by Kristi Gold
Her hopes soared when he held her closely. They plummeted when he said, “I cannot risk hurting you again.”
Oh, but he already had. Twice. She pulled away to gain some distance, at least physically. The emotional ties would be much harder to severe. “Then I wish you well, Rafiq, in your endeavors. And please do not try to contact me for I will not accept your calls.”
“Will you honor one last request before you leave?”
The pain in his eyes called to her, and she tried not to listen. “That would depend on the request.”
“Will you kiss me goodbye?”
Her mind rejected the appeal, while her shattering heart told her to answer. And she would for the sake of what they had meant to each other. A lasting memory to live on until she was ready to move forward.
Maysa wrapped her hand around his neck and brought his lips to hers. They remained that way for a long moment until the threat of tears forced her away from him. “God speed, Rafiq.”
“Ana bahebik, habibti.”
How long had she waited to hear those words? And now they had come too late. “I love you, too, Rafiq. I have since the first time I saw you. But I find it tragic that we still live in a place where love is simply not enough.”
She walked away with her head held high and her soul in tatters. This time, the goodbye hadn’t broken her. Not completely.
* * *
In the two weeks since Maysa had told Rafiq goodbye, she’d immersed herself in work, thankful for the diversion. Yet the nights had been the most difficult, and uninterrupted sleep had been at a premium.
Fortunately, today she finally felt more like her old self and prepared to meet any challenges. She was not prepared for the patient seated on the exam room table. “What are you doing here, Madison?”
“Guess.”
Maysa didn’t dare. “I hope you have a cold or some other minor ailment.”
Madison tightened the band securing her blond ponytail. “I’m not sure what I have exactly. I’ve been a little queasy in the morning and tired. But then being a mother to triplets can be exhausting.”
Apparently the overtired mother was having a mental lapse. “You mean twins.”
“I’m counting the father of my babies, so that basically makes three children. Did you know the man has no clue how to fold towels?”
She smiled. “Of course not. Someone has always done it for him.”
“That someone is me because I refuse to have the staff do something I am quite capable of doing.”
As much as she wanted to visit with Zain’s wife, she still had six more patients to see before day’s end. “Back to your symptoms. Is it possible you could be pregnant?”
“I have no idea. My periods are still irregular even after my one functioning ovary spit out double deuces.”
“Let me rephrase the question then. Have you had unprotected sexual intercourse?”
Madison looked more than a bit sheepish. “Yes. The day we went to the lake.”
The day they had stopped by to reveal the rumor mill was in full spin. “I knew I should have given you condoms.”
“Zain hates using condoms.”
“So does Raf…” She wanted to yank her wayward tongue out of her mouth. “Many men take exception to them, but they’re necessary if you wish to prevent disease and pregnancy.”
“It’s okay,” Madison said. “I know you and Rafiq were sleeping together. I could tell the minute I saw the two of you together at your house.”
“Actually, we weren’t sleeping together at that time.”
“But you did sleep together later, right?”
Maysa grasped for an excuse to change the subject. “Let’s get you a pregnancy test, just in case.” She turned to the counter, retrieved the box, then offered it to Madison. “You know the drill. The restroom is right across the hall.”
“Gotta love peeing on a stick,” she said as she hopped off the table and headed out the door.
While Madison was gone, Maysa debated whether she should ask about Rafiq. Probably unwise. She would hate to learn he had already begun the queen candidate search.
After Madison returned, Maysa placed the test on the counter and set the portable timer to await the results. “In ten minutes, we should have the answer.”
Madison scooted back onto the table and sent her dangling legs into motion. “I’m having a moment of déjà vu from the last time you gave me a pregnancy test. We have to stop meeting like this.”
Maysa laughed. “I agree, but it’s better than if you had something serious, such as malaria.”
“Very true.”
A few moments of awkward silence ticked off before Maysa spoke again. “How are the children?”
“Fine. Getting fat as little pigs.”
“And Zain is doing well? Other than his domestic issues.”
“Very well and frisky as ever. He has been busy with the water project, but he’s never too tired for…you know.”
Yes, she definitely knew, and she couldn’t quell the envy onset. She studied the anatomy poster on the wall to her left in an effort to avoid Madison’s scrutiny. “Elena and Adan are doing well?”
“Yes, and it’s okay if you ask about him, Maysa.”
Could she possibly be more obvious? “All right. How is he?”
Madison scowled. “He’s horrible. He has turned into the meanest king in all the Middle East. He orders everyone around nonstop and refuses to come to dinner. And that blasted pacing. Makes me want to glue his butt to the office chair.”
She smiled in part over Madison’s comment, and in part because she liked to think Rafiq was experiencing some regret over his decision. “The pacing is a long-time habit. He’s nervous.”
“He’s lovesick. He misses you, Maysa. I don’t really know what happened between you, and you certainly are under no obligation to tell me.”
