She nodded and then looked sad.
“What happened?”
Deanna looked up at her, trying to see her eyes through the darkness. In the flickering light of the fire she didn’t see condemnation, merely curiosity. “I fell in love.”
“With the shaman?”
Deanna shook her head. “No, that would have been acceptable. Two medical mystics coming together. It wasn’t with her and that almost insulted her. What really pissed her off though, was that I fell in love with her daughter.”
“How old was her daughter?” she asked, intrigued, wondering at this faceless person and how she had fallen for this brilliant young doctor.
“Eighteen summers,” she answered and leaned down to pick up a stick to throw on the fire.
“How old were you?”
She leaned back and looked again at Maddie. “I was twenty.”
“How long did it last?”
“One year,” she said bitterly.
“Were you discovered?”
“Oh yeah....” She grimaced ruefully. “We were discovered, exposed, and eviscerated before the entire tribe.”
“Do they not accept,” her voice lowered to a whisper, “homosexuality?”
Deanna nearly laughed aloud at the tone, as though it were a forbidden subject. Given that they were contemplating entering into a relationship themselves, it was hilarious. “Many tribes accept that there are people within their society that like the same sex,” she responded almost prudishly to Maddie’s question. “No, it wasn’t that,” she continued. “It was the fact that she was married,” she almost stopped telling her tale at Maddie’s gasp, “to the chief’s son,” she finished.
“You dated a married woman?” she asked, shocked at the thought.
“Well, I didn’t know she was married until much later,” she defended herself. “It’s not like the language barrier and different cultures didn’t enter into the equation.”
“So, what happened?” she asked, curious despite herself.
Deanna looked sad for a moment. “I was upset when I found out that she was married. It was a tribal thing and when they found out about us,” she almost shuddered at the embarrassment, “I was asked to leave.”
“Why would you ever consider going back there?”
“Because it’s a magical part of the world and it’s a huge continent. I don’t have to go back to the same place I was,” she explained. “There is so much more to learn.”
“That’s why you came to Africa?”
“It’s even bigger here. I can learn anywhere.”
“What have you learned here?”
Deanna went on about what Hamishish had taught her. When they went to the other villages, despite the language barrier, she was shown things that helped her do her job. Using modern medicines, she could help the locals. Learning local medicines and techniques, she was accepted easier. It was part of why she was drawn to Hamishish. She knew a lot of Western people wouldn’t accept the woman, equating her to a whore, but she really was knowledgeable and who she chose to share her body with, was her choice.
“Is that why you and Lenny hit it off so quickly?”
Deanna was brought back to the present. She nodded. “That and my gaydar went off.”
“Your what?” She had never heard the term before.
“My gaydar. It’s when you can sense that someone else is gay too,” she explained.
“Do you have to become gay to feel it?” she asked, worried.
The blonde chuckled and shook her head. “No, it’s more like knowing if someone likes you or if someone has certain mannerisms. Sometimes you are right when you guess that they are gay, you can be equally wrong.”
“Have you ever been wrong?” She was curious again.
Smiling she answered, “Occasionally.”
“What about me? Would you have guessed I was gay?”
“You aren’t, are you?” she pointed out.
“Not for lack of trying,” she admitted ruefully.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Hey, I’m going into Lamish for supplies on my next days off. I’m going to stay overnight.” Doctor Cooper informed Doctor Wilson.
“Oh good, maybe we’ll get what we ordered in full for a change,” he said with a remorseful grin.
“Why don’t you get rid of Lakesh if you think he’s stealing so much?”
“Because I don’t have any proof, and who else is going to drive?”
“I’m sure there are a half a dozen of the relief workers who would be glad to, given a chance. You have to start asking,” she pointed out.
He sighed gustily. “I have a letter I’d like you to post, if you would.”
“Sure, why didn’t you send it with the regular mail?” Lakesh took their mail in at least once a week for them.
“I have, but I’m not certain it hasn’t been subverted,” he confided. They exchanged a look.
Nodding, she agreed, and they spoke of a few supplies she could pick up for him as well as the clinic.
“Do you mind if I ask Maddie to go along?” she tried to sound innocent as she asked.
He shook his head. “No, I don’t mind. Does she want to go?”
“No idea. I thought I’d ask you if she could have the same days off before I asked her if she wanted to go along. That’s such a long and dry, dusty drive.”
He nodded. The road had gotten worse since the rainy season and it wasn’t like anyone would be repairing it. “Make sure you get your tires fixed while you’re in town.”
They finished up their list of things he would like and then he promised, “I’ll have that letter, maybe letters for you before you leave in the morning.”
She nodded as she turned to leave, nearly bumping into Doctor Burton as he entered the office. “Oh, excuse me,” she said politely.
He looked at her coldly and sidestepped so she could leave, never saying a word. She left, shaking her head at his rudeness.
“Hey, you,” she greeted Maddie, who was bandaging an arm. “Can I give you a hand?” she asked with a grin to show she was joking. After all, Maddie was holding the hand of the boy in one hand and bandaging with the other. The only way to keep him from moving as he wouldn’t hold it still.
