Dark smoke is billowing behind us as the six of us make our way to the village. The smell of burning rubber, metal, wood and whatever else was in the compound wafts through the thick jungle air but it fades as we venture further into the jungle.
"I need to check on him. Can we stop for moment Yacine?" Michelle asks after nearly a half hour of walking.
"The village is not much farther," Yacine tells her. "We will take care of him there, I promise."
Michelle nods and soon they emerge from the jungle into a clearing dotted with tiny huts.
"You are back!" a woman who runs from a hut and into the arms of Yacine's father cries out. She pulls away after a brief kiss and hugs Yacine. "My baby, you are okay?"
"We're all right mama," Yacine says. "It is our friends that need help."
She looks at Michelle and then at my limp form being held by the two large men and nods. "Please help us. He's been shot," Michelle says figuring that she won't be understood her but the woman nods and points to a nearby hut.
"Bring him this way, hurry!" She tells the men. They drag me to the hut and lay my body on the bed.
"Leave us," She tells them as she kneels down and feels my head.
"Please thank them for me Yacine," Michelle tells Yacine as she kneels beside Yacine's mother.
"His skin is cool to the touch," Yacine's mother says in near perfect English.
Yacine had mentioned to Michelle that her mother taught her English so now she knows who her helper is.
"He was shot at some point and he's lost a lot of blood," She tells her. "Can you check around his neck for his dog tags? I'm hoping he still wears them."
Rhadi fumbles around for a second and then just rips the shirt open and finds them.
"Is this them?" She asks holding out the necklace containing them and the shark tooth.
Michelle looks down and stops when she sees it. She can't believe that not only does he still have it but also he still wears it. "You still wear..." she begins to say.
"Is this them?" Rhadi asks again snapping her back to reality.
"Yes that's them. His blood type should be on there."
"His blood type is A Positive," She reads.
"One problem at a time," Michelle says. "Help me get this shirt off him so I can see in the coagulant worked."
She pulls off the blood soaked bandages and tosses them to the floor with the ruined shirt. "Damn it, they got ripped back open. Stay with me Kenny," She orders.
Moving fast she opens the bag she brought with her and empties out the equipment.
"Yacine, we need water," Her mother tells her. "Go quickly and tell the men we need some boiling water."
Michelle pulls out the small bottle of alcohol and suture kit then laying them aside. "I'm sorry I don't know your name but do you have any clean rags?" She asks.
"Rhadi," She tells her. "Yes I will get them."
"Thank you Rhadi," Michelle says. "I'm Michelle."
"Yacine has mentioned you many times," She tells her and hands her the rags.
Michelle wipes away the blood and debris from my wound. Rhadi brings a lamp closer for better light for her to see by.
"Okay, I need to clean the wound and make sure it's clean then sew him up," She says aloud remembering her training.
"First time you've had to do this?" Rhadi asks.
"On someone I care about, yes."
Rhadi reaches down and takes hold of Michelle trembling hands.
"You can worry about him after you have done what must be done," She tells her. "Put the fear out of your mind and help him."
Michelle nods her head and takes a deep breath.
"Okay," She says and unscrews the cap off the alcohol bottle then pours it all over and inside the wound.
If I were conscious, I would probably be screaming at this point thankfully I'm out of it and only hiss as the burning begins.
"I'm sorry Kenny, I know that hurt," She whispers to me as she wipes away the blood and alcohol. "Okay, I need that hot water."
Yacine returns with a basin of water, the steam clearly visible as it rises up. Rhadi dumps all the surgical tools into the basin and adds a purification tablet as well.
"You've done this before too?" Michelle asks.
"Being way out here, before the Aid station was built we had to learn quickly," She says.
She nods. "Good, quick is what I need. I've got to check the wound and see what kind of damage is inside and fix that, after that I'll have to transfuse him to get some blood back in him before he dies."
"Transfuse? How will you know whose blood will be compatible?"
"I don't suppose you know anyone that's A Positive here do you?"
Rhadi shakes her head. "I'm sorry, I do not. Is there a way to test this?"
"Yes but we don't have the time. Mine's O negative, so I'm a universal donor. While it's not ideal it'll have to be me," Michelle tells her.
"Can you do it?"
