other countries on their shared continent had raised some eyebrows among those more aware of just how competitive Africa’s safari dollars really were. But when Marna proposed the loan and got initial approval, she flew north before hardly anyone in her organization even knew what was happening.
The helicopter. Those ugly gashes in the fiberglass skin would be tough to explain, if the previously immaculate machine ever made it back down to Kruger. But that was only one of several major concerns competing for attention over the last eighteen hours.
She looked around the makeshift isolation nursery she and the others had set up in one room of the veterinary hospital’s temporary holding facility. The Gorilla Doctors’ headquarters campus wasn’t built to house gorillas for more than a few days, but it seemed to be holding up reasonably well. The three older orphans were moved from Virunga National Park’s more permanent facility during a break in the fighting earlier in the year. They didn’t have the same outdoor spaces to explore here in Musanze, of course, but Marna thought they still seemed pretty pleased with themselves most of the time.
That changed with the sick infant’s arrival earlier in the day. The older orphans could tell that something was up, and they made it clear to everyone that they were not happy about being kept out of the loop. Marna looked down at the tiny creature clinging to a blanket in the crook of her left arm. Her gloved fingers crept up his wooly black back and traced around a perfect little ear, so very human in every way. He was sleeping peacefully now, but she knew he wasn’t out of the woods yet. Even though the baby gorilla had quickly revived with some IV fluids and several good feedings, the discolored rash spreading across his skin told a different story.
“Hey, you still awake in there?”
Cole peered through the screen and watched as Marna shifted slightly and then slowly opened her eyes. The beam from her headlamp shone brightly down at an open book in her lap. An amused smile crept over his lips as the beam began moving across the floor and up the wall to the window, following the sound of his voice.
“Careful, that thing is bright!” he said, bringing a hand to his eyes.
“Oof, sorry about that,” Marna answered groggily, reaching behind her head. The room went dark. “I guess I fell asleep after all.”
“That’s okay,” Cole said. “It’s past midnight, so Innocence should be coming by any minute to take over. How’s our little man?”
“Pretty good, I think. He’s been asleep since the last bottle at ten.”
“Nice. Just sit tight for a minute while I get geared up. I want to take another look at him before I head back to the lab.”
Cole stepped back from the window, brushing against the glossy leaves of the mango tree that provided such welcome shade during the day. He took a deep breath of the cool mountain air. At over six thousand feet in elevation, Musanze enjoyed some of the nicest weather in Rwanda.
And wow, had it been a long day. Even though a part of him felt exhausted, his mind wouldn’t stop racing. There was no way he could get to sleep anytime soon, not with the biggest discovery of his brief scientific career still cooking in the darkened lab across the yard and working its evil magic in that tiny gorilla sleeping in Marna’s arms. Still, he’s a lucky little guy . Not just for the choice real estate the infant was currently enjoying, although that was hard to beat. How had Innocence even spotted him, a barely perceptible movement beneath his dead mother? Cole was sure he wouldn’t have been so observant, only moments before their frenzied run back to the helicopter. He pictured that final sprint across the clearing. Who in the world would be so stupid as to actually fire on them? Was it really just some desperate rebels looking for ransom money?
The insistent tug of competing priorities was hard to ignore. Focus on the science
The helicopter. Those ugly gashes in the fiberglass skin would be tough to explain, if the previously immaculate machine ever made it back down to Kruger. But that was only one of several major concerns competing for attention over the last eighteen hours.
She looked around the makeshift isolation nursery she and the others had set up in one room of the veterinary hospital’s temporary holding facility. The Gorilla Doctors’ headquarters campus wasn’t built to house gorillas for more than a few days, but it seemed to be holding up reasonably well. The three older orphans were moved from Virunga National Park’s more permanent facility during a break in the fighting earlier in the year. They didn’t have the same outdoor spaces to explore here in Musanze, of course, but Marna thought they still seemed pretty pleased with themselves most of the time.
That changed with the sick infant’s arrival earlier in the day. The older orphans could tell that something was up, and they made it clear to everyone that they were not happy about being kept out of the loop. Marna looked down at the tiny creature clinging to a blanket in the crook of her left arm. Her gloved fingers crept up his wooly black back and traced around a perfect little ear, so very human in every way. He was sleeping peacefully now, but she knew he wasn’t out of the woods yet. Even though the baby gorilla had quickly revived with some IV fluids and several good feedings, the discolored rash spreading across his skin told a different story.
“Hey, you still awake in there?”
Cole peered through the screen and watched as Marna shifted slightly and then slowly opened her eyes. The beam from her headlamp shone brightly down at an open book in her lap. An amused smile crept over his lips as the beam began moving across the floor and up the wall to the window, following the sound of his voice.
“Careful, that thing is bright!” he said, bringing a hand to his eyes.
“Oof, sorry about that,” Marna answered groggily, reaching behind her head. The room went dark. “I guess I fell asleep after all.”
“That’s okay,” Cole said. “It’s past midnight, so Innocence should be coming by any minute to take over. How’s our little man?”
“Pretty good, I think. He’s been asleep since the last bottle at ten.”
“Nice. Just sit tight for a minute while I get geared up. I want to take another look at him before I head back to the lab.”
Cole stepped back from the window, brushing against the glossy leaves of the mango tree that provided such welcome shade during the day. He took a deep breath of the cool mountain air. At over six thousand feet in elevation, Musanze enjoyed some of the nicest weather in Rwanda.
And wow, had it been a long day. Even though a part of him felt exhausted, his mind wouldn’t stop racing. There was no way he could get to sleep anytime soon, not with the biggest discovery of his brief scientific career still cooking in the darkened lab across the yard and working its evil magic in that tiny gorilla sleeping in Marna’s arms. Still, he’s a lucky little guy . Not just for the choice real estate the infant was currently enjoying, although that was hard to beat. How had Innocence even spotted him, a barely perceptible movement beneath his dead mother? Cole was sure he wouldn’t have been so observant, only moments before their frenzied run back to the helicopter. He pictured that final sprint across the clearing. Who in the world would be so stupid as to actually fire on them? Was it really just some desperate rebels looking for ransom money?
The insistent tug of competing priorities was hard to ignore. Focus on the science
Similar Books
