CHAPTER FIVE
Lisette
Mateen pushesthe fruit around in the bowl. “I want mantu. Oranges are gross.”
The beef and onion dumplings have been his favorite food for a year. My heart aches knowing the heavy breakfast was only making him sicker.
“Oranges are good for you. Remember what Dr. Joey said? You need them to grow up big and strong. The nurse promised if you ate all your fruit, she would bring you sugar-free pudding for lunch. Chocolate.”
The mention of the forbidden treat—Faruk rarely allowed us anything decadent or foreign—has him spearing the tiny piece of citrus and shoving it into his mouth with all the speed a six-year-old can muster.
“Chew,mon bébé.”
Smoothing my hands down my thighs, I savor the feel of denim under my fingers even as I worry someone will burst in and demand I cover my hair. Or beat me for my bare forearms.
A brisk knock sends me lurching to my feet, panicked, until I see Trevor through the small window in the door. He motions for me to join him in the hall, and I nod.
“I need to talk to Dr. Joey’s friend. You can play FIFA until I come back. Then we will work on your letters,oui?”
He wrinkles his nose, but the moment I hand him the little gaming system, he forgets all about the threat of lessons.
Worry keeps my eyes pinned to the floor as I slip into the hall. Until a shriek comes from behind Trevor.
“Lisette!” My sister throws her arms around me, holding me so tightly against her, my shoulder and ribs send shooting pains down my back. “I did not believe it. Not until now.Ma belle. Ne nous quitte plus jamais!”
Never leave us again.
“I will not, Noele. I promise.” It has been so long since I spoke French—since I wasallowedto speak French—I wonder if I still can.
Tears swim in my eyes as I meet Trevor’s gaze over my sister’s shoulder.“Thank you,”I mouth. He grins, then pulls his phone from his pocket, ambling down the hall and giving us some privacy.
I hope I can keep that promise. But until we are far away from Afghanistan, we are still in danger. Even then… Faruk has more money than anyone I have ever known. Enough to charter private planes, pay off the police, and make us disappear.
“When that man called—the one from Boston?—I could not believe it. Maman and Papa…they cried the entire time I was packing.” Noele draws back, holding me at arm’s length and looking me up and down before she skims her fingers along my cheek. “Your…husbanddid this to you? Oh, Lisette. Why did you stay with him?”
I shy away from her touch. Can she be this naive? To think I had a choice? The woman in front of me is all grown up. Twenty-five years old. Poised. Confident. Beautiful. I remember that age. Until Faruk stole me away, I thought the world was kind and good. But I was so very wrong.
“Please, Noele.I know you must have questions. But I have to be strong for my son. He almost died when we escaped. Until he gets a bone marrow transplant—”
Noele gasps. “A transplant? What is wrong with him?”
Suddenly exhausted, I lean against the wall for support. “He has Alpha Thalassemia. It causes severe anemia. His father refused to allow any doctor to see him for years. We had to give him blood transfusions weekly. But now…even that is not enough.”
“Mon Dieu.Why would his own father not want him treated?” Noele peers around me, her eyes shimmering when she catches sight of Mateen through the little window.
“Transplants are forbidden here,” I say, my gaze pinned to the floor. “But even once we get to Boston, I am not a match for Mateen.”
My little sister takes my hand, squeezing gently. “I am family. Maman and Papa too. One of my friends at school had leukemia. Everyone in the class was tested. Can the doctors in Boston access those records?”
The briefest spark of hope flares to life in my heart. “I do not know. Maybe? When Mateen’s doctor comes by, we will ask.” I brush away a single tear and pull her closer. “I missed you so much,mon petite fleur.”
“I am taller than you are,” she teases. “Maybe I should begrande fleurnow?”
“No! You will always bepetiteto me.” It feels so strange to laugh. To smile unbidden. For ten years, I lived in fear. But even though I will worry for the rest of my life, today, I am free. “Wait here? I must talk to Mateen for a moment, and then you can meet your nephew.”
When I slip back into the room, Mateen waves the little gaming system over his head. “Mama! I got four goals!”
“Four?” I cover my mouth with my hand, my brows shooting up.“Mon Dieu.Such skill. One day, you will score four goals on arealfield.”
