by Leslie North
“I’m sorry sir. I don’t believe I know your wife. Why would you think she would be here?”
“Listen you bitch, I know she came here. I want her home and I want her home now. I want my kid as well.”
Erin was starting to panic when she caught sight of Talib slipping through the front doors. She struggled to keep from calling to him, seeing that he was sneaking up on her would-be assailant.
In mere seconds, the man was laying on the floor, unconscious and she was speaking with the local 911 dispatcher. Talib was also on the phone, no doubt speaking to Kam and informing him of the situation.
By the time the police had taken her and Talib’s statements, she was so exhausted she headed straight home. Her phone rang repeatedly, but Erin didn’t want to speak with anyone at the moment. Especially Kam!
The feelings of exhaustion had been getting worse all week long, but she chalked it up to a stressful workload. Even the excitement of the afternoon hadn’t been capable of dispelling the tiredness she was feeling.
Hearing the phone ring once again, she unplugged the cord and headed to bed. Things would look better in the morning; they always did.
Chapter 10
Erin immersed herself in work, ignoring the increasing exhaustion she felt. When Shira had been gone for three weeks, Erin awoke in the morning, rushing for the bathroom where she promptly emptied her stomach of its meager contents.
Her appetite had been sadly missing in the previous few days, and now that she was throwing up, she decided that she must have caught a flu bug. Calling in to work, she then wrapped a robe around herself and stepped out to inform the driver she was staying home for the day.
She returned to the house and had a cup of tea and a piece of dry toast. When her stomach didn’t immediately rebel, she decided to take a bath and hoped the achiness she had been feeling in her chest would lessen.
Erin had just finished dressing when someone knocked upon her front door. Wandering over, she didn’t check to see who was on the other side; it was the middle of the morning and daylight outside.
Opening the door, she was surprised to see Talib standing there, holding out the phone for her to take. Giving him a narrowed look, she took the phone and placed it at her ear, “Kam?”
“What is wrong? Why did you not go to work today?” Kam demanded from the other side of the world.
“I’m just a little under the weather, is all. A small flu bug. I’m sure I’ll feel much better tomorrow.”
“You need to see a doctor. Hand the phone back to Talib.”
“No! I don’t need to see a doctor. I’ll be fine.” Erin hadn’t spoken to him for over a month and yet he still thought he could order her around.
“Habibti, you are not fine. “
“Quit calling me that,” Erin demanded, feeling her anger at his highhandedness rise.
“Habibti? Why?”
“Because it doesn’t apply to our relationship - that is if we even have one…”
“Make no mistake. We have a relationship, and the endearment most definitely applies to you.”
“Kam, why are you doing this? You’ve been gone a month, I’ve only spoken to you twice now, and each time it’s because you want to tell me what to do.”
“Erin, I am only trying to ensure your safety. If you are ill, a doctor must be summoned.”
Erin laughed, “Kam, this is America. We don’t summon doctors here. We go to the doctor’s office or the hospital. The days of doctors making house calls in the country ended a while ago.”
“Talib will retrieve a doctor, if you need one,” Kamal informed her with no hesitation.
“I don’t need one. Have you seen Shira?”
“Shira is a wonderful girl. She will make Khalil a perfect wife….”
“What?! Wife?! And who is Khalil?” Erin was astonished, she had just spoken to her cousin the night before last, and she hadn’t been able to talk about anyone other than Kale.
“Khalil and Shira are perfect for each other. I have given my blessing to their union.”
Erin was speechless. He had given his blessing to their union? What was this, the middle ages? “Kam, is Shira aware of this?”
“Why would she need to be consulted? She is comfortable with Khalil and he with her. They will make a good union. She is lucky to be marrying so well.”
Erin sputtered, “Marrying well? Kam, are you listening to yourself?”
“Of course. In Jawhara, it is every girl’s dream to marry well. Short of marrying myself, your cousin could not find a better match. “
“I think Shira might have something to say about her future being arranged for her like this.”
“Shira will be told when the time is right. According to our customs, Khalil cannot marry until I have taken a bride. He knows this and is willing to wait for the next several months.”
“You’re getting married?” Erin asked, unable to stop the words from tumbling from her lips. She sat down as she felt her dreams shatter. She had been so stupid. She had allowed herself to visualize a future between her and Kam and he was getting married to someone else. This turn of events was a little too close to those that had surrounded her relationship with Steven. When would she learn?
“That is a topic for a later time. I will inform Talib that you do not need a doctor this evening, however, if you are still ill in the morning, one will be summoned. Goodnight.”
Erin stared at the phone, resisting the urge to hurl it across the room. His Majesty definitely needed lessons in how the non-royal portion of the world lived. Arranging her cousin’s marriage? Preposterous.
Erin opened the front door and tossed the phone out without looking to see if there was anyone standing there to catch it. Hearing it ring seconds later, she slammed the door shut in her wake. Taking several deep breaths, she started to calm her breathing down when her stomach made itself known once again. Rushing for the bathroom, she gave into the nausea.
