Exciting, yet wholly inappropriate.
‘How do they actually get the bridge over the river?’ she asked, valiantly working not to be distracted.
‘They use the nose as a counterbalance and simply push it out.’ He used his hands to try to demonstrate. ‘Once it’s fully across, they’ll jack it down and begin decking it.’
‘And you really built these bridges and used them whilst under fire?’
‘Sure. But out here we can be quite casual. In theatres of war we’d be wearing body armour and all that kind of thing. It makes progress a whole lot harder out there.’
* * *
‘So if you’re here to build roads and bridges, why don’t you simply leave the bridges you’re building now in situ?’
‘Honestly? Because we only have a few man-portable bridges here, so we need them with us. The idea is to put down more permanent bridges once we’ve finished assessing the area.’
‘How will it get in?’ she frowned. ‘By road? Isn’t that a bit of a catch-22 situation?’
‘We’ll probably have it parachuted in,’ he said. ‘With the country being land-locked it’s going to be easier to fly over than to try to drive everything across potentially hostile terrain.’
‘Oh, my word,’ Bridget cried suddenly, jerking up to watch the men. For once her attention was where she wanted it. ‘They’re done.’
She didn’t miss Hayden consulting his watch. Checking their time, making his mental notes, no doubt. Ever the OC. She smiled to herself.
‘Will you have to collect that bridge again once we’ve crossed?’
‘No, we’ll be heading back so soon that we might as well leave it in place.’ Then he grinned, pushing off the bonnet of the four-by-four and hoisting himself inside.
‘Come on, Gardiner, let’s go and save a few lives.’
* * *
They reached the camp in good time and in the end over six thousand families received plastic sheeting and blankets, food and a jerry can.
‘Good morning’s work,’ Hayden commented, as they helped the logisticians pack up their now empty vehicles and begin the trip to Jukrem camp.
‘Very good morning,’ said Bridget happily.
Although she had been setting up her medical twelve-by-twelve over near the shade, and hadn’t been needed for the distribution because of how smoothly everything had gone. And being away from Hayden had helped her to regroup.
‘Now they’ve got something to protect them from the elements, to eat, and to collect clean water from the pumps already in the area, and from the new ones when you’ve drilled the new boreholes.’
‘And you’re good to go?’
‘I just need to hang a flag.’ She waved a well-worn but well-looked-after piece of cloth in one hand. ‘
And I’m waiting for an extra table that one the carpenters of the community is making for me.’
‘Then you’re doing the measles immunisations.’
‘Yeah, but depending on take-up, my team is also hoping to screen for malnourished kids.’
‘There’s a test for that?’ He looked surprised and she didn’t blame him.
‘More like a band for measuring mid-upper arm circumference.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Not very high-tech, but it works. If the arm is in the green part of the band the kid is healthy—in the red and the kid urgently needs to be admitted to one of our hospitals. If it’s in between they don’t need urgent hospital care but they do need treatment.’
‘And you’re expecting red?’
‘Actually, no. It’s the end of the wet season so the cows and goats are healthy and producing plenty of milk at the moment, so the kids are usually well fed and fall into the green category. At least, that’s what I’m hoping for because we’re now heading into the leaner season. The next harvest isn’t due for a few months so there’s a bit of a hunger gap.’