An Unsafe Haven. Nada Jarrar Awar

halt. Hannah and Peter run towards the child, gesturing to the vehicles on either side of the road to stop.

      The driver of the four-wheel drive walks over to them.

      —What happened? he asks anxiously. I swear I didn’t see him until it was too late.

      People get out of their cars and come up to see what has happened.

      Peter bends down to check on the boy as the mother tries to pick her son up, her wailing overwhelming the commotion around them. Hannah holds her back.

      —My husband is a doctor, she says in a firm voice. Let him take care of your son.

      Someone pulls the woman further away and she stands at a distance, whimpering quietly now.

      —What was the child doing in the middle of the road? someone protests.

      —They should have a policeman at this junction, another man says. It’s getting dangerous.

      —It’s dangerous because these people insist on accosting us and begging for money.

      —Is the child all right? Shouldn’t someone take him to hospital?

      Hannah squats down beside Peter and watches him check the child’s pulse and gently pull up one of his eyelids. The little boy begins to stir.

      Moments later, Peter turns to Hannah.

      —I think he’s going to be OK. But it would be a good idea to take him to A & E to be properly checked. He has to be kept awake for a while to make sure he’s not concussed and that the shock hasn’t been too much for him.

      He lifts the child off the ground and feels the back of his head.