The Forever Assignment

by Jennifer Taylor

  ‘Good timing. I was just about to make a start. One of the nuns has gone to fetch the first lot of children. She’s going to bring the youngest ones through first.’

  ‘Anything in particular that I should look out for?’ Kasey asked politely.

  ‘I’d guess malnutrition will be one of the problems we’ll see today. A lot of children in developing countries suffer from kwashiorkor or marasmus.’

  ‘So what are the symptoms?’

  ‘A child with kwashiorkor will have a greatly distended abdomen, stunted growth and a puffy appearance caused by oedema. He may be apathetic and irritable, and often his skin will flake off, leaving raw patches,’ he explained, sitting on the edge of the desk. ‘The hair can be very brittle and it often changes colour and becomes much lighter. Oh, and the liver may be enlarged, too.’

  ‘And marasmus,’ she asked rather faintly.

  ‘Similar cause, i.e. an inadequate intake of protein and calories, but the kids are usually emaciated with folds of loose skin on their limbs and buttocks.’

  ‘And the solution…There is a solution, I hope?’

  ‘Yes. Depending on how ill the child is, he should recover with an adequate diet. High-protein, high-energy foods are vital.’

  ‘Can the orphanage provide the children with that kind of a diet, though?’ she asked worriedly. ‘They’re over-stretched as it is.’

  ‘That’s the worrying part, but I’ll get in touch with the agency as soon as we return to base and organise something.’ He straightened when the sound of voices in the corridor announced that the first group of children had arrived. ‘Just do your best, Kasey. It’s all any of us can do.’

  He gave her a quick smile before he walked over to one of the tables and sat down. Kasey took her own seat, praying that she would be able to cope. She’d never done this type of work before and only hoped she wouldn’t let him down…

  She frowned when it struck her how important it was not to disappoint him. Bearing in mind everything that had gone on today, it shouldn’t have mattered but it did. She didn’t want Adam thinking badly of her—for any reason.

  Her heart contracted as she glanced across the room. There was no point pretending that she didn’t care what he thought. Adam’s opinion had mattered to her in the past, too, strangely enough. She’d wanted him to like her then, and not just because of Keiran and the plans she’d made, and it was exactly the same now. She hated it when they continually argued yet she couldn’t understand why she felt this strongly.

  Well, there was no point worrying about it when she’d be leaving in a week or so’s time. That Adam would be glad to see the back of her wasn’t in question!

  The next few hours flew past. Some of the children were excited about being seen by a doctor, others were scared and some were just so traumatised by what they’d experienced that they didn’t care. Kasey lost count of the number who were suffering from malnutrition. Most of the children had been living on scraps for years and their health had deteriorated badly.

  A lot of them had worms, too, so she told the nuns who were helping her that she would give them medication to treat all the children in the orphanage. Several of the older boys had quite severe injuries—one had lost a hand after a land-mine had exploded when he’d picked it up and another a leg—so she sent them to Adam because he would be able to assess what could be done for them far better than her. One little three-year-old boy called Kofi had a paralysed lower left arm. The muscles in both his hand and his forearm were so badly wasted that his fingers were curved inwards like a claw. Kasey took him over to Adam to see if he knew what was wrong with him.

  ‘Looks like Klumpke’s paralysis.’ Adam gently rotated the boy’s arm and nodded. ‘Yes. That’s what it is. The first thoracic nerve in the brachial plexus has been damaged.’

  ‘The network of nerves behind the shoulder blade? Do you think his shoulder was dislocated at some point and that’s how it was damaged?’

  ‘Probably when he was born. It’s the most common cause of this type of injury.’ He smiled at the child. ‘I might be able to make your arm feel a bit better, Kofi, so will you wait over there for me?’ He ruffled the child’s hair when he nodded solemnly. ‘Good boy!’

  He turned to Kasey as the child obediently moved away. ‘I might be able to do something to help him regain a little more mobility. Exercises might help to strengthen his arm, although there isn’t much I can do about the damage to the nerve, I’m afraid.’

