Doctor Cooper was alarmed, not at the information that Doctor Burton supposedly had, but at his demeanor. If he didn’t calm down, he was going to have a heart attack. “I assure you, it really is none of your business. Doctor Wilson is satisfied with my credentials–” she began, only to be interrupted again.
“Doctor Wilson be damned!” he practically shouted, slamming a hand down on the desk. They both jumped from the noise.
Doctor Cooper assessed the man across the desk from her. Clearly, he was incensed. There was no reasoning with such a man. She sat back coolly in the chair and viewed him, not unlike how she viewed the insects she watched from a chair when she relaxed.
It was obvious the woman wasn’t going to deny the accusations in a manner that he had expected. He was ready to get up and call one of the soldiers in to arrest her for impersonating a doctor. It was then that they both heard the rushing of feet and Doctor Wilson opened the door.
“What the hell is going on in here?” he asked, alarmed. The walls of these places were not that thick. He could hear the raised voice of Doctor Burton from a good distance away.
“I would like to inform you, Doctor Wilson, that this woman is a fake, a fraud,” he said, pointing his index finger at her.
Deanna nearly smiled again. The man was very upset, and for all the wrong reasons. She sat there quietly, watching him, not answering his charges.
Doctor Wilson relaxed a little. He had thought something dire had been happening in here. “Is that all?’ he said in his relief.
“Is that all?” Burton nearly screamed. “I’ll have you know she has fooled–” he began, a little spittle flicking out as he ranted.
“DOCTOR BURTON!” Wilson raised his voice to drown out the other doctor and to calm him a little. “I assure you, I have it on good authority and my own investigations that Doctor Cooper is who she says she is.”
“Oh no, not this time, Emeril,” Burton said triumphantly. Deanna had to wonder…this time? There were others? “You have been duped, I’m sorry to say. I have it here,” he showed a folder he had been carrying, something Deanna hadn’t even noticed, “that there is NO Doctor Cooper in the MSF!”
“Yes, I know,” Doctor Wilson agreed and watched as the man deflated.
“What? You knew?” He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Wilson was in on this?
“Doctor Cooper is a doctor, and yes she is in the MSF. Doctors Without Borders is a small organization. Do you really think she could get away with faking this?” he tried to reason.
“She has! And you were in on it!”
Wilson nodded. “Yes, I know who she is, and I know why you didn’t find what you thought you would. However, I assure you, that her credentials check out. If you spent more time looking after your patients instead of on this...” he spread his hands in helplessness, “...witch-hunt, you’d get a helluva lot more work done.” His voice was stern and it was obvious he was angry too.
Deanna studiously examined her hand, deciding to trim her nails again that night. It was important to keep her nails short for her patients, so she didn’t accidentally scratch them. Her other hand came up and her fingers began to play with her eyebrow distractedly, pulling slightly at the short hairs.
“And I assure you, that you are mistaken,” he began again, trying to inflate with his anger.
“DOCTOR BURTON, if you don’t stand down NOW, I’m going to have to have you relieved,” he promised him.
“But I have–”
“No, you have nothing,” he promised him as he held out his hand for the file.
“But...”
“No buts. You drop this and you drop it now.”
Burton debated whether arguing would be worth it. He determined that it would not be. He slapped the file into the outstretched hand and left the room, nearly knocking Wilson aside in his anger and haste. Burton slammed the door on his way out.
Quietly, Wilson counted to ten to give Burton a chance to walk away from the office. He went to sit on the corner of the desk. Looking down at the blonde doctor he was amused to see her examining her hands, something he caught himself doing from time to time. “Well, what do you have to say for yourself?” he asked sternly.
Deanna looked up and caught a glimmer of amusement in the older doctor’s eyes. She grinned a little as she replied, “Nuttin’,” in the slang of the day. “I don’t got nuttin’ to say.”
He grinned. “Troublemaker,” he mumbled ruefully. “You know he won’t let it go?”
She nodded. “I’m staying though.”
He nodded gratefully. She was worth two Doctor Burtons, who, while a fine surgeon, was terribly narrow-minded. He couldn’t get past the little hurts. He still thought the woman was a fine...mechanic. He’d heard that one from the good doctor more than once. “Then that’s it,” he finished.
“Don’t you want to see what’s in that?” she gestured curiously at the file.
He shook his head. “I’m not even going to look,” he told her. “Want to start a fire?” he asked, offering it to her.
“Nope,” she answered as she stood up. “I got work to do.”
“See ya,” he said and watched as she walked out the door. He smiled. She was such a good doctor. People couldn’t understand a brain like hers. He was glad he knew who and what she was. If he had a dozen doctors like her in Africa, they could take on the world…she was that good. He sighed gustily as he looked down at the file. Despite assuring her he wouldn’t look, he did. He sighed at the contents. Doctor Burton, while a sexist moron, had been thorough and had letters from key people. He pulled a few of them out and pocketed them. Then he carried the file and made a show of throwing it on the nearest bonfire. He was pleased to see that Doctor Burton was peering from the clinic and saw the papers burn.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“I’m so sick of this rain!” Leida complained good-naturedly as she helped clean out the mud that was endlessly tracked into the clinic.
