He squinted in the harsh light and ran his already soaked handkerchief over his neck. The buzzing of the jungle could be heard even over the boat's engines and he wished it would settle. The sounds kept him up at night and if they did not then his dreams did. Occasionally his eyes darted longingly over toward the table where a bottle of half-drunk spirits rested near the cards.

Shaking himself he focused on dock coming into view. He bent and collected his bag, walking to the side where the blacks arranging the gangplank chattered in their broken French. The whole mechanism settled with a bang and he bit down on his jaw, trying to suppress the shudder that came with the memory.

"Thank you." He managed, with the little French he had, and walked down the semi-steady wood to reach the dock. The whole thing swayed and he flung out an arm caught quickly by a gentleman roughly his age but with grayer hair.

"Steady on old boy. I might think you've already hit the drink before I've even had time to send you packing."

"No chance of that. Cleaner than a nun's knicker drawer."

"Not sure what nun's knicker drawers you've seen but I won't press." They laughed and hugged one another, slapping strongly at their backs before the grayer man pulled away. "It's good to see you in one piece John. For a moment there I did worry about what British Petroleum had you up to down in Australia but I guess I worried for nothing."

"Not nothing." John resettled his bag on his back. "All your worries were legitimate Robert, that I promise you."

"Well, you're here now and we've got new worries to manage." Robert weaved them between all the offloaded supplies and people to a car. He climbed into the front seat and John deposited his bag in the back before taking the passenger side. They peeled away from the dock and immediately rocked onto a forested path rutted with rocks and divots.

After the fifth jarring bump John grabbed the side, shouting over the noise of the engine. "Was this the best your money could buy?"

"The best for these roads." Robert took a bend on what felt like two wheels before changing gears. "We've got to make things last here. It's the only way to make the investment worth the time."

"And does your wife think it's worth the time?"

"She happens to enjoy the life in town. The girls are the ones who only get placated with the money from it."

"Really?"

"Well, no. Edith left for England last year and married some lord or something. Sybil never liked money and happens to work as a nurse in our local hospital under our doctor. Mary wants to kick me out of the business to run it. Honestly," Robert took another speeding turn that had them spitting mud a moment before the wheel caught. "Cora said, 'we need to raise capable daughters' but conveniently forgot the part where we're also supposed to keep them under our control."

"Control's an illusion Robert."

"Too true."

They traveled for a half an hour at most before the fenced edges of an enclosure came into sight. Two men at the gates hopped to and opened the doors for them to enter. Robert slowed the car, waving to the men, and John pointed to the fencing.

"Animals?"

"And rival companies. When we first set up here they tried to burn our rubber plants."

"What else o you do here?" John craned his neck to see, "Ivory processing?"

"No," Robert shook his head, "Cora opposed an animal endangerment. All her humanitarian causes linked her with a humane society in America and she doesn't want anything ruining that. No it's all rubber and mining here."

"All blacks?"

"Most of it. They're the best workers and we've developed quite a relationship with some of the surrounding villages. Hard workers for lower pay than to ship questionable men from England or Belgium." Robert pulled the car to a stop and pointed up to the building standing up on stilts. "That'll be your office and bunk house. You share it with our foreman, Mr. Carson. At least when he's not in town with his wife."

"He go there often?"

"As often as he can." Robert got out of the car and exchanged a quick word with the black man who ran up to him. The man dashed away as Robert turned back to John, "To be honest we've got a lot here that needs a steady hand and a keen eye."

"My hand's not as steady as it was and my eye's not nearly as keen."

"But your mind's as sharp as ever and I need that." Robert pointed around him, "This is the future of the Empire in the Congo and we might lose it."

"Have you thought that maybe we should?"

Robert huffed, "That's not very patriotic."

"Not something I've ever been accused of seeing as I'm Irish."

"You're only Irish when you drink and celebrate St. Patrick's Day." Robert scoffed, coming around the car to steer John toward another building in the compound shaped around the bend in the river with a dock sending smaller boats up and down stream. "For now you're British and, as long as you're here, under my employ."

"Then rule Britannia." John chuckled, "What's this place?"

"Our field hospital." It sat right next to the water and Robert led John up the steps. "All our imports have to be medically cleared before we risk you to a jungle waiting for the slightest reason to kill you."

"That worried about my safety?" John tapped his chest, "I survived the Outback and it's inhabited with the progeny of killers and rapists."

"Here everything's a killer." Robert tapped on the door and opened it. "Doctor's out but I sent a man so just wait and you'll be seen to."

"What if I don't pass muster?" John dropped his bag on a cot and took a seat. "Do I just take the long road back to that boat and sail back out of Boma?"

"We're not giving up on you yet." Robert winked, "See you at dinner. It'll be at the house in the center of the compound."

"Wouldn't miss it." John waited for Robert to leave and rested back on the cot a moment before standing up to survey the room. A small balcony gave him a view of the river passing below and he sighed to himself. "What've you got yourself into now Bates?"

The steady chatter of voices in the distance barely bothered her as she threaded the needle. With her hands delicately holding the wound closed she poked a moment at the skin. The woman did not flinch so the needle went through the skin and sowed the incision closed.

Shouts filled her ears and she narrowed her eyes, scrunching her nose to focus carefully on the task at hand. Thumping feet outside the hut tried to distract her as a voice, tinged with the rush of arrival and panting, tried to speak. Her focus never wavered and she adjusted the needle to manage a turn in the cut.

"Ma'am!"

"I'm busy."

"Ma'am they need you at the compound."

"If it's not a princess or a proposal then it's not more important than what I'm doing now." She pulled the thread tight and tied off the end before cutting the thread close. Turning to the woman holding the newborn suckling at her chest the first woman smiled, "No hard work for at least a day for that to heal. I mean it."

