A/N:I don't own Twilight. Stephanie Meyers does, I am just obsessed with the characters.

This is the first story I've ever written.

If you feel so inclined, please leave a review. I would appreciate any words of encouragement or ideas that would make me a better writer.

Sincere thank you as always to my talented Beta Yeah Her.

13: BPOV

Carlisle and I were brought to the medical camp about one hour outside of the capital city of Addis Ababa. I was now a two day drive away from Edward and the feeling of comfort that gave me was immense.

On the way to the campsite I immediately felt like I was on sensory overload; I noticed that people were constantly on the move on the road. There was a wide diversity of people, some in very Americanized clothing while others were in loin cloth and nothing else. I noticed many small children were being carried by children not much larger than themselves. There were many stores and markets along the roads which offered any array of colors, aromas, foods and jewelry. The buildings were as diverse as the people; there were modern hotels and run down dwellings. Many of the roads were dirt covered and it was quite a bumpy ride. Birdlife abounds and we saw beautiful green parrots with yellow heads and lovebirds and a tall bird that was yellow and orange in color. I couldn't stop turning my head back and forth to take in all the views.

As we approached the Mobile Hospital site the first thing I noticed were the crowds of people waiting to be seen, mostly women and children. The site was actually comprised of many tents of various sizes and it reminded me of the T.V. series M*A*S*H. There were three large tents and it looked like about fifteen smaller tents set up. We were taken on a tour and learned that one of the larger tents held a pre-op triage area, two operating rooms, twelve emergency room beds, 4 ICU beds, a dental clinic, an eye clinic and a general medicine clinic.

The second large tent housed beds for thirty patients plus staff accommodations for about eighty staff, also a dining area kitchen and laundry room.

There were five smaller tents that housed toilets, showers and urinals. There were eight small tents that housed offices, one diagnostic tent with x-ray, laboratory and pharmacy department and one tent that was a little larger that was strictly for immunizations. There was also a tent for Women Services including prenatal, maternal and post natal care. I was really impressed with the setup. I don't know what I expected, but it was not the sophisticated setup that I was currently looking at.

After Ben completed the tour and introduced us to some of the personnel Carlisle and I were left to ourselves to settle in before actually starting to work. He said he was very impressed with the surgical suites and the work that was being done here. We both could see the allure that captivated Edward. Working with people with such needs was going to be very rewarding.

There were a lot of employees here including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, clerical workers and volunteers. A huge part of the program was to educate the local people so that when Humanitarian Doctors moved out these worthwhile programs that have been put in place could continue.

Ben sent me to work in the tent that took care of evaluating and treating malnourishment. Despite recent progress, malnutrition remains a severe problem in Ethiopia, especially among young children. Many of them suffer lifelong consequences including higher risk of mortality and future illness. I knew that this was going to be difficult, but I didn't realize the joy that I would get from watching the faces of the mothers that were getting help for their children. They were so grateful and appreciative of everything that was being done for them. When the mothers came with their children they would go to station one for height, weight and arm circumference to establish how malnourished they were. Next they were sent to station two were a medical exam was performed to determine if they could be treated as an outpatient or an inpatient. If they could be treated as an outpatient they were then given enriched peanut butter filled with vitamins and minerals which strengthens the body and causes marked weight gain. They leave the camp with enough peanut butter for a week, flour and oil; a week's worth of rations. If they needed to be treated as an inpatient they were sent over to the hospital tent for inpatient admission and treated until they are well enough to join the outpatient program.

After my first long day at work Carlisle and I met up at the dining hall to have some dinner and discuss our day. Ben and Jacob checked in with us and told us that they would be making the journey to check on Edward tomorrow. They would make the first half of the trip by Jeep and then get closer to the campsite by boat. If they had the opportunity they would try to communicate with him. I wanted to go so badly but knew that I could jeopardize his safety if I went along.

I retired to my sleeping quarters; I was bone tired and decided to end my night as I usually did by writing a letter to Edward.

A/N: Please review if you wish. I will answer every one. I'd love to hear feedback from you so I can learn to be a better writer. I welcome constructive criticism. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.