Chapter 19 – Almost there

From the quiet warmth of Jonathan Carnahan's arms, Azizah watched as Evy made turn after turn around the cozy sitting room, fluffing pillows and straightening the large array of collectibles that were decoratively displayed. Every now and then the little girl would steal a glance at Alex and saw that, he too, was watching his mother. Finally, the Med-jai princess's curiosity got the better of her and she lifted her head to whisper in her 'uncle's' ear.

"What is she doing, Uncle Jon?"

"Oh, that." Jonathan sighed deeply and he and Alex exchanged a look before he looked down at his small charge. "That's what Evy calls 'tidying up a bit'."

"But what she's really doing is pacing", Alex informed her in the same whispered tone. "It drives Dads crazy."

"Yes, and he's not the only one," the elder Carnahan remarked dryly.

Azizah frowned. "Why does she do this?"

"Well, your Aunt Evy's nervous, you see. And when she's nervous she has to be busy doing something. So she begins to fluff every pillow she can get her hands on …"

"Then Mum rearranges every knick-knack in the house …"

"Or pulls at the draperies until they hang just so …"

"Or decides the pictures or crooked …

"Until something else happens to take her mind off what's making her nervous…"

"Driving the rest of us completely nuts in the process."

The girl's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why can she not simply sit quietly and wait?"

The girl's question brought howls of laughter from her two companions. Evy started and gave a small shriek of fright at the sudden noise, bumping the table next to her. A small ceramic bowl went bouncing along the carpeted floor.

"What? What happened?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly. But she got no answer; Jonathan and Alex were too busy slapping their hands over their mouths, trying to muffle their mirth. "Oh, you two. What on earth is so funny? Especially now?"

"Nothing," Jonathan choked out, desperately trying to calm himself. "Uh … we were just …"

"Just talking is all," Alex managed after holding his breath for a moment.

Evelyn O'Connell's eyes narrowed as she took their measure but decided it wasn't worth pursuing. Besides, she was certain she'd be happier not knowing what had set them off. Her gaze softened a bit as it moved to Azizah, who looked as puzzled as she certainly felt. The girl only shrugged and cuddled back against Jonathan's shoulder. Evy gave a heartfelt sigh of frustration. "Honestly," she muttered and she knelt to retrieve the bowl. She felt a brush of air beside her and looked over to see Alex's concerned face.

"We're sorry, Mum. Really. It isn't broken is it?"

She smiled at her son and ruffled his hair. "No, it's not broken. And don't fret about laughing. I guess … it just seems like forever since anyone laughed around here." Evy sat heavily on the floor. "I hate this waiting! I hate not knowing what's going on."

"Do not worry, Aunt Evy," Azizah assured her as she hopped off Jonathan's lap and knelt down with them. "They will find my father and bring him home. I know they will."

Evy reached out and put a gentle hand on Azizah's face. "I know, sweetheart. It's just that I'm a bit nervous."

"Have you run out of things to tidy?" Azizah wanted to know, an earnest look on her face.

"Tidy?"

"Yes. Alex and Uncle Jon say that that is what you do when you are waiting. You tidy." She failed to see Alex waving furiously at her to stop. "You must rearrange all the things around you until you are done being nervous."

"Oh, I do, do I?" Again her eyes narrowed. "What else do I do, I wonder?"

"You drive everyone nuts. Although I have had many different kinds of nuts and I do not see how they can be driven."

"Jonathan …" Evy's voice rose dangerously.

Jonathan sprang to his feet and took immediate refuge in custom. "Oh, my, I see the tea's gone cold. I'll just fetch some more then, shall I?" He grabbed the teapot and scurried from the room.

"Alex …"

"Oh, gosh! Uncle Jon forgot the cake tray. Can't have tea without cakes now can we?" Evy watched him disappear as quickly as his uncle had.

Azizah looked around at the now empty room and frowned. "Where have they gone?"

Evy stood up and helped Azizah to rise. "That, Azizah, it what you call a tactical retreat." She looked at the little girl and smiled gently. "Now, let's say we forgo the tea and see if we can't find some hot chocolate. Perhaps that will calm my nerves. What do you say?"

