ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Pausing in the doorway, Najat listened to Widad and Badi'a sleepily conversing. Prodding herself back into motion, she shook her head, torn between amusement and disapproval.
"The intent in sending Widad to tend Ardeth was to allow you sleep," she chastised, mildly, as she set Ardeth's breakfast on the bed beside him. "Not to provide the two of you the further opportunity to gossip."
Badi'a sheepishly glanced at the floor, earning a chuckle from Najat.
"I apologize for not having brought food for you, as well. I did not expect you to be awake," Najat continued.
"You would be very welcome at my family's table," Widad eagerly invited, aware that her Medjai friend harbored a particular fondness for her elder brother. He, likewise, had held Badi'a in high regard since childhood and, in Widad's opinion, was long overdue in finding a wife. Marriages between the matriarchal Abadi and the patriarchal Medjai were rare. However, they were not unheard of, and Widad held firmly to the opinion that her friend and her brother were an excellent match.
"I would be honored," Badi'a graciously replied, missing the mischievous twinkle in her friend's eyes. Not missing it, Najat stifled a chuckle as she bowed farewell to the pair.
Turning her attention to Ardeth, Najat noted, with a frown, that although his fever had diminished considerably since the previous day, his breathing hadn't significantly improved. She pondered if it were soul's way of protesting its return. Brushing the thought aside with a sigh, Najat refocused on her task.
"Ardeth," she prodded, reaching out to caress his cheek. Rousing reluctantly, Ardeth slowly opened his eyes. Najat smiled, patiently, as his gaze landed on her. He frowned, in reply, earning a chuckle.
"The sooner you eat, the sooner you may return to your dreams," Najat quipped, provoking a sigh of resignation from the Medjai. Amused, the Abadi smiled, again, as she gently settled the tray on his lap and sat back.
It took Ardeth a minute to notice that she made no move to feed him. As it registered, he smiled, very slightly, and reached for the bowl of broth. The expression shifted to a frown as his hands trembled more than he'd expected.
"Your strength will return, but you must allow it time," Najat soothed, noticing his displeasure.
Ardeth continued to frown, dejectedly, as he let one hand drop limply. Reaching for the spoon with the other, he yielded it to Najat. Startled, she simply accepted it, wordlessly, and dipped it into the bowl. She fought away a frown as she lifted the spoon to his waiting lips, but could do nothing about the anxious tickle in her stomach.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Spooning up the last of the broth, Najat managed to smile as he obediently downed it. It still troubled her that he'd asked to be fed, but she found it somewhat reassuring that he hadn't needed to be prodded into finishing the bowl. Ardeth returned the smile, before wearily closing his eyes. Placing the spoon back onto the tray, Najat studied him, pensively. As if feeling her steady gaze, Ardeth opened his eyes, which prodded her back into motion.
"Allow me a moment to prepare more medicine, then you will, at last, be rid of me," Najat quipped, almost managing another smile. Moving away to mix the herbs, she didn't notice Ardeth frown.
As she brought the cup to his lips, Ardeth studied Najat, worried that he'd given her the impression it was her company, not the effort of eating that displeased him. Quickly downing the liquid, he weakly reached up and captured the hand she held nearest the bottom of the cup. Startled, Najat let her other hand drop away, taking the empty cup with it, and gazed at him. Smiling warmly, Ardeth entwined two of his fingers around two of hers and softly caressed them. As she returned his smile, he let his heavy eyelids close and drifted to sleep.
Najat watched him sleep for several minutes, before convincing herself to disentangle her fingers. Reaching for a medicine-soaked cloth, she quickly bathed Ardeth's chest, before reluctantly rising to clear a workspace on the small table. Ardeth's fever had decreased enough that he no longer required constant bathing, allowing her an opportunity to catch up one of her many neglected duties. Sparing him another long gaze, Najat gathered up pen and ink to record the events of the past week within the tribal record.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Najat glanced up as Badi'a entered. Noting that the shadows had shifted from morning to afternoon, she raised an eyebrow, amazed that so much time had passed unnoticed. Sheepishly grinning, Najat fixed her attention on the Medjai approaching the bed. Her expression promptly dropped into a frown. Badi'a's drooping body made it apparent she'd rested little since departing.
