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Full Story: Hearts of Darkness (w. ShadowOfDesire)

Her cheeks were flushed as she endured another maddening session of his caresses. Each time his fingers slid into her wetness and near her clit, she moaned low in her throat as her internal muscles clenched deep within. While he'd yet to bring her to the edge, his teasing fingers were coaxing her ever closer. How long could she endure the stimulation? Her wrists were bound, but her body wasn't restrained, giving her freedom of movement. That she remained in place was a true act of self control and her desire to please him.

Trying to swallow another groan, she drew in a breath, finally absorbing what had drawn his ire. Beneath the blindfold, her brows drew together.

"I didn't lie!" she protested in a whisper. Was that why he was punishing her? For Thomas? "I told you the truth... I did. You were looking for reassurances, not my own personal sob story. You didn't ask for details."

Positioned upon the pillow, she shivered as he spread her wide, allowing him the lewdest and most intimate of images of her shapely form. Again, her pussy clenched, though this time from the cooler air that struck it as he opened her to the elements. The deep cleft glistened with her own desire, proof enough that she was undoubtedly enjoying the unconventional experience.

A soft gasp stole her breath at the first cold touch against her sensitive skin. An involuntary shiver rolled through her and goosebumps formed upon her legs. The closer her roved, the harder her clit throbbed, greedy and demanding.
 
“You’re playing word games sweetie. Are you a doctor or a lawyer? I’m not interested in sob stories, but I am interested in your story. And you tried to hide a big part of it from me. I shouldn’t have to ‘ask for details’ at this point.” Jack’s voice had gotten harder and harder as he spoke, but then it softened noticeably. “But like I said, I understand how hard that was for you, so I’m not really angry. Even though what you did wasn’t very fair. I just don’t want it to happen again.”

Jack took his time running the ice cube over Miranda’s toned inner thighs and concentrated on their uppermost portion, closest to her sex: he also made sure to trace the cube along the crease between the bound doctor’s spread legs and her hips, so that ice water trickled into the slight gap where it was then trapped. After Jack chilled everything just below Miranda’s groin he got a fresh cube and went to work on Miranda’s marvelously flat tummy, again focusing on the portion closest to her womanhood: more goosebumps appeared on her stomach, as they had on her thighs. After that the cube roamed lower, over Miranda’s mons, which was insulated somewhat by her trimmed pubic hair and a cute little pad of fat; Jack let the cube linger there for quite some time and soon enough ice water began to trickle down through Miranda’s dark pubes to begin cooling the dusky skin underneath.

A slight shift of weight and a fresh cube, and Jack’s touch focused on Miranda’s outer lips next. Both puffy little mounds were as well insulated as the sexy doctor’s mons and so got a similarly extended “treatment” from the ice cube.

There was a long pause, another shift of weight … and a fresh cube very lightly traced around Miranda’s meaty, fat-free and highly sensitive inner lips several times.

Then, after an even longer pause, the cube slid over the entrance to Miranda’s vagina once, around her swollen clit twice … and was gone.

“My, my sweetie, but you sure do have a pretty pussy.” Jack’s voice was warm and sincere. “All of that pink contrasts so wonderfully with your skin. And you should see the way it’s glowing right now; and not just because of your horny little slut juices, but all of that lovely ice water as well. But boy oh boy, I bet that is cold …”

There was another pause before Jack went on. “But like I said, since we now … understand each other about this whole fibbing thing … well, I guess you do deserve a little ... consideration.” And a second later Miranda felt a set of warm lips tenderly kiss her pussy, and an even warmer tongue flick out to begin lapping the ice water away from her sex …
 
The juxtaposition of numbing cold and the heat of his eager mouth on her pussy caused her to shiver. She'd withstood his teasing up until that point, wincing only once or twice when the cold struck a particularly sensitive area (especially about her clit), but generally remaining as still and compliant as she could. Only her breathing betrayed her as her breasts rose with each deep intake and shook at the shuddering exhale. The experience of forced cold was exhilarating as the icy sensation lasted only a short while, too brief to truly do more than sting.

The moment that his tongue delved into the dripping wetness of her sex, Jack's teasing became far too much to bear and remain still. Her hips surged upward to meet him, accompanied by a emphatic cry of desperation. Her tortured clit was throbbing painfully. Her sex clenched on nothing, begging to be filled. That roving tongue that lapped away the icy cold sparked a moment of true arousal that pushed her body upward. It was his first immersive taste of her sweet honey -- that lustful desire that he'd caused to flow so freely. It coated her entire cleft, slick and shiny, from her swollen clit to that tightly clenched bud below her open lips.

"Mmm... Jack..." His name was a whispered entreaty that spilled from her full lips. Her body was drawn taut like a bowstring and he was playing her perfectly.
 
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After Jack’s initial kiss his weight shifted again and Miranda could sense he had settled firmly between her thighs; his hands also slipped under Miranda’s legs to hold hers through the socks that were still wrapped around her fingers. Jack's mouth shifted to Miranda’s thighs and stomach, and just as he’d done for her breasts he kissed and licked all the cold water away and left her toned body coated in a warm layer of saliva. Miranda’s mons was a bit more problematic for Jack due to her pubic hair, and after a few gentle kisses that part of her was left to warm back up on its own; such is life sometimes.

On the other hand, Miranda’s outer lips received as much attention from Jack’s mouth as they had from the ice cube. He didn’t just kiss and lick them, he also gently sucked and nibbled on the two rounded mounds until they were as warm as could be. Only after that did Jack turn his attention to the core of Miranda’s womanhood …

Jack’s tongue ran up and down Miranda’s slick inner lips over and over, until all the cold was gone and replaced with as much warmth as he could provide. Then Jack kissed Miranda’s sex again, flattened his tongue and began to press it into her vagina, like a soft little cock fucking her pussy …

As Jack teased Miranda with his tongue one of his hands slipped from hers and snaked back under her leg. She could feel one of his fingers, probably his thumb, touch her very close to where his tongue was penetrating her; that part of Miranda was now very slick thanks to a mix of her juices, cool wetness and Jack’s saliva. But instead of moving upwards to join Jack’s tongue, his finger roamed lower to finally settle against the puckered little bud that was hiding between Miranda's cheeks. Jack’s fingertip started making small little circles, lubricating Miranda’s back door thoroughly, and then he started to slowly push himself inside her; after some patient effort and a little twist of his thumb, the sexy doctor’s body finally surrendered and allowed Jack inside of her that way as well. And as Jack began to slowly finger fuck Miranda’s tight little ass, his tongue settled onto her clit and started to flick across it in time with the gentle movement of his thumb …
 
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Miranda was squirming with need by the time Jack's warm tongue had finished its circuit and returned to her slick folds. She shuddered at the feel of his probing, penetrating tongue, but it was his other explorations that drew out her first true cry. The moment his thumb pressed against that tight bud, her wrists pulled against the cord binding her and her body tensed. The moment he pushed his way inside, her back arched, head tossed to one side as he struck those sensitive bundles of nerves. A trembling wail rose freely as the sensation course through her.

