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Widad smiled and stood, as Najat and Zaynab approached Ardeth's bed.

"He is much the same," she whispered, shuffling out of the way so that Najat could take her place at the bedside.

Najat nodded and gently pressed her fingers against Ardeth's cheek. The heat still radiating from the Medjai brought a frown to her lips. It had lessened, but only slightly; she had hoped for more improvement and worried, again, about the desolation she'd seen in his eyes. Biting back a sigh, Najat reflexively snatched up the still damp cloth from his forehead and replaced it with a fresh one. About to reach for another with which to bath him, she caught a yawn out of the corner of her eyes and turned, sheepishly, toward Widad.

"Thank you, Widad. You have tended him well, now tend to yourself, before you fall asleep standing there," she quipped, offering her fellow Abadi an apologetic smile. Widad smiled, appreciatively, and turned to leave.

"Jonathan is up and about already," Zaynab whispered, nonchalantly, as she shuffled around to the other side of the bed.

Widad changed direction mid-step, a slight, chagrined blush touching her cheeks as she turned. She knew she should have realized the outsiders were awake; Zaynab had worn her burqa. Grabbing the one she'd nearly forgotten, Widad offered Zaynab an appreciative smile, quickly tossed it over her head, and sleepily shuffled out the door.

"Alex, it is time to wake," Zaynab whispered into the child's ear, as Widad vanished from sight. Alex mumbled, incoherently, and rolled onto his other side.

Smiling at his peaceful expression, Zaynab found it tempting to let him sleep. However, she knew Badi'a would arrive soon and agreed with Najat that it would be better for Alex not to be immediately in the Medjai path. Reaching down, she softly caressed his cheek and tried again.

"Young one, you must wake," she insisted, in a louder whisper. Alex flinched and opened his eyes.

"Zaynab?" he asked, blearily staring up at her burqa-clad form. Zaynab smiled, unseen, at the hint of disappointment in his voice. "You're all covered again."

"Of course," she responded, a touch of amusement in her voice. "The sun has risen, and your family with it. You must hurry and refresh yourself; your breakfast will soon be ready."

Alex nodded, stretched the lingering sleep from his muscles, and hopped off the bed. Despite the feel of a gentle, guiding hand on the back of his head, he paused to study Ardeth.

"How's he doing?"

"He is much the same," Najat replied, noncommittally. Alex sighed with disappointment.

"Do not fret, young one," Zaynab soothed. "He was not likely to recover over night."

Alex nodded, glumly.

"He has not greatly improved, but he is no longer worsening, and that is a very good thing," she continued. "Do you not agree?"

Alex nodded, again, and cheered up a little, realizing that she was right. If Ardeth were no longer getting worse, then he HAD to be getting better.

"I'll come back later and tell him all about our adventures today, okay," he offered, before leaning forward to whisper into the Medjai's ear. "Maybe you'll even be awake. That would be really nice, if you would try, okay."

Pausing an extra second to watch Ardeth sleep, Alex pushed himself back up and let Zaynab guide him toward the door.

"Ila liqaa', Najat!" (See ya, Najat!)

"Yes, child," she replied, laughingly. "I, also, will be looking forward to hearing about your adventures.

Alex smiled, and Najat returned it, as she watched the pair shuffle out the door.

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Evy distractedly pulled her hair back as she snuck towards Ardeth's dwelling, hoping to spend a few minutes with him before breakfast. Colliding with someone a few feet from the entrance, she glanced up to apologize. Evy's words fell away unspoken, as her mind registered that the woman wasn't hidden beneath the usual burqa. Instead, she wore a loosely draped shawl, the fabric of which wasn't the silvery color of the Abadi, but the black of the Medjai. A nervous tickle forming in her stomach, Evy met the stranger's eyes. The grief and anger filling them forced a startled gasp from her lips. She's seen those eyes her nightmares; they belonged to Ardeth's sister. But it wasn't possible! How could she have dreamed of someone she'd never met? Shaking her head, slightly, Evy decided it that she simply recognized a resemblance to Ardeth.

"You?!" Badi'a exclaimed, in a low snarl, her hostile glare intensifying as she realized with whom she'd collided. "How dare you think to approach my brother's bed?! Is it not enough for you to fill our lives with misery, but then you must stay to revel in it?!"

