Early morning in 239/240 [NFB]

[notcalledlizzie]

Elizabeth is muttering in her sleep, obviously distressed.

i ni ce. Ne tε se bamanankan na kosεbε

"Vous ne pouvez pas voir qu'ils meurent? Vous les tuez"Visions of starving children, being worked to death flash before her eyes. Their eyes are empty and lifeless as they look up at her, begging for her to do something. The children have been

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[janet_fraiser]

"Liz?" exclaims Janet. She sees Sam and nods at her. "Liz, are you all right?"

[notcalledlizzie]

Elizabeth takes the mug with a small smile, and cradles it in her hands.

[janet_fraiser]

Janet gives Sam a look, not sure what else she's thinking of.

[carter_i_am]

Sam misses the look.

[janet_fraiser]

"She died too young. But I know you, Liz. You did everything you could to help. You made her life better."

[carter_i_am]

"You can't save everyone," Sam says, looking to Janet, who maybe knew this lesson better than anyone else.

[janet_fraiser]

Janet nods a little. "You can't," she confirms. "Though believing that is sometimes a little hard." And once again, Janet's gift for understatement shone through.

[carter_i_am]

Sam squeezed Janet's arm in support.

[janet_fraiser]

Janet gave Sam a grateful look.

[notcalledlizzie]

She laughs harshly. "It would have been harder for her life to have been worse."

[janet_fraiser]

"I know." She knows malaria, what it does to the body, and how it would affect a child. "But you made it better. You did what you could. I get the feeling it's hard to accept that you couldn't do any more, though."

[notcalledlizzie]

"He wouldn't let us do anything. He hated the idea of foreigners - especially me, as this young girl, coming in and interfering with the way he ran his business."

[janet_fraiser]

"Who was he?"

[notcalledlizzie]

"The foreman of the plantation. The one who worked those kids to death," she spat.

[janet_fraiser]

"Of course he didn't like you. You're a human being. He barely deserved the title."

[notcalledlizzie]

She sighs. "I know. But even though they know this is going on, and even though it's supposed to be against the law, governments still won't do a damn thing about it."