Impossible Odds

my current state it was getting much harder to concentrate. My physical weakness matched my sense of failing mental strength while these jackals gradually drained the life force out of us.
    It was some measure of consolation that my brain appeared to be less and less interested in focusing on the kidnappers and more concerned with calling up memories of life as I once knew it. We had ended the second month. The daily routine hadn’t varied much, but it was less and less a part of my conscious experience. I had earned enough trust that I was allowed to fix our food regularly. I could sometimes cut up potatoes and fry them in oil and salt. It gave me back a little control over food sanitation. While Poul was still with us, both of us felt sick most of the time with GI tract troubles. The other men didn’t seem bothered by microbes nearly as much, even though most of them looked malnourished. Apparently a life of exposure to viciously infectious agents had tempered their immune systems, in spite of their poor nutrition.
    •  •  •
    Before Jessica’s family left Nairobi, Matt Espenshade and his wife invited them all to their home for dinner with their small children. Over the meal he made it clear that he understood that the effect of the kidnappings would be felt not just by Jessica and Erik, andtheir families, but by everyone who cared for her. Such crimes represented an ominous threat to the future of anyone daring to enter the region. This couldn’t be tolerated, because the Horn of Africa had sunk into such economic and political chaos that to date nobody had found any way to recover without outside help and intervention. If this was to be the fate of those who brought that help, intervention and change for the better would be a long time coming.
    He repeatedly assured Erik, “Once the FBI is on a case we never give up. There are dozens of people working on this. The FBI is dedicated to getting Jessica out. We won’t rest until we do. I have the privilege of dealing with you and the family every day, but there are dozens of others, and I tell you, they’re working tirelessly on this. These are people you’ll probably never meet.”
    He added, “We’ll get Jessica back alive.” Erik was glad to hear it, but he had to wonder how Matt could know that.
    “I’ve got eight years in the army,” Matt told the family, “seventeen with the FBI. And I’ve never seen so many people working to retrieve one American citizen.”
    “Well, there’s Poul, of course.”
    “Yes, but our mandate is to act on behalf of the American citizen. We have to hope Poul will benefit from that.”
    “So you’re saying if you have to get kidnapped, try to be American.”
    “If you want American military help, it’s the only way we can offer it. Now Jessica has that going for her, and it’s no small consideration. Here’s the thing: There are two potential outcomes here. One is that we can get them to agree to a ransom somebody can actually pay.”
    “The other one?”
    “The other one is the armed rescue that we’ve already discussed. You know the dangers.”
    “Let’s be positive for a minute here. Suppose they stage the raid and get both Jessica and Poul out?”
    “Then the first leg of your journey is over and the next one begins. It could be just as rough in its own way.”
    “I don’t like the sound of that.”
    “I wouldn’t be helping you if I sat here and told you pretty lies.”
    Erik recognized the truth of that and felt grateful for someone who actually spoke straight to him. Matt showed compassion while staying away from false hope. By an expert associated with the Crisis Management Team, he was told, “The first concern is short-term medical, and that will be taken care of according to her initial evaluation, as soon as they pick her up.”
    “Good so far.”
    “So far. Then after short-term medical care comes the possibility of long-term medical care.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “Beyond any specific injuries, you have to consider post-traumatic stress disorder. The torment inside a person’s mind can be much worse than anything the physical world can throw at you.”
    “But it can be treated, too?”
    “Sometimes. We’ve had discussions with the Department of Defense, and they run a program aimed at rehabilitating returned war captives. It could also work for Jessica. The point is, you have to think about how she is going to pick up the reins of her life. This program