Chapter seven, - Working it out.

Find Rick, Jonathan thought as he walked down the corridor half an hour later. Yeah, because that's going to be easy!

After much cajoling and promising to do as she asked, Jonathan had finally managed to get Evie to consent to go to bed. Although she had insisted it would only be to rest, the moment her head had hit the pillow she had almost passed out, her body and mind wrecked from the afternoon she had just experienced.

Although none the wiser as to what had happened Jonathan knew it was serious; he had never seen his calm and orderly sister so emotional before, and to be honest it completely unnerved him.

Standing in the lobby of the hotel Jonathan had no idea where to go next. He had visited both Rick's room and his own- after checking the bar of course- all of which lacked any sign of the American.

Wandering around aimlessly in a circle, Jonathan accidentally bumped into one of the two men stomping in through the lobby's doors.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." he began to apologise. The largest of the two men just waved him away and continued talking with his partner. What with nothing better to do, coupled with an undeniable nosey streak, Jonathan began to listen to their conversation.

"What a damn cheek that fellow had, sending us away like that," the larger of the two men grumbled to his friend in a gruff English accent

"I know," his friend agreed in a crisper accent, "but what did you expect? He was one of those blasted Americans."

Jonathan's ear's pricked up; maybe finding Rick wouldn't be so hard after all.

"I say, excuse me chaps," Jonathan interrupted, tapping the smaller man on the shoulder. "Did I hear you mention having some trouble with an American?"

The small man turned around and greeted Jonathan with a grin.

"Yes," he said in a friendly manner. "I know we shouldn't moan, especially what with those American deaths, but this man came barging into the gym and started knocking benches over. Screaming and shouting he was- told us all to get out."

"Really?" Jonathan asked, raising his eyebrows. He hadn't realised the hotel had a gym. "And you did?" he asked, probing further.

"Why of course," the friendly man continued. "The fellow was armed- armed I tell you! Why a man needs a couple of pistols strapped to his side in a gym, I don't know." The man paused to take a breath, and shook his head disapprovingly. "I mean, me and Harry here can handle ourselves in the ring just fine, but we're not stupid!"

"No, no, of course not." Jonathan was nodding profusely; he was so convinced that the man in the gym was Rick that he wanted to head there. His only problem now was getting away from this chatterbox. As it happened, the man's friend provided his way out.

"So, is this guy a friend of yours?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Er... no," Jonathan lied. "Actually, he is...my patient. You see we're, erm, trying to work on his anger issues," he continued with the first thing that came into his head. "So if you'll excuse me, I really must go and find him."

Turning abruptly, Jonathan ran out of the door the men had entered through, and denied them any chance to reply.

"A doctor?" the small man asked, turning to his friend after a second of stunned silence. "Anger issues?"

"Americans!" Harry shrugged, and headed towards the bar, unaware that he was about to be disappointed.

As he headed down the new corridor, Jonathan begun to wonder why he had never seen any of the signs for the gym before.

"Maybe they're new?" he whispered under his breath as he saw yet another one pointing the way. Or maybe you just didn't want to see them... his mind argued traitorously. Jonathan just smiled to himself. "Yeah, maybe," he admitted.

After following the signs for a few minutes Jonathan came across the gym's double doors; made from solid wood, they had a small high circular window in each door, which Jonathan had to stand on his toes to see through. As he leant against the door he became aware of a rhythmic pounding emanating from inside. Intrigued, he peered through the glass.

The gym held a large boxing ring at one end, and weights and punch bags at the other. The walls of the room were tiled, right up to the high ceiling. There were a few small windows located just below the ceiling, through which the brightness of the desert sun could shine through, but not the heat.

The small corner of the large tiled hall that Jonathan could see, however, reminded him of Evie's room somewhat- in the fact that it was in a state of disarray; a couple of chairs lay on their sides, while a small wooden bench was completely upside down. There was also what appeared to be a large quantity of white cotton towels scatted across the floor.

Stepping away from the door, Jonathan took a deep breath. Something had obviously happened in the gym, and he really didn't want to be the one to have to deal with it.

Brotherly loyalties began to kick in, however, as he remembered the promise he had made to the distressed Evie. Inhaling deeply, he stepped forward again and began to inch the door open. He might have been determined to keep his promise, but he was equally determined to keep his head.

Only once the door was half open did he begin to feel safe; now being able to see the entire room, Jonathan knew there was only one other man in it. As he thankfully recognised the man, he realised he was in as much of a state of disarray as the room he inhabited.

Rick's white shirt flapped about un-tucked, and his braces hung down at his sides. His side-arms lay off to one side on a pile of towels, and he hopped from one foot to the other with frantic movement, his hair swinging with his body's rhythm.

Thump, thump, thump.

Rick punched the straw punch bag in front of him. He was mad, really mad, and he knew not what to do about it. The one thing that he would have guessed would have sated him- the killing of Imhotep- he had denied himself days ago. So he was at a loss.

