CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
I woke up in the middle of the night and felt like I’d fallen asleep next to a blasting heater. In a sleep-induced haze, I figured it was just the warming temperatures outside. As strange as it seemed for Uganda’s summer to be during America’s winter, I was expecting it but I realized with a start that the unusual warmth was just a bit too hot.
I lazily opened my eyes and they were met with a dull pair of brown ones. I shot up.
“Mandisa!” She wasn’t responding to me and my heart leapt in my throat. “Mandisa, baby.” I pushed her growing hair out of her eyes and tried to get her to look at me, but it did no good. I jumped to my feet and pushed my door open. It was still dark out. “Ian!” I yelled, panicked.
Immediately, a disheveled Ian appeared next to me. “What’s happened?” he asked.
Tears began to spill. “It’s Mandisa,” I explained, pointing to my bed.
He ran to her side and felt her head and neck. “She’s burning up.”
“The kitchen!” I said, thinking of the nearest running water source.
Ian scooped tiny Mandisa in his arms and he practically swallowed her small frame.
We ran around the baobab tree to the kitchen and I started running the cool water, plugging the drain. The stainless steel tub was large enough to submerge her.
I tossed a bunch of kitchen towels in the sink to cushion her and Ian rested her in the water. The cool water was shocking enough she should have protested but not a peep came from her tiny lips and I found myself taking my panic to the next level.
We frantically doused her to get her temperature down.
“Sweetheart?” I asked her after a few minutes but she didn’t respond. “God, Ian,” I breathed out.
“I’ll get Karina,” he said and ran off toward hers and Charles’ cabin.
I continuously covered her in the cool running water and prayed like I’d never prayed before. I begged her under my breath to respond to me, but she just stared blankly ahead and my heart sank into my stomach.
“Where is she?” a sleepy Karina said.
“In here,” I heard Ian explain.
Karina came to my side quickly and brushed the hair from my shoulder with her hand, assuring me the way a mother would. “Ian,” she said, looking down on Mandisa. “Grab my kit, please?”
Ian ran from the room and returned with Karina’s big bag of remedies she kept handy at all times.
She pulled out a needle and looked over at me. “It’s just an acetaminophen injection because she won’t chew medicine.”
I nodded as if my approval was even needed, but Karina gave me that respect anyway. She filled the needle and Ian helped me lift her shoulders. Karina dried and swabbed the little fleshy part of Mandisa’s arm with alcohol then injected the medicine. I felt an almost immediate sense of relief knowing we were tending to the outside and Karina was tending to the inside.
Karina felt the water in the basin and asked Ian to drain it as Mandisa’s body temperature was making it warm. He did as she asked then plugged the drain once more. “Keep pouring that water over her head, Sophie.”
Ian and I worked methodically, pouring and draining, draining and pouring. Twenty minutes passed and Mandisa was noticeably cooler but still unresponsive.
“Why isn’t she getting better?” I asked.
“The medicine will make her sleepy,” Karina explained before grabbing my shoulder and turning me toward her. “She’s also very sick, Sophie.”
Karina took her temperature and it was within a safer range so Ian grabbed a large towel and wrapped her little body up. I grabbed a clean smock from the laundry that looked like it would fit her and helped Karina change Mandisa into it. When she was all dry, I made Ian take her to my hut to sleep while we figured out where we were going to put everyone.
Karina left to check on all the children in their dorms to make sure no one else had fevers.
“My heart is in my throat,” I said quietly after Ian tucked Mandisa in my bed.
He covered her loosely in my sheet and we silently watched her. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and the flood of memories from the night before surfaced, reminding me that I was allowed to hug him. I grabbed him and buried my face in his chest, so grateful for his comfort. He ran his hands down my hair and kissed the top of my head, making me sigh.
A low knock sounded at the door and we pulled apart abruptly. It was apparent when our eyes caught that we didn’t want to reveal ourselves to Karina, or anyone for that matter, until we had actually figured out what we were to each other.
“Come in,” I said, and Karina entered.
“Three more,” she explained, all life drained from her eyes.
“Sophie and I will take care of the ill, Karina. We’ve been vaccinated. We talked to Pembrook yesterday and he’s arranged for a plane that should be here in within thirty-six hours.”
“Thank God,” she whispered, grasping her heart. “We’ll set all the ill in our cabin then.”
“Those unaffected should stay in the dorm, but those we suspect may be getting ill need to be sectioned off as well,” Ian said.
“Solomon and Ruth’s, maybe?” I offered.
“Where will they stay?” he asked.
“They’ve left with their children to Ruth’s sister’s house,” Karina told us.
“I can understand that,” Ian offered in disappointment.
