Chapter 6 - Page 74 - Rhasha's Bed

   The doctor wouldn’t arrive for two more hours, but Pepper knew what to do. The people standing outside the hospital now stood inside. They watched as the nurse slipped an IV into the woman’s arm. The mother appeared to need medical attention more than the children.

   Jim asked the bystanders to have a seat in the waiting area-nothing more than several chairs lined up against the wall at the entrance, in the same room as the hospital beds. They all did as he asked.

   Pepper hooked IVs to the children and quickly went back to work on the mother. Jim began cleaning one of the children. Pepper checked the mother’s blood pressure and temperature.

   “Jim,” she said, “the mother’s not going to make it.”

   Not knowing what to do, Jim stared despairingly at the young woman. He hadn’t considered the fact that people would die in his hospital. He knew he would have to tell the woman’s husband. He walked over to the slender black man, who leaned against the office wall with his arms crossed. “Are you the woman’s husband?” Jim asked.

   “No, man,” the black man replied, “my son was playing in the woods outside our village and found them lying together. We don’t know who they are. We heard about this hospital,” he added, “and thought maybe you could help them.”

   “We can help the children,” Jim replied, “but we think the mother might die.”

   “That is sad,” the man said in his deep bass voice. “The children won’t have anyone to take care of them.”