Leigh woke up again later that night. She knew without looking outside that it was dark out. Her first thought was that she was having that damned dream again. But she heard Ardeth next to her.
"Masa masal khair Leigh."
"Yeah, ditto..." she croaked out. Her throat felt so dry now.
He chuckled and pressed the cup to her lips. "Drink. Nabil said you'd need some water when you woke next. How do you feel?"
"Like a herd of camels crapped in my mouth and then sat on me." She struggled to sit up. Her arm was protesting where the shard of stone had ripped her skin open.
Ardeth set the cup down and helped her sit up. He then pressed the cup back to her lips. "Drink. It should help with the bad taste in your mouth. The herbs have a way of making your mouth taste like cotton and sand."
Leigh drank slowly, trying not to fall asleep again. "How long have I been asleep?"
"A few hours. Nothing too long Leigh. It's only been dark for an hour or so. Are you hungry?"
Before she could answer, her stomach rumbled loudly.
While Leigh blushed, Ardeth laughed and stepped to the flaps of his tent. A few minutes later Hamid came in, followed by another man with a platter of food. The smell alone was intriguing and appetizing.
"Walad!!" Hamid rushed to her side and hugged her fiercely.
"Ack.. Hamid..." Leigh was croaking again as the old man's surprisingly strong embrace began to crush her ribs. "Air... breathe... need air..."
"Oh.." Hamid blushed and released her as Ardeth stepped outside with the one who had brought the food in.
Leigh watched Ardeth leave. A fact which Hamid noted. "Did he touch you?"
"HUH?" Leigh's head snapped back to Hamid. "What? No! Why on earth would you ask that?"
"Walad, I found him outside of your tent last night, remember? He was watching you!"
"Oh come on Hamid!" Leigh laughed at that. "He's had ample opportunity to do wicked things to me and he hasn't. Stop worrying about the virtue I don't have, please? I'm hungry and would like to eat."
Hamid sat back. He was only looking after her well being as he had since she was born... He stood up and gave her a look of concern. Maybe she was telling the truth, but he still didn't trust the Med-jai one bit. He'd seen the looks of deep concern over Leigh while she was being worked on by the healer. It was an almost possessive look...
He left Leigh to her food and walked out of the tent. Ardeth was outside talking with Sayid, but stopped when Hamid emerged. The elder man looked at Ardeth curiously, then back inside the tent. He looked down and then walked off to his tent. This man had replaced him in Leigh's life.
Ardeth saw the look and knew instinctively what the older man was thinking. And it made him feel guilty. He didn't understand why he cared so much for a woman who had been nothing but a pain in the ass to him since he met her, but he did. He remembered the panic he felt when he heard Leigh's gunshots, then found her tent empty. He remembered the pride he felt watching her fight off the attackers with her strange methods, and then the sinking feeling of worry when she passed out into his arms.
He was about to go after the man and talk to him when he heard Leigh hiss in pain. Quickly he rushed back into the tent to see Leigh's eyes squeezed shut and her face pale as the moonlight.
"What happened?"
"I moved..."
"You didn't try to stand up, did you?" He moved over to her and knelt down.
"No." He looked at her.
Leigh felt herself floundering under his gaze. "Yes."
"I thought so. You know what I told you - you should rest as long as possible. When Nabil says you can walk, then I will allow you to walk. Until then, you are to stay put."
She glared at him as he gently pushed her legs back onto the bed and covered her up. "I AM NOT A CHILD ARDETH!" she hissed.
"Then do not act like one!" he hissed right back. "If you keep trying to walk on an injured foot then it will not heal right and you could be crippled for the rest of your life. Is that what you want?"
"No." she whispered as she looked down. He was right, she was acting like a child. She knew that she should do as the healer said and that if she didn't she would indeed end up hobbling instead of running. "You don't understand Ardeth. You never will understand. I can't just sit here and let someone take care of me. I've taken care of myself for so long that -"
"Shhh Harami. I do understand." He pressed a finger to her lips to silence her.
Leigh looked up at him, not even bothering to try and remove his hand from her face. The look in his eyes was different somehow than before. She could get lost in those eyes.
