13 June; Visitors at Dawn

Aimes starred daggers at Torrington. Blustering even further, he wanted to say something, but found himself unable to give any adequate reply.

If that arrogant captain wanted a watch set, then he was welcome to do it himself, because neither he nor his assistants had the time to play nurse to one single rifleman. Why did the greencoats always fancy themselves the centre of the universe? The fact that one of the officers wasn't wearing green, he blithely ignored. Mr. Aimes had a rather adaptable universe; it obligingly didn't hold all those things that challenged his opinion.

Finding that his patient had provided him with a way to leave this mess behind, he brusquely turned to the stretcher.

"Pick him up!", he ordered, "He seems to have finished his tea!"

Maggie stooped to take away the cup before anyone could step on it. She gave the dog a nudge since he was lying halfway on the stretcher now.

"Just please be careful of him," she said to the surgeon, her voice mild as if she had not heard the bickering words. If this man was Newbury's surgeon, there was not much she could do to change that. She could only hope the man would not take out his frustrations on his patient.

Pye stood to the side, having observed and watched as the whole drama had played itself out. At last they would be taking the injured man back. He wondered if inquiries would be made as to who was to blame for him coming here in the first place. He doubted Newbury walked on his own.

He shifted a bit, glad to see the dog hold his distance too and since he could and would not help with carrying the man back - injury of the hand not healed fully made sure of that - he felt quite at ease just watching the bickering and waiting for the moment when they could have tea and all else was solved and done with.

Then he remembered the rumour that he had heard of what caused another injury to the rifleman. The hussars were said not to have been pleased with the punishment that they received, nor with the ball that they have lost. Perhaps they were to blame for this?

"Sir.."It was worth inquiring into. " Could it have been the members of the 15th Hussars that had done this?" Practice with trying to talk slow for Freddie was proving to be of some benefit when doing so now. "They had a brush with this man 'fore. An'..maybe.."He grew quiet then. If the officers thought it made sense they would look into it. If they did not, it was none of his business. He had tea to drink, get better and then get to Burke, his partner, providing the man with what he needed early in the morning. He did want him to be satisfied with him and thus chose to remain his partner.

They weren't moving. Damn it, what was so hard about lifting the stretcher and going back to the wagon? Newbury drew himself a little more into a ball. The tea was beginning to making his insides uncomfortable, rendering the relief of its heat meaningless. Damn it again.

If he was fit enough for it, he'd bloody walk back himself. Then again if he was fit enough to walk, he wouldn't be in this new mess at all, would he?

Edward made it a reply to Maggie's remark, but his voice held a commanding undertone, when he said:

"I'm sure he will be!"

He intended to see to that if Captain Vickery had no other orders for him.

The surgeon quickly and rather sloppy checked that Newbury was indeed still alive and laying on the stretcher, then commanded the stretcher-bearers to lift up and carry it to the waggon.

"If you have no other patients for me, Captain, we'll retire."

The thing on which he was lying was lifted suddenly and the dog kept very still. Being off the ground was unnatural but he hadn't known it would happen! All he'd thought to do was reassure the Awkward Human, who had the smell of Sickness about him. Now they were both about to be borne away to somewhere no doubt unpleasant.

The dog pressed himself against the Awkward Human and sighed. It would be his luck!