Final Healing (Patreon)

"Final Healing" is the first account (Account #1) in the Health For Humanity storyline. This NSFW (PG-13) story is FREE and is 32 hundred words long with 24 pictures.

This pic-story introduces readers to Dr. Olivia Overmark M.D. and Dr. Vanessa Lenen PhD and the work of Heath For Humanity.

 ~Ailana

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I’m not sure if I can keep this up…

In the dim light of dawn, Olivia stood on the dusty tarmac of a remote airstrip in a forgotten corner of the world. She felt the anticipation of another mission stirring within her as she watched the silhouette of the small plane approaching against the backdrop of the rising sun. This was her life—always on the move, always ready to answer the call of those in need.

She had just finished a week of work in a Heath For Humanity bush clinic. She was about to board the kind of plane she called a jumper and fly into Douala International Airport in Cameroon. From there it would be several piecemeal flights onward. Her next, final destination would be Rikaze Dingri Airport in Tibet.

Final? That’s a thought…

The indirect path there passed through Cairo, Egypt. Olivia booked a night in a nice hotel there—at her own expense—to break the trip up and give herself a little time to recover.

On her way to Cairo, she had a long layover in Algiers—long enough to leave the airport and look around. After a little while, she found a coffee shop and went inside. She ordered a coffee, then sat down. Suddenly it was as if all the weight of the world settled on her.

All this work is draining me. I don’t have anything left.

Olivia thought, maybe she had been doing missions for Health For Humanity long enough and maybe it was time to turn over the reins to someone else…

But who?

She gave up answering and focused on her coffee, watching the passerby people outside. When the cup was empty, she reprised to herself how she was feeling. 

I’m burnt out…

She made her way back to the airport and found the gate for her flight. Eventually, she reached Cairo and located the hotel. She checked in and found her room, then went in. 

She was surprised by its accommodations. It was better than the website made it out to be. That bathtub is begging for me to soak in it! There was, in general, a peaceful, relaxed ambiance to the room.

Olivia put her luggage on the dresser, opened it up, and got out a few things she’d need for a bath. She filled the tub, then let herself sink into it.

Olivia's journey into the world of humanitarian medicine had begun years ago, fueled by a desire to make a difference beyond the confines of a sterile operating room. Originally trained as a surgeon, she had quickly realized that her skills were needed far beyond the walls of any hospital. And so she had joined a traveling health agency, where she found herself thrust into the heart of some of the world's most pressing humanitarian crises.

From war-torn villages to remote refugee camps, Olivia had seen it all. She had stitched wounds by candlelight, delivered babies in the midst of chaos, and comforted the dying with nothing but her presence and a gentle touch. Her work was grueling, but it was also deeply rewarding—a constant reminder of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

But it was taxing. A few more minutes of soaking…

When she wasn't on the frontlines of a crisis, she could be found immersing herself in the local culture and forging connections with the people she served. She believed that true healing went beyond the physical—it required a deep understanding and respect for the communities she worked with.

Finally, Olivia rose from the bath water and dried off. She looked toward her suitcase considering what she wanted to sleep in. 

I want to feel… fancy… tonight.

She walked to the bed and sat down, looking at her suitcase and thinking about what was inside. The smooth fabric of the comforter was nice against her skin, and her thoughts drifted.

Why do I put myself into places that are so… hard? Almost every mission for Health For Humanity took her to places lacking many basics of life. Things of luxury were unheard of.

As she sat on the bed, she felt a tension grow inside her. To some extent, her very desire for luxury and nice things made her feel guilty. Yet, foregoing them felt like she was missing out on things she had worked hard to make available. 

Olivia didn’t think she needed to be excessively pampered, but a hot bath and a comfortable bed didn’t seem like much to ask. Now and then, at least… What’s wrong with enjoying a few things you’ve worked hard to get once in a while?

Working for Health For Humanity had its rewards, to be sure. She made a respectable salary. She got to use her training in a wide variety of situations. And it felt good when things worked out well. It’s just such an emotional strain. Mental exhaustion… I don’t know…

Olivia got up and selected a silk nightie that both made her feel glamorous and also felt comfortable. She put it on and laid down on the bed.

She settled down and let her thoughts carry her into the near future. It would be a challenge in, naturally, a distant area where resources were hard to come by.

Her next mission would take Olivia to a remote village nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas. It would take a few more flights, a jump on a small plane, then a bumpy ride in whatever truck the team there could come up with. Olivia would bask in as much ease as her stay in Cairo could provide.

It did not take long for sleep to find her.

Arriving later in Tibet, Olivia was met by Vanessa Lenen, an immunologist, a member of the Health For Humanity Team. 

Vanessa watched as Olivia made her way from the landingstrip toward where Vanessa waited. “Doctor Overmark? All set?”

“All set,” Olivia replied.

When Olivia reached the village, a part of her wished she was just there for a visit. It was invigorating. The air was thin and crisp, but the sun felt warm. Snow-capped peaks loomed majestically in the distance. 

