Two men rushed ahead into a room, both panicked and alarmed.
"Jabirah!" one cries out, "Please you must help!"
The young woman turns her attention to the two men, her heart sank as to which pitiful thief was in such great peril this time.
"What is the matter?" Jabirah asked with great concern, already she had been going and prepping the bed for whoever they would carry in.
At that time, two more men rushed in, carrying a young man who had the left side of his torso just about soaked with crimson blood. He looked weak and barely clinging to life.
Jabirah lifted her head to look at the spectacle, but then it seemed she looked more annoyed than she was concerned, "Oh you got to…" she grumbled to herself.
The men placed the wounded onto the bed. They were then shooed out by the woman and she diligently began to work on her patient.
"Ja… bi… ra—"
"Save your breath, Al-Kupar." Jabirah had cut him off, as she did not seem to cast any pity onto him. She simply did her job of addressing the laceration.
The man was writhing in pain, making Jabirah's task much harder than she wished. He managed to stay still after she pinched him harshly. He still continued to pant, but his breaths were shortened due to the pain it caused him in his left side to just breathe.
"Salim, take slower breaths." Jabirah suggested to her patient.
He tried his best to breathe with better pacing and rhythm, but every stitch made he groaned and griped. Clinging his stained hands to her sleeve. Jabirah had to shake him off several times as he was only inhibiting her from working.
Soon, Salim began to calm down as the wound was fully dressed and he could not panic over anymore blood loss.
"There, all better." Jabirah said, she used a cloth to wipe off her hands.
"Ja… bir…." Salim said in a raspy voice, reaching out to her again.
"Salim, please, you must rest." she said in response.
"I'm… Cold…" he said, his hand was shaking as he tried to reach out to her.
Jabirah rolled her eyes, she found that he was acting like a child at this point, demanding things as if she were his mother. She got a blanket and draped it over the man's body.
"That better?" she asked him.
Salim glanced down at the blanket, but then turned his head back towards her, "I was more expecting for you to lend me your body warmth." he said, his voice being airy and he seemed very drowsy.
Jabirah glared down at him, but smirked at the cute attempt at advancement. "Sorry, simply cannot do." she answered him.
"No?" he asked in reply, "Why not?"
Jabirah pondered for a moment, and decided to not give back a response. She then felt the weak hand of Salim cup her cheek.
"Jabirah… I would go over and above to do whatever it takes to make you the most joyful woman to ever live." he said to her.
Jabirah looked down at him, and she dismissively gave a smirk and pushed his hand away, "No Salim." she responded.
"Oh, Jabirah, I know for certain that are much more fond of me than you try to pass off to others." Salim continued, his fingers met with her palm and then he curled his fingers in-between her's.
Jabirah looked to their hand that was intertwining, and she looked right and continued to ponder.
"Why must you continue to push me away?" he pulled her closer down to him.
"If you wish for the truth, than you must know that I prefer to be annoyed and irritated by you than to ever have my heart played with." she replied with.
"I would never play with your heart, that is such a treasure I could never pawn or mistreat." Salim continued on, he pulled her hand in to kiss it on the fingers.
"No? You do not think my heart would feel the pain similar to those daggers piecing your body?" Jabirah questioned, "Do you not believe me when I say that it is easily to laugh at this than to be crying over the pain of my chest throbbing to know that, if I was to marry you, my husband would be long dead before we even have a chance to spend our lives together?"
She tensed her grip on his hand. Salim looked up at her eyes that twitched and squinted, she still even now tried covering them up with a scowl.
"What would it take of me to keep you from such heart ache and woes?" Salim asked her.
Jabirah closed her eyes, then opened them up at him, her scowl was wiped away and revealed the underlying face she was trying so hard to hide: eyes that welled up at their tear ducts, a quivering lip, and eyebrows that lowered, pressing together on the top of the bridge down her nose.
"To never let me see you with these cuts and wounds, because if I do see and know of them, my heart will have them too." she said, her voice shaking from the tension her body held.
Salim wet his lips, "And then, would you be my wife?"
Jabirah sighed out shakily, looking back at him, "I may." she said.
Salim kissed each finger on her hand, from pinky to thumb, and then returning his attention to her eyes.
"Salim," Jabirah started, "I just want you to know… If say another man comes to steal my heart… I will not be willing to wait for you."
"Then I will start immediately, from this day forth, I shall never cause you so much grief." Salim promised.
Jabirah shook her head, "I need to see it as well, Salim. I cannot trust your word. Not yet." she said.
Jabirah clasped her other hand over Salim's hand, rubbing his fingers over her cheek. He slipped his hand out of her's and cupped her cheek once again.
"I will uphold my promise, for if I am to turn back on it, you can assuredly have every right to be upset with me and never speak with me again." Salim gave a faint smile.
Jabirah leaned down and kissed the man's forehead, after which she got up and left the room.
Salim lied back fully, "Genie," he said, "I know what my second wish shall be."