are you?” she asked.
“Just pulling up. There was an accident on I-5.”
Thankful Dr. Harper and his son weren’t the ones in the accident, she let out a relieved breath. “We’re waiting at the security checkpoint.”
“See you in a few.” The phone went dead.
Gwen snapped the small handheld phone closed and handed it back to Craig. “They’re on their way.”
Joyce pushed off from the wall and snagged her duffel bag by the strap. “Let’s get in line.”
The rest of the group picked up their bags and moved to the end of the long line of people waiting to enter the roped-off area for the security check.
Craig tried to reassure Gwen. “No need to worry. They’ll make it.”
Gwen nodded and followed the others to the line, her own backpack gripped in one hand. Their carry-on luggage held their personal items while the baggage they’d all checked would transport the medical supplies they’d need in Africa.
Her anxiety eased a bit as she stood at the end of the security line. She knew what to expect on her third trip as part of Hands of Healing International.
On the long flight to London she planned to rest, listen to a variety of music on her iPod and sleep with the help of an eye mask and a squishy pillow she’d tucked into her backpack.
After a twenty-hour layover in London they’d board another plane, then land in Kampala, Uganda, and from there they’d take a transport to the small province of Moswani, located at the southwestern corner of Uganda, bordering Rwanda.
This trip would be unusual in several ways, most importantly because Derek Harper was coming to shadow his father and learn firsthand the administrative needs of the ministry his father had started sixteen years earlier.
She looked forward to proving to Dr. Harper that she was ready to lead her own team on a Hands of Healing mission as they’d discussed several times over the last few months. Dr. Harper had indicated that this trip would be Gwen’s time to be in charge of the medical personnel while Dr. Harper showed his son the meaningfulness of the work.
Gwen was grateful her dealings with Derek would be minimal. He made her uncomfortable, not in a sleazy way, but in a strange, unfamiliar way that left her feeling vulnerable and self-conscious. She didn’t like the feelings at all.
“Harper.”
Ned’s low warning in Gwen’s right ear invaded her space and made her quickly step back. For a breathless moment she rocked off balance onto the heels of her tennis shoes.
But then a big, strong hand grasped her elbow, pushed her slightly forward, back on to firm footing, holding her until her world steadied. She quickly extracted her elbow from the strong grip.
“Thank you,” she murmured as she turned her gaze to her rescuer and met vivid green eyes.
Tall, blond and amused, Derek Harper cocked a tawny brow at her. “Too much coffee?”
Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth for half a second before she regained her composure. “I don’t drink coffee.”
“Ah. Maybe you should.” He turned his attention to the others. “Good morning all. I guess we’re really going to do this.”
Joyce smiled. “So glad to have you along, Derek.”
Gwen stared at the slightly interested gleam in Joyce’s blue gaze. Surely Joyce wasn’t falling victim to Derek’s surfer, beach-bum good looks.
Gwen gave a mental shrug. She certainly didn’t care if Joyce set her sights on Derek. Romantic relationships were the last thing on Gwen’s mind. They were too unpredictable and too easy to lose control of.
As Derek shook hands with Craig and then Ned, Gwen asked, “Where’s your father?”
“He and Mother are coming.”
Gwen raised her brows. “Your mother’s coming on the trip?” That was also new and unusual.
From what Gwen had gathered over the years, Sally Harper didn’t travel—something about a fear of flying—even though she supported her husband’s vision of spreading God’s word through providing medical services to those in need.
Derek’s gaze bored into her. The quick negative shake of his head left her bewildered. In the past, Mrs. Harper said her goodbyes at home.
Gwen rationalized that since both son and father were traveling on this trip that Mrs. Harper had decided to see them off. Not so unusual in the grand scheme of things, she supposed. Gwen really liked her boss’s unassuming and soft-spoken wife.
A small gasp from Joyce alerted Gwen’s sense of unease. The little hairs on the back of her neck prickled.
“Here they are,” Derek said and moved aside so they could be joined by Dr. and Mrs. Harper.
Gwen echoed Joyce’s gasp and shock skipped up her spine to settle in a pounding beat behind her eyes. She blinked. But what she saw in front of her didn’t change.
Dr. Harper sat in a wheelchair. The left pant leg of his dark cotton slacks had been cut away from the knee to the toes, exposing a hard white cast. His wife, looking tired, pushed the wheelchair. She was dressed in a comfortable knit two-piece suit in a demure green that brought out the color in her green eyes. Her blond hair was pulled back in a cropped ponytail.
“What…what happened?” Gwen ducked under the rope and moved to Dr. Harper’s side.
Dr. Harper gave a rueful laugh. “Tripped over the dog in the middle of the night and fell down the stairs.”
“Nearly gave us a heart attack,” Sally piped up, placing her hand on his shoulder in a gesture of affection.
“Did you break a bone? Is it serious?”
“A hairline fraction of the tibia. I’m fine. It’ll heal in no time.”
“So you’re okay to travel, right?” Gwen asked, her gaze searching Ross Harper’s lined face.
He shook his head. Regret shone bright in his eyes. “No. Which is why I needed to talk with you all before you leave.”
Gwen’s gut clenched. The situation was spinning out of control. She detested not being prepared for change. She liked life to be predictable and orderly. Though medicine was a practice, procedures and step-by-step instructions kept the unexpected in check. “We should postpone the trip.”
Dr. Harper took Gwen’s hand, the warmth and assurance in his touch calming. “You all still need to go. Family in Crisis is expecting you.”
Their partner organization in Africa had spent money, time and effort in bringing medical personnel to the undeveloped region of Moswani. Hands of Healing had made a commitment. Gwen understood that they had to keep that commitment. She returned to her place in line.
Her mind whirled with the implications of Dr. Harper not joining them. Would
