Page 44 of Keeping Amanda
“All right. What happens now?”
“You’ll need to give your statement to Colonel Khan. Give him as many details as you can about what happened, what was said, descriptions of the men who took you. Then we’ll take you back to the orphanage so you can talk to Blair and pick up your belongings,” Obi-Wan said.
“I guess I need to get a plane ticket. Arrange to get over to the airport near the capital.”
“I’ve already talked to our colonel back home…it’s been approved for you to fly back with us.”
Amanda stared at Obi-Wan. “What?”
“Since the rescue operation was officially for you, the reason we’re here in the first place, you’ve been authorized to come back with us,” Obi-Wan repeated.
Everything was happening so fast. Amanda’s head was spinning. Was it just that morning she’d woken up in the jungle? “Oh, but…I haven’t had a chance to make sure Rain is taken care of! To talk to a vet, to get the paperwork I need to bring him back to the States.”
Obi-Wan nodded, lifting a reassuring hand. “I hope it’s okay, but I’ve taken the liberty of getting a few balls rolling. As soon as I heard that Blair wanted you out—ungrateful bitch—I had a feeling your first concern would be for the dog…and also the kids. Colonel Khan has agreed to have some of his soldiers guard the school for the foreseeable future, in addition to Blair’s increased security. To make sure the rebels don’t try to take the kids a second time.”
Amanda’s eyes teared up. She wasn’t sure why she was so emotional about everything. Maybe because it was so much change, so quickly. Or the fact that she thought she’d hadanother couple of months to figure out her life before heading back to the States.
Up until now, Nash hadn’t said much, but his hand rested on her knee under the table, giving her support without saying a word. It felt good to have him next to her, silently giving her strength as her life spun out of control.
“Can you give us a few minutes?” Nash asked his friend.
“Of course. If you’re done, I’ll take your trays up,” Obi-Wan said. “I’ll meet you later outside the colonel’s office. I want to see what I can do to speed up the process of getting Rain vetted and the necessary paperwork completed.”
“Can you even do that?” Amanda couldn’t help but ask.
“Watch me,” Obi-Wan said with a cocky grin, before heading away from the table with their empty trays in his hands.
“Can you pack up a to-go box for us to take to Rain?” Nash called out.
Without turning, Obi-Wan lifted his chin in the affirmative, making his head tilt back, giving his copilot the answer he needed.
Nash turned in his chair and took Amanda’s hands in his. “Talk to me, Rebel. Are you freaking out? What do you need from me?”
“I just…this morning we were in the jungle,” she said, repeating the thought she’d had a moment before.
“Right? It feels a little surreal for sure. I’m guessing I’ll have a belly ache later from all the food I just shoved down my gullet. How are you feeling about your time here being cut short? Should we fight this? Because you’re a volunteer, you don’t have a contract, nothing that’s legally binding…but I’m sure there’ssomethingwe can do to make Blair reconsider.”
Amanda was taken aback by Nash’s use of the “we” pronoun, and not “you.” She’d always been independent, didn’t have a choice, and it felt amazing to not be alone right now.
“Um, honestly? I think I’m ready to go. I’m going to miss thekids horribly though. I had thoughts of maybe adopting one or two. Which probably sounds crazy, considering I’ll have no job when I get back to the States and I’m single. But hopefully by the time the paperwork is pushed through I’ll have found a job.”
“It’s not crazy. It’s something I have no trouble imagining.”
“I really bonded with Bibi. She’s only four, and she’s had such a hard life already. I wanted to bring her home and show her that the world isn’t the horrible place she probably thinks it is after losing her parents and being brought to the orphanage. And maybe Michael. He’s older, and the chances of anyone adopting him are slim. But he’s extremely smart and sweet.”
“Just because you’re leaving doesn’t mean you can’t adopt them, or any other kid,” Nash said gently.
He was right. For some reason, Amanda was thinking her ability to adopt any of her students was being taken away, along with her volunteering position. But just because she was leaving, essentially being fired, didn’t mean she couldn’t still adopt. It might be more difficult from afar, logistically, but surely Blair and Desmond would feel more comfortable with a long-distance adoption when they personally knew the person who wanted to take in the children.
“Yeah. I’ll need to think about it, but you’re right.”
“What about Rain, if Obi-Wan can’t get the approvals necessary to bring him back right now? Will you be okay leaving him here? We’ll find someone trustworthy to foster him.”
“I don’t have a choice, do I? I mean, it’s not as if we can smuggle him across the border.”
Nash raised a brow at that.
“Canwe?”
