Freedom Does Matter (Mercenaries Book 2) (17 page)

Millie nodded, a contemplative expression on her face.

“And that’s why we shouldn’t talk about it.”

Beckie wondered about the wry smile on Millie’s face until the woman said, “Not to mention if Ian hears about it, I’ll be out on my ass.”

“That’s not likely, but I guess he’d be no more happy with you than me. Yeah, we’ll both be better off.”

“Okay. Are you settled enough?”

“Uh-huh. But you don’t need—”

“I do. He’s still my patient and I’m going to lead you in and lead you back out after ten minutes. Believe me, there’s nothing you could do I haven’t seen or heard. Nothing.”

Beckie nodded and stood. She followed the doctor through the door and down the hall.

Outside Ian’s room, Millie stopped and gave Beckie a look that bared her to her heart.

She can see I’m afraid… terrified, no matter what I say. I don’t know what he’ll be like… Will he really be Ian? Damn… In her mind, she grabbed herself by the scruff of the neck and shook. A little smile appeared on Millie’s face as Beckie knocked and then pushed the door open.

Beckie returned Millie’s smile as she walked through the door. She swept the room with a glance, then stopped in surprise. Everything was the same as earlier. Noorah’s bed was still there and the lump under the sheet and the short black hair on the pillow argued it was occupied. She put that thought aside as Ian turned to face her.

“Rebecca! I fear I cannot stand.”

It’s still Ian! She ran. She hit the edge of the bed, but it was built to withstand greater impacts than her 100 pounds; it didn’t even rock on the large wheels.

“Whoa,” Millie said from behind her.

Beckie snapped her a look to kill, then turned back to Ian. She took his head in her hands, low enough to avoid the bandage. She kissed him. And again.

“Is it you, there, really? You haven’t forgotten me? Or hate me?”

“No! No, those certainly are not side-effects.” He paused, which Beckie wasn’t sure how to interpret. “Doctor Ardan said…” He glanced at the doctor. “Millie said the headaches will last a few more weeks. This is not the news I wanted. It is almost as unwelcome as discovering you were privy to all that… and this.” He touched the bandage.

“And don’t think about lying about the headaches,” Millie interjected. “I’m not releasing you just because you tell me you feel fine. We’re sure something has changed for you—”

“I am also—” He stopped at Beckie’s look of shock, then took her hand as he continued, “As I said, nothing to do with you, or us.” He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers.

“Not sure about that,” she said with a restrained giggle. “I don’t know if you’ve ever kissed my hand before! Not complaining, not complaining.” She bent over to kiss his lips.

After a few seconds, Millie cleared her throat—forcefully—and Beckie slowly straightened. She gave Millie a scowl.

Ian chuckled, then said, “And what about… her?” as he looked over at the bed beside his.

“Well…” Uncertainty roared back. “Her name is Noorah.” She too a deep breath. “Even though she’s an… attempted but not very accomplished assassin, she was trying to save her family.” She turned back to Ian; her confidence returning. “You know how I feel about that. Her sheikh, the one who sent her, he’s the one I want.”

Ian nodded, a gentle motion.

 “Well, anyway,” she said, “Noorah tried to kill you first, and then me—Elena and Willie’s training really worked! I questioned her all night, then after she gave me his name, we survived the tsunami. A couple days later, they sent me… her… her hand. In a shoebox!” She turned to look at the girl-shaped lump on the other bed. “So we went and got her and brought her back. Saqira, her mother, said she’d just be allowed to die if we took her anyplace in Egypt.” Ian’s smile told her the sheepish feeling inside had made it to her face. “Okay, that’s probably not true if we’d taken her to one of the hospitals in Cairo, but…”

“But it was an admirable excuse?”

She nodded once more. “Besides, the hospitals are pretty full with tsunami victims.”

He nodded again.

“And while we were at the camp, Saqira told us to take her brother and sister, too, to protect them.”

“Not her? Not the mother?”

“No. She walked out of the tent while Jean-Luc was bringing the copter in.” She wrinkled her forehead at the discontent in Ian’s expression. “I didn’t find out she was their mom until we got here. Guess I’ll have to see what I can find out about her.”