They all enjoyed the rain after the hot, dry summer. The dust was an endless plague, along with the flies and other vermin. The fans in the rafters of the huts couldn’t drive away enough of the bugs in the hot season. The rain was a cool, refreshing change...except for the mud. There was always something. They learned to live through it and already there were signs of it waning. They didn’t get as much in the ‘rainy season’ here as they should, that was part of the reason people were starving to death.
“I won’t be able to plant my crops!” Harlan complained. He understood about the river bringing rich soil to his fields, but he couldn’t plow while they were under water! He couldn’t plant or it would all be washed away. He hoped for a lessening of the deluge that had hit them. Meanwhile, he helped with manual labor around the clinic and village—the villagers appreciated his great strength and willingness to help repair their homes.
Deanna watched as the rain came down in a steady downpour. It was relaxing, but she too was sick of it. It had gone on too long and she was getting antsy to get out, a kind of cabin fever that she recognized. They couldn’t go anywhere in this weather, and when they did, they got soaked. It made for miserable living conditions. She remembered living in the rain forest. It rained there almost every day, sometimes for weeks on end. This felt similar, but at the same time, any rain forest that had existed here was long gone as the desert tried to claim the continent. These beautiful plains were fairly parched. She was certain that men like Harlan would probably fail at what they were attempting. It wasn’t her lookout though. She was here to help save lives in a different way.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Maddie asked from behind her.
Deanna turned and smiled at her friend. “Nah, they aren’t even worth that.”
“Are you bored?” her friend grinned teasingly. There was always something to do at the clinic.
“Nope, just taking a break,” she turned back to watch the rain. The water running in rivulets across what had been hard-packed earth was now muddy and little streams
of it, all rushing away towards the river that ran through the valley. Since the roof of the clinic was made of tin, it was a loud noise and they had to speak up to be heard over it. “Come on, I’m going to see if there is any coffee left,” she encouraged.
“You’ll get soaked!” Maddie promised, but she followed the taller woman as she ran down the steps and out into the rain. Quickly they splashed through the deluge towards the food tent. She was right, they were wet through and through within moments. Neither minded, it was a constant state of affairs these days. They just had to remember to stay warm or they’d all come down with colds or worse.
They were the only ones in the food tent, the first time that had ever happened. They helped themselves to the ever-present coffee and nibbled on some crackers that were left out. Crackers were something that couldn’t go bad in the African air. No other food was out yet, but there was at least another hour before it was dinnertime. They sat down at one of the benches, facing the doorway so they could watch the rain.
“Mmmm, that smells heavenly,” Deanna said as she inhaled the aroma.
“Tastes even better,” Maddie quipped before taking a slurp and burning her tongue. “Ouch,” she swore under her breath.
“Now, now, didn’t your mother teach you better?” Deanna teased as she sipped hesitantly.
Maddie chuckled knowing that Deanna had been known to swear up a blue streak now and again. She thought for a moment and when an odd look came over her face she looked away, but not before Deanna saw it.
“What?” the astute doctor asked.
“What, what?”
“C’mon, I saw you had a question or something.”
“Jeez, there is no getting by you is there?”
She shook her head. “Nope, so don’t even try.”
She chuckled as she took another hesitant sip of her hot coffee.
“C’mon, I’m waiting,” she started tapping her free hand on the table in time with the drips outside the door.
“Alright already,” she sighed. Taking a deep breath, she glanced at her friend and then looked down into her coffee cup before asking in a rush, “What’s it like to kiss a woman?”
Deanna’s eyebrows raised in surprise on her pretty face. Of all the things her friend had asked her over the months they had worked here, that would not have been the question she would have guessed she would ask her. She hesitated for a moment, almost gasping for air as her mouth opened and closed and she thought up a reply. Finally, she answered. “I guess it’s no different than kissing a man...” she began. Shaking her head to the negative she quickly added, “No, that’s not true. It’s totally different than kissing a man.” She looked out at the rain as she thought back. “It’s more...sensual. It’s softer. Depending on who you kiss of course, and how good they are,” she grinned. It told a lot more than what she was saying as she remembered her own shared kisses. “It’s beautiful with the right person.”
Maddie hadn’t known what to expect in response, but Deanna made it sound wonderful. She didn’t know where she had gotten up the nerve to ask, but she knew since their last talk she’d been thinking about it a lot. She’d guessed that Lenny was gay too. In fact, she wondered if Lenny would get in trouble if someone found out she was involved with Emmanulla. She dismissed that thought as they had been carrying on for months and no one had caught them. Her thoughts returned to Deanna and what she had told her. Biting her lip, she hesitated to ask further and then figured, why not? “When is the last time you kissed a woman?”
Deanna met the redhead’s eyes. Blue eyes bored into dark green eyes and she searched for the questions that Maddie hadn’t had the guts to ask yet. She carefully considered what really was being asked here. “It’s been a while,” she said quietly, grateful that the canvas roof of the tent made it easier to talk in here than in the clinic. They would never have been able to have this conversation otherwise. “Why are you asking, Maddie?” she asked softly, putting down her coffee cup to give the redhead her full attention.