"Revel in it?! I...you...how dare you!" Evy stammered, huffily. "Well, I never!"

"You never what? Think?!" Badi'a hissed. "You silly, stupid woman! You never think of anything beyond yourself, do you?!"

"Kifehya!" ("Enough!")

Both Evy and Badi'a turned to see Najat standing in the doorway. Evy distractedly registered that the Abadi looked better rested than when she's last seen her, but still seemed weary. She thought little more about it, however. Out of the corner of her eye, Evy saw Badi'a preparing to speak, and opened her mouth to preemptively defend herself.

"Uskut!" ("Be Silent!") Najat demanded, before either woman could get out a word. "Badi'a, 'ukht biteh'qalbee, this woman is my guest, as are you; she will be treated with proper respect."

Badi'a glared, challengingly, for a moment, but then relented. Bowing stiffly, she stormed away from Evy. Najat shifted slightly to allow her passage in to her brother. Returning her attention to the Englishwoman, the Abadi beckoned Evy forward and allowed her to peek inside the dwelling.

Glancing toward the bed, Evy saw Badi'a sit next to her soundly sleeping brother. Her gaze lingered for a moment on the Medjai woman, then, shifted to Ardeth. Too her relief, his breathing seemed less labored, but Evy could see the fine sheen of feverish sweat glistening on his skin in the low light.

"His fever lingers still, but it is a good sign that he has grown no worse," Najat stated, softly. Evy nodded, not feeling particular reassured. "Perhaps his fever will have diminished further by the time you return."

Evy smiled, appreciatively, at Najat's attempt to comfort her. It abruptly dropped into a frown, as she registered that the Abadi expected her to return much later than after breakfast, as Evy'd intended.

"I believe your family intends to spend the day exploring; it seems as though it would be a lovely distraction," Najat stated, sensing resistance

"Perhaps I'll join them another time," Evy replied, tensely, but softened her demeanor when she heard Najat utter an almost inaudible sigh.

"If it would not trouble you too terribly, I believe it would be better to allow tempers to cool before you visit Ardeth Bey again," the Abadi wearily recommended.

"Yes, I suppose that would be wise," Evy acquiesced, after a moment, realizing the situation was awkward enough for her host without testing Badi'a's restraint, or her own. Sighing, Evy took a long glance at Ardeth, then, turned to join her family for breakfast.

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"His wounds?" Badi'a asked, as the Najat stealthily moved from the doorway to stand beside her.

"They have been cleansed and stitched, and are not life threatening of themselves, but an infection of the wound to his abdomen causes him much difficulty."

Badi'a nodded, sadly.

"His fever is high, but diminishing," Najat continued. Badi'a remained focused on her brother's flushed face and reached up, lovingly, to peel away the curls sticking to his sweaty forehead.

"His lungs are inflamed," she observed aloud, sighing mournfully.

"Yes. It began two nights ago, but has steadily improved since," Najat revealed. Badi'a responded with an angry grumble that the Abadi couldn't quite hear. She could guess, however, to whom it had been directed.

"The errand was mine, my sister," she stated, with weary resignation. "If you must cast blame, cast it in my direction. The outsiders did not seek trouble."

"The outsiders never seek trouble, and yet it always finds them," Badi'a hissed. "And it is always the Medjai that are left to suffer in the wake of it."

Najat simply stared at her embittered friend, too weary to think of any wise words of reproach. After a moment, she closed her eyes and sighed with frustration and fatigue.

"More salve needs to be applied to the infected wound; it is there on the table, along with a fresh bandage," she informed Badi'a, reluctantly opening her eyes. The Medjai glanced over at the assorted medical supplies and nodded. "As you see, there is also medicine prepared for him to drink. You will need to wake him for that, soon, if he does not do so on his own. And, there is more medicine for his lungs in the nearest basin; the other is water. As I know you are capable, I shall leave you to tend him."

The Medjai nodded. Turning slightly, she offered a lopsided smile, appreciating the opportunity to be alone with her brother. Najat nodded in acknowledgement of the unspoken 'thanks' and quietly left.

Turning back, Badi'a continued to study the taut lines of her brother's face for minute, then prodded herself into motion. The bandage dressing his shoulder drew her attention first. Najat had not included it amongst her instruction, but Badi'a couldn't resist seeing what lay beneath it. She'd been told little about her brother's condition by the Abadi messenger, only that he was injured and ill with fever. Taking a deep breath in preparation, Badi'a reached up to gently peel the bandage away.

