Chapter 19

Zara and the baby both still had horrible diarrhea the next morning when Nidia went back to the neighbor with the landline. She tried for hours to get through to Marisol but couldn’t.

* * *

By the time Nidia got home, the vomiting had stopped, but they both still had diarrhea. The chicken broth was gone. Her daughter was weak. The baby was listless. The nurse, Mrs. Talamantez, came over later that night.

“She needs to get to a hospital,” the nurse said. “They both need intravenous fluids.”

“Should we try to get to the shelter?” Nidia asked.

“The shelter flooded, and they had to evacuate,” she said. “But even many of the hospitals don’t have power.” She slumped down in her chair. “The few that are still open, that is. I don’t understand. One of the doctors said the US military has a huge medical ship stationed off the coast of Virginia. Why haven’t they deployed it? Those things are literally like giant hospitals that float on water.”

Nidia shook her head. “It looks like we’re on our own.”

“Puerto Ricans pay billions in US taxes,” Mrs. Talamantez said. “We’re citizens. They should be helping us.”

“My cousin has a friend with a fishing boat,” Nidia said. “She said he could come get us. But I don’t know if Zara is strong enough to get down to the harbor.”

“I’ll help you get her there,” the nurse said. “We can get folks to carry her if she can’t walk.”

“I’ll tell my cousin to have him bring water,” Nidia said.

“He needs to bring an IV drip for these two,” the nurse said. “And if he can, we’re desperate for a few other medical items.”

Nidia nodded and wrote down the list.

“I’ll go now and call,” she said.

“It’s not safe,” Mrs. Talamantez said. “With the heavy rain, there was another flash flood earlier. In fact, I should stay here tonight.”

* * *

At dawn, the rain had let up a bit, but the road was nearly waist-deep again. Nidia made her way down to the house on the corner with the landline. She tried repeatedly for several hours, and kept hearing that all circuits were busy. Finally, she got through.

“Is everything okay?” Marisol asked.

Nidia explained the situation and gave her the list.

“I’ll call Clive as soon as we hang up,” Marisol said, after she took down the list. “I can give him money for the supplies. Can I call you back at this number to let you know when he’s coming?”

“You can try,” Nidia said. “But there’s no guarantee. Because of the rain there’s a lot of flooding. But I can see the harbor from our house. I’ll check as often as I can. At least once a day. Tell him to wait and we’ll come down to the boat.

“What else can I do?” Marisol asked.

“Pray for us,” Nidia said.

* * *

Marisol hung up with Nidia and dialed the number she had for Clive. No answer. She sent him an urgent text to call her. But how was Clive going to find medical supplies in Jamaica?

She needed to ask her sister, who was a doctor. She called Cristina in Havana, but got no answer. She sent Cristina a text and an email.

Cristina called back first.

“He should come here to Cuba,” Cristina said. “If he’s in Ocho Rios, he’s right by Santiago. I have a friend down there who can put together a rescue kit. Cuba’s been trying to send relief supplies, but the US won’t let them through.”

“That fucking Jones Act,” Marisol said.

“Don’t get me started about the US and their blockades,” Cristina said. “Let me call my friend. I’ll call you back.”

Clive called back first. Marisol explained the situation.

“I’ll leave tonight,” he said.

“But what about your charter client?” Marisol asked. “I don’t want to mess with your money.”

“They prepaid,” Clive said. “I’ll only have to refund one day worth of fees.”

“I can cover that,” Marisol said. “But won’t you lose this customer’s future business if you leave early?”

“Bunch of drunk white boys,” Clive said. “I’ll let them know I’ve been asked to join the hurricane relief effort. If they don’t understand, then they don’t deserve to travel in the Caribbean.”

Cristina called back a couple hours later. Her friend could come through with the medical supplies. A few of the doctors would even ride along on the boat if they could fit.

Marisol put Cristina in touch with Clive, but she couldn’t get through to Nidia’s neighbor to leave a message. She called dozens of times, but all the circuits were busy.