But beneath the breathtaking scenery lay a community in need.

There was an outbreak of what many thought was typhoid fever, or possibly paratyphoid fever, but people there were not responding to normal treatment. The World Health Organization suspected an antibiotic resistant strain had emerged, and had enlisted Health For Humanity to go there and take cultures for research, try a different antibiotic regime, and give vaccines where possible.

The work was, from a medical perspective, fairly routine on face value—draw blood samples, treat symptoms, administer antibiotics, give vaccinations. But they were dealing with an unknown, suspecting some variant to the bacteria that caused enteric fever. They had to be sharp and stay focused.

Olivia, after a few days, met with others from Health For Humanity to debrief and update progress. Everyone was optimistic in their reports citing good outcomes where they had managed to intervene.

Once everyone had given their reports, Amir, one of the other doctors, said, “Well, for all our effort, it would be better if we can improve water quality and overall sanitation.”

“To be sure,” Olivia replied.

Everyone on the Health For Humanity team agreed.

Min, one of the team's nurse practitioners, was nodding her agreement, and said, "I've seen people in parts of the village drinking water I would not use to wash our truck."

Olivia sighed and looked down.

Min laughed and looked down. "I exaggerate, some. But I assure you, it is not safe drinking water."

Olivia the looked around the clinic. “I’ll suggest to the mission planners they might send in an engineer and work crew on that.”

Amir smiled and nodded his agreement. “As advanced as parts of the world are, safe water is still an issue in so many places.”

Vanessa was standing to the side of the room at her make-shift lab table. “Some places in the world, clean water is so scarce as to be non-existent. People are drinking whatever, metaphorically and sometimes literally, flows downstream. This enteric fever outbreak is just one of many things usually caused by bad water. Doc, get that work crew here a-sap!”

Others were nodding, so Olivia felt like the point had been made. 

“Let’s move on to the next phase.” Olivia looked around at the others. “Let’s get set up in the clinic to give out vaccinations. We can still go out into the village and continue our work, but we might get to the healthy people sooner if we invite them in.”

Everyone agreed, and over the next few hours, they came up with a plan to make access to the clinic and vaccinations easier. They also created a tidy system to track who had been vaccinated. Olivia was pleased by the outcome.

After that and for the next few weeks, Olivia worked tirelessly, sometimes going house to house to visit the stricken, take samples, and administer treatments. To Olivia, it seemed there would never be an end. Is this village getting bigger?

She thought back to her days as a surgeon at Northwestern Memorial in Chicago. To be sure, they were stressful. But there was a schedule. There was always a schedule, with, sometimes, an end. There in the village, the infection was spreading as fast as it could be cured.

Olivia shook her head as she passed down one more street toward one more home in the village. It’s emotionally exhausting. I’m not sure if I can keep this up… 

Mission had followed mission just as months had followed months. There had been too few “nights in Cairo” and too many long, grueling days. That particular Tibetan village was nice compared to some places she had been. Overall, her service to Health For Humanity had drained her—less so physically than emotionally. The medical challenges had been steady, but not as taxing as the never-ending needs of others and the limited time available to meet them.

It’s emotionally exhausting. I never feel like the work is done… it just comes time to stop and move on… I’m not sure if I can keep this up…

More and more, those thoughts and feelings were in the forefront of Olivia’s mind. But, for the sake of the people there, she pushed them back.

Everyone worked hard, doing whatever it took to help the people of the mountain village. Each of them spent time both in the clinic and going house-to-house.

But amidst the sickness and suffering, there were moments of profound beauty—a newborn baby cradled in her mother's arms, the laughter of children playing in the streets, the quiet gratitude of an elderly man whose sight had been restored after years of blindness. 

Yet, the few bright, miraculous moments, as wonderful as they were, failed to fully lighten the weight Olivia’s duties placed on her. She knew what she was doing made a difference, but at what cost to her?

I need time to think… To breathe… I’m not sure if I can keep this up… Should I just call it quits?

There was always more to do. One more patient to see. One more house to visit. One more sample to draw or vaccination to give.

One afternoon, when all the work for that day was as done as it could be, Olivia stood outside the clinic. Her mind begged for a respite from the demands of her work.

She decided to take a few hours to be alone, settle her thoughts, and relax. She made her way out from the village, up into the nearby hills to where a stream ran cool and clear. She had packed a little picnic, so she found a peaceful place to spread her blanket, then sat down and ate.

The stream seemed utterly inviting. She thought about it for a moment, then another, then gave in to the call of the clear, running water.

She shed her clothes, then decided to put her t-shirt back on, a minimal effort towards modesty. She doubted anyone would come around, but thought it was a possibility.

She found a place with a sandy, gravelly bottom and sat down. The water was cold, but it was also invigorating. She knew it would not do for her to stay too long in the cold, but for a little while, she’d enjoy it. 

There is so much to do… So few to do it…

She did not want the importance of what she was doing for others to overshadow what it was doing to her. There are others who should step up.

