A/N: Thank you for the reviews. My apologies that this is a shorter chapter. Thanks again to R4ven3 for her help. Wolfdrum, I hope you are having a better day.
Chapter 13
Thursday morning, 18 October
Ruth sat on the balcony of the hotel room, enjoying a fresh cup of coffee as she watched the city of Rome wake up around her. Zaf was still asleep, something that worried Ruth more each day.
On Tuesday, Matteo delivered the new passports just after lunch. After expressing their appreciation to Matteo for his help, Zaf and Ruth said goodbye. The decision to leave once they had their passports in hand had already been made as they didn't want to stay in one place too long. They'd driven to Messina, dropped off the hired car, and then took the ferry to Villa San Giovanni. There was debate about whether to hire another car and start driving or spend the night and take the early train to Rome. The desire to keep moving won out and soon they were moving north along the E45, which was really their only option until they reached Naples, given the hilly terrain.
Zaf had offered to drive but after just a few hours Ruth took the wheel. They'd stopped along the way when Ruth felt herself nodding off. They were back on the road by Wednesday mid-morning with Ruth back behind the wheel and they arrived in Rome late-afternoon. Ruth immediately found a hotel room so Zaf could sleep, though he'd slept for most of the drive between Naples and Rome. The nagging feeling that Ruth had been experiencing the past few days was now her primary concern. While she knew that he was not fully physically healed from his experience with the Redbacks, she suspected that the antibiotics he'd had in Polis hadn't quite been enough to heal him. Zaf's appetite was also lacking and his exhaustion worsened.
There was no hiding the fact that Zaf was not well. He continued to try and play it as though he'd picked up a bug somewhere along their travels, but Ruth knew it was the lingering effects of the virus and gunshot wound. He had missed out on several days of antibiotic treatment and it was catching up to him. Ruth started running different scenarios through her mind, trying to work out how they could stay ahead of the men hunting them while getting Zaf the care he needed, given his insistence that she not contact the embassy or consulate.
Thursday morning
Jo couldn't get Ros to Sicily before the ship left port so Adam took the first available flight to Palermo in an effort to speak with the captain of the Speranza. It took all his charm and persuasiveness to get a meeting with the captain, but the effort paid off. Giovanni Mancini spared a few minutes to speak with Adam and after showing photos and trying to explain who he was, Giovanni admitted that Katherine and Jamal sailed with him from Cyprus to Palermo. He informed Adam that they had disembarked on Sunday and that they had planned to drive to the other side of the island, to meet a friend of Jamal's. He noted that their intent was to travel back to London but otherwise he had no information.
Adam thanked Giovanni for his time. After leaving the shipyard, he hailed a taxi to the train station and after purchasing a ticket to Catania, he found a quiet corner in which he could check in with the Grid. He shared what he learned from Giovanni with Harry and asked him to get in touch with Six to see if they had records on any of Zaf's contacts in Sicily. Disconnecting the call, he boarded the train to meet Ros in Catania.
Jo did the best she could but as there were no direct flights from Cyprus to Sicily, Ros had to change planes in Athens. She was anxious to get to Italy and connect with Adam. Ros had remained steadfast in her insistence that the Grid do everything they could to find Zaf and bring him home. Between having to wait for her flight and being this close to finding him, Ros found her patience wearing thin.
Thursday afternoon
After a few discreet inquiries, Ruth found a free clinic in a poor area of Rome. Her hope was that he could be prescribed some oral antibiotics that would keep him well enough for the week it could take them to get back to Britain. The neighborhood around the clinic was filled with immigrants so the lack of identity papers was not unusual. Ruth had also decided that they would use their new passports, hoping that posing as a married couple would raise less questions.
When Ruth raised the issue of going to the clinic, Zaf was initially opposed. Ruth knew he was more worried for her safety than his own but she unleashed her inner stubborn mule and eventually convinced him that it was necessary. The trip to the clinic was tiring for Zaf and he was quickly taken back for an examination. Ruth gave the nurse and then the doctor a modified version of the truth and then they waited for test results. As they sat together in the exam room, Ruth tried to stay positive, still hoping that Zaf could be prescribed antibiotics that would allow them to continue their journey, but Zaf admitted that he wasn't sure he could travel far in his condition. Ruth reached for Zaf's hand and held it in a show of support.
'I've already seen the results of one test that confirms your illness,' Ruth noted quietly.
Zaf frowned, not understanding her meaning.
'The doctor is a beautiful woman and you didn't even try and flirt with her. Proof positive if you ask me,' she said.
Zaf smiled weakly. 'You did tell her we are partners. The least I can do is try to be appropriate.'
They were still holding hands 20 minutes later when the doctor returned. The news was not what either had hoped. Zaf's white blood cell count was too high to be treated with regular antibiotics and the doctor had arranged for him to be transported to a nearby hospital, Policlinico Tor Vergata, for care. She also informed Zaf that because the infection was a recurrence of his previous infection, he would need to stay in hospital until his white blood cell count was back to normal, which would likely take a few days. The doctor then left the room to finalize Zaf's transport details.
Ruth could see that Zaf was on edge about the news but she squeezed his hand once again.
'Zaf, we'll be all right. I'll make arrangements for us to move on as soon as you are released. With some real sleep, rest, and medicine, you'll be fine and it won't take as long as they think and then we'll get out of Italy. We'll move north to either France or Switzerland.'
Zaf shook his head. 'Ruth, you have to promise me that if you catch sight of those men, you'll leave. I'll be safe enough at the hospital.'
Ruth shook her head but before she could respond the door opened and Zaf was moved into an ambulance along with Ruth. The journey to the hospital was brief and within an hour Zaf was settled into a bed in a semi-private room, though currently the other bed was empty. Ruth had already been informed that she wouldn't be able to stay at Zaf's bedside overnight, so she left the hospital to make travel plans. After dinner she returned to the hospital to visit, bringing an English-language magazine to help him pass the time. She updated him on their future travel arrangements and then just before 8 pm, she said goodnight.
