Freedom Does Matter (Mercenaries Book 2) (20 page)

“No, of course not. That would be the same as… as raping them, by trying to direct them the way I think is right. I live my life, I answer questions when asked, and try to behave the way the daughter of the Pastor of the Love and Faith Temple and the wife of a state legislator is expected to behave.” She sighed. “At least, until today.” She began to turn away, but stopped to say, “I don’t know if you can recover with Sarah, and by extension, with David. She’s perceptive as well as intelligent. You may win back her love, but I’m afraid she’ll never trust you. Or respect you.” Deborah pushed her hair back out of her face. “But right now, I’m going to take my drenched daughter home and dry her out. Perhaps a vacation…” She left.

Billy dropped to the sofa. My Lord, help me, please. I am lost and do not see my way. He wiped a tear from his eye. As he sat, head in hands, trying to harmonize his beliefs with the world around him… his phone rang. Hoping it was Sarah, calling to apologize, or even Deborah, he fumbled with the instrument and dropped it to the carpet. He looked down to read the display: Aziz.

“You asked for a report when we began work on the bins,” Billy heard. “The trainees finished the first several bins this afternoon.”

Billy shook his head, bringing himself back to the real world.

“Reverend Billy?” Al-Aziz’ voice sounded a little panicky. “Are you there?”

“Yes!” he replied with nervous irritation. “Yes, of course. Excellent. Please advise me when you begin siting them. Otherwise, keep on as we planned. And thank you.”

He threw the phone down and again rested his head on his hands. “Thank you, Lord, for your intercession.”

Chapter Twenty

Day Eighteen - The Nest

THE NEXT MORNING THE MORNING sun awakened Beckie; she rousted Tahirah in turn. The girl looked lost as she stared back, and Beckie decided to examine the closet to select appropriate clothes.

When they arrived in the kitchen, the coffee maker again chimed as Beckie reached for cups for herself and for Tahirah. Pastries and fruit awaited them, and Tahirah enjoyed the selection of Danishes.

After a look at the clock, Beckie said, “Amy should be here in a few minutes. When she arrives, we’ll go to the hospital and you can see Noorah.” She ignored the knowing smile on the girl’s face.

Amy was just as cheeky when she heard the plan: “But Noorah shares the room with Mr. Jamse, doesn’t she? That’s what Mom said, anyway.”

“Yeah,” Beckie admitted, then pushed her sullen response aside. “Yes. It makes sense from a care-giving perspective. And yes, I’m excited to see him! Let’s go!”

Amy made them wait while she had a frosted Danish and they all had another cup of the Jamaican Blue Mountain.

As she watched Amy munch and sip, Beckie felt a tug on her sleeve. “Ooops! Sorry, Tahirah. I didn’t mean to ignore you.”

“No. But, I was thinking during the night and now, I should say this. I was talking with Nasir yesterday. He told me the sheikh had talked about a game being played… I’m not sure of how to say… Lundom?”

Beckie’s head snapped up; she stared at the girl. “That’s interesting.” She leaned forward. “London? In the UK?”

Tahirah nodded, eyes wide at Beckie’s reaction. “That sounds like what he said. Of course, he may not be…”

Beckie filled in when Tahirah paused, “He might not really have heard? Or might not remember well?”

“That is possible.” Tahirah licked her lips for a second. “The game,
koora
, I think. Many important people will be there, he said, and our sheikh said he would provide… helpers, he said. If…”

“Helpers?” Amy asked. “Any idea how they would help?”

“No. He was too small, so could not go.”

“What’s
koora
?” Beckie said.

Tahirah cowered a little. “I don’t know in English.”

Beckie lifted the girl’s chin. “That’s okay. How’s it played?”

“They use a leather ball about…” She held her hands about a foot apart. “… and kick it only, toward a net…”

Amy stood to collect the dishes. “That sounds like soccer.”

“You’re right, it does. And thanks for cleaning up!”

“Least I could do.” She picked up a last roll and followed the others out the door.

