Hi everyone, me again... So my intention was to leave writing for a while and concentrate on feeling like a human again, but I seem to have some kind of addiction to writing because I found myself starting yet another story while I was supposed to be resting. As I've started it I thought I'd put it on here for you to read and hopefully enjoy! I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this yet, you might have to patient with me since I'm now trying to write three things at once (oops!) but enjoy and let me know what you think!
"Well, ain't that just bleedin' marvellous." She groaned, looking out of the window of the small medical centre that had been her life now for three years. She chucked her pen down on the desk and stood up, walking to the door to get a better look.
"Molly? What's wrong?" Nafula called, turning to look at her over her shoulder as she carried on treating the small child in front of her.
"It's fine." She called back over her shoulder. "It's just the bleedin' British Army have turned up, thinking they're here to save the day." She rolled her eyes.
"The Army?" Nafula frowned. "I wonder what they want."
"I think we're about to find out." Molly grimaced, stepping out in to the blistering Kenyan sun. She stood just outside the doorway of the clinic, arms folded as the soldiers climbed out of the truck they'd parked just outside the front of the clinic.
"Can I help you?" She asked, forcing herself to remain polite as she walked towards them.
"And you are?" He asked, looking her up and down questioningly. She was tiny, that was his first thought as she stood in front of him. Her hair was scraped back off her face and the blue shirt she wore seemed to drown her.
"I think you'll find I asked you first." She retorted. She'd already decided she didn't like him, the last thing this place needed was some Rupert thinking he was doing them all a favour by gracing them with his presence.
"Captain James." He didn't offer to shake her hand; she was rude and quite frankly annoying. "And you?"
"Molly Dawes." She replied curtly. "And what are you doing here?"
"I don't really see how that's anything to do with you." He shot back.
The woman to his right stepped forward so she was standing next to him, glancing back and forth between the two of them. "I'm Lance Coporal Georgie Lane." She smiled, holding her hand out. "Is this your clinic?"
She reached out and shook the woman's hand, still watching the Captain out of the corner of her eye. "Wouldn't quite say it's my clinic, I've been working with Kenyan Crisis Care out here for a few years now."
"That's incredible." Georgie smiled warmly.
"Not being funny or anything, but what exactly are you lot doing here? This a refugee camp not a bleedin' war zone."
"Again, that's not really any of your business." Captain James interjected.
Georgie shot him a look which even Molly could tell meant stop being such an arsehole. "It's a humanitarian mission." She smiled apologetically at Molly. She wasn't sure what had come over Charles but he'd clearly decided he didn't like this woman for some unknown reason. "We're just here to help, that's all."
"Well, I ain't being rude of nothing but I'm not sure that you lot being here is going to be all that helpful. I've been here three years now, and every time some army or another has turned up they've done more harm than good by trying to help." She looked behind Georgie and her Captain at the group of young lads standing behind them. "What we need are supplies and places for these people to live, not more soldiers."
"Well, luckily for us this isn't a decision you get to make." Captain James replied. "The Kenyan Government have asked us to assist, so we will carry out the job we've been given."
"Apparently there's been problems with Al Shaabab in the area?" Georgie asked, quickly changing the subject.
Molly nodded, glaring at Captain James before turning her attention back to Georgie. "We've had a few problem's recently." She gestured to the clinic behind her. "They smashed all the windows, stole most of our supplies. We don't have enough left to even begin to treat all the people who need our help." She stopped, lost in her own thoughts for a moment.
"Well, that's why we're here." Georgie smiled.
"I don't see how you being here is going to do anything other than piss them off." She argued back. "It's difficult enough as it is without you causing any more problems. So thanks and all that, but we're fine."
"We've got a job to do Molly, the same as you have." Georgie smiled. Thankfully Charles had decided to keep his mouth shut this time. It was going to be a long three months if they managed to fall out with the aid workers all ready. "What kind of supplies do you need?" She asked, changing the subject.
"Literally everything." Molly told her, half smiling at some kind of private joke."I thought the NHS were short staffed and in trouble but at least they've actually got bandages and supplies."
"Bit of a change of scene from the NHS to a Kenyan refugee camp?" Georgie raised an eyebrow.
