By Thursday afternoon, he needed guidance and he needed it quickly.
“Maggie, could you radio Hugh and ask him to drop by?”
“Hugh?”
“I need to talk to him about something—personal.” Her understanding smile dissolved the knot in his stomach.
“Of course. Does it matter when?”
“The sooner the better.”
Hugh walked up the infirmary steps an hour before suppertime. Maggie was in the kitchen, preparing their meal.
“I understand you want to talk,” the minister said, taking a seat on the entry bench.
Rob locked his wheelchair nearby. Though no longer intimidated by the minister, he would still have a hard time voicing his fears. He cleared his throat and opened his clenched fists. “I have a problem I can’t work out. I’ve prayed about it endlessly, but it’s still there, as tangled as ever.”
“Have you asked that God’s perfect will be done?”
The minister’s quiet question confused Rob. “Perfect will? I don’t understand ... though now I think on it, I heard Maggie say that at the end of a prayer.”
Hugh leaned closer. “God has a perfect plan for each of our lives, but there are times we pray for something that is no’ included in that plan. Even though it might seem a logical, legitimate prayer to us, His answer may no’ be what we expect or want.”
“But how can we know His perfect will?”
“We can’t. That’s why every time we petition our Lord, we add, ‘if it be Your perfect will.’ That way, no matter how the prayer is answered, we’re assured it complies with the plan He has for our lives.”
Rob laid his head back and looked at the clouds playing chase across the sky. “I actually have twa problems, though they’re all mixed together. The hardest is making up my mind to resign my commission in the Air Forces after the war so I can return here to Innisbraw with Maggie.”
“So you luve her, then?”
“I do. But the second problem is, I can’t tell her I luve her when I don’t know where I’ll be living when the war’s over.”
“Have you thought to make a list of the pros and cons of each choice?”
“I don’t have to. Och, I know I’d miss being an officer in the Air Forces, but ...” His heart throbbed painfully. “I can’t give up flying. I’ve wanted to be a pilot since I was a bairn and getting my wings was the happiest, proudest moment of my life.”
Hugh nodded, steepling his hands. “And what and where will you be flying after the war, if you stay in the American Air Forces?”
“I don’t know. I have no idea what the Air Forces will even look like after the war ends. There’s only one thing I know for sure. I’ll never fly a desk. I’ve known that since I took my first flight.”
“Fly a desk? Do you mean having some sort of office turn instead of flying an airieplane?”
“Aye.”
“So you have no particular aversion to living on Innisbraw?”
“I don’t think there’s owt I can’t learn to live with, though I haven’t really seen the island. It’ll take time getting accustomed to the isolation, and I know there will be a lot of things I’m no’ used to, like the lack of telephones and having to burn peat instead of wood. If it weren’t for no’ flying again, I’m sure I’d come to like it … even all the walking.”
“So you’re confident you’ll walk again?”
“I’m determined to make it happen. I just don’t know how long it will take.”
Hugh leapt to his feet. “Have you thought about getting one of those airieplanes that land on water? Though I’ve never seen one, I understand they make them.”
“A floatplane?”
“Och, I don’t know what they’re called. I only know Malcolm’s told me about the large ones the RAF uses. He’s always having to avoid them in the harbour at Oban. Calls them flying boats.”
“I never thought about that.” Rob grinned. “And they make smaller ones than the Catalinas and Sunderlands the RAF uses. They don’t have the speed or versatility of other small planes, but at least I’d be in the air.” He turned and studied the short pier leading from the packing shed to the harbour. “I could build a hangar for her right down there, and though I wouldn’t get in any flying during the winter gales Maggie’s been warning me about, at least I’d have something to look forward to when the weather clears.” He rubbed his stinging eyes. “Och, you’ve given me my answer, Hugh. I should have known the Lord would answer my prayers through you.”