"How is he?" The Medjai inquired, studying her brother.
"Better," Najat replied. Noticing his still labored breathing, Badi'a frowned, skeptically. "His breathing still troubles him, but his fever has diminished greatly."
Badi'a nodded, appreciating the clarification.
"I shall leave you to sit with him," Najat offered, and Badi'a smiled, then, yawned. Seeing it, the Abadi decided she would be tending Ardeth again too soon to bother taking the record with her. Simply gathering it up neatly on the corner of the table, she quietly shuffled to the doorway.
Pulling over the vacated chair, Badi'a sat down beside her brother and reach for a medicine-soaked cloth. The hush surrounding her seem to deepen with each rhythmic swirl, increasing the weight of her heavy eyelids. Tossing the cloth back into the basin, Badi'a rested her head on her arm and watched her brother sleep for a minute, before drifting slowly into her own dream.
Hovering in the doorway, Najat grinned at the expected sight and stealthily returned to the bed. The exhausted Medjai roused just enough to move as Najat wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her to the rugs on which the O'Connells had previously slept. Amused, the Abadi briefly paused to watch her friend sleep, before returning to her record.
Ardeth slowly roused as the shifting of his sister's weight disrupted his dream. By the time he persuaded his eyes to fully open, Najat had returned to the small table. He caught the movement of her pen out of the corner of his eye and twisted his head to see her better. Finding that the angle cramped his neck, Ardeth twisted back to his original position and closed his eyes, hoping a dream tug at him. When none did, he opened his eyes, bit his lip, and shifted enough to comfortably observe Najat. Ardeth counted three pages of scribbling before she looked up.
Feeling his steady gaze, Najat glanced toward Ardeth and smiled, warmly.
"Are you in need anything?" she whispered, setting down her pen. Ardeth shook his head. Nodding, Najat smiled, picked up her pen, and gazed back down at her paper. She paused for another quick glance at Ardeth, before starting to write again. He smiled, reassuringly, and she returned to her focus to the record.
Ardeth continued to watch her write, enjoying the quiet. Najat was one of the few people that would allow him share her company in silence, without growing discomfited by it. He never ceased to appreciate the peace that allowed him.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
"Widad," Najat bade, as her fellow Abadi arrived in the doorway with a tray of food. Widad bowed, slightly, and continued toward the bed.
Just beginning to drift toward sleep again, Ardeth roused and watched Abadi approach. He closed his eyes as she drew near enough to see he was awake. Widad wore neither a burqa nor a shawl, presumably expecting he would be asleep, so it seemed polite to feign as much.
"The sentries report that Zaynab and the outsiders will be here within the hour," she reported, glancing toward Najat. Receiving a nod of acknowledgment, Widad quietly excused herself.
When Widad didn't speak again, Ardeth cracked his open. Seeing she'd left, he opened them the rest of the way and gazed at Najat. His brow furrowed, questioningly, as she approached the bed with a look of amusement on her face.
"You may soon regret not having slept," Najat replied to his bewildered expression. "Alex has promised to regale you with his many adventures upon his return."
Ardeth tossed her lop-sided grin.
"It is good that Widad brought food for both of us, as we shall both need strength," she joked.
Ardeth grinned, again, and shifted to allow the tray to rest more evenly on his lap. Reaching for one of the bowls of broth, he carefully lifted it to his lips and quickly drained it. Ardeth grinned, as he managed to set it shakily, but gently, back in the tray. Glancing toward Najat, his smile grew as she grinned, proudly. Momentarily content, Ardeth settled comfortably into his pillows to watch Najat eat while he waited for Alex to arrive.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Nervously watching the Abadi village approach, the knot of dread in Rick's stomach pulled tighter. Shifting his gaze down to the child asleep in his arms, Rick fought the urge to jostle Alex just enough to wake him. He knew his son would spend the evening telling Ardeth tales, giving Rick an excuse to stay away. However, that would only delay the inevitable. He had to face Ardeth sooner or later, and the longer he waited, the more he dreaded it.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
"Najat," Rick greeted, pausing in the doorway of Ardeth's dwelling.
Hovering barely on the edge of sleep, the sound of Rick's voice startled Ardeth into consciousness. Reluctant to face the American, he kept his eyes closed, hoping Rick hadn't noticed the slight flinch.
