Page 40 of Vaquero
“Yeah, and that mean man won’t let me sing to him and—”
“Ah, there you are!” Craig called out from the end of the passageway, his face red with worry. He’d been running. He was out of breath. “Little Scallywag,” he teased once he’d caught up. “Thought I’d lost you. Where’s Pepe?” he asked Meg.
She shook her head, heading off upsetting Maria any more, as she picked Maria up and cuddled her. For the first time since she’d been kidnapped, this sweet little girl smelled the way a frilly little girl should smell, of soap and shampoo and squeaky clean hair. “He’s still in Brazil, somewhere. How bad is Dom?”
“I really thought you’d find him.” Craig made a sad face.
“But Oz is dead. I know that for sure. I saw it with my own eyes. Julio ended him. Pepe will be safe until I can get back.” Man, she wanted to believe that.
But Craig’s unblinking stare told Meg he didn’t believe her. She swallowed hard. She didn’t believe it, either. Wherever he was, Pepe was alone, and the Highlands of Minas Gerais was no place for a lost ten-year-old. Damn Charlie for making her leave when she’d still had work to do.
Craig cleared his throat. “Well, it’s good to have you back at least. And you’re right. Once you rest and get something to eat, I’ll see if we can fly back and search for Pepe. But no, Dom is not dying. Yes, he’s been in sickbay since we arrived, but that’s because he’s getting a thorough check-up. He’ll need to stay there awhile.”
“They’re being mean to him,” Maria murmured around the fingers in her mouth.
“Ah, little one, the medics aren’t being mean to him. They’re helping him. Come see.” He held out his hand for her to take.
Maria shook her head, content to stay with Meg.
“But they did start him on an IV, didn’t they?” he asked. Then to Meg he said, “That’s what upset Maria, seeing the Corpsmen insert that needle into his skinny little arm. Poor boy’s anemic, plus a couple other things. They’ve taken blood tests. We never knew.”
“I need to see him.”
“And you shall, if I can find my way back to sickbay, that is. This place is one giant maze. Sometimes I have to go upstairs to go down a level. It’s a crazy boat, but I’m learning Navy life.”
“It’s a ship,” Maria whispered around her soggy fingers.
Meg kissed the girl’s cheek, grinning at Craig. “Ship, Craig. The Navy builds ships and carriers, not boats.”
He snapped a decent salute at Maria. “Aye, aye, captain.”
Finally in sickbay, Meg nearly lost control when she saw two medics leaning over Dom. They were so big and imposing. So male. He was skinny and small. His eyes big, the whites showing. Poor little guy!
She’d barely regained a modicum of restraint when one of them spoke to Dom in fluent Portuguese. Then more, once she heard Dom’s soft reply. He didn’t sound frightened. The rest of her fears evaporated when she finally caught sight of him staring up at the medic. His eyes were loaded with hero-worship, and his cheeks were pink, but that smile...
“Mum!” he whispered excitedly when she came into view.
Setting Maria to the floor, Meg leaned over the bed and kissed his forehead. He’d been bathed. He smelled as good as Maria. “How do you feel?” she asked in English.
The medic who’d been speaking with Dom instantly translated, which made Dom’s eyes sparkle. “My mum,” he rasped, stretching his hand to her face as if introducing her.
That was a first. Meg cupped his thin fingers and pressed them to her cheek. Tears glistened like diamonds caught in the corners of her eyes. “I am so happy to see you, my brave, brave boy.”If only I could have saved Pepe…
Again, the kindly medic translated, and again, Dom’s lips curled with a tiny smile.
The other medic offered introductions. “Miss Duncan, I’m Corpsman Giacomo. Assisting me today is SAR Corpsman… Excuse me, I meant to say Search and Rescue Corpsman Daniel Shaw.”
“I know how you guys work. I’m former Army,” she told him. “So, what’s up with my boy?”
Corpsman Giacomo’s blue eyes softened. “Your boy has tuberculosis, ma’am. I’m assuming that you, as an American citizen and a foreign-aid worker, have already been inoculated against TB?”
“You bet. I was Army, been inoculated against everything, even anthrax. The TB shot lasts fifteen years, right?”
“Yes, ma’am, it does. Mr. Brunner already shared what little he knows of Dominic’s family history. We suspect he came to your orphanage already sick with this disease, meaning a family member, possibly one of his parents or siblings, contaminated him. That might be how he became orphaned. We’ve already started him on a strong FDC, err, sorry, ma’am. An FDC is a fixed dose combination of the four strongest TB drugs on the market. But this little guy will need constant adult supervision for the next few months. He’ll need to be weighed daily, and his health must be closely monitored. Every ounce he gains is a good thing, but as he gains weight, he’ll also require stronger doses of drugs. They may even need to be adjusted daily once he starts to fatten up.”
She ran a hand over her bare head. “Wow. TB. That’s bad.” Pepe’s mother had also died of tuberculosis, but she knew for a fact Dom and Pepe were not related.
“Yes, but it’s not the death sentence it once was. Technology and drugs have come a long way.”
