Between the Grapevines

13. Thalathatu 'Ashar

It had been a little over seventeen hours since Harakat arrived at the hospital early that morning. She'd remained in the room, as instructed by the two men standing outside, for the entirety of the bright day, only entertained by the distant voices of nurses and passersby in the corridor. There was nothing to take her mind off of the state of the man in front of her.

She was relieved that he'd remained in the same place since her arrival, even as the doctor silently slipped in and out to take his vitals. No news must mean good news. The only scare she had experienced occurred when she dozed off near the evening only to be woken by a loud knock on the door as one of the guarding men asked if she wanted a falafel sandwich from the passing food truck. Her grumbling stomach had given her away.

Since then, she sat in the emptiness of the room, only watching her unconscious husband breathe in and out. Every six hours she moved to lift his head because it was the only thing she had to look forward to doing aside from lounging boredly around the room.

That night, as the call for the last prayer of the day echoed in the city around them, Harakat rose to turn his head again. But when she did, a long streak of blood began to leak from the material of his bandage. She placed him back as he'd been and hurried into the bathroom for two paper towels, one dry and the other wet. She used the dry sheet to collect the blood before cleaning the area with the damp towel, reaching under the collar of his shirt to clean the blood before it stained his clean gown.

When she pulled her hand away, Harakat watched to make sure the blood would not continue to flow. She wasn't sure if more blood would be good or bad but, if it did not stop, she would call the doctor. But no more dripped down when she pulled the towel back.

Harakat kept it between her fingers to throw away in the bathroom and leaned forward. Her right hand slipped behind Riyad's neck and she placed her other on the left side of his jaw. When she secured a hold of his head, Harakat carefully lifted him an inch off the pillow and turned him as she'd done before. Her eyes remained on the other side of his neck to make sure no more red liquid poured down his neck after the adjustment.

But a faint moan pulled her attention away from Riyad's neck and onto his features. His brows were knit near the center of his forehead in reaction to the discomfort he'd most likely experienced when she moved him. Harakat paused, unsure if he'd really made a sound or if she'd imagined it after so many hours of waiting for him to wake.

Her wonder resolved when Riyad pulled his heavy eyelids apart to reveal bloodshot eyes. She froze when he looked at her, a result of her surprise at his sudden awakening and the shrunken distance between them. Her hands remained around his neck and on his jaw just as they had been when she'd moved him. Though her heart pulsed, Riyad's exhaustion seemed to overpower any other emotion he could have.

She gently removed her hands from him, pulling them swiftly away once they were free. But he caught her wrist between his cold fingers. His hold was weak. Harakat didn't try to drag herself away.

"You...," he parted his lips to speak words that came out tapered and shaky through his already hoarse voice. "What are you doing here?" He breathed, the effort of waking up seeming to drain his strength.

Harakat noticed and leaned over him to quickly press the call button at the bed's side. Riyad had woken up. The doctor needed to be the first to see him then she would call Farhan after his state was checked. In response to his question, she showed him the blood-stained towel in her hand. She was there to care for him until he woke, even Farhan had clarified that.

Riyad's attention slipped to the paper towel but the ghostly expression on his features remained steadfast. "No," he tried to shake his head but flinched at the sudden pain that forced him to halt. His features contorted as he bit back a pained groan and released only a careful breath. "No," Riyad tried again, his words breathy. "Jinen isn't safe... for you, it's crawling with soldiers. You- you need to go. You can't...."