Michelle looks down at my slack face and says. "If I don't he could die and he can't die. I can't let him."
Rhadi nods. "Tell what to do and I will help you."
"Thank you Rhadi. Thank you so much."
During the operation, Michelle has to sew together some torn tendons and part of the muscle that the bullet tore through along with the blood vessels that was causing the bleed out.
"You are a natural at this," Rhadi tells her as she holds the lamp close to provide light.
Yacine has joined them as well and is wiping Michelle brow as she sweats from the heat of the lamp.
"I was going to be a nurse before I switched over to Marine biology but it didn't quite prepare me for this. I did some stitching on patients at the Aid station and I paid close attention to the other doctors' work when they were operating so I guess some of it's come back to me," She tells them as she continues to work.
"You are doing excellent," Yacine assures her.
"Thanks sweetie. Honestly, I'm scared to death right now and it's taking everything I've got to keep my hands from shaking," She admits.
"Keep thinking of him as just another patient until it is done then you can worry because he is your friend," Rhadi tells her.
She nods as she finishes sewing up both the entrance and exit wounds and sits back. She blows out a relieved breath and stretches her sore back and arms while Rhadi checks my pulse.
"Michelle, his pulse is very weak." she says.
Michelle reaches over and checks herself.
"Damn it Kenny, you aren't supposed to do this to me," She says. "Yacine get me the tubing and I.V. needles from the basin and Rhadi I need a bag of saline with a place to hang it."
Yacine carefully pulls on a pair of surgical gloves from the bag and hands Michelle the items she needs. As Rhadi steps out Michelle finds my vein, inserts one end of the transfusion kit in, and tapes everything into place. Rhadi returns a few moments later with a tall piece of metal tubing.
"Will this work?" She asks Michelle.
She nods. "I brought tape so we can tape the saline bags to it. It'll be fine, thank you."
They get everything set up and Michelle takes a seat in a nearby chair. "Okay now for the hard part." She ties a band over her bicep and squeezes her hand into a fist. She looks at Rhadi. "Rhadi, I'm going to talk you through what I need you to do okay?"
Rhadi nods and Yacine helps her glove up as Michelle rubs a swab of alcohol on her own arm.
"Okay Rhadi, see that vein that's sticking out on my arm? I need you to take this needle and put it in the vein."
Rhadi shakes her head. "I don't think I can..."
"Yes, you can. It's really easy, you just come in from the bottom and slide it in just like that," Michelle tells her but can see the doubt on her face. "You had faith in me Rhadi and I have faith in you. Please help me help my friend."
Rhadi nods and takes the needle in her hand. It shake for a brief moment but then she forces herself to be steady. Slowly she leans down and carefully inserts the needle into the vein.
"I think it's done," She tells Michelle who looks down and nods.
"It looks perfect Rhadi now let's check it."
She releases the tie around her bicep and watches as the blood begins to flow from her arm to the tube and finally into my arm.
"Great job Rhadi but if he starts convulsing, pull the tube quickly, okay? Don't worry about the blood just pull the tube, okay?" She tells them.
Rhadi nods and wipes the sweat from her brow. "You need to keep talking to him. Let him know that you are here with him."
Michelle nods not really sure what to say to this man that traversed half the globe to rescue her. Gratitude just doesn't seem to be enough then she remembers how she used to tease him and how it was sort of their thing so she decides to try that.
"This isn't the white knight routine I was expecting from you Kenny. Saving me and riding off into the sunset is what you're supposed to do not passing out and making me operate on you. I suppose that after all my picking on you, you'd think this was pretty funny if you were... awake." She says as she begins to feel the effects of her blood loss. Several minutes pass with Rhadi keeping a check on my pulse.
"I think it's working," She tells Michelle who nods as she starts to feel light headed. Rhadi takes notice and gets a seat for her to sit in. "How much longer?"
"I'm not sure... he lost a lot of blood. Where was I? Anyway, I really liked having you as a friend Kenny. I missed you, ya know?" Michelle says sounding sluggish.
She sits up and Rhadi grabs her.
"Do not do that," She tells her.
"Whoa, I think you're right. I'm feeling a little light headed," She then whispers to Rhadi. "He has such nice lips. I've kissed him you know." She holds up her hand making the okay symbol.
