They thanked the priest and promised to return for services. The electricity was still out, but he had more jars of peanut butter and plenty of water to survive on. The church was somewhat remote. This part of the island once held small, locally owned shops that had closed once the big malls opened.
Nico had a rain poncho in his emergency backpack and gave it to her. His windbreaker was relatively dry. The wind whipped at them as they walked away from the church. The rain was lighter than it had been, but it still stung their faces.
“Let’s see if my truck is still where I left it. It’ll be our best bet.”
For once, luck was on their side. The wind was at their backs and propelled them forward. They made it to the truck in less than an hour, but that was when their luck ended. His truck was flipped on its side.
“We’ll have to hike back to the field hospital,” Anna said.
He shook his head. “Let’s flip it and see if it’ll start.”
She stared at him. “How are you going to flip this thing?”
He put his hand on one of the tires. “The old-fashioned way. Sometimes you just have to power through things.”
“That QuikClot stuff isn’t going to hold. I need to restitch you, Nico. It’ll be safer to walk.”
But would he listen to her? Of course not. Once he got an idea in his head, he charged forward with it. Like buying the house in Tumon, and the land in Talofofo.
“The field hospital moved to the school for shelter,” he said. “That’s four miles. We need the car.”
He went around the side of the truck and began pushing. Sighing, she joined him. The vehicle wouldn’t budge. Without waiting for permission, she lifted his jacket and shirt to check on his wound. As she suspected, he was bleeding again. An infection was a given, especially after her shoddy care last night.
What was going on with her? Even in the most austere environments, her medicine was always the best the conditions would allow. How could she have let him spend the night without properly dressing the wound? But she hadn’t been herself yesterday. Years of exhaustion had descended on her like an avalanche. She hadn’t been able to think or process clearly.
Now, in the cold, wet morning, her rational side was kicking in, and not just to assess her medical skills. She wanted to analyze the kiss they’d shared the night before. She hadn’t kissed Nico goodbye when she’d left. At the time, she couldn’t handle looking at him, let alone being near him. Knowing he would come to take her to the airport, she’d slunk away early. In the moment, it had seemed like the right decision, but as the years went by, she found herself longing for a proper goodbye. One where she could fill her heart with his love so she could remember it forever. He had needed it too.
“Nico! You have to stop.”
But he wouldn’t listen, so she pushed with all her might. As she felt the truck begin to tip, both she and Nico gave it everything they had. The rig crashed back onto the road, miraculously on four inflated tires. Nico brushed his hands on his jeans and retrieved the keys from his backpack. He turned the engine over and it coughed but didn’t catch.
He popped the hood and bent over the engine. Just then she heard the unmistakable sound of a siren. It was a fire truck. She raised her hands and waved, and Nico did the same. The truck stopped.
“Nico!”
“Benito!”
The two men hugged and kissed each other on the cheek. Anna smiled. All around the world, she’d witnessed men affectionately greet each other in a way that seemed completely natural. Yet Stateside, that kind of affection was a cultural oddity, replaced with chest bumps and weird handshakes.
“You crazy man, what you doing out here?” Benito was a big, burly guy who looked vaguely familiar. Anna was sure she’d met him at some point; Nico seemed to know everyone on the island, but she’d never been able to keep up.
“Rescuing a princess. Now, can you give me a ride and maybe tow this thing?”
“Sure thing, man. I’ve been towing idiots like you all night.”
Nico punched him playfully.
“Yo, Anna!” Benito turned his attention to her. She nodded and stuck out her hand, but he gathered her in a bear hug. She didn’t dare ask if they’d met before. Obviously they had, and he’d take it as a great insult if she suggested she didn’t remember.
“I gotta drag your butts back to Talofofo.”
“Talofofo? I need to get back to base camp,” Anna said.
“Yeah, there ain’t no base camp anymore. The school flooded so we’ve been moving all the patients to your new hospital.”
That was apparently all Nico needed to hear to get into gear. He worked with Benito to fashion a tow hitch to attach to his truck. Once everything was ready to go, Anna got into the back of the fire engine while Nico sat in the passenger seat.
Benito had been tasked with driving around the island to see if anyone needed help. He had a working sat phone and Nico wasted no time calling the hospital, but the phones just rang.
“They got their hands full, man. Where were you all night anyway?” Benito looked pointedly at Anna, but neither of them was going to take the bait.
Benito’s phone crackled. It was Maria, so Nico snatched the phone away.
“I’m heading back,” was the first thing he said.
“Is Anna with you?”
“Yes.”
“You need to take her and go to Troy Jenkins’s house. They need help. He just called from an inland payphone that’s still working. He’s on his way back home now.”
“Roger that.”
Anna went into physician mode, thinking of all the supplies a fire truck would have on board for medical care. She noticed that the backseat had a bench where three to four firefighters could sit. All trucks carried a backboard, which she could lay across the bench to transport a critically ill or injured patient.
