Distress Call

My job was to escort the right people into the caldera. If I came across the wrong sort, well.

As a 'leader', I carried a radio for contact from Operations inside. I got a distress call. Midwife needed, several miles away. Leaving the hometown crew, I hiked, gear on my back for hours, confident the delivery would be hours away.

I was right. However, the mother could not handle this delivery. Despite the efforts of myself and the nurses who had come to help, we need a real doctor, a surgeon, or an OB. Tears flowed as the screaming babe was wrapped up in blankets, while the silent mother was covered with a sheet.

I was to take the babe to safety inside the caldera. It slept peacefully in my wrap sling, a girl, tiny, pink, and healthy. I felt it squirm on occasion, repositioning itself. I remembered what it felt like to have one kicking in my own belly. Then I thought about the eyes full of desire, the wife who wanted to care so much.

I set a new course. Operations would have to adjust.