The room in which they expected to find Ian and Noorah was empty, but an orderly pointed along the hallway toward the inside of the building. As they hurried, Beckie realized that the hospital building was open in the center with an outdoor atrium bounded by the four sides. While it wouldn’t protect against a force dropped in by helicopter, anyone coming from the water—which she thought more likely—would have to work their way through the building to get to Ian or Noorah. Thanks, Millie, ran through her mind as she found the partially open door.

When she knocked, the door swung open on Noorah’s room. Privacy had overtaken ease of maintenance as a rooming consideration, Beckie thought as she looked about.

Opposite the entry door, a glass wall looked onto the atrium, planted as a garden in bright flowering plants. A sliding door would open on a crushed shell path wending between the flower beds. To the right, the interior wall went clear to the window, but on the left, the wall stopped short by ten or twelve feet, opening into the room next door. A nurses’ station had been placed so whoever used it could see into both rooms without moving. A folding screen was ready for increased privacy.

Noorah’s bed was away from the window just inside the door to the left, about six feet from the wall; Beckie guessed as she studied it that Ian’s was similarly situated in a mirror image fashion. The morning sun splashed on the floor, brightening the room, but in the afternoon it wouldn’t be darker, given the expanse of sky visible over the far roof.

The room was bright from the sun, but also from the lively yellow walls and the light gray composite floor. Two tan cloth-covered chairs had been set beside the bed.

In complete reversal of her behavior earlier, Tahirah had run to Noorah and was hugging her sister as best she could while avoiding the bandaged arm and the cuts on her face. Beckie waved at Noorah’s face, visible over Tahirah’s shoulder and walked to the end of the wall between rooms.

Just before she tapped on the wall, the nurse came around from inside. “What’s going— Oh…” she started, but stuttered to a stop when she recognized Beckie. She’s frightened… of me? Guess Millie or someone put the fear of God into everyone.

Unsure just how to proceed, Beckie said, “Hi! Just here to visit patients we care about. Can I go ‘round—”

“Sure, Miss Sverdupe. No problem. We didn’t expect you quite so early, so I wondered what the commotion was.”

Beckie smiled her most winning smile, hoping it would halt the woman’s flood of panicked words, and stepped around to see Ian standing by his bed, one hand on another of the color coordinated chairs. Millie was just reseating herself in a third.

“Hi.” The short greeting didn’t begin to convey her feelings at seeing Ian standing, looking tall and fit. Well, except for that damned bandage!

Her kiss cut off his return salutation.

Several moments later, she rubbed her cheek against his chest and took stock of her surroundings. Both Amy and Tahirah were standing beside the nurse, grinning wildly. Amy collected herself to explain. “The nurse is going to help Noorah with her bath. We’re a little early, so…”

“So they want us to get the hell out while they do their job, right?” Both Amy and Millie nodded. She turned to Millie. “Can Ian walk with us? Maybe out there?” She waved toward the atrium.

“Yes, as long as he’s not on his feet too long. In fact—though I know you’ll hate it—please use the wheelchair.” This last she’d addressed to Ian.

His smile faded until his expression was one that Beckie was glad wasn’t aimed at her, at least it wasn’t until she’d walked over and rolled the chair up beside him. Then she bore the full force of his glare until she took his arm and pressed him toward the chair.

That he was doing it merely as an accommodation was clear as he settled himself, folding down the footrests and leaning back into the fabric.

Beckie took the handles and felt redeemed as Ian reached back to hold her hand in his, leaning his head back against her belly. Amy opened the door to allow Beckie to push the chair into the garden, but she didn’t follow.

“We’ll stay here with Noorah,” she said as she closed the door.

“Whew!” Beckie blew the air out of her lungs. She pushed Ian further to the right, away from the door.

“Millie said the rooms there…” Ian waved to the left. “… are mostly occupied, so—”

“So we’ll stay over here, not peeking into windows, just in case.” She leaned over the back of the chair to rub her cheek against his, finishing with a kiss and a massage of his shoulders and chest.

