The Surgeon's Convenient Husband

by Amy Ruttan

  Ruby smiled. “I’m due to make a trip up to Whitehead tomorrow. It’s a routine check on a nurse practitioner who’s in the village. I’d like you to come.”

  He nodded. “Sure. I’d like that.”

  Ruby smiled. “We might have to do some minor surgeries. The nurse practitioner saves up routine operations for when I come. For any big surgeries that need to be done in a hospital she either calls me or the Air Ambulance to fly the patients out.”

  “Minor? So, like gall bladders or things like that?” he asked.

  “Yes. Is that a problem?”

  “Nope. It sounds good. I look forward to flying with you.”

  “Good.”

  Although she wasn’t too sure about this either. She wasn’t sure how it was going to go tomorrow, and she wasn’t sure how well they were going to work together. But it was better that she tested it out this way instead of being thrust into an emergency situation with him, where everything might potentially fall apart and cost lives.

  There was a knock at the door and Chinook went around the front to visit Sam the pizza guy who was very familiar with Chinook and his behavior. Sam was her neighbor, and he often took care of Chinook when Ruby had to fly out to remote locations.

  “Hey, Doc,” said Sam when she answered the door. “Bigger order. You have company?”

  Leave it to Sam, who had been operating his pizza place in the area for a long time, always to poke his nose into everyone’s business.

  She really didn’t want it to become neighborhood gossip that her husband was back, or that she was even married. But then a thought occurred to her that maybe this would be a good thing. It would solidify their fake marriage for Agent Bolton when he came to check up on them.

  “I do have company, Sam.” Ruby stepped back and Aran stood up. “My husband has been serving overseas the last five years and he’s finally come home. Sam, I’d like to introduce you to my husband, Dr. Aran Atkinson. Aran, this is Sam, and he’s the local pizza guru for this part of Anchorage.”

  Sam stood there, stunned, holding the pizza, but then he smiled brightly and extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Atkinson! Wow, that’s a long call of duty.”

  “It was, but I’m home now. For good.”

  Ruby could tell that Aran felt slightly uncomfortable. he was back in America for good—but home? This wasn’t his home. How could he say that?

  Home was where the heart was, and Ruby had the distinct feeling that this wasn’t where Aran’s heart was.

  “You’ve been discharged?” Sam asked.

  “Yes. I was injured overseas and I’m back now to work at the hospital. I still want to serve—just serve the good citizens of Anchorage.”

  Sam beamed and handed Ruby the pizza. “This is on me.”

  “Sam, you don’t have to—”

  Sam held up his hands. “No. I insist. It’s my pleasure to welcome back Dr. Atkinson after sacrificing so much for our country. I’ll leave you two alone. Welcome home, Dr. Atkinson.”

  Aran nodded.

  Sam slipped away and Ruby shut the door, stunned that Sam had fallen for their ruse so easily. Usually he had a lot more questions, especially when it came to what Sam felt was his role as protector and knowledge-keeper of the neighborhood. More like gossip rather than knowledge.

  And she was also stunned by the fact that she’d just scored a free pizza from him.

  “I set his broken leg once and didn’t even get a free pizza,” she said, setting the box down on the island.

  Aran chuckled. “War hero. I guess that’s a perk I wasn’t quite expecting. I hope it’s good pizza.”

  “And if it’s not?” she asked as she opened the box and drank in the scent of melted cheese, sausage and Italian herbs.

  “I don’t care if it’s good or not. I haven’t had a pizza in a long, long time.” Aran picked up a slice and took a bite. “That’s good pizza.”

  “Homemade is so much better than the big chains. There’s a lot of great small restaurants throughout the north that are just Mom-and-Pop type places and they make the best food. There was this great café in Yellowknife I loved going to. It served the best Arctic Grayling sushi.”

  Aran cocked an eyebrow. “Arctic Grayling sushi?”

  “Oh, yeah. Nothing quite like getting fresh Arctic Grayling right out of Great Slave Lake.”