Ardeth's eyes opened as her fingers brushed against his sensitive flesh. It took him a moment to orient himself, then, he focused on his sister, weakly squirming away from her touch. Frowning, Badi'a glanced down and fixed on his expressive eyes. Ardeth seized the opportunity to protest, shooting her an unmistakable expression of displeasure.

"Hush, you big baby. I am only going to have a look," Badi'a teased, immensely relieved to see him awake and aware. He replied with a lopsided frown, to which she simply "tsked", before continuing with her ministrations. Recognizing the futility of further protests, Ardeth rolled his eyes closed and tried, vainly, to ignore her.

Getting her first glimpse of the shoulder wound, a little of the tension in Badi'a's shoulders melted away. Her imagination had envisioned far worse than the neatly stitched, straight, four-inch gash before her. Although some of the stitches had obviously been torn and redone, she saw that the wound wasn't inflamed and seemed to be on the mend. Replacing the bandage, Badi'a unconsciously slid her hand behind Ardeth's shoulder, as she pondered the depth of the gash. She frowned, disapprovingly, when her fingers encountered the edge of a bandage.

Feeling Badi'a's hand slip around to his back, Ardeth inwardly sighed. Even without opening his eyes, he could see the disapproving expression gracing his sister's face. It tempted him not to cooperate and allow her to see the injury. Unfortunately, he knew he hadn't the strength, at the moment, to win a battle of wills with Badi'a. She'd discovered the wound, now she would see it - whether he liked it or not. Biting his lip, he allowed her to guide him forward enough to peel back the bandage.

Getting an eyeful of the second wound, Badi'a mentally cursed the O'Connells, certain they were somehow responsible. She unconsciously scowled, as she examined the gash. More of its stitches had been torn and replaced, but otherwise, it was identical to the other. Shaking her head, she replaced bandage and gently guided her brother back against the pillows propping him up. He hadn't opened his eyes, but Badi'a knew he was paying attention, all the same.

"The warriors in England must be formidable indeed to be skilled enough to run you through, little brother," she taunted, placing her hands on her hips. The fear of what might have been tickled her stomach and made her voice harsher than she'd intended it.

Ardeth sighed, knowing nothing could be said to soothe his sister. Desperately wishing to fall back to sleep and escape her, he kept his eyes closed and tried not to listen as Badi'a spoke again.

"'It is not as though I'm riding into battle, sister. I will be fine,'" Badi'a mockingly quoted. "Tsk! The O'Connells will be the death of you, little brother! You mark my words!"

Ardeth finally opened his eyes and glared his sister a warning. He had neither the desire nor strength to argue with her, but would rather attempt it than continue listening to her speak against his friends.

Badi'a sighed, bitterly, and fell silent. She doubted her brother truly had the strength to reproach her, but didn't want him wasting what little he had on the attempt. Skirting his glare, she shifted her gaze down to the wound she'd been asked to tend. Badi'a felt Ardeth flinch as her fingers brushed against his skin to peel away the bandage. Glancing up, she frowned, finding her brother's eyes scrunched tightly, seemingly in expectation of enormous pain. The expression made her stomach clench; the wound had to be very serious for Ardeth to react so openly.

Badi'a's fingers hesitated, trembling slightly. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, forcing away the sudden temptation to not look. The wound had to be tended properly, which it could not be without removing the bandage. Reminding herself of Najat's assurance that the wound was not life-threatening, Badi'a took another deep breath, opened her eyes, and forced her fingers into motion.

She frowned at the sight she slowly uncovered. Although no greater in length than shoulder wound, the jaggedness of it gave evidence to its more serious nature - and made Badi'a curse softly under her breath. Her experienced eye did not miss that the blade had been twisted with deadly intent. Nor did it fail to catch the tattered edges telling of harshly torn stitches, since replaced with impressive neatness, especially considering the shape of the flesh in which they were sewn. The inflammation reminded her of the salve she was to place on it. Turning to fetch it, Badi'a discovered Ardeth staring down at the injury with a look of bewilderment upon his face. It made her grin, despite the seriousness of her mood.

