The guard rushed over to escort her to Anil’s tent. Jana could hear Imani crying loudly before she stepped onto the deck in front, so she asked the guard to find their party in the lounge and bring Nicole because a child was unwell.
When Jana stepped inside Anil’s tent, she found Imani sitting on the edge of the bed almost convulsing with sobs, and Anil next to her rubbing her back. Imani had a white washcloth in her hand.
Jana rushed to her, crouching in front and putting her hands on Imani’s knees. “Imani, baby, what’s wrong?”
Imani looked up at Jana, eyes wide. “Mommy, I throwed up!” She hiccupped, then whined a bit.
“Oh, sweetheart.” Jana looked at Anil.
He nodded. “She was fine. Brushed her teeth and was about to put on her pajamas when she suddenly felt sick. We were already in the bathroom, thankfully. Then she asked me to call you.”
Jana ran her hand over Imani’s head. She didn’t feel particularly warm. “I’m so sorry that happened. How’s your tummy now?”
Imani shrugged. Her big eyes were glistening with tears. Imani didn’t get sick very often, and whenever she did, it completely terrified her that her body wasn’t operating the way it was supposed to.
After she’d been sitting with Imani for a few minutes, there was a noise at the front of the tent.
“Jana, what’s up?” Nicole asked.
Anil told Nicole to come in. “Imani threw up.”
Nicole tilted her head sadly at Imani. “Oh no. How are you feeling now?”
Jana stood quickly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what was wrong, so I had the guard get you—”
“Jana, it’s totally okay. What’s the point of traveling with doctors if you can’t call them when a kid’s sick? Jerome wanted to come, too, but I told him I’d text him if we needed anesthesia. Let me go get my bag so I can examine her, okay?”
Jana nodded. While waiting for Nicole to return, Jana wiped her daughter’s hair with the damp washcloth. Imani was still sobbing while Anil was rubbing her back. Jana was sure the sound would keep any wild animals far away.
“Mommy?”
“Yes, baby?”
“You stay here even though Daddy is here?”
Jana looked at Anil. Why would Imani think Jana wouldn’t stay if Anil was here?
“Of course, love. I’m not going anywhere,” Jana said.
Nicole was back then with her carry-on bag. She sat in front of Imani and started pulling things out of it. After squeezing hand sanitizer in everyone’s hands, she handed Jana a little packet. “Mix that into a bottle of water. It’s an electrolyte solution.”
Jana found an unopened bottle in the bathroom and sprinkled the powder into it. She could hear Anil telling Nicole about what happened before Imani threw up. When Jana returned, she saw that Nicole had put a thermometer in Imani’s mouth.
The thermometer beeped, so Nicole took it out and looked at it. “Her temperature is fine. Okay, kiddo, here’s what we’re going to do. I want you to drink all this drink here.” Jana handed her the bottle. “It tastes like cherries, but it also tastes a little bit like medicine, so you might not like it. But drink it anyway, okay? If you feel like you need to throw up again, you tell your mommy or daddy. Same if you feel like you need to go to the bathroom. Make sure you sleep a lot, and I will come see you in the morning. Sound good?”
Imani nodded, then choked back a sob. She looked exhausted to Jana.
Anil took out Imani’s pajamas and helped her change while Jana went with Nicole to the bathroom so Nicole could wash her hands and Jana could talk to her without Imani hearing.
“She probably had some tap water…It’s almost impossible to avoid it completely. A random ice cube, a piece of fruit washed with tap water instead of bottled. Her tummy is young, so it’s a bit more sensitive.”
“Do you think it was something she ate today?”
Nicole shook her head. “No. Probably not. No one else is sick. I’m not too worried about a single vomiting incident. This, too, shall pass—but I’m only a phone call away if anything else happens. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll call you in the morning, okay?”
Jana nodded, then impulsively hugged Nicole. “Thank you. Seriously.”
Nicole hugged her back. “It’s no problem. That’s what friends are for. You’re doing great with Imani. Seriously.” She lowered her voice. “I know you two are doing a lot of pretending on this trip, but neither of you are pretending to be amazing parents. She’s a lucky little girl to have you both.”
