Desperate Escape

He knew the issues she faced on a daily basis. Diesel generators were the primary source of electricity in the capital, and that lack of infrastructure spread throughout the entire country. There was one functioning hospital and even there equipment was limited. Most of the country’s health facilities had no electricity. Generators came to life during surgery, but there wasn’t enough fuel to run them continuously for refrigeration to store blood donations or for incubators for babies born too soon.

“But that’s not the entire picture,” she continued. “I see the smile of the children when I go out into the villages to teach preventative care, and the love the mothers have for their babies. Old men sit on mats outside thatched roofs, playing with their grandchildren, while chickens and goats run around. It’s a completely different world than the one I grew up in. But when I sit down and talk to the women about their pregnancy, or the babies they’ve lost and the children they’re trying to provide for, I realize just how similar we really are.”

“I’ve discovered the same thing everywhere I’ve lived. Most of the differences pale when you start working together to make things better.”

“I wish my parents could understand that. I’ve tried to share with them why I needed to come...and why I still want to be here.” She stopped and looked up at him. “But I haven’t asked you about them, because I know they can’t be taking this well. Do you think they’re going to be okay?”

Her unspoken question hovered between them.

Were they going to be okay if she didn’t make it home alive?

“They’re scared,” he said. “They will do anything to get you back. Because they’ve already lost one son, and they don’t want to lose you as well.”

She nodded. “I watched their reaction to losing Darren. I never meant to put them through something like that again.”

“You’re not going to, because we’re going to find a way out of this.”

He watched her continue to work, realizing that she was different from most of the women he knew. Most were happy with the dream of a white picket fence and a husband. Problem was, he’d never be able to give someone those things. And so far had never found anyone who was willing to break that mold with him. Maddie, though, was clearly different.

Maybe when all of this was over...when life went back to as close to normal as possible, he’d consider finding a way to get to know his best friend’s little sister...

She glanced at a couple of the armed guards as they walked by. “As soon as we’re done here, I need to talk to you about something. Privately.”

“About?” Her statement brought him back to reality.

Her hand moved to the locket hanging around her neck. “Information connected to what’s going on here.”

* * *

An hour later, Maddie walked toward the fire, fighting the exhaustion coursing through her body. Her head throbbed and her legs felt like jelly. But it wasn’t just the physical fatigue she was dealing with. The emotional strain of the past few days was taking its toll.

She’d finished making up the rehydration mix and checked on each of the patients she’d been treating. While antibiotics would have shortened the duration of the symptoms, ensuring each person was rehydrated was what mattered most. “Are you done?” he asked.

“For the moment.” She tugged on the end of her ponytail as she sat down beside him on the fallen tree stump being used as a bench. She’d always seen him as a hero, saving the world alongside her brother. And now, all these years later, that was exactly what he was. The hero who’d flown all the way across the Atlantic to save her. While keeping his promise to her brother.

She caught his profile in the firelight and felt a flurry of emotion pass through her that she didn’t know how to identify. She’d always seen him as strong and capable of anything, with those bright blue eyes and a hint of stubble across his chin. She’d also known firsthand the risks he took every day to save the lives of others.

What she couldn’t remember was having more than a handful of one-on-one conversations with him over the years. And those talks had always been more awkward exchanges, at least for her, because she’d had a crush on him and hadn’t wanted anyone to know. Especially Grant or her brother. Darren had always seen her as the little sister he had to keep safe from the world. Even when she’d been all grown up and in medical school. And she’d always imagined Grant saw her in the same way. So she’d made herself forget about him. Until today.

“Are you hungry?”

She looked up at Grant’s question, realizing one of the women was standing in front of her with dinner.

“I’m sorry.”

The woman handed her a bowl of stew. She thanked her, but her appetite had long since vanished. She tried to eat a few bites, but only to keep up her strength.

“How’s Ana?” Antonio asked from the other side of Grant.

“I’ll have to watch her carefully, but the rehydration drink already seems to be helping and her fever’s gone down some.”

