Road to Tears
Chapter 12
Charles had only been gone 3 days when word came through that the Sierra Leone government did want support for the Ebola crisis. People thinking it wouldn't happen to them, not realising it was so contagious, some of the remote regions still thinking the witch doctor could save them and others believing that it was just the government trying to control them, stop them eating bush meat. Neighbouring countries shut their borders to stop the exodus and the spread, they were mobilised along with the Red Cross and other charities to provide aid and medical support. Busloads of them leaving Keogh for Brize and flights.
She kept trying to ring but his phone kept cutting to voicemail. She left him messages but maybe she could try when they got to Freetown maybe that would help. When they arrived at Brize, they were all sitting about waiting for their transporter planes.
"Hello Dawes, haven't seen you in a while" Molly looked up to see Major Beck. He was right she hadn't seen him since the wedding "So what are you doing here then Dawes?"
"Off to Sierra Leone Sir" she replied standing and saluting and he nodded raising an eyebrow "Is that where you are going Sir" and he grinned "No Dawes, I am part of the next wave to Nepal" result she thought, I wonder?
"Sir, could I ask a favour Sir?" and he nodded "Could you let Captain James know. I haven't been able to contact him."
"If I can I'll try and get a message through, it's pretty bad out there Dawes" then sighing remembering where she said she was going and that won't be a walk in the park either. "Oh and congratulations on the promotion Dawes" He nodded and walked away.
-OG-
Another long flight on a transporter plane but at least she knew most of the people on this flight. All medics, Jackie, Lauren, Katy all here along with a new bloke a Private Currey.
"Jacs have you managed to get hold of Dangles yet?"
Jackie shook her head "I know when you said you couldn't get hold of Captain James I hoped that as Dangles was in a different section this time and a different area I might get through" she continued whispering "Look when you next leave a message say to tell Dangles and I will do the same and hopefully one of them will tell the other."
Their conversation interrupted by Private Currey "Corp" he asked Jackie "How long do you think we will be out here?"
Jackie shrugged "At least 3 months" looking at Molly "even if it's not under control by then, it's going to be bloody hard work so we will probably be sent back for R&R and then maybe redeployed back."
Molly smiled at him "We just have to have hope that it doesn't get any more out of control and we can contain it."
Finally, they landed in Freetown and were taken to hotels that had been designated for health workers and the army. They were all called to a huge conference room, hundreds of them all waiting on orders, their CO's dividing them into sections and they were going to be flown all over the country to provide support. Molly and Jackie with a number of medics along with Doctors and nurses were going to the east of the country close to the border with Liberia. Jackie and Molly nodding and smiling that they were staying together.
-OG-
They set up their medical centre. It was gruelling shifts, a never ending stream of people coming but by the time they arrived it was often too late for any hope of a recovery and even with early intervention it was hard to save them. It wasn't just the long shifts it was all the preparation before you could start work, making sure you were suited up with PPE, getting your colleague to check it, full face masks and double latex gloves, it was incredibly hot working with all the gear on and for all those hours. Molly couldn't help but think they looked like spacemen when they were all dressed up like that, no wonder the locals didn't trust them. With the heat and suits regular breaks had to be taken, it was a frequent occurrence for someone to faint with the heat. The regimented cleaning routines, disposal of waste. Routines that had to be meticulously followed, to protect them. When they lost a patient and there were lots of them, young and old, there was another set of procedures and protocols which needed to be followed before the body could be buried. It was nothing like Molly or Jackie had ever seen before. They made a point of talking with each other about their days, the horrors at some of the things they had to see and do. They just had to hope that Katy and Lauren were doing the same, where ever they were. Jackie and Molly had always been good friends but this shared experience brought them even closer as they leaned on each other for support.
The Red Cross doctor eventually came up with the idea that maybe a small team could go round the villages and bring them back to the hospital with early symptoms rather than them travelling on foot for days which then meant that they had dehydrated and was often far too late for any hope of survival. With the help of a translator they could try and educate them, try and keep things clean and advise them to stop eating the bush meat, at least stop eating bats and monkeys to help with the stop of contagion.
So, Molly, Jackie and Private Currey along with two Army drivers, a translator and a nurse from the Red Cross set off, a second truck following behind with supplies and space to bring back any sick. They met resistance and distrust from many of the villages they came across, no one wanting to go to the hospital. But they did their best, leaving them medicines to treat the symptoms to reduce vomiting and diarrhoea and manage the fever. They also left powdered milk for women who were breast feeding to try and stop the spread to their babies. The babies being at the greatest risk of not surviving, the hardest to deal with when they came in already past saving.