"You look as though the wound magically appeared this very moment," Badi'a quipped. Weakly collapsing back against the pillows, Ardeth grinned, sheepishly.

"I suspect that he does not marvel at the wound itself, but at the state of it," Najat commented, startling both Medjai. Pleased to see Ardeth awake and Badi'a grinning, she smiled, warmly, at the siblings. Noticing the tray of food in the Abadi's hands, Ardeth sighed, heavily. Badi'a, simultaneously, frowned at the sigh and raised an eyebrow in response to Najat.

"It appears much different than when he last saw it, as it was debrided and stitched while he slept," the Abadi explained, with a patient smile. Badi'a nodded and glanced back toward her brother. She found him staring, dejectedly, at the approaching food tray.

"Your body cannot heal without nourishment," Najat scolded. In reply, Ardeth's face wrinkled, repugnantly, and he closed his eyes. "Tsk, we will not vanish simply because you no longer see us."

Ardeth opened his eyes and shot an annoyed glance at Najat. The expression alerted Badi'a that the Abadi had accurately guessed his thoughts, and she laughed, to her brother's astonishment; he hadn't heard her laugh in a long time. Distracted by it, his expression softened as he watched the two women situate the tray on the bed next to him.

"There is food enough for both of you, as you are no doubt hungry from your journey," Najat commented, glancing up at Badi'a. The Medjai smiled, appreciatively. She'd eaten little since Ardeth's departure for England, and, as the aroma of the broth wafted through the air, suddenly found herself starving.

"Please, sit, eat," Najat requested, patting an empty place on the bed. "It will take me but a moment to finished with the wound, then I will leave you to convince your brother to eat, as well."

Najat gazed, pointedly, at Ardeth, as she finished. He wrinkled his face at them in reply, earning chuckles from both women. Frowning, disgustedly, at their amusement, he closed eyes to rest before the ordeal of eating began.

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"Ardeth! Must I do as we do with the children and make the spoon fly like a bird to get you to eat more?" Badi'a teased, in frustration, as her brother twisted his head in avoidance of the spoon in her hand.

Ardeth glared at his sister. He found it humiliating enough to be fed like a helpless infant; he wouldn't be teased into continuing beyond his fill. He'd eaten more than two-thirds of the broth in the large bowl, and adamantly believed his sister should be satisfied with that effort. Weakly lifting his hand, Ardeth pushed Badi'a's away.

"How do expect to regain your strength if you do not eat?" Badi'a questioned, seeing his hand drop, limply, back onto the bed. Ardeth just closed his eyes, determined to escape back into sleep.

"You must drink the medicine, at least," his sister insisted. Sullenly, dropping the spoon back onto the tray, she turned and snatched up the prepared cup of herbs left by Najat. Feigning sleep, Ardeth ignored Badi'a.

"Najat will wake you to drink it, if you have not when she returns," Badi'a warned. Ardeth reluctantly opened his eyes and scowled at the triumphant smile his sister shot him. He closed his eyes, again, as she brought the cup to his lips. Obediently, although reluctantly, drinking all of it, Ardeth drifted, happily, back to sleep, as she set the emptied cup back on the table.

Badi'a's gaze moving back to her brother's face, she reached out, tempted to caress it. Stopping short, she sighed and traced in the air the weary lines marring Ardeth's handsome features. She knew they were exaggerated by his thinness.

"He is asleep; you may as well keep me company, my sister," She sighed, without bothering to glance at the figure just arrived in the doorway. "He has grown so thin since Ahm Shere..."

Najat didn't respond to the resigned observation; the Medjai's tone hadn't indicated a desire for one. Lifting the tray from the bed, the Abadi nodded, appreciatively, at the amount of broth Badi'a'd gotten into her reluctant brother. Najat set the remaining food aside, and reached for several damp cloths. Laying one across Ardeth's forehead, she handed another to Badi'a. The Medjai smiled, gratefully accepting the opportunity to caress her brother's face, without her fingers feeling the thinness of it. Najat returned the smile and snatched up a medicine-soaked cloth. Sitting on the bed opposite Badi'a, she soothingly bathed Ardeth chest.

"You must tell me all the gossip," she requested, hoping to distract Badi'a for a while. "It has been ages since you've visited."