Then her body relaxed once again, accepting the intrusion, though she trembled still. A low gasp found his ears as he pushed in with that initial thrust and began to lap at her clit. Together, they drove her to near insanity, pushing her body so quickly to the peak that she hovered on near orgasm. Both nubs were so sensitive that even the smallest stimulation sent shocks through her. He could feel that tension within her returning, hinting that his efforts would soon be rewarded if he continued in the same manner. Her hand clenched about his tightly, the other balling into a fist. Her thighs, spread wide to accommodate his body, began to tremble.

A high-pitched whimper of need rose in her throat as she struggled to reach that blissful tide that threatened to wash over her.
 
Jack paused one last time, and as his thumb stilled inside Miranda he spoke to her quite clearly and with a smile in his voice. “I told you your ass would be mine tonight Doctor Blake. We’re actually just getting started on that, but you’ve been a very good girl so we’ll save the rest for some other time. Right now I want you to have a nice, big, sloppy, noisy orgasm for me. And considering your current, um … situation …” Jack kissed the insides of Miranda’s widespread, trembling thighs and squeezed her hand “… there’s no need to try and be modest or ladylike about it. You go ahead and flop around all you want.”

Jack kissed Miranda’s open inner labia and flicked his tongue over her slick vaginal opening as his thumb began moving again. Then his mouth moved up to her clit, which he tenderly sucked on with just his lips for a few moments. Soon enough though Jack’s head drew away and Miranda then felt the tip of his soft, wet tongue again licking and flicking over and around her swollen, needy bud. And while Jack’s mouth gently pleasured Miranda for as long as she needed, his thumb just may have slid inside her a little deeper and begun … opening her up a bit more … vigorously …
 
She panted loudly, squirming with a tiny groan of disappointment when his tongue abandoned her clit for those few moments. It was throbbing almost painfully, aching for more, as the pressure built to a frenzy. Like a naughty little slut, she would have climaxed with or without Jack's permission. All she needed was just a bit more stimulation to push her over the edge. Almost the moment his tongue found her wetness once again, sucking at her swollen nub, Miranda fell into the blissful state and crashed down hard.

Her entire body seized as she exploded within, a burst of violent sensation exploded from her clit and sending shockwaves through her quivering form. Her pussy contracted, clenching on an imaginary cock, and Jack felt her rear tightened about his thumb. A fresh rush of honey spilled from her lips as she screamed behind clenched teeth. It wasn't the thrashing, overwhelming orgasm he might have envisioned from her, but it was an extremely satisfying, though slightly smaller rendition of their earlier experience.

Then initial wave passed, and her body went boneless beneath him as she lay panting and quivering, whimpering softly at the tiny aftershocks that rolled through her.
 
Jack kept his tongue flat against Miranda’s dripping sex and his finger inside her clenching bottom until the last bit of her orgasm rolled through her body; it’d seemed like it’d been a good one, which made him smile around his goo covered tongue. When Miranda went limp Jack withdrew his hands and mouth, and planted one last gentle kiss on the sexy doctor’s furry little mons before he raised himself off the bed. Miranda seemed to be breathing okay and in little danger of moving anywhere, so keeping both ears open Jack scooted off to the bathroom where he quickly washed his hand, rinsed his mouth and grabbed a fresh wash cloth soaked in warm water.

Back in the bedroom Jack used the cloth to quickly and gently clean Miranda’s bosom and between her legs a bit more thoroughly; when he was done that rag went into the glass bowl of mostly melted ice cubes sitting on her nightstand. Once Miranda was a lot less sticky he rolled her fully onto her right side, and undid the cord and removed the socks over her hands; those went back into his go-bag, along with the thing he’d used to play with her breasts, nipples and vulva. He thought about taking off the sleep mask too but then decided to leave it on her, to remove as she saw fit; maybe she wanted to spend a little more time in whatever safe, happy little space her mind was hopefully now in. Or maybe she wanted to do another lap around the solar system in her head, or just go peacefully to sleep; it was all good as far as he was concerned. The messed up pillow got tossed onto the floor and the soggy bath towel followed it; as Jack ran his hand over the sheet he was delighted to find it as dry as could be.

Jack pulled off his boxers and his hard cock jutted out in front of him as he went to turn off the light. But despite his erection, Jack didn’t feel all that compelled to do anything about it. He’d also thoroughly enjoyed how Plan A had turned out and didn’t need another orgasm to prove it. “You are one weird dude” his little voice said. You know it brother.

Jack looked down at Miranda before he climbed into bed behind her. It was too dark to see all the smooth, caramel skin of her back but thanks to the moonlight coming in between the blind’s slats he could see her lying there on her side. Following the line of Miranda’s silhouette, her left hip was pushed up much higher than usual and just looked … more womanly than it ever had to him, which was saying something. And he could just make out the soles of both her pretty feet, at the end of her toned, curvy, curled up legs; yet again he felt like he was being let in on some super secret part of her, that any guy who ogled her (admittedly fabulous) tits and ass would never, ever get to see. Both of those thoughts made Jack’s cock twitch, but not in a way that made him want to actually take her again – though he suspected she might not object to that … and even welcome it. “Fucking weird dude.” Zip it; all good things come to those with patience. “The expression is ‘All good things come to those who wait’ genius.” Same difference, now zip it.

Jack spooned up behind Miranda; one of his arms slipped under her slender neck and the other wrapped around her toned body, so that his hand could cup one of her breasts. Then Jack just laid there happily, following Miranda’s breathing and watching the moonlight coming in through the window. He wondered if she’d just fall asleep, or eventually roll over and want to talk. Either was okay by him. Plan A had taken a shit-ton of energy out of him, watching Miranda like a hawk and listening and feeling for her every last, little gasp and twitch. But he knew a lot of gals liked to do the latter, which was fine by him too; agreeing to a Plan A and going through with it were one thing, but how a gal felt about it afterwards could be another thing entirely; Jack was pretty sure Miranda would be okay with how things had played out, but you never knew and he was actually more than a little interested in her reaction.

