‘Little...medium little.’ She pulled a wry face.
He shot her a glance and she had the grace to look abashed. Bridget was shocked. She’d never seen Mandy look remotely accountable to anyone. But Hayden had managed it.
‘So medium big, then?’
‘Medium medium’ was apparently as much as Mandy was prepared to admit. ‘The thing is, those images also showed me that there appears to be a bit of a makeshift camp about half a day’s drive south of here where the people have had no direct route to our medical centre during the rainy season because there’s a wide riverbed between us.’
Hayden’s brow knitted together. Not exactly a frown, but close enough.
‘Forgive me if I’m wrong, but now the rainy season is over and the river is already drying up, they’ll be able to get to you soon enough.’
‘Precisely,’ Bridget cut in, unable to stop herself. ‘The moment the river dries out completely and they can cross, they’ll flock over in their droves, all at the same time. We’ll be overloaded here in this tiny clinic. And we’ll be at risk of any number of contagious diseases coming over as well.’
‘Which you’re here to treat anyway,’ he countered. ‘Or am I missing something?’
Bridget cast a quick glance at Mandy, who gave the tiniest inclination of her head, allowing Bridget to proceed.
‘Yes, but what would be best is if we could get to them with a small outreach team before they come here. That would help us keep Jukrem and this other camp separate whilst we treat any different illness or strains of illness. It will reduce the pressure here. And because we’ve gone to them, we can step the consultations so not everyone is clamouring for our attention at the same time.’
‘I was also thinking of sending a small distribution team, as well as a small medical team,’ Mandy said earnestly. ‘It might be a good opportunity to do it with the security of your team on the ground.’
But this time Bridget felt the older woman was addressing her more than Hayden. As though she thought that Bridget might have some kind of sway.
She tried not to feel flattered. But it wasn’t working.
‘We don’t have a mandate to engage if there are any problems,’ Hayden pointed out, but Bridget could tell he was open to suggestions.
He wanted to help them. She just had to give him a reason he could sell to his superiors.
‘No, of course not. We realise that,’ she hedged. ‘I think Mandy’s just hoping that the added bodies out there will be enough of a deterrent.’
‘That’s exactly what I’m thinking,’ Mandy concurred brightly, but Bridget’s eyes were on Hayd.
She watched him closely, knowing he was assessing the practicalities. She could see his side, but she could also see what Mandy was trying to say.
‘The thing is,’ she waded in again, ‘there are a lot of refugees beginning to come into the area now that the rains have ended and the roads are starting to become usable again. Part of ou
r role is to distribute non-food items, such as tents, blankets, cooking pans, even soap to them so that they can live.’
Mandy nodded—silent permission to continue. So Bridget did so.
‘Obviously, at times like this, these are valuable items that can be stolen and sold on for a good price. So it’s important that we only distribute them to the refugees who really need them and won’t want to sell them on.’
‘Which makes distribution a security risk,’ Hayden concluded, catching on quickly, not that Bridget was surprised. ‘Stealing, rioting, stampedes?’
‘Right. We try to keep information scant so that our arrivals are a surprise and no organised groups have a chance to get there and pretend to be refugees. We take a few hundred kits each time. And we try to do it at night so that we can get to anyone who might have to leave early in the morning to walk a couple of hours to their jobs.’
‘Then can I leave you to discuss it, and hammer out any details?’ Mandy asked. ‘Bridget here has worked on enough projects that I’m happy she has a good grasp of the situation. And clearly you two already know how to work together. I think appointing you as the liaison instead of Lisa is going to be the best choice on this occasion.’
And with that, the older woman moved away briskly. On to the next concern on her never-ending list.
‘I’m sorry.’ Bridget pursed her lips as she watched Mandy leave. ‘I didn’t mean that to happen. I’ll have a word with her later.’
‘It’s just a task, Birdie,’ he answered casually.
‘I thought you wanted us to keep some distance?’
‘That doesn’t mean we let it interfere with the job in hand,’ he countered. ‘Besides, I think we would work well together.’