“When she wakes,” Karina said, pointing to Mandisa, “move her to our house.”
Ian nodded and Karina was gone.
We looked at each other and so many emotions flitted between us. In Ian’s eyes I read the gravity of the storm that was brewing on our doorstep, selfish disappointment that we couldn’t explore what was going on between us and obvious shame in that he thought of himself when he shouldn’t have been.
I couldn’t blame him because I was thinking the same thing. I grabbed his hand to reassure him that it would happen, that we’d get our day. He smiled softly and that was all the time we allowed to acknowledge that disappointment. We had bigger fish to fry.
The next day and a half was pure chaos. Mercy was the only adult who seemed to be affected unless the virus was still incubating, but that was okay with us just as long as the vaccines came soon. Ian and I spent the next night repeatedly up and down, caring for very ill children, reducing fevers, treating symptoms and working our fingers to the bone in a futile attempt to disinfect.
Every few hours we’d get a new kid. We were running out of fever reducers and saline bags. Our only hope was the shipment and that was arriving later that second evening. We got hold of Pemmy once more and he informed us that I, personally, would have to sign for the shipment at seven.
Karina agreed to help us get the infected children in the best possible place before we left and she would sit with them until Ian and I could get back. In total, we had seven ill children, and four we suspected would eventually become ill. The remaining, we kept as far away as possible.
When we were as prepared as we could possibly get, we made our way to Charles’ truck. Karina had yet to see Ian’s jeep and we wanted to keep it that way. Charles was nervous the news of our attack would send his wife over the edge, so we repaired it as much as we could with what little we had and kept it hidden.
When he started the engine, it was quieter than Ian’s rumbling jeep. I rested the back of my head against the seat and closed my eyes, yawning. When I opened them and peered back at Ian, he laughed.
“You’re exhausted.”
“No shit, Sherlock.”
He laughed louder, making my heart sputter. “Irritable when you’re tired, are we?”
I smiled across the seat at him. “Irritable, are we?” I mocked, pathetically attempting his Sith Ifrican accent, which made him laugh even harder.
“Just a bundle of laughs today,” I teased, drawing out my words from sleepiness.
“Well, I’m a bit delirious with the only,” he pitched his brows toward the roof of the jeep, “seven hours of sleep I got in the past two days.”
I yawned loudly at the mere mention of sleep. I leaned my head against the window. “Classes are cancelled for two days after the kids recover. I’m making an executive decision and I’m going to sleep for both of them.”
“As long as I get to sleep with you.”
My eyes bugged from my head. “Pardon?” I asked in disbelief.
Ian stared at me, eyes wide. “I-I just meant...I meant that, uh, that I also wanted to sleep with you.”
I laughed out loud.
“I mean, not with you but sleep in my own bed during the time in which you also sleep...in your bed. We’d be asleep in two separate beds. You in yours and me in mine.” One of his hands left the steering wheel and ran the length of his face. “God, I’m deprived.” A quick glance my way. “Of sleep! Deprived of sleep!” His hand slapped the wheel. “God, shut up, Din.”
I smiled at him softly. “I got you, Ian.” Boy, do I ever.
It’s not surprising I slept most of the way to Kampala. We arrived shortly before the plane was scheduled to land and rushed into the airport.
“Does this bring back memories?” I asked Ian.
He smiled. “It certainly does.”
“You hated me.”
“I definitely did not hate you.”
“Oh, just admit it. You kind of did.”
“I didn’t think you were worth Masego’s time.”
“Ouch. I guess I kind of deserved that.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I made a rash judgment. It also didn’t help you were so goddamn beautiful.”
My breath sucked into my lungs and I couldn't think to respond, so I let him grab my hand and lead me through to the tarmac just as our plane descended. I felt a weight lift from my shoulders when the tires touched down. Our hands broke and we rushed the cargo plane. I didn’t want to think what it cost to arrange for that. When the hatch lowered and the deck collapsed, tears spilled down my face.
Pembrook, dressed in the most ridiculously hilarious outfit I’d ever seen him in, jeans and a flipping t-shirt, struck ground. The same ground I stood on, Pembrook stood upon and I felt like a little piece of home had followed him. I may not have had the best home life, but it was all I had ever known before Uganda. I was well-traveled, yes, but they aren’t lying when they say home is where the heart is.
My cheeks flushed as I turned toward Ian who approached Pembrook as I stood mute a few feet behind. He was my new home. Ian was home. Butterflies rushed throughout my entire body and my hands clenched the shirt that lay at my stomach. Oh my God.
Pembrook waved my direction and approached me. I met him halfway and yelled over the deafening engines. “Pemmy! I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“Neither did I, but I thought I’d take a few days off and check on you. Report back to your father that you’re still alive.”
