Читать книгу Out of the Shadows - Melanie Mitchell - Страница 13

CHAPTER FIVE

“LESLIE! LESLIE, HONEY, wake up!” Mama Joe knocked loudly before barging into the bedroom. “You need to get ready for a delivery.”

Leslie opened her eyes and blinked. It was still dark outside, but the light from the hallway allowed her to focus on Mama Joe’s face through the mosquito net. “Okay...okay...” She sat up in bed and swept her hands at the netting, trying to find the opening. “What time is it?”

“About six.” Leslie was surprised to see that the older woman was ready for work. “Get dressed and come have coffee and a bite, and I’ll fill you in.” Mama Joe closed the door as she left.

Leslie crawled out of bed and—after checking the floor for spiders—quickly got ready. She joined Mama Joe in the kitchen. True to her word, Mama Joe had a cup of coffee and toast with jam waiting. Gratefully, Leslie took a sip of the rich black coffee and sighed with pleasure. “Okay, what’s up?” she asked.

“Father Christopher just called.”

“Father Christopher?”

“Oh. Didn’t I mention? He’s a priest—a very old friend—who has a mission in the Lake Magadi region. He works with the Masai people.” Mama Joe paused for a second and took a sip of her own coffee. “A woman in their area just went into labor. She has already lost two infants at birth, and so Father Chris wants us to help with the delivery rather than relying on the village midwives.”

Leslie nodded. “That makes sense. Where’s Lake Magadi?”

“It’s not far. Only about seventy or eighty miles.”

Leslie sipped her coffee. If the woman was in early labor, they should have plenty of time to travel eighty miles. “Sure. When do we leave?”

“Er...well, that’s the thing. It won’t be us—it’ll be you.”

Leslie’s cup stopped halfway to her mouth. “What?”

“Honey, I’m leaving tomorrow. I’ve worked with you for two weeks now. You’ve delivered four babies during that time, and I know you can do this.” Mama Joe took a bite of toast, then added, “Besides, I haven’t started packing.”

“But...”

“It’ll be over before you know it. Just a quick flight down and—”

“Flight?” Leslie set her cup down with a start. “But if it’s only eighty miles...”

“The road in that direction is terrible, so driving is out. I’ve already talked to Ben. It’s all set. You need to meet him at the airstrip in about half an hour.”