She laughed aloud. She knew that a mountain of “shoulds” was just a flat, barren plain. “Shoulds” are different from “wills.”

And different from “cans.” Not everyone who would be willing to step up could. Many people with good wishes were tied down by other responsibilities. Though they would help–at least they think they would if things were different–but, in truth, they can’t. Debts… family responsibilities… Inflexible jobs… For one reason or another, most people who think they’d like to help had things that tied them down.

To end up making the kind of differences Olivia was making, a person needed to be willing and able, both. 

Olivia had made choices over the course of her life that left her in a situation where she was not tied down. As a result, she was free to be one of the ones who could. And who would.

Refreshed, and with a new resolve, she rose from the stream and went back to where she had picnicked. 

She redressed, packed up her things, and looked around once more. She breathed in deeply.

Someone, Olivia told herself, has to step up and do what’s needed. Anyone who can, should do for those who can’t. And I’m one of those who can…

She just had to figure out how to do it without emotionally exhausting herself.

Maybe, I’ll plan more “nights in Cairo” to keep myself from being emotionally burnt out…

It was a good thought. She was hopeful that she could pull it off.

As the days turned into weeks, Olivia and her team’s presence became a beacon of hope for the village. She and the others with Health For Humanity worked alongside local healers and volunteers, sharing their knowledge and using their skills in a spirit of collaboration and mutual respect.

All the same, the strain of the mission was not isolated to Olivia. Others in the team felt it, too.

Late one day, she went into the clinic with a batch of blood samples. Amir was there by himself.

“Where’s Vanessa?” Olivia asked. “She said I should get another round of samples today.”

Amir looked a little concerned. “First thing this morning, she was here. The centrifuge went down again. Then, we lost Internet. Again. She got upset and took off in the car. Said she was going to the lake and getting some sun.”

“She left this morning?”

Amir nodded. “Do you think I should go look for her?”

Olivia looked out the clinic in the direction of the lake, then shook her head. “No, I’ll go. If she’s feeling stressed out, I can relate to that.”

Amir smiled. “We all can. But, maybe it would be better for you to go. You probably get her better than I do. Girls and all that…”

Olivia nodded. “I’m sure you would relate just fine. You’re a good man.”

Amir smiled and shrugged, but said nothing. Olivia grabbed the keys to the truck and set off for the lake.

She found Vanessa’s car at the end of the dirt road, so she stopped the truck there. Near the lake, she could see Vanessa. She was sitting on a rock, sunbathing and looking across the water.

When she heard Olivia approaching she looked back over her shoulder. “Hi, Doc. Is this not absolutely beautiful?”

“It is. I was worried about you. Amir said you left this morning.”

“I’m fine. Internet was down, so I was dead in the water, anyway.  I thought some fresh air and sunshine would be nice. You know, fresh air and sunshine almost never glitch out, right?”

Olivia laughed and nodded. “Amir told me about the centrifuge.”

“I’ll fix it again.” Vanessa replied, then pointed across the lake. “I hiked all the way to that point over there before coming back. Then, I decided to… basically just sit in the sun.”

“I see.”

Vanessa stood up, took another long look across the water, then turned back to Olivia. “I’ll be fine. Outbreaks of diseases is what I do, you know. I’m on the front line of immunology, out here. My reports are going right to WHO and CDC. I… just needed to get some…”

Olivia pointed at her and smiled. “Sunshine. Fresh air.”

Vanessa nodded. “Right… I guess we should get back.”

Olivia nodded as Vanessa started walking toward her. “Where are your clothes?”

“In the car.”

Vanessa walked to Olivia, then on to her car. Olivia followed her.

“What about you, Doc?” Vanessa said as she pulled on her shirt. “This is not what you went to med school to do. The strain is never ending.”

Olivia answered, cementing her ideas from her picnic by saying them aloud. “Someone needs to do this. Not everyone can. I can. I can do what others cannot do, and I’m willing to do it. I just have to find a way to get some emotional recharging from time to time.”

Vanessa smiled. “Try a day at the lake once in a while.”

After that day, it wasn’t too long before things seemed to calm down. Slowly but surely, the outbreak subsided. Olivia began to see the seeds of healing taking root—in the smiles of her patients, in the strength of the community, in the bonds forged between strangers brought together by a common cause.

And within her, she felt her own resolve growing. She was sure that she wanted to keep up her work with Heath For Humanity. Likewise, she was sure she needed to take time out—between missions perhaps—to do things to recharge herself.

As the sun set behind the mountains, casting a golden glow over the village below, Olivia allowed herself a moment of quiet reflection. She knew that tomorrow would bring new challenges, new crises to face—but for now, she would savor the small victories, the moments of joy amidst the chaos.

For Olivia, the journey was far from over—but as long as there were people in need, she would continue to answer the call, one life at a time. She found her purpose reaffirmed—to bring light into the darkest corners of the world, one life at a time.

And as she turned to face the horizon, she felt a renewed sense of purpose coursing through her veins—a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there was always light to be found, if only you were willing to look for it.