Chapter 27 - Don't Treat Me Bad

Disclaimer: This is fiction. All copyrights reserved. 

I know it's been a long long time. Pandemic has me out of sorts, writers block central. This was written and edited a year ago.  It's short but it's something...Enjoy...

                                                   Don’t Treat Me Bad

May 11th, 2015

A small makeshift camp had been set up for us to rest, eat and clean up not far from Everest.  Some of us were going home; being replaced by other photographers and reporters. 

Communication was sporadic, but I was assured that I was on my way home to Boston. They’d given me an option. I could fly home or straight to Los Angeles. I chose home not knowing what Harry’s schedule was or if he was even there anymore. I was just happy to be going home. 

12:45 pm

I latched the two belts together across my chest, pulling to make sure they were tight. Dragging my backpack onto my lap, I closed my eyes while I waited for the helicopter to take off. Navesh, from Getty, was talking with one of his coworkers outside of our transportation. 

“I look forward to seeing your work, Rebekah. Please don’t be a stranger. Nepal is a beautiful place, even when ravaged by nature,” He said grabbing my hand. 

“If you’re ever in Boston or New York, you know how to find...” I started.

I had never been in a major earthquake before. Aftershocks, yes. This wasn’t an aftershock; something big was definitely happening. The machine rocked and shook.  I quickly unhooked the belts and threw my pack on the ground.  I could hear Stephen yelling at me to get out of the helicopter. I jumped out and grabbed the bag; running quickly back to the base camp.  The other five people on board right behind me. 

A 7.3 magnitude quake had struck the area not far from us; on the Chinese border between Kathmandu and Mount Everest.  As we later learned, it was the same fault line as the one on April 25th. It was felt in Northern India including West Bengal, Bangladesh and New Delhi.  

Moments later, a 6.3 quake was felt just east of Kathmandu in Ramechhap.

Then we got news of another avalanche on the mountain. It was in Pumori and went into the popular mountain’s base camp. Seven hundred to one thousand people were estimated near or on it. Most were stuck in higher elevations because safe routes down were lost. Nineteen were killed at the southern base camp. Sixty one were injured with dozens being reported missing. 

In Sindhupalchowk, 95% of the homes were destroyed between the two earthquakes. 

A US Marine Corps Helicopter carrying eight passengers, including two Nepalese soldiers, crashed trying to deliver relief supplies.  The Bell UH-1Y Venom went down in Charikot, forty-five miles east of Kathmandu.  There were no survivors.  

New photographers had arrived with supplies, including new memory cards for those of us from the first group. Time and other news outlets had secured a hotel as headquarters. 

I spent a few more days out in the field before Stephen ordered me to the hotel. 

The last few weeks had given me a chance to get back to the Bex Oliver I was before. I was tougher. I relied on myself and not someone else for my emotional well being. I still missed Harry, but I was standing on my own two feet more than I had in those few weeks I had spent with him. I desperately wanted to continue on. I wanted to feel like myself again. I wanted to show Harry the less emotionally battered and bruised Rebekah Oliver.

“You’ve done enough, Bex.”

“With my military training, I can handle the terrain. Just give me a few more days. You know I’m good.”  If I wasn’t going home, I wanted to be in the field. 

Before I left for Iraq, we were sent to a military base to prepare us for what we might experience. We went through basic training and field medical instruction. We endured grueling conditions; climbing in and out of the smallest places. We were taught how to use the same weapons as the soldiers we would be in close proximity with while covering the conflicts. We were taught hand to hand combat, which in hindsight didn’t come in handy when I’d needed it most.  

“Oliver...you could be a goddamned General in the army and I wouldn’t send you back out there.  I can see how exhausted you are. You need a good night’s sleep, a goddamned meal and a bloody bath.” Stephen said stepping away from me.

None of us smelled like roses.

“You’ll do both of us more good back at the hotel. I need someone to go over what we are getting now. We’re sending Mateo back. He’s shit.”

The news that Mat was being sent back home was a shock. While he was an asshole, he was a good photographer and a better editor. 

“Another helicopter will be here in an hour. I want you on it.” Stephen said softly.

“Alright,” I nodded. “I’m on it.”

May 20, 2015

I’d arrived at the hotel on the 16th. I took a real bath for the first time in weeks and promptly slept for twelve hours straight.  The morning of the 18th, I found myself face to face with a very angry Mateo. The moment he saw me setting up my laptop he went off.

