Touched by Angels

by Jennifer Taylor

  Meg handed the little girl the pad she’d found tucked away in the supply cupboard and left her to start on another of her pictures. The hospital bay was beginning to resemble an art gallery with Katu’s pictures taped to all the walls. She’d been on board almost a week now and they’d travelled some distance from the area where she’d been found. However, the child didn’t seem at all upset about the change in her circumstances, happily coping with every new development with a quiet acceptance that Meg envied.

  If only she could cope so happily with all the turmoil which seemed to have occurred in her life of late, she would feel a lot happier!

  Now she concentrated fiercely on what Jack had said because she knew how quickly her mind could start wandering if it was given the chance. Ever since the night she’d told Katu that fairy-story she’d felt as though she were on an emotional roller-coaster. The fact that Jack had never again mentioned the conversation they’d had about him getting to grips with his personal life only added to her confusion. Frankly, she didn’t know what was going on but she’d be damned if she’d let him know that!

  ‘If we can’t treat her here she’ll need to be transferred to a hospital.’ She frowned as she considered that idea. ‘It won’t be in Oncamba, though, will it?’

  ‘No. The few hospitals there are in the country simply aren’t geared up for this kind of operation.’ Jack tapped his teeth with a square-cut fingernail while he pondered the problem. ‘I could find out if they’d admit her to a hospital in Johannesburg, but what I’d really like to do is have her sent back to England.’

  ‘England?’ Meg couldn’t hide her surprise.

  ‘Uh-huh. The best man for a job like this is Patrick Wilde. He’s a real artist when it comes to this type of surgery. If I could get in contact with him I’m sure he’d agree to take Katu as a patient.’

  ‘But wouldn’t there be problems with immigration and other red tape?’ she suggested.

  ‘Not so long as we can assure the relevant authorities that the child will be returning home after treatment.’ Jack smiled. ‘I’ve done this before and usually there’s someone who will bend the rules just a little!’

  He held his finger and thumb a tiny way apart to show how little it needed and Meg laughed. ‘Then go for it! It’s in Katu’s best interests after all. But what about the costs involved? It costs a fortune for an air ambulance and then the operation will need to be done privately, not on the NHS.’

  ‘Oh, leave that to me. Patrick will undoubtedly waive his fees and we can work round the rest of the costs involved. As for getting her back to England, I’m sure I can come up with something.’ Jack glanced back at the bed and his face softened when he looked at the child. ‘It just needs a bit of working out and then I’m sure we’ll find a solution.’

  Maybe he could find one for her dilemma while he was at it, Meg thought wryly as she went back to admire the picture Katu had drawn. He seemed a master at working out problems so it should be simple for him to solve hers, although that was supposing she decided exactly what the problem was, of course.

  Jack seemed to have accepted her as a member of his team and that was one blessing. It was whether she wanted him to see her as a woman as well as a colleague which was the real thorny issue. Part of her did and part of her didn’t because she was afraid of what she might be letting herself in for. She was attracted to him, liked him and had certainly enjoyed kissing him. Those were the pros but the cons were equally relevant.

  He seemed to like her and was attracted to her as well. It was also obvious that kissing her hadn’t been exactly a chore. But would he ever get over his ex-wife? He’d seemed to imply that he could the other night but since then he’d not said a word on the subject, which left her…where? Rudderless. Drifting. Mixed up.

  Meg sighed as she left Katu to her drawing and went to set up for that day’s surgery. Life had been so simple before she’d met Jack Trent!

  It was just on lunchtime when Lesley came hurrying into the consulting room after a perfunctory knock on the door. ‘Jack, can you come, please?’

  He didn’t waste time asking questions as he turned to Meg. ‘Can you carry on here, please?’

  ‘Of course.’ She watched him hurry after Lesley, wondering what was wrong. But she would find out in all good time, she assumed, so she turned to their patient with a reassuring smile.

  Apart from the problem of trachoma, one of the other main areas they were focusing on was the worrying number of cases of cervical cancer amongst Oncamban women. It was a huge problem throughout many developing countries, accounting for numerous deaths. Jack and Guy were treating it as a major issue on this trip.