"Shit I think I left my phone back at base" sighed Molly "Bet this will be when Charles tries to phone now". She still hadn't spoken to him since she had been here and that was nearly two months now and she had no idea if he knew she was here, if Major Beck had got a message through to him. She really would just like to hear his voice, calm her with what she was having to deal with. The wailing from women when they were told a loved one had died and even then they couldn't see them, sealed in a coffin to stop cross contamination, everything they owned burnt to stop spread. It was heart wrenching. She didn't care what he said, it was his voice she needed to hear. If she heard his voice, she could imagine his face, his eyes crinkling at the sides as he smiled, telling her it would be alright and they would be home soon.
"Don't worry Molls" answered Jackie "I've got mine, not that I've heard a dicky bird back from all those messages I left Dangles" sighing and thinking similar thoughts to Molly, to hear his voice and for him to know she was OK and if he was too "I wonder how they are?"
"Can't be any worse than this Jacs" said Molly shaking her head and trying to pull herself together with her thoughts "I'm absolutely cream crackered and will probably need to sleep for a month when we get back."
"You and me both" the Red Cross nurse heartily agreeing with them.
They were now about 100 miles or more from their original base camp and they had pulled into a very small village on the edge of the Gola Rainforest. The translator already in his protective suit started to tell the elder why they were there and asked if they needed any medical help while the girls put on their protective gear waiting to go into the village. They were standing there with their drivers waiting for the translator to wave them into the village. One of the drivers even leaning against his truck smoking a cigarette when there was a sudden burst of gunfire.
The driver from the second truck tried to return fire but was shot in the shoulder. About 8 men came across to them some looking inside the trucks, ransacking the supplies. All the time guns being pointed at them, so there was no point in trying to do anything as they stood there with their hands on their head. One of the men took the guns from the two drivers, looked at the women in their protective gear and got into the first truck, followed by 4 of the others. They stood there and watched as both their trucks, weapons and supplies vanished into the forest.
The translator told them that they were probably renegades from across the border, they often cross to steal. They were just as scared about this outbreak of Ebola and wanted medical supplies.
"Well, they got bloody lucky this time" huffed Private Hudson their driver who had dropped his cigarette when it all started. Molly and Jackie already looking after the second private who had been shot.
"Looks like through and through" said Jackie "Sorry mate we haven't got anything for the pain."
The elder came out and handed them a bowl of foul smelling mud concoction and the translator told them it was a poultice and would stop infection and the bleeding.
"Look mate I don't think we have a lot of choice here" said Molly trying to sound confident "It might pen and ink but it's better than nothing" the private nodding as she and Jackie plugged the wound.
"Seems to be doing the trick though" said Jackie with an element of surprise "should keep out infection and when it sets…." she shrugged.
"Hopefully it won't stink that bad" said the private who had been shot, trying to not to show the fear he felt.
"What's your name" asked Molly smiling.
"Eric… Private Smith"
-OG-
"I think we should move away from the village" said the Red Cross nurse "They might come back and we don't know if there is an infection here and we can't stay in this gear for too long."
So, they traipsed through the jungle for about a mile or so "I hate bloody trees Jacs" sighed Molly.
Jackie sniggered "Well let's hope there aren't any spiders here"
"What did you have to say that for?" she huffed
When they were what they felt was a safe distance from the village they removed their protective gear.
"We'll have to burn it just in case" said the nurse.
"That's gonna smoke a bit, what with it all being plastic" responded Private Hudson.
"Well perhaps they can find us if they see the smoke?" said Private Currey tentatively.
"That won't guide them to us, they will probably think it's just a village and we have no way of letting base know, the radios were in the trucks and they've gone" continued Hudson "They don't even know we are missing yet or where we are exactly."
"We could go back to the road and walk back?" said the nurse.
"Good idea" huffed Hudson sarcastically, "must be over a 100 miles give or take, they've already taken all our supplies and weapons and we're going to stroll off down the road where there are likely to be more thieving scumbags."
The red cross nurse was close to tears, she had worked with them for a long time but never had they been held up like that before, she had always been in a hospital. Perhaps when she got home she might think about an alternative rather than take risks like this. She wasn't like the rest of them, she wasn't army, and she wasn't trained in this sort of thing.
"Private" said Jackie after all she was the senior rank as Corporal "That's enough."
"Well, if we are going to walk down the road, she…" nodding in Molly's direction "Might want to get rid of the jewellery round her neck."
Molly looked down. She had completely forgotten, now that she had removed her protective clothing and was only in t-shirt and combats her wedding and engagement ring were on full display with her dog tags. She tucked them down her shirt and nodded a thanks to the Private.