Maddie sighed in relief. This was one time the language barrier was not a good thing. The little boy would not sit still because of the pain, and he needed the wound to be covered. She had cleaned it, which caused him pain and now he wouldn’t sit still, making it difficult to wrap the wound. Furthermore, his mother refused to keep him calm or even talk to him. Without being able to say a word to each other, the pantomime wasn’t working well. “Oh, thank you,” she said with genuine appreciation for Deanna showing up. “This little wiggle worm needs this bandaged properly and he won’t sit still.”
Deanna fixed a stern look on her face and said a couple of words she had picked up of the local dialect. The boy looked at the female doctor in awe and sat completely still as she took his hand from Maddie’s and held it. Quickly, Maddie was able to wrap the arm.
“Jeez, that was a lot easier,” she complained good-naturedly. “What did you say to him?” she asked, curious.
“I told him that this witch doctor,” she pointed with her thumb at herself, looking proud, “was not pleased with him bouncing around when the good nurse was just trying to help me.”
“You said all that with a few words?” she looked up from where she was putting away her materials to see Deanna grinning with a twinkle in her blue eyes. “You did not!” she accused.
“No, I just told him to sit still,” she admitted.
“Oh, you,” Maddie flirted as she pushed the bandage roll at her. Unfortunately, she didn’t completely let it go and it rolled at Deanna and over her shoulder. They both ended up laughing over the mishap.
“Hey, what are you doing on your next day off?” she asked, picking up the roll off her shoulder where it had unrolled and beginning to roll it again.
“I have no idea when
I get another day off,” she said wearily.
“Well, on your next day off, would you like to go into Lamish with me?”
Maddie stopped dead where she was walking and looked at Deanna to see what she meant by that. “For the day?” she clarified.
“Overnight,” she answered meaningfully, looking intently down at the roll she was making. She glanced up quickly to meet Maddie’s eyes.
Swallowing, she realized the time had finally come. They were going to consummate this relationship. Not that they couldn’t have, half a dozen times, but Deanna wanted it to be right, because it would be Maddie’s first time. “I’d like that,” she said shyly.
“Good, because Doctor Wilson said you could have the next two days off,” she informed her and waited for her reaction.
At first Maddie was taken aback. Then she was kind of angry that Deanna had assumed....
“So, if you would like...I’d like you to come with me...but if you don’t want to...” she teased as she saw the storm building in the green-eyed redhead. She grinned, hoping that Maddie wasn’t truly angry.
“You told him why we were going?” she gasped, thinking about what the doctor would think about her after the hoopla over Lenny’s defection.
Deanna chuckled as she shook her head and put the rolled up bandage on a tray. “I told him I was going to get supplies and asked if it was alright for you to go along with me.”
Maddie relaxed a little at that news. Then she tensed, realizing that this was the moment. They could actually be...together. She looked around to see if anyone could overhear them and whispered, “But what if I can’t...I mean...what if...you know?”
Deanna smiled down at the woman. “It’s okay. Let’s go and get out of here for a few days and enjoy each other’s company,” she said, equally as quiet. “If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”
Maddie nodded and before she could ask any more questions or comment, Deanna was called away to attend to a patient.
* * * * *
“So you are going into Lamish? With Doctor Cooper?” Leida asked as she looked through a magazine.
Maddie looked over at her to see if she meant anything by the seemingly innocent questions. If there was an innuendo in it, she couldn’t detect it. She shrugged nonchalantly and said, “Yeah, she asked. God knows I need some time off from this place,” she gestured around the tent from where she was packing a small bag. She had wondered if she should even bother packing her pajamas. She didn’t want to assume anything… She glanced again at Leida to answer her, the woman was reclining on her cot. She didn’t seem to be paying any particular attention to Maddie.
“I hear you. I could use some time off myself.”
Not sure whether she should say anything, she ventured on the hazardous side and asked, “Why don’t you come with us?” She was pretty certain that Leida wouldn’t be able to get time off at the same time. The previous time they went into Lamish together had been a fluke.
“Nah, I got things to do,” she answered airily as she continued to page through the magazine.
Maddie heard a noise by the entrance to the tent and saw Deanna turn and leave. She must have heard her invite Leida. She dropped what she was doing and rushed after her. “Deanna, wait up,” she called.
Deanna never even paused as she headed determinedly towards the clinic.
“Deanna, wait up,” she tried again, trying not to raise her voice too loud as others might be watching and she certainly didn’t want to create a scene.
Deanna quickly got to the steps of the clinic and turned to look down at the nurse. Her face registered anger that Maddie had rarely seen. Usually it only came up when something stupid or preventable came through the clinic. “If you didn’t want to go, you could have just said,” she said in a low voice. People were coming and going from the clinic.
“Would you let me explain?” she asked sotto voce, trying to pull Deanna aside on the porch.
Shrugging, the doctor answered, “What’s there to explain?”
