Once back at the hotel Arthur packed up and booked out before driving to back to Turkey. Once there he went to a meeting before catching a plane to Amman in Jordan where once again he booked into the Four Seasons Hotel. It was a hotel he had used before, just the sort of place he like. The foyer was all white marble and was high end luxury. He was taken up to his suite and the hotel staff unpacked for him, except for his hand luggage which he insisted he unpack himself. Then he went down to the restaurant for supper. Arthur knew several of the regular staff and was given a quiet table near the back where he had a good view of all the comings and goings.
Arthur had been in Jordan for over a week and had not seen hide or hair of his target. He had searched all the most likely places and spoken to all his contacts in the area. Even the other operatives had heard or seen nothing. If he didn't find anything soon he would have to go back to London.
It was his last evening in Jordan and Arthur was in the hotel restaurant eating his main course when Helios walked in with three other men. It seemed he was in luck. The very man he'd come here to observe was eating at the same hotel. Although Arthur knew he wasn't staying here, far to up market for him. The group were shown a table with the same sort of outlook as himself but several tables away. As the restaurant wasn't too busy Arthur hoped he might be able to catch some of their conversation. Taking out one of his old toys from headquarters, one he had 'forgotten' to return he placed the pen on the table pointing at the other group then carefully put a small earpiece in. The pen acted as a directional microphone picking up conversation from up to ten metres away.
It seemed the gods where looking down on Arthur, he'd hit pay dirt and on his last night. He now knew exactly who the intended purchaser of the information he'd retrieved in Iraq had been. It seemed however that either there was a copy or Valiant was playing a dangerous game. Once Arthur had heard all he needed to he called the waiter, signed the chit for his meal and went up to his room. Quickly changing into dark clothes Arthur made his way to the service stairs at the back of the hotel and using his card swipe he let himself out via the back entrance. Then waited in his hire car to follow the group once they left.
Merlin had just finished a long shift and was upset, one of his cases that day had died just hours after he had operated on her. His first death since he had arrived two weeks before. It was a seven year old girl who had been caught in cross fire in the city. He had spent several hours trying to save her. The worst of it was Merlin know if he had had all the facilities and equipment of a UK hospital she would still be alive. Merlin had worked in these sorts of situations before and knew he would lose some cases but it was never easy, especially when it was a child. He had just finished talking to Gwaine who had nursed her when Edwin Muirden called out to him. Merlin was surprised to see the supervisor in the hospital at that time of night and hoped it wouldn't take long, he needed to get some rest before his next shift in the morning and needed to settle his mind first.
"Mr Emrys, can I have a word please, in my office"
Merlin turned and walked towards Edwin and followed him to his office in the back of the building. "Mr Emrys I hear you lost a patient today" Edwin's voice was demanding and grated on the headache that Merlin felt starting up, probably because he hadn't had a drink for some time and he was getting dehydrated.
"Yes I did, I did my best for her but the damage was too much" Merlin told his supervisor.
"I understand she had a bleed, were you careful enough in tying off all the bleeding vessels?" Edwin was a surgeon knew that sometimes vessels bleed even after surgery especially after extensive internal damage.
"Yes I was, she had been hit several times, the damage was severe, I did all the surgery I could, and she wouldn't have survived more." Merlin explained, he could do without this he was feeling guilty enough as it was, he might have missed something but the anaesthetist called time on the operation saying it was too dangerous to carry on.
"Well she didn't survive anyway! If it was that bad should you have started?" Edwin wanted to know
"I had to give her the chance." Merlin protested "If I'd had an ITU bed and more blood…"
"Mr Emrys, you know the equipment we have here, perhaps you need to select your patients with that in mind. We have to be realistic"
"We aren't here to be 'realistic' if we were we'd all pack up and go home. We do the impossible several times a day. I will continue to do what I can" Merlin looked at his supervisor. "Perhaps if you were to do your job and not mine we'd have more blood and drugs in store. Now if you don't mind I'm off duty, I haven't had a break for six hours and I need a piss" Merlin turned round and walked out not waiting to hear more.