  “Hey, in San Diego we have great seafood and authentic Mexican food. Not that junk you get in chain restaurants either. Have you ever had a fish taco?”

  “No. I can’t say that I have.”

  “That’s a good taco.”

  “I’ll take your word for it, since I doubt I’ll ever go to San Diego.” And then she mentally kicked herself, because she’d had a chance to go there and hadn’t taken it.

  “Never say never. You might one day.”

  Heat bloomed in her cheeks. “Well, I’m glad you like the pizza.”

  “So, you obviously told more than just the people at the hospital about me?”

  “Yes. Sam has a son and he was always trying to fix me up with him. You got me out of many, many pity dates.”

  “Pity dates?”

  “What else would you call them? Dates for a single woman who never goes out and always works...?”

  “I doubt they were pity dates, Ruby. There’s so much more to you and I think they saw that.”

  She blushed again and looked away. She wasn’t used to compliments.

  They sat in silence. Ruby was tired, but she had to take Chinook down to the lake and let him have a good run or he would howl all night.

  She grabbed her sweater and bear spray.

  “Where are you going?” Aran asked, watching her.

  “I have to take Chinook down to the lake for a swim and to stretch his legs. He needs to run off his energy. This is the problem with having a sled dog for a pet and working odd hours.”

  “I’ll come with you, if you don’t mind,” Aran said.

  He made his way to the guest room and came back with a flannel jacket. She noticed he was limping slightly, and was worried that the walk would be too much.

  “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” she asked.

  “I’ll be fine. Besides, there’s no backing out now. Chinook looks raring to go.”

  Aran nodded at the window and Ruby saw Chinook with his face against it, smearing up the outside with his nose and tongue. His blue eyes were bright with excitement.

  She chuckled. “Okay, let’s go before he dirties up the entire pane.”

  Ruby locked up and they headed outside. Chinook started barking and hopping around excitedly as she led Aran down to the path, through the forest that led to the lake. Chinook soon took off, but he never went far.

  “So, if Chinook needs so much exercise, and you keep such odd hours, why did you get him?”

  “No one wanted him,” Ruby said. “He was supposed to be a champion dog for the Iditarod team, but he was injured on the first leg of the race. He’ll never race again. If you watch him closely you can see that he has a slight limp in his giddy-up.”

  Aran cocked his head. “Yeah, I can see it now.”

  “I didn’t want to see him put down, or have him waste away somewhere. The owner of the team didn’t want to pay for the surgery to fix him, so I did. And he’s been my pal ever since. He’s well trained and he watches my place. He’s happiest outside in his dog house, but on bitter nights I bring him inside. When I’m away for long periods the neighbors come and walk him, and in the winter we do some mushing down on the lake when it freezes over.”

  “You run a dog sled?” he asked in amazement.

  “Only a small one. I like the Iditarod. It’s kind of fascinating and it’s a big deal up here.”

  “So I’ve heard. I’ve never watched it.”

  “You sho
uld. If you’re going to stay up in Alaska you need to immerse yourself in all her excitement.”

  “Alaska is exciting?” he asked in disbelief.

  “Yes,” she said, beaming up at him.

  “You told me the north is hard.”

  “It can be, but it’s an amazing place. There’s no other place I’d rather be.”

  There was a splash as they rounded the last bend and they saw Chinook happily splashing in the lake, barking and chasing fish. Aran chuckled and wandered down to the shore. She could tell that he was taking in the sight around him. The mountains framing the lake. The tall spruce trees. The quaking aspens rising and climbing up the mountain, each of them tall and slender, their leaves stretching as far as they could to grasp the short bursts of sunlight during the winter months, before darkness descended and the temperature was brutal.

  If only he could see it in the fall and the winter, when the Aurora danced across the sky. That was her favorite time of the year. She closed her eyes and pictured the blue, green and purple lights dancing overhead. The hum that they generated in the silence of darkness...