The child licked her lips and Evy chuckled. "Hot chocolate it is. And perhaps Mrs. McLearan has finished with those cookies she was baking earlier. What do you say we find out?"

"I think perhaps that would be much better than tidying," Azizah assured her with a hopeful smile.

"I think perhaps you're right." Evy took her niece's hand in hers and headed for the kitchen. They were halfway there when the doorbell rang.

Almost there. Almost there. Almost there.

The words ran like a mantra in Rick's mind as the car hurtled through the city. He kept one arm tightly clasped around his brother's waist and the other pressed to Ardeth's chest, reassuring himself that the strong heart within the bruised and battered frame still beat. Ardeth had come around somewhat after being in the fresh air but had lost consciousness when they moved him. Some of the London Med-jai had stopped along the way to phone the tribe's healer who was back in town. He couldn't remember her name. She was on the way to the manor house now and that was all that mattered. Rick hoped she got there soon.

"How's he doing?" The words slipped from him for the third time in ten minutes.

Khay looked up at him from where she was tying strips of Rick's shirt around her husband's bleeding feet. She managed a grim smile. "He is alive, and that is well enough for now."

"Khay… "

The woman reached out and placed her hand over the one that lay on Ardeth's chest and answered the unasked question. "We will not lose him, Rick. I personally guarantee it."

The American studied her for a moment then nodded. He trusted Khay. She would not let Ardeth die. None of them could go through that again.

Beyond the confines of the sedan, the cityscape changed to countryside. They were almost there.

Evy stood in the middle of the foyer, her eyes going from the Med-jai guards who guarded the entryway to the door itself. She was aware that Jonathan, Alex, and Azizah, not to mention several other Med-jai stood behind her waiting for her to give the order for the door to be opened. She hated this awkward hesitation but couldn't seem to help herself. What if it was bad news? What if the worst had happened and she'd lost Rick as well as Ardeth? After all, it wasn't Rick at the door, he wouldn't ring the bell. And it wasn't an enemy; they wouldn't have gotten past the guards at the driveway. It must be someone the Med-jai trusted enough to let through but who? And what could they want? They had enough guards. I had to be someone with news, but what news? She found herself unsure she could take it, whatever it was.

Get a grip on yourself, Evelyn, she told herself firmly. Determined to be as strong as she always prided herself to be, Evy took a deep breath and willed the nervous tension that had surged through her when the bell rang into submission. Finally, she nodded and the guards pulled the door open. It was a woman. She was older, probably in her fifties, her dark, grey-streaked hair pinned into a stylish twist against her head. She wore the clothes of a well-heeled Englishwoman but she was London Med-jai, of that Evy was certain. She had the confident air they all carried and the dark looks of the tribe.

"Are you Evelyn O'Connell?" the stranger asked.

"Yes, I'm Evelyn O'Connell."

"I am Sara Beckham. I come with news."

Evy's hands twisted together. She could feel the group behind her take a collective step forward. Not trusting her voice, she nodded, silently asking the woman to be swift in her pronouncement.

"Ardeth Bey has been found alive. They are bringing him here as we speak."

"Is he alright?"

"Yes, but he is injured. That is why I am here. I am the tribe's healer."

"I thought Khay was the healer?" Alex's voice was meant to be quiet, but it carried nonetheless in the small space of the foyer.

Sara looked beyond Evelyn O'Connell to the boy behind her. "She is my apprentice, and an excellent one at that. But together we will be better able to help Ardeth Bey."

"Was … " Evy couldn't help herself, she had to ask. "Was anyone hurt?" Was my husband hurt?

"There were no significant injuries to the Med-jai." Sara Beckham looked at her and smiled slightly. Your husband is safe. Evy could almost hear the words in her head. The rush of relief that swept through her made her slightly breathless and she felt her knees tremble as the adrenaline rush of the past few days left her. She was vaguely aware that someone was now standing beside her, offering a supporting arm around her waist.

"Evy? Are you alright?"

It was Jonathan, bless him. But why did he sound so far away?

"Mum?"

The room began to spin. Evy remembered feeling this way once before, and she hadn't like it then either. Slowly, the past event and present situation coalesced in her muddied mind. "Bloody hell," was all she said as the room went black and she fainted dead away in her brother's arms.