Chapter 35
Tony walked back into the tent and both Jonathan and Salma were sitting and listening to Samia tell stories. Ziva was there as well, but she was obviously preoccupied.
"Samia, could you keep entertaining Salma and Jonathan for a minute?" Tony asked. "I need to talk to Ziva."
Salma turned to him and looked worried. Tony forced himself to smile.
"Don't worry. We'll be just outside. Why don't you tell Samia about Marra?"
Distracted, Salma nodded. And thankfully, Samia stepped up.
"Who is Marra?"
"Our dog!" Jonathan said. "She's huge!"
Tony did smile at that and gestured for Ziva to come with him. She followed him out of the tent and then to the side of the tent where they could be somewhat private.
"What is it?"
"One of us needs to go back to the States with Zahara."
"What are you talking about?" Ziva asked.
"I don't want to leave Tim here with the CIA if he's insisting on staying to find Ahmed. I want to stay and help, but someone needs to go back with Zahara and not leave her alone."
"So you are saying that you want me to go back with her."
"Yeah."
"Tony, you don't speak Arabic. I do." Ziva smiled a little. "And I am a better fighter than you."
"Maybe, maybe not," Tony said, smiling back. "But this is also a man's world over here and you'll attract more attention than I will if you're walking around."
"You are white. I am at least of the right ethnicity."
"Doesn't matter as far as male and female goes."
"You think I cannot blend in? You think that–?"
"No. I know you can. I know you can kick my butt if you want to. But Zahara won't be comfortable traveling with all men if Tim's not with her and you know that, even if I'm one of the men. Plus, if something goes wrong, you can beat up anyone who tries to get at her."
"So could you. She knows you."
"But I'm a man," Tony said. "She won't lean on me like she will you if she needs help. It's just not how she is."
"I don't want to leave Tim here, either," Ziva said.
"I know."
Ziva sighed. "I don't want to go. I don't want to have to wait and hear what happened. I want to be part of it."
"I know, but will you go back?"
Ziva sighed again. "Very well."
"Thank you."
Ziva smiled slightly. "You owe me."
Tony smiled, too. "I know."
x.x.x.x.x.x.x
Tim and Zahara walked out of the tent and found Hammami, Drake and Omar.
"Zahara is going to still need protection when she goes back to the States," Tim said, with no preamble.
"Drake and I will be going with her."
Tim looked at Omar.
"I'm here as long as you are, Agent McGee," he said. "Those are my orders."
Again, Tim wondered whose orders those were since Omar just seemed to be more in charge than the other two agents were. Maybe he was just someone like Suhayl who always seemed in charge... but then, maybe it didn't matter right now, regardless.
"We'll still wait for nightfall," Hammami said.
"And Ziva will be going back with Zahara."
The voice behind him, startled him and Tim turned to see Tony and Ziva rejoining them with Salma and Jonathan.
"What?"
"I will be going back with Zahara and Salma and Jonathan," Ziva said.
Zahara grabbed Tim's arm and he knew that she was relieved that there would be a woman going back with her. It wasn't that she couldn't spend time in the company of men, but it still made her uncomfortable and this wouldn't be a quick trip and there was still some danger involved.
"Just Ziva?" Tim asked.
"Yeah," Tony said.
"Where will you be?" Tim asked, although he knew.
"With you. Getting Ahmed back."
"Tony..."
"Don't start, Tim. I'm not in the mood," Tony said. "I'm assuming we'll all go back to Jeddah together?"
Hammami nodded. "And then, we'll drop you in Cairo?"
"Yes," Tim said. "No tricks here."
Hammami raised an eyebrow.
"I'm serious. I know how you guys operate, and I won't get on the plane if you won't guarantee that we stop in Cairo."
"You'll really trust us if we promise?"
"Yes, if only because you probably realize that if you force me to go back to the States, I'll simply get on a plane and fly back to Egypt. Which will be much less secure."
"Will your family be able to make the walk back?"
"Yes," Tim said. "We carried them the whole way last time. We can carry them part of the way if needed."
"All right. I promise," Hammami said. "We'll stop off in Cairo to refuel and we'll let you and Agent DiNozzo off the plane."
"And me," Omar added.
"And you."
Omar nodded.
"All right," Tim said. "Then, we'll leave after sunset and I'm going to spend the rest of the day here with my family. Are you all right with that?"
The CIA agents all nodded.
"Good." Tim knelt down in front of Salma and Jonathan. "Now, what do you want to do before we leave?"
