Arthur reached Turkey eight hours later. This time he was dressed to travel and not in a suit. He was met at the airport and it was a further thirteen hour drive to Aleppo. He was met by Ah-teen, who had Gwaine with him, which came as a surprise.
Gwaine gave Arthur a rueful grin. "They wanted a volunteer to come in case Merlin needed medical assistance. I have basic kit, fluids antibiotics and such and this van kitted out to carry anyone needing it, hope I don't need it. I managed to scare everyone else off"
"I thought I was here to identify, you could have done that" Arthur asked quizzically.
Ah-teen looked at Arthur his expression bland, he was hard to read "And that metal? You're obviously some sort of agent or military. But wounded?"
Arthur looked at Morgause's contact "If I hadn't have been without my right arm you would never have known"
Ah-teen gave a strange smile "You scream who you are, so why are you here?"
"I thought it was to identify Mr Emrys, he operated on my shoulder and saved my life" Arthur confessed "Now I'm not so sure"
"Morgause is getting soft" came the comeback.
Gwaine looked at both men "I'm I missing out on something here?"
Arthur looked at Gwaine "I work for MI6, when I was brought in I was on a mission. I heard Merlin was missing and got my boss involved." Arthur pulled his jacket away from his right hand shoulder holster "This is the metal Ah-teen was referring to."
"Ahhh. Well I don't care as long as someone found Merl, he's my best mate and the nicest, kindest person I have ever met" Gwaine sat back and relaxed.
As they drove through the barren lands and towards Merlin Arthur studied Ah-teen and found him an unusual man, deeply tanned from years of living in Africa and the Middle East and dressed in the clothing of the area he was clearly European in origin. Ah-teen wasn't a great conversationalist but they did at least exchange some information on the drive. Gwaine shared the driving.
Eventually they saw some vehicles ahead and Ah-teen slowed down. He turned to the two men. "Stay in the vehicle until I wave you out. Then come out slow and careful, keep your pea shooter but keep your hand well away from it." He told Arthur. "They have more artillery than you can fight. Gwaine bring the box out the back when you come"
Ah-teen pulled to a halt and got out and walked towards group ahead. As he did several guns pointed directly at him but he ignored them "Halil, I came as promised, you have the doctor?"
Halil looked at the vehicle and saw the two men "I told you one man why have you brought two?"
"One is a man who the doctor dug a bullet out of, and he will identify him. The other is a medic" Ah-teen looked around "I don't see him"
"First the things we asked for" Halil demanded I am not a fool"
Ah-teen shouted to Gwaine "Bring the box Gwaine, Arthur come but keep your good hand high" Arthur had put his bad arm in a collar and cuff to protect it. He had decided against a sling as they might think he was hiding something in it.
Gwaine went to the back door and pulled out a large and heavy box, it was a good job he worked out. As he started to carry it towards the group Arthur took one side of the box to help carry it. They put it down in front of the leader of the rebels and stepped back.
"You" Halil looked at Arthur "Open the box"
Arthur grinned and went forward and managed after a struggle to open the box, He then showed Halil the contents, making sure the man understood there were no traps within. Then he stepped back.
"I keep my word" Ah-teen said "Do you keep yours"
Halil looked at Arthur once more "Show me your shoulder" he demanded
Arthur pulled off his coat, knowing that the other man had already noticed his gun and pulled up his t shirt to show his wound, the scars still red from his surgery. Once the rebel had looked Arthur redressed and waited.
Halil nodded as if satisfied "I have your man, unfortunately when my people went to collect him they found him ill, he is in the truck, you will have to help him my men won't" he gestured a truck parked of top one side
Gwiane growled, Ah-teen looked at him "Bring the van closer" he ordered as he started to walk towards the vehicle.
Halil looked at Arthur "Last time I saw him he was well, I owe him" he pulled his didashahi away from him shoulder and showed Arthur his scar "We are brothers in more than just our guns. Look after him"
Arthur walked towards the others, when he got there and saw Merlin he was immediately concerned "What the hell"
"Looks like Dysentery, I'm guessing, make sure you have gloves and a plastic apron on, there's some in the back of the van" Gwaine ordered.
Gwaine soon had Merlin in the van and on the stretcher. As soon as he was in Ah-teen told Arthur to get in the van "Lets get out of here"
They set off and once they were clear Gwaine called out "Stop when you can I want to get a line in and it's to bumpy"
Ah-teen pulled over while Gwaine got a line in gave antibiotics and set up a drip. All the time Merlin remained unconscious. Then as they set off again Gwaine stripped Merlin of his soiled cloths and covered him with a blanket. Putting all the soiled clothing in a plastic bag for burning "We need to get him back to the hospital, but to his room not the wards. We can't have this spreading, when we get there go round the back."