“So they’re sending me home so that you can take another job of mine? Fucking bastards. What the hell have you put in their heads about me?” He yelled as he pushed past several of our co-workers.  I did my best to ignore his ranting and raving. It wouldn’t do any good to engage him.

“Answer me you, bitch!” He grabbed my arm and tried to twist it behind my back.  The last time he put me in a hold, I wasn’t able to defend myself. This time, I was prepared.  I kicked my leg out and knocked him off his feet. He tried to take me down with him, but I was able to dislodge myself from his hold. He fell on his ass; a loud humph escaping him as he landed. He tried to grab my ankle as I stepped away. I stomped my right foot on his forearm and he screamed out in pain.

“You broke my arm!” He growled at me as he tried to get to his feet. A few of the other journalists and editors started making their way towards us.

 

“Go home, Mateo.” I shook my head. “Haven’t you blamed me for enough?”

“I saw the whole thing, Bex. Security has been called,” Josh said, stepping between the two of us. He scowled at his friend. “Where do you think you’re going?” He said as he pushed Mat into a chair. 

“You saw her! She attacked me!”

“Bullshit. You started screaming at her as soon as she entered the room and assaulted her. She defended herself.  When are you going to learn you are the problem not Bex?”

“You fuck him too?” Mateo spat at me over Josh’s shoulder.

“Don’t be an idiot,” I hissed.

Mateo threw a punch at Josh, who blocked it and grabbed him by the arm I had stomped on. Mat was crying in pain when security arrived.  

                                                  

“I’m pressing charges this time, Oliver.”

By the time they had gotten him removed from the building, I’d spent two hours talking with the local police.  I decided not to press charges. While Em and Gray would say it was stupid, I didn’t want to have to fly back here for a trial. I threw myself into work. I spent the next 24 hours sorting through photos of the devastation in Nepal. 

Stephen called the next morning to let me know that Mateo had been sent back home with a cast on his arm and an unpaid leave of absence from his job at Time. He was no longer welcome to enter the country of Nepal. 

“Don’t worry too much about him. If he wants to keep his job, he’ll have to go for a psychiatric evaluation. I don’t think he’ll pass. The powers that be will most likely require some sort of anger management or cut him loose.”

“Thanks for letting me know.” I wasn’t entirely sure anything would help Mateo. 

“I have even more brilliant news for you,” Stephen responded. “You’re going home.”

“Oh?” I said as I dumped two photos into my trash bin and then switched out memory cards.

“Yeah, we’re sending you home on Friday.”

“If you’re sure you don’t need me anymore.” I sat back in the chair rubbing my eyes.

“You’ve done more than enough. I’ve negotiated some more time off for you since your previous vacation was cut short. You’ve got another two months off. Go and enjoy yourself.”

“Thanks, Stephen. I appreciate it. Let me know when you have my departure details.”

“I’ll have them in a few hours.” He said before hanging up.

I was ready. I wanted and needed to get out of Nepal. 

~</3~

May 21, 2015

“Good Morning, Doc,” I smiled as I heard her groan into the phone. 

“Well, if it isn’t our roommate, Rebekah Oliver. Hot shot photographer,” she laughed. “Your photos have been all over the news.”

“Really?” I asked surprised.

“Yeah, Grace talked NBC into using them. They’ve been picked up by all the major networks. Ye are the talk of the town. Where are you?”

“I’m in a hotel in Siddharth Nagar. We’ve been using it as a base camp since the second earthquake.”

“You okay? No injuries?” Doc asked through a yawn.

“No, no injuries. Not for me atleast,” I chuckled.

“That reminds me. I received a call from my solicitor after you left. Mateo was going to press charges. Apparently he has decided not to. Know anything about a broken arm and a psychiatric evaluation?”

“Maybe...”

“You are pressing charges aren’t you?”

I took a deep breath before answering, “No, Emily. I’m not.”

“Why the fook not!?!?  Gray!  She’s not pressing charges on that eijit!”

“It’s not worth it, Doc. It’s better to just move on. Maybe he’ll get the help he needs.”

“If you pressed charges, it would speed that along. Sometimes, I wonder what goes on in that head of yours,” Doc huffed.

“Thanks for the support.” I understood her position but she didn’t understand mine. “Listen, I’m heading out of here tomorrow. I wanted you girls to know what was going on.  I’m not coming home though.”

“Oh...are you heading to Los Angeles?”

“No, Emily.” I said as I ran my fingers over the ticket for my flight.