--
Masa masal khair = Good Evening
Walad = child
****
"Masa masal khair Leigh."
"Yeah, ditto..." she croaked out. Her throat felt so dry now.
He chuckled and pressed the cup to her lips. "Drink. Nabil said you'd need some water when you woke next. How do you feel?"
"Like a herd of camels crapped in my mouth and then sat on me." She struggled to sit up. Her arm was protesting where the shard of stone had ripped her skin open.
Ardeth set the cup down and helped her sit up. He then pressed the cup back to her lips. "Drink. It should help with the bad taste in your mouth. The herbs have a way of making your mouth taste like cotton and sand."
Leigh drank slowly, trying not to fall asleep again. "How long have I been asleep?"
"A few hours. Nothing too long Leigh. It's only been dark for an hour or so. Are you hungry?"
Before she could answer, her stomach rumbled loudly.
While Leigh blushed, Ardeth laughed and stepped to the flaps of his tent. A few minutes later Hamid came in, followed by another man with a platter of food. The smell alone was intriguing and appetizing.
"Walad!!" Hamid rushed to her side and hugged her fiercely.
"Ack.. Hamid..." Leigh was croaking again as the old man's surprisingly strong embrace began to crush her ribs. "Air... breathe... need air..."
"Oh.." Hamid blushed and released her as Ardeth stepped outside with the one who had brought the food in.
Leigh watched Ardeth leave. A fact which Hamid noted. "Did he touch you?"
"HUH?" Leigh's head snapped back to Hamid. "What? No! Why on earth would you ask that?"
"Walad, I found him outside of your tent last night, remember? He was watching you!"
"Oh come on Hamid!" Leigh laughed at that. "He's had ample opportunity to do wicked things to me and he hasn't. Stop worrying about the virtue I don't have, please? I'm hungry and would like to eat."
Hamid sat back. He was only looking after her well being as he had since she was born... He stood up and gave her a look of concern. Maybe she was telling the truth, but he still didn't trust the Med-jai one bit. He'd seen the looks of deep concern over Leigh while she was being worked on by the healer. It was an almost possessive look...
He left Leigh to her food and walked out of the tent. Ardeth was outside talking with Sayid, but stopped when Hamid emerged. The elder man looked at Ardeth curiously, then back inside the tent. He looked down and then walked off to his tent. This man had replaced him in Leigh's life.
Ardeth saw the look and knew instinctively what the older man was thinking. And it made him feel guilty. He didn't understand why he cared so much for a woman who had been nothing but a pain in the ass to him since he met her, but he did. He remembered the panic he felt when he heard Leigh's gunshots, then found her tent empty. He remembered the pride he felt watching her fight off the attackers with her strange methods, and then the sinking feeling of worry when she passed out into his arms.
He was about to go after the man and talk to him when he heard Leigh hiss in pain. Quickly he rushed back into the tent to see Leigh's eyes squeezed shut and her face pale as the moonlight.
"What happened?"
"I moved..."
"You didn't try to stand up, did you?" He moved over to her and knelt down.
"No." He looked at her.
Leigh felt herself floundering under his gaze. "Yes."
"I thought so. You know what I told you - you should rest as long as possible. When Nabil says you can walk, then I will allow you to walk. Until then, you are to stay put."
She glared at him as he gently pushed her legs back onto the bed and covered her up. "I AM NOT A CHILD ARDETH!" she hissed.
"Then do not act like one!" he hissed right back. "If you keep trying to walk on an injured foot then it will not heal right and you could be crippled for the rest of your life. Is that what you want?"
"No." she whispered as she looked down. He was right, she was acting like a child. She knew that she should do as the healer said and that if she didn't she would indeed end up hobbling instead of running. "You don't understand Ardeth. You never will understand. I can't just sit here and let someone take care of me. I've taken care of myself for so long that -"
"Shhh Harami. I do understand." He pressed a finger to her lips to silence her.
Leigh looked up at him, not even bothering to try and remove his hand from her face. The look in his eyes was different somehow than before. She could get lost in those eyes.
--
Masa masal khair = Good Evening
Walad = child
****