Lying there in silence, Elim thought about how quickly a person’s fate could change, how precious life and health are. He had walked into this very room two days ago as a practicing physician, a man in control, with the power to heal, looking down on the sick American on the same bed where he himself now lay. He had never known just how different the world looked from the other side.

He vowed that if he became well, he would cherish every day. And although he had never wished ill health on another person, there and then he wondered if every physician might benefit from being sick—really sick—just once. He wondered if it would make them all care a little more, or work a little harder, to have been on the other side for a while—to have placed their life and livelihood in the hands of a stranger, even if for only a short period. He had considered himself a very conscientious physician before this, but he imagined that if he lived, he would be even more dedicated to his patients.

Staring at the ceiling, he was reminded of an old Indian proverb: A healthy person has a hundred wishes, but a sick person has only one.

The door opened, and Nia reentered. She was carrying the three buckets Elim knew so well, some bottles of ORS, and a case labeled CDC.

She moved to his IV and began attaching something.

“What is that?”

“A gift from our American friends.”

“What kind of gift?”

“ZMapp.”

Elim sat up. “Don’t give it to me.”

She put a hand on his shoulder, forced him back onto the bed, and sat on the side. “For your sake, it’s a good thing you are no longer the physician in charge here, Dr. Kibet.”

“Give it to someone younger, with their life ahead of them.”

Nia smiled at him for the first time. “I like to think you’ve still got some life ahead of you, Elim. Look, we don’t even know if it will help. This is just a trial. We’re not dealing with Ebola, so we need a guinea pig to tell us if ZMapp will even work. Someone who understands informed consent. Someone worth saving.”

“There are lots of people worth saving.”

“True. We chose you. Now, I’ve got work to do. Call me if you need me.”

Before Elim could respond, the woman was gone.

As he closed his eyes, he realized that if he survived, he would be immune to whatever the terrible pathogen was. He could help others. He could go back to work without worry. That was something to look forward to. That was something to live for.

Chapter 25

Chapter 25