  ‘Anything would be better than nothing,’ she assured him, then turned away because she didn’t want him to see how moved she was by the way he’d treated the child.

  He’d always had a wonderful way with his patients, treating them with a gentle authority that had immediately allayed their fears. It was a side of him she’d always admired, in fact. Adam might be a stickler when it came to his staff but he’d never had any difficulty relating to his patients and it was unsettling to be reminded of that fact.

  They carried on for another hour but it was obvious that they wouldn’t be able to see all the children that day. When Claire came to check how she was doing, Kasey grimaced.

  ‘Not too well, I’m afraid. There’s too many who need more than just a basic health check. We’ll never be able to get through them all today.’

  ‘Maybe you could stay the night and see the rest tomorrow,’ Claire suggested hopefully.

  ‘I’m perfectly happy to stay but I’m not sure if Adam will agree so maybe you should check with him. I know he was planning on driving back to the hospital.’

  ‘At this time of the day?’ Claire pulled a face as she glanced out of the window. ‘It will be dark soon so it sounds a bit risky to me, but I’ll see what he says.’

  Kasey packed everything away, apart from her notes. Several of the children needed medication and she wanted to have a word with Claire about the best way to organise their treatment. She glanced up when a shadow fell over her and felt her heart squeeze in an extra beat when she saw Adam standing by the table. Maybe it was that reminder about the way he’d behaved so sympathetically towards his patients but all of a sudden she felt incredibly shy with him.

  ‘Did Claire ask you about spending the night here?’ she said quickly, because she didn’t want him to think there was anything wrong. He hadn’t treated Keiran with sympathy, she reminded herself, yet for some reason it was difficult to relate the man she’d seen that afternoon to the person who had ruined her brother’s life. Was it really possible for someone to exhibit two such opposing sides to his character?

  ‘Yes. I must admit that I hadn’t planned on staying but it would solve a few problems. We’ve only seen about half the children so far and I’d feel happier if we could see the rest before we left. Plus I don’t fancy having to drive back to the hospital in the dark. How do you feel about staying the night here, though?’

  ‘I don’t mind. I’m happy to stay if you think it would be the best thing to do,’ she agreed hurriedly, not wanting to dwell on such disquieting thoughts because they only confused the issue.

  ‘I do actually. Right, that’s agreed, then. We’ll stay the night and see the rest of the kids in the morning then drive back after lunch.’

  ‘Fine by me, although I wish I’d brought a change of clothes with me,’ she said ruefully, glancing down at the once-white T-shirt she was wearing. Lots of sticky little hands had left their marks and she felt grubby and sweaty and in dire need of something clean to wear.

  ‘Have a word with Claire and see if she can lend you something,’ he suggested, then grinned. ‘Somehow, I don’t think the good sisters will have anything to fit me, though, so I’ll just have to make do with what I’ve got on.’

  Kasey chuckled. ‘I can’t quite see you in one of their dresses…’

  ‘Not quite my thing,’ he agreed dryly, then glanced round when Claire came back to tell them that she’d spoken to Sister Beatrice who had offered to let them sleep in the annexe.

  Claire took them to see i
t, explaining on the way that it was normally used by the local priest when he visited the orphanage and that was why it had been built onto the side of the chapel. She unlocked the door and showed them around, not that there was much to see. There were just three rooms in all—a small bedroom with an iron-framed bed, a sitting room with a sofa that converted into a second bed and a bathroom. There was no kitchen because Father Michael always ate with the nuns when he was there, but it was more than adequate for their needs.

  Claire immediately offered to lend her some clothes when Kasey mentioned her dilemma. She hurried away to find something suitable for her then Adam announced that he was going back to the orphanage to start compiling a list of the children who would need to be seen at the hospital.