“That’s good news,” Grant said.

“Yes, it is. I just wish I could treat her properly.”

Grant pulled out a zippered canvas tote from the backpack he’d been carrying. “One of the men confiscated most of what I brought, including the two-way radios and phones, but I convinced them to let me keep the clothes your mother sent. Your parents met me at the Denver airport before I flew out. She thought you might need a few things when I found you.”

When he found her. Not if.

Maddie felt a surge of emotion as she looked down at the set of blue scrub pants and T-shirt with the Doctors International logo she’d been wearing since they snatched her. Grant’s reminder that the holidays were just around the corner had managed to make her feel more homesick.

Even as a med student, when she might’ve had to come late or leave early, she’d never missed Christmas with her family. Her mother would have already decorated the tree and started planning the meal that would include all of the relatives in a hundred-mile radius as well as a handful of people from church who didn’t have family nearby.

She balanced her dinner on her lap and opened the bag her mom had sent. A pair of tan pants, a black tank top and an olive-colored button-down shirt, along with some underwear, a purple sundress, a compact Bible and a small toiletry bag full of travel-size products, including a toothbrush.

“I wish I could have brought more—”

“No. Wow. This is perfect. I never knew how excited I could get over deodorant and a new toothbrush.” She let out a soft chuckle and smiled at him. “Thank you. Now all I need is a hot shower.”

“There’s a letter in there as well from your mother.”

She pulled out the pink envelope and traced her finger across her mother’s handwriting on the front. She’d wait to read it later when she was alone and didn’t have to keep her emotions in check. Because at the moment it wasn’t going to take much for her to lose it.

“You said you needed to talk to us about something,” Grant said.

She set the bag down beside her and picked back up her bowl of food, keeping her voice low enough to ensure none of the guards across the compound could hear her. “I’m sure you know that this is not just some military camp. The men here are involved in drug trafficking, and their network is extensive.”

Antonio nodded. “My country’s involvement in the trade is no secret. Cocaine barons of South America use countries like mine as part of their route to dealers in Europe.”

For as much as she’d seen, she still had questions. “As a doctor I’ve heard the rumors, and I’ve seen firsthand patients who have overdosed from cocaine. But why do they stop here? Why not just fly directly to Europe?”

“It’s a way to avoid detection of large shipments by European militaries,” Antonio said.

“So, what?” she asked. “They break up their shipment and then transport it?”

“Exactly. It’s sent by smaller aircraft or even by human mules. South American cartel members show up here with more firepower than our police and military put together. Our police don’t have handcuffs or computers or even enough guns for our officers. They, on the other hand, have money, rifles, ammunition and know every inch of this country’s remote areas. They can literally buy the government and do what they want.”

“Enough money to pay people off to look the other way and make what they do even easier,” Grant said.

“They brought me here because they needed a doctor,” she continued. “And I’m sure you know by now that they shot and killed my supervisor, Gavin Richards, when they found out he wasn’t a doctor.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, wishing she could erase what she’d seen. She’d tried to stop them, but could only watch as one of them pulled the trigger. Simply because they didn’t need him.

I need You to help me through this, God...please.

She drew in a slow breath. “But that’s not all. The day before I was abducted, I met a man at the hospital during one of my shifts. His name was Sam Parker.”

“Sam Parker.” Grant leaned forward, his arms resting against his thighs. “He’s a journalist, isn’t he?”

Maddie pushed her food around on her plate with her spoon, nodded.

“I saw something about him on the news before I left the States,” Grant said. “He was shot, wasn’t he?”

“Yeah. He was here in the country doing some research for a spread in a magazine and stumbled across a story someone didn’t want to get out. Whoever it was tried to kill him. Initially he survived, and a Good Samaritan brought him to the hospital where I treated him for a gunshot wound, but he didn’t live through the night.”