The fire truck was far more efficient at getting through the weather and over the terrain. Anna recognized landmarks as they passed. Memories of her and Nico exploring the island flooded her mind. The littered streets disappeared, replaced in her imagination by flowering bushes of bougainvillea and the sweet smell of jasmine. The roar of the ocean as it crashed into jagged rocks. Nico had seen every sight, but he’d marveled with her as if it was his first time too. Like they were discovering the island together. That was 2,787 days ago. A different lifetime for her.
They arrived at the Jenkinses’ house and Anna jumped out of the truck at the same time as Nico. It was a rambler that looked to be in relatively good shape, which wasn’t too surprising, considering it was inland and at somewhat of an elevation. The front door opened and a woman rushed out with a baby in her arms. It didn’t take Anna long to recognize both the woman and the baby from a few days ago when she’d first arrived at the field hospital. The woman thrust the baby at Anna but her arms remained frozen by her side. The woman was screaming, but Anna couldn’t hear anything above the pounding in her ears.
She watched as Benito took the baby. Nico turned her around and pushed her back toward the fire truck. He was saying something but it took her a moment to process the words. They wanted her to save the baby. Didn’t they know? She couldn’t be trusted.
Then Nico was face-to-face with her.
“Anna!” Through the intolerable pain seizing her chest, she heard his voice. Felt his arms go around her and squeeze her tightly. She gasped and a lungful of air went in. The pounding lessened.
“We need your help.”
She looked into Nico’s eyes; big, brown, warm eyes the color of dark chocolate. He cupped her face in his hands. “You can do this. We need you. The baby needs you. Please, Anna.”
Blinking, she turned from him. He ushered her into the fire truck. Benito was in the back, adjusting an oxygen tank to blow air into a mask too big for the baby’s face.
/> Something snapped inside her as she took in the baby’s blue lips. “Do you have a pediatric bag valve mask?”
“Baby’s breathing.”
“Not enough.” Anna put her fingers on the baby’s arm, checking her brachial pulse. It was weak but steady at about a hundred beats per minute, which was within normal range. She estimated that the baby was maybe five or six months old. Her breathing was shallow, though. Putting her mouth on the baby’s she gave a small puff of air, then waited a few seconds and gave another.
“I don’t have a pediatric bag valve.”
“Then I suggest you get me to the hospital fast.”
“Is she going to be all right?” Anna registered the speaker as the baby’s mother. Nico gently steered the woman to the front of the truck.
“Aurelia, where’s Troy?”
“He’s not back yet.”
“We need to go,” Anna screamed in between breaths.
Benito didn’t waste any time. He floored the accelerator. The baby had been on the bench but Anna picked her up to make sure she didn’t fall or get hurt during the ride. Nico grabbed Anna and helped her into a seat, buckling her in as the fire truck rocked. He reached up to steady himself on a handhold and as his jacket lifted, Anna noted blood.
She continued blowing little breaths into the baby, her training overriding the painful contractions of her heart as she held the limp body in her arms.
“Nico, you’re bleeding.”
“I’m okay, Anna. What do you need?”
“Stethoscope.”
He took the stethoscope from the bag Benito had left and put the earpieces on for her. He unbuttoned the little onesie the baby was in and placed the bell on the baby’s chest. Anna positioned it in the right spot and listened. It didn’t take long to find the problem, and her own chest tightened so painfully, she wasn’t sure she had any air left to give.
Nico touched her cheek, and she felt wetness under his finger as he wiped her tears. “You can do this.” She nodded and blew another breath into the baby who would probably die.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
ANNA DIDN’T KNOW what to expect when they got to the hospital, but it wasn’t this. It seemed the entire island was here. Tents had been pitched on the front lawn and there were masses of people on the first floor mopping and cleaning out debris. Even Nico appeared taken aback by the chaos as they walked in with the baby.
Dr. Tucker was waiting for them. She had a pediatric bag valve mask and immediately put it on the baby’s face and squeezed the bag. Anna handed over the baby to a waiting nurse and watched her carry the baby upstairs. At a loss for what to do, Anna stood frozen in the foyer.
She didn’t know how long she just stood there, waiting for her heart to slow down, until a nurse gently shook her arm. “Dr. Atao, the echo confirmed your diagnosis. Come on, we have an OR ready for you.”
What? She stared at the nurse, bewildered.
“The baby, she’s critical. We need you in the surgical suites now.”
No, I can’t. I really can’t. The words were on her lips but her voice box was locked. Then Nico’s arms were around her waist, propelling her forward. “Anna, you’re the only one here with pediatrics training.”
Her legs moved on autopilot. Before she knew it, they were in a prep room and Nico was right beside her, helping her scrub her hands, fingernails and arms. He gowned her, then handed her a mask and cap for her head. “You can do this. You’re the only one here who can.”
How could he believe that? I’ll kill her. Don’t make me do this. She looked through the glass windows into the OR. The baby’s unconscious form seemed so tiny on the large OR gurney.
“I need you with me.”
He nodded, already scrubbing his own hands. She walked into the OR.
“Anna, it’s good to see you again.”
