Broken Together

by K. S. Ruff

Amad stopped in front of a stone wall overlooking the ocean. “Dee slaves were secured to dis wall so dey could not escape. Dey were forced to stand here for hours even in dee rainy season.”

  Iron rings remained embedded in the wall. I lifted one of the heavy metal rings. My mind filled with images of people struggling to break free. My shoulders sagged as I began to cry.

  Rafael gathered my face in his hands. “We cannot change the past, but we can work to make this world a better place.” He brushed my tears away with his thumbs.

  We walked in silence down the stone stairs that led to the dock. Narrow, weathered boats lined the heavily littered shore. “Dee slaves were led down dese stairs to dee jetty where dey were loaded onto boats to dee Americas,” Momka noted solemnly.

  We huddled against the harsh reality. There was no denying what had transpired here. Ghostly images of men, women, and children being whipped and caned while forced aboard those boats still haunted this dock. I was both saddened and dismayed by the role our country had played.

  Quietly, we followed Momka and Amad back into the market. We purchased dozens of necklaces and bracelets. Some were strung with polished seashells, others with wooden beads. We purchased spices, vibrant fabrics, reed baskets, and hand carved wooden masks. Momka and Amad encouraged us to haggle on the prices. Not a single one of us could bear the thought. While their shackles were not visible, these people were still enslaved. Poverty was an ugly master, and man was still to blame.

  * * * * *

  Brogan and Aidan led the training Thursday morning. They taught our students how to read non-verbal communication, assess the conflict environment, and de-escalate conflicts. Rafael, Kadyn, and Jase taught them how to reduce risk and improve personal security. We ran our students through another conflict mapping and simulation so they could practice these new found skills.

  I loved seeing how our team meshed. Each of us was working toward improving human security, but in different ways. Like a complex puzzle, we accomplished far greater things than one might anticipate when studying a single piece.

  We stopped by Tessa’s before driving to the orphanage. Momka’s aunt overheard us discussing the Saint George Orphanage when we returned for dinner Wednesday night. She promised to have enough Benny cakes prepared for all the children if we stopped by before visiting the orphanage. A sugary treat made with sesame seeds and orange rind, Benny cakes tasted more like a sweet, crisp biscuit than a traditional cake.

  The orphanage was located on the outskirts of town. Momka and Amad helped us unload the books Rafael had purchased. Unbeknownst to me, he’d been sending Brogan and Aidan out on shopping excursions to purchase books from local bookstores when they weren’t participating in the training. They’d acquired nearly two hundred books appropriate for a variety of age groups.

  I kissed Rafael on the cheek before grabbing a box. “Thank you for buying the books.”

  His box appeared weightless when he shrugged. “After seeing how much the children at the Casa Pia Orphanage enjoyed their books, how could I not?”

  “I love that you purchased the books from local bookstores,” Sammi remarked. “I’m sure that made the bookstore owners very happy, and it helps the local economy.”

  A woman appeared at the door. She was wearing a long, loose fitting dress. Light blue circles of varying sizes were interspersed throughout the bright blue material. Her hair was hidden beneath a scarf made from the very same fabric. “Welcome. Mr. Garcia?”

  Rafael shifted his box so he could shake her hand. “Please, call me Rafael.”

  “I am Miss Lucee, dee administrator for dee Saint George Foundation Orphanage. Please come in.” She held the door while we stepped inside.

  Sammi, Shae, and I were wearing the same scarves we used to cover our hair at the market. Momka’s aunt made a few minor adjustments when we arrived at the restaurant so they didn’t look half bad even though the three of us were wearing blouses and slacks.

  Rafael introduced everyone before explaining the boxes. “We brought candy from the United States, books we purchased in Freetown, and Benny cakes from Tessa’s Restaurant. The owner, Theresa, is Momka’s aunt. She made the Benny cakes herself.”

  Momka’s chest puffed out proudly. “I am sure you will find dey are dee best Benny cakes in town.”

  Miss Lucee looked pleased. “I would like to wait on dee treats until after dee children have eaten supper. Dee children just finished deir studies. Dey have some time before supper if you would like to distribute dee books.”