  Part of their brief was to train medical aid workers already in the field. Because the usual screening methods were too expensive and complex in countries with poor health-care facilities, they were using a simpler method.

  The technique of wiping the cervix with diluted acetic acid—vinegar, to give it its common name—was both simple and cheap. The acetic acid turned tissue containing precancerous and cancerous cells white so that they could be detected through visual inspection. Any woman suspected of having an abnormality could then be referred for further tests to one of the new primary care clinics which were being set up throughout the country.

  It would be a couple of years before the system was running smoothly but Meg was as keen as the others to make sure that proper training was given to everyone involved in the project. Now she made sure that the young woman who was sitting in on their session that morning understood the procedure and what she was looking for.

  ‘After swabbing the cervix with the diluted acid, you must check carefully for any signs which indicate there might be a problem.’ She smiled reassuringly at the patient, a young woman named Sabatu, who was in her mid-thirties. ‘This won’t take long, Sabatu. Just relax.’

  The young woman smiled as she settled back on the couch while Meg carefully carried out her examination, using a speculum to widen the opening to her vagina. She swabbed the area with the diluted acid then checked it carefully. She couldn’t detect any abnormalities and was able to pass on the good news to the patient.

  ‘That all looks fine, Sabatu. Thank you. But make sure that you visit your clinic in a couple of years’ time and have another check-up. It really is important.’

  Sabatu climbed gracefully down from the couch. ‘Thank you, Dr Meg,’ she said quietly. She spoke wonderful English and had told them that she’d been a teacher at one of the mission schools before it had been closed down, and that she was hoping to start teaching again once the school was reopened. ‘My mother died of cervical cancer and I do not want the same thing to happen to me, you understand.’

  ‘I do, indeed. Having the tests done at regular intervals will help enormously. Cervical cancer can be treated effectively so long as it’s detected at an early stage.’

  Meg sighed as the young woman took her leave. ‘That must be one saying we all repeat over and over, worldwide. It’s so frustrating when a woman dies of cervical cancer when it can be treated so successfully.’

  Miriam Dupré, the aid worker, gave a very Gallic shrug. ‘Women seem to think it is wrong to take time to care for themselves, oui? They are always too busy caring for everyone else!’

  Meg laughed ruefully as she stripped the paper sheet off the couch. ‘That just about sums it up! We’re our own worst enemies, aren’t we?’ She checked her watch. ‘Anyway, how about lunch? We can run through this again while we eat if you have any more questions, although you’ve seen how simple it is.’

  ‘That will be good. Will Jack be there, too?’ Miriam smiled pensively. ‘Not that I am wanting to ask him too many questions about our work, you understand? It would be a shame to waste all our time on such matters.’

  The lilt in her voice told Meg very clearly what Miriam would have liked to spend her time doing. She forced herself to smile but it was an effort all the same. The other woman’s obvious interest in Jack made her feel extrem
ely possessive! Not that she had any right to feel that way, of course. No right whatsoever, in fact. That thought didn’t help one bit.

  ‘We’ll have to wait and see. I rather think there’s some sort of crisis so he might be too busy to bother about lunch.’

  There was a definite hint of so there! in her voice. She quickly turned away when she saw the other woman give her a speculative look. ‘Anyway, come along, Miriam. We’ll go and see what we can rustle up.’

  ‘Merci, Meg. And I apologise. I did not understand about you and Jack, you see.’ Once again there was that Gallic shrug which said far more than it should have done. Meg hesitated, wondering if she should set the Frenchwoman straight. After all, there was no her and Jack, not in those terms, anyway.

  The urge to be fair lasted less than a second before Meg smiled and gave a shrug of her own, leaving it up to Miriam to interpret it however she chose. She hadn’t actually told a lie, she told herself to quieten her noisy conscience when Miriam uttered a regretful sigh. She’d just put a slight spin on the facts, that was all.

