I did not forget about this story! Here is a short update to let you know where the story it headed.

April

Jackson kept his promise. Once the dust settled, he spent the next week going over Khalid's scans deciding how best to treat the burns. Eventually, he came up with a plan to take small areas of Khalid's healthy skin and use it to grow more skin that could then replace the burned areas. While explaining the procedure to me, I could see how excited Jackson was to do this and help this little boy, but I couldn't help but to have some reservations. After working with Jackson for a week on this plan, it became obvious that he is a talented doctor. If we were back in Seattle or Boston, I would be one hundred percent confident that we could pull this off. But here? In the middle of the desert with mediocre, limited supplies? I'm not so sure. I don't tell Jackson this as I don't want him to think I doubt his abilities, but the last thing I want is for Khalid to get his hopes up and this not work out. In the end, I put my reservations aside, and throw all my support and assistance in to making sure Jackson has everything he needs to pull this off.

We sit down together at Khalid's cot one evening to tell him our plan and make sure he is okay with going through with it. Seeing us sitting net to him is nothing new as we have devoted hours every day lately to just his case. Part of Khalid's face was burned in the explosion, so when he looks up at us and smiles, only the right side of his face turns up with joy. "Dr. April! Dr. Jackson! You missed it! Oh man, I've been waiting all day to tell you what happened!"

Jackson and I exchange smiles at his enthusiasm of sharing this story with us.

"All day? Well, we're sorry we kept you waiting buddy. What did we miss?" Jackson asks with his full attention focused on Khalid's shining eyes.

"A snake! It was this big!" he holds out his arms as far as they will go to make sure we know just how big this snake was. "It slithered all the way in here and scared Dr. Megan. She jumped so high. But I just laughed. I'm used to see snakes back home. You just gotta grab a knife and chop their head off. I guess she didn't know that, though, cause she screamed and ran and then Dr. Owen pulled out his knife and killed it and threw it outside the tent. I hope he made sure it really died, though, cause sometimes they used to crawl back in the house. Mama threatened to cook one once cause he kept coming back. He musta understood her cause we didn't see him again." His eyes are wide and animated as he recalls this story of his life before this tent, when he was just a boy living in his village without so much pain and worry. I can't help but think how strong he is to be here all alone and still find something to laugh about. The tears begin to pool in my eyes, but I blink them away, not wanting Khalid to think I am sad.

"Man, we miss all the good stuff, don't we?" Jackson agrees, laughing, and meeting my eyes. He must see the emotions I am trying to hide because he surprises me by reaching across Khalid to grab my hand and give it a gentle squeeze. "Hey buddy, we have something we want to talk to you about."

Khalid's face turns somber, and his voice comes out meek, "Did I do something bad?"

"No! Of course not! Why would you think that?" I say, hoping to reassure him.

"Well, Dr. Jackson did that thing where he gets the wrinkly lines on his forehead. Like he does when he's thinking real hard or mad about something. I thought maybe he was mad at me," he explains.

"No, buddy, not at all," Jackson's voice is calm and warm. "I don't think I could ever be mad at you. In fact, we may have some good news." He glances over to me, briefly, and I nod, urging him on. "We think we can fix your burns."

Gasping in surprise, Khalid's face brightens with joy. "You can?! You can fix my skin, Dr. Jackson?!"

Jackson beams back at him. "Well, we can. Dr. April and I. Or at least, we're going to try."

"Thank you!" he exclaims wrapping his arms around my neck and squeezing as tightly as his little arms can manage. "Thank you so much!"

I hug him back, soaking in his happiness, and lingering as long as possible in this moment of serenity in a place that is usually so full of chaos.

Jackson and I fill Khalid in a few more details of our plan before telling him good night, and heading back to our tent. We walk in silence at first, both of us hanging on to joy we saw on Khalid's face as long as possible. That is the first time I have seen him genuinely happy since he arrived, and now that I've seen it, I want him to always feel that way. He's a child. A boy. He deserves to be happy.

"Hey, Jackson?" I break the silence and stop walking, turning to face him – this person I just met, yet already trust completely. "We can do this, right? We can help him?"

In the moonlight, I can see the confidence in his eyes. My breath catches in my throat as he reaches out to take my face in his hands, and his voice comes out low and calming. "We can do this."