She needed to tell someone, and she felt she could trust Zain’s wife with the information. “Archaic tradition happened. He can’t be openly involved with a divorcée, and I refuse to be his mistress.”
“I don’t blame you.” Madison suddenly shifted her weight from one hip to the other, a possible sign of discomfort. “I do know about Rima and your brother’s ongoing affair, and that the baby wasn’t Rafiq’s.”
“Rafiq told you that?” she asked, attempting to temper the shock in her voice.
Madison shook her head. “No. He told Zain, and Zain told me. We don’t have any secrets between us. He’s also concerned that if Shamil decides to leak the information, I’ll have to do damage control.”
“It could definitely be damaging, depending on how the information is perceived. The country seemed to take a liking to Rima immediately.”
“I personally never cared for her,” Madison said. “She seemed a bit self-absorbed at times, and cold. But then maybe I’m being too harsh. I never really had the chance to know her that well.”
Maysa had known her all too well. “She’s always been aloof since our teenage years.”
“Then you knew her before she and Rafiq became engaged? Or maybe I should say before they went under contract.”
“Actually, Rafiq and I were seeing each other up to that point in time.” And after, a fact she decided not to divulge. “We were very close.”
Madison sent her a sympathetic look. “It must have been difficult knowing she was taking your man right out from under you, and you could do nothing about it.”
“It was very difficult, and at times it seemed she went out of her way to flirt with Rafiq in my presence. But then we were teenage girls, and you know how petty they can be sometimes.”
“Speaking of teenagers, did you know Rima slept with Adan when he was only seventeen?”
She could tell Madison regretted th
e statement the moment it left her mouth. And Maysa had a difficult time believing Adan would betray his own brother.
“Are you certain that really happened?”
“Positive. Adan told me the night of the wedding. He claims Rima had argued with her one true love and she turned to him for comfort. Adan being Adan, he jumped at the opportunity. When I mistakenly thought he meant she’d argued with Rafiq, he hinted someone else was involved. I assume that someone else was your brother.”
That made perfect sense to Maysa. “Does Rafiq know?”
“Not hardly, and I hope Adan doesn’t have a sudden crisis of conscience and blurt it out. That would probably send Rafiq right over the edge. Losing you has been bad enough. That’s why I wish you could work it out and save us all some grief.”
She saw no end to the impasse. “In order to work it out, one of us will have to give in, and it will not be me. I highly doubt Rafiq will, either.”
“You never know, Maysa. Just look at what Zain did to be with me. He gave up the crown and moved back to America.”
Rafiq would never do something so drastic when it involved duty. That much she knew.
When the timer dinged, Maysa walked to the counter and picked up the test to read it. “This is either good news, or not so good news. You’ll have to tell me which one it might be.”
The woman looked as though she might vault off the exam table. “I’ll let you know as soon as you tell me what it says.”
“You’re not pregnant.”
Madison’s shoulders slumped. “In a way, I’m a little disappointed. In a bigger way, I’m glad. I’m not sure either Zain or I could handle having another baby after dealing with twins. At least not for another year or two.”
Maysa tossed the test into the trash and smiled. “If that happens, you must be sure to confirm the pregnancy with me. We’ll make it our own tradition.”
“And maybe before then, you’ll be the one in need of a pregnancy test.”
Not likely. “Single mothers are not always viewed favorably, and I don’t intend to look for a husband in the near future.”
“You could always go the artificial insemination route.” Madison snapped her fingers and pointed. “You could even do it yourself.”
That appealed to Maysa about as much as having a tooth filled. “No, thank you. I’m also fairly sure sperm donors are few and far between in Bajul.”
“I know of one man who would gladly donate his sperm the natural way. Of course, he’ll first have to realize he’s in danger of giving up the best thing that has ever happened to him, meaning you.”
“Forgive me if I don’t hold my breath until that happens. I’d require a ventilator.”
Madison slid off the table, gave her a hug and paused before she left the room. “Don’t give up on him yet, Maysa. He just might come around, marry you and tell all of Bajul to go to hell if they don’t like it.”
As far as Maysa was concerned, that would take a full-fledged miracle. And though she had witnessed a few miracles in her career—the birth of a child, a patient’s unexpected recovery from a devastating illness—she wouldn’t let allow herself to hope for one this time.
Ten
“Miracle of all miracles. You are actually sitting down.”
At the sound of the grating British accent, Rafiq looked up from his notes to see Adan filing into the office, Zain and Madison trailing behind him. “I do not recall summoning any of you.”
Zain claimed the chair across from the desk without seeking Rafiq’s permission. “Since you did not summon us in response to our request for a family meeting, we have taken the initiative to seek you out.”
Rafiq gripped the gold pen in both hands with enough force to break it in half. “The council meeting will be held tomorrow afternoon, and I need to prepare. Therefore, this meeting is officially over.”
Adan assumed his usual perch on the edge of the desk, as if he had been raised by baboons. “We are not leaving until we have our say, Rafiq.”
