by Lily Harlem
Outside of the tent, dawn was spreading fine fingers of gold over the earth and the sky was still a delicate shade of lilac in the west.
The fire was smoldering, and beside it sat Harry, Evan, and Mason. It seemed Paul had taken to his bed. They all appeared to be sleeping and were huddled into their clothing, hoods up, hands tucked beneath blankets no doubt dragged from the bedroom compartments.
She smiled, admiring their determination to wait up for Raul.
Stooping, she poked the fire, and then added another log.
“Hey, hen.” Mason stirred.
“You okay?” she whispered. “You must be freezing out here.”
“Nothing a cup of tea wouldn’t fix.” He looked into the distance. “Any sign?”
“No, I’ll get some water on to boil, perhaps he’ll be here soon.”
Mason nodded then glanced at Harry and Evan who were sleeping. “What’s going on with those guys?”
His question surprised her. “Er, nothing. Why?”
He shrugged. “Don’t seem as chatty with each other as usual.”
“Probably just tired, can’t have been fun sleeping out here.”
“We had the hyenas to keep us company, and a big old snake slithered past over there.” He pointed to the right. “But we let him go on his way.”
She shuddered. “I hope it didn’t go near the vehicles.”
“No, Evan watched its path. He said it went into the bushes, near where the Jeep used to be.”
“That’s okay then.”
The prickly bushes were a reasonable distance away, and as long as the creepy thing stayed there, she could live with that. Returning to the tent, she set about putting water to boil on the small gas stove. She put out six mugs, presuming everyone would be up and in search of tea or coffee soon.
“Hey! Look.” Evan’s voice.
Quickly she went outside.
Evan was standing, so was Mason.
“Er…what?” Harry said sleepily.
Olivia turned her attention in the direction Evan was pointing. “That’s a vehicle, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it seems to be.” Olivia’s heart did a little skip. Raul. It had to be.
“Aye,” Mason said, then stepped forward several paces. “But it looks like two vehicles.” He turned to Evan. “Don’t you think?”
“Yeah. I wonder who’s in the other one.”
Paul emerged from the tent, pulling on a hoody and rubbing his eyes. “What’s going on?”
“A couple of vehicles are heading this way,” Mason said.
“A couple?”
“Aye.”
Paul went level with Evan. “I reckon it’s Raul and…” He paused. “Well it must be Global Medic staff and supplies.”
“Global Medics?” Olivia said. “So soon?”
“It’s not soon, they phoned yesterday evening to say they’d be here within twenty-four hours?”
“They phoned?” Evan and Mason said at the same time.
“How the hell could they phone?” Harry asked, his brow creasing.
“Er…on a phone. There’s a bar or two of signal down by the lake.”
Olivia was aware of her mouth hanging open. Paul had a phone? None of them were supposed to have phones—that was one of Dante’s restrictions.
“Why are you being weird?” Paul said, holding his hands over the fire, which had come back to life with another log.
“Because all phones had to be handed over to Riley,” Olivia said.
“Aye, you never noticed we don’t have any?” Mason added.
Paul huffed. “He never asked for mine, and I wouldn’t have bloody given it to him anyway. I need it.”
“We all need our phones,” Harry said.
Lucas emerged from the tent, dressed and holding two steaming cups. He stepped up to Mason and handed him one, then to Olivia and gave her the other. “What’s going on?” he asked her, then glanced around the group.
“Raul is on his way, with a Global Medics van, and Paul has a phone,” she said.
Lucas raised his eyebrows and glanced into the distance. He then turned to his older brother. “You have?”
“It’s no big deal,” Paul said.
“It is when no one else is allowed one as part of The Challenge,” Evan said with a scowl.
“I guess I’m not really part of The Challenge, then.” He stepped up to the entrance of the tent. “Anyone else want a drink?”
“No,” Evan said, folding his arms and turning from Paul.
