A/N:I don't own Twilight. Stephanie Meyers does, I am just obsessed with them.

This is the first thing I've ever written.

If you feel so inclined, please leave a review. I would appreciate any words of encouragement or ideas that would make me a better writer.

Sincere thank you to my Beta Yeah Her.

Chapter 6: BPOV

The agent from the FBI was Jacob Black. He was a tall African American male, almost as big as Emmett. Jacob was an imposing figure but he had a gentle voice accompanied by a warm smile and kind eyes that encompassed warmth and tranquility. You could tell right away that he was a protector. He was quietly forceful yet concerned for people and their feelings. After introducing himself, he introduced us to Ben Cheney, the representative from Humanitarian Doctors Abroad. Ben was tall and lanky and came across as a very kind and caring person who had strong values and believed in the organization for which he worked. Ben sheepishly told us that he was the speaker at the hospital in-service which Edward attended and made his decision to join the group. Jacob explained that they were here to give us information and to answer any questions that they could. They would also act as facilitators between us and the Ethiopian government.

Jacob began to explain that hostages were taken for various reasons in foreign countries. Some hostages were taken as a political commodity; a doctor working for a humanitarian organization attracts widespread publicity. Kidnappers can use the doctor to make demands for their cause. Some are kidnapped as an economic commodity; the abductors believe that large sums of money will be paid to secure the safe release of their loved ones. Some are kidnapped for revenge. These kidnappers see the person they take as a threat and they simply want to hurt the organization they were taken from and will not negotiate. Edward was taken for none of these reasons. Edward was taken for his skills as a doctor. Many tribesmen do not believe in Western Medicine. The tribal chief who was responsible for Edward's capture could not take his son into a clinic. That would be admitting that he believed the elders were unable to help his son. The chief, Chief Ojore, wants Edward to stay and be private physician to his family, particularly his son, Chiemeka. The chief does not want money or access to healthcare; he demands that Edward stay as a new member of his tribe and warns that anyone who tries to arrange his release will be dealt with swiftly and severely. Edward was taken when he was driving the supply truck back to the base so he did have medical supplies. Edward often drove the truck; he liked to get away from the base alone once and a while.

Everyone was stunned by this news. We were obviously dealing with someone who was unreasonable and didn't seem to have a bargaining chip. As a nurse who dealt with patients with mental issues every day, I did not like what I was hearing. If there was nothing he wanted but Edward how could we negotiate?

Next it was Ben's turn to fill us in on some facts about Ethiopia; the people, the program that Edward was working on, some tribal history and what steps were needed to be taken to assure Edward's safe return. The good news was that Edward was useful to them alive and well.

Ethiopia is a country located in the Horn of Africa and it is the most populous landlocked country in the world with approximately 80,000,000 people. Some of the main human rights issues in Ethiopia are sexual violence and female genital mutilation: According to surveys in 2003 marriage by abduction accounts for 69% of the nation's marriages, and more than 74% of women between the ages of 15-49 have undergone some form of genital mutilation. Another human rights issue is forced relocation; the Ethiopian government forcibly relocated about 70,000 indigenous people from the Gambela Region to new villages that lack adequate food, farmland, healthcare, and educational facilities. State security forces threatened, assaulted, and arbitrarily arrested villagers who resisted the transfers. Ethiopia experiences a heavy burden of disease mainly attributed to communicable infectious diseases and nutritional deficiencies. Poverty, lack of access to healthcare, inadequacy of essential drugs and supplies also add to the burden. Life expectancy in Ethiopia is about 54 years old. More than 90% of child deaths (under the age of 5) are to pneumonia, measles, diarrhea, malnutrition and HIV/AIDS. Major cause of maternal death is complications of labor.

Ben said that the name of the Tribe that is responsible for Edwards's abduction is the Hamar tribe. It is a small tribe with an estimated population between 1,000 and 3,000. They are closely related to the Kwegu tribe. They live along the east banks of the Omo River in southern Ethiopia. The crops that are grown by them are sorghum, maize and beans.

Like many of the tribes in the Omo, they paint their bodies and faces with white chalk to prepare for a ceremony. The chalk is mixed with yellow rock, red iron ore and charcoal to make its color. Face masks are worn at times and they have clay hair buns with feathers in them. Red clay mixed with butter is put into their hair and clothing is made from animal skin. The women scar their chest believing it makes them beautiful.

The men's scars represent an enemy or dangerous animal killed. They also wear clay hair buns which symbolize a kill. A man in the tribe can have as many wives as he wants, but must be able to afford them. Most men will only marry two or three.

Chief Ojore is a very complicated man caught between two worlds; the old world full of tradition and ritual and the new world with the introduction of western medications and customs. He did send word that he had the doctor and the doctor was staying with him to care for his family. Ben said we had to be careful how we approached the village and secured Edward's release.

My head was spinning with all of this information. The only thing I was sure of was that I wanted to go to Ethiopia to be part of the rescue mission.