The Red Line (2 page)

“Connections, connections," he said with the same sarcastic smile. “I happen to have a very powerful mom and…especially a lot of money.”

“Good.” Nora kept quiet for a while. She hadn’t felt at ease at all during the whole conversation. Either this guy was too smart for her and mocking her, or she was too tired to handle the situation tonight. She decided to cut the visit short and just concentrate on the basic questions.

“So, this is your third admission in three years…”

“Third in three years? Are you kidding? I’ve been coming here back and forth since I was sixteen…”

“I have nothing that says so in this file, but the information might exist in another one. I’ll ask the doctor tomorrow…Okay, so let’s assume that you know everything about this place. I’ll do your physical and we’ll talk again in the morning.”

He kept quiet and let her check his chest, heart, pulse, and neurological signs. Nora had never felt so embarrassed in front of a nude man’s body. This guy was in great
shape, and to her mortification
, she found herself blushing. She suddenly met his amused gaze and wished she could sink through the floor. She felt anger emanating from every pore in her body; she couldn’t wait to get out of this awful room and far away from this devious Muslim guy…

“Bye. See you tomorrow,” he said before she left the room.

‘See you never again,’ she thought, deciding to pass him to Rheem as soon as possible.

The next morning, Nora was called to Dr.
Azoomy’s
office. “I understand that you checked on Tamer
Monzem
yesterday.”

“Yes, Doctor, but he is now in
Rheem’s
care. She is ready to replace me on this floor and I’ll be moving to hers if you’re okay with it.”

“I though
t that I was the one who makes
decisions
here,
Miss Nora, and not you or your friend,” said Dr. Azoomy. “Besides…Tamer seems to like you, and the change might upset him. We need full cooperation on his part for his treatment to be successful.”

“In fact, I wanted to ask you about his file. It’s almost empty. Is he just an alcoholic or d
o you suspect any other maladies
?”

“There are things I can’t tell you about, Miss Nora. He is my private patient, and I have known his family for a long time. The only thing you have to be concerned about is his welfare and whether or not he’s taking his medicine.” The answer didn’t satisfy Nora at all, but she remained silent, waiting for Dr. Azoomy to talk again. “I would like him to stay under your care. No one will change floors or assignments without my orders. Do you understand what I’m saying, Miss Nora?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

Nora, unhappy with the turn of events, resumed her morning round knowing she would see Tamer again after all.

Mona
Monzem
looked at herself in the mirror. She still looked young and pretty. At forty-seven, she had a life filled with many new prospects before her. Married at sixteen to the millionaire Toufic
Monzem
, she had been a complete innocent thrown into a world of deceit and manipulation. That was a long time ago. After giving her husband a son at eighteen and living in Toufic’s shadow for years, she was now an independent, rich widow in charge of her own destiny.

The phone rang, interrupting her thoughts.

"
Allo
?"

"Hi, it's Kamil."

"Hey, I'm waiting for you. Is there a problem with dinner? Or is your wife making a scene as usual?"

"Neither. Guess what? I have some bad news for you. Tamer was taken back to the hospital two nights ago. But don't worry—Azoomy is taking care of everything, like always."

"Oh! That child is truly self-destructive. What did he do this time?"

"The usual. Drinking, spending wildly, and fighting with some guys. Just to let you know, he was on the other side of the city—the Christian side. Thank God he didn't get killed! He was in such bad shape that the Red Cross had to take him to the hospital. Azoomy was called, and he transferred him to the psychiatric one."

"So our plans are still on for tonight?"

"Yeah, just go see him tomorrow."

Mona finished getting ready. She knew she was getting more and more attached to Kamil, Toufic's younger brother. They had been attracted to each other from the day they met. She was a young bride then, and he was fresh out of college, still at the mercy of his brother's whims. Life was tough on both of them, but they could still plan, fight, and survive.

Tamer was another story. Mona had always felt
that he belonged to Toufic more than he belonged to her. Ever since he was born, he was taken in charge by a nanny and by Toufic himself, who saw him as his future heir. He never denied him a thing. Mona hardly had a word in his education. She was kept on the side as a shadow, or more often, a beautiful possession to be shown on occasion. During his school years, Tamer was sent to Europe
to finish his education. Mona used to visit London and Paris
, checking on him and trying to establish a relationship with her son away from his dad’s influence, but nothing worked. He was always cold and distant. She could never rely on him. And then the war started. Tamer came back home, and he began to fall in
with the wrong
crowd, which drove Toufic crazy. Then the catastrophe happened…Toufic got killed, and Tamer's breakdown led him to where he was now.

With a sigh, Mona left the room. Kamil would be here soon to pick her up. The deep sound of bombings could be heard from time to time, but she knew that they weren’t close by. Tomorrow she would have to cross the line to see Azoomy and go visit her son.

"Will you come back to see me after your round?" He kept asking her that same question every day even though he didn't expect a positive answer anymore.

"Bye, Tamer." Nora left, leaving him frustrated and hungry for more time with her. He liked her. At first, teasing her just to make her angry was fun. She wasn't really pretty; she wasn’t the kind of girl who usually attracted him. She was curvy compared to his standards, average height—which meant short for him—and brunette. But still, he felt himself pulled into her deep, black eyes. He wasn’t just sexually attracted; he wanted to know more about her. She was a nice distraction from his own problems, at least.

