Rick sat, looking alone and abandoned, his face partially buried in his hands. Thoughts swallowed him, thoughts that no human being should ever have to experience. He wondered if this is what love was supposed to be. Nothing but a promise broken by circumstance. He then realized that he had never cried before tonight, not that he could remember. He couldn't help but wonder if this would be one of those nights that he would so desperately want to forget, if the outcome would render him alone again. He had heard many stories of love from the French, but he had never really believed that it was something he'd ever be familiar with. He wasn't even sure if he thought love was real. But these once unfamiliar feelings for Evelyn that had begun in Hamunaptra now threatened to haunt him for the rest of his life. He lifted his head out of the small comfort that his hands gave him and looked at Evelyn's lifeless form.
Her upper body was completely swathed. The medic and a woman who had been a nurse in the Great War had done their best to clean her up and now bandages were wrapped around her entire torso, roaming from just below her naval and covering everything between up to her underarms, stopping an inch or two below her collar bone. Her bottom half was clad in a pair of Jonathan's trousers, there was nothing else that could serve to cover her under the circumstances. Even though Jonathan was thin for a man, his trousers were still too loose. The nurse took a braided leather rope and strung it through the belt loops, synching it so that they rested just above her hips, leaving an inch or two of skin shining between the bandages and trousers. Her bare shoulders peeked over the brim of the covers and her arms lay limply over the blankets. Rick looked into her innocent face, expressionless... lifeless. Jonathan was sitting on the opposite side of her bed. They were all in her living quarters at the Fort Brydon, the room had unintentionally turned into a sort of hospital wing for one... Evelyn. Rick realized that Jonathan, for the first time Rick had ever noticed, had a morose expression, his face twisted in silent misery.
"Evy... you can't leave us..." Jonathan's words were choked, full of bereaved heartache, "You just can't..." Rick was sure Jonathan said more, but they were more muffled sobs. He was sure the sentiments he was trying to share with his inert sister were meant only for her to know. Jonathan, who usually bore a jovial expression, now had a sort of melancholy anger burning in his eyes, there was a bitterness that Rick had never seen in him before. Rick watched as Jonathan continued to choke out more expressions that were defiant of Evelyn's possible death. Her dear brother, irresponsible as he was, was now fighting for her by refusing to believe that she would depart from their world. He squeezed Evelyn's hand and continued to whisper defiant encouragement from time to time.
"You're going to be alright, Evy, I know it. You've never let anything else get in your way... I don't see why this has to be any different." His words still mingled with choked sobs, "Call yourself a soldier, Evy, you can make it through..."
Rick looked at Evelyn's face again, new emotions now erupting inside of him. She couldn't die, he wouldn't let her. He reached a hand over and it gently found hers, limp and inanimate. "Hold on, Evelyn..." he heard himself murmur. She couldn't die, she wasn't going to. Even if there was a God or not, it wasn't up to him now. Some might call that blasphemy, but Rick called it love.
Jonathan ended up falling into a uneasy sleep, his unconscious face wrenched in trouble dreams. Rick's eyelids hung over his eyes like a massive weight threatening to crush the bearer. He fought sleep, watching Evelyn, thanking a possibly nonexistent god every time her chest rose in taking breath. Her face held a serene, unknowing demeanor. As if she was just asleep, unaware that every second threatened to bring her soul away from her own world. Rick's vision began to blur as he sat back in the chair positioned beside her bed. Evelyn's innocent face was the last thing he saw before his sleepiness got the better of him.
The light from dawn pried open Evelyn's eyelids, dragging her up from the impending depths of unconsciousness. She found herself looking at the ceiling, unaware of whether she was dead or alive. She realized eventually that her eyes were fixed on the ceiling of her quarters in Fort Brydon. She winced as the pain in her side seared menacingly. The memories of the previous night flooded back to her as her tired eyes began to sting with silent tears, she was feeling insecure and incredibly alone. Her eyes eventually found Jonathan, snoring lightly, looking troubled in his sleep. She looked in the opposite direction and found Rick leaning back in an uncomfortable looking chair, his head lolling off to one side, also sleeping with his eyebrows furrowed. She experienced a pang of the slightest euphoria, realizing that they both must have stayed with her throughout the night. She tried to sit up, but the exquisite pain flaming down her side made her head hit the pillows with a frail yelp. She would never be able to move again. This pain, it was awful. She didn't think she could bear it. She clenched her eyes, praying helplessly for the hurting to abate.
Her yelp had been enough to shake Rick from his light sleep. His eyes opened sleepily, then widened as they saw Evelyn... awake... alive. "Evelyn?" he almost whispered as he got up from the chair and sat on the edge of her bed. Evelyn's ardor for wanting to sit up returned as she tried to push herself up, her body felt heavier than she could have ever remembered. To her relief, Rick's strong hands helped her ease into a sitting position with as little pain possible. She smiled gratefully as she rested her head on his shoulder, her arms tucked neatly under Rick as his arms slid gently around her back, cradling her. Evelyn suddenly felt safe. Anything bad that had previously happened wasn't important. She still rested un-movingly in his arms, fitting perfectly there.
"You scared us..." Rick murmured somewhere above her.