“Thank you, Pemmy, but we both know my father doesn’t care how I am.”
“That’s not....” he began, but I cut him off.
“I’m still glad you came.”
He smiled warmly and hugged me hello. I realized then that Pembrook was my family. “It’s good to see you too, Sophie,” he said, patting my back. He pulled me from his arms and examined me. “You look...well, not dead.”
Ian and I both laughed. “We’ve been up caring for ill children, Pembrook, cut me some slack, will ya?” I teased. He watched me for a moment as if he wasn’t sure if it was me or not and that made me laugh harder.
He cleared his throat. “Yes, yes. It’s why I’m here. Follow me,” he ordered and marched up the hatch into the hull of the plane. “I took the liberty of getting as much as I could think to replenish what supplies you’ve already used as well as for future use.”
My eyes took in the boxes and boxes of saline, different meds, needles, sterile gloves, etc. and I almost cried. I lovingly ran my hand across the top of the saline boxes. “I’m so grateful.”
“For what? You asked. You’re my, ahem, employer and I complied.”
I turned and rolled my eyes at him. “Thank you anyway, employee Pembrook. You went above and beyond the job requirement.”
He smiled in answer.
“I’m going to see if I can get permission to bring Charles’ truck around. Be right back,” Ian said.
I watched Ian walk away and continued to watch him until I could no longer see him.
Pemmy cleared his throat, snapping me away from my stare. I turned to him.
“Are you happy?” he asked simply.
“I am,” I answered without hesitation, startling even myself with how easy it was to admit it.
Suddenly an idea took hold. Christmas. It was only six weeks away. It was going to be my first warm Christmas. My family had always flown to Switzerland for the holiday for no other reason other than my mother’s friends vacationed there together.
“Listen, before Ian returns.”
“Ian?” he asked, amused.
I waved him off. “Dingane, whatever.” But paused, an overwhelming need to defend him bubbled forth. “His name is Ian, you know.”
“Is it?” he asked, stupefied.
I felt my face warm. “Yes, anyway, before he comes back, I need to arrange to have a plane return here in a few weeks time. Can we make that happen? You’re a signer on my account. You can use my private funds if my dad won’t let you otherwise.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” he said, bemused. “Your father has given me carte blanche to give you whatever you need.”
“Honestly?”
“Yes, Sophie. What do you need?”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “A generator, first and foremost. For God’s sake, a flipping generator big enough to run an orphanage for weeks at a time. Something substantial as well as the necessary hands to install it.” I ticked hundreds of things off my mental list, a list I didn’t even know I’d been keeping mindful of. Huh. I snapped my fingers. “You know what? I’d also like you to arrange for a construction company to rebuild the main house with an up-to-date kitchen, big enough to prepare meals for at least a hundred children, bring the supplies as well as the hands from America.”
My imagination was running wild. Pembrook had filled pages of the little pad he’d been writing my demands in. He occasionally shook his hand out, but I kept going, afraid I’d forget it once it slipped from my tongue. I imagined a much better Masego by the time I would have to leave.
Have to leave.
I’d forgotten. I was going to be leaving Masego in a few short weeks. I had two months left. That was all. A feeling of dread filled me.
“And I’d like boxes of shoes,” I mentioned frantically, “more than they’ll need, enough to fill a room with, including clothing, smocks for the girls, uniforms for the boys, varying sizes. Call TOMS Shoes in Dallas, let him know what you’re doing, they’ll help.”
I chewed my thumbnail, something I never did. I would tell Pembrook all the time how it ruined a girl’s nails and only trash did it. I noticed him regard me and I pulled it from my mouth.
“Is-is that all?” he asked, obviously stunned.
“Toys. Wrapped. For some reason, the only thing the girls here like to play is house. So lots of that crap. The boys can think of nothing but soccer. Make sure we get them before Christmas. Is two weeks prior sufficient?”
“Yes.”
It got silent as I continued to pace the width of the plane. I looked up and noticed Pembrook’s mouth gaping.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said, examining his lengthy list, but I knew him well enough to recognize I’d astonished him. I felt a slight pang in my chest that I could have possibly made him proud.
I heard Charles’ truck rumble near the hatch of the plane and I turned to Pembrook. “Not a word, cool?”
He nodded in acknowledgement.
Ian and I helped the crew load everything Pembrook had brought and when it was as full I’d ever seen it, Pembrook hugged me tightly. “Give Charles and Karina my love?”
I nodded, afraid if I said anything I’d cry. Pembrook shook Ian’s hand and we watched him disappear behind the rising hatch. “He loves you,” Ian said.
A tear slipped free. “I know.”