Chapter 19: A Promise Vowed

John was staring worriedly at Kem as he sat across from her at the table. Even though he had wanted to take her home as soon as they had arrived at Karibu, she had insisted on staying. It seemed to him that her psyche needed her to explain how she had known that he and Abe had been in danger. However as she related her story about what had happened after John left the apartment that morning, her voice sounded to him as if she were still in a daze.

James was also sitting with them at the table, and he shook his head disbelievingly as Kem spoke. Her story was making him feel terribly guilty about what could have happened to John and Abe, and he didn't know how yet, but he made a silent vow to make this up to them.

Once she finished her story there was a brief period of silence, before John asked anxiously, "Do you think that they'll come here to arrest us?" He fully understood that they had had a narrow escape earlier, and he was desperate to know if their luck was going to be tested again and soon.

Abe and James exchanged a brief nervous glance, before James responded. "No, I don't think so," he said slowly in his African accent. "If they had been that determined to arrest you, they probably would have closed off the city center and searched the vehicles in the area." He paused for a second as he shook his head contemplatively. "They probably wanted to catch you in the act of actually paying for the trucks via the black market," he concluded.

John nodded slowly and let out a shaky sigh of relief. After a few seconds, he looked at Kem and gave her one of his trademark boyish grins in an effort to comfort and reassure her. She looked at him, but didn't return the smile. There was another period of uncomfortable silence, then Abe decided to speak.

"What are we going to do about tomorrow's plans to move the camp?" he asked awkwardly. He wasn't certain if anything more should be attempted, but he thought that the subject needed to be mentioned.

"I guess we go to Kem's Plan C and move the camp by foot," John proposed unexpectedly and defiantly as he raked his fingers quickly through his hair. "After all of this effort, I don't see why we should quit now."

"I agree," Kem said softly. "We promised the camp that we would help and I think that we should try to keep that promise," and she even managed a small smile when she saw John's pleased reaction to her statement. She also seemed to draw strength from his resilience and her voice started to regain its confidence.

"However," she said, "we'll need to alter the triage plan. Of the eight hundred plus people that we were going to evacuate by truck only a small subset of those can actually be expected to make the journey on foot. The journey will simply be too strenuous on their health, and it could likely make them sicker if not kill them."

"So what is the alternative?" James asked.

"We could move them – the high risk refugees – to the clinic," John offered. He was certain that Angelique would object strenuously, however he was equally certain that she wasn't as hardhearted she sometimes pretended to be and that she would relent and permit the evacuees to stay there.

However, even Abe had his doubts about John's proposal. "Yes, we could do that, but where will we put them when they get there?" Abe objected gently. "There are no empty beds, and we already have patients sleeping on the floor and in the halls."

"Well, John said with a contemplative sigh, "these are people who are already living in tents. Maybe they can bring the tents that they're currently using and set them up outside the clinic?"

Abe still disagreed. "No, I don't think that will be possible. Many of these people are living with relatives who are healthy. Those people will need to take the tents with them when we begin the relocation process," and Abe furrowed his brow as he tried to think of other possibilities.

"Don't worry about the tents," James said suddenly and confidently. "I can find a way to get some."

Everyone sat forward in their seats and stared at him with alarm, but their reactions only caused him to chuckle lightly. "Don't worry, I'm not talking about smugglers this time," he replied to their unspoken concern. "I know some honest people who might be able to give something to help."

Abe, John, and Kem breathed a collective sigh of relief and relaxed back into their chairs. Kem didn't know whom James had in mind, and she wasn't quite certain if she really wanted to know; besides there was another urgent issue for them to consider.

"We have to determine," she began, "who stays at the clinic and how we'll get them there."

The men nodded their heads in agreement, and the four friends discussed inclusion criteria and numbers until a definitive plan had been reached. People too ill to walk, pregnant women in their third trimester, leg amputees, and orphans aged five and under would be evacuated to the clinic.

