“No!” Jenna yelled as she threw herself down at Balal’s side. She didn’t care that Ahmad was still pointing a gun in their direction and could easily fire the rest of his rounds directly into her back.

He never had the opportunity, however, for suddenly, there was the sound of shouting from somewhere not far away.

Jenna looked over her shoulder; the door to the ladder out of the bunker was still open.

“You fools!” Ahmad cried, shoving his gun into its holster. “You didn’t have the sense to close the door? Hurry! Do it now!”

But before they could close the door, three policemen dashed inside, rifles and flashlights held aloft, the light fixated on Ahmad.

“Freeze!” the men shouted in Arabic.

Adina, you blessed, wonderful woman. I will kiss you the next time I see you!

Knowing that the policemen were shielding her and Balal from Ahmad, Jenna looked back down at the Sheikh.

“Balal, you’re hurt!” Jenna said, leaning as close to him as she could. The sharp scent of blood, sweat, and fear filled the air.

“I’m fine,” Balal stuttered, but it was obvious he was in great pain. His hands hovered over the spot where the bullet had hit him, and his eyes were closed tightly in pain. He winced, and tried to sit up.

“No, no, stay down,” Jenna insisted, seeing a fresh gush of blood shining on his side. “Don’t move. You need to lie still.” She could feel tears stinging her eyes.

More policemen had come into the room now, and were making their way through the rest of the bunker. Apparently, Ahmad had made a run for it.

Where are the EMTs? Jenna wondered, growing impatient. She was no doctor, but it seemed like Balal was losing a lot of blood.

Five excruciating minutes passed before anyone got down to them. A few police officers tried to get Jenna to go outside, but she hollered and yelled at them, desperate to stay with the Sheikh. The gunshot itself might not have been fatal, but the wound would be if he didn’t get to a hospital soon.

“Jenna,” Balal breathed. His eyes were closed, and he wasn’t moving.

“I’m here,” Jenna sobbed, wiping sweat from his forehead. Her hands were filthy, but she had nothing more.

“I…” he said, his breathing raspy and difficult. “I…”

And then his head lolled to the side, and he lost consciousness.

“No!” Jenna shrieked.

A police officer came to kneel beside her, and placed his fingers on Balal’s neck, feeling for his pulse. Jenna watched the man’s face as he counted, one, two, three. The policeman nodded.

Relief washed over her, but the anxiety quickly returned. How did she know that his heart would keep beating?

The medical services arrived, finally, after the police officers discovered another entrance to the bunker, allowing a stretcher to reach Balal. They lifted him onto it and rushed him out.

One of the EMTs—a short, pretty woman—wrapped a blanket around Jenna’s shoulders and insisted on leading her up behind the gurney. She didn’t care. She had to be with Balal.

They lifted him out into the rising dawn, Jenna trying to keep up behind them. She saw the flashing lights of police cars, and a large group of policemen surrounding a man wearing a white shirt.

Ahmad. They had caught him.

She knew she should be pleased, but all she could think of was Balal, still unconscious on the stretcher.

“Oh, please, Balal,” she cried, her eyes flowing freely with tears. “Please, you have to wake up.”

Two of the medical workers moved to examine her, but Jenna brushed them away.

“I’m fine! I’m fine!” she said to them. “Please, look after him! He needs help!”

They brought the stretcher up to the ambulance and collapsed it as they slid it inside. Jenna moved to hop up beside Balal, but one of the EMTs held out a hand to stop her.

“No,” the man replied. “Family only.”

Jenna had to stop herself from screaming.

I have to go with him, she thought. I can’t leave him, not now!

Jenna steeled herself and felt, only for a moment, a flicker of guilt. She had promised herself that she would never lie again, since lying was exactly what got her into this situation.

But because of it, she had met Balal, and she had come to truly care about him. More than she could have ever thought possible. She adored him, wholly and truly, and she couldn’t let them take him away from her, not now.

“I am his wife!” she replied, tears still flowing freely. She glared at the EMT. “Now let me in!”

The EMT looked at her skeptically, but he stood aside and helped her up into the back of the ambulance.

Jenna scooted over the seat to where Balal was and gazed down into his face. The EMTs had already put an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth, and were preparing an IV drip for his arm. They had cut back his shirt, and the wound looked worse now that it was exposed.

She felt her stomach lurch, and was grateful when one of the other EMTs handed her a paper bag to breathe into. The last thing she wanted was to pass out herself and not be there for when—if—he woke up.

The technicians cleaned the wound and dressed it with layers of gauze, but there was blood everywhere. Jenna hardly noticed the ambulance bouncing along the streets, because all of her attention was on Balal’s face. She wondered if she would ever be able to gaze into his eyes again, explore their depths. She wondered if she would ever again feel the touch of his lips on hers.

She reached over and grabbed the hand that was closest to her, holding it tight. She didn’t know what to do, other than wallow in her own misery, and hope with every fiber in her being that he would be okay.

“Balal, please,” she cried, not caring what the EMTs might think. “I need you. I didn’t know how much until now. I realized that I would follow you into the depths of darkness, knowing that you would be there with me, knowing that I could face it all with you. And I would do it again if it would mean that you would be all right.”

A fresh flood of tears splashed onto her grimy black jacket.

“You rescued me, Balal, and because of it, I now see that the world is a different place than I had thought it to be. You opened my eyes to truth that I did not see, and helped me get past something that I never thought I could.”

Jenna squeezed his hand.

“There’s so much more that I wish to talk with you about, Balal, so much more I want to do. You have so much to show me, and I don’t want to be robbed of that time. So, please. Please wake up. Stay with me. Please.”