"Richard O'Connell," Najat returned, with a slight bow, distractedly registering increased tension in Ardeth's chest as she finished bathing it with medicine. "I am pleased to see that you have returned safely."
Rick nodded, absently, his gaze already shifting to Ardeth. He studied the sleeping Medjai, hoping to convince himself the warrior was recovering... and not simply lingering. It didn't work. Even in the scant light, he could see the still labored way in which Ardeth's chest rose and fell.
"He doesn't look much better," Rick commented, more to himself than Najat. The Abadi studied the American for a moment, before responding.
An unfamiliar male voice weaving its way into Badi'a mind, she gradually woke and opened her eyes. She nearly bolted up when her eyes found Rick, but she stopped herself. Knowing nothing of the outsider beyond myth and rumor, Badi'a decided she might as well try to learn something of the American's nature.
"His fever has diminished since yesterday, but his breathing still troubles him, more than expected," Najat revealed, dropping the cloth in her hand back into the medicine basin.
"The infection's settled in his lungs pretty good, has it?" Rick presumed. Najat shook her head.
"No, the infection is not the cause," she explained, more concern creeping into her tone than she meant to allow. "He remains very weak - both in body and spirit; I suspect that is to blame."
Rick nodded, distractedly. He couldn't help but wonder if Ardeth had simply pushed himself too far to recover this time.
"He awoke not long ago," Najat continued, seeing the mixture of fear and resignation in the American's expression. She hoped the news would reassure him a little. Rick smiled, appreciatively, quickly catching on to her motive. "He'd hoped to wait for Alex's promised return..."
Rick smiled, genuinely. He knew Alex would be thrilled when he found out Ardeth had tried to wait up for him.
"Yeah, Alex was really looking forward to filling him in on our 'adventures', but he fell asleep on the way back," he revealed. "He wore himself out pretty thoroughly."
"Ah, well, we will expect him in the morning then."
Rick nodded, only half listening.
"And the rest of your family?" Najat quizzed. She'd expected both Alex and Evelyn to visit upon their return to the village. Rick tossed her a lopsided grin.
"Yeah, Evy meant to make it over here, too," he explained. "But she laid down 'just for a minute' after dinner and seems pretty much out for the night. Alex wore her out pretty thoroughly, too."
"And Jonathan?"
"Asleep," Rick replied. "He nearly fell into his food nodding, so Zaynab ordered him off to bed."
"I may assume, then, that you and your family enjoyed your 'adventures'," Najat commented. Rick nodded and smiled, appreciatively, knowing the Abadi had gone out of their way to provide them a distraction. "And you? Did Alex not exhaust you, as well?"
"Yeah," Rick admitted. "He did a pretty of good job of that, that's for sure."
Najat smiled, politely, as she studied the American. He seemed nervous, which made her suspect his presence had a purpose beyond simply inquiring after Ardeth's health.
"You wish to speak privately with Ardeth Bey?" she inquired, after a minute. Rick nodded, appreciatively, relieved that she'd caught on before he had to ask. Shuffling out of the doorway so she could leave, Rick took a deep breath to steady his resolve and forced his feet to approach the bed.
"Hey, big guy," He nervously greeted, sitting down beside the Medjai. Hovering, again, on the edge of sleep, Ardeth flinched at the nearness of Rick's voice, but it went unnoticed.
"I was kinda hoping you'd already be awake; that way I couldn't chicken out and do this with you asleep," Rick quipped, then, sighed. "So, what do you think, buddy, do I wake you up, or just call this a practice run?"
Ardeth inwardly sighed. It seemed as though Rick, as well as himself, would find the conversation less awkward if he continued to feign sleep, but it also seemed dishonorable. Hesitantly, he opened his reluctant eyes and fixed them upon his friend.
"Well, I guess I do this for real, eh," Rick quipped, more to himself than Ardeth. "So...how ya feeling?"
Recognizing the attempt to stall, Ardeth just smiled, wearily.
"Yeah, never mind. I need to just do this..." Rick muttered, nervously, before taking a deep breath to steady himself. "Look, about what happened with Evy's nightmare..."