“What about…”

Beckie followed his look to Noorah. “Yeah. I think she’d be better off here. Doesn’t that seem reasonable?”

“It does, but she may not agree.”

“Yeah. And her brother and sister will have something to say, too.”

“Indeed.”

Beckie smiled the biggest smile she’d had since stepping into the room. She faced Millie, standing a couple of feet away from the foot of the bed. “Thank you so much, Doctor.” She turned back to kiss Ian again. “I’ve been waiting to hear you say that. It is so good!”

His eyebrows dropped and his head tipped.

“‘Indeed,’” Millie said.

Understanding washed across his face. “Of course.”

“All right, that’s enough for today. Come on, Beckie—”

A knock on the door preceded the orderly’s entrance by a second. She hesitated, but accepted Millie’s assurances that they were just leaving.

It took Beckie a few more seconds to relinquish her space, but she finally allowed Millie to lead her out, all the way to the dock.

Xia caught the women as they approached the landing. “Shall I keep the kids again?”

“Oh, wow,” Beckie replied. “Never thought about them, sorry. Can you, for tonight, anyway? And then I can talk to Maurice and see if at least one of them can move in with me.”

“It’s not a problem for me, no matter what—”

“I appreciate that, but you shouldn’t have to handle everything. But I don’t want to spring them on Maurice, either.”

“Yeah,” Millie said. “He said yesterday he’d not mind them staying in Ian’s house, but he didn’t want to be alone with them.”

“That makes sense. Especially since he has no Arabic,” Xia said. She walked with them toward the dock. “Nasir said he isn’t sure what his sheikh wanted him to do, or why the sheikh left so hurriedly. It was before Noorah was returned with her hand missing. He seemed to think the sheikh wasn’t aware of the punishment.”

“Wow. So one of the sheikh’s men took the penalty phase into his own hands, maybe?”

“That could also explain…” Millie started. Beckie was surprised to see an abashed look in the doctor’s eyes. “I didn’t mention it because it seemed to have no bearing. She… Noorah was forcibly raped in the past day, two at most. If we guess that it was part of the penalty…”

Neither Beckie nor Xia had any coherent response to Millie’s statement. Beckie felt hot tears overflow her eyes. She’s not a thing! she thought, afraid to give voice to her feelings. This is too much like Wu Ting. How do we change this… this fucking wrong-headedness!

A hand on her arm brought her back to the dock.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mention it before.”

“Believe me, that’s not what’s disturbing me. Not at all.” She gave Millie a quick look. “Anything else?”

“We’ll have to keep checking for STDs. And if she’s pregnant. Besides that, she’s got a little sunburn, too, though with her coloring, I don’t know how that happened.” Her mouth fell open for a moment. “When she was raped, I’ll bet. They left her lying out in the sun, almost nude.”

“Well, she’d never do that on her own,” Beckie said, unable to voice any more apt thought. She mused a moment. “But that’s probably not a big deal?” The doctor nodded.

“I don’t think either of her siblings know of this,” Xia said. “Nasir is young enough to speak of things like this without understanding. He hasn’t. Tahirah… She may.”

“I don’t think so. Or she doesn’t connect it with anything out of the ordinary, may be a better way to say it,” Beckie said. “In fact—”

“That could be true of Nasir, too,” Xia finished. “If it was expected, there’d be no reason to mention it. Especially with everything else that was atypical!”

“Can you ask about that tonight? Just enough to see what he thinks happened to her?” Beckie paled. “God! I hope they didn’t have to watch.”

“Yeah,” Millie said, then touched Beckie’s arm. “While not justifying it, if it’s what they’ve lived, been taught, the single event shouldn’t have a worse effect on them.”

Unbelieving, Beckie said, “Even if Noorah’s their sister?”

“I don’t know enough about family structure in Bedouin society to say. Before we try to do any psych help for them, we maybe should find someone who can tell us what normal would be for them.”

“That’s the most cogent thing any of us have said.”

“Xia’s right. And the cat with the canary grin proves it.” Beckie laughed, a short bark of humor. “Can you see about getting that kind of help for us?”