Thump, thump.

The punch bag would have to take the punishment for now.

Rick's own mind fuelled his anger, and consequently his fists.

First it had tormented him about what a failure he'd been at protecting the woman he loved.

Thump, thump.

Then it had begun to bombard him with upsetting and painful scenes that he had never seen.

Imhotep kissing Evie.

Thump, thump.

Imhotep tying Evie's wrists.

Thump, thump.

Imhotep touching Evie's skin, and inflicting the wounds he had seen.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Rick's punches became more devastating as the visions did.

Imhotep forcing Evie.

THUMP, THUMP.

Evie crying out in pain.

THUMP...

Only when someone tapped on his shoulder did the rhythm break. Spinning on the balls of his feet, Rick grabbed the assailant by his shirt and threw him against the near wall.

"Hey!" Jonathan cried out in pain and alarm as Rick grabbed his shirt again. "Hey, it's me!"

"So?" Rick fumed, not letting go.

"So?" Jonathan was astounded. "So, I'm not a bad guy, which is why you should let me go."

"Did you know?" Rick asked angrily, shaking the man again.

Jonathan was dumbfounded; he had no idea what Rick was on about. He certainty hadn't bargained on this kind of a welcome. Sure by now he had guessed that Evie might have turned down Rick's proposal, but even that was still a guess, and it didn't exactly explain Rick's behaviour.

"Know what?" he asked innocently. Even when Jonathan did know the answerer to things he often played dumb, so it came quite naturally.

"What that... thing did?" Rick spat out the last two words with such venom that Jonathan didn't really need to ask his next question, as he already knew the answer.

"Thing?" he repeated. "You have got to mean old mummy boy- Imhotep."

"Yes!" Rick admitted and shook Jonathan again; he really needed to know if Jonathan had kept Evie's secret from him.

Ok, Jonathan thought to himself as he stared at Rick's stony face. Rick's not in the mood to play twenty questions, and I'm a little tired of getting shaken.

"Did I know about what thing?" he asked the adventurer slightly flippantly. "The plagues? The sand trick? The kidnap...?"

"The rape," Rick interjected.

Nodding his head Jonathan's momentum carried him forward. "The r-" He went to repeat, stopping just as he realised what Rick had said. "The what?" he almost shouted, his eyes wide.

Rick took one look at him and let go of his shirt; it was obvious he hadn't known.

"The rape," he repeated quietly as he stepped away.

Jonathan stood for a second and felt his heart pounding in his ears.

No, he thought loudly, no, Rick must have got it wrong.

Looking up, he saw Rick walking away.

"Wait!" he cried aloud and ran to the adventurer's side. "Wait," he repeated as he reached Rick's side, but once there he didn't know what else to say.

With his anger quietened for the moment, Rick turned the upside down bench upright again and sat on it. Grabbing a towel as he did so he began to rub his neck.

"It's true," he said once again softly, as he looked up and saw Jonathan needed some help with the idea.

"No," Jonathan replied, shaking his head as he sat next to Rick. "No, it can't be," he croaked, feeling decisively week.

Rick paused for a moment before speaking again, as he knew exactly how Jonathan was feeling; pretty much like he had just been shot.

"It is true, she told me, and..." he paused once again as Jonathan looked up sharply, "and I've seen the marks."

Suddenly all the pieces fell into place and it all made sense; the torn nightgown, the blood, the tears, her being sick and not wanting Rick to know. "Oh Evie," Jonathan whimpered as his head fell into his hands.

The lump in Rick's throat returned as he watched Jonathans anguish.

"I know," he said and patted the man's back. "I know."

Suddenly as he thought about it, Jonathan experienced some of the rage Rick had known.

"You!" he said, looking up viciously. "You had a fight with her- even after you knew!"

Rick was taken aback.

"Had a fight?" he repeated Jonathan's accusation calmly, understanding his anger. "We didn't have a fight, she told me and I..." he paused as he realised his actions for the first time. "And I left," he finished, ashamed.

"You left her," Jonathan repeated with undisguised contempt. "You know she thinks it's all her fault," he continued as he remembered his sister's words. "She thinks you hate her- in fact she sent me to find you and tell you that she's sorry."

Rick's insides twisted painfully as he took in his own actions- and Jonathan's words. "My god," he swore and jumped to his feet. "I...I never meant that! I've got to see her."

Jonathan lowered his head once again. As his anger left him, the enormity of the situation dawned on him. Even the banging of the heavy gym door behind Rick did not disturb his reverie. All his life people had told him he was a failure. To be honest it had never really bothered him before, but now as Jonathan sat in the gym alone, for the first time he felt it was true. He had successfully managed to fail to keep the only vow he had ever undertaken- the one he had sworn to his father just weeks before his untimely death; to protect Evelyn.