As they walked through the camp, Frank was so engrossed in his surroundings that he didn't notice the surprised stares of some of the Med-jai.

"Frank?"

"What?"

"I think you better cover your face…" Jake said, as he reached over to Frank's injured shoulder and picked up the end of the cloth that was hanging from his head. "People are noticing how much you look like Bay."

Frank saw the wisdom in the suggestion, and held the cloth over his face, trying not to look anyone in the eye as they continued to slowly walk.

"Had enough yet?" Jake asked a couple minutes later.

As if Frank's body had been waiting to be asked that, his vision suddenly clouded over as a wave of dizziness struck him, making him lose his balance and nearly fall into Jake.

"I think that's a 'yes'," Jake said, as he put an arm around Frank and turned him back around in the direction they'd came.

Frank didn't answer as he closed his eyes, trying to disperse the spots before them and force away the massive lightheadedness. It felt like there was a pulse beating in his head in time with his suddenly pounding heart, and he felt shaky and out of breath. Blood pressure's too low, he realized. The blood I lost wasn't replaced! Jake was right, I shouldn't've gotten up yet…

"You all right, Frank? Frank?" Jake frowned, worried when he didn't answer, as he tried to get him back to the tent quickly. Suddenly Ardeth was there, and Jake wondered where he'd come from as Ardeth wordlessly helped him bring Frank back into the tent, and lie him down.

As Jake watched Frank worriedly, he felt Ardeth's eyes on him, and looked up.

"That was unwise," Ardeth told him.

No kidding. "Yeah, I can see that." Jake wasn't sure if Ardeth meant letting Frank walk around, or letting his tribe see him. He didn't ask. Probably both. He looked for the water pitcher that Shamara had left in there, and grabbed it.

Frank had a hand over his eyes, wishing the tent would stop spinning. When he heard Jake pouring the water, he said, "Salt."

Ardeth frowned. "Salt?"

Jake's eyebrows went up. "Yeah, do you have any? If we put some in the water it'll bring his blood pressure up a little and make him feel a little better."

Ardeth's eyebrows flew up at the interesting info. Before he could stand, the tent flap suddenly opened, and Safti and Suhaylah walked in. Suhaylah's surprise at Frank and Ardeth's resemblance was obvious.

When Frank heard them come in, he opened his eyes.

Suhaylah looked at him, then Ardeth, and back at Frank again, with a smile. "So this is your grandson, Ardeth?" she said. "I don't see such a great resemblance, he's far better looking than you."

Safti looked at his wife, astonished. He looked at Ardeth to see that his mouth was actually open, in shock.

Suhaylah started to laugh. "I am jesting, Ardeth!" she waddled closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder, where he sat in the sand. "The resemblance is astounding!"

Ardeth laughed and patted her hand. "Yes, it is."

"This is Suhaylah," Safti told Frank, smiling at her joke on Ardeth. "My wife."

"Itsharrafna, Suhaylah," Frank said.

Suhaylah smiled. "Kezalik, Frank."

Jake looked between the two of them, trying to figure out what they were saying.

"I wanted to see this for myself," Suhaylah told Ardeth. "So I told Shamara that I would take over our guest's care so that she may take a deserved rest."

"You don't have to do that," Frank said, concerned for her obviously delicate condition. "I'm fine now, I need no more care."

'I'm fine now,' he says, thought Jake. He wasn't fine a few minutes ago. "Except for the salt," he said, realizing that Safti and Suhaylah's appearance had made them forget about getting it.

"Salt?" said Safti.

Ardeth looked contrite, sorry to have forgotten. As he started to stand, the tent flap opened yet again, and Alex Cross walked in.

"Alex! Get me some salt," Jake told her.

Alex stopped in mid-step, whipped around, and left again.

Suhaylah tried to sit next to Ardeth, but had obvious difficulty. Safti immediately took her arm and he and Ardeth both helped her to sit on the sand.

"Mabruk," Frank congratulated her, with a smile.

"Shukran," she said, smiling back as she reached over to feel if he still had the fever Shamara had told her about. 

Alex came back in then, and handed the salt to Jake, who wished that they would stop speaking Arabic as he poured some in the water. "Here, Frank."

Frank drank it, forcing himself to not make a face at the taste. When he lay back down again, Suhaylah put a wet cloth on his forehead.

"I do not understand the significance of the salt," she said.

"In the future, doctors found out what they call 'blood pressure'," Frank said, realizing that this was something that they needed to know; it could save lives within their tribe. "It is a measurement of the pressure of the blood flowing through the body as the heart beats." He looked at everyone to see them listening intently. "When someone loses a lot of blood the blood pressure drops significantly; causing dizziness, weakness, fainting. Salt has been proven to raise blood pressure, which alleviates those symptoms."

"Fascinating, Dr. Frank," Jake said, smiling.

"Amazing," Suhaylah said.

Frank nodded. "It is, but in people who eat too much salt, it is a cause of death; by raising the blood pressure too much and causing a heart attack or a stroke."

Suhaylah, Safti, and Ardeth looked alarmed to hear that part.

"Heart attack?" said Safti.

"Stroke?" said Suhaylah.

Frank sighed; realizing that they didn't know what those were either. Suddenly he yawned, unable to keep his eyes open.

"Frank needs to sleep," Alex said. "Jake and I can tell you anything you want to know."

Suhaylah nodded. "All right."

Safti suddenly realized that Ardeth had been very quiet, and looked at him when he heard him sigh.

"Frank," Ardeth said, suddenly. "What is she like?"

Frank opened his eyes slightly, confused at the sudden change of subject. "My mother?"

Ardeth nodded.

Frank closed his eyes again, and smiled slightly. "She's wonderful. Sweet, loving, beautiful. She looks a lot like you…us."

At that, Ardeth smiled slightly.

"She has your hair, but longer. She's about 5'5." He paused, his half-asleep mind not sure what else to say about her. "She was the best mother, as I grew up. When I picked my profession, she was nervous, as any good mother would be, but she supported me in what I wanted to do…" Frank's voice trailed off as he fell asleep.

Ardeth sat there for a minute longer, before standing and leaving the tent.

Safti ran after him. "Ardeth, wait."

Ardeth turned to look at him, and sighed. "Safti, I am sure I can go from this tent to my own without being killed!"

Safti stopped in front of him, saying nothing.

Ardeth sighed again. "I am sorry, sadiqi." He paused. "I have been thinking."

Safti nodded. "As have I."

"Come," Ardeth said, slapping Safti on the shoulder. "Let us go for a ride. We can talk."

Safti felt a glimmer of fear at mention of a ride, not knowing who was out there, after Ardeth. His friend had already started to walk towards the horses however, and Safti ran to catch up to him.

'Itsharrafna': Egyptian Arabic for "Nice to meet you."

'Kezalik': "Likewise."

'Marbruk': 'Congratulations."