Maddie hesitated before continuing. Death had always been a part of her job, but lately she’d seen so much tragedy. Tragedies that should never have happened. She leaned forward and lowered her voice, her dinner forgotten. “Before he died, he told me he had evidence of a high-profile US State Department employee tied to this country’s drug trafficking.”

Grant let out a low whistle. “That’s a big story.”

“Yes, it is,” she said.

“And plausible,” Antonio added. “The trans-Atlantic traffickers of drugs and other illegal substances need countries where they can not only fly under the radar of the international community, but also—due to high corruption—not have to worry about the local authorities. And with the profits involved, it’s not surprising to discover there are outsiders involved.

“Do you have a name?” he asked.

“No, but I’ve got something just as good.” She clutched the locket she was wearing between her fingers. “It’s a flash drive with the evidence Sam was planning to expose. He said if anyone found it he could tell them it was a gift for his girlfriend and no one would think twice.”

Grant glanced behind them where a couple of the guards were laughing and drinking. “Does anyone know you have this information?”

“It’s possible someone saw me talking with Sam.” She shook her head. “But when he gave it to me, there was no one else in the room except for a few sick patients, and I’m sure they weren’t paying attention.”

“So you think you were kidnapped just because they needed a doctor...not because of the information Sam gave you.”

“As far as I know.”

“Whatever the reason, we need to get you out of here.”

Grant didn’t have to say anything else for her to know what he was thinking. Once the epidemic was under control, she’d be disposable—all of them would be—just like Gavin.

“But how do we get out of here?” Maddie asked. “If they’re guarding the airstrip and the only other way off this island is by water...”

Grant looked around the camp. “We’re looking at a couple dozen armed men who are currently focused more on what they’re drinking than us at the moment.”

“But if they catch us a second time,” Maddie said. “They’ll shoot first and ask questions later.”

Her stomach knotted. She set down the plate of food beside her, knowing he was right. This was it. There would be no second reprieve.

Someone slipped through the shadows behind them and sat down on the log next to Maddie. Jose’s mother. She was carrying an infant tied securely around her back with a piece of wide, colorful cloth. Sliding the baby around in front of her, the mother pulled her out of the makeshift sling and handed the baby to Maddie.

Maddie took the infant and cradled her in her arms.

“I think she might have the sickness.” She lowered her voice, her eyes on the guards who sat on the other side of the fire, and added, “You helped save my son. I’m going to help you escape.”

FOUR

Maddie’s heart rate accelerated.

She was offering to help them escape?

Maddie moved aside a section of the colorful blue-and-orange cloth that was wrapped tightly around the baby, wondering if she’d understood the woman correctly. Because why would she want to help them escape? If Oumar found out, it could cost her her life.

Big brown eyes stared up at her as Maddie pressed the back of her hand against the baby’s plump cheeks. She squirmed beneath her touch and cooed at Maddie. No fever. No signs of distress.

“I don’t understand...” Maddie paused. She didn’t even know the woman’s name. “I’m sorry...what is your name?”

“Silvia. And you are Dr. Gilbert.” She kept her gaze on Maddie, her voice loud enough to reach the guards. “I need you to make sure she is all right. I cannot lose another child.”

“Okay.” Maddie glanced at Grant and stood up. The woman obviously needed to talk. “My medical bag is on the other side of the compound. It would be easier if I examined her there.”

“Where do you think you’re going?” One of the guards set his empty plate of food beside him and walked over to them, grabbing Maddie. She tried to pull away from his grip, but his fingers dug deeper into her arm. “I said where are you going?”

Maddie raised her chin, resisting the urge to say something she’d regret later. “I need to examine her baby.”

“You heard Oumar.” Grant stood up beside her, ready to step in if needed. “She was brought here to stop this sickness from spreading. And I’m pretty sure that if his child were to die from this disease, he’d want to blame someone.”

The guard hesitated.

“Leave her alone.” One of the men laughed on the other side of the fire, clutching a bottle of alcohol. “They’re not going anywhere.”

The guard lessened his grip and let her go before aiming his rifle toward Grant and Antonio. “The two of you will stay here.”