If he chose to argue the point, he would only prolong their departure. “Then have your say and be done with it. But make it quick or I will leave the whole lot of you here, retire to my bedroom and lock the door.”
While Madison remained a few feet away, Zain and Adan exchanged a glance before Zain began to speak. “We are here on Maysa’s behalf.”
The sound of her name instantly filled Rafiq with further regret. The same regret that had haunted him every moment of every day since they had parted. “She has contacted you?”
“She has no idea we’re discussing her,” Adan said. “However, since you apparently have left her high and dry, we feel it is necessary to advocate for her. In other words, remove your head from that part of your anatomy in which no self-respecting head belongs, and beg her to come back to you.”
If only that option existed. “Impossible. Any public connection she has with me will only serve to destroy her good standing in the community. She has already endured entirely too much hardship as it is.” Some of which he had recently imposed on her life.
“If you’re referring to her status as a divorcée,” Zain began, “it’s a common occurrence in America. People change spouses as often as they change underwear.”
His brother had clearly forgotten he was in Bajul, not Los Angeles. “Need I remind you we are not governed by the same laws and customs here?”
“No, you need not,” Zain said. “I personally experienced the results of those antiquated customs. Perhaps I should remind you that I chose to marry Madison, and we have suffered no serious ill effects from that decision.”
“You are no longer king, Zain. You handed that honor to me. My private life is put under a microscope daily, and I will not subject Maysa to constant scrutiny.”
“Instead, you are willing to subject all of us to your bad temper because you are so consumed with her, you can barely function,” Zain said.
His ever-present anger began to escalate. “My duty has not been affected by my decision to cut all ties with her.” The decision that she truthfully had made for him.
Adan scowled. “Duty be damned, Rafiq. Your duty cannot replace a woman’s affections, or save you from your determination to punish the world for your own failures.”
He did not need to be reminded how he had failed, or whom he had failed. “If you know what is good for you, Adan, you will go fly a plane and leave me be.”
Madison raised her hand as if they were in a schoolroom, not the king’s official office. “May I say something, Rafiq?”
He waved her forward. “Please. Everyone should have the opportunity to take a verbal shot at the king.”
“That’s not my intent,” she said. “I simply wanted to let you know that when I’ve taken the twins for a stroll in the village, I’ve managed to talk with several of your subjects. They all seem to feel you are doing an excellent job.”
“I am pleased to hear that.” The first good news he had heard in quite some time, aside from Maysa’s declaration of love. “All the more reason not to introduce a scandal.”
Madison’s gaze momentarily faltered. “I also took the liberty of digging into Boutros Kassab’s history. According to a few contacts I have in Europe, it seems he has a history of violence against women, specifically two of his three ex-wives and one mistress. Of course, he used his influence to get the charges dismissed.”
“He is a known tyrant, so I am not surprised.” He was surprised that Madison knew about Maysa’s marriage to Boutros. Perhaps too much to be the product of a natural curiosity.
His suspicions were confirmed when she glanced at her husband before bringing her attention back to Rafiq. “Since Maysa suffered abuse at the hands of Kassab, we could leak that information. Then when you decide to publicly announce your relationship, people would know the reason behind
Maysa’s divorce.”
He had been wrong to confide in Zain. “You told her about what Maysa endured when I emphatically asked that you not share that information?”
Zain seemed unmoved by Rafiq’s ire. “Madison and I have no secrets. She is only attempting to aid in your happiness, and you will never be happy until you are reunited with Maysa.”
When Zain stood and wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder, Madison said, “Thank you, sweetheart. And by the way, Maysa confirmed we’re not pregnant.”
Zain kissed her on the mouth, as if no one else mattered. The same way Rafiq had kissed Maysa only two short weeks ago.
“Then we shall have more time to practice in the next year or two,” Zain said after they parted.
“Good lord,” Adan said. “If you two do not stop this nonsense, I will send you both to your room and sell your children to the highest bidder.”
Zain shot an acrid glance at Adan. “You are jealous because you have not kept company with a female in quite some time. Perhaps you should take care of that and leave the adults to solve Rafiq’s problems.”
As the brotherly bickering continued, Rafiq’s temper arrived in the form of a solid slam on the desk. “Enough! I am capable of solving my own problems, and I am tired of the intrusion.” He regarded Zain’s wife. “Madison, I appreciate your assistance, but I will not be in need of the information. Revealing Kassab’s tainted history will only force Maysa to relive a past she desires to forget and open old wounds that have finally begun to heal.” Until he had inflicted the emotional wounds upon her.
“I understand your decision,” Madison said. “And you can trust me to keep the information confidential.”
Rafiq came to his feet and willed his anger to calm. “I am finished answering questions and entertaining suggestions, so if you will excuse me—”
“Not until you answer my questions, cara mia.”
As always, his former governess had an uncanny knack of appearing before Rafiq could escape the inquest. “I will allow one more question from you, Elena. But only one.”