  “Would you mind if the children wrote their names inside the books?” I asked. “We brought enough for everyone. We’ll encourage them to share, but we thought it would be nice if each child could keep a book for himself.”

  She weighed the question carefully. “Yes. Dat would be fine. Do you require pens?”

  I smiled gratefully before shaking my head. “We brought pens.”

  She escorted us to their recreation center. “We currently have one hundred and seventy-five children staying wid us. Dee ages vary from five to fifteen years of age. We do not care for infants here, only school age children. Most are former street children. We feed and clode dem, provide medical care and an education so dey can gain employment and qualify for university when dey are older.”

  “Thank you for allowing us to meet your children,” Shae stated respectfully. “We’ve been working with a lovely group of students from Fourah Bay College. I wonder if they might be interested in mentoring some of your older children.”

  My eyes widened. “Shae, that’s brilliant. They can start their very own Big Brothers Big Sisters program in Freetown! We should give them the contact information for that organization tomorrow.”

  Cory chuckled. “There you go again, planting seeds.”

  I grinned. We were, in fact, planting seeds.

  The children eyed us warily. They wore clean clothes and solemn faces. These children had not been coddled in any way. Life had hardened them at far too early an age.

  The children gave Miss Lucee their undivided attention when she entered the room. “Dese are dee special guests I was telling you about. Dey have brought you gifts. Please treat dem wid dee same respect dat you show me.”

  Miss Lucee organized the children into seven separate lines, with twenty five children standing in each line. The children’s books were boxed separately from the young adult novels, which made things easy. Momka and Amad helped distribute the books. The lines moved quickly with all eleven of us handing out books.

  We sat and read with the younger children once the books were distributed. The older children seemed a bit more leery of us.

  We grew animated after a while. There was a bit of one-upmanship involved when we realized our goofy antics and exaggerated voices were reeling the older children in. They were all in by the time we decided to act out the Three Little Pigs. We reinvented the fable, recruiting some of the children to play additional wolves and pigs until the story took on a life of its own. The children and the staff were laughing by the time our play drew to an end.

  * * * * *

  Friday was the final day for our training. Sadly, I couldn’t remove my head from the toilet long enough to attend the awards ceremony.

  Rafael pressed a cool washcloth to my skin. “Do you think this is food poisoning?”

  “Maybe.” I was loathe to blame Momka’s Aunt Theresa. We ate at her restaurant after visiting the orphanage. We enjoyed her place so much, we deemed it our home away from home. We’d eaten there three nights in a row.

  “You haven’t had any ice or tap water?” Rafael prodded.

  “No,” I answered weakly. I was very careful about drinking bottled water.

  “Can you get Cholera from food?” Rafael wondered aloud. He was researching the Cholera outbreak on his phone.

  “I haven’t eaten any fresh fruit or vegetables. Besides no one else in our group is sick, and we’ve been eating pretty much the same thing.”

  He looked unconvinc
ed. “Maybe you picked up a virus at the orphanage.”

  “In less than twenty four hours?” I shook my head. “Maybe it was the tiger prawns I ate last night.”

  He stretched out his legs and pulled me into his arms. “You shared your prawns with me, and I’m fine. I think we should fly out tonight. If this continues on into tomorrow, then you’re going to require some medical attention. Lisbon is a far better option than Freetown.”

  “I don’t want to cut the trip short for Kadyn and Jase,” I protested.

  “We’re ready to leave now,” Jase announced from just outside the door. “Is she decent?”

  I gaped at Rafael.

  “She’s dressed,” he answered. “I gave him a room key in case of an emergency.”

  My eyes widened. “I didn’t even hear him slide the card through the door.”

  He smoothed my unruly hair back into place. “How could you? You were vomiting.”

  Jase’s six foot three frame filled the bathroom doorway. “I have the Emetrol.”

  I closed my eyes as another wave of nausea taunted me. “What’s Emetrol?”

  “Anti-nausea medicine.” Jase broke the seal on the box and handed the bottle to Rafael. “I’m sorry that took so long. This medicine proved difficult to find.”