“Life is just one big mystery isn’t it?” Would you please shut up and let me enjoy myself for one minute?

Jack’s little voice shut up, and let him enjoy himself for a time he fondly remembered for the rest of his life, while he held Miranda and waited to see if she fell asleep or wanted to talk …
 
Miranda lay limp and relaxed for quite some time, boneless as Jack shifted her about. Once he'd removed the restraints, she drew her arms forward to lessen the ache in her muscles and rubbed at the places where the rope had tightened about her wrists. The socks had padded them to keep them from biting into her skin or bruising her, but her flesh was slightly pink where she'd been held.

With her arms free, she also removed the blindfold, tossing it onto her bedside table, though didn't move any further until Jack had climbed into bed with her. She inhaled gently when his hand found her bare breast, causing it to tingle pleasantly. His body conformed to hers, pressing his erection against her rear, and she did her best not to grind against him to cause any undue discomfort. It was still a satisfying reminder that he found their time together as sexually arousing as she did, and that her body made his cock hard.

After a short while of simply relaxing quietly in his arms, Miranda shifted, though not to pursue either of the options he expected. Turning in his arms, she snuggled against him, sliding one leg between his knees. Her thigh pressed against his groin as she positioned herself close enough to kiss him. It was a soft, sensual kiss, so very different from the heated passion they'd previously enjoyed. She caught his mouth, lips parting to tease him, tongue wriggling past his own lips to taste him. While she delved into his mouth, exploring in languid fashion, her hand skated down to caress his broad chest and slide through the tangle of curls.

Her body pressed tightly to his, breasts pinned between them, as her hand delved lower. Fingers tickled down his ribs, diverting to the pronounced muscles of his abdomen, and then skated over his hip. Her hand dug into the muscular flesh of his rear, squeezing firmly. There were no demands in her caresses, nothing to indicate she expected or wanted anything more. She simply let her hands explore and enjoy the deeply passionate connection they shared.
 
Jack was pleasantly surprised by Miranda’s actions. He hadn’t expected her to have much energy left after everything they’d done that evening, but he was very pleased to see she wasn’t embarrassed or unhappy about any of it. So while he returned her kiss he also just enjoyed the feel of her slender fingers roaming over his body and the softness of her full breasts pressing against his hard pecs. Eventually though Jack put his one free hand on Miranda’s curvy hip and pushed his head back a little, breaking the kiss so that he could he talk to her in almost a whisper.

“Just so you know, from now on, when we’re in private I’m going to consider this sexy body …” Jack gave Miranda’s hip a little squeeze, “… mine to play with anytime and anyway I want.” Jack’s hand moved up to caress Miranda’s face before he went on. “You know how to stop that, but …” two of Jack’s fingertips traced over Miranda’s cheek and then began lightly gliding over her full lips, “… given how you behaved when I was … fucking this pretty little mouth …” Jack’s fingertips gently pressed between the sexy doctor’s lips and teeth, “… I don’t think you’ll be doing that very often.”

Jack’s fingers slipped back and forth inside Miranda’s mouth for a few seconds, and then his hand abruptly pulled away from her face and lifted one of her toned thighs; a second later Miranda felt one of Jack’s muscular legs push up against her sex as her thigh was released and his hand grabbed one of her butt cheeks. As Jack pressed Miranda’s pussy up against his flexing quad one of his fingers slipped between her cheeks, found her puckered bud and began circling it, spreading the natural lubrication still there over her sensitive little anus. And finally, to make sure Miranda wasn’t going anywhere, the arm Jack had under her head curled up and his other hand took firm hold of the nape of her neck; then his lips crushed back down on hers and his strong tongue pushed deeply into her warm mouth.

Jack held Miranda in his arms and worked her body with pleasure for several, long moments and then … he released her all at once and rolled onto his back. As Jack turned his head to look at Miranda, she could see a little grin on his face in the moonlight coming into the room between the blinds. “Alright, I think it’s about time for us to get some rest. You’re going to need it, and I have to think about what color collar you’re going to wear for me.” Jack’s head turned back and he closed his eyes. “And before you get any clever, naughty ideas my dear, just think about how uncomfortable it’ll be trying to sleep all tied up. Good night sweetie.”
 
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Miranda couldn't help but groan as he released her so abruptly after stroking her toward another lustful encounter. When he rolled to her back, she shifted on the bed, straddling his stomach. Her shapely rear pressed against his erection as she loomed over him, hand on either side of his head. "I'm always full of clever, naughty ideas, Jack," she purred his ear, nipping at his earlobe. "Don't tease me like that if you don't want to spark them. Maybe you'll wake up one morning with your hands tied down," she said, smirking.

Her silken thigh slid across his abdomen as she completed her path to slide off the bed. Nude and unabashed in the dim light, she headed for the bathroom to see to the necessities. Finally alone, she sighed, giving herself a moment to absorb the events of that evening. They'd covered a lot of ground. A LOT of ground. Beyond sating her initial sexual needs and allowing him to dominate their bedroom sessions, she'd opened up to him about her own life, something she'd not expected to do.

There parts of her that she preferred to keep to herself -- Thomas was one of those. Why did you have to mention him? She couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when she'd decided to reveal that part of her life, but something about Jack made her want to be completely honest with the man. That she was still hiding her secondary agenda and Carson's blackmail weighed heavily upon her.

I should tell him, she argued with herself. He'd understand, wouldn't he? You haven't given them anything they couldn't have gotten from other means.

It's still a betrayal. You'd lose him.

We'll lose him no matter what. Your time here is limited. Why worry about a soldier you'll never see again?

But we could keep him for a bit longer. Just a bit. She had an image of Jack sleeping naked in her bed, and she sighed. She couldn't jeopardize that. Not when she'd only just gotten him to that point.

Still no closer to truly deciding one way or the other, she finished up in the bathroom, cracking the door as she left so that only a bit of light spilled into the bedroom. Walking through the semi-darkness, she stopped in the kitchen to pull a cold bottled water from the fridge. Parched after so much moaning and screaming, she drank several gulps before returning it to the shelf. Her stomach growled, wanting sustenance after the exertion of the evening, but she'd already brushed her teeth, so she ignored the pangs. After ensuring the doors were locked, she returned to bed, entering from her side so as not to disturb Jack, and sliding between the sheets. A side sleeper more often than not, she curled up facing him so that she could study hi silhouette against the muted bathroom light.

