Chapter 16
I resumed my work as a doctor.
Three years later, the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo was even worse than before.
The areas controlled by armed groups had expanded to an unprecedented scale.
There was a food crisis, cholera outbreaks, sexual violence, and an endless stream of kidnappings.
It felt as though this place had become a “land abandoned by God.”
Every day, witnessing the hellish reality around me, I couldn’t help but wonder whether, for Doctors Without Borders, their treatment was extending hope or merely prolonging suffering.
A few months later, Adam told me he had found five of the children from that group.
Among them were Ray and Mary.
They had successfully escaped that day.
They later got in touch with their relatives and were now living with family members in Kisangani.
This news was a breath of fresh air.
I rushed to meet them.
The moment the car arrived at the meeting point, Mary rushed out.
She threw herself into my arms, eyes brimming with tears.
“Zoey!! You finally came!”
She had grown much taller and had blossomed into a young woman.
Looking anxiously into the car, she asked,
“Where’s Doctor Joseph? Why didn’t he come with you?”
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I hesitated, then said, “He’s too busy.”
Mary immediately tightened her fingers. “…Has something happened to him?”
Children who have experienced death are especially sensitive to vague answers.
I shook my head reassuringly.
“No, he’s fine. I’ll show you.”
I flipped through my phone, but found I didn’t have any pictures of Joseph.
Because I couldn’t bear to look at them, I had stored them all away in my computer when I returned
home.
I scrolled to the very end and found a picture of Jackson.
He was wearing a white coat, reading medical records under the warm glow of a desk lamp.
He looked strikingly similar to Joseph.
Mary saw the picture, and her face lit up.
She jumped for joy, then pulled her brother over, saying,
“I want to be a doctor too!”
The other children chimed in,
“I want to too!”
“I want to heal people!”
I gently patted their heads and asked the boy who had remained silent.
“What about Ray? What do you want to do in the future?”
Ray glanced at the camera hanging on my chest, a little embarrassed.
“…I want to be a journalist.”
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I was taken aback.
“I want the world to see the people who are suffering.”
“If they can be seen, maybe someone will reach out to help…”
I fought back tears as I gathered them all into my arms.
If Joseph were still here, he would be so happy, wouldn’t he?
Before leaving, I gave my compact camera to Ray and left Joseph’s stethoscope and books with Mary
and the other children.
Their cheeks flushed with excitement.
These children, living in the depths of hardship, still hoped to lift up a bright future despite their
scars.
Just like Joseph once said,
“Where there is hope, there is a future.”
Months passed.
My search for Joseph’s body yielded no results.
I visited the forest countless times.
But since it was night, I had no idea which direction I was running in.
Eventually, I had no choice but to give up.
I started going through old photos, documenting Joseph’s story piece by piece on my Instagram.
Many details had become blurry after three years.
At first, I did it out of fear that with time, I might forget more.
But to my surprise, the posts went viral.
There were an overwhelming number of comments wanting to know more about his story.
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Some of his former patients even recognized him.
“Doctor Joseph was really great. When my mom was sick and becoming a bit confused, he never once lost his patience with her.”
“He even performed magic tricks for my daughter. The director thought he was playing cards and scolded him!”
Soon after, I received a video call from Jackson.
He sent me screenshots of my Instagram and asked,
“Is this you?”
I admitted freely,
“Yes.”
He was stunned, his expression filled with bitterness.
“So the person you were talking about was my brother…”
“Yes.”
“I should have figured it out… I should have known!!
“No wonder you always looked at me like that! I thought you really loved me!!”
He lowered his head in defeat.
“Is he… okay?”
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