Molly laughed quietly. "That's what everyone says. There's not that much difference between working in a hospital and being out here, except that here I'm all there is. I've learned a lot more in the three years I've been out here than the whole time I was at medical school!"
"You're a doctor?" Captain James seemed to have suddenly found the power of speech again. Georgie said a silent prayer that he wasn't about to put his foot in it again.
"You could at least try to hide that look of horror on your face." She smirked at Captain James and Georgie couldn't help but laugh. "I know what you're thinking, but it turns out they do actually let gobby cockneys in to university too. They let me have a medical degree and everything."
Charles flushed red. "I didn't say that." He said defensively.
"No, you didn't." Molly answered, raising an eyebrow at him. "But I can see you thinking it. And no, I didn't get fired either, I just thought I could do more good out here."
She could hear two section coughing to try and muffle their laugher, they weren't used to seeing their Captain so flustered. "Can I have a look inside the clinic?" Georgie asked. "I'd love to see how you operate."
"Sure." Molly shrugged. "But like I said there's been some trouble recently, things are a bit of a mess."
"Can I just have a couple of minutes Boss?" Georgie asked, looking at Charles. "It'd be good to see how things work out here, might be useful for us."
He nodded. "Five minutes Lane."
"Lead the way then." She smiled at Molly.
"So, you're a medic?" Molly asked as she walked back through the door to the clinic with Georgie close behind.
"Yeah, I'm the Muppet responsible for making sure that lot get back home in one piece." She joked.
Molly laughed. "Think your job might be harder than mine."
Georgie laughed, looking around inside the clinic. It was small, there were a few beds pushed up against each wall, and sheets hanging over the remainders of the smashed windows. As her eye wandered she realised there were a few stray bullet holes in the walls.
"They ransacked it one night, Nafula and I had gone back to the town where we're staying. We came back the next morning and they'd smashed all the windows, stolen all the medicines and everything they decided wasn't worth stealing they burned. It's taken us months to get even the most basic supplies back, but we do what we can with what we've got."
"I thought the supplies we're limited when I was in Afghanistan, but it's well equipped out there compared to this." The truth was she'd probably got more supplies in her Bergen just to take care of two section than the clinic had to care for thousands of refugees.
"I've been sleeping her to make sure they don't come back for the things that we have still got." Molly admitted.
"Surely that's not safe?" Georgie asked. "What are you going to do if they do come back?"
"I dunno, I'm hoping the fact I'm here will be enough to put them off. Besides, there's always someone needing looking after at all times of day and night around here. At least I'm here if they need me." Molly shrugged. "If they come back then I'll think of something, improvise. So how long do you think you guys will be out here?" She asked, changing the subject.
"Three months apparently, and it had better be just that or I won't make it back in time for my own wedding." Georgie joked. "Boss promised me I'd be back in time and he's usually pretty good."
Molly raised an eyebrow. "I don't really know him, but-"
"He seems like a bit of an ass?" Georgie finished the sentence for her.
"Well… Yeah." Molly laughed.
"Don't let him put you off, he's one of the good guys. There isn't anyone else I'd rather had by back than him." Georgie smiled. "I don't really know what his issue is at the moment, between you and me I think he's had a bit of a row with Mrs James about coming back out here, so I wouldn't take it personally."
"I don't really care what he thinks of me." Molly shrugged. "In three months time you lot will have all pissed off back home and I'll be left in peace to do my job."
"Do you miss home much?" Georgie asked.
"This is my home." She smiled. "I left London and everything there behind a long time ago."
"Come on Lane, we've not got all day!" Captain James shouted from the doorway.
She hesitated for a moment, wondering if there was some kind of hidden meaning behind what Molly had just said, but she didn't have time to dwell on it. "I'd better get going before he decides to take his terrible mood out on me." Georgie joked. "See you later."
"See you around." Molly called as the medic disappeared out of the door to join the rest of her section. She watched out of the window as they all regrouped by the truck for a moment, putting on helmets and body armour before walking off further in to the camp. She felt a little uneasy as she watched them all making their way in to the camp, this was going to cause trouble, that was for sure.