"Good night, Jack," she whispered. Sleep came soon after.
 
For the first time in a long time Jack got a good night’s rest; no bad dreams, no tossing and turning, and even the sound of Miranda’s alarm clock ticking away didn’t bug him like it normally would have. He slept like a log and felt refreshed when his eyes blinked open, up early like he most always was. Jack rolled onto his side and saw Miranda next to him, apparently snoozing away quite peacefully; just seeing her lying next to him first thing made him smile. He was tempted to give her a good morning kiss, but the workout he’d put her through and the way he’d teased her one more time before they went to sleep made him reconsider; instead he just let her rest and got out of bed as quietly as he could.

After grabbing his boxers and a quick pit stop in the bathroom, Jack pulled on his undershirt too and started looking for coffee in Miranda’s kitchen. Once he’d got that going he prowled around to see what sort of breakfast stuff she might have; everything was of course neatly organized, but his search made him think she didn’t do breakfast in her apartment all that much. He finally found a box of museli and some box milk in the fridge, along with fresh bananas to go with the cereal. And there was also a half loaf of uncut bread, some butter and a small jar of jam too, so in the end it wasn’t a bad spread that he laid out on the little table.

As Jack sliced bread to toast and then cut up a banana he thought back to one of the last times he’d been home. He’d helped his niece Sam do banana pancakes for April, as kind of a time-shifted Mother’s Day breakfast. The kitchen was a wreck by the time they were done, but Sam was quite proud of the stack they were able to produce and carried it into April’s bedroom with pride. Jack remembered how his sister had looked, as she hugged her daughter and glanced over Sam’s shoulder at him; there were tears in her eyes and a smile on her face as she mouthed “Thank you.” Jack imagined that Miranda must have delivered dozens of kids, maybe hundreds, but he wondered if she had ever thought about having kids of her own, raising a family. They’d talked vaguely about the future during their first dinner at the hotel, but that talk hadn’t gotten very specific. Jack wondered if Miranda and Thomas had talked about starting a family. “Why don’t you ask her?” I just might.

With the table set and slices of bread ready to be toasted, Jack carried two cups of coffee back into the bedroom; one was black and the other had milk and sugar in it. “Here I am thinking about asking about kids, and I don’t even know how she likes her coffee.” But Jack knew that in places like Maiduguri, things could and did sometimes move at a different, faster pace than usual; crushing stress and the specter of death constantly hovering in the background tended to have that effect. He put both cups on the nightstand on her side of the bed and then sat down next to her. “Hey sleepy head” he began softly; Jack thought Miranda might be stirring, so he went on. “There’s some coffee on the nightstand. One black, the other milk and sugar. Hopefully one or the other will suit you. I also organized some breakfast out in the kitchen, whenever you’re ready.”

Jack leaned down and kissed Miranda’s hair, then grabbed his go-bag and went back into the kitchen to fix himself a cup while he waited for her to wake up …
 
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Miranda roused as Jack visited her bedside, smiling contentedly as she stretched in bed before finally opening her eyes. Waking to the smell of fresh coffee was always a pleasant experience. It was a little thing, so tiny when compared to the things of massive importance in a relationship, but sometimes it was the little things that cemented the bond between two people. Yawning, she rolled to her back and stretched again, still nude beneath her sheet, but that was barely an afterthought. After what she and Jack had done the night before, she had no reason to hide her body. He'd seen every bit of her, some far more intimately than others. It would have been silly for her to suddenly become shy in front a man that had been buried between her thighs only a few hours prior.

Sliding from bed, she paid a quick visit to the bathroom and then stopped at her dresser to pull out a pair of panties, shorts, and a comfortable oversized t-shirt. She didn't bother with a bra. After collecting both mugs of coffee, she joined Jack in the kitchen. "Milk and sugar, always," she reported. The mug of 'black' was left on the counter. She took the other with her to the table, eyebrows rising at the offerings he'd dug out of her kitchen.

"Wow. I'm impressed. I didn't even know I had half of these things. Normally I just grab a couple of akara or fried plantain from the market on the way to work and scarf them before I get to the clinic."

She claimed her seat at the table, one leg tucked beneath her, and nursed her coffee as she watched Jack in her kitchen again. One eyebrow quirked as she considered. "If you enjoy cooking, you're more than welcome to come over and make whatever you like. I can even stock up on the essentials if I know you're going to be by. I typically don't do a lot of shopping for myself. I guess I've never been the type that enjoys cooking unless it is for someone. Then again, I'm usually so tired by the time I get home that the best I can do is throw together a sandwich before collapsing."

"What's your favorite meal time?"

---

Akara - A seasoned bean cake, lightly fried, readily found in most Nigerian markets and a popular street fare breakfast
 
Jack started feeding bread into the toaster when Miranda strolled into the kitchen and he sipped his coffee as he chatted with her. “Milk and sugar it is. Easy enough to remember, since that’s how I like it too.” Jack poured the unused cup back into the pot to warm it back up. Then he grinned. “Yeah, I could see you were an ‘eat on the go’ kind of gal when I started looking around. Not surprising really. Good thing you had something sitting around though; running out to the market in my boxers for some akara might have raised a few eyebrows.”

The first slices of bread eventually popped up and Jack started buttering away. “Well, I guess I do kind of like to cook too, if it’s for someone else; maybe next time I’ll be the chef. I’ll have to see if I can find the hat and think of what recipes I know, and also what ingredients might be available around here.” Jack put the first toast on the table and then slid a few more bread slices into the machine.

“My favorite meal time? Huh, I never thought about that …” Jack refilled his cup as he considered. “I guess breakfast on weekends, when you have the time to fix up something good and then enjoy it. And dinner after a long day, if you don’t have to work that night. Can just hang around the table afterwards, shooting the breeze and taking it easy, until the cooks come and tell you to get the dirty dishes to the scullery so it can close. So times when a meal is more than just a refueling stop I guess. For instance …” And then Jack told Miranda the story about Sam and him making banana pancakes for April.

