Chapter 20
CHAPTER 20
T he following two weeks went by like a blur.
While Kate and Sophie spent their time at the hotel enjoying the weather and the swimming pool, Michael and I were able to get the hospital and the city caught up with neurosurgeries, coordinating with the other units to manage the caseload. The two new surgeons arrived and were getting used to the hospital’s routine when I realized it was time to say goodbye.
“They’ve got things in order,” I said to Michael at the end of a long day while the two of us sat in his office. “I think we can safely go back to our lives, don’t you?”
Michael nodded and reached under his desk, pulling out a bottle of very high-quality whiskey.
“I do,” he said and grabbed two glasses from the file cabinet. “I had this waiting for just this moment. Here,” he said and poured me a shot. “Let’s toast to our success. It’s been an incredibly busy month, but we did it.”
“We did. Here’s to us,” I said and grabbed my glass and held it up.
We both drank down the whiskey, and Michael sighed with satisfaction when he was finished his.
“Well, now what? You and Kate going to Ethiopia?”
I nodded and placed my empty glass on the desk in front of me. “Yes. We’re meeting up with Liam’s mom and stepfather and will visit my father’s grave. Then, Kate and Sophie and I will go back home and spend as much time at the beach house as we can. The rest of the summer, if possible. I don’t go back until September, so we want to make the most of it.”
“Well, I envy you. I have to go back to Southampton and get back into the swing of things. We’re so busy, so I was lucky to be able to get time off for this. Now, I have to return and get things back in order there.”
“No rest for the wicked, I guess…”
Michael laughed at that. “I guess.”
He poured us another shot of whiskey and placed the bottle down firmly on the table. “This is the last one, I promise. Here’s to Liam. May his example of selfless humanitarianism be a light in the darkness.”
“To my father,” I said, a choke in my throat.
We drank down our shots and then I checked my watch. “It’s time for me to hit the road. Luckily, I have a driver.”
“I’ll call my driver,” Michael said, nodding. “Miranda.”
He smiled.
“So, you’re finally admitting it, are you? I could tell right away that you two were a thing.”
“Guilty as charged,” Michael said with a laugh. “I knew someone as observant as you would figure it out soon enough. Thank you, by the way, for saving her life. Seriously.”
“I’m so glad I was able,” I said, remembering the event. I feared I would be unable to dislodge the olive and felt a sense of relief when finally, she was able to breathe once more.
“When will you be leaving for Ethiopia?”
“Two days,” I replied. “We’re meeting Liam at the airport and taking a plane together. Ethan McDermott and his partner Elaine will be joining us, if Ethan’s health holds out.”
“Really? Ethan as well.”
I nodded. “Yes. He wants to make it this year. Then, we’ve chartered a small plane to take us to the local airport where my father was supposed to land, and then it’s by truck the rest of the way. The crash site isn’t far, but it’s dense bush.”
Michael frowned. “Is there room on that plane for two more people? I’d love to come and pay my respects. It would give me a chance to see Ethan again as well.”
“There’s always more room. You and Miranda?”
“I’ll talk to her, but yes. I think she’d come with me. Since I’m here, and you’re going, I’d really like to visit the grave.”
“We will be flying to Yebelo and staying at the motel. There isn’t really an airport, so we’ll be choppering in. Then, driving to the location where the plane crashed near Bale Mountain. I’d like to take Sophie and Liam to visit the wildlife sanctuary.”
“Sounds wonderful,” Michael said. “I’ll make plans with Miranda and confirm with you tonight, if that’s okay.”
“It will be my pleasure to have you come along. I’m sure my father would be very happy to see us all together.”
I stood up and took in a deep breath. “Well, I better get to the hotel. I need some food and some quality time with my wife and daughter.”
“And I with Miranda,” Michael said and stood up. We shook hands, and then I turned to leave.
“Thanks, Drake. For everything. You’ve been a godsend to me and to this hospital. I couldn’t have done it without you. Seriously.”
“It was my pleasure.” I smiled and then left the office, making my way down the hallway back to my own office.
I gathered up my laptop and briefcase, then my jacket and was on my way out of the building when I bumped into — of all people — Sam.
I glanced at my driver and was glad to see he was already standing outside the vehicle, the back rear door open.
Sam stormed over to me, a frown on her face. Before she could speak, I held up my hand to stop her.
“I don’t want to talk to you.”
Then, I got inside the back of the limo and my driver closed the door quickly. Sam stood outside the limo and pointed at me.
“I’ll remember this,” she said.
I didn’t respond. “Take me to the hotel, please,” I said to the driver.
We drove off and I glanced in the side view mirror and watched her disappear into the distance, glad that I avoided a confrontation.
I didn’t want her to spoil my good mood, and I knew that while I had every right to give her a piece of my mind for sending the image of me to Kate — and I knew it was Sam who did that — I didn’t want to let the alcohol in my system get the better of me.
Better to just let her fume, unable to confront me as she wanted.
We drove through the streets of Nairobi back to our lovely hotel, and I felt immense relief that in only two days, the three of us would be on our way to meet Liam at the airport for the rest of our trip. I thanked my driver and then went to our hotel suite, using the key card to get inside where I found Sophie and Kate sitting on the patio watching the sunset.