Rob couldn’t share this conversation with Maggie yet. He had more praying to do. His thoughts kept returning to his talk with Hugh the first time they met. Yes, Rob had always had a love of planes, but could he build a rescue boat for Innisbraw after the war ended, too? He knew nothing about boats, but he could learn, couldn’t he?
Hugh had suggested making a list of pros and cons. Rob used a sheet of paper Elspeth had left behind.
On the con side: he knew nothing about boats. Though he wracked his brain, he couldn’t come up with another.
On the pro side: he could follow written directions, knew how to draft a plan and build something using that plan. He’d taken wood shop in high school and even helped build a house and several pieces of furniture when he was a senior. And there are plenty of fishermen who will give me ideas if it means having their own rescue boat.
But even after he built the rescue boat, he’d have to find a way to make a living. Could he gain enough experience building a rescue boat to start a boat-building enterprise on Innisbraw? He’d saved most of his pay for years, so silver shouldn’t be a problem, and equally important was what a viable business could do for the island’s dying economy. Boat building took a crew and that crew could come from some of those lads who were in the Army or Navy or had been forced to relocate to Harris, Lewis, or Scotland to find war-related, paying jobs. Perhaps he could even help in seeing that the young lads growing up on Innisbraw didn’t take to whisky to fill their empty, aimless lives.
He slept poorly. So little time to make up his mind. John would be here the following evening, and if Rob wanted to let Maggie know how he felt about her, he had to face her father first. He prayed over and over for the assurance he was headed in the right direction, always adding, “if it be Your perfect will.”
The moment Friday morning dawned, Maggie raced from task to task. She and Flora cleaned the infirmary while several crofter’s wives solicited by Maggie cleaned the McGrath cottage.
It was a good thing she kept busy. Mind occupied with the pending conversation with her father, Rob would have upset her with grunts or one-word replies. He prayed constantly for the words to say to McGrath, unwilling to alienate the man who had done so much for him.
***
Elspeth voiced her concern when their morning lesson was over. “You’re verra quiet this morning. Are you feeling poorly?”
“I’m fine. Just a lot on my mind.”
“You look like a lad who’s done an ill-tricket prank and is about to face an angry faither. Don’t try to fool me. ’Tis John’s return has you fashed, isn’t it?”
She was too cannie to fool. He nodded.
Her faded blue eyes held his gaze. “Remember what I told you when you first came to Innisbraw? John is a verra protective faither, but that does no’ give him license to run Maggie’s life. ’Tis time you told him how you feel about the lass.”
“So you know I luve her.”
“Och, I knew that even before you did. Are you going to tell John?”
“Aye, but he’s no’ going to be pleased. I’m sure he has someone verra different in mind for Maggie. At least a Scotsman if no’ an Innisbraw lad, and certainly no’ a Yank tied to a wheelchair.”
“John’s an adult. He knows how time, especially during war, can alter our expectations. And surely you don’t think you’ll be in that chair much longer.”
“Maggie thinks I’ll be on my feet soon.”
“And what do you think?”
&n
bsp; “That I’ll walk if it has to be on my hands.” He shook his head and lowered his eyes. “I’ve been praying for God’s perfect will but so much depends on what I say to John McGrath.”
“Asking His perfect will can frighten you, can’t it?”
“It can do. I don’t want to make an enemy of the doctor.”
“Your superior officers weren’t your enemies, yet Maggie’s told me how you argued with them to protect your men.” She picked up her walking stick and waved it at the sky. “Just think of this as another problem when you’re flying over perilous land, and your target is no’ an object but John’s implacability. How would you argue your position?”
He looked up at the sky, searching for the answer. “There would be so much flak and so many enemy aircraft over the target, the objective should be changed to an alternate. Too big a chance of casualties.”
“I don’t believe that for a second. Since when does Colonel Robert Savage back down from a fight?”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve worn my colonel’s cover.”
“John’s always seen you in bed or in a wheelchair—as a patient. Wear your uniform this een. ’Tis time to show him the real Rob Savage.”
