The door to the kitchen was open and Nick entered with a bounce in his step and a smile on his face. He glowed when he saw Theresa. She was reaching for a sack of flour high on a shelf. They spoke in Egyptian.

"Hello Theresa." He came up behind her, slipped his arms around her waist, and kissed her neck. She stopped reaching and began to lean back against him. Then she straightened. Or was it just his imagination, Nick wondered.

"I was just trying to get the flour," she explained.

"Here, let me help you," he offered, looking up. Just then the sack shifted, dumping flour all over both of them. They were surprised for a second and then they laughed at the sight of each other. They dusted each other off.

"So what are we making today?" Nick asked, ready for his next cooking lesson with his favorite teacher.

"It does not matter now, with all the flour gone," she laughed. Nick looked at her covered in flour and smiling happily nonetheless. His heart skipped a beat.

"Close your eyes," he said, still speaking Egyptian.

"What? Why?" she asked laughing.

"Just be patient and you’ll find out. Close your eyes."

She closed them, still laughing. He took her hand and placed it over his heart. "Do you feel that?" he asked her. "That’s you. That’s your life beating inside me. When I got off that island, well… . You are the only good thing that has ever happened to me."

He touched her face gently with his hand. She opened her eyes and he gazed into them. "You make me so happy Theresa. You make me feel alive."

He leaned over to kiss her. Their lips met. She pulled back and turned away.

"Theresa?" he said, suddenly dreading that what Taylor heard was true.

She did not answer or even turn around. "Speak to me Theresa," he pleaded. "What is going on?"

They stayed in silence for a moment, but it seemed like an eternity to Nick.

"Is it true?" he asked, not really wanting to know. She kept her back to him. Overwhelmed, he began to speak in English.

"It’s true, ain’t it?" He waited. "Ain’t it?"

Still not turning, she finally spoke. "It is an arranged marriage, Nick. My father…"

"Oh please, tell me it ain’t true!" he pleaded. "It can’t be true."

"My father arranged it. Achmad is a good man, very well educated, very well respected, very wealthy," she said without emotion.

"When were ya gonna tell me Theresa?"

She finally turned to look at him. "I did not want to hurt you."

He gasped, nearly shouting, "So you let me find out like this?"

"I am sorry."

"Then it’s all been a lie. Every minute, every second I’ve spent with ya has been a lie. I thought it meant everythin’ and it meant nothin’."

"That is not true, Nick."

"Then what is the truth? How do I know what the truth is? How will I ever know?"

"Nick."

He closed his eyes and shook his head. "It’s happenin’ again. I can’t believe it’s happenin’ again." He paused and looked at her, his whole world falling apart once more. "So, that’s it?"

"Yes. It is all arranged. It is final."

"Do you love him Theresa?"

She looked at him but did not answer.

"Do – you – love – him?!?"

"You have no right to ask me that," she said.

Nick was stunned. He tried to catch his breath, not knowing where to look. He shoved his hand in his pocket and felt the ring he had bought for her. His heart was breaking.

"No. I s’pose I don’t," Nick said finally, his voice quivering. Devastated, he turned to go.

Then he stopped and turned to look at her again. "I wish ya all the happiness Theresa." His voice cracked. "I really do."

Then he turned and began to walk out the door, crushed and defeated.

"Nick!" she called desperately, grabbing his hand. His heart raced as he waited for her to speak.

She said nothing and then let his hand go.

"Good bye Theresa."

He’s had too many good byes, Jo thought to herself.

"Nick didn’t want to stay there any longer so we signed onto a ship that was leaving later that week. Docked back in Egypt a few months later. We were there a couple days when we saw her again, with a cut lip and a black eye."

Jo gasped as Nick stared into the fire, his face full of rage. Suddenly, they all understood even more the contempt he had always held for Thomas Ryan.

Nick looked at Theresa and could not believe his eyes. He approached her, noticing the wedding ring on her bruised hand. He knew immediately what had happened to her, having seen it too many times before. He clenched his jaw and his fists. She saw him and began to turn away.

"It’s all right Theresa. No need to be embarrassed," he said in Egyptian. She still looked beautiful to him.

Nick touched her bruised cheek tenderly, turning her face back to him. "He did this to you, didn’t he?"

She did not answer.

"Theresa?"

She nodded her head yes. Nick shuddered.

"Theresa, I understand. It is not your fault. I’ll get you out of there."

Finally she spoke, with tears in her deep brown eyes. "No. I cannot leave him. He is my husband."

Nick struggled to control his anger, not wanting Theresa to feel that it was her fault. "He will just do it again, Theresa. I know. I’ve seen it. I’ve felt it. You have to get away from him."

"He is my husband."

"Well, he does not deserve you. He has no right to do this to you," Nick said gently. He was filled with understanding, empathy, and compassion. He knew exactly how she felt. "Look Theresa. I know you are scared. I was, too."

