Chapter 22 — The Bookmobile Through the Mountains

The storm arrived earlier than forecast, and was stronger than anyone could have predicted. In just one night, the amount of rain falling in Van Thac district far exceeded the average for the whole month, causing many inter-commune roads to collapse and flood, completely cutting off the connection between highland villages and the district center.

Nghi received news from an acquaintance in Khuoi Tra early the next morning. The caller's voice was panicked and broken because the phone signal wavered amid the heavy rain. "Miss Nghi, our village is very flooded, the stream has risen and has flooded many houses' yards. Especially little Senh, Ms. Kia's child, has a very high fever and convulsions, and the road to the district is completely flooded, no car can get in."

Nghi trembled as he held the phone, his heart pounding. Ban Van Senh, Kía's little brother, only two years old, the baby she held many times every time she visited Ms. Nai's family, is now in critical condition, and there is no means to take him to the hospital.

"Please tell me, what exactly is Senh's condition? Does anyone in the village know first aid?" Nghi asked, trying to keep his voice calm even though he was in extreme panic inside.

"Mrs. Nai is trying to cool down the baby's fever using the method she showed you in the medical book she lent her last year, but the fever keeps rising and won't go down. The baby has another convulsion, and his lips are turning blue," the reporter said, his voice filled with panic.

Nghi immediately remembered the book on first aid and child care that she gave to Mrs. Nai's family more than a year ago, after learning that she had just given birth to baby Senh. That book, now, is becoming the only life-or-death tool the family can rely on at this time.

"I told Mrs. Nai to continue wiping with warm water, not cold water, especially thoroughly wiping the armpits, groin, and neck. If there is fever-reducing medicine in the form of rectal suppositories for children in the house, use it immediately according to the dosage written on the package. I will try to find a way to go up now," Nghi said quickly, hastily putting on a raincoat and running to the yard where the bookmobile was parked.

Mrs. Dung, hearing her daughter talking on the phone in panic, quickly ran out and held Nghi's hand tightly. "Are you planning to go in this storm? The roads are very dangerous, and your car is weak, what if something happens in the middle of the road?"

"I can't sit still, mom," Nghi said, her voice determined even though her hands were still shaking. "Baby Senh is in critical condition. If you don't go, we may not have time to save her."

Nghi immediately called Nam, her voice urgently recounting the entire situation. On the other end of the line, Nam did not hesitate at all. "I'll go with you. I'm more familiar with the route from Nam Cay to Khuoi Tra. Let's meet at the intersection of the two routes and go there together."

"The road to Khuoi Tra is completely flooded now, the car can't go over the overflow bridge," Nghi said, her voice panicked as she thought of the first obstacle.

"I will find a way around the eastern mountainside, although it is farther but higher, less likely to be flooded," Nam replied quickly, his voice changed to decisive mode, calculating each option. "I will notify the commune health station in advance to prepare, and call the district hospital to prepare to receive emergency cases."

When I started the car, the engine let out a familiar dry cough before starting, as if the car itself sensed the urgency of the situation. She rolled the car into the white rain, the wipers worked at full capacity but still not enough to clear the vision covered by the torrential rain.

The already bumpy road now turned into a muddy stream, with water carrying soil and rocks pouring down from the hillsides, in some parts flooding nearly half of the wheel. Nghi had to strain his eyes, tighten his grip on the steering wheel, keep the speed just enough to avoid skidding but not too slow to keep up with the time. Every time the car swayed through a deep puddle, her heart sank, afraid that the already weakened engine would stall in the middle of the water.

Arriving at the intersection as scheduled, Nghi saw Nam's motorbike lights flickering in the rain. He was wearing a thin raincoat that was soaked, standing and waiting under a small awning along the road. Seeing Nghi's car coming, he quickly ran out and banged his hand on the window.

