Chapter 19

After trudging for a mile or so, it soon became apparent to Jean that she couldn’t go on. Each torturous step took her breath away. She and Jimmy were trailing behind Natalie and Matilda, supporting each other because she could barely walk and he could barely see. Now Matilda and Natalie were so far ahead, they were no longer in sight.

But for the first time, Jean felt safe.

She was carrying Matthew’s gun.

She was safe but sick. Her skin was burning hot and her stomach felt all funny. Maybe Doctor Butcher wasn’t exaggerating when he said her foot had to be cut off. Maybe the infection was spreading and maybe it was just a matter of time before it reached her blood, her heart or her brain.

Maybe she’d never make it to the refuge, after all.

She stopped.

“What’s the matter?” Jimmy asked, her voice tinged with fear.

“I’m sorry,” she sank down. “I just need to rest.”

“Your foot is sore?”

“A little.”

Then Jimmy screamed, “Wait up, guys.”

There was a brief stillness and then Jean heard some rustling. The girls were coming back for her.

Jean put her head on a large rock, closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift. She could never remember feeling so ill. Was she dying? It seemed so unfair. Not now, now when she was so close—almost there—almost.

She heard someone calling her name from the distance. She knew that if she didn’t answer right now, she might never be conscious again. She snapped her eyes open. Matilda and Natalie were standing in front of her, although their figures were blurred.

“Jean,” Matilda screamed, as though she were deaf, “we’re going for help.”

“Don’t leave me here,” she whispered. Her throat was dry and scratchy. She tried to remember when she last had something to drink.

“I promise we’ll come back,” Matilda said. “Just like you promised, our word is good.”

Jean looked around at the children that surrounded her. Did she trust them? Did she have a choice?

“We’ll leave Jimmy with you,” Matilda said.

Jean looked at Jimmy whose clouded eyes glinted.

“Just don’t go anyplace, you hear?” Matilda’s voice ordered.

“Yeah, right,” Jean mumbled. “Don’t be gone too long. We might go to the movies or something.”

“The movies!” Jimmy jumped. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I’m kidding,” Jean said in a soft voice.

Matilda left then, taking Natalie with her. Jimmy sat down in the dirt and leaned his head against Jean’s shoulder. If Matthew appeared suddenly, she’d have to tell Jimmy to turn away and then she’d have to shoot Matthew. Jean had never killed anyone in her life so she wondered if she’d be able to do it, if she would have the strength. And if she was going to die, should her last act on earth be to take someone else’s life? Wasn’t that a mortal sin? Wouldn’t that send her to hell? Or maybe she was already in hell and she just didn’t know it.

Matthew wouldn’t come.

Maybe he was satisfied because he had the coltan.

Maybe he was dead.

“I’ve never been to the movies,” Jimmy said, “although I always wanted to go. Now, I’m thinking it might be too late, on account of that I can’t see.” He was quiet for a few seconds. “How long do you think it will take them?”

Jean had no idea but she didn’t want to admit that to Jimmy. “They’ll be back in no time,” she lied.

And then Jimmy started to talk and talk and talk. He told Jean about his own life from when he was a baby and how much he loved his mother and his two brothers. But the fighting broke out, and once when he was in the village getting water, he came home and his entire family was gone. Someone said the rebels had taken them away, someone said they went with the rebels willingly but Jimmy knew that they would have never left him behind.

He still thought he was going to see them again.

A neighbor family took him in but then the father got run down by a car and they blamed Jimmy because he had given the man a sullen stare that morning. They took him to Pastor Francis to drive the demons from him.

“It’s going to be all right now, isn’t it?” Jimmy kept asking Jean over and over, as though Jean had some answers.

She just nodded. She wondered whether or not Matthew was still alive and whether Matilda and Natalie would make it to safety. And, if they did, would Matilda keep her word and return?

Or would Jean die in the forest with the little blind boy keeping vigil beside her?

I tried, Mama, Jean said as her eyes closed. I tried to make a difference.

When Jean woke up, she found herself in a bed. The room was dark but the tiny light beside her lit up the space, creating weird shadows, which bounced off the walls. For a moment Jean didn’t know where she was. But the sheets were clean and crisp. Jean had no memory of how she had ended up in a hospital, but when she saw a smiling lady in a spotless white coat in front of her, she was so relieved she almost cried.

“Hello, Jean, my name is Amanda. Do you know where you are?”

Jean shook her head.

“You’re at an SOS station run by the Red Cross. We act on behalf of children in your country who are in trouble.”

“So I’m safe?” Jean gulped.

“You’re safe,” Amanda smiled with beautiful white teeth, “and hopefully you’ll be safe for a good long time.”

Jean looked at the pitcher of water beside her. She wanted to grab it but she felt weak, disoriented, and nauseous. Her throat was scratchy and dry. She noticed that there was a needle in her arm and she was hooked up to a plastic bottle. “What happened to me?” she asked.

Amanda didn’t answer. Instead she poured a glass of water for Jean and held the cup as Jean gulped. Jean could have drunk the entire pitcher, but Amanda put down the glass and cautioned Jean to take it easy.