“Umm. We should… refrain…”

She straightened again. “Yeah.” Her frown and tightly compressed lips made her opinion clear.

A short ride took them to a garden bench facing away from the sun. Dwarf trees had been planted to either side and in front to shade the late afternoon sun.

Ian gripped her hand and kicked the footrests out of the way. “Hold, please.” He stood and walked twice around the bench. He held out his hand and led her to sit before taking his place beside her.

She snuggled beneath his arm once he’d placed it over her shoulders.

The idyllic pause lasted until one of Beckie’s wandering hands brushed the bandage.

As he gently twisted his head aside, Ian said, “Doctor Ardan told me of the conversation you, she and Amy Rose had last night.”

“Good.” She turned to gaze at him. “I was thinking that Xia would have enough to do with Nasir, and Amy seems… stable… Yeah, stable enough to deal with Noorah and Tahirah.” She leaned away to examine his expression, but it didn’t give anything away. He never does, she thought. “It didn’t seem fair to ask Shalin to take responsibil—”

“No. And I agree, Amy Rose is a good choice, as long as Doctor Ardan… Millie is quite conflicted about it, however.”

“Yeah, and based on what Amy said, I understand completely. In fact, though Amy was right pissed when I said it—”

Ian laughed. “I fear you’ve spent far too much time with Derek.”

“Maybe,” she said while a little blush warmed her cheeks. “Anyway, Amy was mad at me when I told them I maybe shouldn’t have chosen her. But we cleared that all up. I hope.” She glanced off across the garden, then pushed her head back into Ian’s neck. “I don’t know who I could have asked otherwise. I don’t think Noorah, or Tahirah either, would be comfortable with one of the guys taking care of them… Millie told you Noorah’d been raped, right? And I don’t know many of the women once we get past Sue and Elena. Or Barbara. None of them are available, anyway.” She sighed.

Ian moved to hold Beckie’s head, kissing from forehead to eyelids to nose to lips.

This time, Millie’s voice interrupted. “Ho?”

“Giving us time to be presentable?” Beckie teased when the doctor approached with a sheepish look on her face.

“A little,” she admitted. “Fortunately, it looks as if you both have better sense than—”

“Not much,” Beckie said. Then, sitting up, she forced a more polite tone. “Sorry I sound so… I don’t know. We appreciate everything everyone’s…
you’ve
done. I don’t mean to be—”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll survive.” She walked around to sit on the wheelchair, turning it to face them. “I did want to tell you about the people that we talked about the other morning… Was that only yesterday? It was,” she agreed with herself. “The psychiatrists I talked about, one of them at least has accepted our invite and she’ll be here tomorrow, or the next day if she can’t clear her calendar until then.

“Where do you want to go with her?”

They spent a half-hour going over options. They agreed to give the doctor—and any others who might come along—the expurgated version of the story, leaving out most of the actual rescue. Millie would brace the doctor for as much detail as the doctor could or would provide about the life of a child in a semi-nomadic Bedouin community. Finally, the doctor would interview the three kids, all together and one at a time. These meetings would confirm what the doctor had said earlier—or not—and might give them some idea what to recommend for the kids’ futures.

Their conversation on that topic had already run down and they were beginning to repeat when Amy and Tahirah appeared.

Amy had a twinkle in her eye as she said, “Since Mom was still here, I was pretty sure we could just come right up!”

“Well, Miss Ardan,” Ian said, “I appreciate that you would even give it consideration. Thank you. However, you and your friends are always welcome. As long as the door is open, at least.”

“Thanks, but right now, we wanted to have Mom talk to Doctor Krishna, about Noorah, how long she needs to stay in bed and all. She’s talked out about a new hand.”

Millie stood and smiled at them. “I’ll be glad to. I think we’re done here anyway, until we know more. Beckie, Ian, I’ll be looking for you in Ian’s room in fifteen minutes, no more. Beckie, you can stay till lunch, but then we’re going to run some more tests till four or so. Come back then.”