  Why? a small voice inside her head whispered. Why had she felt it necessary to do so? Could she have been jealous at the thought of the attractive Frenchwoman making a play for Jack?

  She pushed open the kitchen door with a touch more force than was necessary, refusing to answer either of those questions. What was it the Americans said when they didn’t want to answer a question in a court of law, that they would plead the Fifth Amendment? Well, she was doing so now!

  Lunch was nearly over when Jack appeared, looking very grim. Miriam perked up as soon as she saw him but he didn’t appear to have noticed she was there, Meg realised with a satisfaction she certainly shouldn’t have felt. However, such shameful thoughts soon fled when she realised that they had a crisis on their hands.

  ‘Bill Tranter is in the hospital bay. He’s not at all well from the look of him,’ Jack announced bluntly.

  ‘What’s wrong with him?’ Meg asked, getting up to pour Jack a cup of tea. Bill was the train’s chief engineer and driver, a pleasant man in his late forties who adored his job. He spent all his free time fiddling with various bits of machinery to ensure that it continued running smoothly. Consequently, Meg had only spoken to him half a dozen or so times but she was concerned to hear this unexpected news.

  ‘I’m not sure yet. I’ve taken bloods and Alison is going to run them through all the usual tests. Bill’s feverish and wheezing badly. He’s very lethargic and has a lot of muscle pain.’ Jack ran his hand round the back of his neck and sighed. ‘He was on the verge of passing out when Lesley found him in the corridor.’

  ‘Maybe malaria?’ Meg suggested thoughtfully.

  ‘I wondered about that but the symptoms aren’t quite right…’ Jack shook his head. ‘Anyway, Bill swears he’s been taking his antimalarial tablets and Sam backs him up,’ he added, referring to the other man who helped keep the train running smoothly.

  ‘Then let’s hope Alison comes up with something, although I don’t know what’s going to happen if Bill is ill for any length of time,’ Meg observed worriedly. ‘Who’s going to drive the train for us? The local men he’s been training haven’t got enough experience yet, I wouldn’t have thought.’

  ‘That’s my main concern, too. We’re going to be really stuck if Bill is out of action for very long. The whole success of this mission rests on him being fit enough to carry on driving for us.’ Jack shook his head. ‘Just when things were going so well, too.’

  ‘Maybe you could ask for someone else to fly out here and help you?’ Miriam suggested with a charming smile. ‘There must be some other person who can drive this train, n’est-ce pas?’

  ‘That’s what I’m hoping if it comes down to it.’ Jack’s smile was warm when he looked at the Frenchwoman. Meg felt a spurt of irritation when she saw it. She quickly clamped down on the feeling as she excused herself and went to see how Bill was doing. It wasn’t right to feel so possessive about Jack. Neither had it been right to mislead Miriam the way she had. What was happening to her? Why was she acting this way?

  She pushed open the hospital bay door with a sigh. So many questions and so few answers. One day soon she would get it all sorted out with a bit of luck!

  Lesley had just finished giving Bill a drink when Meg arrived. He managed a wobbly smile but it was obvious that he was feeling very ill.

  ‘Sorry about this,’ he muttered between wheezing coughs. ‘I feel a right fool, letting you all down.’

  ‘Don’t be silly, Bill. You can’t help being ill.’ Meg nodded when Lesley muttered about getting something to eat. She pulled over a chair and sat down as the other woman hurried away. Katu was fast asleep and she had a few minutes to spare before going back to work.

  ‘I don’t suppose so but it still feels wrong to be lying here.’ Bill coughed violently again then sank weakly back against the pillows. ‘Not that I’d be much help in this state. What’s worrying me is how you’re going to manage with me laid up. Those chaps aren’t ready to drive the train without supervision.’

  ‘Maybe Sam could supervise them?’ Meg suggested, not wanting him to worry.

  ‘Oh, I don’t know about that.’ Bill didn’t sound too keen on the idea so Meg didn’t pursue it. It was obvious that he was feeling pretty rotten so she didn’t stay long and just made sure that he had everything he needed before she left him to rest.

