Drink

Several shot glasses later, Rick said, "I'm going to go check on Alex." He had had as much to drink as Ardeth and Evy, but his tolerance was much higher. Such tolerance came from years of heavy drinking. He stood up, stretching, and plodded up the stairs to go see how his son was doing. Ardeth's head felt far too heavy, hanging down and almost touching the table. He couldn't remember his head ever being heavy before, but he couldn't lift it up again, either. Evy turned to face him. "So," she said, completely drunk, "What brings you to Egypt?" Ardeth slowly turned his weighty head to look at her, oddly sideways due to his current angle. "I live here," he told her, confused. She elaborated, "Well, what I mean is… why do you stay out there in the desert?" She gestured somewhere off to her right. "What are you really here for?" She leaned in conspiratorially, as if his reason for staying in Egypt was a secret. He almost laughed. She really couldn't see? He waved his hand, glancing at it briefly. It wouldn't move right, flopping around. "My father was a warrior of God. And his father, and his father, and all of their fathers… I am one as well. We stay in the desert to…" he sat tall, repeating his task from rote memorization, "To protect the innocent… eliminate evil, and prevent the rise of the creature or-" he paused, holding up one finger, "One like him." Evy nodded exaggeratedly. "I know that part… but why don't you, well… fight like other men? With your swords and your…" she pantomimed unclearly. "Et cetera."

He pursed his lips at her. Her curious face was vibrating slowly, which was odd, because she wasn't moving at the same time. "I…" he hated it when people classified him as different simply because of his culture. "I may not be… American," he spat, "or English, but… but I… am proud of what I am!" He finished, satisfied, and emptied yet another glass. The room sharpened suddenly and then went fuzzy again, making his eyes water. Visions of the grand Med-jai danced through his hazy head. He was indeed proud to be one of them. He also had no idea that Evy was getting déjà vu. "And what exactly are you, Mr. Ardeth Bay?" she asked, raising her eyebrows in a question. Ardeth thought for a moment. His mind went blank. Then the past week's horrors welled up and he saw himself clearly in his mind. "I…" he began. He shivered a little. The room was suddenly cold. "Nothing," he said a little too loudly. "I am nothing!" he held up his glass for a refill. When it was full, he plunked it down and dropped his head, dragging in a breath that was a ragged half-sob. "Nothing…" he whispered. He lifted his glass and drank deeply, warming himself again.

He turned his head and brushed his hair away from his face. Evy was trying to smile sympathetically, but she had no idea how he felt, and had forgotten to put her eyes in the smile. He looked at her, that perfect heart-shaped face… something matched itself up in his head and suddenly he didn't feel drunk anymore. "I am going to kiss you, Mrs. O'Connell," he said seriously, to give her fair warning. He leaned forward, impatient to hold his love, as he had not so much as seen her in many days. Closing his eyes, he kissed her softly. He could not know that the inebriated Evy had fully expected him to pass out. The gentle kiss lasted for some seconds, filling Ardeth with tranquility at being reunited with his heart's desire once more.

The feeling lasted until Evy delicately bit his lower lip, testing gently. Abruptly he no longer felt tranquil. Seizing her face in his hands, he half stood, bending his head to kiss her hotly. She responded in kind, meeting his appetite with a ferocity he would not have thought the gentle librarian capable of. Evy's hands were splayed on either side of his neck, kissing her beloved husband for all she was worth. So intent were they on the ghostly images they saw in each other, neither noticed as Rick walked out onto the balcony. He froze, watching his wife and his friend in total shock. He did not feel angry or sad or even surprised. He felt absolutely nothing. Stiffly, he walked back off the balcony, closing his eyes momentarily against tears that threatened to destroy his blessed blankness.

Half an hour or so later, Evy stumbled unsteadily into their room. "I don't feel good," she whispered, and collapsed on the floor. "Evy," Rick said and rushed to her side. He felt her forehead and thankfully caressed her hair, relieved that she had just passed out. For one crazy moment he had thought that Ardeth poisoned her or something equally ridiculous. He picked her up effortlessly and placed her tenderly in bed next to their sleeping son. He walked over to a chair and sat down. Only then did he allow the crashing realization to hit him. He squeezed his eyes shut, but could not stop salt tears from welling out. He quickly opened his eyes, because in that unending blackness, he felt totally lost. The same way he felt now, looking at his unconscious wife, now that the one thing that he had been sure was stable in his life had disintegrated.

Ardeth jerked himself upright, eyes opening as his near-nightmare woke him unkindly. The quickness of his movement stabbed at his head and he gasped, doubling over. He brought up his knees and climbed out of the bed, holding his throbbing head in his hands. Unsteadily he walked over to his tiny bathroom sink and filled a cracked china bowl with water. He leaned over it, intending to wash his face, but his legs chose that moment to give out and he fell face-first into the bowl, which tipped and spilled water all over him. Although he had been sufficiently awakened, this was not exactly the manner he had chosen. He glared at the offending bowl and picked it up. Tossing it aside, he pulled himself up and, groaning, made his way over to a towel, in the process falling shakily into the door. Thoroughly annoyed, he grumbled and looked at himself in the mirror, damp and dark-faced from the water incident.

