S12 - After Will's Fight

Will felt a little lightheaded as he walked to Tash.  Finally, he thought, he arrived, then sat  on the back of the wagon, where she was standing by Tom.

"Tash, are you okay?"  Will's head started swimming.

Tash grabbed Will's arm and gasped just as Aurora arrived.  "Aurora, that's pretty deep, and he's still bleeding.  Will, I'm fine, and for that matter, so are you.  We need to fix something, though."  Tash started removing Will's shirt.

Aurora looked at Will's arm.  "Pretty deep, indeed."  She went into the wagon, and emerged with a cloth, a bottle of whiskey, and a needle and thread.  "Tom, get rid of the bystanders.  We don't need an audience."  Then to Will, "Here, take a few good long drinks of this."

Aurora fashioned a torniquet around Will's arm above the wound as he drank.  After he finished and handed it back to her, she looked at him, "Dear, I'm very sorry, but you're going to feel this a bit.  So, brace yourself."

Aurora poured some of the whiskey over the wound and Will cringed in pain.  Then she started stitching it.  Will was awake through the whole procedure, and, as Aurora had warned, not at all comfortable.  Finally she finished, pouring water over the wound, and wrapped a bandage around it.

Tom raised an eyebrow.  "Tough one, isn't he?"

Aurora looked at Tom.  "It's a good thing.  He needs a good drink of water right now.  The headache he wakes with is going to be bad enough without it."

Tash had been ready with the water and gave it to Will.  "Drink, please.  You'll thank us tomorrow."

Will took the drink and downed it wordlessly.  Tash followed with another.

"Now rest," Aurora said, "And don't move your arm."

When Will awoke, he was back in the small room at the inn.  His arm was bandaged and in a sling.  His head hurt.  Will used his eyes to slowly take in his surroundings.  Once again in the room he and Tom had attempted to leave earlier; the same small wooden room with a bed, a table, and a chair that fit comfortably.  Once again, Tom's cot occupied a space against the wall, parallel to the bed, leaving enough room between the two for them to get up.  Tom was lounging on his own cot, and Aurora was sitting in a chair next to Will's.  Tom got up and laid a hand on Will's chest.  "Don't try to move.  You may open your arm again.  Trust me, you don't want to do that."

Will's head hurt too much for him to protest.  "My head ..."

"Ah know," Tom said to Will.  "Been through it m'self.  Food and drink, then some more rest."

Will finally noticed Aurora watching.  Aurora smiled.  "Good morning, Dear."

Will tried to smile, but managed a grimace.

"Tom, could you be so kind as to see about getting Will something to eat?"

Tom nodded, then left the room.

Will looked at Aurora.  "Thank you."

Aurora walked around to Will's good side, smiled, and took his hand.  "Lucky."

Will looked at her again.  "Yeah, it's a good thing I had someone to patch me up."

Aurora laughed.  "That too, I suppose."  There was a hint of tears.  She had been worried, and finally felt some relief.  "Whatever possessed you to ... oh, I can't ask right now.  I'm just happy you're alright.  Well, except for the arm."

Will looked.  "It'll be fine.  I owe you one for that."

"No, Will, you don't."

Both of them were quiet, and squeezed their hands together.

Aurora looked at Will.  "Will, I've been thinking a bit; actually, a lot.  It's about you, actually.  Well, I don't like dancing around much, and I wanted to come out and say this, but I can't seem to."

Will looked back.

"What I mean to say is..."

Tom returned with some stew, and a glass, saw the two holding hands, raised an eyebrow, nodded thoughtfully, and put the bowl down.

"Beef stew.  Pro'ly best thing for ye.  The worst part is sitting."

Will had a distinct feeling of vertigo as he was sat upright, even though Tom and Aurora worked as slow and gently as they could.  When the wave passed, Tom looked at him.  "The worst is over."  Tom handed the bowl to Aurora, and Will took it, guiding it down to his lap.  "'Rory, go get some rest.  He's alright."

Aurora left the room.  While Will started eating, Tom stood looking out the window of the room.  As usual, the two were quiet.  Tom, uncharacteristically, broke the silence.  "I thought you should know.  She's been in that chair all night."

"What?"

"She wanted someone watching ye.  An' she wanted to see ye wake up.  Thought ye left yer blood all over the street."

"From a scratch?"

Tom turned.  "I've seen scratches."  He seemed to have a new respect for Will.  "No, ye didn't see what that longsword did."  Pausing, he said, "It's not what they do."  Tom reached to Will's old shirt and tossed it at him.  "Somethin' to remember."

Will looked at the shirt, and saw the sleeve that had been around his now-wounded arm had been sliced nearly halfway through the section covering the bicep.  Below the slice, the shirt, once white, was a blood-stained red.

Tom spoke what Will was thinking.  "Lucky."