Nick heard the roar of the vehicle before he saw the headlights through the cracks of the metal gate of the compound. Besides the constant chatter of insects and the occasional wail of an infant, there had been little noise from inside the rebel base camp since their arrival just before midnight, making the middle-of-the-night entrance even more pronounced.
Rolling over onto his elbow, he tried to count the shadows of the guards who had jumped into action to unlock the gate, but above him clouds blocked out the stars, leaving the humid night shrouded in black and allowing him to see little of the surrounding compound.
He slapped at the annoying buzzing in his ear. Sleeping outside with no mosquito net meant a constant barrage of the offensive insects that had continuously feasted on him during the long night. Which was yet another reason he’d lain awake on the reed mat, trying to come up with a way past the armed guards. But so far, every idea he’d come up with seemed too risky a plan for civilian hostages.
The heavy metal gate creaked open and allowed the vehicle to enter. A moment later a 4x4 screeched to a halt inside the walls of the compound, stopping inches from the base of the knotted trunk of a shade tree.
Paige stumbled from the vehicle.
Nick felt a rush of adrenalin surge through him. “Paige?”
He jumped to his feet, stopping only at the sound of the cocking of an assault rifle behind him.
He held up his hands. “I just want to make sure she’s okay.”
Ngozi’s familiar form exited the car behind her. “She’s not here for you.”
Paige moved in front of the car to where the vehicle’s yellow beam of lights illuminated her profile. But even her steady stance couldn’t hide the look of fear — and surprise — marking her expression.
She turned to Ngozi. “I’ll need his help.”
“We have nurses from the camp here — ”
“You want me to treat your patients? I need his help.”
Ngozi hesitated, then nodded. “Fine. Take her to the isolation hut.”
Paige walked toward Nick. For a moment, all he could see was the last time he’d told her good-bye, but for the moment he needed to forget the memory of their kiss. The only thing that mattered right now was their safety. And the anger simmering behind her expression told him she wasn’t done fighting, which was good. It was going to take every ounce of courage they had to get them all out of here alive.
Paige jutted her chin toward Ngozi, who was momentarily distracted talking with one of the guards, then followed him to the hut. “Is he the leader here?”
“Second in command, from what I can figure out, and the father of one of the sick children.”
“An advantage?”
Nick nodded. “He’s genuinely worried about the child.”
“What about Brandon, Samson, and the others?”
“Long story short, Brandon and Samson are fine, but Nigel was a mole and murdered Philip. He let them know where we were, then they brought us here.”
She took a moment for the information to sink in. “What are the chances of escape from here?”
“Extremely risky.”
Clouds overhead opened up, allowing a sliver of moonlight to shine on the courtyard and letting him catch the intensity of her gaze along with the fatigue marking her expression. She’d probably fallen asleep in her scrubs in the clinic, then been jarred awake by the rebels. And now, her attempts to assess the situation were the only way to find a measure of control in the nightmarish situation.
Nick rubbed his stiff neck with his fingertips, longing for the same control she did. “The only problem in escaping is that even Samson, who knows this region better than any of us, isn’t sure where we are. And we could tell from our arrival that the area surrounding the camp is heavily forested.”
“And heavily guarded.”
“Yeah.” He stopped in front of the isolation hut. “You looked surprised to see me here.”
“Shouldn’t I be?” She glanced up at him, her eyes widened, her voice laced with resentment. “You were supposed to be out arranging our rescue. There are people dying in that camp.”
“So you think this was my fault? I — ”
“I’m sorry.” She shook her head, reached out and brushed her hand against his forearm, then dropped her arm to her side. “None of this is your fault. I’m exhausted, scared, and struggling with the daunting reality that I can’t fix everything. And sometimes . . .” Her gaze dropped. “And sometimes it’s hard to hold onto the fact that whatever happens around us, God is still in control of this mess.”
He opened the solid wooden door to the isolation hut. She wasn’t the only one struggling. “He is still in control.”
“I know.”
“I talked to Paul at the embassy, so he is aware of the situation at the camp.” He kept his voice to a low whisper. “But our taxi was hijacked on the way to Kingani. Brandon and I believe that there’s a mole somewhere in the embassy as well.”
“So Paul doesn’t know where you are now?”
“No.” Nick hesitated at the doorway. “He’s probably wondering why he can’t get a hold of me.”
