“Welcome back”, he spoke as he continued to encourage her to remain conscious.

Lali tightly pinched her eyes shut several times as she shakily moved her hands to her face. She dragged her unbroken fingers across the endotracheal sticking out of her mouth. Her fingers moved to the tape securing the tube and began to peel it off.

Jean saw what she was doing and stopped her, “Lali, no. Don’t. I know it’s uncomfortable, but let the doctor take it out”.

Dr. Isha and a nurse rushed in. The nurse immediately moved to extract the tube.

“Take a deep breath”, she said as she pulled it free from Lali’s esophagus. Lali coughed and struggled to catch her breath.

As her breathing calmed, she looked over at Jean. He said nothing and simply stared into her eyes.

Dr. Isha interrupted the silence, “Come my dear, let’s better sit you up and check on how you’re holding up.” He lifted the bed to put her in a seated position and began to closely examine her.

“Ow…”, she cried in protest, “your bedside manner is still as questionable as ever...”

Dr. Isha simply pinched his lips and lifted his brow as he continued to check her stitches and bandages. Jean remained silent in the chair until Dr. Isha was done.

“So, everything looks good. The stitches are holding up with minimal bleeding coming through. As for your casts, you’ll have to keep them on for a minimum 3 weeks. Otherwise, how do you feel?”

“Like I’ve been ran over by a plane carrying a bus and a truck”, she moaned, “and what of the maximum time?”

“Well, that all depends on your body and how much you decide to listen to me when I say, “stay off your feet”. I’ll be sure to get you some painkillers in a moment”, he said.

Lali rolled her eyes at him, “So, when can I get out of here?”, she grumbled.

“You can barely move, yet you’re already ready to make a run for it. I’m keeping you here for a week or more to keep an eye on your injuries.”

“Ughhh…I’ve had enough of hospitals in my lifetime”, she agonizingly complained.

Dr. Isha ignored her as he signed off on her chart and requested a nurse to bring her some painkillers. He briskly walked out of the room. Jean leaned forward in the chair. Lali went back to staring at him as though he was something foreign to her.

“Tell me”, he began.

“What?”, she answered.

“Why did you look at me that way when you woke up?”, he asked.

“Oh, I forgot. ”

“Forgot?”

“I forgot I was married to you”, she stated, “Didn’t expect you to be there.”

Jean burst into laughter, “you’re telling me in that short time you were unconscious, you forgot about me?”

“Yes”, she admitted.

“Well, it’s understandable. We haven’t been face to face longer than two hours in the last three days”, he shrugged.

“Hm, is that so…”, she thought out loud. She rubbed her stomach and scrunched up her face.

“What’s wrong?”, Jean asked, alarmed.

“Nothing. It’s just… my stomach feels strange like something’s missing”, she said.

Jean blushed bright red and cleared his throat, “Anyways…”, he changed the subject, “I know you’ve just woken up, but I have a few burning questions. But first… ”

Jean stood up to open the fridge, where he pulled out the bento he made for her. He heated it up and handed it to her on a bed table.

“Eat”, he demanded.

“No thanks, I’m not hungry”, she replied, pushing it away.

“You haven’t eaten in days, maybe longer, so eat”, he says as he pushes it back in front of her and forces the spoon into the hand with the least broken fingers.

Lali looked at him uneasily, then painfully lowered her face to sniff it. Jean looked offended and slightly rolled his eyes.

“Should I get the doctor to give you a feeding tube?”, he threatened.

“N-no.”, she stammered as she moved the food around with her spoon.

“What’s wrong? Do you not like salmon and rice?”, he asked.

“I like them…”, she insisted as she fearfully shivered and struggled to spoon a tiny bite into her mouth.

Jean sighed, “About those questions…”, he began.

“Go ahead and ask them. I have a feeling I know what they’re about”, she answered.

“I need you to tell me, in detail, about how you ended up like this. What happened?”, he asked.

“What need is there to know what happened, when the result is what you see here.”

“I need to know why they did this to you. There’s no reason, no matter how stubborn you are, for you, a citizen, to be tormented in such a way.”