Ardeth's brow furrowed, anxiously. With everything else, he'd nearly forgotten shaming himself before his host. Remembering renewed the regret felt for choosing to return to his body.
Seeing anguish form on the Medjai's face, Rick hesitated, but realized he couldn't leave it there. Ardeth had enough to deal with without believing he'd dishonored himself.
"Look, about that...you didn't do anything wrong, you know," he insisted. Ardeth averted his gaze, unable to face his friend.
Badi'a's brow furrowed. The American spoke as though her brother'd committed some sort of offense, but she couldn't imagine it to be truth. Still, it helped explained Ardeth's despondency. Honor and friendship were two things he took very seriously, so to have dishonored himself before a friend...Badi'a sighed, despairingly. That was not something her brother would recover from, whatever the result of his illness.
"Please, Ardeth, I'm trying to apologize here, don't make it any harder on me than it already is, okay," Rick pleaded, determined to convince the Medjai of his innocence.
Puzzled, Ardeth glanced toward his friend.
"Yeah, that's right! I'm apologizing," Rick confirmed. "You didn't do anything wrong!"
Unconvinced, Ardeth looked away, again.
"Come on, Buddy," Rick continued to argue. "Yeah, I admit, when I walked in, I saw you man-handling my wife and her trying to get away..."
Badi'a raised a shocked eyebrow. She couldn't even imagine her brother man-handling another man's wife.
Ardeth dejectedly closed his eyes, wishing he could escape the memory of his disgrace.
"...but that wasn't really what was happening; you weren't doing anything wrong!" Rick insisted. "You saw Evy in trouble; you tried to help. Please, Ardeth! You have to accept my apology...and my thanks."
Ardeth raised a confused eyebrow, while Badi'a nodded. She knew her brother wasn't capable of such illicit behavior.
"Yeah, that's right...my thanks. I know it's been a while now, but you gotta understand I'm still getting used to this trust thing," Rick explained, sincerely. "And let me tell ya, expecting the worst out of people is an awfully hard habit to break."
Ardeth sighed, softly, and sleepily closed his eyes, which didn't really tell his friend much about what was on his mind. Unable to think of a more convincing argument, Rick decided to let the apology sink for a while. He could have another go at it later, when Ardeth was in better shape.
"I'd thank you for saving Evy's soul, if I thought there were adequate words, but there aren't," Rick continued, after a minute, unsure if Ardeth were still awake. "Just like there weren't good enough words to thank you for helping me get my son back."
Pausing to catch his breath, Rick shook his head.
"I just don't get it, buddy," he admitted. "After everything you've gone though... we... Evy's family put you through, I just don't understand why you'd do what you did for her...us..."
Rick let the bewildered statement fall away. Ardeth's eyes remained closed, leading him to assume the warrior'd fallen back to sleep. Not that it really mattered. Rick knew that even if Ardeth tried to explain, he'd probably never understand.
"Well, I guess that's all I wanted to say, so I'll get out of your hair. You get better, buddy," he bade and started to rise, but Ardeth caught his hand.
As Rick's eyes met his gaze, the warrior smiled and twisted his hand around into a firm, brotherly handshake. Ardeth doubted he could find words to make Rick understand the value he placed upon friendship. But even without that understanding, Ardeth couldn't allow him to walk away believing a rift remained between them.
Rick grinned, accepting the handshake.
"You better get back to sleep now, buddy. No doubt, Alex with be in here pestering you before the sun comes up," Rick warned, warmly. Ardeth smiled and let his eyes close. Still grinning, Rick watched him sleep for a minute, then quietly made his way back to Evy.
Badi'a watched the American leave. He'd given the impression of being a surprisingly honorably man, which left her befuddled. But she quickly pushed it to the back of her mind, distracted by a nervous tickle that had formed in her stomach during the brief exchange. Badi'a's sleeping brain couldn't quite put a finger the cause of it. Closing her eyes, she spun the conversation around in her mind, as she drifted back to sleep.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Growing weary of broth, Ardeth drank only three-quarters of what Najat had brought for breakfast and set the bowl back onto the tray. Badi'a grinned, delighted to see him able to feed himself. Ardeth smiled in return, pleased that his hands had shaken less this time. Snatching a lump of bread from the tray, he broke off a piece and dipped it into the remaining broth. Badi'a's grin grew even broader at the site; she hadn't even had to prod him into it.