It seemed to take forever for the tiny dots in the distance to arrive at the village. There was a note of tension in the air. Paul’s revelation had irritated the guys, she could tell.
But when the vans did arrive, it was clear Paul’s guess that it was Raul and a Global Medic team had been right.
As Raul pulled to a stop, Olivia rushed to greet him. He’d barely gotten out and she’d hurled herself into his arms. “You’re back.”
“Si, mi niña hermosa.” He held her close and kissed her. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, of course. But are you? What happened with the leopard?”
Raul put her down but kept her tight against his body. “Come, I tell you all about it. But I need coffee first.”
“Of course.”
“I will go,” Anya said. “My father is tired, so am I.” Her hair was a little dishevelled, and her usually bright, wide eyes heavy lidded.
“Yes,” Yamba said, straightening to his full height. “It has been a long journey but successful, and we we’re able to guide the new medical staff here.” He nodded at the other van. It was white and had Global Medics written in navy down the side and a blue cross over an image of a globe. “I am grateful they are here. And I am sure doctor Paul will be, too.”
“Yes,” Olivia said, watching Paul slap the male of the couple on the back, then give the female a kiss on the cheek. “I’m sure he will.”
Yamba nodded, then walked away, with Anya at his side.
“Here,” Lucas said, “Coffee.” He held out a mug to Raul.
“You are magic, my friend.” Raul took it and sat. He hunched forward. There were dark circles beneath his eyes.
Olivia pulled a chair close and reached for his free hand.
With another log on the fire, everyone, except for Paul, sat around with expectant expressions.
Raul took a sip of his drink. “The cat jumped around in the back of the van,” he said, “all the way to the main road. I thought it was going to break through the metal. It was very angry, heavy, too. We rocked, this way and that, the road holes made it worse.” He shook his head. “But when we got on better road it went quiet. The more it went quiet the more I worried. What if it was too hot, or thirsty? What if it die?”
“And?” Evan asked, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.
“The sanctuary was a long way, but we only stop for fuel. I wanted to open skylight, take a look, but Anya started to cry when I said that. She was very fearful of the leopard.”
“Not surprisingly.” Olivia squeezed his hand. “It’s a dangerous beast.”
“So we kept going. The place we got to was good, very good. They had a big place, high fences, and we parked the van in there.”
“Then what?” Mason asked. “Don’t tell me they left you to open the door?”
“No.” Raul pulled a face. “That would be too dangerous. They opened it with long metal stick, from other side of fence. Then I drove van out and they shut gate quick.”
“Jesus, man,” Harry said. “That was brave.”
“It had to be done, Captain.” Raul shrugged.
“I’m proud of you.” Olivia set a kiss on his cheek. “Really I am.”
He smiled. “You would be pleased with where the leopard is now. He can do no harm and will come to no harm. There is nice place for him sleep, to climb, and plenty of food. He will be admired by visitors.”
“Remind me,” Harry said, “when we’re back in civilization and I have ac
cess to a phone.” He glanced Paul’s way. “I’ll send a donation, enough to keep the thing for the rest of its life.”
“That’s kind, Harry.” Olivia smiled at him.
“I think so,” he said. “Considering the damn thing tried to eat my wife and one of my best buddies.”
Chapter Six
Raul showered and then disappeared into the bedroom compartment, yawning as he went. He hadn’t even bothered with cooking, just munched an oat biscuit as he’d wandered about bleary eyed for a minute or two.
Olivia stripped off her hoody. The sun was rising and with it the temperature. She made eggs, serving up plates to the twins, Evan and Harry, but not Paul.
He was sitting outside the hospital on one of the folding chairs from around the fire. The two new staff members sat on the step. They were talking animatedly, laughing on occasion. He appeared more relaxed than she’d seen him in days.
After she’d eaten breakfast and tidied things away with Lucas, she wandered over to the hospital.
“Hey,” she said, approaching Paul and his two companions.
Paul stood. “Ah, Olivia, meet Lisa and Neil Johnson, they’re both nurses working with Global Medics. We were posted together in Borneo for a while.”
