Page 89 of Totally Shipped
OK, that’s good. We’ve all got someone; it’s not as good as being altogether but I can handle it for a while.
“They keep calling me Brooke,” I whisper under my breath. “What should I do?”
“Just play along,” Leander advises. “You can always say you were delirious, but maybe try and get in touch with Brooke and your parents first. See if you can make sense of this all.”
Within a few minutes we are being greeted by a small group of people standing outside a tiny hospital. I’m guided to a wheelchair, with Thea still in my arms. Leander refuses to use the second chair and walks along beside me. A nurse wants to lead us to separate rooms, but Leander firmly tells them that wherever Thea and I are, that’s where he will be too.
“Absolutely,” says a voice. “These people have been through enough, let's not traumatize them any further.” An elderly man with kind eyes leans down towards me. “Joseph Maro, Hospital Chief. We are very happy to see you all. Is it alright if we check you and the baby out? Just a few tests.”
Leander squeezes my hand.
“OK, thanks.”
“Great, and I’ve just had a word with someone from the Embassy, who will be along soon. They’re going to assist with your return to the USA.”
“I can talk to them. You rest, sweetheart,” Leander tells me.
“I’d like to run blood work for you as well, sir. Maybe set you all up with a course of antibiotics.”
Thea is amazing, and only gives a small wail when she gets poked. After the blood work, a nurse leads us to another room, where we finally meet up with the others.
Keyara immediately runs over and coos at Thea then snuggles into my side.
“Is everyone OK?”
Before anyone answers, the door opens and a small man in a shirt and tie comes into the room.
“David Delong, US embassy.” He holds out his ID then tells us he has been briefed on our situation. I can’t concentrate on a word he’s saying, though.
“Is that…” says Rex.
“I can smell…” says Gray.
The room is filled with the aroma of fresh coffee, as a smiling young man pushes in a cart with an old-fashioned urn on top of it.
“Thought you good folk could do with some,” he grins.
It’s the best coffee I have tasted in my life. This guy is my hero.
Then a cold feeling washes over me.
Is it bad for nursing mothers to drink caffeine?
There’s so much I don’t know. One of the doctor’s had said a midwife would be calling in to see me soon. I need to start a list of questions.
To be on the safe side, I sadly forgo the coffee and concentrate on what Mr. Delong has to say. He is passing a cell phone and tablet to Killian.
“You can use this phone to make calls, or the tablet for FaceTime. Whatever you prefer. If you need help finding the phone numbers of your loved ones, let me know. The news of your rescue has not broken yet; we haven’t even told the TV company because we wanted your families to know first. I imagine you are going to have some very interesting conversations.”
He meets my eye and smiles.
Mr. Delong is definitely not wrong.
“Who are you going to call first?” I whisper to Leander.
“My oldest brother, Malcolm. What about you?”
“Brooke, I think. She’s got some explaining to do!”
