Tina Jens - "The Cuban Solution"

The Cuban Solution -- An Excerpt

by Tina Jens

Janna mopped her brow with her elbow, as she prepped a young black man for surgery. He and his brothers had decided to walk across the mine field to return to Cuba, rather than getting on the coast guard vessels.

Half a mile in, one of them had stepped on a mine. Three of them were dead. And this man was going to lose at least one of his legs.

There was a disturbance out in the hall. A woman screamed, and Janna heard a rush of stomping boots. Two MP's carried a struggling woman in on a stretcher. Ileana followed.

The patient was sweating profusely. Pustules were scattered over her body. A wracking cough shook the woman and brought up blood.

"Easy. I'm not going to hurt you," Janna crooned, checking the woman's pupil dilation and pulse rate. Janna slipped her stethoscope on and listened to the woman's heart.

Then she grabbed a needle from the supply drawer and quickly swabbed the struggling woman's arm. With one fluid movement she stabbed the needle in and pulled the plunger back. The tube filled with blood.

The woman screamed, again. "Dona Diabla, porque nos quieres matar?"

"Silencia, Dona Masetti!" Ileana snapped at her.

"Get that sample down to the lab, stat," Janna ordered, handing the tube to Ileana.

"Belay that," Keddy bellowed.

Janna whirled around. She hadn't known Keddy was in the room. And she wasn't used to being contradicted.

"I can't treat the patient if I don't know what I'm dealing with."

"Blood samples were taken on the boat. Lab's already working on it," he said gruffly.

"What's that man doing in here?" Keddy yelled, waving at the mine victim. "This is a quarantined area. Clear him out. And put some masks on, people!"

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