She turned to see Ajay Balachandra. The doctor who had pronounced Lucas dead. He was a short, bald man with dark skin. No one knew how old he really was; people joked that he could be forty or a hundred and forty. He’d been a staple on the island for over ten years, one of the most competent doctors they had. Hailing from India, the man had remained a bachelor, content to spend his days—and often nights—working. “Listen, I know this is difficult for you so I’m here to assist. As you remember, I’m an internist, so surgery is a leap for me. Pediatric surgery...” He shook his head. “No way. But I’m here to assist.”
Why did he get to take the easy road but she had to step up? That’s how it had been five years ago too. All of the resident physicians had shaken their heads at the idea of doing the surgery on Lucas. Even the one general surgeon had refused. Nobody wanted the liability of a pediatric death. So why did she have to be the one to take it on herself? If they could refuse, why couldn’t she?
Then she looked at the little baby on the operating table. Dr. Tucker had already intubated her, and a small tube protruded from her tiny throat. A ventilator pushed the perfect amount of air into her lungs. Anna automatically checked the monitor. Her oxygen saturation was 91 percent. Not bad, but not the greatest. For healthy babies, it was 99 to 100 percent. She was hanging on, but wouldn’t for long. Babies took a long time to decompensate, but when they did, they crashed hard. That’s how Lucas had been.
“I have faith in you, Anna,” Nico said behind her. “Please. This is Troy and Aurelia’s first baby. Her name is Emma. They need you to try.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and she leaned against him. She looked at the clock on the wall. One thousand eight hundred and fifty eight days and three hours since she’d been in an operating room. There was no viewing gallery here. But other than that, it was the same sterile space. The same expectant eyes looking at her to perform a miracle.
“Dr. Atao, I’m here, as well. We can do this.” She glanced at Dr. Tucker. The woman nodded encouragingly. But it was Nico’s hand on the small of her back that propelled Anna to step forward. The hole in Emma’s heart was not as big as Lucas’s had been. It was a small repair, but if she didn’t do it, the baby would die. There was no ambiguity in this situation, Emma was already at death’s door.
Anna asked for a scalpel. Her hands didn’t tremble this time. She made a clean, smooth cut.
CHAPTER TWELVE
NICO WATCHED AS Anna cut into the baby’s chest. He didn’t know how she did it, but he knew she had it in her. Anna had incredible inner strength. Through the ordeal with Lucas, she’d been a rock. After the airlines went on strike, he’d lost hope and had begun preparing for Lucas to die. He’d gotten ready to say goodbye. But not Anna. When one plan failed, she came up with another. His Anna would never back down from saving someone; he knew she wouldn’t have let Baby Emma die without trying to save her. No matter how hard it was.
When it was clear she didn’t need him anymore, he quietly slipped out. Maria was waiting for him in the scrub room. He hesitated for a second, unsure of what to do. Under normal circumstances, he’d greet her with a hug and kiss but after all that had happened in the past twenty-four hours, seeing Maria put him off balance. As if sensing his uncertainty, she stepped back.
Taking off his mask, gloves and gown, he trashed them, then turned to her. “How did you pull this off?” The last time he’d seen this OR, the lights weren’t working.
“Tom asked the US Disaster Management Assistance Team to set up shop here when the PHS lost their field hospital.” Her eyes were bright with excitement. “You should see how these guys operate. They came with their own generators, communication systems and supplies. Oh, my god, you should see what all they brought. We have a full working hospital. Tom and I were up all night getting everyone situated.”
“Tom?”
“The governor.”
“You’re on a first-name basis with him?” He quirked a brow, wondering whether the governor was the one who had put th
e brilliant smile on her face. Rather than feeling jealous, he was actually happy. For days now, he felt as if he’d been ignoring Maria, wrapped up as he was in everything going on with Anna and the disaster relief efforts.
“Yeah, after he spent the night with me.” Her response was cheeky, and he smiled.
“Was he as good as they say?”
She sighed dramatically. “Even better.” Then more seriously she gave him an update on what had transpired the night before. “Ingrid died early this morning. Leo’s doing okay, but his blood pressure is high. Dr. Balachandra says he’s not critical but I have a feeling he’s not going to make it through tonight. He keeps talking about a double funeral.”
“Any word from the coroner about getting us some space?”
She shook her head. “No, and our morgue is full. I hate to do this, but I told the orderlies to start double stacking bodies.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Is the governor still here?” She shook her head. Nico did not want to disrespect the dead, but it would be a while before the funeral home could come to take them away. His backup generator that kept the morgue cool would only last one more day. They needed more propane. Hopefully the incoming relief organizations would have some he could use but he knew they usually brought just enough to power their own equipment.
“And we have another problem.”
Just one?
“Mr. Cooley needs his dialysis and our machine isn’t ready yet.”
His vision was getting hazy. Maria’s lips were moving, but why wasn’t he hearing anything? Then it all went black.
* * *
ANNA CHECKED THE CLOCK. Fifty-three minutes. It was time to close. Baby Emma had survived the surgery. She hadn’t died on the table. As she stitched her chest, Anna realized something. “Dr. Balachandra.” Her eyes were glued to the little square of exposed chest and the magnifying glass that let her use the teeny tiny needle.
“Yes?”
“You stitched Lucas closed, didn’t you?”
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