PEARL HARBOR, HONOLULU, HAWAII
Even before I was out of bed on Christmas morning, Anna had left our stateroom. A note said she was meeting Dr. Church on the quarterdeck to watch the sunrise. There was so much to do that I forced myself to focus on the tasks ahead, pushing thoughts of Gray—and the difficult conversations I would need to have with Anna and Zechariah—out of mind until later. I hated that I had to talk to them on Christmas, but I didn’t want to make Gray wait one more day. Mr. Pinkerton needed an answer, and so did Gray.
Helen had decided, with unanimous agreement from the nurses, to host a Christmas party for the sailors onboard theSolace. For days, we’d been working tirelessly to gather decorations, gifts, and candy to serve to the over three hundred patients. We’d solicited a few corpsmen to go ashore and find Christmas trees, holly, and all the tinsel they could gather. They’d brought back four scraggy cedars, several bushels of holly, and more tinsel than we’d expected. Today we were goingto decorate the wards and try to bring some Christmas cheer to our ship.
We’d also spent several days gathering all the gifts we could find from among the crews’ belongings. Everyone on board theSolacehad happily donated what they could, including trinkets, toys, and knickknacks. We’d also found a yeoman to play Santa Claus and had asked the sailmaker to create the iconic red costume for him to wear.
By Christmas afternoon, I hadn’t found a good time to talk to Anna or Zechariah, but I was allowing the festivities to brighten my mood, even though my heart was still heavy. The sailors had lived through a traumatic event, and they deserved all the good cheer I could muster—especially on Christmas, while they were all away from their loved ones.
“Are we ready?” Helen asked just after supper as all the nurses gathered in the dining room with the bags of gifts and candy.
Everyone nodded, and I was excited for the moment the men realized we were having a party. They had seen the trees and decorations, but they didn’t know there would be gifts, candy, and music.
“Are you ready?” Helen asked the corpsman who played accordion. He, in turn, had found six more sailors to sing Christmas carols.
“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted Helen.
“Very good. Let’s bring some cheer to our comrades.”
The bag I was carrying was heavy, biting into my shoulder, but I didn’t mind. Inside were gifts that would bring a bit of happiness, and I wouldn’t bemoan a little discomfort.
“Timothy proposed,” Anna whispered, her cheeks bright pink, as the others filed out, leaving us alone. “I know it’s soon, but when you know, you know.”
I paused, my mouth slipping open. “Anna!”
“This morning,” she said with a girlish laugh. “At sunriseon Christmas Day. I couldn’t keep it in any longer! Could he be more romantic, Maggie? I’ve already written Mama and Daddy. I’ll call them the next time I get shore leave. They’re going to love Timothy.” She sighed. “Ilove Timothy, so really, that’s all that matters, I suppose.”
I set down the bag of gifts and wrapped my sister in a hug. “I’m so happy for you.”
She hugged me back. “Just think, if we hadn’t agreed to come to Pearl Harbor, I would never have met him. And had I not joined you at nursing school, I wouldn’t have joined the navy, and I wouldn’t have come to Pearl Harbor. Isn’t it amazing how God can take a hard situation and turn it into something good? Something beautiful?”
“It is amazing,” I agreed as I pulled back. Hadn’t my life been a series of events that proved the same thing?
I noticed Anna’s ring for the first time. It wasn’t a large diamond, but it was sparkling and lovely.
She looked at it, too. “He said he had a Christmas gift for me. Imagine my surprise! He bought it in Honolulu. Can you picture me telling our future children how their father proposed? It’s so ... so ... perfect.”
I smiled and nodded.
“He wants to get married as soon as possible, since the war is starting. Later, we’ll live in Virginia, close to Mama and Daddy,” she continued. “His parents live in Philadelphia, so we’ll only be a short car ride from them. And he wants to have a big family, Maggie, just like I do. He’s so ... so...”
“Perfect?” I teased her.
She gazed at her ring and sighed. “I won’t deny it.”
Though my heart was heavy at what I needed to tell her, it gave me courage to know that Anna had found her own happiness. She would have Timothy at her side to help her through the inevitable grief she’d feel at losing me.
“I wanted to talk to you too,” I said quickly, wishing I didn’thave to say this after she had shared her good news, but realizing there would never be a good time. “My birthday is next week—”
“Oh, Maggie.” Her eyes filled with remorse. “I’m sorry I forgot. Here I am, going on and on, and—”
“No.” I shook my head. “I’m happy you’re happy, more than you’ll ever know.” I pressed my lips together briefly. “It actually helps with what I have to say—”
“You’re staying in 1861.” It wasn’t a question.
I swallowed, afraid of what she was going to say or do, knowing it would be almost impossible to say good-bye if she was angry or melancholy.
She took my hands in hers and held them tight, her green eyes, so like Mama’s, reaching into the very depths of my soul. “Don’t be afraid.”