"So, what we gonna do?" carried on the belligerent private all of them standing there. Molly broke out into one of her huge grins.
"Jac you still got your phone with you?" and Jackie nodded pulling it out from her back pocket.
"Please tell me you got a bit of a signal'
Jackie shrugged "Why?"
"Find my phone" grinned Molly "I left it back at base remember?" Jackie handed over her phone while Molly logged onto her cloud account and there it was the little green dot telling her where her phone was.
"Now all we gotta do is head towards that" still smiling "You gonna be alright with that Eric?" and he nodded.
"Still a bloody long walk though" added Private Hudson but impressed that they had worked out how to get back, he thought they would be stuck out here for days before anyone realised they weren't responding let alone come and get them.
-OG-
Captain Bones McClyde was on ops in Nigeria when they got a call with orders to fly to Freetown in Sierra Leone. He was a bit pissed as they were trying to infiltrate Boka Harem and Peanut was doing well with his undercover work. They were trying to establish how close they were to their goal of imposing Islamic rule in Nigeria. They were gaining support but as yet hadn't got that much power, well not enough but certainly gaining support that could cause problems in the future. It's something they needed to keep an eye on in the future.
They arrived in Freetown and were shown to their quarters. The following morning a meeting with the Brigadier, a Major from the RAMC and representatives from the Red Cross was called only to be told that two logistic privates, three medics, a nurse and translator had all vanished without trace at a village near the border to Liberia, no ransom or contact had been made. They would fly his team to the area, with names and descriptions and they were to bring them back. All radio contact had been lost and the weather was closing in, torrential rain due so helicopters would not be available if they didn't leave soon. They had already been missing for 3 days and they would be flown to base camp before setting off to the remote village where they were last heard from.
He went back to join his team, he found an office with a projector and put up their photos to start the briefing. The seven faces all displayed on the screen as his men entered.
It was a relatively new team as far as SF were concerned. Peanut had been around a while and served in other squadrons, mainly Harte's, but Blue had just transferred in after having completed his Sandhurst training and done a stint in the Rifles swiftly moving up the ranks to Lieutenant before going for selection to SF and assigned to his team for the experience, Spunky had been about for years and had only just transferred to his team from Harte's team. This would be a good operation for Blue, get him the experience he needed. He was dedicated and would make a good captain one day.
Before he had an opportunity to start the briefing as to what the operation was Peanut spoke "I know them" taking in a lungful of air "Well 2 of them anyway" all eyes turning to him.
"Enlighten us Peanut?"
"Well, that's Molly Dawes, maybe using James now" he sighed "Went to her wedding well over a year ago now, and next to her is her mate Jackie Aston" again pausing "Met them both through Elvis Harte when I was in his team."
"Well Peanut seems they might need rescuing" turning to the screen and changing the slide to a map of Sierra Leone "They were providing support in remote regions for Ebola and seem to have vanished" turning back to look at them "No radio contact, no ransom demands and been off grid for 3 days." He sighed "We've been called in because they were so close to the border"
"In 30 minutes, we fly to their last known whereabouts" he finished off rolling his eyes.
-OG-
When Charles first arrived in the mountains he thought Molly would love it, she loved the mountains in Afghan but it didn't take long to realise that she would hate it. While the views were spectacular, the people happy and smiling the constant aftershocks and then watching a landslide or building collapse would be something she hated. The countryside for her gave her the willies and to see trees moving down the mountain like that, still upright moving slowly an army of inert objects, she would absolutely hate it and to be fair he wasn't over the moon about it either as he watched yet another landslide. Further down the mountain the village would have been flattened, many people hurt.
It was late, dark outside and he was sharing a tent with Kingy, his Sergeant. He had been trying to contact Molly for weeks and he was getting more agitated as the days went on. Was she still at home or had she been deployed to Sierra Leone? Just as he was leaving the news wasn't good and it looked like they would be going out there to support. Her name was splashed across his phone but there was no signal so there was absolutely no point in hitting the dial button. He turned to Kingy who was also looking at his phone "Have you got a signal?" he asked.
"No Boss, just looking at pictures I downloaded before I came" and watched as Captain James got up and went outside, he could hear him pacing about outside their tent.
Brains and Fingers were sitting outside their tent "He looks out of sorts" said Fingers.
"Hardly surprising in this shithole" answered Brians "I think I would rather fight the Taliban at least you know where you stand with them."
Just then the ground started to shiver under them, when it stopped they saw Captain James walk towards them "Get some rest lads, there will be more work to do tomorrow" before turning and going back to his tent, once again checking his phone for a signal.