“Sam’s a lot like you in a way. Smart, pretty, kind of bossy. Of course, since she’s only nine she may just grow out of the last one before she starts breaking boys’ hearts.” Jack grinned. “But even though she can be a handful, she’s the love of April’s life; been really good for my sis and helped her … well, focus you know? Pull her head out of her butt and deal with being a grown up, especially after the divorce.” Jack had a little more coffee and then seemed to have an idea. “Say, you must’ve delivered a whole bunch of kids right? That must always be something. But uh … have you ever thought about starting a family of your own?” Jack started buttering some more toast while he watched Miranda out of the corner of his eye …
 
Listening to Jack's story made her feel a bit guilty. She was an aunt, but having no relationship with her sister, she could hardly be an influence to those children. She'd be inclined to buy them things, to spoil them, which would only make them resent their lives and their mother all the more. Any money would go straight to her sister's drug habit. It was a sad state of affairs, but one Miranda couldn't do anything about.

"Your niece sounds like a little pistol. I'm glad they have each other. Those are the memories that they'll both cherish in the years to come."

While he made more toast, Miranda slathered one of the pieces of toast with strawberry jam. She'd paid a pretty penny for the import, but found every bite to be worth the cost. When she splurged, it was usually on those little delights that made life in a strange country a bit more bearable.

Jack's question made her falter. She paused, glancing in his direction, a curious look playing along her face. Was he asking out of simple curiosity? Or because he was already planning their future together? Miranda wasn't sure which she truly wished it to be. Even so, she'd promised to be truthful with him.

About everything except the blackmail, she thought bitterly.

Glancing back to her coffee, she took a swallow before nodding. "Yes, I did at one point. Thomas and I decided we'd start trying for a baby when the time was right. I wanted to get through my residency first. That was stressful enough without adding a pregnancy into the mix. Being an attending surgeon is almost as stressful, but you have a bit more flexibility once you've been put through the paces and can settle in. Obviously, things didn't go according to plan. I was heartbroken at the time, thinking that if I'd have a child, I would have a piece of him with me and a reason to go on living. Now, I'm not sure things would have turned out any differently. I wasn't... fit... to be anyone's mother during all that, so it was probably for the best."

"Now? If I ever seriously settled down with someone, I'd probably want at least one child. Maybe two. It would be nice to create the sort of family I never had and provide a child with love and stability." She couldn't help but think of Naomi's predicament and feel a bit worried for the girl. She had a hard road ahead of her if she kept that baby.

"What about you? Marriage? Kids? Have you given it any thought?"
 
Jack winced when Miranda mentioned Thomas; he hadn’t intended for his question to lead her down that road again and he mentally kicked himself for not anticipating the possibility. The dude must have been a really good guy if Miranda had given her heart to him; despite his current feelings for Miranda, it still made Jack kind of sad to think of what had happened to her husband. Jack knew that it wasn’t always the good guys who didn’t make it, but it still hurt when a guy like Thomas went down and didn’t get back up again. But, as Miranda went on, Jack’s mood turned back to match hers; she’d gone on with her life as best she could, and starting a family was still in the cards for her despite everything she’d been through.

“Me?” Jack wittily replied as he brought some more toast to the table and sat down. “Well …” he chomped on some cereal as he tried to think. “Sure, of course I’ve thought about getting married, if the right gal came along.” Jack thought a bit more, then decided that if Miranda could talk about Thomas he could be honest too. “And, well … over the years there were a couple of right gals, except … the timing was never right. I was always deployed, or in training, or working, and they had their careers too so … it never worked out.” Jack looked up, then away from Miranda before he bent back to eating his cereal. “I know that sounds dumb, letting timing get in the way of … something like that. But it did.” Jack pushed his cereal bowl away, then grabbed a piece of toast and looked at Miranda. “But now? Yeah, if the right gal came along I’d definitely ask her to marry me if I thought she might say yes. Start a family. Like I said at the hotel, I’m looking to get off this pony ride. I’m pretty close now, money wise, and if I cut a few corners could probably hang up my combat boots today; the new G.I. Bill is pretty awesome, so it gives me some options.” Jack had some coffee before he went on. “And I think two kids would be great. A boy and a girl would be ideal I guess. Or two boys. Or two girls. Though I had a friend who had three girls and he used to say it was …”

Before Jack could finish his sentence the radio clipped to his go-bag started beeping, and then turned on loud as the selcall feature kicked in; a South African guy started talking, in the semi-bored voice that all good communicators use on the radio:

“Recall, recall, recall. All Reaper personnel return to base immediately. I say again, all Reaper units RTB now. This is not a drill. Recall, recall, recall.” There was a pause and then a Russian voice came on; based on the cadence of the second speaker, anyone could tell his message was identical to the first. As Jack stood and turned down the radio, his cellphone chirped and he got a text with the exact same message; he quickly replied then went into the living room and started getting dressed. “Sorry sweetie” he said to Miranda as he laced up his boots. “Gotta go …”
 
Miranda frowned at the recall announcement went out, slightly disappointed that they wouldn't have the chance to spend the morning together. However, as she was accustomed to being dragged into emergency situations at all hours, she wasn't going to pout about it. Instead, she turned in her chair, sipping at her coffee while she watched Jack dress.

She didn't think she'd ever grow tired of the way his muscles rolled beneath his skin and flexed naturally with ordinary movement. He clearly spent time in the gym to ensure he was in top physical condition, and that effort showed quite clearly in the definition in all of his muscle groups. She saw, on a daily basis, the human form enough to be desensitized to nudity. Jack's nudity was something to be truly savored, however, and she looked forward to the next time she'd see him without his clothing.

"I hope it isn't anything terrible," she commented. "Be safe out there, okay?"

Her elbow rested on the back of the chair, coffee set aside and forgotten for the moment. "I can't say that I'm not sorry there won't be a repeat of last night, but duty is always more important than leisure. I hope you can at least spare time for a kiss before you go?" She quirked a teasing brow, chin resting in her palm as her eyes followed his movements.
 