Maddie shook her head. “I don’t know.” She looked out at the rain to avoid Deanna’s eyes. They were too blue and saw too much. Her mind didn’t work like the rest of them. It saw too much, ascertained too much, processed things far too quickly. Sometimes it was like she read their minds, she was that quick.
Deanna picked up her coffee cup again to take a sip. “You let me know when you do know, okay?” she advised in a carefully controlled, friendly tone. She didn’t let on that she thought she knew the reason. Maddie would have to come to that conclusion herself. Everyone had to make these decisions themselves.
They were silent as they listened and watched the rain come down. It was a companionable silence and both were lost in their own thoughts.
* * * * *
It was after midnight that same night when they were woken out of their sleep by calls. “Everyone UP!” they could hear both Burton and Wilson yelling. The women got up and lanterns were lit. They were surprised to see Hamishish there as well. She’d been absent a lot lately. Quickly, the women changed from their night attire to pants or shorts, and shirts. Eyes were averted to allow for privacy. Jamming their stocking-clad feet into hastily shaken boots, they hurried outside in the rain.
“A bus has overturned at Zalick,” they were told. The next village down the way was about a thirty-minute drive in good weather. “It’s gone into the river and they are bringing us casualties. Everyone UP and get prepared for them!”
Everyone ran to the clinic or the supply hut to do what they could do for this mass casualty situation. It wasn’t long before they began to arrive. Some, while not hurt, had come with information. They were shaken up as they told that the bus had been fired upon. The driver had done well to avoid the shooters, but it was a long bus and it was inevitable that they would be hit, that someone would be hit. The flames were instantaneous when their gas tank had been struck. The bus driver had swerved to avoid something and slipped off into a culvert. The culvert, overflowing with water, had led to the river. They were pulling those they could find out of the river. It wasn’t easy as they weren’t sure who had fired on the bus or why.
“Let’s get these ready here,” Burton called his medical staff to the various tables they had to ready to deal with the more serious injuries. He might not believe in Doctor Cooper, but he would use her and her abilities.
They were well ready by the time the more serious casualties came in. The bus had been jammed, even some on the roof apparently. Those on the roof had been the first into the water and were swept away by the current. Some of their bodies would never be found. The ones that were coming in now, more than half of them were already dead. Others that they were able to help were banged up badly, most were suffering from exposure to the cold rain.
It was a horrible night. As the rain tapered off and the sun finally shone through the clouds, they didn’t even notice when the assistants began to turn off the lanterns.
“Jeezus Christus,” Deanna swore as she straightened up from her fortieth patient. She hadn’t meant to keep track, but she had, unconsciously. Some she had saved—most that could be saved—but it had been terrible to have to let some of them go. There was nothing she could do for some of them. Mothers cried over their babies, children cried for their parents, trying to match up families was terrible.
“You okay?” Lenny asked as she put her hand on the doctor’s shoulder. She’d been pressed into service to help carry the wounded and sick. The floors of both the meeting hall and the clinic were full of people.
“Yeah, my spine could use a crack,” she mentioned as she rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand. She removed her rubber gloves and tossed them out. She couldn’t remember how many pairs she had gone through this night. Her fingertips removed dust from her eyelashes...dust that wasn’t there, as she pulled lightly on the hairs.
“Yeah? You got a chiropractor out here?” she asked, as though Deanna kept one in her pocket. She removed her hand from her friend’s shou
lder. It didn’t pay to be too friendly these days. She knew there were rumors aplenty going around.
Deanna smiled, as she was expected to, and stretched a little more. She looked out where the sun was already drying up the mud. It was a mess. Old cars, jeeps, horses, and any animal they could find had been pressed into service to deliver the casualties here. She was depressed at the numbers of people who had died although there was simply nothing they could do. It was a primitive place. They did what they could do, comforting the living and providing healthcare where they could. It wasn’t an easy job and it was at times like this she wondered why she had gone into this career. “Look at that,” she pointed with her chin, nodding towards the beauty that was outside the clinic: on the plains, the savannah, the flowers that always bloomed quickly after a rain. “How can anything that beautiful hide so many deadly things?” she asked of no one in particular. Deanna sensed, rather than heard, others coming up behind her on the porch to see what she was seeing. The sun looked gorgeous and was welcome after so many days of rain. She looked out at the brush beyond the edge of the camp, which was green and already beginning to grow lush. In a few days the grasses would almost paint a sweeping path across the plains providing nourishment to the huge herds of grass eaters. Following those herds would be the meat eaters. They would all have to be a little more vigilant, already there were rumors of lions.
Deanna was one of the last to head to her bed, after checking on her patients one more time. It was frustrating how limited she was in what she could do for them. Still, it was gratifying that she could use her skills to help some of them.
“You should get some sleep,” Maddie came up after changing a dressing on a patient.
“I could say the same of you,” Deanna turned and smiled down at her.
“I am going to go take a shower,” she informed her.
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