LULU'S POV
As promised James was taking me out to Samburu National Park. I was very excited and looking forward to the whole experience. I had been to the National park before but I was in highschool then and could barely remember much of the whole trip. It was now my chance to create new memories with James by my side.
I was halfway out the door when my phone rang. It was Rashid and I was going to ignore it but then I changed my mind seeing as I told him not to call me unless it was an emergency.
"What's the emergency?"I asked as soon as I picked up.
"Boss there's been an accident at the site, get to the dispensary now."He rushed out in a freaked out voice.
"Rashid what happened?"I asked hurriedly closing the door behind me and rushing to my car.
There were always accidents on site but nothing critical enough to make Rashid sound so stressed. If he said it was an emergency then it must have been really bad.
"Just get here."He demanded and hang up.
Looks like my day out with James would have to wait, I thought to myself as I peeled out of the resort and rushed to the dispensary. I was supposed to meet James at his place since we had decided to use my car but that was all in the background now. I decided to call him so as not to leave him hanging. He picked up almost immediately as if he had been waiting for my call all along.
"Morning Lulu."He greeted cheerfully.
"Morning James."
"Are you on your way?"He asked sounding excited.
"I'm sorry but I'll have to cancel our trip for today."I said sadly thinking of all the plans that we had made go down the drain.
It was wildebeest migration season and I had been really excited for that part of my private tour.
"Why? What's wrong? Are you okay?"He rambled out and I smiled seeing how concerned he was.
"Yeah I'm okay. One of my workers got hurt on site and I have go tend to him. I may have to rush him to the nearest hospital if the dispensary can't treat him."I explained.
"I'm sorry about that. Do you want me to come with you?"He asked.
"It's so sweet of you to ask but I'll be okay. I'll call you later."
"Okay bye, take care and drive safe."
We both hang up at the same time just as I pulled up at the dispensary. I parked as close as I could and rushed inside not sure if I locked by car or not but not really caring. I found Rashid seated outside Doctor Ezras office looking worried, with some dried blood in his clothes. He stop up as soon as he saw me.
"What happened? Who is it?"I asked trying to get a peep from the partially opened door.
"It's Liam. He was on site, installing the solar panels when one that hadn't been screwed in right fell on him and cut his arm. It's bad Lulu, they might have to amputate."He explained pinching his nose as he tried to calm himself down.
Liam was my electrical engineer and him getting into an accident was bad. If he lost his arm it would be worse. I was responsible for all my workers and I couldn't be there for them every minute but it still hurt when something bad happened to any one of them.
Before I could beat myself up any further the door opened and Doctor Ezra walked out. He didn't look happy which meant bad news.
"How bad is it?"I asked getting straight to the point.
He breathed out slowly and loudly before replying "It's not looking good. I've done my best but I've only managed to stop the bleeding and kept his hand alive for now. You need to get him to a hospital fast or else it will be too late and they will have to amputate."He explained.
I just nodded and thought about it for a minute considering my options and thinking about what to do.
"How far is the nearest hospital?"I asked hoping the odds were in our favor.
"It's eight kilometers away so about an hour and a half with how bad our roads are."He replied and I nodded.
"Okay I can work with that. I know it will be a huge ask but can you arrange for a nurse to travel with us in case of anything. She should be well equipped and able to respond fast in case of an emergency situation."I requested.
"Of course, I'll get on that right away."He affirmed re-entering his office.
I turned to Rashid who was still looking at me disheveled and confused. It must have been hitting him hard seeing as he was really close with Liam. They weren't best friends but they worked together in a lot of projects and had a bond.
"I know you want to come with me but you have to stay back. Liam is your second in command and I'm not here so you'll have to remain to keep an eye on everything. I know it will be hard but you will have to try and I promise to update you regularly."I assured him.
"Okay."He responded.
One word. That was not good but it was better than him not talking at all.
Ten minutes later I was already on the way to the hospital with nurse Patricia in the back seat with Liam. I had insisted on being given any other nurse that wasn't Nalu. She might have a degree or whatever but I didn't care about that. I wasn't about to spend an hour in my car with her spiteful self.
The seats had been pushed back to make sure he was in a more comfortable position, I drove as fast and as carefully as I could trying to keep time and still be safe.
I decided to call Mar to keep looped in about everything.
"Hi sis, this is a random call. What's up?" She asked already knowing me so well.
"Liam had an accident on site and I'm taking him to the hospital. Best case scenario we save his life and he's back to work next month. Worst case scenario he loses his hand. I'm driving him to the hospital right now."I explained laying it out for her straight.
"Okay I was not expecting that but don't worry, we're going to handle this. We have medical insurance for all our employees so he's covered. I'm not sure if the hospital there is going to be able to help so I'll send a helicopter there to pick him up and bring him to the city. Just keep him alive and his severed hand too. We've got this."She assured me and I nodded as if she could see me.
"Okay, good idea with the chopper."I rambled out driving past vultures feeding on a carcass.
"I know you're trying to be strong and that is great but don't forget to take a breather. You're a better driver when you're not all tensed up."
I was going to deny it but Marini was right so I took a few calming breaths to relax myself.
"That's good, now keep me updated and leave the rest to me."She requested.
"Okay sis, bye." I replied and hung up.
"How's he doing back there? "I asked looking at the backseat through the rearview mirror.
"He's stable and still under sedation. We're good ma'am."Patricia said giving me a reassuring smile and I forced one back.