"Anything, Baba?" Jonathan asked.
"Anything."
"Play in the sandbox?"
Tim laughed, feeling a strange sense of levity in the midst of all the horrible things going on.
"This is the biggest sandbox you'll ever play in, Jonathan," he said. "What do you say, Salma?"
Salma was solemn for a moment. Tim knew that she could tell there was something going on, but she was too young to understand it. He hoped that she could just embrace having fun while it was possible.
"It's a lot bigger than our sandbox at home," Tim said.
Salma smiled.
"Yes, Baba. I want to play in the sand."
"Good. I'll take you both to the dune that I was at before."
Tim looked at Zahara and she smiled. She understood what he was doing.
"Come with us, Mama!" Salma said.
"Yes, Mama! Come play in the sand!" Jonathan said, grabbing her hand.
"All right. We will all go and play in the sand."
Tim stood up and let Salma hold tightly to his hand as they walked through the camp to the dune on the other side. It was huge and actually gave them a little bit of shade. Tim saw Omar standing off to the side, on guard, but he tried to focus only on his family.
They didn't have the toys that they did at home, but they made some sand castles in a rudimentary way. They jumped down the dune, dug their toes into the cooler sand beneath the surface of the dune. All in all, they spent about an hour playing in the sand and when they were done, Salma and Jonathan were tired and dirty, and they were both much more relaxed. Tim himself felt somewhat better just seeing his children happy. Together, they walked back to the tent and went inside. Imād had brought them lunch which they ate gladly. Then, just as if they were home, Zahara insisted that they both lie down and take a nap.
Both Salma and Jonathan protested, of course, but as soon as they were lying down on the blankets, they were asleep. Tim sat down on his own blankets and watched his children sleep. He had thought about it when he had first met Samia. He had thought she could be a child anywhere in the world. Now, his own children were here and they looked like they belonged here. No different from Samia or any of Imād's children.
Zahara sat down beside him, but she surprised him when she didn't say a word. She just sat there, leaning against him and they both watched their children sleep in the silence of the tent.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x
The discussion was one of some frustration, and Suhayl didn't blame them. The diwan had a complex view of Suhayl's occasional disappearances. In this case, they knew the main purpose for his coming departure, so soon after his previous absence. It was easy to try to brush aside Tim's need of help simply because he had others with him. Suhayl knew that, but he felt that he also needed to help Tim with the task he had set for himself.
As the head of the tribe, Suhayl didn't particularly need to justify himself to the diwan, but in reality, he would not be the leader his father had trained him to be if he just assumed that all his demands would be accepted.
"I know this isn't what anyone wants," he said, speaking in Arabic. "It's not what I want, but it's what I must do. Tim needs to help find the brother of his wife, and while he stays in this part of the world, he is in danger. I have promised to help him and I must. I will stay away for as little time as I can, but I must go with him."
"We've already stayed here longer than we intended. This is not the best place to continue."
"I understand. If you need to move to the next camp, that is what you should do and I will catch up when I return."
"Are you sure that's what you want to do?"
"Yes. It's what I need to do."
"We may move on."
"Yes. You should. If I'm not back within the next two days, move to the next camp. I will be able to catch up if needed."
"Are you certain?"
"Yes."
"Very well. We will be prepared."
"I know you will."
Then, Suhayl left the diwan and returned to his own tent to explain things to Layla and Samia. At least his sons were away and he wouldn't have to convince them to stay home with the tribe. Samia would be trouble enough. As he walked through the camp, he thought about his only daughter and youngest child. He really had been too lenient with her, but it was too late now to change that and try to tame her. If he was honest, he appreciated her fiery passion. She would not accept being left behind easily, but she was still obedient. It just took time to get to that part.
With an inward smile, he stepped into his tent. Layla was starting to pack. Everyone knew the general patterns of the camp and it was time to be moving on. He walked over to her and stopped her motions. She looked up at him and he saw the resignation in her expression.
"I must go with Tim to help him get his brother to safety."
"Why?"
"Because Tim needs the help and his friends are afraid of what might happen."
"Why aren't they helping him?"
"They are. Some are going with his family back to the United States. Others are staying, but I need to help as well. I am sorry, but I will stay only as long as I need to. Then, I'll be back."
Layla straightened and looked at him.
"One of the times you leave, you won't come back."
"It is a possibility."
"When will this end, Suhayl?"
"When the world allows for it."
"That will never happen."
Suhayl kissed Layla gently.