Seeing his reflection reminded him somehow of his dream. Then he blinked and his mouth dropped open slightly. "Allah!" he hissed and strode out into the main room. Had to think, had to understand- why? Why, why? He knew that pacing frantically was not helping his headache, but he was not thinking clearly just now. Nor had he been last night, apparently. He cursed alcohol and vowed never to take it again. He shook his head roughly, making the already overly bright lights in the room dance around his eyes, and headed agitatedly for the door. He pulled it open just in time to see Rick about to knock. "Rick!" he gasped in surprise and distress. He pulled him inside, closing the door as if to shut out a demon. "Rick, I had a terrible dream, I-" he resumed pacing as Rick stood watching. Evy's husband had been about to speak, but suddenly he had a feeling he wouldn't need to.

Ardeth took a deep breath and stopped pacing, making clear his trembling, both from too much drink and horror. "The dream, I- I woke up, and it wasn't! A dream, I mean, it wasn't- oh," he moaned, running his hands through his hair. "Rick, I-" he closed his eyes in anguish. "I think I k-kissed Evelyn." The silence in the room after that statement was painful. Ardeth stood, chest rising and falling as Rick looked at him. "Rick?" Ardeth asked anxiously. Rick blinked. He was tempted to say nothing at all and prolong Ardeth's suffering, but he also felt a little sorry for this man who obviously had gotten himself in way too deep. "You think," Rick said. His voice cracked, but he cleared his throat. "You think you kissed Evelyn?" He had told himself he wouldn't be angry, that he wouldn't yell at Ardeth, but all of that was going to hell as his rage built up.

Rick looked off to one side, giving a short, ironic laugh. "He thinks he kissed my wife. He's not sure." He looked back at Ardeth, who involuntarily took a step back from the fury in Rick's eyes. "Well I sure as hell am!" He clenched his fists, then unclenched them, trying to be calm. It wasn't working. "What the hell did you think you were doing?" he asked in a very quiet voice. Breathe, he thought. Just breathe. He clenched his fists again. Ardeth shook his head, swallowing. "I don't… know," he near whispered, trying to think of some way to pacify Rick, who shook his head. "My friend," -At the moment, that was stretching things- "you'll need to give me more than that." Ardeth let out a frustrated breath and looked at him half-pleadingly. What could he say? Rick felt that question clearly in the air. He looked at Ardeth and unclenched his hands one more time. "Tell me… what happened," he tried. He didn't want to hear, didn't want to listen, but… the small part of him that wasn't angry and hurt felt that he owed it to Ardeth, for their friendship and the times they had shared. It was the only thing that kept Rick from knocking the brains out of his friend.

Ardeth drew a great breath. "We drank. You were there. So rare- so rare is the occasion that I drink that when I do, I… I go-" he gestured around his face, closing his eyes briefly for emphasis. "We talked. Of my past as a Med-jai… I saw her as my- as…" This was quite difficult for him, and in other circumstances, Rick might have been sympathetic. "I saw- I thought that she- I thought she was Ashëla," he barely got out. Suddenly he realized what he had said. Rick did not fully understand the impact of those words on Ardeth himself as he heard them spoken aloud. To Rick, Ardeth had given him a general, barely acceptable excuse. He could see the logic, but he didn't want to acknowledge the speech. Ardeth looked around wildly for a moment, then went absolutely calm. "Rick," he said quietly. Rick cocked his head, not trusting his voice or anger. "I have to leave." Rick raised his eyebrows slightly. That was fine with him. His anger was beginning to subside a little bit. At least Ardeth hadn't told him he was in love with Evy. "I think I begin to understand the danger I pose in being here." He looked down, trying to figure out what he wanted to say. Rick's breathing came slower, and his tense shoulders began to loosen just a little.

"This… this lingering feeling for the woman who betrayed me is… clouding my judgement, interfering with the way I see things. I think it is best if I… go away, at least for a while. I hope this is not causing you too much trouble, but," he smiled weakly, "judging from your past experience, you will have no problems without me." Rick nodded, dimly understanding what he was trying to get across. Ardeth looked at him one more time, then walked across the room and gathered his sparse belongings. Rick watched him in silence, still angry enough to do something unreasonable if his temper was not carefully managed. As the emotionally drained Arab slung his swords over his shoulder, he began to trudge slowly towards the door, avoiding Rick's eyes. "Goodbye, Rick O'Connell. May Allah keep me away from you and your family." Rick stared out Ardeth's window as he heard the door open and close gently. After a some long seconds of numbness, Rick turned around abruptly and headed for his own room.