Page 15 of The Risks of Reuniting

"Education comes after a roof and healthcare," Rachelle says in a sad tone of voice. "And I'm guessing no parents are around because they all have to go down the hill to work."

Dr. J nods as he probes in the boy's mouth. "Right. It's the way things are here."

"It's hard to think about," I mumble, putting bandages over the bony little knees.

None of us say anything else as Dr. J does his magic work of cleaning out the gums and taking a mold so he can build a little retainer that will replace the front teeth with fake ones until his adult teeth grow in. In the States he'd have more options for something more hardy, but here the boy is lucky he'll have anything in place until those big teeth grow in.

It takes a while, and then we have two more patients come in, and by the time four o'clock rolls around I'm only too happy to shut the door for the day. I'm toast. The three of us clean the clinic in silence, and all I can think about is how this community deserves so much more.

Chapter 6

Both

HOLT

I'm holding a bucket of plaster in one hand and a trowel in the other when Chloe walks by with Rachelle, their heads together, looks of concentration on their faces. Chloe's dark hair stands up in places and I wonder if she realizes that she looks like she got her finger stuck in a light socket. The afternoon must have been interesting. Every time I've seen her over the past few days she's been cool and polite, but right now she looks like she's weighed down.

"¡Cuidado!" someone calls from my left and I turn a moment too late, taking a ladder to the side of my head.

The bucket of plaster falls to the ground, landing on my toes before tipping over, wasting a precious resource. The trowel also falls from my grip, following the ladder to the ground, and I grasp at my head, wiping my fingers through my hair as I blink away the pain. Or try to anyhow.

"Holt," Cesar calls, charging my direction from the other side of the small area where we're working. "Are you okay?"

I look at my fingers and see blood, which is unfortunate because now people will really worry rather than shrugging it off as an unfortunate, but standard, construction site accident. They'll insist I be seen by themedical clinic. They won't care when I tell them I've been hit on the head many times.

"I'm all right." I hold up my blood-free hand and look at the men who have gathered around. "Really, estoy bien," I say, attempting a smile. My head is beginning to pound and I feel a little nauseated, both bad signs. I look at my work boots and my vision goes dark around the periphery. "I'll sit," I say, pointing to the ground, and I do just that, sitting right down and hanging my head over my lap. Man, that hurts.

"Holt?" a soft voice sounds from my side a moment before Rachelle crouches down in front of me. "Let me take a look, honey."

Her voice is southern sugar and I look behind her to see Chloe standing nearby with her hands shoved in her pockets. Her expression is concerned, but remote, and it's strange having her within reach but untouchable. Her eyes are tired, and I want to ask what happened today almost as much as I want her to ask me if I'm okay.

Rachelle's soft fingers are cooler than mine as they tug my hand away from the wound. She hums under her breath as she parts my hair, and I watch her gold hair swing in my peripheral vision. Her scrubs have kittens in all colors of the rainbow, and I smile at them as I catch the scent of toothpaste mint, which is a step up from the guys I've been working with. I hear a soft sigh that tells me it's a decent gash, and lean back into the building in disappointment.

"I'm ok. Just need a minute to stop seeing the flying blue jays circling my head," I say quietly. I look at her. "Are those kittens really there?" I joke, pointing at her scrubs.

She huffs a laugh. "You're going to need stitches, which might mean shaving part of your head."

I tilt my head to look over at Chloe, and am happy to see she's gotten closer. My head swims again and I imagine that from this close I can see the green flecks in her dark eyes.

"Please, anything but that. This hair is my best feature," I crack, swallowing back the nausea that's fighting to take hold.

"I'm not a doctor, but we can hope," Rachelle replies as she pushes to stand. "Let's get you to the clinic, tough guy."

She reaches down a hand, and I take it. My eyes catch Chloe's when I gain my feet, and her expression slips into the professional one I've seen aimed at other people a million times. I understand that I put that wall there through my actions, but I hate it anyway, and do my best to push past it.

"What do you think, Chloe? Stitches?" I ask.

"I heard that ladder slam into your brick head from across the courtyard," she says lightly. "You're lucky to be conscious."

Rachelle reaches up and takes my face between her hands, forcing my eyes to hers and searching with a concerned expression. She's tall, and I frown wondering how I hadn't noticed that before. I blink and look at her again. Her eyes are blue. It's like I've never actually seen her. Strange.

"His pupils do not look right," Rachelle says, releasing me to place her hands on her hips.

"Will he live?" Cesar asks, coming in closer. We've only been here a few days, but he's already become a friend, and I know I'd be worried if he were hurt too. "I would hate for him to die." His hands are covered in plaster and he has a streak of the white material across his face where he most likely swiped away sweat. "I like him."

"Sorry you had to clean up my mess, amigo," I say to him, managing a smile through the thudding heartbeat in my brain. I put a hand on his slight shoulder. "I'll live."

Rachelle slips her arm through mine, tugging to get me walking toward the medical clinic that's a few doors down from the dental one where she and Chloe work. She's mumbling things about the safety protocols in Peru and the lack of hard hats as we shuffle along. Chloe took one look at the situation and marched ahead, most likely off to let the doctor know we're on our way. I watch her slim body move along and feel a mixture of sadness and longing.

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