The Desert Angel

spotangel, DNP, RN, NP

I settled down to sleep. The ambulance cruised the silent highway at 80 miles an hour. "Nothing like the rush we were in, going to the city," I thought wryly. Faya,the Saudi Arabian driver in his flowing white robes looked straight ahead as he drove back to Thar,a small village in Saudi Arabia. I had been working there for 3 years.We were on a return trip from Najran,the nearest city, 150 miles away.

I was a nurse for 3 years and had my hands full with the pt that we had taken to the hospital. Amina was 45 year old having her 7th child.She decided to give birth in the ambulance. Her baby was premature, breech and had a cord around the neck. I delivered the baby, reviving the baby as Faya flew down the highway at 120 miles an hour! Amina then had postpartum bleeding. I shoved my gloved hand into her womb and squished her uterus against her pelvis trying desperately to stop the bleeding, while I held her newborn in my other hand and fought for balance in the speeding ambulance.The ambulance floor was covered with blood. We reached the hospital. Faya scooped Amina, blood all over his pristine white robes as I ran in with her premature baby girl into the ER. They both made it. We got new clothes, washed up the ambulance and set back home. It was 2am.

I was happy. A 23 years old, who saved 2 lives. Life was good. I said a prayer of thanks and fell asleep. Something woke me up. I rubbed my eyes and looked around. It was too quiet. We were off the highway. Desert all around, no tree,no house in sight,not even the lights on the highway.

"Faya,what happened?Why are we off the road?"'I asked in Arabic.

He did not speak English. My Arabic was basic. Faya had a strange glitter in his eyes.

I been meaning to speak to you for a long time."

About what?", I asked puzzled.

He then went on to tell me that he wanted me as a girlfriend. My instincts screamed to run as I fought to stay calm. I looked at the moonlit sky filled with huge stars and sent a silent prayer for help.

My hand inched in the pocket of my black gown that I wore over my white nurse uniform .I clutched the rosary that I always traveled with and prayed, "Queen of Angels!Queen of virgins! Protect me. God! Help me!".

I looked at Faya sitting there with 2 guns,a sash of bullets and a wicked knife on his

side.What hope did I have?

As I looked at him a strange warmth enveloped me. As if I was being covered by a warm blanket. My mind became razor sharp and calm at the same time. I started speaking to Faya in eloquent Arabic that I did not know but for some strange reason could understand. I heard myself talking with a wisdom beyond my years. I asked him 5 minutes of his time and dissuaded him from hurting me. I appealed to his sense of religion, spirituality, reminded him of his daughter who was my age and asked him to ask himself if what he wanted to do was right? I told him that I still trusted him to do the right thing. I told him that now it was his decision to make, whether he touched me or not or took me back home.

I then stayed silent. It was the longest five minutes of my life. There was no place to run or hide. I ,the youngest of 10 children, loved and protected all through out my life was all by myself. Only God could change his mind!

When he looked up at me, he had tears in his eyes. He apologized for frightening me, asked my pardon and then turned on the ambulance. We were home in an hour. I went to my room, locked the door, sank on the floor and wept. I was so scared. I did not tell anyone of this incident. I left Saudi a few months later.

I later came to New York and now I am settled here. When my sister visited me she gave me my first angel as a gift. Since then I have been collecting them. I have an unusual liking for angels with big,intricate wings. I know it is because I felt their power and protection one starry night in a desert!

The Desert Angel

About spotangel, DNP, RN, NP

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