As Lost as I Get Read Online Free PDF Page A

starting tomorrow. Move the staff to a situation yellow footing.”
    “What’s going on?” Her tone must have alerted Maria, who put down the towel to listen.
    “There was a bomb. Our building—it’s gone.”
    Zoe’s stomach tightened and she sank into the nearest chair. “Oh my God. Is everyone okay? When?”
    “No. We lost ten people.” Christiane took a shaky breath. “It was this afternoon. There were other NGOs in the building. I don’t know yet—” Her voice cracked, then she steadied herself. “We don’t know who’s claiming responsibility. The police are investigating, and I think the U.S. government is involved too.”
    “What do they think happened?”
    “All we know is that there was a bomb. They’re treating it as a terrorist attack. We don’t have any reason to think they were targeting us specifically, but we’re not taking any chances. I’m calling all the clinic directors in the region and asking them to take precautions.”
    “Of course.” Zoe met Maria’s worried eyes with her own. “What else can we do? Anything?”
    “Just stay safe. We’re already working to keep supply logistics in place, but for now, just close the clinic until we decide it’s safe.”
    When they hung up, Zoe sat still and tried to control the way her heart was trying to race. This had nothing to do with her. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she was safe.
    “What’s going on?” Maria crouched near her chair. “You look faint.”
    Zoe shook her head, trying to keep a lid on the panic—the panic that had nothing to do with the situation. “A bomb exploded in Bogotá. The MI offices.”
    “Dios mío. Revolutionaries?” Colombia had any number of leftist revolutionary groups regularly in the news.
    “They don’t know yet.” Zoe’s color must have returned, because Maria moved to sit in a chair.
    “Are you all right?”
    “Just shocked,” Zoe said. “We’re going to yellow and closing the clinic, hopefully just for tomorrow. As a precaution. I need to call staff and let them know.”
    “Zoe.”
    “I’m fine—”
    “Come on, chica. I’m not blind. You flinch at loud noises, you hate walking on the street, and I know you’re having nightmares.”
    “I’m okay.” Zoe tried to sound more convincing. “The transition back to working the field is a little harder than I thought, is all.” Maria didn’t look convinced. “I promise you, if it was something talking about would help, I’d talk.”
    “I know about Mexico,” Maria said quietly. “I was a volunteer in Nepal and remember the security bulletins we got. Talk to someone. If not me, somebody.”
    “I will. I promise.” She squeezed Maria’s hand. “Thank you. You wanna help me divide up these phone calls?”
    The next day they were left with nothing much to do. Maria called and checked on her obstetrics patients. Susan, their internist, hadn’t had any overnight patients in the clinic. Both of them took the closing in stride. Zoe didn’t think they realized how unusual the situation was.
    By noon, Susan was going stir-crazy. She convinced Zoe to go out for a walk with her, although Zoe would rather have stayed inside behind a locked door. The idea of Susan wandering by herself with her limited Spanish and terrible Texas accent, though, was more frightening than the thought of leaving the house.
    Or so Zoe thought. The crowds in Inírida’s market square were too much. There could be a bomber hidden around every corner, or beneath every friendly exterior. She envied Susan’s easy enjoyment, moving from stall to stall buying whatever produce looked good, practicing her Spanish as if nothing unusual were going on. The two of them drew attention, as opposite as they were: Susan tall and pale with straight red hair, and Zoe shorter with brown skin and curly golden brown hair. Even though she shared similar features with the Afro-Colombians from the coast, Zoe had been in the field long enough to know that