Page 77 of Deacon

‘You two made it?’ Ana asked with delight.

They crowded around Ana’s bed and hugged her.

‘Woman, we freakin’ missed you,’ Baz shared.

‘Missed you more,’ Ana said, smiling. ‘What was it like, Baz and Salim, coming down the mountain?’

They filled her in on their hazardous trip to Addis, then minutes later Yael also appeared with a wry grin after paying the cabby who drove them to the hospital.

‘Those two arrived in Nairobi dusty, stinky, and reeking of sweat. Worse, they checked in to the same hotel and have been torturing me since,’ she declared, planting two kisses on Ana’s cheeks.

Then Yael produced a sleek aluminum hard drive.

‘We took the liberty of uploading the SD cards from your camera,’ she told Ana, sliding a tablet onto Ana’s lap, her expression excited.

‘You’ll love what we’re seeing, mate,’ Baz grunted, leaning his leathered shoulder against the wall. ‘Take a gander at your proofs. I touched up a few for you.’

The images on the screen were incredible.

The portraits of the Surma tribe were striking, almost ethereal.

‘Oh my,’ Ana whispered, biting her lip. ‘I was taking some of these so fast I didn’t register how amazing some of them are.’

Then Baz swiped to the final frames: the erupting maw of Hayli Gubbi, a terrifying, beautiful torrent of liquid fire in the crater and rising ash that captured the second the earth tore itself apart.

‘These are exceptional, Ana,’ Baz said, his broad Aussie accent more pronounced. ‘With your permission, and after you’ve cleaned them up how you want them, I’d like to enter them under your name into the World Press Photo competition next month. This is an award-winning collection.’

Ana stared at her work, her lower lip trembling, then gave a reserved nod.

‘Let’s do it.’

I stood back near the window, arms crossed, watching in silence.

The fierce devotion of her crew and her artistry spoke volumes about her.

She wasn’t the naive model I married a decade ago.

She’d evolved into a resilient, empathetic woman, and a kickass photographer and creator.

My chest swelled with a profound, quiet admiration for the life force she’d become.

The Panoramik team hugged her again, with Baz and Yael promising to meet for drinks somewhere in the US soon.

Salim paused at the door and tipped his baseball cap toward me.

‘I’m heading back to Addis, so I won’t see you again, but please take care of our eagle eye, Deacon; she’s an international treasure.’

‘Always,’ I said, lifting my chin. ‘Thanks, mate.’

Just as they walked out, three doctors came in.

They brought good news: the physicians were ready to sign her discharge papers.

‘The swelling is reduced enough for safe travel,’ Dr Ritu announced. ‘The orthopedic specialist has cleared her, as have I.’

They checked her cast and slipped a thick foam walking boot over it.

Ana thanked the team with profuse appreciation.