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“Where are they going?” she whispers.
“To bury your placenta. They believe we come from the earth, so they give back to the earth. The placenta gives life, and the nutrients will be returned to the soil to sustain more life.”
“You know I thought they might ask me to eat it,” she says seriously.
“It makes sense. It would help with your iron levels.”
“If it meant survival, I would. If you had asked me a year ago, I’d have said no. But I’m not that same girl. I’m braver and wiser and would do anything for the two people I love the most.”
Samuel kisses the hair on her crown. With one hand, he holds the love of his life while his left hand strokes the shoulder of their baby asleep on Eden’s chest. Neither Eden nor Rose are clear of medical complications, and until both can be assessed, only then will his mind relax.
At the bottom of his medical pack, he pulls out the satellite phone and fires it up. In the past, he’d never have used it in front of the Ularans. The circumstances have changed. He hopes to the gods it has coverage and reception isn’t blocked by the towering tepuis encasing them in the jungle.
It beeps, and he lets out a sigh.
He taps in Asoo’s number and smiles when he answers.
“I have little time to speak. Eden has had the baby. How soon can you get here?”
30
EDEN
I was more exhausted than I realized as I slept between feeds. Yet, there was awareness of Samuel remaining awake. In the dark of night, he touched my skin and took my pulse. Telling him to rest was pointless. And now he’s moving through the hut with the sun’s light breaking through the trees.
“Morning, beautiful.” A soft kiss lands on my cheek, stirring me from a deep sleep.
“Is it morning already?” I moan, my eyes fluttering open. Samuel stands beside my hammock with our daughter pressed to his chest. “Oh, I didn’t hear her cry. Is she hungry?” I adjust myself in the hammock and hold out my arms for Rose.
“She was stirring, and it was an opportunity to cuddle her before her mother does.” He gives me a guilty smile. “Once you have her in your arms, you never want to let her go.” Samuel kisses her cheek before passing her to me to feed. “And you need to prompt her to suckle.”
Caressing her cheek with my nipple, Rose turns her face and opens her tiny mouth. “She’s doing fine,” I boast.
Samuel smiles, although the concern is still there by the way his forehead wrinkles. “Asoo is on his way. When we arrive in Canaima, your case will be at the reception. We’re not stopping.” He gives me a pointed look. “We’ll take a flight to Ciudad Guayana. I have covered your health insurance, and we’ll remain there until your condition has stabilized.”
“Well, I feel stabile.” I return the pointed look he shot at me. “Although, I feel gross,” I mumble. All night I wanted to wash. With only a few pairs of underpants and limited sanitary pads Samuel had in his pack, I’m making do hygiene-wise. Up until now, I’ve never menstruated in the jungle, and I have a newfound respect for how the ladies deal with discharge naturally.
“I’ll wash quickly,” I tell him even though the distance I have to walk is something I can’t hurry. How the women are back in the fields working a few days after childbirth is damn amazing.
Samuel takes Rose from me. “If Mommy wants to bathe, then we bathe,” he says to Rose.
“Don’t make it sound like I’m the boss,” I mock as I clamber out of the hammock.
He gives me a look, and I can’t help giggle. “You bend rules or make your own, and everyone around you allows you to do it.”
“You make me sound like I’m a bully.”
“No.” He takes my hand and leads me out of the hut. “You merely charm those you meet. The moment I first saw you, I was under your spell.”
“It’s not the way I recall it. You wouldn’t speak to me.” I bump his hip with mine.
“I was lost for words.”
Samuel rubs his nose over Rose’s mouth. She opens her mouth ready to suckle.
“Stop teasing her.”
“I’m encouraging her suck reflex.”
