Author's Note: While I know that this storyline is a little different, I'm glad to hear that you guys are interested.
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Chapter 2
He had been having trouble sleeping. Lying in his designated cot, he tried to relax his mind and slow his breathing. In the far off distance, he caught the sounds of shooting. He shuddered and tried to block the images of his overly active imagination. Sometimes, he was truly his own worst enemy. He coughed once and turned to find that Deb had reached over to clasp her hands over his. "I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" he asked.
"You worry me," she answered his earlier question.
"I love you, Deb."
"That I'm not worried about."
They both managed to smile at that and John Carter managed to find some sleep. Still, he had yet to learn to sleep through the incessant gun shots.
-o-o-
By morning, the landscape changed again. Hastily but securely erected camps dotted the outskirts of Ramalah. Camps may be a misleading term, as many of these were simply sticks stuck into the sand, suspending strategically thrown blankets. For now, these makeshift structures would make do, because for these people, the uncertainty was always there hanging like a cloud. Who knew when they would be forced to emigrate to another area for safety?
This was what Neela saw, when she looked up briefly after lifting the stethoscope from the little boy for whom she was caring for. There were always children running around, chasing each other. At times, the sounds of laughter would bring some semblance of normalcy, but she knew that the scene was anything but the ordinary. The children who should have cherubic faces and rounded bellies, were so thin that each bone on their tiny rib cage was visible. Some stared with listless eyes, from the embrace of their mothers. They should be daydreaming, innocent to the horrors of this world. Yet, they were thrust into famine and conflict.
Even though, she was under the shaded cover of the medical barrack, Neela could feel the sweat evaporating from her bare arms. The heat has returned with a vengeance and her spaghetti strap tank top clung to her back. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she caught her husband's gaze a few beds over. Silently with his soulful brown eyes, he asked her, 'Do you need a break?'
'No, I'm good.'
'I know that, but do you need a break?'
She smiled at that, when she felt a tug on her arm. The little boy's brother seeing that she was finished, stood by her side. She redirected her smile at him encouragingly. Noting her expression, he held out a picture that he had been working on, while she was checking over her young patient. Taking the drawing from him, the two boys went off together. When Neela stared down at the picture, she realized that it showed the two brothers and their father fighting the Jingaweed.
-o-o-
The four American doctors quickly realized that for all the hassles with administrative costs and financial budgets, they had been infinitely spoiled. Here in Ramalah, resources were scarce, even with the basic essentials. Gloves - one of the most common necessity and standard protective equipment was in a limited supply.
Carter could not help but ask Dakarai, "How do you do it for over a year?"
"It's not easy, but we managed. We have to by any means." He emphasized meaningfully. That meant bribes.
Their conversation was interrupted by the sounds of rapid speech coming from the far side of the medical barrack. It was a woman with her sun beaten face, drawn and taunt. She was cradling her daughter. The child had all the signs of liver damage - jaundice, peripheral edema, ascites, skin lesions on the nose, cheeks, upper trunk, neck and shoulders. The woman was surrounded by three other children - from their petite stature, none of them look older than five. Both Carter and Dakarai went over to see what the commotion was about.
Jing-Mei did not understand that language itself, but she caught the gist of what the woman was asking. Dakarai's interpretation confirmed it, "She wants to know if her daughter will die today or tomorrow."
-o-o-
Despite everything that she had been taught from medical school, none of it prepared for all of this. How could you deal with the many that had been beset by the current state of things, without food, peace and good health? There was the inevitability in reality, which went against her code as a doctor to be do good and to do no harm.
"We are only human, Deb. We too, have our limitations."
Jing-Mei turned to her husband. Even all this time, he still managed the voice the one thing which plagued her conscience.
"I know, but -."
"It's never enough. We can only do what we can with our two hands and if we save one life, then it's worth it."
-o-o-
That night, she dreamt of phantom hands and heart-wrenching screams. Faceless shadows slipped in and out of the mist of gray. She jolted from her sleep, covered in sweat but she could distinctly remember being marked by a pair of obsidian eyes.
End of Chapter 2