Maddie pulled away and walked slowly beside the baby’s mother across the courtyard toward her makeshift clinic. She wished the conditions were more adequate, and hoped she could do something to put this mother’s mind at ease. But even more pressing at the moment was a hope that Silvia might have a way for them to escape.

“I’ll be right back. My medical bag’s just inside.” Maddie handed the baby back to Silvia and pointed to one of two chairs she’d been using to examine patients. She grabbed her bag and sat down across from the woman before pulling out her stethoscope. The only medical supplies she had with her were the ones she’d been carrying the day they’d abducted her; barely more than a handful of painkillers, bandages and antibacterial creams. But at least she had what she needed to assess vital signs and perform a handful of basic emergency procedures.

Maddie picked up the baby in order to examine her again. “Your husband was right to take your son to the capital.”

“What happened to him is far too common. They say when the rain falls, the soil shifts. Footpaths that people have used for years suddenly become death traps.” Silvia reached up to slip a loose end of her headscarf back into place, her eyes filled with tears. “Do you think he will live?”

Maggie hesitated. Facing one of the lowest life-expectancy rates in the world, death might be all too common in this country, but even that familiarity with loss could never erase the deep anguish these mothers faced. The loss of a child was profound no matter who you were.

“I wish I could say he’ll make it, but I can’t make any promises. All we can do now is pray.”

Silvia’s gaze dropped. “Then I hope God listens this time. I’ve lost three children. I cannot lose the two I have left.”

Maddie pressed the stethoscope against the baby’s dark brown chest and listened to the steady heartbeat, wishing there was something she could say to ease the woman’s pain. But sometimes words weren’t enough. “Any diarrhea or vomiting?”

Silvia shook her head.

The baby squirmed in her arms and smiled. Maddie searched for any signs of sickness, but her heartbeat was regular. No loss of skin elasticity, or signs of lethargy.

No sign of cholera.

Maddie placed the stethoscope around her neck. “Your baby...she’s beautiful. And healthy.”

“I know...” Silvia glanced over to where the guards were finishing up their dinner. “I needed an excuse to speak to you away from the fire.”

“You said you’d help us escape?”

She nodded and pressed something into Maddie’s hands before taking the baby.

Maddie closed her fingers around a set of keys. “Why are you doing this for us? If they catch you...”

Silvia cuddled the child against her chest. “Do you have children?”

Maddie shook her head. “One day, perhaps.”

“I told you I’ve lost three babies. It is something I have to accept. But I waited many years for Jose, and now I have Anita. Her name means cheerful, because she brings me joy. My children are all I have.” She looked back up at Maddie in the light of one of the lanterns and caught her gaze. “You helped save my son’s life. I want to repay you.”

“You could leave with us...” Maddie started, not sure if she was crossing a line she shouldn’t.

“Oumar would come after me and take my children. This is my life, and I accept that, but you...you don’t deserve to be here.”

“But—”

“Please. Go before it is too late for you.” Silvia stood up and quickly slid Anita on her back, nuzzled closely against her. She covered the baby’s bottom and back with her wide cloth, as she’d done a hundred times before, and then secured it tightly in front so it fit like a sling. “I know my husband. He needs you now, but as soon as this sickness is over, he has told the men he is going to kill you. The vehicle is the white Jeep parked on the south side of the camp, just outside the wall. Take it and get as far away from here as you can.”

Maddie was still hesitant. “And if he finds out you have helped us?”

“You don’t need to worry. I have made sure he won’t be able to trace it back to me. Wait until a couple hours before dawn. Most of the guards will be asleep or drunk by then, and I don’t expect Oumar to return until it is light again.”

“Thank you.”

Maddie watched Silvia walk away, her heart aching for the woman. The tragic loss of three children, an unstable life in the middle of this camp, and now her son’s life hanging in the balance.

She slipped her hand inside her pocket and clutched the keys Silvia had given her, praying the woman hadn’t just signed her own death warrant. Because if Oumar did find out...