"I'll go ahead and lead the way, you'll follow closely behind, follow my tire tracks, avoid the places I avoid," Nam shouted loudly to cover the sound of the rain, his eyes filled with worry but also filled with determination.

Two vehicles, an old truck and a small motorbike, weaved together through the eastern mountainside road, a place where Nam had passed many times in his six years of teaching here, so he knew every dangerous turn by heart. Although this road is safer in terms of not being flooded, it is steeper and narrower, with one side being a cliff and the other a deep abyss obscured by a thick blanket of rain.

There were parts where Nghi's wheel slid slightly on the muddy mud, causing her to hold her breath, her hands clenching the steering wheel until they turned white, trying to keep the car going in the right direction. She kept looking at the light of Nam's motorbike ahead, following like the only lifeline in the misty rain, not being able to distinguish which was the road and which was the abyss.

After nearly an hour of struggling along the dangerous road, the two finally reached the top of Khuoi Tra village, where Mrs. Nai was waiting at the gate, her eyes filled with panic, her arms tightly holding baby Senh wrapped in a thin blanket, the baby's face was red with fever, his breathing was rapid and weak.

"Miss Nghi, Teacher Nam, please save my child," Ms. Nai said, her voice trembling and choking, tears mixing with the rain on her austere face.

Nghi quickly opened the car door, and Nam helped baby Senh, placed the baby on a thin mattress that had been prepared in the car's cabin, wrapped with a layer of dry towel to keep him warm but not too tight. She quickly checked the temperature by placing her hand on the baby's forehead, feeling a worrying heat.

"I have to go now, I can't delay another minute," Nghi said, her voice determined, even though her heart was still pounding with anxiety.

Mrs. Nai quickly climbed into the car's cabin, hugging her son tightly, while Nam also decided to leave his motorbike at an acquaintance's house in the village, and climbed in to sit with him to support him during the dangerous journey down the mountain ahead. The old bookmobile no longer carries the familiar boxes of books, but is carrying a mission more important than any previous trip - to save a small life in the midst of a fierce storm in the Van Thac mountains and forests.

Nghi tightened his grip on the steering wheel, took a deep breath, then slowly rolled the car into the torrential rain, heading straight towards the district hospital, carrying not only the hope of a family, but also the belief that this old car, although weakened, would still try to complete the most important journey during its sixteen years of existence.

In the cramped car cabin, Nam sat in the back with Mrs. Nau, carefully supporting baby Senh's head, occasionally checking the baby's breathing, reassuring the extremely panicked mother. "Please stay calm, Ms. Nghi drives very steadily, we will get to the hospital in time. Remember to keep your child's head slightly tilted to the side, to avoid choking if he vomits."

Mrs. Nau nodded, her hands shaking as she followed the instructions, her mouth muttering prayers in Dao language, her eyes not leaving her son's red face for even a second. "If I hadn't received the medical book that Ms. Nghi gave me that day, I probably wouldn't even know what to do to help my child get through this critical situation."

Nghi heard those words through the glass separating the cockpit, her heart felt both sad and more determined. She focused intensely on the road ahead, her eyes never leaving each turn, each flooded section, her hands and feet coordinated smoothly to keep the car under control despite the extremely harsh terrain.

Coming to a part of the road that was slightly eroded, with soil and rocks spilling out to block nearly half of the road, Nghi was forced to slow down as much as possible and carefully weave through the remaining part of the road. Nam quickly opened the car door, jumped out in the rain, and used his bare hands to scrape off some of the dirt and rocks blocking the way. Although it only helped a little, it was enough to create the extra space needed for the wheels to pass safely.

"Okay, keep going!" Nam shouted loudly, soaked from head toe, and quickly jumped back into the car when Nghi had allowed the car to pass that dangerous part. The whole group continued their journey, each passing minute carrying an invisible weight, when a child's life was hanging in the balance between the fragile boundary of life, and all that stood between the child and the chance of survival was just an old car and the unwavering determination of the people sitting in it.