Gladioli in August (2 page)

“Seriously? What book is that in?”

“Judges, chapter four.”

“Hmmm, maybe I should read it whilst waiting for her plane. See ya later.” He hung up and made the call to the merchants to order the tarmac. Next he headed to the restaurant. One meal later, he found a chair in the arrivals hall, in sight of the board displaying flight details, and settled down to read and wait. He hated to wait, almost as much as he disliked change.

Finally, flight IEA97 from Heathrow was listed as arrived and bags collected. He gave her another twenty minutes to clear customs, and then slowly rose and headed over to the barrier. He held up his sign, trying to imagine what this one might look like.

Weary travelers streamed through the double doors. He held his sign higher and caught his breath as a petite brunette with long, curly, and messy hair headed towards him
.

You have got to be kidding me
.
She doesn't look old enough to be out of school, never mind a fully qualified nurse. A breath of wind would knock her over. She won't last five minutes out here.

****

Jael was tired and stressed. She hated being late, especially when she knew someone was waiting for her.

As she headed towards the bloke holding the card with her name on, she took in his appearance.

Rugged looks. Blond, scruffy hair and grey-blue eyes behind wire rimmed glasses. He wore a red polo shirt, open at the neck, with khaki knee-length shorts and…open toed sandals? Around his neck hung a plain chain with a ring on it.

The man ran his gaze over her as she stopped in front of him. “Jael Stevens? You're late.”

“Tell me something I don't know,” she sighed.

He stuck out a hand. “That'd be my name. I'm Micah Norris, and I'll be your pilot for the next six months.”

“Hello.” She shook his hand. “I'm sorry you had to wait.”

“No worries. I spent the time drinking coffee and reading about your namesake in Judges.” He looked at the bags on her trolley. “Talk about travelling light. Is that all off it? I count two cases and four bags? Did you have to pay excess luggage?”

She shook her head. “I only packed the stuff I was asked to bring out, and there's things from the church as well.”

He took the trolley from her. “This way, Miss Stevens.”

“Please, call me Jael.”

He nodded. “Micah.” He led her to a small area. “We need to run your bags through the scanner.” He winked at the uniformed officer. “Check for tent pegs.”

The customs bloke raised an eyebrow.

“Private joke,” Micah explained.

“No, no tent pegs,” Jael explained hurriedly. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and instead glared half-heartedly at Micah. “Thanks for that. Am I going to need them?”

“Not with me, honey.” He grinned. “As for the rest of the natives? Well, that's anyone's guess.”

She baulked at the term of endearment, but let it slide. At least the bloke had a sense of humor. Fortunately so did the customs officer.

Micah loaded the cases onto the belt before following her through the body scanner. “It's a two-hour flight from here. Did you need coffee or the restroom first?”

“Both. And something to eat. Airline food isn't particularly edible. And I didn't fancy salmon at two AM.”

“I can understand that.” He nodded to the side of the security area. “The restrooms are there. I'll go pick something up for you to eat.”

“What about my bags?”

“I'll keep an eye on them.”

Jael grabbed her back pack and headed across to the ladies. By the time she got back, Micah stood by the cases with coffee and a fast food meal for her.

“I didn't know what to get, so I figured chicken nuggets were safe, unless you're a veggie.”

“No, I'm not. Thank you. What do I owe you?”

“Nothing. Take a seat, and I'll go put your bags on the plane.”

Jael sat down and sipped the coffee. Taking a small bottle from the pack she'd held onto, she shook two painkillers into the palm of her hand and swallowed them with more coffee. She shoved the pill bottle away and stretched out her legs. The food tasted better than she'd imagined, but even if it hadn't, she'd have eaten it.

Micah came back just as she finished eating. “We need to go. The tower wants me out of here before the storm arrives. Otherwise, we're grounded until tomorrow afternoon.”

“Storm?”

“Oh, don't worry, we're going the other way, honey. Bring your coffee with you.”