"Ardeth!"
Both Ardeth and Badi'a flinched as Alex darted into the room. Catching sight of Badi'a, he skidded to a halt a few feet away from her. Alex needed only a glance to realize that she was wearing a shawl instead of a burqa and that it was the wrong color. Ardeth nearly choked on his bread trying to stifle a chuckle at apprehension on the child's face; his sister often had that effect on him, as well.
"You're not Abadi!" Alex observed, defiantly, his need to protect Ardeth overcoming the intimidating effect of the eyes looking through him. "Who are you?!"
Badi'a chuckled. Alex's stance made it abundantly clear he didn't approve of a stranger hovering so near Ardeth, and it immediately won Badi'a over, despite the touch of annoyance that tickled the back of her mind. The child wasn't supposed to be likable, anymore than the father was supposed to honorable. They were being terribly uncooperative; meeting them was to have cemented her hatred of them, not change her mind!
"I am Badi'a, sister of Ardeth Bey ibn Dabir," she replied, formally, with only the slightest hint of amusement creeping into her tone. Ardeth grinned, relieved to see his sister behaving amicably toward the child.
Ardeth's sister?! Alex's jaw dropped as his eyes grew wide.
"And you are?" Badi'a asked, seriously, even though she already knew. It took every ounce of control she had not to laugh at his expression.
"A..Alex O'Connell, ma'am. Ummm...assalamu 'alaykum," he replied, as formally as he could muster. Badi'a raised an eyebrow, before bowing slightly and replying.
"Wa 'alaykum assalam."
"You're really Ardeth's sister?!" Alex quizzed, his tone filled with wonderment. He'd asked the question of Badi'a, but his gaze shifted to Ardeth for an answer. Still grinning, the warrior nodded. His eye moving back to Badi'a, Alex kept them firmly glued to her, as he edged around the bed and crawled up beside Ardeth. The warrior laughed aloud at the child's uncharacteristic bashfulness.
"You're awake!" Alex belatedly noted, as the laugh drew his attention back to Ardeth. The Medjai nodded, in confirmation of the obvious. Alex smiled, broadly. "You look a lot better."
Ardeth simply smiled.
"You had everybody really worried, you know," Alex informed him. "Nobody said anything, of course - cause I'm a kid and they think I can't handle things - but I could tell they were pretty scared. Not me though, I knew all along you were gonna be fine."
Ardeth continued to grin, knowing Alex hadn't been as certain as he claimed.
"That's how come we've been gone, you know. Zaynab took up exploring to take our minds off worrying about you," Alex revealed. Ardeth nodded, patiently. Realizing the child didn't intend to quit talking anytime soon, he settled more comfortably into his pillows.
"Did you know there's a lot of really neat sites around here that have hardly even been touched?!"
Ardeth nodded, lightly, not surprised at the wonderment in the child's tone. As part of the alliance between the tribes, the Medjai helped protect most of those 'really neat sites'. With few outsiders allowed to disturb them, they were archeological treasure-troughs.
"We went all over the place..."
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Standing in the doorway with Najat, Evy grinned as she watched her son rambling at Ardeth. Her delight faded when her gaze fell on Badi'a, and she saw the Medjai's expression abruptly shift from amusement to alarm. Following her gaze, Najat sighed and pulled Evy from the doorway. Turning her toward the common area, she locked arms with the Englishwoman and guided her towards breakfast.
"But Alex..." Evy began, resisting.
"Is much too absorbed in his tales to be pulled away for anything as humdrum as food," Najat assured, cutting her off. "I will prepare a tray for him."
"But are you sure its safe...I'm mean, all right to leave him there with..." Evy stammered, but was again interrupted.
"Of course it is," Najat replied, matter-of-factly.
"But Badi'a..." This time Evy simply left the sentence dangling, uncertain of what she was trying to say.
"Badi'a? She adores children," Najat assured. "It is a good opportunity for the two to become acquainted."
Frowning, Evy glanced sideways at the Abadi.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked, after a moment. "She seemed a little alarmed by him."
Najat shook her head.
"It is not Alex, but Ardeth, that concerns Badi'a."
