LITMIR.BIZ

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pair of pants, when I got around to it.”

      Crossing her arms over her ample breasts, Shakana gave her an arch look, murmuring, “Uh-huh.”

      Becca couldn’t help a weak smile. “Well, I thought about getting a smaller pair.”

      Shakana shook her head, her dark eyes sad. “Oh, Becca, I’m going to miss you so much. But it’s time for you to go home, rest, put on some weight. Dear friend, it hurts me to see you like this.”

      Tears welled in Becca’s eyes. “Come with me, Shak, please.”

      Those sad dark eyes grew misty. “I can’t, Becca. You know that. This is my home.”

      “I know.” Becca heaved a deep sigh, coughing with what she thought was the emotional tightness in her chest. “I know,” she repeated, accepting another tissue from her best friend.

      Crying softly after Shakana had left to check on her many other patients, Becca fell into a deep dreamless sleep once more.

      At the jostling of her body, Becca was startled awake. What…? she thought, her eyes opening wide as she realized she was being moved onto a litter.

      Shakana was there, and Dr. Andrews, directing the procedure, of course.

      “Shakana?” she croaked from her dry-as-dust throat. “Why am I being moved?”

      “The plane is here for you,” Dr. Andrews said, his voice devoid of inflection.

      “But, my stuff…” she began.

      Shakana squeezed her hand. “I packed your things for you, Becca.”

      “But…” Heaving a long sigh, Becca gave up, knowing protest was pointless. She glanced around at the men handling the litter. From their uniforms and insignia, she could tell they were an American rescue team.

      “I’m so thirsty, can I have some water, please?” She looked to Shakana, but it was Dr. Andrews who moved, holding up his hand to halt the crew. Taking the cup Shakana handed him, he put the straw to Becca’s lips. His fingers lightly brushed her chin. The light touch rippled through Becca like a minor earthquake.

      Shaken by the odd sensation, she quickly gulped the cool water and moved her face away from his hand, settling her head on the pillow. “Thank you,” she murmured, not daring to look at him.

      “You’re welcome.” His voice was harsh with an angry tinge.

      Confused by his tone, and the possible reason for it, Becca stole a glance at him. He had turned away, again motioning the men to go.

      Before they started to roll the litter away, another man walked into her line of vision. Becca frowned in confusion, because the man was wearing scrubs and a white coat. Stopping beside her, he took her wrist into his hand to take her pulse.

      Becca frowned.

      He smiled. “I’m Dr. Devos. And your pulse is a little rapid.”

      “She’s a little anxious and upset, Doctor,” Shakana said. “She doesn’t want to leave.”

      “It’s best, Ms. Jameson.” He smiled again. “If you’ll excuse the expression, you look like hell.”

      Somewhere around forty, he looked so kind, his smile was so gentle, she had no choice but to smile back. “I’ll excuse you…this time.”

      “I told you she was exhausted, Jim.”

      Becca shifted her gaze to Dr. Andrews. In her opinion, he looked worse than she felt. Apparently Dr. Devos agreed with her assessment.

      “So are you, Seth. That’s why I’m here to replace you.”

      “What?”

      Becca was shifting her glance from one to the other, her mind echoing Dr. Andrews’s angry and sharply voiced question.

      “You’ve been ordered home. You can take all the time you need to gather your things.” He paused, grinned and added, “So long as you do it within the hour.”

      “Jim, this is ridiculous.”

      “Sorry, Seth, it’s out of my hands.” He turned to smile at Becca. “You may spend some time with your friend here—” he indicated Shakana with a nod of his head “—until Dr. Andrews is ready.”

      “Thank you, Doctor.” Her voice was thick with gratitude. She was ill and had just met him, yet Becca already knew she liked this soft-voiced man. Besides, he had thrown Dr. Andrews a curveball! She smiled.

      “You’re welcome.” Smiling back, he turned to the rescue squad. “Take the litter to one of the empty examining rooms, so the nurses can get this bed ready for another patient.” From the men, he looked at Shakana. “You have permission to stay with your patient until Dr. Andrews is ready.” With a smile to both women, he strode away.

      Holding Becca’s hand, Shakana walked beside the litter to the empty examining room. Tears welled in Becca’s eyes as the rescue team closed the door behind them. Shakana was ready with a tissue to mop up the flow.

      “Where did that nice Dr. Devos and the crew come from? The States?” She sniffed. “And how did they know Dr. Andrews needed a replacement, too?”

      “The doctor and the crew came by military jet from the States, and the helicopter came from Israel.” A self-satisfied smile shadowed her lips. “Dr. Andrews asked me to make the arrangements. I’m the one who told them he needed a break as badly as you.”

      Becca wanted to laugh. Instead she started crying all over again, which brought on a fit of coughing. “I’m sorry.” She sniffed, accepting another tissue to blow her nose. “But…I feel so, so…”

      “I know,” Shakana said, her smile now soft, gentle. “I want to cry with you.”

      “You’d better not,” Becca cautioned, trying to sniff and smile at the same time. “What would those guys on the team think, finding two blubbering women when they come for me?” She felt the tears well again, and impatiently swiped her hand over her cheeks. “I’m over it,” she said, drawing a breath and sighing. “Resigned to going.”

      “It really is best for you, Becca. I can’t tell you how very concerned I, as well as all the people in the village, have been about you.”

      “They’ve all noticed me slowing down, I suppose.”

      “No, you haven’t slowed down, that’s your problem,” her friend answered. “We’ve all noticed you dwindling down, week after week.”

      Becca coughed again, on the tears clogging her throat, she figured. “I love them, Shak.”

      The other woman’s smile was warm with affection. “I know. We all love you back.”

      Fortunately for Becca, she was saved from completely breaking down by the rescue team returning to collect her. She squeezed Shakana’s hand, hard, as if afraid of letting go.

      Shakana squeezed back. “I can’t walk with you to the plane. I must get back to work.” She hesitated, tears beginning to seep down her face. “Get well soon, Becca. I’ll miss you.”

      “I’ll miss you, too.” Becca was crying again. “I’ll be in touch online,” she promised, reluctantly releasing her hand.

      “You’d better.” Shakana was openly crying now. “Goodbye, Becca.” She stepped back to let the men move into place at the litter.

      Miserable, hating Seth Andrews, she waved goodbye to the people crowded outside the hospital and along the road to the small airfield where a large rescue helicopter sat waiting. She never noticed the two photographers in the midst of the people, snapping away as she passed by.

      Dr. Andrews was already in the chopper, looking angry and disgusted. Becca hoped he hadn’t found out Shakana had been the one to turn him in…so to speak.

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