Chapter 31
AREZOO
Arezoo lay awake in bed but kept her eyes closed as she took inventory of her body. Her head was clear, her bones still ached, but not as much as they had yesterday, and the most notable sensation was that of hunger.
She was ravenous, as in give her a couple of steaks and a pile of French fries for breakfast.
Ruvon was sitting in the chair beside her bed, pretending to read a book.
She had been lying still and pretending to sleep for the last few minutes just to see how long he would keep it up, but it was getting silly, and she was hungry, and she wanted coffee.
"Good morning," she said.
His head came up so fast that the book closed on his thumb.
"You're awake."
"I have been awake for a while. I was watching you not read."
"Why didn't you say something?"
"I don't know." She yawned and stretched her arms over her head. "I was curious to see what you would do."
Ruvon put the book on the side table, leaned forward, and took her hand. "How do you feel?"
"Hungry. Like really hungry."
He smiled. "That's good."
"I want coffee. And a croissant. Make it two croissants."
"You're on a liquid diet."
"I was on a liquid diet yesterday. Julian said that if I didn't throw up, I could have something solid, and I want a croissant."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because Hildegard would skin me, and Julian would help her."
"Then ask Julian if I can have coffee and a croissant, or just coffee or just a croissant. But I prefer both."
"You usually prefer tea."
"I know, but you were drinking coffee next to me the whole day yesterday, and I was smelling it. I can still smell it. Please?"
He chuckled. "I can't say no to you." He stood up, bent over the bed, and kissed her forehead. His hand came up to cup the side of her face, and for a moment, Arezoo closed her eyes and just enjoyed the intimacy.
"I'll go get the doctor," he said.
"Thank you."
She lay back against the pillows, looked at the ceiling, and felt pleased with her morning. She was hungry, and she wanted coffee, which meant that she was on the mend.
The fever had risen and fallen, the tiredness had taken her under at irregular intervals, and she had had no warning when it would happen. Twice, she had been mid-conversation with her mother and woken up an hour later with no memory of falling asleep.
But other than the first day, she hadn't lost consciousness again.
The door opened, and Julian came in with Ruvon behind him.
"Good morning," the doctor said.
"Good morning. Can I please have a croissant, doctor?"
He smiled. "How do you feel?"
"Better. A lot better, and very hungry."
"That's excellent."
"So, can I have a croissant?"
"In a moment. Let me check a few things first."
He came around the side of the bed and did the small ritual that she had become familiar with over the last two days—going over her vitals, checking reflexes and other things, measuring, and notating everything on his tablet.
"A whole inch," he said.
"It was supposed to be more."
"You are not done yet, but you're over the worst of it. Your temperature has been normal throughout the night, your vitals are stable, and your color is good. But the best sign is that your appetite is back. You are out of the danger zone."
"So, does that mean that I can go home?"
"Soon."
"How soon?"
"Today. After the ceremony."
Arezoo blinked. She hadn't expected him to say that she was being discharged today. She'd expected him to say tomorrow or in two days.
"That's wonderful," Ruvon said.
Arezoo was still stuck on today and ceremony.
She knew what the ceremony involved. Once a transition had progressed past the danger threshold, the doctor would test her speed of healing in front of her family and friends.
In her case, the confirmation was not needed, and the only reason to go through the test was that it was tradition, a milestone the clan liked to mark.
"Do I really need to do that?" she asked, because she wasn't enthusiastic about having her palm cut with a surgical knife.
"Don't worry." Julian patted her hand. "I'll make just a tiny cut on your palm, and it will not hurt nearly as much as it would have if you were still human. We will time how long it takes to heal, and your family will be here to witness everything, and someone will record it for posterity's sake."
She let out a breath. "That is very Persian, actually."
Julian laughed. "Is it?"
"Yes. We celebrate everything by gathering everyone in one room and watching something either embarrassing or painful happen to one person while the rest of the family eats delicious food."
"All right, then. Take your time to wake up and eat breakfast. Get cleaned up and dressed.
The ceremony can happen in an hour or two, or whenever you are ready, and your family can be assembled.
" He smiled. "Not to rush you or anything, but as soon as you are out of here, so am I.
You are the only patient in the clinic."
Now it made sense why he wanted to get rid of her so quickly.
It also meant that she had leverage.
"Can I have coffee?"
"Yes."
"And a croissant?"