"What do you mean?" Evy asked, perplexed. She hadn't noticed anything particularly alarming about the warrior; in fact, she'd been relieved by his greatly-improved appearance.
"Badi'a's conscious mind has finally registered the behavior that her unconscious mind observed and adjusted to upon her arrival."
Befuddled, Evy wrinkled her brow.
"What behavior?" she asked, a minute later, giving up trying to translate the Abadi's statement into something understandable.
Najat smiled, wryly, as she realized the Englishwoman remained a step behind Badi'a.
"Ardeth does not speak," she stated, matter-of-factly.
Flummoxed, Evy halted. Staring incredulously at the Abadi, she found it tempting to brush the behavior off as hardly worth fretting over. Ardeth wasn't exactly the gabby sort under the best of circumstances, and these were hardly that; he simply hadn't the energy for casual conversation. Then, she thought about it and realized, alarmingly, that Najat was right. Ardeth hadn't spoken - not a single word, not even in his sleep - since meeting with Al 'Asima. Still staring at the Abadi, something else abruptly struck Evy.
"You don't seem concerned?" she queried, challengingly, as though the indifference somehow negated the Abadi's statement.
"It is inconvenient, I grant you, to be required to guess his mind, but it is hardly cause for alarm," Najat answered, casually.
"Hardly cause for concern?!" Evy exclaimed, disbelievingly. Najat shrugged, lightly.
"Perhaps he simply has nothing to say, and when he does, he will speak."
The logic leaving Evy speechless, she stood gaping at the Abadi.
"Now, if you will be so kind as to excuse me, I will prepare a tray for your son," Najat stated, stifling a chuckle at the expression on the Englishwoman's face. Evy just nodded, and numbly watched the Abadi gather the food, before turning back towards Ardeth's dwelling.
"Evy?" Rick asked, concerned by his wife's expression.
Registering the voice, Evy turned and abruptly realized she'd reached the common area. Plopping down without ceremony, she distractedly nibbled at her breakfast, while her mind wandered back to the journal.
'Well, you wished you could have met the journal Ardeth,' Evy recalled, despairingly. 'I guess now you'll have the chance.'
"Evy?! What's wrong?" Rick anxiously quizzed, but she didn't notice.
"EVY?!" Rick attempted, again, this time joined by Jonathan. Their combined shout finally snagged her attention, and Evy glanced over.
"What going on?" Rick anxiously quizzed.
"Is it Ardeth?!" Jonathan added, alarmed by the sudden realization that she'd just come from seeing the Medjai. "Did he take a turn?!"
Evy's eyes wetted with tears, but she didn't know what to say. He wasn't really worse; he was just...the journal Ardeth...instead of their Ardeth. Al 'Asima'd mixed them up and returned the wrong one's soul!
Evy's lack of response increased Rick and Jonathan's concern, and they gazed, expectantly, at Zaynab.
"Ardeth Bey is recovering well," she replied, confidently. Receiving skeptical glares from both men, the Abadi continued. "Perhaps, then, you should see for yourselves."
Rick rose, without responding, and quickly strode in the direction of Ardeth's dwelling.
"That's his way of saying 'good idea, thank you," Jonathan quipped and smiled, apologetically, on behave of his brother-in-law. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe I'll just go and have a quick gander, myself."
Najat bowed, slightly, as he rose and turned to follow Rick. Absorbed in his concern for the Medjai, Jonathan didn't notice that his brother-in-law had stopped a dozen feet from the entrance. They collided with a loud 'ooooowmph'
"Jonathan," Rick began, turning to face him. He wanted to get a something off his chest before they saw Ardeth. If the Medjai _had_ taken a turn for the worst, he worried it would distract him and he'd forget to say it later. Especially if Ardeth...Rick pushed the thought away.
"Whoops. Sorry, old boy, didn't realized you'd stopped," the Englishman returned, seeing a stern look his brother-in-law's face.
"Jonathan," Rick repeated. "Before we go in there, I gotta say something."
Jonathan swallowed hard, certain he was about to get what was coming to him for going behind Rick's back.
"Look, I know we shouldn't have gone off without so much as a word, but...well, she's my sister...and it was her soul we were talking about...I had to help him! So...go ahead! Do your worst! I'm ready to take it like a man," Jonathan declared, presumptively, in a single breath. Rick grinned, in spite of himself, but then grew serious again.