His mother came to visit last week. As always, she looked pretty and very self-controlled. At least she hadn’t shown up with her ‘tail,’ his hypocrite of an uncle. She looked concerned as she discussed Tamer’s case with Azoomy. He sat there observing her, hardly listening to what they were saying. In the past, he used to see his dad's shadow every time she was around, and he would feel his own anger emanating from every corner of the room. He used to drink and act crazy as he tried to erase his surroundings and dive deep into an unconscious world where he wouldn't feel a thing. He knew exactly what he’d done ten days ago. He was angry that he’d acted so stupid again. He had to find a way to get himself out of this mess without getting killed. Over here, in the Christian area, Kamil still had power—but not enough to get rid of him.

Tamer
was amused to see how much Nora was impressed by Mona. She must have expected an older woman or a veiled one, repressed by the Muslim traditions. His mom was everything but that. Maybe Mona would help him get closer to Nora. He smiled at the thought that his mom's actions could serve his own interests for once.

After Nora was gone, he left his room for his daily walk. If he got lucky, he might see her again in one of the hallways. He already knew that she had taken up residence at the hospital because of the bombings. He liked to observe her walking around, talking to the patients, or laughing with the other interns. Her laugh cheered him. He was always trying to catch her eye, and he felt her fighting her attraction to him. He didn't want to leave without at least connecting with her. She was the only one who could actually make his life worth living, or, he thought with a tinge of irony, make his life worth fighting for.  

Nora immediately knew that he was around.
She couldn't stop her heart from beating faster or her eyes from pulling toward his. She was trying as hard as she could to stay professional; she kept her visits to once a day, early in the morning. She knew that any relationship with him was impossible, first because of his condition as a patient—she still hardly knew what was wrong with him—and second because of his religion, which was unacceptable to her friends and family. He was supposed to leave in two days, and she already knew she would miss him.

"Hey!"

She jumped; she hadn’t noticed that he’d come so close. "Hi," she said in reply. "So, ready to leave and go back to normal living?"

"For once I don't feel happy to leave at all. Will I see you again?"

"Oh, any time you feel a little crazy," she smiled teasingly. "In fact, I’ll be leaving the hospital very soon myself. I'll be starting my residency in two months, and I still don't know where I’ll end up."

"What do you want to be? A psychiatrist? I'll be happy to be your first patient."

She felt that they were saying words without any meaning, and their real dialogue was between their eyes. The hunger there was close to despair. Would they ever see each other again?

"An anesthesiologist...you know, like in surgery. That's what I would like to be."

"You'll be great at whatever you decide to do. Seriously, I really want to keep in touch. Did you ever cross the line? I'm used to doing it all the time. I have friends on both sides, and I have a pass. It's risky, but who cares? The American hospital is close to my home. Can't you go there?"

She just looked at him. With his long, light brown hair, his green eyes, and his neatly chiseled face, was it even possible to think of him as a patient? He was everything but that. She wondered if craziness was contagious.

"What? You're just staring at me. I'm not crazy, I'm not delirious, and I'm not drunk. Wouldn’t you like to know a little more about me?" He asked desperately. "I can't stop thinking about you…wondering who's in your life, what you think, what you like...what's behind these dark eyes of yours that haunt my dreams? I can give you my address and phone number just in case."

"I have them already. Your mom gave them to me when she visited. She wanted me to stay in touch with her in case you needed anything."

"Oh, well!" He said with a tinge of irony. "Yeah, Mona's affection overwhelms me. So you'll call then?"

"Okay, I'll try. But I can't promise. I still have to take my finals for my M.D., and then I’ll have to compete for my residency, all under the bombs. Who knows what will happen? I'm already too stressed out..."

"Nora, you'll do great. Don't worry. I'll be there whenever you need me." He left her then to return to his room. She stood there wondering if she had just imagined the whole conversation.

“Are you ready for the return of the prodigal son?” Kamil asked derisively. "You must be overjoyed to see him coming home instead of running wild who
knows where, as usual. It seems like this time
Azoomy's
treatment produced better results."

"I'm as surprised as you are. I never expected him to call me and ask me to pick him up. I won’t be driving myself. The chauffeur will wait for him at the front lines. It looks like he found someone to take him there."

"New friends so soon?" Kamil wasn't too pleased with the new turn of events. He had never liked his nephew—and he still didn’t—even though he was officially Tamer’s guardian now. Tamer's wild and crazy attitude in the past had always helped him in his schemes, though. His rejection of his mother made Mona rely on Kamil completely, which also helped his plans along. Tamer's decision to come home was definitely very bad news.

Kamil and Mona were positioned close to each other in her
private sitting room
. She was lying beside him, caressing his chest. Unfortunately for his wife, he could never get enough of Mona. He could have married her
and made her his second wife,
dorra
,
but Mona refused to take this step just as she refused to let him divorce
Elham
, his wife.

Mona continued, "I wonder if he got attached to his doctor. Hey, don't look at me that way! Not Azoomy—a young intern who was taking care of him. But I still don't think it could be that serious. She’s not his type at all."

"You know he emptied his account and started writing void checks the last time he went out with someone. We can't keep being overindulgent, Mona."

"Yes, I understand, but whatever his attitude toward me might be, I still feel like I owe him something..."

"No, no, no. Please Mona, let’s not start that again. Just remember Toufic
and his attitude. His son is exactly like him, even if he has your looks. What would you have gotten out of the whole fortune if it hadn’t been for me? Nothing. Nothing from your husband, nothing from his loser of a son. They would’ve both thrown you away. If we hadn’t been together and stuck to each other, where would we be now? You would be the one begging him for money."