Their Miracle Baby

Lewis was only dimly aware that Venetia was there with him. She felt good in his arms, but he sensed that something was wrong. He knew that he needed to get up and help her with whatever the problem was, but he just couldn’t seem to gather enough strength to get up. Finally, the effort to stay conscious was too much and he sunk back into the blackness, the feel of Venetia’s warm tears on his chest.

The next time he surfaced, he was aware of being hot, not the searing heat he remembered, but nonetheless it was uncomfortable. His exhaustion still prevented him from opening his eyes, but this time he knew that Venetia was there, wiping his forehead with a cool cloth and whispering endearments in his ear.

He dreaded another round of the shivers and burning fever, but knew that was the progression of the disease if left untreated. He had no idea how long he’d been out, but it felt as if a lot of time had passed. As he felt the first spike of his fever, he managed to grip Venetia’s hand and squeeze.

Venetia’s breath whooshed out of her in a big gush, she hadn’t imagined it. Lewis had squeezed her hand. Hope sprang to life in her heart; any sign of life was a positive thing, something to keep her going. But, in the next minute, she saw the sweat break out on his foreheat and hoped that he wasn’t saying goodbye to her.

She was applying cold compresses to as many places as she could when Ronnie came through the door a huge smile on her face. “The medicine is on its way. They’re sending it on a drone, which will be here in the morning. They didn’t want to tell us until they were sure it would work, but help is on the way.”

Venetia breathed a sigh of relief. She really wanted to cry, but that would only take energy she couldn’t spare. Now if they could only keep his fever down until the medicine got here, there might be a chance. Ronnie must have read her mind because she was already carrying in another container of cold water and some rags.

Together they worked for hours to keep Lewis hydrated and as cool as possible. As day turned to night, other women from the village came and gave them a rest. Venetia refused to leave the hut but accepted the food and drink they brought her, watching as they worked.

This went on for the entire night, Venetia only catching a few minutes sleep at a time, afraid to close her eyes for very long. Early the next morning, as soon as the sun cleared the mountain, the sound of a small engine could be heard in the village. One of the men came to report that the drone was on the way.

The entire village stood on the crest of the hill, waiting for it to come into sight, ready to grab the medicine and rush it to Lewis. Venetia was sobbing with relief, leaning against the wall where one of the women had gently pushed her while they changed Lewis’ bedding once again.

Ronnie sat down beside her and wrapped her arms around Venetia, letting her free herself of some of the worry she’d been carrying the last few days. She wondered if she should have told her about the baby, but it had been the only way they’d been able to make her eat and rest.

“It’s going to be okay. The medicine will help, you’ll see. Lewis is a strong man, he’ll pull through,” Ronnie said, rubbing her back.

“I was afraid to tell you, but he squeezed my hand before the last round of fevers started. I didn’t say anything because I thought it was a goodbye.” Venetia sobbed.

Ronnie gently rocked her and her sobbing began to subside. Just then a huge roar went up from the crowd in the village. Venetia was on her feet and out the door immediately, meeting the man carrying the medicine half way there. Relieved to see that it was already mixed, she tore back into the hut and raced over to her supplies.

Grabbing a syringe, she filled it with the clear liquid and with shaking hands pushed it through Lewis’ IV. This was only the first injection, there would be several more, each spaced four hours apart. Venetia knew that the medication would take hours to work, but she knew deep down that Lewis was going to be okay.

Throughout the day and long into the night, she continued to administer the drug, praying that each dose would be the one to knock the malaria right out of Lewis. In her mind, she saw little soldiers beating back green monsters; it was silly but she’d become so tired it amused her.

Finally, as dawn was breaking, Lewis stirred on the bed, and his eyes came open just a bit. The effort must have been too much because he was asleep again almost immediately. Venetia didn’t care though, he’d opened his eyes; nothing could have been better than seeing those blue eyes looking at her.

She fell into an exhausted slumber, wedged up against Lewis and slept for eighteen hours. When she awoke, Ronnie was sitting in the corner of the hut, sorting plants into a bag. “About time you decided to join the world again,” she said, handing Venetia a cup of tea.”

“How is he?” she asked, heart beating wildly in her chest.

“He opened his eyes a few times, but as soon as he realized that you were right next to him, he went back to sleep,” Ronnie said, then got to her feet. “You need to eat, I’ll be right back.”

Lewis was conscious of Venetia waking up beside him. He wanted more than anything else to pull her down next to him, but couldn’t find the strength to do more than move his hand. Seeing the movement, Venetia grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach. It was a strange gesture, but he was too tired to figure out why. Instead, he fell into a dreamless sleep, his hand resting on her belly.