Now the only remaining task was to determine how to transport the bedridden individuals and the amputees. As of three days ago, that group numbered one hundred and five, and since the clinic had only one working jeep at the moment, John estimated that transporting that group would end up delaying their schedule by as much as two days.

Once again, however, James came through by promising that in addition to the tents, he would also find extra vehicles. The others were a bit skeptical of James's optimism, however there weren't really any other options available to them.

"So how many people do we have now who might have difficult time keeping up with the pace of the majority of evacuees?" John asked.

"Umm," Kem replied, "If I remembered the numbers correctly then we should have approximately seventy people who could make the journey on foot, but who will have to travel at a much slower pace."

"And why is that?" John asked.

"Well," she started and her voice sounded a little sad, "these are orphaned children between the ages of six and twelve. Since they don't have any parents and relatives to look out for them or carry them if they get tired, then they may fall behind and could end up abandoned on the journey."

"Can we take them in the trucks to the new encampment?" John asked as he turned to look at James for his opinion.

James inhaled sharply and shook his head unhappily. "The ten miles between the camp and the clinic is possible. However, sixty miles in both directions to the new camp and back is a lot to ask," he said honestly. "Plus we would probably have to make several trips for a group that size. Even if the people I have in mind wanted to do it, their vehicles may not be able to withstand the stress of that type of trip."

"You know," Kem said hopefully, "these children can still make it on foot. They just need a group of adults who can escort them. And since most of the camp's adults will be preoccupied with their own families and belongings, maybe we could…"

"split up," John said tersely as he finished her sentence. "Won't a slow moving group have a greater chance of having the army or the rebels catching up to them?"

"Yes," she admitted reluctantly, "the idea has its drawbacks. However, the road East forks off from the road North about seven miles outside of the city. So if we keep a decent pace, then we should be off of the road where the fighting is and out of danger within a day," she concluded.

"And exactly who will escort the children?" Abe asked. Kem opened her mouth to answer him, but John cut her off.

"No," he said sharply because he knew that Kem was going to volunteer herself. Although her reasoning about the fighting and the safety of the group made sense, he was still worried that something might go wrong. "I don't want to discuss this now. Let's wait until we get back to the clinic and then we can discuss it with the rest of the team."

"I agree," said Abe. "In fact, maybe now would be a good time to go there and share the changes with them."

"Then we're agreed," said John. "But, I want to go home first and get refreshed and I want Kem…"

"No!" James said a bit more loudly than he had intended and everyone turned their heads to look at him. He calmed his voice and continued to speak, "I don't think that either of you should go back to your apartment."

"Why not?" John asked confused.

"There's no guarantee that the police have not changed their minds," James explained. "If they have decided that they now want to arrest you, it will be very easy for them to do if you are at home where there aren't many witnesses around."

John closed his eyes in pain and annoyance, but before he could speak, he heard Kem's voice.

"I need to go home," Kem objected softly. "My identification…my passport, everything is in my bag. I would have taken it this morning, but it was the furthest thing from my mind at the time." She was silent for a second and then she remembered, "Oh God, plus our cell phones are there…everything."

"You can't go back," James insisted sternly. "In a few days it may be safer," James admitted. "Maybe you can return after the camp is moved and things have quieted down, but for now you need to stay someplace safe; someplace that is crowded."

"The clinic," Abe offered.

John looked at him for a long second, but then he nodded in agreement reluctantly because he knew that it meant that he and Kem would have to spend an uncomfortable night on the clinic's hard floor. John inhaled deeply as he tried to deal with the stressful situation. A part of him still couldn't believe everything that had happened, however he knew that he had to accept it if he and Kem were going to get of this alive.

Abe looked sympathetically at John. He wished that he could do more to help him, but he knew that there really wasn't much that one could say in a situation like this. He gave John a few seconds, then he pushed his chair back from the table, stood up, and said, "I think that it's time to go." He looked at James. "If you need any help," he said, "let me know." The he shook James's hand, left the club, and headed in the direction of the clinic.

