all the times I’ve visited Anchorage,” Aran said, looking around.


  “Your mom never brought you here? It’s an Anchorage institution, apparently.”

  “This is not my mom’s type of place. Brown paper tablecloths, crab and beer... Yeah, so not her thing.”

  Ruby laughed. “Well, I’m not having any beer tonight. I have a patient to check on when we’re done.”

  “Right—this is the patient who was brought in this morning from up near Wainwright?”

  “Yes...” Ruby sighed looking at the menu.

  “What can I get you folks today?” asked a waiter, coming up then and interrupting their discussion of the patient.

  Which was fine. Ruby really didn’t want to talk about her patient at that moment. She was worried about him. He wasn’t doing well.

  “I’ll have an order of crab legs and an iced tea.” She handed the menu to the waiter.

  “Same,” Aran said and handed his menu back.

  “Great! I’ll be back with your drinks in a moment.”

  An awkward tension settled between them. She saw Aran was picking at his napkin. What had happened between the two of them? They’d used to be so comfortable around each other. They’d used to be able to work and converse easily.

  Of course that had been when they were just friends and not husband and wife. And, really, they hadn’t talked much about anything besides work.

  “He’s not doing well. My patient,” Ruby finally said, breaking the tension.

  “Oh...?”

  “I think an infection has set in. I started a round of rabies shots, obviously, but...”

  “Go on,” he urged, interested.

  “I’m not going to talk about the nature of a bear attack in a restaurant. It was pretty bad. I’m actually surprised that he made it to Anchorage.”

  Aran nodded. “Yeah, it’s best not to talk too much about that when people are eating.”

  “He’s in the ICU, but I have a feeling I’m going to have to open him up again and see if an abscess has formed.”

  The waiter appeared again just then, with their drinks, and there was a slightly horrified look on his face at hearing the word “abscess.” She tried to stifle a laugh.

  “Enjoy,” the waiter said quickly, before leaving.

  Ruby chuckled and Aran smiled.

  “See what I mean?” she said. “That waiter was grossed out.”

  “He did look a bit green around the gills,” Aran said looking over his shoulder. “Remember that time when we had to take those first-year medical students on rounds?”

  Ruby groaned. “Oh, don’t remind me. That was so awful.”

  “I dragged one young man into the operating room and there was that infected bowel...”

  “No, you really need to stop!” Ruby laughed. “That was awful.”

  “Well, it helped him decide that surgery was not his cup of tea.”

  Ruby nodded. “It did—and he looked just as green as that waiter.”

  Aran nodded. “So, who pilots your plane while you’re saving lives?”

  “Me. I do.”

  “You’re a pilot?” Aran asked, stunned.

  “Yes. You seem surprised.”

  “I haven’t met many women pilots. Logically, I know they exist. I’ve just never met one.”

  “Well, I grew up in a community where for a long time the only access in or out during different parts of the year was via plane.”

  Aran cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  “Up until 2008 the side of Great Slave Lake I lived on could only be accessed in the summer if you drove your car onto a ferry or in the winter when the river froze and you drove your car across it.”

  Aran’s eyes widened. “You mean people drive across ice?”

  “Have you never heard of an ice road? They have them up here in Alaska.”

  “No. I haven’t.”

  Ruby chuckled. “You really are a southern boy.”

  “So, now you have a bridge?” he asked.

  “Yes, there’s a bridge crossing the river now, and those communities aren’t landlocked during certain seasons. See, when there was ice breaking up the ferry couldn’t run, and of course you couldn’t drive across it. And ice road seasons are becoming shorter. Still, there are many other places that rely on bush planes to service their communities. When I was old enough I started to take flying lessons. I wanted to be a pilot. My older brother is a bush pilot.”

  “Is he a doctor too?”

  “No!” Ruby smiled as she thought of the time her older brother had been fishing and got a splinter. He had passed out when she’d had to remove it. “He turns green much like the waiter.”

  Aran laughed softly. “You’re pretty strong-willed. It’s one thing I’ve always liked about you.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “Do.”

  His blue eyes twinkled and she could feel warmth flooding her cheeks. She looked away.

  “Why don’t you tell me about your time in the Army? You never did say much about it the few times you emailed.”

