Sumner and the Missionary

The North Water

The missionary’s care and illness draw Sumner back into a healing role, forcing the skeptical surgeon to act despite his resistance to providence.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Stranger Is Fed A Stranger Is Fed from "The North Water". Care Before Questions A near-silent patient Patrick Sumner arrives at the mission barely conscious, bloodied, and unable to explain who he is.

A Stranger Is Fed from "The North Water". Care Before Questions A near-silent patient Patrick Sumner arrives at the mission barely conscious, bloodied, and unable to explain who he is.

Care Before Questions A near-silent patient Patrick Sumner arrives at the mission barely conscious, bloodied, and unable to explain who he is. The priest gives him warmth and food before demanding his history. A cautious return Sumner resists the priest’s belief that his survival has a divine purpose. Nonetheless, he accepts the care that keeps him alive.

The Doctor’s Question The Doctor’s Question from "The North Water". A Professional Identity Returns Speech comes back As he recovers, Sumner asks what medicines the mission has.

The Doctor’s Question from "The North Water". A Professional Identity Returns Speech comes back As he recovers, Sumner asks what medicines the mission has.

A Professional Identity Returns Speech comes back As he recovers, Sumner asks what medicines the mission has. His first sustained engagement with the priest is practical, not confessional. A surgeon recognized The priest learns that Sumner is a doctor. Sumner accepts the designation more readily than any larger explanation of his life.

The Priest Falls Ill The Priest Falls Ill from "The North Water". The Caregiver Becomes Patient A sudden abdominal illness The priest suffers severe pain, vomiting, and inability to urinate.

The Priest Falls Ill from "The North Water". The Caregiver Becomes Patient A sudden abdominal illness The priest suffers severe pain, vomiting, and inability to urinate.

The Caregiver Becomes Patient A sudden abdominal illness The priest suffers severe pain, vomiting, and inability to urinate. Sumner recognizes a likely abscess but has few medicines and no hospital nearby. A responsibility accepted Anna asks whether Sumner can save him. Sumner initially insists that the situation is impossible, yet prepares to operate when the priest worsens.

The Operation The Operation from "The North Water". Surgery in the Cabin A dangerous incision Sumner anesthetizes the priest with ether and opens the abdomen, releasing a large amount of infected material.

The Operation from "The North Water". Surgery in the Cabin A dangerous incision Sumner anesthetizes the priest with ether and opens the abdomen, releasing a large amount of infected material.

Surgery in the Cabin A dangerous incision Sumner anesthetizes the priest with ether and opens the abdomen, releasing a large amount of infected material. Anna and her brother assist despite their fear. Skill without certainty The operation succeeds in draining the abscess, but Sumner expects the priest may still die. His decision is an act of care, not a claim to certainty.

A Hand Held A Hand Held from "The North Water". A Quiet Bond The priest survives the night The priest wakes and asks what Sumner found inside him. Sumner answers plainly and tends the wound.

A Hand Held from "The North Water". A Quiet Bond The priest survives the night The priest wakes and asks what Sumner found inside him. Sumner answers plainly and tends the wound.

A Quiet Bond The priest survives the night The priest wakes and asks what Sumner found inside him. Sumner answers plainly and tends the wound. Shared vulnerability The priest says that suffering is common and not proof of personal failure. Sumner holds his hand, briefly accepting care as well as giving it.

After hunters bring Sumner to the mission

Several days into recovery

During the winter at the mission

The night the priest’s condition worsens

The morning after the operation