“Nick, this has to end. The number of cholera cases has slowed some, but now measles is trickling through the population, and there’s nothing I can do about it. I need to be at the camp, and I need those vaccines and supplies.”
“I know.” Nick glanced at Ngozi, who now walked toward them. “Let’s deal with things here, then see what we can do about getting you back to the camp.”
Nick ducked and entered the thatched-roof hut. The one window was shut, blocking out any chance for a breeze. He took in a stale breath of air. Sleeping outside on the hard ground hadn’t been his first choice of accommodations, but it had obviously been better than the stifling heat inside one of the huts.
Inside the small room, six or seven mats covered the dirt floor where those diagnosed with measles slept. Along the edges of the room were bags of rice and corn and an assortment of pots and pans. Paige joined one of the nurses on the far side of the room where a little girl’s forehead glistened in the light of a candle set on the table.
Paige opened up her medical bag and pulled out her stethoscope before addressing the nurse. “How many are sick?”
“Five children and one old woman.”
Movement to the right caught Nick’s attention. One of the children stiffened, then began to jerk. Nick shoved aside the pile of metal pots stacked beside the small girl’s head. “Paige . . . she’s having a seizure.”
Ngozi pushed his way into the room. “What is happening?”
“I need you to move back now.” Paige crossed the room. “Nick, hand me that blanket on the floor beside you, then time how long the seizure lasts.”
Paige took the blanket from Nick, laid it beneath the young girl’s head, then turned her onto her side. Nick pressed the light on his watch and started counting.
“I said, what is happening?” Ngozi’s voice rose above the commotion in the hut. “That’s my daughter.”
“Please, sir. I need you to move back.”
“You told me she had the measles.”
Paige turned to the nurse, ignoring the man’s interruptions. “Has she had a seizure before?”
“No.”
In less than a minute, the jerking movements stopped. Paige leaned down and checked her breathing.
“Nick, hand me my medical bag.”
Nick shut the door on the crowd gathering outside the hut, then stepped across the row of crying children to get the bag from the other side of the room.
Paige spoke to the nurse. “What are her other symptoms?”
“Fever, headache, rash . . . Just like the other children. I thought it was the measles.”
Paige glanced up at Ngozi, who hovered over his daughter.
“What’s her name?”
“Abah. Two days ago she was running and playing beneath the afternoon sun.” Ngozi’s expression darkened in the flickering candlelight. “Tell me what is wrong with her.”
Paige wiped the back of her neck and shook her head. “It’s impossible for me to be one hundred percent certain because I can’t do any tests, but it looks as if she’s contracted encephalitis. Typically, cases are mild and many even go unreported, but it can be life-threatening.”
Ngozi took a step closer. “What is that?”
Abah lay still on the ground, her breathing regular again.
Paige set Abah’s head against the mat, then rolled onto the balls of her feet. “Sometimes, when a child contracts a disease like the
measles, they end up with secondary infections. More than likely, her immune system overreacted to the foreign substance in her, which in this case is the measles.”
“What can you do?”
“I can try and treat her, but measles isn’t the biggest problem here, and there are a number of risk factors working against her. Her age, her weakened immune system . . . For now, we need to work to reduce both the fever and the brain swelling.” Paige stood and faced Ngozi. “Your daughter is very sick, and while I’ll do whatever I can to help her and the others who need medical help, I expect to be taken back to the camp once I’m done here.”
“I don’t believe you understand that you’re not in a position to make demands — ”
“I don’t think you understand the severity of what is going on here, because what happens in the camp obviously affects what happens here. Some of your men have families in the camp, which is why the disease is here, isn’t it? And that is why this disease will continue to spread and some of your wives and children will die if you don’t let me do things my way.”
“I had my orders to bring you here from the camp and to ensure no one leaves this compound.”
“Do you have other children?”
Ngozi’s gaze dropped. “My son’s in here and I have another one due to come when the rains come again.”
“Then you know how important it is to protect them. You’ve seen your daughter. I promise to do everything I can to help her, but there’s an even bigger problem out there that I intend to deal with.”
“I have my orders. The two of you are not going anywhere.”
Paige stared at the door as Ngozi left the hut, slamming the door behind him. “What do you think?”
“He’s scared he’s going to lose her.”
Paige knelt down beside her newest patient, who now lay sleeping again on the thin mat. “So am I.”