After rinsing her mouth and cleansing her face with a damp washcloth, she climbed back into her bed. She needed to call Shira, but it would have to wait until she was feeling better.
*****
Erin struggled to fight off the nausea for the next several days, but when Friday rolled around and she was still not feeling better, she made her own appointment to go see her physician.
She had returned to work the day after her phone confrontation with Kam, just to ensure that Talib would not force some unsuspecting physician to make a house call. She had no doubt that Kam would make good on his promise to summon a physician for her.
She didn’t want Kam to hear about her doctor’s appointment, so she made up an excuse for the driver, “I’m going to do some shopping after work. You can drop me off at the Crystal City and I’ll call you when I ready to return home. It will probably be late, around 8 or 9 pm.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” his voice conveying his trepidation at following her orders without first checking in with her ever present, but seldom seen bodyguard. After the incident in her office, Talib had made his presence more visible, but still kept a discreet distance and unless Erin looked for him, he was usually out of sight.
Erin watched and was pleased when he didn’t immediately pick up his radio. Maybe she could get inside the mall before he was able to tell Talib of her change in plans. She knew her actions would most likely precipitate another phone call from Kam, but she really didn’t’ care.
“Right here will be fine. I’ll meet you back here, in this same spot,” she told the driver after he opened her door and assisted her from the vehicle. Entering the mall, she immediately turned towards her left and headed towards the western exit. Her physician’s office was located three blocks over, but the walkways were covered and crowded with people anxious to start their weekends.
She glimpsed behind her, smiling when she saw that Talib did not appear to be following her. When her cell phone rang, she glanced at the number to see that Kam had already been notified of her defection. Turning th
e ringer off, she made her way to the doctor’s office, arriving just in time for her appointment.
She fought back her nausea and dug down deep for her reserve of energy. She just needed to get through the next several hours and then she would sleep all weekend. Maybe she just needed some vitamins to get her over the hump.
Chapter 11
“What?” Erin whispered, looking at her doctor as if she had suddenly grown two heads. “Pregnant?” she whispered.
“Yes. I take it by the expression on your face that this is a surprise?”
Erin could only nod in response. She was pregnant? Oh Lord, she was pregnant with Kam’s baby!
“I’m going to write you a prescription for some prenatal vitamins, and also for some gum that should help with the nausea. It doesn’t taste the greatest, but believe me, it really does work if you can struggle through the first minute or so.” The doctor issued this statement with a smile of encouragement. She herself had fought morning sickness for the first several months of her pregnancy and found the gum, while chalky tasting, capable of quelling the ever present urge to empty her stomach.
Erin nodded again, still speechless. She was pregnant. She was pregnant!
“Erin, are you okay?” her doctor asked.
“I will be. Thank you, doctor.”
She finished dressing, taking her time as thoughts of the future crowded her tired brain. What was she going to tell Kam? How was she going to tell Kam? Oh Lord, what was she going to tell her parents?
She was so lost in trying to answer those questions as she left the doctor’s office, she didn’t see the town car sitting at the curb, or Talib and the driver leaning against it with their arms crossed over their massive chests. She turned towards the walkway, which would take her back to the mall, and was so lost in her thoughts she didn’t hear her name called.
Talib hurried after her, hesitant about touching her to stop her from walking away, but seeing no other option open to him. Gently taking her upper arm, he pulled her to a stop and turned her towards the car. “Erin, the car is this way.”
Looking up at the tall man holding her arm, Erin was relieved to see Talib standing there. When she looked forwards, she almost cried to see the vehicle sitting there as well. She didn’t have the energy to make the trek back to the mall, and right now, she only wanted to get home so she could crawl under her covers and hide from reality for a few more hours.
Talib helped her into the waiting car and then climbed in after her. She looked at him questioning, but when he made no effort to explain his presence, she turned her head towards the far window, laying her head back against the seat cushion.
Talib watched her relax into the seat and then fall into a deep sleep. The dark circles beneath her eyes spoke volumes about her current physical state. Connecting a call to Kamal, he spoke softly, “Your Majesty, we found her.”
“Where?”
“She was in a doctor’s office.”
Kamal cursed in Arabic before demanding, “Put her on the phone.”
“Your Majesty, she is asleep. She has dark circles beneath her eyes and fell asleep immediately upon settling into the seat.”
“What’s wrong with her?”
“I’m sorry, Sir. I was not able to question her before she fell asleep.”
Kamal thought about this for a minute before asking, “Did she have any paperwork with her when she exited the building?”
Talib glanced at her bag, which was sitting on the floor at her feet. It was opened and he spied several pieces of paper that bore the same logo as the sign outside the doctor’s office. Retrieving them, he replied, “Yes, Sir. I have them in my hands right now.”
“What do they say?” Kamal demanded. His woman was ill and had sought to keep the knowledge from him.
“They appear to be prescriptions. One is for prenatal vitamins and the other is for a gum?”
Kamal was stunned and speechless, “Talib, be very careful how you answer the next question. Did you say that she has a prescription for prenatal vitamins?”