  Rafael filled the cap. “You’re both packed?” He handed me the cap.

  Jase nodded. “We packed as soon as we heard she was sick. Brogan and Aidan will stay with Sammi and Cory. They’re flying back to Virginia tomorrow. Shae wants to fly back with us. She’s worried about Kristine.”

  I drank the capful of medicine and leaned against Rafael’s chest. Chills wracked my body while it threatened to reject the medicine. I ran through a mental list of all the things I’d eaten.

  Rafael sent a text before scooping me into his arms. “I want you in bed while I pack.”

  Jase grabbed the wastebasket. “No one else is sick. What do you think this is?”

  “Food poisoning would be my guess. Either way, I don’t want Kristine seeking medical care here. With the Cholera outbreak, the hospitals aren’t safe. I want her back in Lisbon.” Rafael glanced at his phone. “The pilot and the flight attendant are ready to leave. Captain Anderson will have the flight plan filed shortly.”

  Alarms sounded in my head. “There was fresh cucumber and tomato on the Chicken Shawarma I ate Wednesday night.”

  Jase’s eyes widened. “You can get Cholera from raw vegetables if they aren’t washed properly.”

  Rafael gritted his teeth as I began to heave.

  * * * * *

  “Sorry, love, time to buckle up.” Rafael bundled me inside the duvet before lifting me from the bed.

  My stomach roiled over the sudden movement.

  Rafael pressed a bottle of water into my hand. “You’re dehydrated. Please, baby, try to drink something.” He snapped my seatbelt into place.

  “Sorry, guys.” I offered Kadyn, Jase, and Shae a half smile before twisting the lid and taking a sip. My stomach objected to the water and the sudden descent.

  Rafael rubbed my back while I heaved into a small bag. My stomach was completely empty, so the bag wasn’t even necessary.

  “How long does food poisoning last?” I’d been vomiting for nineteen hours.

  “One, maybe two, days,” Kadyn answered.

  “Maybe it’s the flu.” Shae’s knee bounced while she chewed her bottom lip.

  Rafael felt my forehead, my cheek, and the back of my neck. “She feels clammy.”

  My stomach lurched when the plane lost altitude.

  “My apologies,” Captain Anderson announced. “We’re in for a bumpy ride until we pass through these rain clouds.”

  Jase’s fists clenched against the armrests. “I think you should go straight to the hospital.”

  I grasped Rafael’s arm. “I don’t want to go to the hospital. Please? Just let me sleep in your bed tonight. If I’m not better by tomorrow morning, I’ll go. I… I just don’t want anyone sticking me with needles right now.”

  He eyed me uncertainly until I burst into tears. “Kristine? Oh, God, please don’t cry. I… I won’t take you to the hospital tonight.”

  I breathed a small sigh of relief until we hit turbulence again. My fingers locked around his arm. I was so consumed with praying for a safe landing, I forgot all about the nausea.

  * * * * *

  I pulled the handle down on the toilet. I stared at the mini cyclone of water with disgust. All that effort to drink a glass of water wasted. There was no avoiding the hospital now. I pushed off the toilet and swayed.

  Rafael caught me. My feet flew out from under me when he lifted me in his arms. “The hospital it is then.”

  “I’m still in my pajamas,” I croaked. I’d ruined my voice hours ago.

  “They see naked and half-naked people at the hospital all the time.” He yanked a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around me.

  “Not me,” I whined. “I don’t want to be naked in front of a bunch of strangers. I don’t care how many degrees they’ve earned. I don’t want my bottom hanging out in one of those raggedy hospital gowns. Don’t let them take my panties away, and don’t make me wear that godawful gown.”

  Shae rose from the couch. “You’re taking her to the hospital?”

  “Finally,” Jase growled.

  “I’m going with you.” Shae grabbed her purse.

  Rafael shook his head. “You should stay here unless you want to be quarantined.”

  “Quarantined?” My head lolled against Rafael’s shoulder.

  “We’ve been exposed to all the same people and places. If this is Cholera or Ebola, they may quarantine us,” Rafael answered.

