Take 8 in Aimee Liu's new fiction serial

In which Thea and Shep welcome a new life to the Andamans

June, 1937

The ceiling fan offered a point of focus as Thea counted through her contractions and tried to ignore the torrents of rain smashing down on the roof. All through the hospital, pails had been set out to catch the leaks, around which teams of lizards raced, little phantoms against the green mildewed wall stains. One, two, three, four. The young Indian nurses hummed as they wiped her brow, and the daring giggled at Shep�s brooding presence hour after hour.