“I wish I could stay too” Jack replied as he finished dressing. “And yeah, who knows what this’s all about. But I’ll definitely keep my head down if it comes to it, so don’t worry about that.” Jack plopped his go-bag on a kitchen chair, then held his hands out to Miranda and coaxed her into standing. “And there’s always time to kiss you.” Jack took Miranda’s beautiful face in his hands and planted a long, tender, loving kiss on her full, warm lips; it wasn’t erotic exactly, but he did put all the emotion he was feeling for her right then into it. Then Jack slid his arms around Miranda’s slender frame and held her tight as he spoke softly over her shoulder. “I really liked being here with you, last night and again this morning. Waking up next to you. I want that to happen again.” Jack eased back and gave Miranda one last little peck before he stepped completely away and spoke to her in a more normal tone. “I don’t know how long this’ll take. Maybe it’ll wrap up early, but I’ll call or text when we’re done either way. Let you know about tomorrow if nothing else; the trip should still be on, leaving bright and early, unless all hell has broken loose. I’ll let you know.” Then Jack picked up his bag and headed out the door …

---

Back at base Jack learned that Boko Haram had attacked a small town 15 klicks outside of Maiduguri at dawn, right about when he was rolling out of Miranda's bed; the small garrison there from the 7th ID was hanging on by a thread and in danger of being overrun. The reserve company from Jack’s unit had already launched to try and relieve the garrison, and a second company was also spinning up to head out the gate; in the mean time everyone else was just standing by, in case the counter-attack needed reinforcements or BH decided to hit somewhere else too. So Jack spent most of his day sitting in the front of his Cobra with his feet propped up on the open door frame, discussing philosophy with Mikhail.

“So she made the sauce herself? Is she Italian? What did it taste like?”

“No she’s not Italian. And it tasted like pasta sauce, good pasta sauce. With, you know, tomatoes and spices and stuff. Probably oregano and garlic and onions, I guess.”

Mikhail gave the back of Jack’s head a disgusted look before he went on. “And this new bakery, do you think they sell cookies? You should get some if they do.”

“Yes dear, I’ll put cookies on my shopping list next time I go to the market.”

And later on …

“The movie you watched, it was about brides?”

“No, bridesmaids.” Jack explained the movie’s plot and also told Mikhail about the dress shop scene.

“So this bride, she is wearing a beautiful dress, correct? But she also has bad diarrhea. So as she is walking across a road, she squats down and shits all over herself? And you consider this to be a comedy classic?”

“Hey, Miranda laughed.”

“Jek, you are having a bad influence on Doctor Bleck.”

And finally …

“So what were you up to last night? You got back here later than I did.”

“I was visiting with Jelena. We were playing video games.”

“Video games?”

“Yes, she is very passionate about them. Every time she wins she starts yelling and screaming.”

Jack just started laughing …

---

The stand down order came shortly before nightfall; the beleaguered garrison had finally been relieved and there were no other attacks. So Jack and Mikhail ended up getting paid for a day of sitting around and not getting shot at, which was classic military “hurry up and wait,” and not bad as far as most private contractors were concerned. As the guys went off to chow Jack wandered over to the TOC and then pulled out his phone to send Miranda a text.

Hey, all done. It was a big nothing. Too late for me to come back over tho. We’re still on for tomorrow. Sleep tight. XO - J

Then, after he called George to ask about cookies, Jack got some chow himself, read a little and finally hit the rack; it was going to be an early morning for him. And as he drifted off to sleep, Jack happily thought about Miranda yelling and screaming, as she “won some video games” …
 
The rest of Miranda's weekend was spent catching up on paperwork and reminiscing about her night with Jack. They were still getting to know one another, but she thought things were progressing nicely. He hadn't balked over the revelation of her husband, despite her 'punishment', though the talk of children had been curious. She couldn't help but wonder if he was probing her because he thought they might be compatible enough for a more serious relationship. It still bothered her that she wasn't telling him the complete truth, but that couldn't be helped. She had to deal with Carson on her own.

While she expected another visit from the spook, he never materialized. She reasoned that he was either waiting for more developments or he was simply busy elsewhere. Whichever the case, she was thankful that the weekend went unremarked so she could finish her work in peace.

Jack's text was a trifle disappointing. While she hadn't really expected him to have the time to return, it was still something of a let down. Stop doing that to yourself. You shouldn't get so attached.

Trying to ignore those nasty thoughts, she texted back: Glad you're safe. See you in the morning.

When morning dawned, Miranda reached the base with the supplies they'd be transporting well before they were due to leave. With her was a rail-thin Sudanese woman with close-cropped hair and friendly eyes. As before, both of the doctors were dressed practically and comfortably in clothing meant for the bush.

Dr. Blake introduced the newcomer as Dr. Esther Buni, a fellow MSF volunteer and colleague from the hospital. Though Esther was clearly nervous about the trip, she did her best to put on a brave face. After they'd unloaded the supplies, Miranda showed her how to properly fit her helmet.

To her credit, Miranda was a complete professional when interacting with Jack. While she was friendly enough, she showed no obvious affection for him or even hinted that they'd engaged in a personal relationship. Though she caught herself watching him a time or two, her thoughts were mainly on the mission ahead and the villagers in need. Still, it was impossible to ignore how good his butt looked in his uniform.
 
Jack’s eyes snapped open before his alarm went off and he used that extra time to take a long shower before all the hot water was gone. After he’d gone back to his room and put on his uniform, he fingered his lucky green shirt and promised himself to wear it the next time he had a date with Miranda; it seemed to him that the Sudanese shopkeepers were on to something. Then he sat down at his laptop and replied to an email April had sent him a week ago. Without everyone eating up all the bandwidth watching porn, he was finally able to write back to his sister and also add a little postscript for Sam; in the P.S. he reminded his niece of the time they’d made pancakes for her Mom, and also that he’d told a lady friend the story and she’d liked it. Since the Internet was working faster than a frozen slug for a change, Jack also watched a quick motivational video before he went to chow.

---

After breakfast Jack strolled out to the motorpool with a mug of coffee in hand. As usual Mikhail was arguing with the Motorpool Chief about something and the privates were tromping back and forth loading up the Cobras; Jack made sure to say good morning to the new guy, who’d replaced Adewale while the wounded gunner was recovering. Captain O. seemed to have everything well in hand, so Jack went to look into the back of the MRAPs.

Even more so than usual, their interiors looked cramped. Part of that was due to all the extra ammo and other supplies strapped inside. But some of it was because of the new layer of sandbags set atop the Cobras' floorplates; an old, last ditch effort to augment too thin armor against something bad moving very fast. Ian walked up and Jack could see his vest and med bag were crammed fuller than usual too.

“Were you able to get those extras?” Jack asked.

“Yeah boet, here you go.” Ian handed Jack a plastic baggy containing six tourniquets, then started loading his kit onto his Cobra.

“So I’m gonna let Captain O. take charge of your vehicle this time. He’s been doing pretty good and … well, kind of deserves it. That’ll also let you keep an eye on your passenger; I think Doc Blake is bringing someone new this time. But if shit goes sideways, and Kayin can’t handle it …”

“No worries boet.”