This tour was turning into a nightmare, the weather was bad, there were aftershocks, and medical supplies were sporadic. Private Richards had disobeyed orders and gone into a rather precarious building to rescue a bloody goat of all things. Mind you he knew someone else who would have done that. Their interpreter, guide and all round go between Milan was getting rather paly with Georgie as he showed her around. Now Georgie had done the same thing with Milan and they had spent ages trying to find her then dig them out without the other half of the building collapsing. He felt like he was losing control of the situation and the group of men he was supposed to be leading. He had to pull them up for messing about when they were supposed to be digging graves, did they have no respect. Where the fuck was Molly, was she safe? He wanted to talk with her, hear her laugh.
-OG-
Captain McClyde, Blue, Peanut and Spunky were walking towards the helicopter which would take them to the village that was the last known location for the medical team.
"Captain McClyde hold up" and he turned to see one of the Sergeants walking briskly to them. "Sorry Sir, there has been a development" he sounded breathless "The radio in one of the trucks has just been turned on and its 50 miles north of where the team were last seen."
"Send the co-ordinates to the pilot and we will head there."
They landed in a clearing a couple of miles away and walked to their destination. They ducked down, quite clearly these people weren't the missing medics and they couldn't see them and had no idea if they were hostages or already dead. Bones gave the signals for them to spread out. One of the renegades raised his gun as if about to fire but after a warning shot from Spunky thought better of it and surrendered.
"Looks like these are British and not you're standard Russian Army issue" retorted Blue as he picked up one of the guns. Bones nodded in agreement. They searched the trucks but there were no sign of the medics or the medical supplies.
They didn't get much information other than they had come across from Liberia and already sold the medical supplies and were heading back to Liberia with the trucks, they hadn't even realised they had turned a radio on, that would send a GPS signal back to base. Seemed they were opportunists rather than professional renegades or supporters of any type of military or terrorist organisation. They were also told that they had left the original owners of the equipment back at the village, and admitting one had been shot.
"Right, at least we have transport" grinned Bones "Let's go back to the village and pick them up" continuing to give orders, he told Blue to ask the pilot to fly over the village and look out for the missing soldiers on route back to base.
When they arrived back at the village the elder told them that the British medics and soldiers had left 3 days ago and were walking back.
"Bloody hell" said Spunky "That's a bloody long walk and with an injured oppo"
"Right" started Bones and raised an eyebrow "load up, let's see if we can find them they can't have got that far – move out."
-OG-
They were absolutely knackered. Private Hudson had been a godsend, he had done some jungle training in Brunei and they had managed to get enough branches and vines to make a half decent stretcher because Private Smith certainly wasn't up to this kind of trek.
He kept apologising that Jackie and her were carrying the front while Hudson and Currey were carrying the back of their make-shift stretcher. The Red Cross nurse to their side with the translator.
They had sat and watched the monkeys and while they didn't want to kill anything just in case, after all this was an Ebola zone, they could at least watch and see what fruit they ate and not poison themselves. Nonetheless they knew they weren't getting enough water and food, following the green dot back to base and hoping the battery on Jackie's phone lasted.
"Cor I don't 'alf pen and ink" stated Molly "I can even smell myself"
"You and me both" replied Jackie trying to laugh "Good job Dangles isn't about even he wouldn't want to get near me now."
They were taking a rest and had found some water and were using a couple of their canteens to boil it. They heard the helicopter overhead but thought it unlikely that it would see them because of the trees but hopefully it might spot the smoke from their fire.
-OG-
The helicopter had seen the smoke and started circling before radioing back to Bones.
"We can't take them all back but we can collect the injured private and maybe two others" said the pilot "We will have to winch them up, there's nowhere to land."
"OK we will follow down in the trucks."
"Do you want us to send another Cab?"
"Sounds like they are only an hour or two from Base and we are about an hour from them so if there are no other casualties we can collect them on route, tell them to go to the road."
Bones and Peanut were in the lead truck with Blue and Spunky in the one following.
"So," said Bones turning to Peanut who was driving "tell me about Dawes and Aston, have to say I'm surprised that a couple of medics have got this far" raising an eyebrow "Have they done any jungle training?"
Peanut burst out laughing "Don't think so and Molly certainly hasn't."
"Molly" grinned Bones "You know her well then?"
"No not like that, she's married Boss" shaking his head "met her for the first time on her second tour of Afghan, Elvis had to ball her out for going off base dressed in a Burka to see some kid she had rescued on her first tour" grinning "on her third she got Spanner and Elvis to get a tree and plant it on a grave" he shrugged "Someone from her first tour again I think."
"Met quite a few people on that first tour didn't she" he grinned "So 3 tours of Afghan, bloody hell."