“I just offered because I knew she couldn’t or wouldn’t go. I didn’t want her to think there was anything special about this trip.” She could have kicked herself for phrasing it that way as she saw Deanna’s face change from one of anger, to one of hurt, to one of fury. “I mean, if I offered and she said no, at least I offered,” she said lamely. “I wanted the trip to seem innocent,” she hissed in her attempt to keep their argument low.
Deanna considered what she had said and decided she was being entirely too sensitive about it. “Have you changed your mind?” she asked to be certain.
“No, I’m...looking forward to it,” she said sincerely.
Deanna decided not to let it bother her, but she had her own reservations about this little trip. “Okay, then be ready to go first thing in the morning,” she answered in a tone that had no emotion. She turned away and went into the clinic so there could be no further discussion.
Maddie went to go after her, reconsidered, and returned to her tent to finish her packing. It had been a relatively slow day at the clinic so she wasn’t really needed. The fact that Leida was in the tent too, proved her point. She knew she had probably hurt Deanna’s feelings and she hoped she could make it up to her on the trip so they could resume the easygoing friendship they had always enjoyed. She had been the one to pursue Deanna, it was up to her to make it better.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The drive itself was the same. Looking out at the savannah and the surrounding plains was no different, except for the changing scenery. It still took the same amount of hours. Deanna kept it interesting as she shared stories with Maddie, some of them she had heard already, but they were always fascinating.
“I’ve got some things I have to do to legitimize this trip. Would you check us into the hotel?” Deanna asked as she dropped Maddie and their luggage at the front door.
“One or two rooms?” she asked hesitantly, feeling foolish. They both knew why they were here.
“It’s cheaper for one, but ask if they have two beds.” She shrugged realizing that Maddie would have to get over some of her inhibitions. “If there is only one bed we can share,” she said as though they were ‘just friends.’
Maddie worried that she had unintentionally insulted Deanna again somehow. She felt so unsure of herself as she asked at the desk for a room in her halting student French. They didn’t have one with two beds available and asked if she would take their best suite. She did. Their best suite turned out to be merely larger than the last time she had stayed here, maybe a little cleaner, but the bathtub was definitely appreciated. She didn’t hesitate to unpack and get in the deep tub to luxuriate not only in the cleanliness of the water, but also the heat of it. She was pruney before she got out and pampered herself, cleaning up for Deanna who seemed to be a long time coming.
Deanna had taken the Rover to a repair shop to get all the tires looked at, including the four spares on her roof, several that were in need of repair. She had them change the oil and the air filter too, watching as they worked effortlessly. She could have done these thing herself, but didn’t think Maddie would appreciate her showing up back at the hotel with oil around her fingers and nails. She thought about why she was really here in town…to make love to Maddie for the first time. Would she like it? Would she want to continue after her curiosity was assuaged? Was she the one? Deanna worried that she would prove an adequate lover to the untutored Maddie, but then the woman had nothing for comparison, so would that matter?
Deanna picked up a few things that weren’t on her list at the open air market. She stopped to post letters for poor Doctor Wilson who was caught between a rock and a hard place due to Doctor Burton’s vengeful nature. She wondered if these letters would stop the witch-hunt the man was perpetuating. She wondered if these letters would make it to their destination this time. She remembered that Doctor Wilson had said he thought they were being subverted.
Deanna arranged to pick up their other supplies t
omorrow when she was ready to leave. It wouldn’t make sense to pick them up now and put them in the Rover where they could possibly be stolen. Not everyone was a thief, but why tempt anyone that might recognize the vehicle. Deanna knew that if she really wanted, with the amount of time they had and how early they had come to town, she could have returned to the clinic. She didn’t want to return to the clinic. She wanted to go to Maddie, and in the time she wasted on the necessary and even the unnecessary errands, she was impatient to get to the hotel. Finally, she was finished and heading to the hotel. The clerk informed her of the room number, gave her a key, and watched as she lugged her bag up towards the stairs of the hotel.
She knocked before using the old-fashioned key in the lock. She heard Maddie call, “Come in,” as she turned the key in the lock.
“Hi there,” she called as she put her bag down near the door and looked around the room. It was nicer than the others she had stayed in, bigger. She saw Maddie with a robe on, sitting and looking out the window. “You okay?” she asked.
Maddie had turned excitedly when she heard the knock on the door, but then turned determinedly to look outside—trying to behave nonchalant about the imminent lovemaking they were planning. She wanted the much more sophisticated and knowing Deanna to think she was cool. She turned back, smiling tremulously. “I’m fine. I took a hot bath,” she said quickly, showing her nerves with how fast she was talking. “You might enjoy one,” she said as quickly, then felt foolish as though hinting that Deanna needed a bath. “I mean...” she began, showing her nervousness.
“It’s okay, a hot bath sounds wonderful,” Deanna assured her. She was feeling nervous herself and hoped it didn’t show. She picked up her bag again and opened it on the bed to look for her bag of toiletries including shampoo and toothpaste. She’d have to remember to replace some of it while they were in town and made a mental note to that effect. She smiled at the awkward-looking Maddie, sitting there in her robe. Grabbing her own robe from the bag, she headed for the bathroom.
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