“You think that’s the real me?”
“Of course. You were born to lead, Rob. Surely you know that.”
***
He dressed carefully. He even asked Maggie to help him into his dress boots. Perhaps his crush cap would be a bit much, but he would have it handy. It amazed him how different he felt when he buttoned his blouse. Resolve replaced dread.
He had met two of his promises to the doctor, that he would love Maggie forever and not take her away from Innisbraw. The final one—not hurting Maggie—he would work on as hard as he could. He straightened his tie. Bless Elspeth. This was what he’d needed.
Maggie stood back and looked at him, face pale.
“Why the long face?” he asked.
She attempted a smile. “Och, ’tis just the sight of the uniform, I suppose. It brings the war into this room.”
“And your nightmares with it?”
“I hope no’.” Words so soft he could barely hear them. “It’s just that there’s so much more work ahead and it will take time, and I—”
“We have eight weeks left before you have to report for duty. And after this een, things are going to be different.”
“Different? How?”
“You’ll see.” He tapped the end of her nose. “Have a little faith in Colonel Savage. I can still give a good argument for what I believe in.”
“You’ll ... you’ll ask Faither to release you from your promises?”
“I will, but ‘ask’ may be too mild a word.”
Her lips trembled. “Then, I’ll pray Faither realizes what a good man you are, Robert Savage.”
Rob waited on the infirmary entry while Maggie went down to the dock to meet her father. Elspeth had it right. John McGrath was no enemy. More like a commanding officer with an agenda of his own. Well, arguments about objectives were his specialty. He reached for his cap—might as well make the picture complete. He adjusted the crush and put it on, wheeling himself over to the railing.
Malcolm’s boat was at the dock. Not long now.
CHAPTER 24
Maggie and John McGrath walked up the hill. The doctor talked with animation, his arm draped around her shoulder, but Maggie kept her face turned toward the infirmary entry and seldom replied. As they drew closer, the apprehension on her face brought a stab of guilt to Rob’s heart. A fragile lass about to be caught between two strong wills.
When they reached the entry, Maggie pulled away from her father and ran up the steps. She dashed to Rob and kissed his cheek.
He squeezed her trembling hand. “Welcome home, Doctor,” he said in English, tone calm but resolute. “I trust your tour was successful.” Den called it his kick-butt-and-take-no-prisoners voice.
McGrath pinned him with a steely gaze. “It’s good to see you again, Colonel, and in uniform. Very impressive.” Stern, confident.
“Seemed only right to dress for your return.”
“Maggie’s told me how far you’ve come. It appears you have made amazing progress.”
“I have, and I’m ready for more.”
“You realize it will take time.”
“Of course. But the sooner we begin, the sooner I walk.”
“Back to war.”
Maggie’s trembling increased.
Rob cleared his throat. “I’m certain your father could use some tea and I’d luve a cup of coffee. Take your time.”
Smile fleeting, she rushed into the infirmary.
He wheeled himself next to the bench and removed his cap, running his fingers through his hair. Hoping he hadn’t misread the man’s character, he said, “Won’t you sit down, Doctor? You must be tired after your long boat ride.”
McGrath hesitated.
Surely, he wouldn’t take the advantage by looming over his adversary.
The doctor sat on the bench. “I take it you wish to speak to me in private.”
“I do.”
“About what?”
“Aboot Maggie, and the promises I made,” Rob said, slipping easily into the Scots. “I wint ye to release me from them.”
Doctor McGrath, visibly shaken by Rob’s command of the language, stared at Rob. “You’ve been busy, I see,” he said in Scots. “But why should I release you from your promises? Nowt’s changed.”
“Och, but it has, Doctor. A great deal has changed.”
“I still don’t want Maggie hurt.”
“Neither do I.” Rob’s deep voice brushed the silence like a steel blade over a well-oiled whetstone. “The last thing I want to do is hurt Maggie. I luve her too much.”