“Hi, Olivia.” Neil held out his hand. “It’s great to be here.”
“It’s an incredible place.” Olivia took his hand and shook.
“Nice to meet you,” Lisa said, also reaching forward.
“You, too.”
Lisa was pale skinned with freckles on her nose and cheeks. She had curly red hair which she’d piled on top of her head. She wore pale cream trousers that hugged her skinny legs and a tight red t-shirt with the Global Medics logo over her right breast.
“Have you been working in the hospital, Olivia?” Lisa asked.
“Olivia isn’t a nurse,” Paul said quickly. “But she’s been helping me a lot, especially with vaccinations which has been great. Those things take hours.”
“Tell me about it.” Lisa rolled her eyes.
“I’m glad you think I’ve been helpful, Paul.” Olivia smiled at him then looked between Lisa and Neil. “Are you related? You have the same surname.”
“Yes, we’re married.” Neil took Lisa’s hand.
“Just celebrated five years of wedded bliss.” Lisa smiled up at her husband.
He gave her a kiss.
“Oh, congratulations,” Olivia said. She turned to Paul. He was fiddling with his loose necklace as though it itched his skin.
“Haven’t you found yourself a wife yet, mate,” Neil said, giving Paul a gentle shove. “You’ll be past it soon, you must be nudging thirty.”
“Cheeky sod, I’m not that old,” Paul said. “But when am I ever going to find myself a wife?” He glanced at Olivia, then looked at the floor. “I’m always working in weird and wonderful places like this. I haven’t got time for romance let alone marriage.”
A shard of hurt went through Olivia. Okay, so their situation was awkward, different, but he didn’t need to be quite so vehement about it. They were married. He was her husband and she his wife.
Her jaw tensed so much it ached, and she was unable to hold a smile on her face.
“Ah, some poor bugger will take you on one of these days,” Neil said with a laugh and nodded at Olivia. “I’d stay away if I was you, love, you’re much too nice for him.”
“Hey, I thought you were my friend.” Paul laughed, but it died away quickly. He glanced at Olivia and shifted from one foot to the other.
“I’ll leave you three to catch up.” Olivia tilted her chin. “I hope you settle quickly into Kaskum, Lisa and Neil, the villagers are very friendly.” She turned and walked away.
“Olivia.” Paul rushed up behind her.
“What?” She carried on walking.
“I’m sorry…if that was awkward,” he said in a hushed voice as he fell into step with her.
“Not awkward at all.” She sped up.
“What did you want me to say?” He lengthened his paces.
“That I was special to you, perhaps.”
“And later, when they meet the others and you’re special to all the guys…then what?”
She shrugged. “They’ll have to deal with it. Their problem not mine.”
“Hey, you know as well as I do this whole thing is whacko for most people.”
Whacko?
“The people of Kaskum cope just fine.” She huffed.
“Aye.” He caught her elbow and tugged her to a halt. “They do, because polygamy is part of their culture. No matter how much you wish it was part of Western culture, Olivia, it isn’t.”
The ache in her jaw cranked up a notch as she stared at him. His blue eyes flashed, and a muscle in his cheek flexed.
“You have to accept that,” he said. “Because you alone are not going to change the opinion of millions. Acceptance is the only thing you can do.”
“You should know me well enough by now, Paul, I’m not very good at being told what to do.”
He was silent for a moment then sighed. “Can we go tomorrow and administer that vaccination?”
“If you want to.”
“Yes, I want to.” He nodded at the hospital. “Today I need to bring these guys up to speed on what’s going on, then I can leave them to it while I go out for the day.”
“Where will they be sleeping tonight?”
“For now, on the ward. There’s no inpatients. And they are married…seems only fair they get their privacy.”
“Yes, that’s for the best, as they’re married.” She nodded at the tent. “I’ve got things to do.”
“You have?” He raised his eyebrows.