He stopped for a moment, wanting to kiss her, wanting to protect her, wanting to take her pain away. His love for her was as strong as the day she broke his heart.

"I will get you away from him," Nick said, still speaking in Egyptian. "He will never hurt you again. I promise."

Taylor went on with the story as Nick paced the room. "Nick sold the ring and used every penny he had to bribe her household staff, pay for her passage on a ship and to buy a gun. Nick got her away from her husband with no problem, having arranged to put her on a ship the next morning."

Jo watched Nick shifting uncomfortably as the story unfolded.

"When Nick did not come home I grew concerned and went to look for him. I found him… ." Taylor stopped as Nick dropped into a chair. He put a hand on Nick’s shoulder. Jo was sure that she did not want to hear what had happened to Nick.

"Theresa’s husband and his men had him. Nick rarely loses a fight, but it was six against one. They kept asking him where Theresa was, but Nick wouldn’t tell them anything." Jo choked back tears. "They had knives and clubs and … ."

"Taylor," Nick said, stopping him and nodding towards the women.

"All right," Taylor said. He shifted uncomfortably and then turned and looked right at Nick. "I wanted to help you, but I was too scared. I knew if they got me that I would tell. I couldn’t have gone through what you did. It was hard enough to watch."

"I’ve told ya before, it’s alright Taylor. It wasn’t your fight," Nick reassured him.

"When they decided he didn’t know where she was they dumped him in the desert, his wrists and ankles still bound, and left him there to die, " Taylor went on. "I brought him to Theresa. I am sure she was shocked and terrified, but she forced herself to stay calm. She was amazing. We thought he was dead. But then…"

Nick groaned softly. He turned his head. "Theresa? Theresa?" He could barely move, his whole body in pain "Theresa?"

"I’m here Nick."

He calmed at the sound of her voice and the feel of her tender touch on his cut and bruised face. He turned to her at his right side, looking into her eyes, trying to focus. She fought back tears.

"Hey," she said, trying to smile.

"Hey," he said, smiling back at her. He choked back the pain, swallowing hard.

"Ben?" he whispered, confused, lifting his head as if to rise and protect him.

"Shh. Ben is not here, but he is all right," Theresa assured him, stroking his face gently. "His ship is headed for Venezuela, remember?" She spoke in English to make it easier for him.

Nick continued to struggle with the pain. "It hurts, Theresa."

"I know," she said, no longer able to hold back the tears. "I’m so sorry my husband did this to you because of me," she said.

Nick could not speak anymore but she could see in his eyes that he held no anger towards her.

"I’ll go get the doctor," Taylor said

Ignoring the pain, Nick reached out and grabbed him by the arm. "No!" he rasped.

"You need a doctor Nicky."

"If ya do, they’ll find her," Nick managed to say in a whisper. He let go of Taylor and his arm dropped to the bed, the pain too much to bear.

Theresa and Taylor looked at each other and then at Nick, knowing he was right, knowing they were all in grave danger if they were found. "I will need some fresh water to wash these wounds and a bottle of whiskey to sterilize them," Theresa instructed, taking charge.

"I’ll get two. He’ll need one for the pain. From what I saw out there, he must have a bunch of broken ribs, too. Be careful," Taylor said as he left.

Taylor brought the water from the well outside.

"He’s hurt very badly, Taylor. He’s having trouble breathing. I don’t know… ." She stopped, unable to say it.

Taylor looked at Nick struggling with each painful breath. "Nick is strong Theresa. He’s been through a lot. If anyone can make it through something like this, he can. Don’t give up on him." He touched Nick carefully on the shoulder. "Hold on Nick." Then he left for town to get the whiskey.

Theresa washed the wounds on Nick’s face as he moaned in pain. She took each hand and washed the cuts that he had suffered in his desperate, yet futile, struggle to protect himself.

In tremendous pain, Nick was only vaguely aware of what was going on until Theresa began to unbutton his torn, blood soaked shirt. He looked at her and their eyes met. His heart skipped a beat. It was too much for him. He loved her too much. He looked away.

He felt her tender touch as she unfastened each button and gently pulled the shirt away from each wound. He cried out as she helped him up to remove the shirt. The crushed ribs made it nearly impossible even to breathe. Movement was excruciating.

She eased him back down again and stroked his head to soothe him as he groaned in pain. She looked at him and gasped. His whole body was covered with big, nasty bruises and his chest, stomach and arms were also criss-crossed with shallow knife wounds.

"Oh my! You must have loved her very much to endure all that to keep her safe," Meg said, barely able to believe that such things could really happen.

Nick looked at Meg and then at Jo. He held her gaze as he responded. "Yeah, I did." Then he looked away. Jo thought that her heart would break for him.