“Yes, Sir. The writing is very plain on this sheet.”
“I will call you back.” Kamal hung up and stared at the wall opposite his desk in the palace office. His woman was pregnant with his child. He had no doubt as to the father’s identity. Erin had spent no time with other men since his departure. It was also evident that the pregnancy was making her ill. Coming to a decision, he called Talib back.
“Go directly to the airport. Khalil arrived earlier this morning to take care of some last minute details with the marketing team. I will let the pilot know that you are coming. Bring her to me.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. “ Talib gave the directions to the driver and then sat back. He decided to enjoy the peace and quiet while he could. If experience had taught him anything, it was that the woman sleeping across from him was not going to be happy to find herself on a jet heading to Jawhara when she awoke.
Chapter 12
Erin felt herself being picked up, but her exhaustion had finally reached a break point and she couldn’t muster enough energy to open her eyes. When she heard Talib murmur to her she relaxed back into his hold, hoping that he would simply lay her on her couch and then leave. She would deal with Kam in the morning.
She briefly awakened when she felt her shoes being removed, but then she was laid down upon a soft mattress and she rolled over and went back to sleep.
Talib took his own seat in the plane and placed the call to Kam, “We are on our way. We will be there tomorrow.”
“I will have the palace physician waiting for her when you arrive. Bring her directly to the palace when you arrive.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Talib relaxed back, anxious to return to his homeland, and hoping that the beautiful young woman sleeping in the bed would find Jawhara just as attractive. She was going to be his Sheikha, and it would not do for the country’s ruler to have a bride who detested where she was forced to live.
Talib had just closed his eyes, when he heard the bedroom door open and saw Erin stumble from the room.
Erin had awakened, needing a drink of water, but upon seeing her surroundings knew that something was not right. When she saw Talib calmly sitting in the plush chair, she glanced around at her surroundings and immediately knew that she was in an airplane. “Where are you taking me?”
“To Jawhara. To the Sheik.”
Erin let those words sink in before asking, “So, he knows?”
“That you are carrying the next ruler of Jawhara? Yes.”
Erin nodded and took another chair across from him. “What was his response?”
“This,” Talib gestured to the plane, “is his response.”
Erin nodded, not really surprised. Kam was highhanded and expected everyone to do what he commanded them. She had no doubt that if she had spoken with him on the phone and told him the doctor’s findings, he would have demanded her presence in Jawhara. Seeing that there was nothing that could be done at this time, to prevent her arrival in Jawhara and the upcoming confrontation with Kam, she decided to enjoy the trip.
“Well, I look forward to seeing my cousin again.”
Talib shook his head, “I’m afraid that will not be possible.”
“What?! Why?” Erin was alarmed, and afraid that something had happened to Shira. She desperately needed her council about now. With her parents still on their world-tour, she had no one else to depend on.
“She returned to the states with Khalil earlier today. That is why the jet was available so quickly.”
“Shira’s home? But I thought…”
“I’m sure the Sheik will be happy to explain everything once we arrive. Allow me to call for something to eat.”
While Talib arranged for a tray to be brought to her, Erin tried to focus her thoughts on the direction her life was currently headed. She was having the ruler of Jawhara’s child and she couldn’t see the dominating man she was coming to know as the Sheik allowing her to raise his child in
another country.
Talib set the tray in front of her with the instructions, “Eat. Then you should try to sleep. This is a seventeen-hour flight. It will be nighttime when we arrive in Jawhara. You will have lost a day by the time we arrive.”
Erin nodded, tasting the soup he had set in front of her. Waiting for her stomach to rebel, she was pleasantly surprised to find that the soup seemed to agree with her tender stomach. She finished the soup in silence, too lost in her thoughts to engage in mindless chatter.
Talib removed the tray and then gestured for her to return to the bedroom, “Please, sleep. Whatever is bothering you will look better once you have rested. His Majesty wishes you to rest, for both you and the child.”
At the reminder of the innocent life, she was now responsible for, Erin nodded and returned to the bedroom. She expected to have a hard time falling asleep, but her body’s need for rest overtook her busy mind and sleep consumed her immediately.
She was awakened as the plane began its descent, having slept the entire flight. Sitting up, she mentally commanded the nausea that once again made its presence known to go away. Putting her shoes on, she exited the room, carefully.
Talib saw her and immediately ushered her into a chair and fastened her seatbelt. “We are preparing to land, now. Are you feeling any better?”
Erin shook her head, “Not really.” She swallowed convulsively, trying to keep the nausea at bay.
Talib looked at her and hoped that she would be able to hold off becoming sick until after they had landed.
Erin closed her eyes, only to open them again right away. The movement of the plane only seemed to make the nausea worse, and closing her eyes doubled the sensation. Taking shallow breaths, she counted slowly in her head until she felt the tires of the jet touch down on the tarmac. Breathing out slowly, she was thankful when the plane came to a stop and Talib stood from his seat. “Come. The Sheikh waits.”