  A gunshot rang out and Chinook barked, his fur standing on end. Ruby spun around and saw Aran was completely on edge.

  “What was that?” he asked.

  “I—” She was just going to say that she didn’t know when another shot rang out, followed by screams. Aran’s jaw clenched.

  “It’s not hunting season,” Ruby said.

  She gave a quick command to Chinook and the dog came to her side. She cocked her head and listened. She could hear someone coming.

  She gripped her bear spray tighter and waited. Aran was stiff as a board and his eyes were fixated on the bush behind them as the sound of someone running came closer. Chinook growled low.

  Please don’t be an angry bear. Please don’t be an angry bear.

  “Help!” A man burst through the brush, blood all over his face and hands. “Help, my buddy’s been shot!”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  WHEN ARAN HAD heard those shots fired his heart had stopped. The world around him had frozen and his body had coiled tight, like a spring that was ready to snap. Immediately he’d been taken right back to when the fight had broken out—just before the IED explosion had injured him and wiped out his unit...

  “We’re under fire!”

  Aran craned his head back to see the driver radioing for help. His pulse thundered in his ears and he turned back to the patient he was transporting. The soldier with the open abdomen that had now been packed. The man whose life was in his hands.

  Bullets bounced off the metal, and behind him he could see a Jeep burst into flames as it hit an IED.

  He trembled—and then felt the world beneath him crumble...

  Seeing the confused and dazed hunter come crashing out of the bush brought him back to reality.

  “Slow down and tell us where he is,” Ruby said calmly.

  Aran glanced down to see Chinook standing next to him. The dog was no longer growling, but he could tell he was completely on guard, his gaze focused on the distraught hunter. Or he could only assume he was a hunter, given the camo the man was wearing and the fact that they’d heard gunshots.

  “He’s not far away. We were in the woods hiking and Zeke thought he saw a bear.”

  “Okay,” Ruby said. “Take us to him and we’ll see what we can do, Mr....?”

  “Mike,” the man said breathlessly. “My name is Mike.”

  “Okay, Mike. Lead the way.”

  Mike started making his way up the trail and Ruby turned and gave Aran a strange look. Aran had the feeling that Mike and Zeke shouldn’t be out hunting, especially so close to town. Chinook’s hackles were still raised. The dog was on alert and Aran was thankful that he was with them.

  It didn’t take them long before they found Zeke, his back against the tree and holding his side. Even from this distance Aran could tell the man had a collapsed lung, just by the way he was struggling to breathe and the color of his skin.

  “I found help, Zeke!” Mike said.

  Aran knelt down. Ruby gave a command to her dog and Chinook immediately lay down, but he was ever watchful.

  “Mind if I look?” Aran asked, before he even tried to remove the man’s hand from the wound.

  “You a doctor?” Zeke asked through labored breaths.

  “I am.”

  Zeke nodded. Aran inspected the wound. He’d seen this before. Gunshot wounds were common at the front.

  “Okay, Mike, do you have something like a piece of material that you can apply pressure to?” Aran asked.

  Mike nodded and dug in a rucksack, pulling out a clean shirt. “Will this do?”

  “That’s good.” Aran took the shirt from Mike and held it against the wound. “I need you to stay with me, Zeke. I’m going to send Dr. Cloutier here to get some supplies from her house and call the paramedics.”

  Ruby nodded. “I know what you need.”

  “Good. Hurry,” Aran urged under his breath.

  “Chinook—come,” Ruby said.

  Chinook got up and followed after her.

  “Am I going to die?” Zeke asked.

  “Not if I can help it,” Aran said. “I was at the front line and I saw guys in worse shape than you and they pulled through.”

  “You’re Army?” Mike asked.

  Aran nodded. “Yes.”

  He could tell they were both relieved. It gave Mike and Zeke some comfort and it would help them relax, before what Aran knew he would have to do to ensure that Zeke survived transport to the hospital. It was not going to be pretty.

  “What were you out hunting for?” Aran asked.