“Yes, someone needs to tidy that place, do the washing, sort out dinner for tonight, collect wood, sweep up and—”
“Okay, okay.” He held up his hands. “You’ve got things to do. I get it.”
She clenched her fists and willed the heat rising in her, the flare of temper he’d ignited, to dissipate. Paul was too adept at sending irritation swarming over her skin. When he was good, he was really good, but when he was bad she wanted to slap him…hard.
She walked away.
“Don’t do dinner for us,” Paul called. “Yamba has invited Lisa, Neil, and myself to eat with his family. He wants to host the new arrivals.”
She scowled at a flock of red bishop birds who were pecking on the ground, then stomped away.
It was always him. Always Paul who made her vision blur when he hit a nerve. And she never saw it coming. It was always out of the blue. Why the heck should it annoy her so much that he wasn’t eating with them tonight?
She didn’t know, but it did. He was hers, they should all be together. Lisa and Neil could go and eat with Yamba and his family, they were the new ones. It was just ridiculous.
“You okay?” Evan asked as she approached. He and Mason were sitting in the shade making decorative flies and attaching them to lines.
“Yes.”
“Sure?” Evan paused and studied her.
“Yes.”
“Paul done something, hen?” Mason squinted up at her.
“No.”
The two men shared a look.
“He hasn’t,” she snapped. “He’s just not eating with us tonight, that’s all, then he and I are going to visit a sick child in the Jeep tomorrow.”
“And…you don’t want to go tomorrow?” Evan asked hesitantly.
“Happy to go.” She sat and folded her arms.
“You don’t seem it.” Mason set down the fly he was working on.
She sighed and let her hands hang toward the ground, imagining the tension from her body was running out of the tips of her fingers and soaking into the dry earth. “I’m okay. It’s just odd to have new people here, don’t you think?”
“Aye.” Mason nodded. “They gonna come and say hi?”
“Neil and Lisa, yes, I’m sure they will eventually. At the moment they’re too busy catching up with Paul. They’ve w
orked together before.”
“Ah, Liv, you sound stressed.” Harry stepped up behind her and set his hands on her shoulders. His thumbs were right over the knots in her muscles, and he began to rub and knead them.
“That’s nice,” she said, closing her eyes.
“You just relax,” he said against her cheek. “We’re here for you.”
“I know.”
As he continued to ease out the aches, she reminded herself how lucky she was. Paul could be a dickhead at times, she knew that. He wasn’t like her other husbands. But it had been that way from day one, and still she’d married him. For better or for worse, she’d stand by his side even if he wouldn’t admit to his friends what she was to him.
The afternoon was spent pottering about. Olivia enjoyed the change from working on the Jeep and had a good clean through the tent. With Evan and Mason fishing at the lake, Lucas and Harry working on some plumbing problem at the hospital, and Raul still sleeping, she became lost in easy tasks.
England felt like so far away. As did her parents’ neat and comfortable home. There were few comforts in the tent; it was all about basic needs. But for now it was where she lived and she was happy with it.
Late afternoon, she paused and glanced over at the hospital. Lucas and Harry were chatting to Paul, Neil, and Lisa at the side of the building, where the setting sun had created shade.
She leaned on the broom handle.
Mason and Evan were walking back from the lake. They’d had a decent catch judging by the sparkle of silver scales hanging from a stick Evan carried over his shoulder.
Paul gestured to them.
They shifted direction and were introduced by Paul to his two new nurses.
“Hola.” Raul suddenly slipped his hands around her waist. “You have been busy while I sleep.”
“You’re awake.”
“Si.”
“Looks better, huh?” She nodded at the neatly swept ground.
“Very better.” He kissed her cheek. “And look, Evan has fish for me to cook.”
“I’ll do it, you must be tired.”
“No. I have slept all day, too long. I fear I will not sleep tonight.” He released her. “I will get the fire burning bright. We’ll have delicious fish with special spices.”
“Mmm, I’m getting hungry.”