Keep her safe, Lord, please.

She glanced at the simple structure behind her. As a doctor, part of her wanted to help these people no matter who they were. She drew in a deep breath of smoke-tinged air. Patients needed to be checked on, beds needed to be changed and washed and fresh rehydration solution made and distributed.

But the other part of her simply wanted to run.

Which meant any risk they had to take in leaving this place was a risk she was willing to take. But until then, she’d continue treating her patients.

She signaled to one of the guards that she needed Grant’s and Antonio’s help and then gave them instructions on how to mix up another batch of the rehydration formula.

“Is her baby okay?” Grant asked, washing his hands in the boiled water Maddie set in front of him and Antonio.

“So far there are no signs of the cholera.”

“That’s good.”

“It is.” She handed him a clean plastic container for the mixture and then pressed the keys into the palm of his hand. “But that’s not all she wanted.”

The question in Grant’s eyes vanished as he realized what she’d given him. “Where did she get these?”

“I didn’t ask.”

“But you trust her?”

“We have to. I helped save her son. Now she believes she owes me a debt.”

“If they catch us escaping, they will kill us,” he said.

Maddie paused. “According to Silvia, they will kill us anyway.”

* * *

Around half past four the next morning, Grant clutched the keys to the Jeep in his hand as they made their way out of the camp. He’d insisted they each take turns sleeping a couple hours before they left. But instead of getting any rest, he’d watched Maddie toss and turn on the thin mat, knowing that if she wasn’t awake thinking of their escape, she was dreaming about it.

Now, with the sunrise still a couple of hours away, thunderclouds continued to roll in above them, blotting out the moon and stars and casting their early morning escape in darkness. He was praying the blackness of the night would work to their advantage.

Pressing his hand lightly against the small of Maddie’s back, he guided her along the edges of the compound toward the south wall, with Antonio and Ana following right behind them. Except for the hum of an insect and the occasional howl of some nocturnal creature in the distance, silence surrounded them. A guard dozed beside the orange embers of the fire that had yet to go out, unaware his prisoners had just slipped past him.

Twenty yards ahead, something rustled to their left. Grant stopped and held up his hand for them to wait as he searched the darkness for another guard in front of them. He’d studied their patterns and come to the conclusion that they must be more lax when Oumar was gone. Though, in reality, there was little need for tight security. Even beyond these walls there was nothing but more jungles that eventually led to the white sands of the island’s shoreline. And no real presence of the law until one reached the mainland.

Not seeing anyone, he nodded for them to continue. He couldn’t help but wonder—not for the first time—if Oumar’s wife was leading them into a trap. But he knew he had to trust Maddie’s instincts. And the motivations of a mother who’d almost lost her child tonight.

“You okay?” he asked her as they paused at the unguarded wall.

“I will be, once we make it out of here.”

He caught the fear in her voice, and knew her heart must be pounding and her adrenaline pumping. He wished he could simply whisk her away to safety in Colton’s airplane, as he’d planned, but now even once they distanced themselves from the compound this wouldn’t be over. He had to find a way to get her off this island.

He pressed his hand against her back for reassurance. “We’re almost there.”

On the other side of the wall, they hurried toward the place Silvia had told them to go. There were no signs of any of the guards. No signs that anyone had even noticed their middle-of-the-night escape.

The Jeep was where she told them it would be. Now all they had to do was get out of here and make it across the island to the ferry.

Grant slipped into the driver’s seat and attempted to start the engine while Maddie got Ana settled into the backseat.

The engine sputtered and choked, trying to start. Nothing. His heart raced. Someone was going to hear his attempts.

“What’s wrong?” Antonio asked, climbing into the front passenger seat.

Grant turned the key again. “I don’t know. It’s not starting.”

“Try it again,” Antonio said.

“I am.”

He glanced into the rearview mirror and started praying. Ironic how catastrophes quickly brought people to their knees. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d prayed this much.