  “Well, we weren’t hunting,” Mike said quickly.

  “You’re certainly outfitted like you were.”

  “We were practicing. We’re going on a hunt when the season opens. We’re headed further up north, to a camp, and we’re going to stalk big game. We thought we’d check out some of our gear on this trail. My summer place is just the other side of the lake. Zeke thought he saw a bear...”

  “I panicked,” Zeke said. “I’ve never hunted before.”

  “I think your hunting days might be over,” Aran remarked.

  Zeke smiled weakly. “I think you’re right.”

  It wasn’t long before Aran heard an engine and he looked down the trail to see Ruby driving a small ATV with a sled hooked to the back, like a gurney. He was impressed. She really was ready for anything out here.

  “The ambulance is on its way, but the paramedics can’t get out here. We need to stabilize him and then take him back slowly on the gurney.”

  “Good thinking.” Aran glanced at Mike. “I need you to do me a favor, Mike.”

  Mike nodded. “Sure.”

  “I need you to hold this shirt and apply pressure while Dr. Cloutier and I get everything ready—okay?”

  Mike looked unsure, but nodded. “Okay.”

  Aran showed him how to apply pressure and then let Mike take over before going to see what Ruby had brought. He was hoping she’d brought a surgical kit.

  “You did bring the right kit,” he said with relief, under his breath.

  “This is not my first rodeo,” she stated.

  “How long until the paramedics get here?” Aran asked.

  “Thirty minutes. We’ll hear the sirens. The highway isn’t far from here.”

  Aran opened the surgical kit and saw everything he needed to insert a chest tube.

  “Does he really need a chest tube?” Ruby whispered, as if reading his mind.

  “He has a collapsed lung and a flail chest,” Aran said. “We need to do something to relieve the pressure.”

  “I don’t have anything to sedate him. His body has been under a lot of stress, and this is going to add more.”

  �
�I’m aware,” Aran said. “I’ve done this countless times before, in worse conditions and under gunfire. I can handle this.”

  Ruby didn’t look so sure. “Should we get him on the gurney before we do this?”

  Aran nodded. “It would be best. He won’t feel like moving much after I do it.”

  Ruby pursed her lips together and nodded. “You get the stuff ready and I’ll help him up.”

  Aran went through the surgical supplies and pulled out everything he needed while Ruby instructed Mike on getting Zeke strapped into the gurney.

  “He’s ready,” Ruby said.

  Aran slipped on rubber gloves and knelt down to the gurney. “Zeke, you need a chest tube. Your lung has collapsed and this will help you, but I’m not going to lie—it’s going to hurt something fierce.”

  Zeke closed his eyes and nodded and Mike worried at his bottom lip. Aran didn’t want to sugarcoat how much it was going to hurt, but the guy was young, healthy and strong. If Zeke got the help he needed then he should fully recover, but in order to get that medical attention Aran had to do this.

  Now.

  “Mike, I need you to help hold Zeke,” Ruby instructed. “We have to keep him still while Dr. Atkinson works.”

  “Sure thing, Doc.” Mike followed Ruby’s instruction.

  Aran cut away the shirt to expose the side of Zeke’s chest and use an antibacterial wipe on him.

  “Okay, Zeke... Hold him tight, Mike,” Aran warned.

  Mike closed his eyes and nodded.

  Aran swiftly inserted the chest tube while Zeke screamed and cussed.

  “Good job, Zeke,” Ruby said gently. “Good job.”

  Aran taped up the chest tube and made sure it was secure.

  “Dang it, Doc. That more than just hurt...” Zeke said weakly, before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out.

  “He needs to get to the hospital.”

  “Dr. Franklin is on duty,” Ruby said. “He’s waiting for him.”

  Aran nodded. “Let’s get him to the road.”

  They finished securing Zeke and then Ruby got on the ATV and gently pulled Zeke’s gurney closer to the main road by her home. By the time they got to the road they could hear the sirens and see the ambulance coming up the road.