John McGrath blinked rapidly. “Luve her! How can you say that now when only a few weeks ago, you said luve was too strong a word. Or were you no’ being truthful?”
“I’ve luved her from the first moment I met her. It’s just taken me a while to realize it.”
“But you’re certain now?”
“I’ve never been so certain of anything in my life.”
“And what happens after the war, when you return to America?”
“I’m no’ going back to America. I’m returning here to make a life with the lass I luve.”
“On Innisbraw?”
“On Innisbraw.”
McGrath leapt to his feet and began pacing. “I cannot believe this. How will you support her? Take up fishing? Or crofting?”
“I plan to start a Coastal Rescue Service on the island. The folk need it.”
The doctor halted in mid-stride. “A Coastal Rescue Service? As admirable as that sounds, if you intend to crew a certified lifeboat, ’tis all volunteer work. There’s no’ a drop of silver in it.”
“Somebody has to build the boat and that’s only the beginning. With what I’ve saved from my pay, I have enough reserves to open a boat-building business.”
“Och, you’re daft. What does an American aviator know about building lifeboats or Scots fishing vessels?”
“I’m a fast learner. I’ve always luved working with my hands and I know my way around a wood shop.”
Doctor McGrath sat again, face haggard. “So you no longer have any doubts about a complete recovery?”
“I have feeling now in every part of my body from the top of my head to the bottoms of my feet and no matter what it takes, or how long it takes, I will walk again.” Rob met the doctor’s steady gaze without blinking.
“And if you’re killed when you return to duty? What happens to Maggie then?”
Rob felt the blood drain from his face. “Then she’ll get over me in time, find another, and settle down on Innisbraw with the lad of her choice.”
“You’ll no’ marry ’til you both return to Innisbraw?”
“Another promise?”
“Aye, another promise.”
“No more promises, Doctor. Neither of us knows what the
future holds.”
“You’d risk Maggie’s future on the whims of war?”
“There’s a lot more than her future riding on this war we’re fighting. Everyone’s future hangs in the balance.”
The doctor ran his hand over his face, his shoulders slumped. “I’ll no’ ask for your promise concerning marriage, then,” he said, voice weary. “But I’ll hold you to part of your previous promise. I don’t want you to do owt that will hurt my daughter.”
“I’ll never intentionally do anything to hurt the woman I luve with all my heart. And I’ll go even further. Unless something unforeseen happens, I’ll no’ marry her ’til I can walk her back down the aisle at kirk.”
McGrath sat back, stroking his beard, internal battle obvious. He must have been certain that sending an American to such a remote, primitive island would ensure his daughter’s future on Innisbraw, would send the “incomer” back to the comfortable, easy life he’d always enjoyed. And how he must regret fighting to get Maggie’s orders changed.
Two pewlie gulls swooped low over the entry and out to the path in a never-ending search for scraps of food. One suddenly dived, scooping something up in its beak. Wings flapped in ragged beats as it sought to escape its attacking companion. The frantic struggle of white wings, black heads, and rapacious beaks ended when one pewlie broke free, victorious.
No way to tell which won.
Rob’s attention returned to the doctor.
John McGrath remained silent, competent surgeon’s hands clenched together in his lap. It must be hard to realize that a child he’d nurtured and treasured since birth had grown up, that their relationship would never be the same. At least the doctor had one promise to hang onto—his precious Maggie would someday return to Innisbraw.
McGrath heaved a deep sigh and met Rob’s gaze. “I can see why they put you in command of the 396th. I’m thinking ’tis time you stopped calling me ‘Doctor.’” He extended his hand. “I prefer ‘John.’”
Maggie appeared with a tray. The cups rattled as she set it on the end of the bench.
“I’ll take my tea and retire for the evening,” John said. “It’s been a long day.”
“Are you certain, Faither?” Maggie asked, voice quivering. “I can put together a late supper.”