Chapter Text
Jamshid had taken Nisreen’s head in his lap. With quiet horror, Nahri realized he was praying softly, giving her last rites.
Nahri refused to accept that. She banished her emotions. She ignored the tears running down her cheeks and the steady, horrible slowing of Nisreen’s heart.
“Nahri,” Nisreen whispered. “Nahri … your—”
Nahri inserted the knife, her hands mercifully steady. “I have it!” With a rush of blood, she pulled free the bullet.
She felt Nisreen's heart shudder beneath her hand, the organ's faltering beats the only thing Nahri could hear. For a moment it was silent. and all Nahri could do was reach aimlessly with her powers, hoping there was some part of her mentor's life source she could grab on to. Just as she was about to give up, the tears finally making their way out from behind her eyelids and Jamshid's prayers finally reaching her ears, she felt a beat in her palm.
Jamshid gasped, his eyes meeting hers over Nisreen's head. They both held their breaths, hoping to make out another telltale of life. With all the energy she had left, Nahri felt for Nisreen chest, willing her lungs to draw in air and her heart to move as the gory wounding her abdomen stitched itself closed. She felt the lungs start to inflate, slowly, almost imperceptibly.
"Banu Nahida! Help us!" The cry jerked Nahri out of her focus, and Nisreen's lungs deflated again. With an angry cry, she squeezed, hoping closer contact would help further. All she got was a weak beat and barely a breath. Jamshid laid Nisreen's head on the ground and stood up, the tears leaving sooty trails on his stained cheeks. He reached for Nahri.
"Nahri... I'll take care of her. Our tribe-" he got cut off as he felt the rush of power when his hand made contact with Nahri's shoulder. The energy traveled down arms to her hands and into Nisreen's body, the shock jerking the woman and kicking her organs into movement again. Her lungs filled with air, finally, as she gasped and life flowed back into her eyes.
"Oh thank god," Nahri let out a relieved sigh. Nisreen looked at her incredulously, still not quite understanding what had occurred. Nahri made to get up but she squeezed her hand.
"Your... in the... infirmary," she gasped out. Nahri nodded.
"Get her to the infirmary. I'll come as soon as I can," she said, and with a last squeeze of Nisreen's hand, she left to help everyone else.
*****
"Hey," Nahri whispered, walking through the curtains into Nisreen's enclosed space. "How is she?"
"She's asleep. Her breathing is still labored but she's definitely doing better and stable." Jamshid got up from his seat by Nisreen's bed. He took one look at Nahri and handed her a glass of water.
"Thanks." Nahri took the seat Jamshid had abandoned and took a moment to breathe before she started working on her mentor again. "And how are you feeling? How is your back?"
"I'm great actually. Fantastic. Like, way too good,' he said quickly. He was looking at her with a worried expression, and she couldn't help but think that something was going on.
"As in better than this morning because of the adrenaline rush or..." Nahri trailed off, not quite knowing what was going on with Jamshid.
"As in better than ever, including before the back injury."
"Oh."
"Yup." They stared at each other in silence, Nahri too tired to fully process what was going on and Jamshid thinking through what he was going to say next. "Not just that. Do you remember the sand storm?" Nahri nodded. "and Nisreen's... awakening." Nod. "I couldn't do that before."
"Oh."
"Yup."
"Have you talked to Kaveh?"
"Not yet. I haven't seen him since before the parade, actually."
"Is he...?"
"Oh yeah, he's fine. He's dealing with Ghassan right now, so he's a little busy, but he's safe."
"Good. That's good."
"Yeah." The conversation lulled, and Nisreen's shallow breathing filled the empty space in the room. Feeling more grounded, Nahri stood up and walked closer to Nisreen. She pressed her palms again her ribs, being careful not to wake her up. She felt the rush of blood, the coordinating rhythm of the heart and lungs. There was a comforting spark in the brain, ensuring there was more than just the mechanics working.
Nahri began to focus her power in her palms, letting the warmth wash over Nisreen's body before she began to heal. Then she paused.
"Jamshid? Come here." Jamshid shuffled closer from where he was standing a few feet away, his arm crossed self-consciously. "Put your hand over her heart. Lay it flat, like me." Jamshid followed her gentle instructions, his eyes going wide when he felt the heartbeat.
"It's... loud. A lot more loud than I've felt it before," he sputtered.
”Right. Alright. I can take it from here. You should go get some sleep. And a bath.” With a light chuckle, Jamshid left.
Nahri sighed and went back to work. As soon as she felt Nisreen’s organs working normally, she dropped in the closest chair and buried her head in her hands.
The events of the day came rushing back and it was proving to be too much. Her tribe was attacked because of her. She couldn’t even begin to imagine the retaliation they would plan upon the shafit. Her mentor almost died- was dead for several moments. Jamshid was hurt and then healed and now was a... Nahid? And top it all off, Nahri was so tired she could barely keep her head up straight. In the privacy of the small, closed off corner, reaching for Nisreen’s hand, Nahri let a sob escape her.
***
It was dark when Nahri opened her eyes again, and everything was quiet. She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the dark, and pondered what woke her.
”Nahri!” The voice startled her and she looked around. Nisreen was awake and shaking her hand, panic clear across her face. “Where is Jamshid?”
“Jamshid? He left to get some rest a few hours ago.” Shaking herself out of her shock, Nahri got up. “How are you? Any pain or discomfort?”
”Stop- where did he go? He was supposed to stay in the infirmary.”
”I don’t know, Nisreen. He probably went home. He’s an adult, I don’t need to babysit him. Besides, Kaveh can stalk him if he needs to. Now lay down!” Nahri had to grab the other woman’s shoulders and push her down. “You’ll tear the stitches if you don’t relax right now.”
“I can’t! I was supposed to keep you two safe while- “ Nisreen froze as horror filled her face. “What time is it?”
”I don’t know. Looks like almost dawn,” Nahri responded calmly. She was suspicious of the other woman's behavior, but right now, she was a doctor to her patient.
"Dawn?" Nisreen sounded lost. "has anything happened?"
"You mean other than the riot and you dying? No, nothing out of the ordinary."Nahri couldn't help how cold her voice sounded. "Go back to sleep, Nisreen. You need as much rest as you can get."
"But I-"
"Go. To. Sleep. Don't make me put you with the children. You're a patient now." The threat hung heavy between the two of them, and Nahri could sense the distance she put between herself and her friend again. "Please."
Nisreen only nodded and settled into her pillows. With a sigh, Nahri whispered a goodnight and left her alone.
The infirmary was eerily quiet and slightly less that at full capacity. Her and Subha had worked on patients quickly and sent as many people as they could home, wanting to leave space in case of any other crisis. At the moment everyone seemed to be asleep, though she knew Subha was probably working on something even if Nahri had offered her own room for the woman and her family to rest. Wanting to avoid further conversation, Nahri walked out to the gardens. For a moment, for a very long moment, all she wanted to disappear.
And then there was a crash from inside and a very familiar voice shouting.
“Help! Help us please!” Jamshid was shouting, his face flushed and his tunic stained woth fresh blood. Leaning on him was an unconscious Kaveh e-Pramukh.