  Jack and Miriam were already in the consulting room, examining another patient. Meg felt a bit like a spare part when the Frenchwoman claimed his attention by asking endless questions. Any scruples Miriam might have had about cutting in had obviously flown out of the window, Meg thought sourly, handing the other woman a dish of diluted acetic acid.

  Her mouth thinned at the thought and she turned away, only to pause when she caught sight of the twinkle in Jack’s eyes. What did he have to laugh about? she wondered, sending up a fervent prayer that she wasn’t the source of his amusement. Did Jack suspect that she was annoyed because the other woman was paying him so much attention?

  The idea was like a dousing of cold water. She kept her mind firmly on her work for the rest of the day!

  ‘There’s nothing shown up so far. Of course, it needs a bit longer to complete all the tests but I think we can safely rule out malaria.’

  It was early the next morning and Alison had popped in with the results of Bill’s blood tests she’d managed to collect so far. Jack sighed as he sank onto the end of the examination couch and read through her findings.

  ‘So I see. There’s no trace of microorganisms in the cultures either. I just wish I knew what was wrong with him,’ he declared.

  ‘Maybe it’s some sort of non-specific viral infection,’ Meg suggested as Alison hurried away.

  ‘Maybe. But I don’t want to be too hasty by making assumptions. Let’s go and take another look at him, shall we? Then put our heads together and see if we can come up with the right answer.’ Jack grinned as he opened the door for her. ‘Two heads are better than one, or so the saying goes.’

  Meg laughed softly. Jack had been in a surprisingly good mood that morning, given the problems they faced with Bill out of action. They had been due to move from their present location that day but now that wouldn’t be possible. Sam had made no bones about the fact that he didn’t think he was experienced enough to supervise the trainee drivers so that had put paid to that idea.

  Maybe Jack had come up with another solution and that was the reason for his buoyant mood? she thought as she followed him to the hospital bay. Or maybe it was the fact that Miriam had stayed to have dinner with them the night before and had continued to pay Jack an inordinate amount of attention? a small voice whispered. Hadn’t he said something about trying to get his personal life together? Perhaps he’d made a start on it already.

  Her own happy mood swiftly evaporated. It was an effort to smile at Lesley and Katu who were playing noughts and crosses. It was fast becoming one of Katu’s favourite games and all of t
hem took turns to play it with her whenever they had a few minutes to spare.

  She joined Jack by Bill’s bed, careful to keep her face free of expression. It wasn’t nice to realise that she could feel jealous because she’d never believed herself to be that sort of a person. However, she soon put her own problems to the back of her mind when she saw how ill poor Bill looked.

  There was no doubt that he was worse that morning, she thought worriedly, noticing how grey and drawn he looked as he lay there, coughing. She checked his chart when Jack silently handed it to her and saw immediately that his temperature was extremely high. However, he tried to put on a cheerful face when he saw them.

  ‘Two of you today, eh? Don’t know if that’s a good or a bad sign.’

  Jack grinned. ‘Only the best for one of our own, Bill. You know that.’ He pulled over a chair, indicating that Meg should do the same. ‘Right, let’s go through everything you’ve done since you arrived in Oncamba. There has to be a reason why you’re ill so let’s find it, shall we?’

  Bill groaned. ‘Now you’re asking! Don’t know if I can remember half the things I’ve done, to be honest.’

  ‘Give it a try, Bill. It might help.’ Meg added her encouragement to Jack’s and earned herself a smile. She sat on the chair, enveloped in a warm glow. It was pathetic really. All it took was a smile or a few words of praise and she was like an eager puppy, lapping them up! However, it didn’t make a scrap of difference, even knowing that.

  Bill related what he had done since he’d arrived in Oncamba. It took him some time in between bouts of coughing and sips of water. It was when he came to a bit about how he and Sam had gone swimming that Jack cut in.

  ‘When was this?’

  ‘Oh, four—five weeks ago. We’d been working flat out to make sure everything was ready for when you arrived. One of the aid workers we’d met up with told us about this lake where they all went swimming, so we decided to have an afternoon off and go along there.’