Badi'a glanced over and smiled. It had been ages since she'd sought the sanctuary of the Abadi. Each time her mind had thought to travel to the village in the past months, the increasing bitterness consuming her heart had turned her away from the place of peace.

"There is much to tell..."

Najat smiled. Setting aside the medicine-soaked cloth, she absently caressed Ardeth's arms and shoulder with a water-dampened cloth, and listened as Badi'a eagerly shared her gossip.

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Interrupted by a soft tap at the entrance, Badi'a glanced up to discover the afternoon had faded into evening...and Widad standing in the doorway with supper.

"Pardon my intrusion," she bade, before approaching the bed.

"Widad, my sister! You do not intrude; please join us," Badi'a greeted, glancing discreetly toward Najat to make sure she didn't mind.

"Please do," Najat insisted, with a grin. Her temperament leaned more toward listening, than sharing gossip of her own, but Widad always had good stories to tell. Widad smiled, placed the tray carefully on the bed, and sat down near Badi'a.

"You are not covered?" the Medjai abruptly registered, as Widad gave her a sisterly hug.

"Ah, yes, that is part of my reason for intruding," she replied, glancing toward Najat. "Zaynab sends word that the outsiders have been persuaded to make camp, instead of returning to the village. She does not expect they shall return before dusk tomorrow."

Najat nodded, smiling despite herself. She'd hoped Zaynab could distract the outsiders enough to keep them from the village for the day, but had not dared imagine her fellow Abadi would manage to keep them away two full days.

"Ardeth," she whispered, turning toward the warrior. When he failed to stir, Najat lightly caressed his cheek and tried again. "Ardeth!"

Ardeth stirred awake, but refused to open his eyes. Najat only woke him when it was time to eat, and he wasn't hungry.

"Tsk! Feigning sleep will do you no good, little brother," Badi'a scolded. "You must eat."

Ardeth sighed, inwardly, a reluctantly opened his eyes. He frowned at the sight of three amused females hovering over him.

"Widad has brought more broth," Najat softly informed him, and Ardeth shifted his gaze to meet hers. "Will you eat?"

Ardeth shook his head. He'd suffered enough humiliation; he wouldn't be spoon fed with an audience.

Najat frowned at the unexpected refusal. Then, she saw his eyes discreetly roaming from one female to another and grasped the problem. Attempting not to smile, she glanced toward Badi'a.

"You have been sitting at this bed since your arrival; I am certain that your legs are in need of stretching."

Meeting Najat's gaze, Badi'a raised a perplexed eyebrow. Najat rolled her eyes toward Ardeth and shrugged, lightly. Catching on, Badi'a chuckled.

"All right, brother, if it is what is required for you to eat, Widad and I will gossip elsewhere."

Ardeth simply glared at his sister, earning another chuckle from her.

"Now will you eat?" Najat asked, as Badi'a and Widad vanished out the door. Ardeth frowned at her; even without an audience, he'd had enough of feeling like a helpless infant. Najat sighed. "It is good to see that your will returns, but it would be better spent recovering, than being difficult."

Ardeth glared at her, and Najat sighed in resignation.

"You do not wish to be fed, is that the problem?" Najat guessed, wishing his voice had returned with his will. Ardeth nodded, very slightly. Studying him, Najat decided arguing with him was pointless.

"You will feed yourself then," she finally stated, matter-of-factly. Picking up the tray, she carefully settled it on his lap, before sitting down close enough to assist him, should he need it.

Ardeth smiled, pleased to have gotten his way, and reached for the spoon. Lifting it to place in into the bowl, he reconsidered. His energy would run out long before he could spoon enough to satisfy Najat. Placing the spoon back onto the tray, Ardeth placed both hands securely around the bowl. Shakily, lifting it to his lips, he downed the broth quickly. The effort drained his energy. His weary arms slamming the bowl back onto the tray harder than intended, Ardeth sheepishly glanced toward Najat.

"It matters little," she replied, patiently. Setting the tray aside, she shuffled over to quickly mix more medicine, then, turned back toward the Medjai. "May I assist you this time?"

Ardeth nodded and closed his eyes, too weary to continue in his rebellion. Pleased, Najat smiled and brought the cup to his lips. Ardeth downed the medicine more slowly that he had the broth, falling asleep as he drank. Slipping into a dream, he didn't notice as Najat pulled the emptied cup away.

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