"Yes Missus Anna." The woman pushed black, fuzzy hair from the head of her baby. "I listen."

"Good." Anna removed the gloves before running a finger over the small hands of the baby. "He's beautiful."

"He looks like his father." The woman giggled, "Big nose and eyes too close together. He will be an ugly baby like his father."

"If he weren't ugly then how would you keep him?" Anna teased, gathering her things. "And I mean it. At least a day."

"I hear you."

"I'll be back tomorrow to check on you." Anna ducked out of the hut and handed her bag to the Indian man waiting there. "Anyone else?"

"All done." He nodded around the village, pointing to the anxious man hopping in front of them. "He's still insistent."

"I see." Anna turned to the man, "What do they need at the compound that's so urgent?"

"Immediate exam."

"Someone else get typhus?" The man shook his head and Anna groaned, "If I'm being called away from necessary house calls because some wanker got himself a bad case of syphilis again I swear-"

"The new manager came today ma'am and they need him to start."

"I hate those." Anna turned to the Indian man, "Could we have him believe you're the doctor?"

"I think Mr. Crawley wouldn't take too kindly to that deception."

"As always, Anu, you're right." Anna gestured toward her car, "I guess we better get going then."

She climbed into the driver's seat, Anu taking the passenger seat, and they both waited for the messenger to climb into the rear. They reached the north end of the compound and entered without incident. The men waved at them as Anna had Anu precede her up to the field hospital and she checked her car before following him up the stairs.

When she entered she saw the man looking out over the river and her breath caught a moment at the sight of his broad shoulders and back. The sweat from the humidity soaked his shirt and Anna had to busy her hands in pulling loose strands of her hair out of the way while Anu crossed the room to tap the man on the shoulder. He turned and Anu bowed to him.

"Pleasure to have you sir. We're ready for you examination."

"I didn't know Robert hired a Sikh doctor."

"Oh no sir," Anu laughed, "I'm not the doctor."

"Then I'd prefer to wait for when he arrives."

"He got dysentery three years ago and retired to Auckland," Anna dug in her desk for a pair of gloves as the man turned to her. "I'm the doctor here."

"You?"

"Surprised?"

The man snorted, "That's one word for it."

"I hope not the nicest one you have." Anna tapped the side of an examination table, "Drop trou and up here please."

"I'd rather have your Sikh do it."

"He's not qualified yet." Anna shrugged at Anu, "Sorry."

"It's fine."

"It's not for me." The man shuffled, "I'm not comfortable having a woman-"

"See you naked?" Anna scoffed, "Excuse the impertinence but I'm sure this isn't the first time a lady's seen you naked."

"Not medically."

"Can't handle the sterility or are you afraid of the reaction?" The man stared at the floor. "Ah… I see."

"It's nothing personal."

"I should hope not since I barely know you Mr.?"

"Bates. John Bates."

"Mr. Bates." Anna extended a hand, "I'm Anna Smith, resident doctor here, and I promise that this investigation is required by the company for insurance purposes."

"Insurance?" Mr. Bates narrowed his eyes. "What kind of insurance?"

"The monetary, at the moment." Anna stepped forward and pulled one of his arms out from his body, feeling the muscles. "But if you want we can get you other kinds of insurance."

"What kinds?"

"Prayers, blessings, smoke signals." Anna dropped to her knees, unbuckling his belt and pulling it back to check his legs. "Everything here is held together with spit and prayers, to as many gods as we can manage. I'm sure they'd be willing to spare a few in your direction. Wouldn't you Anu?"

"I can fit him in."

"See?" Anna distracted Mr. Bates long enough to strip his underwear down and feel around him with her gloves. "We're got enough prayers for you."

Mr. Bates barely responded. Anna risked a look up and held back her laugh at the sight of his gritted teeth. She finished her investigation and stepped back. Pulling off her gloves she smiled, "See, all done."

"That was it?" Mr. Bates froze a moment then hurried to pull his underwear up. "That was short."

"It's mostly a test to see if you brought any VDs with you." Anna dropped the used gloves on her desk before leaning against it and folding her arms. "Given that ninety percent of our imports are home within three months howling about burning sensations or signing up for arsenic treatments we need to know if they brought it with them and then tried to scam the company."

"The insurance?"

"The insurance." Anna waited for Mr. Bates to finish arranging his clothes. "You're surprisingly healthy ad clean."

"I haven't found a reason to be less so." He winked at her, "Unless you're making a less professional observation."

"Not yet."

"Yet?"

"I've only just met you and I don't know if I want to buy tickets to your crazy train." Anna pointed to the door. "We're done. I'll have Anu run a copy of the finished report to you before dinner."

"Not before?"

"I've got other things to do." Anna repacked her bag. "This little investigation took time out of my home visits to one of our villages."

"You go out there alone?"

Anna looked up, giving Mr. Bates a tight smile. "I'm sure you think very highly of yourself, Mr. Bates, and I'm glad I've finally felt full of confidence by the bill of health I'll have Anu write up for you, but know this. You've no idea what's waiting for you out there and I do."

"Do you?"

"I've lived in Africa my entire life Mr. Bates. It's more dangerous than you can imagine but I've managed."

"You've practiced medicine here this whole time too?"

Anna paused, flicking the latch on her bag. "Among other things."

"Other things?" Mr. Bates scrunched up his face, "What other things?"

"For me to know, Mr. Bates." Anna grabbed her bag and shook his hand quickly. "It was lovely meeting you and I hope you don't die before I see you again."

Anna took the stairs down to her car and put her bag in the side seat, backing up. She risked a look up and noted how Mr. Bates leaned over the railing to stare at her. Smiling to herself Anna peeled out of the compound and drove away.