“Perhaps… you’ve lived too comfortable of a life to not see the reality of this nation. Many die for less infractions.”

Jean readjusted uncomfortably, “How about you just tell me who and why”, he said frustrated.

Lali sighed at his insistence, “I don’t know where to start honestly”, she struggled.

“Okay so start from the beginning”, he said

“But everyone knows the beginning”, she responded.

“Well, I want to hear it from your point of view.”

Lali sighed, “ …it started with the women. Basically, women who refused gender norms and went against the male patriarchal society. Independent thinkers. Unmarried mothers. “Unchaste”, unmarried women. Women in “male roles”. Black and Brown women. The usual demonized groups all whisked away to be “retaught” their place as women through feminine etiquette camps. Beginning with the childbearing-capable, they started to gather up women; a lot of the time solely based on their social media reputations or racial and socioeconomic statuses.

Initially, I didn’t entirely fit the mold, for I was, as far as the government knew, what was deemed “acceptable”. Single, virgin, no boyfriend, still living at home. I was an independent thinker, but I never loudly voiced it. I think my only flaw at that time was that I was a brown-skinned woman, who majored in computer science. But little did they know, I wasn’t actually living at home. I left the country shortly after the new administration came to power. I knew it was going to be an unideal situation for people like me, so I went abroad and lived there comfortably. Unfortunately, when the order came to relinquish all expats, the country I was in had no choice but to obey. I was taken near the end where they started to introduce more sinister, fascist executive orders for round ups.”

Jean uncomfortably cleared his throat, “You still haven’t told me everything. Dr. Isha told me you wouldn’t go along with a “certain way” the camp was run by the soldiers. What was that certain way?”

“Ah... They…”, Lali began uncomfortably, “They treated the camp more as their own personal harem and entertainment hall. They would pick what girls they wanted that day and rape them, no matter if they were underage girls. Many, especially women of color, were tortured for no reason; just for kicks. If the soldiers didn’t like someone, they’d withhold food and other supplies. Pregnant women were often left outside, shoeless in a fenced area where some were naked, others just wearing thin gowns... ”, she told, “…Some women would prostitute themselves to obtain favors from the soldiers”, she shrugged as though this was a common everyday thing.

“I…I ended up like this because I would come to the defense of those being harassed. Also, I… I refused to submit to them. The soldiers would often try to violate me while I was isolated and locked in the kennel... I would fight them until they gave up. Of course, I didn’t make it out unscathed, but at least I hurt them in return…”

Jean’s eyes flashed and his face smoothed over in silent anger. He tightly clenched his hands together and looked down at them as his knuckles turned white.

“What of the lieutenants? Generals?”, he simmered.

“They often encouraged it to “put me in my place”, and sometimes would watch… other times they would try to hurt me also...”, she mumbled as she looked down at the lukewarm bento in front of her.

“Who?”, he demanded.

“Who what?”, she laughed nervously while touching a broccoli to the tip of her tongue.

“You didn’t name names”, he snarled.

She laughed uneasily again, “it-it doesn’t matter now”, she insisted.

“Why do I feel like you’re withholding more from me?”, he leaned towards her.

A shiver ran through her, “it’s n-not important”

“What or who are you afraid of?”, he pushed.

Lali dropped the spoon, “Please… stop...”, she begged as she roughly swallowed the broccoli.

Jean sighed, throwing up his hands as a sign of surrender. “Well, when you’re ready to be more forthcoming and talk… I’m here.”

Jean picked up the spoon and scooped up a large serving of rice. He moved the spoon towards Lali’s mouth, but she turned away in refusal. Jean gently placed his hand on hers and tried again. She shuddered uncomfortably and pulled away. He finally relented and placed it back into the bowl.

“I-I’m sorry for upsetting you”, he apologized, “I just don’t understand why you’re protecting such people.”

“I’m not protecting anyone”, she mumbled.

“By keeping silent, you are.”

Lali said nothing and pressed the call button. A nurse arrived shortly after and Lali re-requested the pain killers that were never delivered.