Jael pushed upright and dumped her rubbish in the bin. She followed him out to the small plane. As he finished the preflight, she strapped herself in. “Can I ask something?”

He glanced at her over the clipboard. “Sure.”

“Well, two something's. First, you keep calling me honey, and my name is Jael. And the second…”

“I call all my nurses ‘honey.' If you don't like it, I can stop.”

“I'd appreciate it if you did.”

“Sure, honey. I can stop. What's the second thing?”

“Are you really a pilot? I mean, don't take this the wrong way, but you wear glasses.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And you're a nurse with very long, painted nails. They'll last two minutes once Danny sees them. Less, if Kevin sees you first.” He turned on his headphones. “OK, tower, this is November niner-niner-zulu ready to go.”

“The varnish will come off tonight when I cut my nails.” She pushed back into her seat as the small plane hurtled down the runway. She closed her eyes, always hating the lurch when the plane left the ground sending her stomach twisting into motion sickness. This time it didn't come.

“Are you all right?”

She opened her eyes. “Yes, I…Oh…” She gazed out of the window. The ground was several hundred feet below her already, and as she watched, the land gave way to a vast, sparkling blue ocean.

Micah smiled. “Were you expecting a bumpy take off?”

She nodded. “Yeah, and motion sickness, but there wasn't either.”

A slight frown creased his brow. “You throw up in my plane, honey, and you can get out.”

Jael snorted. “With or without a parachute?”

He paused. “Either works.” Then he chuckled. “Tiampu is part of the Lease chain of islands.” He tilted his head. “But I assume you did your homework and worked all that out.”

“Yeah.” She leaned back in her seat, watching the waves below them. Her eyes gradually slid shut, and she must have dozed because the next thing she knew, Micah was shaking her arm. “There she is.”

Jael pressed her face against the window. The huge cone of the volcano rose into the sky. Kyle's worries came back to her. “It is extinct, right?”

“Who knows? The volcanologists refer to her as dormant. She last erupted in 1723 and hasn't even stirred since. You have villages all around the island, plantations, vineyards, farms. Most have dirt airstrips, so you'll get your bumpy take offs and landings there. The base one is tarmacked…well, most of it is. That also serves as the town's main runway. The actual airport isn't much more than a hut with a couple of security people on duty to man the radio, but we get by. We're not set up for anything bigger than small planes like this one.”

He turned on the radio. “Achor, this is Micah on approach from the east.”

“Hi, Micah. Runway is all yours.”

“Cheers.” He put the radio down and guided the plane straight in.

Jael closed her eyes as the plane bounced. That seemed like a terribly lax radio conversation to her, nothing like what she'd imagined, or like the one with the control tower at East Timor.

“And here's Danny to meet us.”

Jael opened her eyes to see a tall man coming across towards the plane. She jumped down and was instantly hit by a wall of intense heat and humidity.

Micah dumped her bags on the ground. “Danny Taylor, this is Jael Stevens, your new nurse and her many cases and bags. I shall leave the two of you to get acquainted, and I'm off to bed.”

“Oh, night.” Jael watched Micah head off and then turned to the other man. “Is he always like this?”

“Pretty much.” He held out a hand, his accent clipped and distinctly American. “Danny Taylor, in charge around here.”

“Jael Stevens.”

“Pleased to meet you. Just call me Danny. We don't stand on ceremony around here. The place is too small and busy for that.” He grabbed a couple of her bags. “Come this way. We're currently doctorless. Kevin got called to one of the other islands, Bantu, this morning. They have a smallpox epidemic, and he won't be back for some time. That means you're it.”

She followed him with the rest of her luggage. “Talk about being thrown in at the deep end,” she said, trying to keep up with his long strides. “I can assure you, I'm fully qualified.”

Danny nodded. “What about the language? Here they speak Tiampian, Indonesian, and Malay. A few of the Dutch descendants speak English, but they're in the minority.”

“A little Malay, but I'm a quick study.”

“Good, that will be a help. The clinic is there, dispensary, stores, offices…”

Jael tried to keep up as Danny nodded to buildings as they passed them.

