Chapter 16

"Wait," Ken clasp Jafaru's arm tightly to stop him from moving like he detected he was about to do. "Do you see him?"

"Yes, that's my son… Cheikh." His lips pulled tight in anger, Cheikh carried a rifle- and a stern set look on his young dark face making him look older than twelve.

"Darkness would make a better cover." Ken said looking at Jafaru. From his expression Ken didn't want to risk waiting, Jafaru might just get it into his head to go alone.

The sounds of panic and gunfire caught their attention from the far side of the camp. Violence seemed to follow him everywhere Ken observed.

"Jafaru, you need to get his attention," Ken instructed moving in closer to Cheikh using a building for cover.

Jafaru walked out into the open, Cheikh was looking in the direction of the gunfire and panicked screams of soldiers as fighting broke out somewhere in the camp.

"Cheikh." Jafaru said urgently to the young boy.

Cheikh turned around fast pointing his gun at his father, from his apprehensive stance and his tight facial expression it like he didn't recognise his father.

"It's me Cheikh, your father…" Jafaru said putting out an open hand hoping he would put the weapon down and run to him, but Cheikh just stared at him cocking the gun and aiming at Jafaru.

"Jafaru, you can't trust-"Ken tried to reason, the boy's finger trembled on the trigger Ken saw the conflicting emotions in the young boy's eyes.

"I know my own son, stay out of this…" Jafaru's angry pained voice left no room for arguments.

Jafaru pleaded with his son. "Put the gun down Cheikh, please…" Anguished tears coursed down Jafaru's face as he watched his son deliberate wether or not to kill his own father.

"Cheikh, your mother…she wants you to come home…please, don't do this." Jafaru implored him.

Cheikh began to tremble, his young face fought with emotions, he threw down the gun with a cry of pent up anger and ran into the bushes.

Jafaru ran after him followed by Ken, they didn't run very far, Jafaru found him curled up hunched close to a tree crying uncontrollably.

Gently Jafaru put his arms around him in a tight embrace, reassuring him that he wasn't about to leave him here. Cheikh looked so young in his father's arms, so young and frightened. Ken couldn't imagine what he had been through over the past two years.

"We have to go…" Ken told them. The sounds of the fighting drew closer to their location.

Jafaru looked up at him with tear stained eyes. Gently he gathered his son in his arms and they used the bushes for cover to escape from the rebel camp.

"Dad, I'm sorry…" Cheikh kept saying his once innocent eyes looked haunted. Jafaru kept telling him he loved him, and he didn't blame him for what happened.

Starting up the truck, Ken put his foot to the floor stirring up dust as they drove away from the continuing violence unfolding behind them.

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Only a few hours old Jun's son slept quietly in her arms, a healthy full term baby weighing 61/2 pounds.

A morning duty nurse came in to bring her some food and water. Jun accepted it gratefully.

"Do you have a name for him?" She inquired casually, putting the try into the side table.

"Dyami…" She told her. "I named him Dyami."

"That's unusual." She said politely smiling. Jun figured the nurses knew about Jun's decision by now.

"It suits him." She told the nurse looking back at his new born sleepy face.

The older woman didn't say any more. "There's a social worker from Utoland city permanent care services here to see you. She said you had contacted her. Do you want me to show her in?"

"Yes please show her in, thank you for the food." Jun said trying to smile.

A tall slight woman with short blonde hair walked into the private room bed room.

"Jun, I'm Val." She said smiling warmly. Jun liked her instantly.

"Val…this is Dyami." She introduced them. Val walked over and looked at him.

"He looks healthy." She sat down beside the bed. "Jun, I'm told you want to give him up for adoption." Val's kind voice got the point with offending Jun. She felt grateful for it, no small talk trying to get to real reason she was here.

"Yes…I can't look after him. He needs a mother and father that can." Jun's said firmly.

"Have you given this much thought?" Val looked into her eyes and waited.

"I have, but I know when I looked at him he deserves more than I can give him…" Jun looked at the peacefully sleeping baby boy with tufts of black fine hair- she could see a lot of Ken in him already. He had his clear blue eyes and nose, her mouth… but then babies always had blue eyes to start with, or so she read in a book. Dyami opened his blue eyes slightly and squirmed in her arms, softly cried and then went back to sleep.

"I'll leave here soon, do you have someone who can take care of a new born baby?" Jun bit her bottom lip. She began to feel the reality of her decision to walk out of the hospital without him.

"I do she's a lady who is a qualified foster carer, Jun here's my card. I need some contact details from you… we need to make sure this is what you really want to do." Val pulled out the card and sat it next to her.

"They have my contact number and address at the nurses station." Jun informed her. "I…" Jun wanted to say she didn't want them kept on record in the hospital. She had cash put aside to pay for the medical bill. She at least found out how much she'd need through inquires.

"Jun everything involving you and Dyami is confidential. We just need to establish what's best for him and for you at this stage." Val reassured.

"Take you time Jun, leave when you're ready." She told her before leaving her alone again with Dyami.

"I don't know what to say to you…Ken, your father doesn't know about you, so don't blame him." She said trying to keep her emotions in check. "I… just hope you understand when you get older…I'll find you a good mother and father…"She promised. A tear managed to escape from her eye. Her mother left her when she was only a few hours old on the doorstep of an orphanage. No note, only a piece of paper with Jun. Written on it.

Now she was about to do the same thing to her son, walk out on him only a few hours old.

She pressed the button for the nurse to come into the room. The same one came back into the room. Jun cuddled him one last time before she handed him over to her. She got off the bed, and put on the clothes from the bag the ambulance man picked up from the top of the stairs that she had ready to go.

Walking out the doors of the hospital she didn't allow herself to look back she couldn't, feeling sore and tired. And empty, she had all the pain of giving birth and no baby to hold and call her own. She hailed a taxi outside Jun got in for the ride back to the Snack J. She had a bathroom to clean up, and life to rebuild.