"You can have a small piece of a croissant. We are not putting your stomach back into full operation in one go."
"Half a croissant is better than none."
"It is. Let me know when you are ready."
After he left, Ruvon turned to her with an amused smile. "We should let your mother know. She's in the waiting room."
Arezoo winced. "Did she sleep out there?"
He nodded. "She and your sisters refused to leave. Yasmin and Parisa came around six this morning. Rana has been here since seven. Azadeh is making coffee runs."
Arezoo shook her head. "My family is probably driving Julian and Hildegard crazy by camping in the waiting room."
He nodded. "Julian told me that if it were his mother in charge of the clinic, she wouldn't have allowed it."
"Then I'm glad he's the one in charge. Can you please hand me my phone?"
"Of course."
Arezoo selected her mother's contact and heard the ringtone twice.
The first time, in her ear. The second time, very faintly, through the wall.
Surprised, she looked at Ruvon. "I can hear the phone ringing in the waiting room with the door closed. I couldn't do that before."
He grinned. "Your hearing has gotten better."
The ringing stopped, and her mother's voice came on the line, breathless.
"Joonam? What's wrong? Are you all right?"
"Maman, I am right here. You don't have to sound so anxious."
"You called me. I thought something happened."
"Something did. Doctor Julian says I can go home today."
There was a long silence.
Then a familiar sniffing sound.
"Maman, are you crying again?"
"I am not." A sniffle.
"You are."
Another sniffle. "It's just allergies."
"You have no allergies."
"Then it's the air conditioning."
Arezoo rolled her eyes. "All right. It's the air conditioning. Doctor Julian wants to do the confirmation ceremony in an hour or two. Do you know what that is?"
"Of course I do. Hildegard explained it to us in detail. I swear that nurse has a sadistic streak. Yasmin almost fainted just from the description."
Her mother wasn't the only drama queen in the family.
"It's just a tiny cut. Why would Yasmin faint just from hearing about it?"
"Oh, you know. She's sensitive that way."
"Then perhaps she shouldn't attend the ceremony."
"We are all going to be there. Do you need me to get you something from home? Something nice to wear? Perhaps your hair curler?"
Arezoo laughed. "It's not that kind of a party, but I'll let you know if I need anything. Please tell everyone to be here in two hours. I love you."
"I will. And I love you too, my sweet girl."
"Goodbye, Maman."
"Goodbye, my tall girl."
Chuckling, Arezoo handed the phone back to Ruvon. "That's new. I was never her tall girl. If anything, I was the shortest girl, and I still am. That inch I gained doesn't make me taller than either of my sisters."
Ruvon bent down and pulled out a duffel bag from under the bed. "As I said countless times before, you are perfect the way you are."
"You're sweet, but you still didn't get me that coffee and croissant. Before I get in the shower and get dressed, I need to call Drova, and in the meantime, you can go to the café and get me a proper breakfast." She lifted two fingers. "Two croissants, not one. Julian doesn't need to know."
He laughed. "I think the transition did more than add an inch to your height and make you immortal. It caused a personality change."
"I'm still me, just more assertive."
He bent over her and kissed her forehead. "I like it. Call Drova. I'll be back with your order in a few minutes."
"You are the best."
"I know."
When he walked out of the room, Arezoo scrolled to Drova's name.
Her friend picked up on the second ring. "Are you finally awake?"
"Hello to you too."
"Hello. I have been worried about you. You were out for two days."
"Just one. The other one was a lot of sleeping, but I didn't lose consciousness. My body needed the energy for the transformation. The doctor says I am over the worst of it, and he's going to conduct the confirmation ceremony today."
There was a small pause on the other end.
"I am at Safe Harbor."
"I know."
"I cannot fly back today."
"I know."
"That's a problem. I want to be there when they cut you."
Arezoo laughed. "You really have a way with words, Drova. It's not a big deal. It's just a little ceremony in this tiny room in the clinic. I don't know how my family is going to fit in here."
"Still. When I'm back, we are going to have a private ceremony, just you and me, and I'm going to cut you again."
Arezoo chuckled. "You're so bloodthirsty."
"Anything involving blood is not a joke for me."
"I know. I'll even let you do it. Happy?"
"Yes. How are you feeling?"
"Good. Hungry. I asked Ruvon to bring me a croissant."
"A steak would have been better."
"I know, but the café doesn't serve steak."
"That's a travesty that needs to be corrected. Sugar is poison."