Who You Say I Am (A Jai Courtney Fanfic)

Chapter 37-Jai

Cain—'The Commission'

Jai

After brekky, we head to Megan's room.  She says she has something for me.  I accept the offer and accompany her there.  She hands me her bag and puts her other over her shoulder. 
"What's this for?" I ask. 
"You're going to give those out today," she explains. 
I laugh in surprise and open the bag.  It's full of toys and gifts.  "You want me to give this away?" I ask her picking up a stuffed bear. 
"I split it up.  I've got some, too," she says with a shrug.  "I gave some away last week.  I thought that if there were different kids we could give them something.  And if the same kids are there, we could give them a different kind of gift."
"That's really sweet," I say reaching over and hugging her. 
"Thanks," she whispers. 
We separate and head out through reception.  I examine the bear thinking it's incredibly well made.  "Where did you get these?" I ask. 
"We made them—Mrs Johnson, my mom, and me," she says. 
"You made these?" I ask disbelievingly, raising an eyebrow. 
"Well, the ones in your bag are the best ones," she tells me.  "I made this one."  She pulls a similar bear out of her bag. 
I take it from her and examine the two.  "I see no difference," I tell her.  They look exactly the same.
She shows me a seam where she stitched them together.  One is perfect, the other near perfect.  "Yeah, these are both impressive.  I can't wait to see your dress," I tell her whispering the last bit. 
She laughs and blushes, "Thank you."
I put the two bags into the boot and we wait for the rest to arrive.  Three girls walk over and ask to join us.  I nod taking their bags.  It's Valentina and I'm pretty sure the other two are Isabella and Bianca. 
"Did you hear the news that we're giving out more gifts today?" Isabella asks Megan. 
"Yeah," she smiles.  "We're handing out more of the toys and other gifts."
"I think I want to go upstairs with you," the same girl says. 
"Alright," she nods grinning. 
We wait for the bus to fill up and follow it out.  We pass through the town much further than I've been.  I see a field where some kids are out playing footy.  There's a large building behind it and I'm wondering if that's the school.  We slow down as we pass and I do see several kids are barefoot, others wearing joggers—not cleats.  I smile that we'll be stopping by there soon.  Ben sent me the info last night and I gave him my card to order it.  It'll be here on Monday, I think.  I catch up to the bus and we swerve around town eventually making it to the hospital.  It's quite small with a few different levels but probably adequate for the size of this city.  It's kind of a small town with a tiny CBD where the hotel is located.  It is nice though—a good place to get away for a while. 
I park on the road behind the bus and we step out. I would've opened Megan's door—the other ladies, too, but they all beat me to it. I open the boot and pass them their bags. We wait for everyone else at the bus to get their bags and then they all pray again.  I reach out for Megan's hand and she takes mine smiling up at me.  She closes her eyes and I do so as well.  Is it terrible that I love this prayer time because I get to hold her hand?  This whole situation is nice too—exciting even.  I listen in to Pastor Ben's prayer catching, "...I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Father, we will love on your children how you love us. For faith without acts is dead. Let our appreciation overflow in the love we give to those we meet today. May your name be glorified in all things and your will be done. In Jesus's mighty name we pray. Amen."
Everyone else repeats, "Amen."
We all release hands and I follow Megan inside, through the reception and up a staircase.  I notice Isabella is following us like she said she would. But I see Izaak, Floyd, and Gale also joining us. We arrive at the top floor and there are a few kids in the main area. It's open with beds along the walls. There are rooms in the back and I see an elevator in one corner. As soon as the kids notice us, there's a mad rush of screaming ankle biters heading our way. Megan bends down and hugs one.
"I missed you, Sister Megan," the little girl says.
"Aww, I missed you, too," she replies sweetly.
