Blood Covenant Read Online Free Page A

stay.
Nick’s cell phone rang. He spoke briefly, flipped his phone shut, and caught her gaze. “That was Digane. He wants to see us.”
The hospital administrator sat in his office at the end of the green, cinder block hallway deep in the middle of a phone conversation. He signaled for them to sit down in the two open seats in front of his desk before finishing his conversation and hanging up. “I appreciate your coming to see me. I just heard about Simon.”
Paige’s jaw tensed at the visual image the reminder invoked. While declaring a patient dead had always been a heart-wrenching duty for her, having it be someone she knew and worked with had made the task even more difficult. “They shot and killed him in cold blood.”
“I know that the conditions you are forced to work with are difficult enough without having to witness the murder of a colleague.” Digane slid his thick glasses up the bridge of his ebony nose. “I truly am sorry you had to go through something like this, and I want you to know we are doing everything we can to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
Her fingers pressed against the edge of the desk. “I was told when I arrived that all foreigners have been warned to leave the Mponi region.”
“That’s why we pulled you out. The warning from the government has now turned into an order for all foreigners to leave.”
Suspicion closed in around Paige. “I’m glad to see the government doing something about the situation, but if Abraham is right — and we saw evidence that he is — the official government death toll doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface.”
“You may very well be right.” Digane nodded. “I just finished an emergency conference call. As you might have already heard, due to these escalating attacks a refugee camp has sprung up north of here near the border. Already there are over ten thousand people who’ve arrived needing shelter, water, sanitation, and food, with hundreds more arriving every day. We sent in a skeleton team and a convoy of supplies a week ago to deal with the basic needs of food, water, and shelter, but it’s not enough.”
She’d heard the scenario before. It was rarely enough. “I’m not sure what this situation has to do with me.”
Digane didn’t hesitate with his response. “I’d like you to lead the emergency medical team we’re sending in.”
The request took her off guard. “I’m returning to the States in a couple days — ”
“I realize that, but we’ve got a serious situation on our hands. What started out as a small cholera outbreak has quickly reached epidemic proportions.”
Paige shivered. She’d seen it happen before. While relatively simple to treat if discovered early on, controlling the spread of cholera was an entirely different matter. And unlike other diseases, it could kill within hours as the result of dehydration.
“The minister of health is helping to coordinate with our efforts,” Digane continued, “and is prepared to send additional medical personal, but their resources are scarcer than ours.”
She wasn’t going to do this. “Digane, I’m going home — ”
“All I’m asking for is three days. The illness is spreading faster than a veld fire, and they’re already stumbling over the dead bodies. The local government has asked for our help, and I need yours, Paige. If this situation isn’t contained immediately …”
She tried to smother the guilt, but even with her readiness to go home, she couldn’t dismiss the gravity of the situation. “I know how serious it is.”
“Yesterday, the lead doctor who was in charge of coordinating the setup of the medical facilities was called home because of a family emergency. I’ve got another doctor who has experience working in refugee camps lined up to take his place but he can’t get here until Thursday. Until he arrives, I need a field coordinator to help get that cholera treatment center set up and running in the next twenty-four hours.”
Paige felt