As Merlin left the office he heard Muirden call after him but he kept walking. He was going out the door and down the corridor to his room when Gwaine caught up with him.
"Was that Muirden I heard shout at you?"
"Yes, he blamed me for that girl earlier, look Gwaine I need a piss and a drink, I've got a headache and need to get some sleep so just drop it." Merlin said without stopping.
Gwaine grabbed Merlin's arm "That wasn't your fault Merl! I was with her when she died, you did everything you could have."
"That's as may be, but she died and as our supervisor Muirden had every right to question me." Merlin walked into the cubicles then to his room closing the door behind him. He drank a bottle of water before settling on the bed, he hadn't had supper but knew he wouldn't be able to force anything down so didn't try. It took him awhile before he could sleep, he went over everything in his mind about the girls operation, questioning himself if he had done all he could. Eventually he fell asleep and it was morning before he woke. He went and had a shower before grabbing a decent breakfast before going back to the theatres.
Merlin operated on eight more people that day, six children and two adults. The adults under a local anaesthetic, they were getting short of supplies once more. Rumour had it they would get a further shipment arrive in the morning, provided they got through. He wrote a prescription for some morphine for the last patient and signed for it when it came "That's the last of it evidently" Gwaine told him as Merlin handed it over to the nurse.
"Then we'd best hope the convoy gets through" Merlin looked at his patient. "Call me of you need me, I'm just going to get a bite to eat and a drink"
Gwaine put his hand on Merlin's shoulder "You ok Merl?"
"Stop babying me Gwaine, I'm fine!" Merlin snapped at his friend and walked off. Gwaine watched Merlin walk away and went back to his patient muttering under his breath. Merlin had refused to talk about the child's death and the brunette knew he would be blaming himself.
"What's up Nurse" a voice came from the other side of the ward.
Gwaine turned round to see the chief surgeon looking at him "Nothing" Gwaine told him. Clive Bayard was an older man in his fifties who had worked on and off for Doctors without Borders for years. He was respected by all the staff, but was no fool and also not one to give up.
"Oh I think it was" Bayard looked at Gwaine "Come and see me when you have your break I'm in arrivals" with that he walked off.
Gwaine's break came an hour later and he walked down to arrivals knowing better than to ignore the chief. The doctors and nurses looked to him rather than the supervisor to support them in difficult times. Bayard smiled as he saw Gwaine approach. "Come on into my office I have a couple of bowls of stew waiting for us!"
Gwaine followed the older man and was soon sat down. After they had finished the bowls of food Bayard looked at Gwaine. "Now I'm not a fool boy so don't treat me like one, I know you are friendly with Emrys. Is he having problems?"
"Why don't you ask him?" Gwaine demanded.
"Because I'm asking you, I've worked with Merlin before, he wouldn't tell me anything, to self-sacrificing for his own good, now he's a great doctor I have no problems with him or his work, but rumour tells me he might be having problems elsewhere" Bayard looked at Gwaine "This is off the record"
Gwaine hesitated then made a decision if Muirden was giving Merlin problems he could probably do with someone on his side. "It's Edwin Muirden, Merlin's only been here a couple of weeks and he's balled Merlin out twice that I know of already, he seems to have it in for him" Gwaine admitted "Once was over the kid who died yesterday, he blame Merl. It's not right Merl was feeling bad enough without that, he did all he could"
"I'd say he did as good a job as anyone could have, if not better." Bayard admitted. "I saw her when she came in. Young Emrys is a fine surgeon if anyone could have saved her it was him. So what else as Muirden got in his bonnet?"
"Something about some Morphine" Gwaine admitted. "Look Merl is as honest as they come!"
Bayard put his hand on Gwaine's shoulder "I know that, Muirden is due to leave in a few weeks. I'll speak to him about the girl. If Merlin has more problems let me know. It's not the first time our supervisor has decided to target someone. You're a good friend to Emrys and he's lucky to have you. Now a quick coffee and back to work"
Gwaine was glad he'd spoken to Bayard, it had felt a bit like sneaking behind his friends back, but he knew the older surgeon and trusted him. Merlin would beat himself up about the kid without anyone putting pressure on him.