Operation: Dard and Devotion

36 | Merry & Misery

We waited until we were inside my hospital room before either of us spoke further.

"Really?" Nat asked as she made herself comfortable in a chair. "I have something to tell you too."

I leaned on the headboard of the bed and crossed my legs as I adjusted my abaya. "What is it?"

"You first."

Sighing, I rolled my eyes. "Are we seriously doing this?"

"Yes," she insisted. "I'm sure you have a whole lot more to say than I do."

"Exactly, and I don't have the patience to wait until I'm finished to hear what you have to say." I had a feeling this minor dispute would persist if I didn't change its course. "How are my parents and brothers? Did you get to talk to them at all?"

"Well," Nat said slowly, exchanging a look with Marc, who sat on the floor. "That's what I wanted to tell you about."

"What?" My eyes darted between the two of them as I took in their awkward eye contact, and panicked. "What happened to them? Marc, please tell me!"

"Hayat, calm down," he pleaded softly and straightened himself against the wall. "Everything's under control now."

The look of uneasiness on his face did not equate to his comforting words.

"But before it wasn't?!"

"Marc, you idiot, that isn't how you address the news to her," Nat scolded. "Ugh, I knew I never should have said anything."

My eyebrows shot up. "Were you planning on not telling me?"

"No, no, we were going to tell you. But, just not under these circumstances."

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"Uhm, like..." She gazed over at Marc, silently pleading to him to help her out. He shook his head in annoyance and buried his face in his hands. "I figured it'd be better to tell you as soon as we go back to the States once everything is back on track. Well, the doctor told us that you're weak now; malnourished and low blood pressure and all."

"My blood pressure is rising right about now..."

"What!" Nat panicked. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I-"

I inhaled just enough oxygen so I could raise my voice. "Can one of you tell me what happened to my family?!"

"I'll say it," Marc declared after shooting Nat a glare. "So around late January or early February - I don't remember exactly - your parents were interviewed and they aren't as distant as you've perceived them to be."

"Yes, I know," I interrupted with impatience. "I still haven't forgiven myself for pushing them away so much. That interview was hard to watch."

"Yeah, we felt the same way too and- wait a second," Marc diverted his statement. "How did you find out about that interview?"

Crap.

He watched me intently as I took time to respond, or at least, to come up with a response. "I...uh...heard about it. From the militants."

Marc was not convinced, and rightfully so. "But you just said you watched it."

"Yeah, they had an iPad, so I, well, peeked," I faltered and quickly tried to save myself. "There was WiFi down where I was at! Isn't that crazy? I bet they don't even pay for it!"

"Well, terrorists aren't exactly the types of people who follow rules," he muttered. "Anyway, some time after that interview, a new video went viral. However, this time, you were in it."