"I'm sorry..." she said, her voice trembling with physical weakness. She nestled her head a bit more into his shoulder, trying to absorb more of the warmth he radiated.
"Don't be," he said, and Evelyn could feel him shake his head slightly. "It was never your fault..." his voice faltered only slightly. Evelyn just nodded, glad to be held. She didn't move much because the pain residing in her torso would sear again. Rick was careful not to move her or hold her in a way that might bring on more of her physical pain. But Evelyn was just glad to be in his arms.
Evelyn heard Jonathan moving around in his chair, mumbling about his troubled dreams, still asleep. She smiled after seeing her brother again, wanting to hear his cheerful, British voice. Rick understood and gently leaned her against the pillows. He got up and shook Jonathan awake.
"Wha... what?" He mumbled sleepily, rubbing his eyes. Rick simply nodded in Evelyn's direction. Jonathan looked, still sleepy-eyed, at Evelyn. And, just as Rick's had, his eyes widened as he took his sister's hand. His face which had previously held a morosely angry demeanor now was shaped into a relieved smiled.
"Evy, you're alright!" Jonathan breathed.
"Yeah..." she said, happily though her voice still shook feebly. "I'm going to be okay."
Jonathan, at hearing this, bore his usual expression of cheeriness. Except now it was mixed with relief and vindication. The three of them sat there for nearly an hour, Rick and Jonathan taking turns making Evelyn laugh and Evelyn telling them how much she appreciated and loved them both. Her face reflected a weak and tired effect, as if she had been put through too much for words. But her eyes lit up with relieved exultation at her brother and Rick. Their conversations were interrupted by a light knocking at the door, and each exchanged curious looks. Who would be knocking? Jonathan sighed and got up to answer the door with a quick promise to return promptly. Rick winked at Evelyn and they exchanged silent smiles as they heard Jonathan open the door.
"Oh... cheers! Hello!" said Jonathan, his voice telling them the visitor was most welcome. But then another voice murmured and Jonathan's tone changed.
"What?" Jonathan said, somewhat surprised.
They heard the door close as the two men had gone to the other side of door out into the hallway. They heard incoherent murmuring and Rick and Evelyn exchanged perplexed looks that soon turned into faint smiles. Rick, who was still sitting on the edge of the bed near Evelyn, put his hand on her cheek and brushed it affectionately with his thumb.
"Just glad you're okay..." he said softly, their eyes finding comfort in one another.
"Thank you." She said, smiling gratefully, amazed that such a strong hand could be so gentle. They heard the door opening again and they both turned their heads in the direction of Jonathan's emitting voice, Evelyn's still resting against the pillows.
"Right... no... thanks..." Jonathan muttered as he closed the door behind him. He reappeared as he crossed the bedroom, looking from Evelyn to Rick, then back to Evelyn again.
"What's wrong, Jonathan?" came Evelyn's weak voice.
"Oh nothing!... nothing..." He lied. It was ironic. You would think that all the years of Jonathan's hijinks and poker playing would render him one of the greatest liars of mankind, especially when trying to conceal when something goes wrong. But this time, his attempt at trying to hide the truth was rather appalling and completely unconvincing.
"You're lying to me..." Evelyn said, her weak voice shaking indignantly. "Who was that?" She insisted
"That was the... er... the medic from last night..."
"Who?"
"He sort of saved you, he and a former nurse cleaned you up and bandaged you."
"Oh..." said Evelyn, sounding somewhat surprised. That didn't sound like horrible news at all. "So... what's wrong then?" Jonathan looked at Rick again and sighed, resignedly. Defeated, he began to reveal what destiny the short conversation with the medic had in store for one, Miss Evelyn Carnahan.
"He came by to see how you were doing, and to see if you had come to... I told him you had and he looked quite a bit relieved."
"So..." voiced Evelyn weakly after Jonathan paused. "I should tell him thank you..."
"Oh no, O'Connell and I took care of that for you. But he said you can't stay here, Evy."
"Hmm? What do you mean?" She said tiredly, the conversations, previous and current, were taking a lot out of her.
"In Egypt... it's too dangerous. He said your gash was one of the worst he had ever seen on a civilian and how relieved he was that you had even woken up. He said that to stay here might mean making things worse for you and that we shouldn't risk it and that you need to get somewhere with some real medical attention, so you can heal properly."
Evelyn had suddenly taken a worried look as she looked at Rick.
"Not stay here? But... Jonathan... where would we...?"
"London, Evy. He said we should go back home... and of the places I listed, he said London was the only safe choice." His eyes fell to the floor, feeling like he had just betrayed his baby sister. Evelyn's eyes were still fixed on Rick, though now they positively burned with anxiety. Rick looked at her unsurely. What did this mean? This was all so sudden and confusing. Surely this didn't mean... that is to say... that he would never see her again? But as a few seconds past, Evelyn realized why Jonathan had not wanted to tell her. They would be leaving Rick behind, assuming that he had made his one and only home in the desert sands of Egypt and that he wouldn't ever leave it. The chaos behind Rick's eyes bellowed a different sentiments, he was silently begging Evelyn to find a way to make it work... to make it to where they could still be together. How hard could it be? How... indeed... hard it could be...