“For us?”

“Yeah. We need to know what help they need, not just try and make them into us. Yeah?”

“Right.” Millie pointed toward the dock. “If I see you onto the boat, will you go home, so I can do some research instead of watching Ian’s room for an uninvited, though I suspect welcome, visitor?”

Beckie talked to Boynton for two hours after Millie and Xia had watched her land the skiff on Home Cay. She began with the little Millie’d explained about Ian, following with a discussion about his parents.

“We are under strict orders not to inform his parents as long as he lives,” Boynton answered her. He held up his hands as if to fend off her obvious vexation. “It’s not my idea, Beckie. But—”

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry. He hadn’t thought to add me to the no-call list?”

The man looked mortified, but said, “I believe Kevin… misheard my instructions.”

“I’ll give him another kiss, then, even more heartfelt!” She laughed at his reaction. “Thank you for attempting to protect the both of us, though I think… Never mind what I think!” With a laugh, she took herself off to bed.

Chapter Eighteen

Day Seventeen - The Nest

THE NEXT MORNING, THE SUN splashed into Beckie’s room on the east side of Ian’s home. She stretched and enjoyed her muscles relaxing beneath the sheet. The clock showed almost nine. With a sigh, she rolled out of the bed and headed to the shower. By ten past, she was at the dresser, picking out light khaki shorts—Bermuda length—and a yellow short-sleeved shirt.

In the kitchen, she found coffee brewing—How’d Maurice know when I was gonna get up?—and a selection of fresh fruits and rolls beside a note.

“Good morning. I am off to see Ian, so cannot prepare more of a breakfast for you. Enjoy, please. When you finish, come over to find Doctor Arden. She would like to speak with you.”

She barely had time to swallow the lump of gratitude in her throat by the time she’d gotten to the message from Millie. Still, expecting she’d either have to eat something or lie to the doctor, she poured a cup of the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee Ian had introduced her to. Between bites of pastry and fruit, she sipped from the steaming mug. By half-past she was en route to the doctor’s office.

This day, Millie mimicked the Beckie of yesterday, appearing frazzled and ready for sleep. Her daughter had answered Beckie’s knock; with definite attitude and less grace she’d waved Beckie in and stomped back to the far wall to stand disapproving.

Millie gave Beckie a small embarrassed smile. “Amy. You saw her when the plane landed.”

“Oh, yeah. Your daughter.” Beckie turned to Amy and smiled. When the girl gave her a stoical look, Beckie turned back. “You haven’t been here since—”

Millie didn’t move, but from behind came, “Yes, dammit! Is this more important—”

“Amy Rose Ardan! You will apologize—”

“Sorry to interfere, but, no, she won’t,” Beckie said. “She seems well within her rights to worry about you. She does know what you do? And that we depend on you just as much as she, though I think she has prior call.”

“Thank you.” Beckie turned to face Amy as the girl continued, her voice so soft Beckie almost couldn’t hear her. “You’re Beckie? I’m sorry I jumped on you—”

“Well, don’t be. I deserve it, since I was lying in my comfy bed all night—well, most of it. More than your mom, it looks like.” Beckie turned back to Millie. “Okay, if it was important enough to stay up all night for, it better be short enough that you can tell me in the next two minutes. Else I will handcuff you and give Amy Rose the keys.” She heard a gasp behind her and laughed. “Kept her away from us, huh?” She turned to put an arm over Amy’s shoulders and ushered her to the desk. “I’m as certain as can be,” she said to the girl, “that Ian will be off-limits to me after about four. I’ll expect you to meet me at half-past for dinner at Ian’s house. You do know where it is?”

“Trillian?”

“Our kitty won’t bother you. Maurice may interrogate you, but that’s the biggest risk you’ll face. Though your mom may not agree!”

Millie looked uneasy as she sighed and said, “It does seem less crucial now, in the cold light of morning, but I did some research on what Noorah and her siblings might have lived so far. And I’ve contacted a couple of psych people with experience in Bedouin society and life to come and talk with both us and the kids. Including Noorah.”