Page 19 of Healing Love

The next day, Miriam was terrified when she went in the early morning to check on her patients and found Cam’s tent empty. Seeing one of the men who assisted with patients nearby, she grabbed his arm. Pointing to the tent, she asked, “Where is the man who was here?”

The older man gave a shrug and said, “He gone.”

“I know he’s gone,” she said, exasperation in her voice, “but where did he go?”

Another shrug was the only answer, so she let go of his arm and allowed him to move on.Okay, calm. Stay calm. They could have found out he was here to rescue me. Then they would have killed him. But he left. Voluntarily? No, he’d never just leave me. But where could he have?—

“You seem to be in a tizzy,” Sister Genovia said, standing nearby.

Startled, Miriam quickly recovered and said, “No, not at all. I just wondered where the patient went who was in here.”

The older woman eyed her carefully before saying, “You have a special interest in the man?”

Trying to chuckle but having her mirth come out more as a squawk, Miriam said, “No. It’s just that if he’s out for a walk to regain his strength, then I don’t need to do anything to his room. If he’s left for good, then I’ll have someone clean the tent thoroughly.”

Sister Genovia walked to the open flap of the tent and glanced inside. The interior was spotless, no linens on the bed and fresh water sitting by the bed. Standing and peering back into Miriam’s eyes, she said, “Hmm. It appears that he has gone for good. God be praised, hewas made whole again.” Holding the younger nurse’s gaze, she said, “I would think you would be pleased.”

“Yes, of course I am. Less work for me, that’s for sure,” Miriam lied, trying to keep her knocking knees from sounding.

As Sister Genovia passed her by, she whispered, “A big man like that…strong…smart. He’d make a good worker when it comes to re-building some of the damaged buildings.”

Miriam’s gaze jumped up to the nun’s twinkling eyes and realized that the older woman knew that she had some interest in the man. Panicked, she asked, “Could anyone else tell?”

Giving a shake of her habit, Sister Genovia said, “Not at all, my dear. I only noticed because I hear your restless dreams at night.”

Sucking in a breath, Miriam blushed, but the good nun continued.

“Be safe and be wise. He is close by. You will see him near the loading docks. Whatever you do, plan well. And my prayers will be with you.”

Not admitting anything, Miriam simply nodded and moved into the larger tent to begin her day.

Cam had been moving rubble for most of the morning. Declared well enough to work early that day, he had been taken by armed guard to one of the foremen at a building about half a mile from the infirmary.Goddamn it! I didn’t have a chance to touch base with Miriam thismorning.Hoping she would remain calm when she found out he was gone, he made his way down the road.

The foreman looked him up and down, saying, “Agent said you got him and his driver here when they got sick. You got sick too.”

Nodding, Cam wondered what they had in store for him. He did not have to wait long. The foreman left and went to talk to another man standing near the trucks. After a few minutes, the foreman came back over.

“You’re too big to be wasting your time digging irrigation pipelines in the mountains. We need strong backs here working on the buildings. You start here now.”

Pretending to be appreciative of the honor bestowed, he nodded and asked who he needed to report to. The foreman introduced him to a few other large men, all hefting the bricks that had crumbled.

As he began working, he noted the trucks hauling away the broken building materials and began plotting what it would take to be able to drive one of them. There was no place to hide the nurses, but that was part of what he spent his day doing besides hauling. He plotted and planned. And thought of her. He tried to remember that she was just a mission. A friend’s sister. But the memory of her silky hair as his fingers touched it. Her clean scent when he knew he had smelled of dirt and sweat. Giving himself a mental shake, he once again hoped she would know he was all right. He had seen the older nun watch him as he was taken away and prayed that she would talk to Miriam.

By the end of the day, as the others were finishingthe work, he ambled over to the foreman. Giving him a nod of respect, he asked, “Where do I bunk for the night?”

The foreman turned, yelling behind him. “Joco? Over here.”

Another worker came trotting over and was introduced to Cam. “Show the new man here where to bunk. Bring him back here tomorrow.” With that, the foreman walked away, leaving Cam to follow Joco.

They made small talk and Cam was pleased to see that as they walked down the road, it was in the direction of the infirmary near the compound.

Before he could get close enough to see if Miriam was around, Joco pulled his attention to the side.

“We bunk in here since the quake. We’ll get a meal in a bit and the beds are inside.”

Cam nodded and reluctantly followed the man inside. The temporary housing was a tent, similar to what he had been in when ill. The space was large, with cots lining the walls, five to a tent. Nodding to the others, he greeted them and quickly learned their names. He needed to be seen as eager, hardworking, and completely trustworthy.

Stepping outside, he sat at a makeshift picnic table and was given a plate of food by one of the women in the area. From what he could gather, if the men had wives, they were kept back home somewhere raising their children. The women around the compounds were mostly the cartel’s whores. This became evident when his plate of food was delivered by a young woman with harsh features, who openly propositioned him.

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