“I’m afraid you passed out in the field. If your friends hadn’t sent someone back for you and that little boy,” Amanda paused, “I just don’t know.”

“But I’m okay now. Right?” Jean’s voice cracked ever so slightly. “You see, I have this infection in my foot—”

“We know about your infection.”

“I think I need antibiotics or something.” Even now she could feel the pain in her foot, searing and hot.

“You’re on antibiotics now. It’s a good thing you came in when you did. Your infection was pretty serious.”

“But I’m not going to lose my foot or anything, am I?”

Amanda shook her head. “No.”

Jean breathed a sigh of relief.

“It may take a little while to heal but other than that—”

“I’ll be able to run a six-minute mile, won’t I?” Jean asked anxiously.

Amanda smiled. “Were you able to run a six minute mile before your foot became infected?”

Jean nodded.

“Then I see no reason why you won’t be able to do it again,” Amanda paused, “with a little practice, of course. There’s someone from the authorities outside who wants to talk to you. Are you up for it?”

Jean felt her heart sinking. “Is he going to yell at me?”

“I don’t see why. Have you broken the law?”

Jean shrugged and admitted that she didn’t know. “The laws keep changing and I was just trying to stay alive.”

“I don’t think you need to worry.” Amanda squeezed Jean’s hand. “I’ll be back.”

When Amanda left, Jean threw the sheet off of her. She was in some sort of hospital gown. She hoped that she would never see her filthy clothes again.

Jean swallowed hard as she saw a heavy set man enter her room. He was wearing a uniform so he was obviously a soldier. But what kind of a soldier?

“My name is Earl. I’m with the military police. How are you?”

Jean mumbled okay.

“You don’t mind if I sit down, do you?” Jean didn’t think it would matter if she did mind. “Your friends told me about your daring rescue. That was quite brave of you.” He plopped down.

“There was this coltan—” she said quickly.

“We found the coltan by the abandoned hut.”

“I never meant to keep it. I meant to return it somehow. There was more but it’s gone because this woman Ruth had it and I think she must have sold it, but that wasn’t my fault. Well, maybe it was. Because I lost it for a brief time but then I found it again.” Jean paused. “It’s a long story. But this man, Matthew, he was there, and I tricked him into opening the pouch where the coltan was because he was going to shoot us but there was a snake inside and—”

“We found Matthew. He’s getting medical attention and then he’ll be arrested.”

Jean wondered what would become of William and Marie without their father.

“So will Peter. And you don’t have to worry about the coltan,” Earl said. “We’re going to take care of it.”

“That’s nice,” Jean mumbled as she eyed the pitcher of water.

Earl picked up the cue right away and poured her another glass. Several ice cubes came tumbling out and Jean sucked on them. How long would they let her stay in the hospital before they sent her away?

“The thing is that the miner was offering a reward.” When Earl said this Jean perked up slightly. “Nine hundred American dollars. That’s a lot of money.”

Jean was wondering who was going to get the money, not hoping for a moment it was going to be her.

“It seems to us that since you were the one who actually had the pouch in her pocket and, as you just said, you were planning to turn it into the authorities, the reward should be given to you.”

“Nine hundred dollars,” Jean said thoughtfully.

“We were thinking that maybe you would like to use the money to go to school. It would pay for your uniform and your books and give you a little stipend for food and other necessities. You could train for a career, do whatever you want—”

“I’m going to be an athlete,” Jean said. “I’m going to run in the New York City Marathon. And I’m going to win.”

Earl nodded. “Well, that’s a good goal. And I’ve learned that nothing is impossible.”

“And what about Matilda and Jimmy and Natalie? They’ve been through so much.”

“They’re going to be fine. We are placing them together with some foster parents. You’ll have a chance to say goodbye to them before they leave.”

Suddenly Jean was so happy she had to bite her bottom lip to stop herself from crying.

“I want to ask you something else, if I may. We got Pastor Francis and his workers, women by the names of Gertrude and Patricia. Do you remember them?”

“How could I ever forget them?” Jean felt like spitting. “They were horrid people. They practically starved us and whipped us for being sick.”

“We’re going to prosecute them for child abuse. With a little luck, they’ll do some jail time.”

“They should be put in the same kind of jail we were in,” Jean said bitterly.

“Would you be willing to testify against them?”

Jean remembered her vow to get even. But now it was more than just vengeance. It was about doing the right thing.

“It might be a little scary,” Earl said. “If you’ve never been in a court of law, in a witness chair—”

“I can do it,” Jean said firmly.

Earl stood up. “I’m sure you’ve been through a lot, but you never gave up. And I know you won’t give up now. I’m not a religious man myself, Jean, but I know God put you here because you have something to give. You still do.” He nodded and left the room.

Jean sat up and took another sip of water. She turned off the light and for a brief moment, she saw the flicker of a shadow. She thought that it might be her guardian angel, Michael.

Or maybe it was the ghost of her mother whispering, “You did it, Jean. And I’m so proud of you.”

The End