"Perhaps it will. I must believe it is possible."
"Come back."
"I will. Do you think you can tell Samia?"
Layla smiled.
"She is your daughter. You will have to tell her."
Suhayl smiled back.
"Very well."
"When will you leave?"
"Tonight."
Layla just nodded and turned from her packing to pack his bag. He could do it and had in the past, but it always seemed to be the way that Layla made sure she was involved in his work in some small way. Suhayl knew that she hated his disappearances, but she accepted them simply because she had to. He walked over to her and gently kissed her.
"Ahabbik," he said softly.
"'Arif," she replied.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x
The sun was setting and Tim was standing alone, watching as the sky turned red. This sunset marked the beginning of the next phase. Somehow, he knew that this was going to change things in his life, no matter how it all turned out. There was no reset button. There was no way to return to the way things had been. ...and maybe it didn't have to mean that everything would be worse.
Part of him certainly felt that it would be worse, but there was this small undercurrent running through his brain (mostly speaking in Bob's voice) saying that things could get better.
But to get to that point, there was something more he had to do. He took a breath and walked back to the tent. Zahara was just finishing packing up their things and Tim walked over to Salma. He knelt down.
"Salma, can I have your lion for a moment?"
Salma looked at him with a perplexed expression.
"Why, Baba?"
"Just for a few seconds and then I'll give it back."
Salma handed it to him and Tim turned it over. He unzipped the back and reached into the stuffing. Quickly, he pulled out an SD card and zipped it back up. Then, he handed it over to Salma.
"Thank you," he said.
"What's that, Baba? Why was it in Asad?"
"It's something that goes in my phone, and I knew it would never get lost if Asad was carrying it because you take such good care of him," Tim said, smiling.
Salma smiled and hugged her lion.
Tim got to his feet and turned to Zahara who had much the same expression on her face as Salma had before.
"Tim, what is that?"
"Something I hope I don't need," Tim said. "That's all I'm going to say." He put the innocent-looking SD card into his phone and then looked up at her. "The best way to keep a secret is to tell no one. No one knows about this, Zahara. Please don't say anything."
Zahara reluctantly nodded. Then, she hugged him tightly and whispered in his ear.
"Are you sure that you want to stay? I believe the CIA will keep looking for Ahmed."
"Yes," Tim whispered back. "I know they will, but I'm going to make sure that it works."
"I love you, Tim," Zahara said.
"And I love you."
There was a sound outside the tent and Zahara let him go. Suhayl walked inside.
"The sun has set. We have a long walk. Are you prepared?" he asked briskly.
Tim nodded.
"Salma and Jonathan will walk for the first little bit and then we'll carry them as we need to."
Suhayl's eyebrow went up.
"You should not carry them if you intend to continue on here. You will need all the rest you can. There will be many to share the load."
Tim wanted to protest, but he nodded.
"Now, Samia would like to say good-bye."
"That's fine," Tim said.
Suhayl opened the flap of the tent and gestured. Samia came in and first hugged and kissed Zahara and then knelt down to say good-bye to Salma and Jonathan. Finally, she got up and she was tall enough to look Tim in the eye.
"You are not going home," she said.
"No, not yet."
"Why?"
"To help find my wife's brother."
"You wish to save him."
"Yes."
"You also tried to save me."
"I did," Tim said. "I didn't do a great job of it, but I tried."
"I still do not know all the words," she said, "but you are a very good man, Tim McGee. I am glad to see you now. I needed help before. Thank you for saving me."
Tim smiled, remembering that, when she was Salma's age, Samia had said those same English words with assistance.
"I'm glad to see you all grown up, Samia. It's always worth trying to save a life. At the end of the day, people matter more."
"Allah ma'ak," Samia said.
Zahara nodded. "Bisalama."
Then, Samia left the tent.
"She is not happy that she must stay here," Suhayl said. "But she has listened and now we must go."
Zahara nodded and took a breath before turning to the children.
"We are going home now," she said. "But it will take a long time. Are you ready?"
"Yes, Mama," Salma said.
"Yes, Mama," Jonathan echoed.
"Good. Then, you must each always be holding someone's hand while we walk. Understand?"
The children nodded. Salma ran over and took Tim's hand. Jonathan reached up to hold Zahara's hand.
Then, they left the tent. The CIA agents and Tony and Ziva were all there.
"Ready?" Tony asked.
Tim nodded.
"Yes."
"Then, let's go."
They left the camp and headed back into the desert.