The sight moves me until I've got my own group of little boys trying to climb on me. I laugh in surprise and pick them up—carefully though since I'm not sure what they're here for. They hug me and climb on my back and dangle from my arms. I can't even get anything out of the bag to give them since my hands are occupied. I have them take me to their beds. I see nothing on each so I give them some toys. The expression on their faces is priceless and I realize this is something I truly want to do with the rest of my life. I've never experienced love like this. I learn the boys names—Agwe, Carnel, and Sanka. I sit and talk with them. They climb on me and play with my beard, mess with my hair, and just make this time fun. I'm constantly smiling and laughing. I switch kids with the others and play some games with the girls. I give the kids a doll that don't have one yet. The others I give them a puzzle or coloring book and pencils. I look around and don't see Megan anywhere.
While the kids are occupied with Izaak doing some sort of silly charades, I search the rooms in the back for her. I place a stuffed dinosaur beside a little boy sleeping in a bed. A couple beds are empty in the next two rooms. Then I find her... sitting in a room with a little girl laying in bed. Megan squeezes out a wash rag and places it on her forehead. She has a sheen of sweat across her brow yet the little girl is shivering. I see the girl grasping a stuffed fox as tightly as she can with one arm while Megan holds her other hand.
I hear her pray aloud for the little girl. Her concern is touching. She has a fever that won't break. I stand there in awe of her, how emotional she gets in her prayer. She really has the kindest heart I've ever even heard of. When she finishes, I notice something out of the corner of my eye. There's a spare blanket. I step over to Megan to ask her if it'll help. I touch her shoulder and she looks up to me wiping her eyes.
"There's a blanket over there. Will that help?" I offer.
"Her fever's going up. She's too hot. She needs to cool down," she says softly.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
I look over to the girl to see she's asleep. She has little bags underneath her eyes and looks exhausted. Megan slowly lifts the thin sheet over her foot. I see two holes on her leg—almost resembling what a vampire bite would look like. It's swollen and it looks like she has a rash over her leg.
"They tell me she was bitten by a forty leg—you know, one of those centipedes," she says softly.
I frown.
"They're dangerous for children. She accidentally stepped on one last night and it bit her. She's allergic, too. They've given her something for the swelling which has gone down substantially and they're just waiting for the fever to break. They gave her something for that, too, so hopefully it'll break soon," she whispers.
I nod in understanding. I feel her grasp my hand on her shoulder with her free hand. The other is still holding the girl's.
I sit down on the ground beside her feet, rubbing her back in comfort. She's still holding my other hand. We remain together... just waiting for change. After we're here for quite some time, a nurse comes in and takes her temperature.
"It's going down," she announces quietly. Even the nurse sounds relieved. I hear a sigh escape Megan's lips. She kisses the little girl's forehead and rises. The nurse stays by her side, switching places. Megan walks out of the room. I grasp a coloring book and pencils putting them on top of the empty bedside cabinet. I follow Megan out and see she's visiting a little boy next door. His eyes are covered in a bandage. She comes over to me and reaches into my bag, shuffling through to the bottom. She pulls out a male lion. I hadn't seen it in there. It's the most colorful of all the toys. She places it into the boy's hands. I hear her explain that she made it just for him, that she put more work into it, how it has different textures and fabrics. I watch as he feels the mane. He actually smiles as his fingers move over the different surfaces. I can see various types of stitches, like what I've seen elderly ladies embroidering.
"Thank you," he whispers. His lip quivers. She bends down and hugs him. He hugs her back. I hear a sniffle. We sit with him and talk. He tells us how he wants to play the drums when he's older. Megan tells him he can start whenever he's ready, that she started playing percussion instruments when she was twelve. I smile at how she teaches him rhythm by patting his lap. He laughs and pats along—the happiest expression he's made. They clap and I'm just in awe of how amazing she is with him—how she is with them all.
Pastor Ben tells us that we're leaving shortly. Megan gets up and hugs him once more and wishes him well. He thanks us for the gifts and visit. I hug him too and we head down the stairs. Megan sneaks gifts into rooms where the patients are asleep, setting them on the bedside cabinets like I did earlier. She's far lighter on her feet than me so I give her some of my gifts, too. We make our way through the remaining floors to the remainder of the patients. By the time we finish, everyone is gathering outside at the bus. It's time to go.