"Yes Boss, got the MC for crawling through a minefield with no vallon" he snorted a laugh "She's ballsy yet to look at her you would never know."
"So, she's married, is he army?" Bones seemed intrigued by her despite never meeting her before.
"Yes Boss, he's a Captain, Captain James. Elvis's best mate, he was best man at their wedding".
Bones nodded, the mere mention of Charles James creating a second of fleeting anger within him.
They finally arrived at the grid reference given by the pilot and saw four of them sat by the side of the road. Peanut was out of the truck and already running towards them, followed by Blue and Spunky from the second truck. Bones leant against the door of the truck as his Lieutenant walked with Spunky to the group.
"Bloody hell Peanut it's good to see you mate" said a beaming Molly standing up "I wouldn't come any closer if I were you we're bleedin' minging."
Bones folded his arms across his chest and looked down a sneering grin on his face, he could see from here how dirty they were and the bags under their eyes showing just how tired they were. He was impressed they had made fucking good time getting this far on foot, with no supplies and no jungle training. Peanut was right, you wouldn't have guessed looking at this short dark haired woman or her mate for that matter.
"So, come on then spill" asked Peanut "How did you do it?"
"Do what?" asked Jackie quizzically
"Get this far."
"Well, we couldn't rely on you lot even noticing we were missing and we couldn't tell no one where we were so…" and Molly shrugged "I had left me phone in my locker but Jac's had hers so we just used the find my phone app" grinning like a Cheshire cat.
Peanut threw his head back laughing "You find your way back using a fucking app" shaking his head "So what you been eating then?"
"Not a lot" sighed Jackie "Private Hudson here did some jungle training couple of years back, so we had a few berries. But even the mess tent is looking bloody appealing at the moment."
"Didn't you set any traps, get some meat?"
"Not bleedin likely I ain't eating a monkey" said Molly shivering in disgust.
"Probably safer not to eat bush meat" grinned Jackie "In an Ebola area."
Peanut nodded "Well there were always spiders, snakes, lizards you could have used as a supplement" looking at Molly and grinning, making Jackie laugh remembering the camping incident.
"No bleedin' chance mate"
"I did offer" started Private Hudson "You know catch something to eat but they weren't having any of it" sighing "Reckoned they had to get a lot hungrier before they put anything like that in their gobs."
Blue and Peanut laughing hard now "Come on then" said Blue "Let's get you back to base and a shower" wrinkling his nose as he led them back to his truck and load them in the back.
-OG-
It was dark and again he was sat in his tent with Kingy, who was once again smiling at photos of his family. He had enough photos of Molly and Sam on his phone to be doing the same thing but he wanted to talk with her. Wanted to know if she had been deployed to Sierra Leone, how was she coping with it. Was she following procedure and orders? Mind you doesn't matter if you did, there was still a risk as he was finding out with this operation. As he felt a slight tremor under his cot he looked across to Kingy who looked up and nodded.
"Another one Boss" he said dispassionately "Not too bad this time" and Charles nodded in response.
It was difficult, they had taken in a number of children that were both homeless and orphans, or maybe they weren't, it would all depend on if they could find relatives for them. Milan would be looking into that. Although Private Richards was driving him mad with her insubordination, even with Georgie mentoring her, and she was incredibly patient, the girl seemed intent on doing what she wanted and answering back. She had befriended some little girl and filled her head with how good it was in the UK and she could be Prime Minister one day.
The following morning, they watched as one of the big army supply trucks came into camp. About bloody time, they were running short of medical supplies. He had never been so pleased to see who the driver was, but before he could walk across to him he had been swamped by 2 section. All of them wanting to know where he was stationed, had he had contact with home at all.
Dangles shook his head, he had been seconded to Logistics and was driving supplies all over the place and even when back at base the reception was sporadic. That didn't stop Monk, Fingers and Kingy giving him telephone numbers so he could phone and tell home that they were OK.
Charles heart sank, he was rather hoping to get a message back to Molly, find out if she was still at home. Dangles nodded in his direction and gave a small smile, walking across to him.
"Boss" he said "I haven't spoken to them, can't get through even down in the base but Major Beck was there and he said he saw Jacs and Molly at Brize as he was flying out and they were being sent to Sierra Leone, loads of them"
"When was that?"
"Sorry Sir it's taken this long to get up here but he told me about 2 months ago."
Shit, shit, shit she must have flown out within days of him. Two months, anything could have happened in that time and he didn't even know. Come on Charles, get a grip, she's your wife if anything had happened to her the Army would have let you know, regardless of the fact he was in a remote region of Nepal.
He walked further up the mountain, holding his phone to the sky as he walked. Nothing, not a bloody thing, no signal.