  Kasey decided to make the most of having the place to herself and took a bath. Mindful of the need to conserve water, she filled the tub only part way but it felt wonderful to wash off the grime. She washed her hair with a bar of soap she found in the dish then got out and wrapped a towel around herself. The thought of having to put her dirty clothes back on was more than she could face so she heaved a sigh of relief when she heard someone coming into the annexe because it meant that Claire must have brought her something clean to wear.

  Opening the bathroom door, she hurried out to meet her and stopped dead when she discovered that it wasn’t Claire who’d come in but Adam. Her heart gave an almighty lurch when she saw his eyes travel over her before they swiftly returned to her face. All she had on was the damp towel and she was very conscious of the fact that it did little to conceal her modesty.

  ‘I thought you were Claire,’ she said, her tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth in embarrassment. ‘She promised to bring me some clean clothes.’

  ‘She wanted to check on Sister Eleanor so she asked me to give them to you.’ Adam’s expression was unreadable as he motioned towards a pile of clothes neatly stacked on the end of the couch.

  ‘Oh. Right. Thank you.’

  Kasey knew that she should collect the clothes and beat a hasty retreat, but she was a bit wary about letting go of the towel while she picked them up. Maybe Adam realised her predicament because he picked up the bundle.

  ‘I’ll put them in the bedroom for you.’

  ‘Thanks.’ She stepped out of the way so he could get past her then cried out in alarm when her feet suddenly skidded on the tiled floor.

  ‘Careful!’ Adam dropped the bundle of clothing as he grabbed hold of her arm and hauled her upright again.

  ‘Oh! I don’t know how that happened,’ she exclaimed shakily. ‘My feet just skidded out from under me.’

  ‘It’s no damned wonder when you’re dripping wet. You should have had more sense than to go parading around in that state.’

  Kasey flushed at the unwarranted rebuke. ‘I apologise,’ she said stiffly, easing her arm out of his grasp. ‘Next time I’ll be more careful.’

  Adam didn’t say anything as he picked up the clothes and took them into the bedroom. He dropped them onto the bed then headed back out of the room, barely glancing at her as he made his way to the door.

  ‘Claire said to tell you that dinner is at six. Apparently, Sister Beatrice takes a dim view of anyone being late.’

  ‘I’ll be there on time,’ Kasey assured him, although it was doubtful if he’d heard her because he was already on his way out of the door.

  She went into the bedroom after he’d left, making sure the door was securely closed before she removed the towel. There was no way she wanted him coming back and finding her naked. She’d had the distinct impression that he thought she had deliberately gone out to meet him wearing nothing more than a towel, but he couldn’t have been more wrong.

  Her lips compressed as she sorted a clean pair of cotton panties out of the pile of clothing and stepped into them. There was no danger of her trying to seduce him if that was what he feared. She wasn’t about to make her life even more complicated than it already was!

  Adam made his way along the path, only stopping when he reached the fence that marked the boundary of the grounds. The orphanage had been built on the very edge of the town and beyond it lay only scrubland. There were no lights to be seen apart from a few early evening stars and no distractions from his thoughts, which was what he wanted. He needed to apply the same ruthless determination to ridding his mind of these images as he applied to everything else.

  He took a deep breath and made himself remember what he’d seen: alabaster-pale skin glistening with moisture; long, wet strands of black hair curling around a delicate oval face; damp cotton towelling clinging to lush curves…

  He groaned as a dozen different emotions hit him all at once. How he’d managed to let Kasey go just now was beyond him. It had taken every scrap of willpower he’d possessed not to haul her into his arms, strip off that damned towel and take her right there and then on the floor. After all, that was what she’d been angling for, wasn’t it? Why else had she appeared wearing nothing more than that flimsy scrap of cotton? Maybe she’d claimed that she’d thought he was Claire but why should he believe her? It certainly wasn’t the first time that she’d set out to seduce him…

  He cut off that thought in mid-flight, unable to bear any more. Remembering what a fool he’d been in the past wasn’t going to help him at the moment. He had no idea what she was up to but she was definitely planning something. Maybe she thought she could persuade him to let her stay in Mwuranda by using the oldest trick in the book, but it wasn’t going to work. As soon as he could get her on a plane home, she was leaving!