Jack slapped Ian on the shoulder then turned with a look of surprise on his face as Aldo came chugging up on his little motorcycle; the kid was actually early. The journo went around shaking hands with everyone, and slapped Jack on the back like they were long lost brothers. “Hey Jack! So we are off on another adventure together, eh? I will make sure to let the world see whatta good work you do!” Jack just shook his head at the crazy kid’s energy and enthusiasm this early in the morning; maybe he’d already had a half dozen Red Bulls, or maybe Naomi had sent him off to work with a smile. “Alright Aldo, you’re riding with me again. Go ahead and get your stuff aboard; same rules as last time.” Jack glanced over at Aldo’s bike and saw a blue “Press” vest strapped to the back seat, to go along with the helmet the kid had worn on the ride over.

Jack sipped a little more coffee, then wondered where Miranda and the other Doc were; he glanced at his watch and realized they weren’t even close to being late, it was just that he and everyone else was running way early for the trip to Sumbola. Jack took a minute to slather on a little more bug repellent, though he knew it was mostly the antimalarials he took that’d (hopefully) keep him safe from all the skeeters likely flitting about close to the river; “Jeez, this mission is just getting better and better …” Then Jack saw Miranda and another gal arrive and he perked up a bit as he went over to say hi.

After being introduced to Doc Buni and getting his Sergeant started on trying to find space inside the Cobras for Mirandas supplies, Jack called Ian over and handed Esther off to the big South African medic. Ian immediately ushered the Doc over to his vehicle and began running her through the SOP for the trip, in a polite, friendly, low key kind of way. With everything seemingly on track, Jack turned to Miranda and gave her a quick little grin. “Hey.” Then he handed her the baggy full of tourniquets. “Forgot to ask if you guys carried these, so here’s a couple extra for you, Esther and Aldo. I know you know how to use one, but could you make sure Esther and our resident paparazzi do too, before we go?”

---Bonus Video Footage---

Like a lot of guys in the military, Jack sometimes watched a “motivational video” before he went to work in the morning. He’d picked up the habit in basic training, where some of the instructors used to show short clips from war or action movies before a class to well, gain the attention of their young students; sometimes the clip even had something to do with the class that followed.

The clip Jack watched that morning was from the movie “300,” which is a highly fictionalized recounting of an actual event; Persia’s attempted invasion of Greece over two thousand years ago. The scene Jack watched was from very early in the flick, when a Persian envoy shows up in Sparta and demands that city-state’s surrender; Leonides, the Spartan king, does not take this demand well. The part of the scene Jack liked best was when Leonides looks at his queen, who in real life was named Gorgo (real life isn’t always written by Hollywood,) to see what she wants to do. In a brilliant bit of non-verbal acting Gorgo simply looks at Leonides and tilts her head slightly, as if to say “I know what’s at stake too. I’m with you. Do it.” And then the boys from Sparta start making things happen, in their own special way …

This is Sparta. Full scene.
 
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Miranda eyed the supplies with a slight nod. "They're standard in our kits, though I dislike using them unless the severity of the wound calls for it. Fine as a temporary measure if you can't get the bleeding to stop, but they cause permanent damage over long hauls. They're ideal for dismemberments, though... let's hope we don't ever have to deal with something like that. Esther is competent in their use. She spent time in South Sudan with the efforts there. Went through some scary stuff."

"Thanks for these. Extras certainly can't hurt." She took a couple and added them to her kit, before joining Esther with the South African to pass over hers. After a brief discussion and nodding, she went to go find the photographer.

As she greeted Aldo, her thoughts went to Naomi. Had she told the man her news? He seemed chipper. She didn't know him well enough to know if that was an indication of anything. Waving the tourniquet at him, she gestured with a flick of her chin in Jack's direction. "Hey, the boss wants to make sure you know how to use one of these before we go. You ever had any experience with these?"
 
Aldo happily threw his hands in the air as Doctor Blake walked up to him. “Hey Dottore!” The young Italian took Miranda by the shoulders for a second, as he pressed his cheeks against hers like she was his long lost sister. “So off we go again! And you bring’a ‘nother lady dottore with you too!” Aldo held up his camera. “I make both of you look bella this time! Did my Naomi give you the pictures of the last one?” Aldo looked puzzled as Miranda held up the tourniquet, but sort of listened as she explained what it was and how to use it. Then he quickly tucked the tourniquets into a pocket of his photographer’s vest as he started fiddling with his camera again; “Graci, Dottore, graci. Now I go work on my Pulitzer!” As Aldo started to head off Jack came up to both him and Miranda with his kit on; “Alright guys, the supplies are loaded. Time to saddle up. Same rules as last time; make sure your harness is on tight.”

As the two Cobras rolled out the gate, like clockwork Mikhail fastened his helmet and crossed himself; “I got my green shirt and he’s got that” was all Jack thought, as he picked up the handset to call in their departure.

---

Since the base was on the west side of town the little convoy had to pass through the city center on its way to Sumbola; fortunately they’d left early enough to beat the worst of the morning traffic. But when the two Cobra’s hit the warehouse district near the railhead, the road immediately became clogged with heavily laden, slow moving trucks on their way to the eastern border and Chad. This time Jack’s MRAP was in the lead on the way out and Mikhail spent half his time trying to go counter-flow, half his time leaning on the air horn and all his time cursing under his breath. It was going to be a longer trip than last time and Jack wondered how Miranda was doing crammed into the back of the truck; at least she was a lot smaller than some of the guys that got stuffed back there. He turned up the AC and hoped that would help a little, especially when the sun came all the way up.

As they finally rolled out of town onto the main highway heading east Jack could see the QRF parked in a large open field off to the north; they’d relocated from the base even earlier, to be in a better position to support Jack’s “reconnaissance mission.” There were four big Casspir MRAPs parked in a loose square; each was twice the size of a Cobra and had a guy on watch behind a MAG up in its turret. But the QRF’s real firepower was the two Panhard armored cars parked on opposite corners of the formation; their 90mm guns looked almost comically large mounted on such small chassis. A couple dozen guys were kicking around a soccer ball in the laager’s center. Then Jack heard Piet’s voice come over the radio.

“Joker Six, Joker Six this is Hammer Six. Good luck out there boet.”

“Hammer this is Joker, thanks. Keep your motors running, okay?”

Jack could here Piet laugh. “Will do Joker. Hammer Six out.”