  “Ebola?” Shae squeaked.

  “There’s been an Ebola outbreak in Liberia. I don’t know that the virus has spread to Sierra Leone, but the hospital may take extra precautions since the two countries border one another.” Jase tugged a leather jacket over his shoulders.

  “You’re going?” Kadyn stood uncertainly.

  “Of course.” Jase scowled. “I’m her bodyguard. I go where she goes.”

  “He’s my healer,” I giggled.

  In three long strides, Rafael collected his jacket, cell phone, keys, and a large plastic bowl. He opened the door. “We’ll let you know as soon as we hear anything.”

  “Stop spinning,” I whispered.

  His eyes cut sharply toward mine. “I’m not moving.”

  “Hide under the table,” I pleaded.

  His eyes widened.

  “Earthquake,” I whimpered.

  My body fell limp before he made it to the elevator.

  * * * * *

  Death. I was pretty certain this was death.

  “Sierra Leone,” Rafael said.

  Sierra Leone? I thought we left Sierra Leone. I held very still and pretended like I was dead.

  Murmuring and hushed voices sounded all around.

  I strained to hear.

  “Mumble… mumble… Cholera.”

  I swallowed hard. My throat was parched.

  Beeping. God, I hated that sound.

  “Ebola,” someone groaned.

  “Ouch!” I swatted at the person who lifted my eyelid. The imbecile burned a hole through my retina with his pen.

  “We’re going to have to draw blood,” the masked man said.

  “Well, you’re not getting it from my eye.” I curled into a tight little ball after scooting to the other side of the bed.

  “We should take additional precautions,” his sidekick suggested. “Would you like to be quarantined with her or in a separate room?”

  I started heaving again.

  “We’d prefer to be together.” Rafael pulled me to his chest as he slid next to me in the bed. “Can’t you give her something for the nausea?”

  “I’d like to know what we’re dealing with,” the man hedged.

  Jase stood to his full height. “She’s completely dehydrated. Order IV fluids.”

  I frow
ned. Something about this experience felt familiar.

  Sleep claimed me before I could pinpoint what it was.

  * * * * *

  Rafael’s hand brushed soothingly against my forehead. “How are you feeling?”

  “Better,” I acknowledged tiredly. “How long have I been out?”

  He scooted closer, until our noses were touching. “Six hours. They’ve been running IV fluids and anti-nausea medicine. Do you feel nauseous?”

  I stopped to think about it. “No, not really.”

  “The Zofran must be working,” Jase noted with some relief.

  Rafael’s arms tightened around me. “The infectious disease doctor was here a few hours ago. The rapid test for Cholera came back negative. He doesn’t believe this is Ebola since you aren’t vomiting any blood. They’re still running the bloodwork to be certain.”

  A doctor stepped through the sliding glass door. He was gloved, gowned, and masked to the hilt. “Sorry about the ensemble. The droplet precaution is still in place until we receive the remaining bloodwork, which won’t be until sometime tomorrow.” He eyed Rafael and Jase. “How are you two feeling?”

  Rafael climbed out of bed. “I feel fine.”

  “Me too,” Jase answered.

  He approached the bed. “I’m pleased to see you are awake, Ms. Stone. I’m Doctor Cordeiro, the infectious disease specialist for the Hospital da Luz. How are you feeling?”

  “Better.” I fidgeted with the blanket, which was tangled around my waist.

  “May I speak freely about your test results?” Amusement danced in his eyes.

  “Yes, of course,” I replied.

  “We have ruled out Malaria, Influenza A and B, and Cholera. We are still waiting on the lab results, but I don’t believe you have Ebola.” He glanced at the nurse, who was wheeling in a monitor and a keyboard draped in plastic.

  My brow furrowed while I studied the machine.

  “Given the sudden onset, the intensity, and the fever that accompanied your vomiting, I believe you contracted food poisoning, but there’s a complicating factor that aggravated these symptoms. May I?” Doctor Cordeiro tucked the blanket around my hips after lifting the hospital gown a few inches. “I’ll admit this is a bit outside my area of expertise.”