Arthur asked if there was anything he could do "Yeh stay were you are, the least contact the better and no going into the hospital when we get back, just in my room"
"Will he be ok?" Arthur asked
"Hopefully, if I can get him hydrated, I've taken some blood, once it's been tested we can get him on the right antibiotics, at the moment it's an educated guess. But he's had it several days and has lost weight, it depends on what damage the cysts have done."
It was a several hour's drive and Ah-teen drove as fast as he could. Arthur looked at the man sat beside him "You seem very invested in this, more than I would expect, why?"
Ah-teen looked at Arthur and to Arthur's surprise he saw tears almost falling from the other man's eyes "Can't I feel for another human being?"
"Not like this, you've been helping free hostages for thirty years what's so special about Merlin, you hadn't met him until today" Arthur insisted.
Ah-teen took a deep breath "You're right I hadn't, I didn't even know he existed before Morgause contacted me. It came as a shock and until I saw him I didn't believe it"
"Believe what!" Arthur pressed
"Do you know what Ah-teen means?" the negotiator asked
"Yes I speak several Arabic languages it means 'The Dragon'"
"I came from Wales so it seemed as good a name as any, thirty one years ago I was kidnapped, I was a hostage for four years. When I was freed I was asked if I wanted to help free other hostages, after all I knew my captors well. I thought my old life was gone, they told me the woman I loved had married, I had been presumed dead, I had nothing to lose. I was used to solitude and knew it would be hard to go back to what I'd left. So I agreed, and have been in African and the Middle East ever since. Then Morgause contacted me and I heard of Merlin Emrys and how old he was and my life changed forever" Ah-teen paused "Hunith Emrys was my fiancé when I was taken, and I never knew she was pregnant….Merlin is my son …my name was…..is Balinor"
Gwaine who had clearly been listening from the back was stunned by the news "Fuckity Shit! The number of times he's said he wished he'd known you, his mum never married the lying bastards"
"I realised that when I was given details, I'm going back, I want to get to know my son, and I've already lost all those years." Balinor paused "Keep him alive please"
Arthur was pleased they were driving along isolated roads, he should never have asked such questions while the other man was driving. Ah-teen, or Balinor's, driving had been erratic to say the least.
"Let's get back and we can talk more, I don't think we should continue this now, do you want Gwaine to drive? One of us could sit with Merlin" Arthur asked.
"I'll drive my son needs the man who can help him most."
From that moment they drove on in silence until they reached Aleppo. Arthur called ahead and they were told to go round the back into a small empty building they could use as an isolation ward until Merlin was strong enough to travel on. They had managed to prevent either dysentery or cholera from infecting the hospital by treating patients outside of the main hospital. Mainly in the refugee camps. Gwaine would continue to nurse Merlin and Bayard would check him over in a full isolation suit, it was over the top but the hospital couldn't afford to take risks with so many patients at risk.
As soon as they arrived they all went into the building, Balinor offered to disinfect the vehicle once they were settled. Once in the building Gwaine with Arthur's help cleaned Merlin from top to toe with a cleaning agent, including washing his hair. Once done they realised just how thin he had become, also he had an infected and badly swollen ankle. All the towels and clothes they had used were placed in a plastic bag for burning. Then Baynard came in to check Merlin. He was satisfied with all that Gwaine had done and the blood was sent to the lab along with stool samples. It was soon confirmed as amoebic dysentery. Baynard was arranging for Merlin to be transferred to Turkey and then repatriated to a British hospital to complete his treatment. Gwaine asked to go with him.
It was at this point that Baynard noticed Balinor, he looked at the other man in amazement, except for Merlin being there as the connector he would never have recognised the other man "Balinor? We all thought you were dead!"
"Bayard I was told a lot of lies as well, including hiding the existence of my son!" Balinor sounded rightly bitter.
"This isn't the time or place, but can we catch up"
"I'm going back with Merlin" Balinor stated
"I'll arrange that" Bayard said
"Don't worry you sort out Merlin, I'll get us back" Arthur said "Morgause owes us that"
"I'll get you some clothes, this is such a shock" Baynard said shaking his head
"Then think what I felt!" Balinor told him "I haven't even used my own name for twenty seven years! I was dead and thought Hunith was happy with another man!"