  He felt a bit better after re-confirming his decision to send her back to England. Somewhere during the day he’d started to wonder if he was being a bit too hard on her but now he was sure he was doing the right thing. Life would return to some sort of normality once Kasey left, and he just needed to hang onto that thought.

  He made his way back to the orphanage and continued working on his notes, only breaking off when the children began to arrive for dinner. Tucking the papers into his briefcase, he moved out of the way as they trooped in. It was all very orderly and he sighed as he watched them quietly collect their plates and make their way to their seats. There was no pushing or shoving, certainly none of the usual fun and games one might have expected to see with such a large group of children. When you’d nearly starved to death, eating became a serious business.

  ‘Do they ever really get over it, do you think?’

  He glanced round when he heard Kasey’s voice beside him. ‘Get over what?’ he asked, playing for time because he wasn’t sure he could hold up his end of a conversation while his heart was beating at this tempo. She was wearing some of the clothes Claire had lent her—a long-sleeved blue blouse with a pair of worn denim jeans—so there was no excuse for the way he was behaving at the moment.

  This outfit definitely wasn’t pulling gear! The best that could be said for it was that it was clean and serviceable, so why on earth was he so aroused by the sight of her? Was it the fact that her skin seemed to glow with a pearly sheen in the lamplight, or because her hair smelt so sweetly of soap? There had to be a reason why his body was behaving this way but, try as he would, he couldn’t think what it was. The last time he’d laid the blame very firmly at her door—flaunting herself in that towel had been more temptation than any red-blooded male could be expected to withstand. But dressed in sensible jeans and blouse…?

  Adam began to sweat. He could feel the moisture beading on his upper lip, trickling between his shoulder blades, feel his palms growing damp. There was no excuse for his behaviour now so all he could do was face up to the truth. Kasey wouldn’t need to seduce him this time any more than she’d needed to seduce him the last time. He’d been desperate to sleep with her five years ago and he was desperate to sleep with her again now. Not even the long, lonely years of regret had cured him of this affliction so where did he go from here? Did he give in and admit that he wanted her? Or should he hold fast?

  He groaned deep in h
is throat. Whichever decision he made, it looked as though he was in for a really rough time tonight!

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  KASEY frowned when she heard Adam groan. She glanced at him and was shocked to see what looked very much like panic on his face.

  ‘Are you feeling all right?’ she asked in concern.

  ‘Fine. Never better. Come along. We’re keeping everyone waiting.’

  A large hand suddenly clamped itself around her elbow as he whisked her towards the top table where Sister Beatrice was waiting to greet them. Kasey summoned a smile as the elderly woman invited them to sit beside her, but she had to admit that she was a little confused by his behaviour. One of the nuns placed a plate in front of her and she thanked her, but she seemed to be functioning on two separate levels. What on earth was the matter with him?

  Sister Beatrice clapped her hands and everyone stood while she said grace. They sat down and Kasey picked up her fork and dug into the spicy bean concoction they’d been served.

  ‘The answer is no.’

  She looked up when Adam spoke to her. ‘No what?’ she repeated blankly.

  ‘You asked if the children ever really get over what they’ve been through.’ He shrugged. ‘In my experience they never do. They’ve suffered too much for it not to have left scars on them.’

  ‘That’s what I thought,’ she said quietly.

  ‘The best we can do is arrange for them to receive counselling. We have a psychiatrist who works for us so maybe he can put together a team of volunteers to come out here and talk to the children.’

  ‘Their needs must be somewhat different to those of the people Worlds Together normally helps, though.’

  She stirred the stew with her fork, wondering why he seemed so eager to talk all of a sudden. She’d expected him to cut her dead after what had happened earlier that evening, but he seemed very keen to discuss the problems the children faced.