  His expression hardened and he went back to fiddling with his paper napkin. “We don’t need to talk about that.”

  “I think we do,” Ruby said. “I’m very selective about my team. You know that I am. I need to know about your time overseas so that I can ease my anxiety about the nepotism your mother seems to have imposed on me. Also, if the Immigration people come... I mean...we’re married. We’ve been married for five years and I should know about what happened to you in those years.”

  * * *

  Ruby had a point, but it didn’t mean that Aran liked it. The military had been so important to him. His father had been in the military too, but he had been a doctor who worked on base and never served time overseas, like Aran had. It was another reason why his parents had split.

  His dad had loved the military life and his mother had not. She’d loved Anchorage. She’d loved the hospital that she’d helped build from the ground up and she wouldn’t leave Alaska for anything. Not even for her child.

  Aran understood her love for her career now. Especially since he’d been mustered into the Armed Forces and become a military surgeon. He’d loved serving his country. It had been the most important thing to him.

  But now it was gone.

  He couldn’t serve.

  So, no, he really didn’t want to talk about it—but Ruby was right. They could get into a lot of trouble for what they’d done. A marriage of convenience so that Ruby could stay in the country and work...so that his mother wouldn’t lose Ruby’s contribution to what she’d sacrificed everything for. And that was Seward Memorial.

  Aran had done it for Ruby, though. He’d agreed to the marriage because of Ruby and her passion for her work.

  “I really can’t talk about where I was. It was a war zone. It is still a war zone.”

  Ruby nodded, but persisted. “Tell me more about the IED blast?”

  Sweat broke across his brow and he took a sip of his iced tea. He tried to stop the thundering in his ears as his pulse quickened. He closed his eyes and tried to drown out the sounds of the blast.

  Pain.

  Aran woke up lying in sand. He couldn’t move his leg. He cursed and tried to orient himself to his surroundings. The sun was bright against the sand and the air was filled with smoke and gasoline.

  Oh, God.

  He looked around to try and find members of his unit, but all he could see was the truck on its side, on fire, and bodies scattered around the dunes.

  “Yuck!”

  Aran’s eyes snapped open and he saw a look of horror on Ruby’s face. “What’s wrong?”

  “Pass the sugar.”

  Aran slid the sugar shaker toward her and Ruby dumped some sugar in her iced tea.

  He couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “You have to ask for sw
eet tea,” he gently reminded her.

  “I know and I always forget. In Canada, iced tea is sweet tea.” Ruby stirred her drink and took a sip. “Better.”

  The waiter returned then, with their food, and he was eyeing Ruby with interest and fear. “Is everything okay, miss?”

  “Fine,” Aran said. “She just wanted sweet tea. Canadians—what can you do?”

  Ruby’s eyes narrowed and Aran tried not to laugh. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d really laughed and enjoyed himself. There had never been much time when he was at the front. There had been too many broken soldiers to mend. Wounded civilians too. It had all been just a big mess.

  The waiter left.

  “I don’t think he’s coming back to this table in a hurry,” Ruby teased as she cracked open a crab leg.

  “I agree. We’ve scared him off.”

  Ruby nodded.

  “Do you know when Immigration will be wanting to interview us?” Aran asked in a hushed tone.

  “No. I assume, though, now that you’re back in Alaska and honorably discharged, it will be sooner rather than later.”

  Aran nodded. “I’m willing to make this work you know.”

  “Our marriage?” she asked.

  “Right. So that you can get your citizenship, I mean. I still believe in your work like I did five years ago.”

  She blushed again. “Thank you. I appreciate that. It means a lot to me. I have a lot of big plans, and Seward Memorial is the first step in making them a reality. I really do appreciate the favor. The sacrifice you made.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “And I really do admire the work you’ve done and the team you’ve set up.”

  “You don’t need to patronize me,” she muttered.

  “I’m not. It’s true. What you’re doing for people who are out there, away from a hospital... It’s important. You’re out there saving lives.”

  She nodded, but didn’t say anything further, and he couldn’t help but wonder what had changed. Had he said something wrong?

  Aran thought it best not to press it.

  They ate in silence.

  When they were finishing up Ruby’s pager went off. She wiped her hands and looked at it, frowning when she saw the message.

  “Shoot,” she mumbled.