I concentrated back on the drive sending all my prayers to God for intervention. I'd been in pretty similar situations before but they never got any easier with each passing one. I'd once been working in a project where a worker forgot to turn off the gravel grinder and he grinded up half of his left hand. It was a pretty nasty site and that project has to be closed down for three months before resuming. We would not close shop but I really hoped Liam could keep his hand.
The terrain was not in my favor but I managed to get us to the hospital safe and sound. Marini must have called before hand because there was a team of doctors and nurses waiting for us by the door. She texted to tell me that the helicopter would be there in an hour to give the doctors enough time to salvage as much as they could. I sat in the waiting room with Patricia as they wheeled Liam away into the theatre. I texted James and Rashid to update them on what was going on so they didn't get too worried.
After waiting with me for about thirty minutes, Patricia got a ride back to the village. I knew that I didn't have to but I still paid her for accompanying me. She took it with a kind smile before leaving me all alone. I was responsible for Liam so I was only going to leave until I knew that he was okay.
Marini and I continued updating each other as I waited for Liam to get out of surgery. I alternated between sitting and pacing the the hall when my butt got too numb. Three hours later the lead surgeon emerged to talk to me. The helicopter had already arrived ready to transfer Liam but they couldn't cut his surgery short.
"Are you here for Liam Muturi?"The surgeon asked dressed in blue scrubs and a pair of glasses resting on his nose.
He looked wise and capable of his job.
"Yes I'm his boss. Did you manage to save his arm?"I asked.
He better not give me the whole he couldn't disclose that information since I wasn't family. I'd get pissed and I was already on edge.
"It was a risky surgery and we did our best but for now we just have to wait. The first few hours are crucial."He answered vague knit giving me any real answers.
"Can we transfer him to the city. I already have a helicopter on standby. It's not an insult to your facility but I need to know he's receiving the best medical treatment."I asked and his eyes widened when I mentioned a helicopter.
He probably didn't expect me to be that rich.
"It's risky transporting him."The doctor objected.
"It's just an hour's flight, if I could drive for two hours to this hospital with his arm hanging off then surely a smooth flight won't be a problem right?"I asked sardonically already at the edge of the rope.
"Of course miss, I'll arrange it right away."
"You do that."
While the doctor was prepping Liam for the flight, I signed his discharge from and settled the bill. It was quite a lot for a three hour surgery but if it saved Liam's hand and his life then it was worth it.
Twenty minutes later, Liam was airborne with a team of the best surgeons and doctors waiting for him when he landed. I updated James, Marini and Rashid before I stared the drive back to the resort. It had been one hell of a day, I was just glad it was over and Liam was going to be okay.
When I got back to the resort I was so tired all I wanted to do was take a shower and get some sleep. I hadn't eaten anything all day but food was the last thing on my mind. I stripped off all my clothes and put them in the laundry basket before heading for the shower. I scrubbed off all the dirt of the day hoping it would somehow cleanse what I had gone through. The shower only helped relief some tension. Exiting the shower, I dried off, moisturized and changed into a baggy T-shirt and a pair of tight biker shorts. So I didn't sleep on an empty stomach, I made a banana smoothie.
There was a knock on my door just as I was rinsing out the mason jar I'd used for the smoothie. It was already past midnight so I had no idea who would be knocking. I was definitely not expecting James to be on the other side of the door. He was a sight for sore eyes.
"Hi James, I was not expecting you."I greeted stepping aside to let him in.
"I know but I was heading home from the sanctuary and decided to pass by and check up on you."He explained avoiding my gaze and I knew he was lying.
The resort was not even on his way home from the sanctuary.
"For how long did you practice that excuse before you came in?"I asked in a teasing tone taking a seat on the and kitchen island.
He looked at me and blushed looking away. It was always a wonder seeing a six feet giant blushing away.
"About ten minutes but I was worried about you."
"You don't need an excuse to see me James, I'm glad you're here."I added and he smiled.
He sat down on the stool next to me and for once he just blatantly stared at me without saying a word or looking away. I didn't know what he was looking for but it felt good having his undivided attention on me so I let him be. I knew I didn't have the most curvy or figures but I loved my body as it was. I'd worked extremely hard and continued working to keep in shape so I hoped that James appreciated what he saw.
"Found what you were looking for?"I asked after a few minutes and his gaze found its way back to my face.
"I just wanted to see if you're okay."He admitted.
"It's not bad if you were checking me out."I winked and his eyes widened as if he'd just been caught.
"I'm not.. I wasn't...I just..." He fumbled over his words trying to explain himself and I burst out laughing.
"You're too easy. And to ease you're mind, I'm okay just very tired."I assured him once I'd stopped laughing.
"That wasn't so nice."He said shaking his head.
"I know but I like teasing you."
He didn't reply to that just asked me for the details about how it all went with Liam.
We talked for thirty more minutes until I couldn't hold on the yawns anymore. James noticed this and got up from the stool.
"I'll leave you go get some rest. We can catch up another time, I'm just glad you're okay."
"Thanks for coming to check up on me."I said getting up too and heading for the door.
"My pleasure."
I opened the door for him and we stood there awkwardly for a few moments before James gave me a dazzling smile and disappeared into the night. As I closed the door behind him, only then did it hit me that I've known James for about three months yet we had never hugged. I wasn't even sure if we had even ever shook hands.
We were really taking things slow. That thought didn't linger too long though since I fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow.
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I'm not happy with this chapter 🥺🥺 but it needed to be written.
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Much love @Lyssah.