"Thank you," he stated. Firmly, but gently, taking his brother-in-law by the shoulder, he squeezed them appreciatively, before looking Jonathan straight in the eyes. "Don't ever go behind my back again."
Jonathan nodded, chuckling nervously. Smirking, Rick clapped him, solidly, on his shoulders, then, abruptly turned and continued toward Ardeth. He froze as he entered the dwelling.
"Uh, hi? Who are you?" he greeted the woman hovering near the bed, looking very anxious.
"That's Ardeth's sister, Dad!" Alex volunteered. "Neat, eh?"
Rick raised an eyebrow. In all the years they'd been acquainted, he'd never really thought about the Medjai having a family. Now, suddenly, they were popping up everywhere...from Evy's journal to right there in from of him.
"Badi'a, sister of Ardeth Bey ibn Dabir," Badi'a introduced herself.
"Rick O'Connell," he replied. "But I'm guessing you already knew that."
Badi'a bowed, slightly, in admission of his accusation.
"Well, hello there," Jonathan greeted, entering behind his brother-in-law. Badi'a bowed, again. "And who might you be?"
"That's Badi'a, Ardeth's sister," Alex announced, laughingly, before she had the chance to speak.
"Ardeth's sister, eh?" Jonathan responded. Turning to Ardeth, he grinned, sheepishly. "Hafta admit, old boy, never really thought of you as having a family."
Ardeth returned a lopsided grin.
"Its good to see you awake, buddy," Rick greeted. Also turning his attention toward the warrior, he approached the bed. "How you feelin'?"
"He's doing fine, Dad," Alex answered for him. "Aren't you?"
Ardeth nodded, slightly, and smiled.
"Excellent! That's what we like hear," Jonathan quipped. "Evy came to breakfast looking so upset that we thought maybe you'd up and died on us or something."
"Jonathan," Rick growled, under his breath, as Ardeth's brow wrinkled with concern. "Nothing to worry about, buddy. I'm sure its just all the excitement catching up to her."
The assurance did little to convince Ardeth, but attentively listening to Alex had sapped too much of his energy to allow him to worry about it for long. Finding himself unable to focus his thoughts, Ardeth blinked, heavily, and settled deeper into his pillows.
"Hey, we better let you get some rest, buddy," Rick suggested, seeing the warrior's battle to keep his eyes open. "Come on, Alex! You can come back a later."
"But Daaaad," Alex whined, earning a stern glare from his father. Seeking an ally, he turned toward Najat.
"Tsk," she responded, with amusement. "It would hardly be appropriate to interfere with your father's wishes."
Wrinkling his face, disgustedly, Alex turned toward Badi'a. He found her frowning at her brother, seemingly too lost in thought to have noticed his predicament. Sighing in resignation, Alex reluctantly climbed from the bed.
"I'll come back later, okay?"
His eyes drifting closed, Ardeth smiled, sleepily, at the child.
"Come on, let's go," Rick prodded, waving his fingers at his son. Huffing, Alex hustled over.
"Nice to meet you, ma'am. Najat," Rick bade the two women, before turning toward the door. Wrapping a fatherly hand around the back of his son's neck, Rick guided him out the door.
"Ladies." Excusing himself with a slightly bow, Jonathan followed.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
"Good morning, Alex," Zaynab greeted, as Alex, his father and uncle approached the eating area. "You have timed your arrival well."
"What do you mean?" Alex asked, wrinkling his brow. His gaze followed her hand as it pointed, and he found a burqad Abadi approaching, along with a half-dozen, or so, young boys around his age.
"It was thought that you might enjoy escaping the company of adults for a few hours," Zaynab explained, earning a grin from Alex. "So Widad has rounded up volunteers."
Alex glanced toward his mother, but Evy appeared lost in thought, so he shifted his gaze to his father. Rick shrugged.
"Have fun!" He responded, with a grin, as Alex bounded off to meet the small group. "Stay out of trouble!"
Alex turned and waved, shooting his father an'oh, dad' sort of grin. Turning back, one of the boys grabbed him by the sleeve, and they were off and running toward whatever mischief they could find to get into.
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