Elvis pulled back from Georgie, the question on his lips. "You sure you want to do this?" He knew her, knew the answer. She would say "Of course I have to do this, they are my responsibility. I brought them here." Or some version of this.
He looked her in the face and saw her features were set with determination. Elvis sighed inwardly "Ok..we're doing this together. You're not on your own." At moment from the corner of his eye he could see Nafula and a Red Cross worker making their way towards them. "Thank God for reinforcements!" Elvis prayed silently. He was thankful that Nafula knew Georgie would want to do this and she wasn't going to let her.
"Georgie!" Nafula called.
Georgie turned to face her friend. "You know I have to do this Nafula."
"What I know is that you think you have to do this, that it is your responsibility and it's not." Elvis gave a small smile, glad that Georgie couldn't see his face. Nafula knew Georgie well, almost as good as he did, despite Georgie only being here a few short weeks.
"It is my responsibility!" Georgie countered "I was the one that was there. I was the one who couldn't stop the bleeding. It's my job to tell the kids."
"It's not your job, Georgie," Nafula softened "it's mine. And you may have been there, you may have brought the children here but it was not your fault you couldn't stop the bleeding, no one could have. You and Elvis can both be there but the news is not coming from you Georgie!" Nafula crossed her arms in front of her and shifted her stance.
Elvis knew Georgie had lost the battle of wills. Nafula was ready for any argument and it showed. Georgie knew it was a lost cause to argue any further so she had the good grace to concede. "Fine, we'll be there to help."
Elvis stood next to Georgie, looking at Nafula. She looked to him inquiringly, he gave a small inclination of his head letting her know it was fine and he could still manage to pull off his surprise for Georgie.
Swinging her gaze back to Georgie Nafula said "Of course you will. I've heard that Elvis has been doing a wonderful job looking after the children today." She smiled, not something she did often because there was rarely anything to smile at but it was infectious. Georgie turned to Elvis and smiled up at him. "Have you been looking after them all this time?"
Elvis gave his trademark grin "Yeah, you were all busy so I just got them some food, got them checked out and then to sleep. No big deal."
Georgie laid her hand on his arm "I sometimes forget that you are..." she stopped speaking.
"A father?...A decent bloke?" Elvis supplied
"No.." Georgie replied "I mean yes. I forget you're a dad. And a decent bloke because you haven't always been one to me."
"That's a little unfair Georgie" Nafula said, knowing what surprise Elvis had planned for her."He's.."
"It's ok Nafula," Elvis interrupted her "I haven't always done the right thing by Georgie but I think we need to focus on those kids now." Both the women nodded in agreement. Nafula introduced the Red Cross worker as Michael. He spoke several languages so it was hoped he could speak clearly with the children.
"Where exactly are the children?" Michael asked in his deep, soothing voice. Elvis could see he was the right man for the job. His voice alone was a comfort.
"In my room," Elvis stated "this way." He pointed over his shoulder towards the door to his room. He turned "They were sleeping when we left." He pushed the door open letting Nafula and Michael enter first. He latched onto Georgie's elbow as she went to enter the room. "Are you sure about this?" Georgie bit her lip and gave a sharp nod before joining Nafula and Michael. Elvis raised his eyes skyward before walking in and pulling the door closed behind him.
Nafula and Michael woke Zahara and the two older boys while Georgie and Elvis woke the younger ones. Michael spoke to Zahara softly trying to establish which language would be the best to communicate in as they couldn't afford to have any misunderstandings.
Nafula and Michael sat on the floor with the older children while Georgie and Elvis sat on the edge of the bed with the younger ones. Elvis didn't understand a single word that Michael and the children were speaking and he knew that Georgie didn't either. Nafula looked over to them and gave a slight inclination of her head letting them know that they were about to tell the children about their mother. The tone and timbre of Michael's voice gave an indication of the serious content; that their mother had died but their baby sister was fine.
After was seemed like one of the longest moments of Elvis' life Zahara got up and ran to him, tears streaming down her face. She flung herself at him, her arms wrapping around his neck. Elvis shifted her youngest brother over to Georgie so he could hold her. Her younger brothers quickly followed their older sister, burrowing into his sides, their arms encircling him. Elvis looked over their heads to Georgie who was hugging the younger ones to her chest.
Elvis sat with the children hanging off of him as Michael and Nafula came over to the huddled figures. Michael continued to speak softly to them as they continued to sob. All of the adults laid reassuring hands on the children and made comforting sounds but the children only wanted Elvis.
Eventually the children quietened down, Michael and Nafula asked Zahara and her brothers a few questions like the name of their village and who else they had come with them and their mother to the refugee camp.
Michael drew some papers out of his pocket and started to record the children's names and ages, as well as their village name. Things were a bit confusing when it came to their parents names, the children didn't know their given names because to them they were just their mum and dad.
As the conversation progressed it was discovered that their father had left the village days before them. The family had expected to meet him when they arrived at the camp. So he could be out there in the great crush of refugees outside their very door. It was also established that the children had come with their mother, two aunts, an uncle, a grandmother and a myriad of cousins. They were the people Georgie, Elvis and Sarah had encountered in the tent and the children playing outside.
When Michael and Nafula suggested that the children have something more to eat and drinks, they refused to leave Georgie and Elvis, in particular. In the end Michael and Nafula went for supplies. Elvis looked over at Georgie as he manoeuvred the children around them. They were still sitting on the bed, their backs against the wall now, children in their laps, on their legs and against their sides.
Georgie looked exhausted. Elvis knew most of it was from all the emotions of the day; the joy, the despair, the anger, the guilt. He'd make it alright for her again, given the chance. "What do you think?" he whispered to Georgie.
"'Bout the kids?" she whispered back. He nodded back. Georgie looked at them, gathered around her and Elvis. "I suppose they'll go back to their family."
"The baby?"
"She'll have to stay here for awhile so we can make sure she's ok." Elvis nodded absently as he looked to the door wondering how much longer they had. "Some of the family will probably come here to be with the little one. We would have started feeding her with formula so we need to make she's feeding properly, putting on weight and all that." Georgie had continued, more to herself than to Elvis.
It wasn't long before Nafula returned with supplies for all of them. As she sat on the floor handing out food and water she looked at Georgie and Elvis, silently wondering how much longer they would stay and help here at the camp. Elvis could go tomorrow with no backward glance, he would be missed but he was only here for Georgie. Georgie...she had done a lot of healing while she had been here and Nafula would certainly miss her when she left. Nafula thought she would leave soon especially once she had forgiven Elvis.
"Michael?" Elvis said the question in that one word.
"He is doing some paperwork and then he will get the jeep ready."
"To take the kids back?" Georgie asked softly. Nafula nodded gently. Georgie and Elvis looked at each other and then at the little faces around them.