As the QRF receded in the rear view mirrors, Jack pulled his fidget spinner out and started calling in checkpoints as they rolled through them …

---Photos---

One of the Casspir MRAPs.

One of the Panhard 90 armored cars.
 
At least we don't have to deal with goat piss on the way out, Miranda mused as the trip dragged on. Now if we can just keep the villagers from giving us one to take back with us.

She had expected a long journey, but there was little to do to pass the time besides conserve her energy. She'd need every scrap of it once they reached the village. Bracing her head back against the seat so that it wasn't bounced about as they rumbled along, she closed her eyes in a simple form of meditation. There was little she could see while within the vehicle -- that wasn't her job -- so she did her best to remain alert with her other senses. The sound of bullets plinking against metal always made a distinctive sound. Even if she missed the first projectiles that came their way, there'd be no missing the returning fire of the roof mounted guns and the resulting shower of brass.

The Cobra's air conditioning did little to cut through the heat within the confined space. Miranda dressed to stay cool, as she had before, and wore only a tank top beneath the body armor that was strapped to her torso. Sweat formed between her shoulder blades and trickled down her back, soaking both her shirt and the waistband of her pants. Such was the norm when traveling through the bush, and she was accustomed to the sticky heat and smell of unwashed bodies. Luckily, the soldiers were more fastidious with their hygiene than the poor citizens of Maiduguri. Even so, she would have paid a great deal of money for a tall glass of ice water and few minutes in a walk-in freezer.

Are we there yet? She'd never say it aloud, but she thought it twenty or thirty times along the way.
 
Once they were out away from town things got a little easier. Some gaps started opening up between the trucks and besides going counter-flow, they could also start using the shoulders sometimes too; that made for a rougher ride, especially in back, but it helped them make better time. Looking back Jack could see the new gunner doing his job, hauling his MAG around to point at whatever seemed like the biggest threat at the time; he was constantly moving. Miranda looked like she was asleep and so did his Sergeant, but Aldo was doing his best to see out the little vision blocks; at least he didn’t ask Jack to stop so he could take pictures of the destroyed and abandoned vehicles they periodically rolled past. They traveled with a couple of gun trucks from the 7th ID for awhile, but then they turned off on the secondary road heading south towards Sumbola while the trucks continued east towards Dikwa.

As the dirt road started heading down towards the village and the Yedseram River it got rougher and rougher, thanks to poor drainage; there were all kinds of ruts cutting across the road. Then as they wove downhill Jack caught his first glimpse of their objective and saw it didn’t look much better than the road; the place looked cramped and shabby compared to Akanni, and seemed to have been built on low ground for some reason. As they rumbled in towards where he thought the town center was he could at least see some people and kids, but the streets all looked muddy and nasty as fuck; he was definitely glad he’d put extra bug repellant on before they’d left.

They stopped in the village square, on a rare piece of dry ground and outside the one cement building that had to be the place’s clinic; besides the kids already lined up outside, Jack could see barbed wire on the roof, to keep people from breaking in and stealing the drugs at night. Seeing the kids was kind of a mixed bag. It meant that word about their visit had gone out awhile ago, but also that people weren’t scared of letting their kids be clustered together like that; while BH had no qualms at all about killing children, at least the parents here weren’t expecting that to happen today.

After Jack and his men dismounted he was met by Sumbola’s headman, an older man who introduced himself as Sarki Obea politely enough and in passable English. After taking a look inside and around the clinic, and checking in with the rest of his team Jack couldn’t come up with any reason not to stay, so he gave his guys their marching orders. “One hundred percent alert until we’re done, unless you’re hauling supplies somewhere. Both guns manned. Ian you stick with Doc Buni and I’ve got Doc Blake. Kayin you’re in charge of the trucks.” Jack didn’t bother giving Mikhail any particular orders and instead trusted the Russian to just do what needed to be done at any given moment. Then Jack stuck his head in the back of his Cobra.

“Okay Doc, you’re up; hope you brought some bug spray.” Jack thought about telling Miranda to work as quickly as she could, but then decided against it; he knew she’d be in Doctor Blake mode the second she stepped out of the MRAP, working as efficiently as she could until they were all done. Aldo on the other hand … “And you,” Jack pointed a finger at the young Italian. “Take pictures of whatever you want, but do not wander off alone. If I have to come looking for you, I’m gonna tie you down here in the back until we leave.” Then Jack stepped aside so Doc Blake could go to work …

---Photos---

One of the destroyed military vehicles alongside the highway.

An abandoned, broken down dump truck, in the process of being stripped.

Sumbola seen from a distance.

The streets of Sumbola.

Captain Olayinka outside the clinic.
 
"I'm soaked in it," she assured Jack. While she was inoculated for most of the diseases that mosquitoes carried, no one wished to be eaten alive by the nasty things or biting flies.

She'd removed her helmet and vest, pulling on her short-sleeved shirt on over her tank top before reaching for her bag. Before hopping out of the vehicle, she took a long pull from her canteen. Sweating already, she'd need all the fluids she could get.

Her assessment of Sumbola was much the same as Akanni. They were poor villages, barely able to sustain themselves, and the people lived with all manner of deadly diseases that the modern world had eradicated in wealthier countries. Just looking at the muck in the roads made her sorry for these people. Poor sanitation, substandard water, likely very little food in times of famine. They'd gone without more times than she could likely count and still they stayed, struggling to survive.

While she couldn't do anything for their economy or agriculture, both of those were the focus of better equipped and better funded humanitarian groups, she could help them through the devastation of fever and disease. Both she and Esther approached the clinic together. Esther immediately greeted the waiting children with genuine excitement while Miranda greeted the headman who showed her the clinic and patients waiting there.

The situation wasn't as dire as it had been in Akanni, but it soon would be without the vaccinations that Miranda had brought along with her. Esther set up a temporary staging venue outside, working quickly and efficiently, even organizing the children to help her. They were eager to be of use and fascinating with the supplies she'd brought along, peppering her with questions about her job and her homeland. Her accented English wasn't that much different from their own, and she even spoke a smattering of both Kanuri and Hausa, which endeared her to the aunties, as well.

Meanwhile, Miranda dealt with the patients that were much less talkative. Most were incoherent, jaundiced and seized with fever while their bodies fought the disease. As before, dehydration was the primary enemy here. A body could usually combat the virus, but not before the organs began to fail from lack of fluids. A few were likely beyond her skill to save, but she did what she could to give them a fighting chance.
 
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