boy, “Can you find us something to sleep on? A blanket for your father? Something to eat?”
“Sí.” The boy left and the woman went out the door behind him.
Chance stood and walked to the doorway. Ellen joined him. Chance spoke to Ricco. He nodded and move to the corner of the building, his gun at the ready. She and Chance continued to stand there. The night sounds were almost overwhelming as animals as well as bugs communicated.
“This is an amazing country,” Ellen said. “I know why you keep coming back.”
“It is.”
She looked at him. “You love it here, don’t you?”
“If I said I didn’t, you would call me a liar.”
Ellen smiled. “That I would.”
The boy returned carrying a rolled-up tarp. They followed him inside. He placed it on the floor. “Sleep.” He pointed to it.
Chance chuckled. “All the comforts of home.”
“Better than the dirt.” Ellen sat on it with her legs crossed.
“Do you ever see the negative in anything?” Chance asked, taking the chair again.
“Sometimes but it’s better to see the positive because the negative is usually far too obvious.”
The woman came in holding two banana leaves. She handed one to her and the other to Chance. Ellen had never seen anything like it.
“Pulled pork and vegetables. It’s cooked in the ground. You’ll like it.” Chance picked up a bite between his thumb and forefinger and put it in his mouth.
Ellen wasn’t so eager. She looked at it more closely in the dim light then moved it around with a tip of a finger.
“This is the first time I’ve seen you squeamish about something. You need to eat.”
“I’m just not sure about this. I usually have my food on a plate.”
Chance chuckled. “Just pretend that you’re at a baseball game and you’re having a hotdog.”
“My father has box seats for the Mets and a cook comes in.”
Chance’s fingers stopped halfway to his mouth. “Just who is your father?”
“Robert Cox.” Even in the low light she could see Chance’s eyes widen.
“As in Cox Media.”
“Yes. That’s my father’s company.”
“So why in the hell are you down here? You don’t need the money or even to work.”
She glowered at him. “I’m a doctor because I want to help people. And today shows that I’m needed. Even by you.” In a show of defiance, she picked up a finger full of food and plopped it into her mouth. “That’s good.”
The boy came in again, this time with two bottled drinks. He gave them each one.
Chance said, “No matter how far out of civilization you get, soda companies are there. Thank goodness. We don’t need to drink the water.”
Ellen finished off her meal and stood. “Let me have those.” Chance handed her his leaf and bottle. “I’ll put this away and then check the patient. You need to sleep. Work on building new blood cells.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“No argument?” Ellen looked at him.
“Nope.”
“We really have gone into a different world.” She placed the stuff she held on the bench then stepped over to her patient. He seemed comfortable enough. There was a low fever but that was expected. “We’ll need to get him out of here and to a hospital tomorrow.”
“Agreed,” Chance said as he lay out on the tarp. “Come on, you need some rest as much as I do.”
Ellen stretched out beside him, leaving as much space as possible between them. She put her arm under her head, trying to get comfortable.
“Come over here,” Chance said. “You can use my shoulder for a pillow.”
The tarp made a crinkling sound as she shifted closer. She laid her head on his broad shoulder. He moved his arm around her and his hand settled on her waist.
In a sleepy voice he said, “I’ve dreamed of sleeping with you but never in a shack in the middle of the jungle.”
Ellen rolled toward him and her arm went across his waist. She didn’t care where it was, just that she was near him.
CHANCE ROSE A couple of times during the night to check on their patient. Each time Ellen curled into the warm spot he had left. When he returned she moaned her appreciation as he took her into his arms again. That kind of treatment he could get used to.
He looked out the doorway at the full moon. It was well after midnight. Their patient had spiked a fever. After giving him another dose of antibiotics, Chance used a four-by-four to bathe his head. Under these conditions there wasn’t much more he could do. He joined Ellen again.
“How’s he doing?” she murmured.
“Fever’s down. Go back to sleep.”
“Next time I’ll get up.”
He pulled her close again. “Deal.”
The sky was still more dark than light when Chance was shaken awake. “Must go,” the boy said in a low urgent whisper. “Now.”
Chance was instantly alert.
The boy was already picking up Chance’s to-go bag and putting things in it. “Bad men come. Must hide.”
Chance stood and helped Ellen to her feet.
“They find you, they kill you.” The boy didn’t slow down.
His statement propelled Chance into action. “Ellen, make sure we have everything picked up that might indicate who we are. Leave nothing behind.” He grabbed her backpack and finished putting their things, even the paper covers, into the pack. Done, he zippered it up.
“What’s going on?” Ellen looked around as if unsure what to do first.
“Drug traffickers. They’re looking for our patient over there. If they find us they’ll kill me and ransom you. If you’re lucky.”
“What about our patient?” She started toward the man.
“We’ve done all we can for him. Now we have to take care of ourselves.” He thrust the backpack at her.