He led her into a brick building. It was much cooler than outside. “These are the living quarters.”

Jael followed him up three flights of stairs and down a dingy hallway.

“There is a light switch by each fire door. It stays on long enough to get from one end to the other, but we don't use them during daylight hours.” Danny stopped outside a door with her name on it and slid the key into it. “This is you.”

The door swung open. He carried her cases in and set them on the floor. “I'll see you in my office in twenty minutes to go over your schedule and fill in all the paperwork. Micah's room is right next to yours. It's easier that way in case you're both needed during the night.”

“OK.” Jael took the key from him and wandered over to the small window. She could see Gunung Berapi in the distance, snow on its peak and trees lining its sides. Perhaps on a day off she could get over there somehow.

Turning around, she glanced around the room. It was small, bordering minute, containing a bed, sink, chest of drawers, wardrobe, and bed. The furniture was basic and shoehorned into the available space, which gave the room a cramped, almost claustrophobic feel.

To one side was a tiny ensuite, containing a toilet and shower. But she'd stayed in worse in her student days. That hall of residence had a shared bathroom between twenty of them. She let out a deep breath and sat cautiously on the bed. At least it didn't squeak. She lay back for a moment and closed her eyes.

Micah's snoring was clearly audible though the walls. This was going to be a long six months.

Jael closed her eyes and prayed.
Thank You for bringing me here safely, Lord. Oversee my time here and let me make a difference somehow.

2

Micah had always been an early riser. By seven AM he'd checked the plane, refueled it, and done a three kilometer run. He hit the shower, singing off key as the hot water streamed over him. He used the last of his shower gel, and rolled his eyes at his forgetfulness. He'd meant to pick some up yesterday and had totally forgotten. The stuff in the local store smelled revolting. Perhaps they'd have soap or something he could make do with instead.

Ten minutes later he headed over to the dining room. Everyone ate breakfast and the evening meal together. That tradition had been going since the base had been founded ten years ago, and no one had ever complained. Everyone was there except the new nurse.

Danny was already refilling his coffee but paused as Micah approached. “Would you mind fetching Jael?”

“Not at all.” Micah replied and turned back to the entrance. He jogged back across the compound and up the three flights of stairs toward his room. He banged on the door of the nurse's quarters. “Hey, Jael, you awake in there?”

After a moment or two, just as he was about to knock again, the door opened. Jael's hair hung in bedraggled hanks over her shoulders, and her pj's were awry. “What is it?”

He grinned. “Good morning to you too, honey. It's breakfast time.” He tried not to stare at her, but it was hard as she looked so cute all half asleep.

“It's only seven-thirty.”

“And everyone's waiting. We eat together before the day starts, and we get busy. Five minutes or it'll be cold.”

“I didn't realize. I'm sorry.”

“No probs. I'll see you over there.” He headed back across to the dining room and took his seat.

Five minutes later, Jael ran in wearing a uniform dress and heels. “Sorry.”

All the men rose until she slid into the empty chair next to Micah.

Danny remained standing to say grace, and then he sat.

Micah tucked in hungrily. He loved breakfast. There was just something about bacon and eggs that set the day off to a perfect start. Light chatter filled the room, along with the chinking of cutlery on plates. They were probably interrogating the new nurse, but he tuned them out. He topped up his cup, needing the caffeine.

Once the meal was over, Danny tapped on his cup. Silence fell, and everyone brought out their Bibles, except Jael.

Micah realized too late he should have told her. He shared his Bible with her as Danny led them through the Morning Prayer and Bible study.

As the room emptied, she glanced at him. “Thanks for sharing your Bible.”

He nodded. “I should have warned you in advance, sorry.”

“It's fine. Is everyone here a Christian?”

He rose. “I think most are, and those that aren't, never complain. It's a nice way to start the day.”

Danny came out of the office as they passed. “Jael, here's your list of calls for this morning. Routine visits mainly–eleven of them. If anything else comes in, I'll radio you the details.”