CHAPTER SIX
Cole tried to roll to his side but couldn’t. Nothing was working any longer, nothing was helping him. Above him, sand fell into the well and he gripped his pistol, waiting to see if someone was looking down at him.
Instead, he heard the soft voice of a female urging a donkey along. Apparently the donkey wasn’t cooperating and she was calling him every name in the book. He wanted to laugh out loud but didn’t have the breath. Then he saw it. Her face starting down at him.
“Oh!” she gasped. “Are you alright?” She spoke Syrian and he shook his head.
“Help me,” he said in Syrian.
“You’re American,” she whispered.
“So are you?” he said. She shook her head.
“No. I’m Syrian but went to an American university. My grandfather forced me to return when I finished. What can I do? I’m alone.”
“Your donkey, the one that doesn’t listen, could he pull me up?”
“I think so. Let me get a rope down to you.”
She searched in the packs provided to her by her grandfather and found the rope she was looking for.
Tying it tightly around the donkey’s neck, she lowered it to the strange man in the well.
It was a huge risk but she couldn’t leave him there to be found by her grandfather’s men, or anyone else.
She had to save him, although she had no clue why.
“I think my ribs are broken. I’m going to try and wrap it around my legs and hold on.”
“Alright,” she nodded.
She waited for what seemed like a very long time and then he gave her the okay. Pleading with donkey to move forward, it was as if he knew that she needed him to do this. She could hear the man grunting and breathing heavy, then half his body was out of the well and he was crawling on the sand.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “But now you’re in danger. I have to get to Aleppo.”
“That’s very far away,” she said. “You can’t walk in that condition. Please, let me take you to some buildings where no one lives. Let me look at your wounds.”
“You can’t help me,” he said shaking his head.
“I’m sure I can. I’m a doctor,” she said smiling at him.
“What?”
“My studies in America were in medicine. Specifically emergency room medicine. I still need to take my final boards but I had learned enough, according to my grandfather, to be useful.”
“You could have refused to come back,” said Cole, gasping for air.
“Obviously, you don’t know my grandfather. Come on, let me get you on the donkey. It’s still dark and we should be able to get to the buildings.”
It felt like forever for Cole. He leaned forward over the neck of the donkey, praying for something to ride smoother than this beast. As they reached the buildings, Cole saw an old pick-up truck behind one of the houses.
“Wait,” he whispered. He slowly got off the donkey with her help, then maneuvered around the building to see a man and woman standing very close together. He squinted as the woman began walking.
“Bailey?” he whispered. His sister whipped around, staring at her brothers face. Running toward him, he held up a hand. “Please don’t touch me. I’m in a lot of pain.”
“Who are you speaking to?” asked the woman. Angus pulled his weapon and the girl let out a small gasp.
“No. No, don’t shoot her!”
“Angus, put the gun down.”
“Angus?” said Cole. “Angus Williams?”
“We have to do this later,” said the girl. “He’s hurt badly and it will be light soon. You need to get him to a doctor.”
“You said you were a doctor,” said Cole.
“I am. But. But, if I don’t return to the village my grandfather will search for me and I will be punished.”
“Well, now I know you’re coming with us. What’s your name?” asked Cole.
“Hala.”
“Hala. It means Halo,” smirked Angus. She nodded. “Well, I’m Angus, that’s Bailey and Cole there is her brother, part of a triplet team.”
“You’re a triplet?” she smiled.
“Yes but I’m going to be a dead one if I continue standing.”
“Let’s go,” said Bailey. “Get in the back of the truck and lie down. Please, we need your help. Will you come? We’ll protect you.” The woman looked at Cole, then at the others and nodded.
“Yes. I’ll come.”
As they carefully loaded Cole, making him as comfortable as possible, Hala got into the truck and cradled his head in her lap. As Angus drove the truck back toward the city, he looked at Bailey.
“Bailey, we might not be able to protect her.”
“We have to. She saved my brother. I don’t know how yet, but she saved him. We have to help her.”
“Okay,” he said nodding. “And Bailey?”
“Yes?”
“We will repeat that fucking kiss if it’s the last thing I do.”