Kem stood up and joined John. "We'll see you tomorrow James," she said softly, then she and John followed Abe.

It was early afternoon, and heat of the day had grown almost unbearable. However, the bright, hot, piercing sunshine from the morning had given way to clouds that seemed to herald a downpour sometime in the near future.

As they reached the clinic, Abe leapt up the stairs and bounded through its entrance on his way to tell Angelique, Charles, and Uwe about what had transpired. However before John could follow him, Kem tugged urgently on John's wrist and led him down a footpath near the clinic to a large, ancient Moabi tree with plenty of shade.

She knelt down on the soft brown earth beneath the tree's wide canopy and John followed suit. He wasn't quite sure why she had brought them there, but he thought that entering the crowded clinic might be a bit much for her right now. Besides, he certainly didn't mind sitting next to her and enjoying the peace and quiet of the remainder of the day.

"I want you to leave," she said without warning.

"Ah…what?" he asked with genuine confusion. He thought that she had wanted him to come with her, but maybe he had misinterpreted her gesture.

"I…want…you…to…leave," she repeated slowly but more forcefully.

"Wh…?"

"I want you to go back to Chicago," she demanded somberly. "I want you to go home to your father. Or you can open up our house and you can go to your grandmother's estate and retrieve the boxes that I sent there last week. Do anything, but you need to…"

"No," he said sternly and a scowl of disbelief appeared on his face.

"Please," she begged.

"No!" he said forcefully and his eyes and voice had taken on a cold, steely determination to disregard her request.

"You once told me that you would do anything for me," she said as her eyes began to fill with tears. "Were you lying?"

"What?" he asked with barely controlled anger. Then he squeezed his eyes shut in pain because he was hurt by both her accusation and the fact that she was clearly pushing him away…again.

"I'm sure that you can borrow a truck from James, go to Kinshasa, and just don't look back. There is no reason for you to stay here," she stressed and she hoped that he could understand the validity of her position.

John stared at her hurt and angered. Then he abruptly stood up, and stormed off towards the clinic without another word or glance back in her direction.

Kem's heart fell as he walked away. She closed her eyes and the let the tears spill out from under her thick lashes as she relaxed against the tree and tried to steady her emotions.

She wanted him…needed him to be safe no matter what the cost to herself or to their future. Suddenly, she felt a painful grip on her arm. A grip so intense that it caused her to gasp and look up. It was John.

"Why?" he practically screamed at her through clenched teeth. "Why are you always trying to drive me away? Because I can't take this any more!"

It pained her to see him like this, but she knew that it was for the best. So she bit back her tears and replied simply, "You're going to die if you stay here."

"And you won't?" he asked angrily.

"This is my country and my people…" she began.

"Oh…do not give me that crap!" he shouted. "I have spent close to two years living in this country trying to help these people so DON'T tell me that I am any less emotionally invested in them than you are."

Despite her best efforts, she couldn't hold back her tears any longer. "I want little more in this world than for you to be by my side!" she cried out. "However, what I want even more than that is for you to be safe," she finished tenderly.

He started shaking his head vigorously from side-to-side as he again refused to obey her request. She took his hand and held it until he looked her in the eyes.

"You have a responsibility to your father," she said, "…to your family to stay safe. Please, go home."

He looked away from her so that he could calm himself, then he knelt down to her level. He put his hands on her shoulders and he gave her a gentle shake as he said each word firmly, "Not without you."

She tried to pull away from him, but he resisted her efforts and instead pulled her roughly into his arms. "Not without you," he whispered tenderly against her ear.

She knew that it was pointless for her to continue to her argument and that she would have to accept the fact that he wasn't going to leave, so she collapsed against his chest and said a silent prayer. Please God, no matter what it takes. Please let me keep this man safe.