I bent down and kissed Sophie on the head. “Hello, my two favorite girls,” I said and then went over to Kate and kissed her as well.
“Hi, Daddy,” Sophie said and held up her coloring book. “See what I’m coloring? It’s a rhinoceros.”
“And so it is,” I said and smiled, taking it from her hand and examining it closely. “I like her eyelashes.”
“They’re long.”
“They are. She’s very beautiful.”
I handed the coloring book back to Sophie and then went to the small kitchenette and placed my briefcase down on the desk beside it. Kate came over and put her arm around me, her head on my shoulder.
“How was your day? Do I smell whiskey on your breath, by chance?”
I turned around and pulled Kate into my arms, smiling. “You would be right. Michael had me in his office to say goodbye and we had a couple of drinks and reminisced about Liam. Michael wants to come visit Liam’s grave with us, so he and Miranda will meet us at the airport.”
“Oh, that’s so nice. Everyone will be together this year to visit the grave.”
“It’s going to be great. With your father and Michael, and with Liam…” I shook my head, momentarily overcome with emotion. My throat choked and my eyes brimmed with tears.
“Oh, my love,” Kate said and leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss me. I kissed her back, the feel of her warmth against me making my heart swell. I loved her so much…
We spent the next two days just lounging around the hotel, enjoying the amenities, the warm weather, the palm trees, the pool just outside our balcony. Sophie loved it and when she wasn’t splashing in the pool, she was coloring or watching movies on the flatscreen.
As for Kate and me, we spent it just decompressing from both our lives. It was a relief not to have to go into the hospital and face an OR shift or rounds checking on patients, as much as I loved my profession. I needed a break from the hectic pace and the stress of it.
By the time our flight was set to leave for Ethiopia, I was rested and ready to face our next adventure.
As we planned, Michael and Miranda met us at the airport in Nairobi, which was one of the main hubs in Africa.
“You don’t mind if I come along?” Miranda asked me as we stood in a circle after embracing when we saw them arrive. “I know this is important to Michael and so I wanted to come along.”
“Not at all,” I said and gave her another hug. “This is important to us all, and if you’re part of Michael’s life, I want you to be here, too.”
We boarded our flight to Addis Ababa together, and after a few short hours, we arrived and took a taxi to the hotel where we would stay overnight. Maureen, Chris and Liam would be arriving the next day, and would stay with us while we visited Liam’s grave. Maureen and Chris would stay in Addis Ababa at the hotel until we brought Liam back for the rest of his summer stay with them.
I’d bought Ethan and Elaine first class tickets on Emirates, because I wanted Ethan to be as comfortable as possible, considering this might be his very last flight. They were scheduled to arrive the next afternoon after a layover in Dubai.
Soon, we would all be together. Then, we would charter a small plane to Arba Minch Airport. That wasn’t the end of our trip. From there, we would charter a chopper to Yebelo, where we would stay overnight.
Liam’s flight arrived an hour before Ethan’s and when I saw his face, the mask firmly in place as he disembarked the plane, I felt a surge of joy.
He grabbed his suitcase and made sure to turn it into a scooter so he could show off to us all.
Sophie squealed with delight when she saw him riding over to us, and that alone made everything worthwhile.
Brother and sister hugged, and I knew that no matter the temporary separation, they loved each other and would have a strong bond the rest of their lives.
When Ethan’s plane finally arrived an hour late due to some weather, I watched as he was pushed in his wheelchair towards us at the arrivals gate. He was wearing a special respirator to protect himself from Covid. It had a built-in oxygen mask, so he could get enough oxygen while wearing it.
He looked tired, his eyes haggard, and I doubted he had much sleep, but we would be able to rest once we all arrived in Yebelo. The small hotel I’d booked was comfortable and we made sure that the room was wheelchair accessible. He needed to be as refreshed as possible for the trip the following day to Liam’s grave.
Sophie and Liam ran up to his wheelchair and put their arms around his neck, on each side. “Grandpa!”
He smiled and squeezed each one in turn, stroking their hair. “There’s my kids. How was your trip?” He spoke with a notable wheeze, and part of me was afraid he wouldn’t make it, but then I kicked myself. It would be the fatigue and once he was rested, he would be better.
“Ethan,” I said and bent down to give him a kiss on the forehead. “How are you feeling?”
“I’ve been better,” he said and nodded. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll feel better after a good sleep.”
“Good,” I said. “I know the chief of medicine at the local hospital, in case you need anything.”
He squeezed my arm. “I’ll be fine.”
After everyone had said hello, we boarded the executive jet I chartered to Arba Minch Airport, a smaller airport near Yebelo. Once there, we took a taxi for the three-hour drive to the hotel.
We checked in and I helped Ethan to his hotel room and into bed. He practically collapsed once he felt the bed beneath him. I took his pulse and checked his O2 saturation, then I placed a bottle of water on the bedside table and felt like I could leave him for the night.
“If you have any issues, just call,” I said to Elaine.
“I will,” she said and gave me a quick hug.