Surgeons shop

He gazed at the letter that was near finished and smiled to himself, for another piece had been signed. The hardest still waiting, but now was not the time to inquire. Not when they have just come from the French and they had a prisoner and there was worry that had risen thanks to the first.

"..Have you heard of... the incident in town, sir?" He began, for if he were to explain the circumstances, perhaps he would be able somehow to support his reasons.

Rob looked up carefully, "The men hardly talk ter me about incidents, sir, unless they wont' me help. Seem ter think me a bit of a moralist." He grinned, to show no hard feelings, and placed the paper on the table near the lad. "Should I have?"

"...Well.. it had involved a horse.. and a lieutenant.. that had.." He hesitated:" Been wronged by that horse. And in that he had found reason that he was to be perhaps in danger of holding a grudge and seeking justice where there is none such,.. against the said owner of the horse." he looked at the surgeon and wondered if what he had said made any sense to the man.

"..Though his accusations were. furthest from the truth.. they brought to light...." And he went silent, for he reminded himself that first the surgeon ought to have aknowledged understandinng of what he had already learned.

Rob pushed his chair back and went to sit by the lads side, "Oh, aye? seems even here we aren't free from politics." he smiled. Leaned forwards, "Do please go on... I wont' be telling no one if I can help it."

He sighed for he remembered how angry the accusations had made him, and how deep they've struck his pride. This and the order that he were to wipe the officer's shoes clean, while still on their feet, had made the boy close to doing a thing he would have regretted most.

"..They brought to light the manner in which things could be seen, thoughts twisted.. misunderstood as is in the nature of man." He spoke solemnly, his voice carying an air of anger and laced with sadness.

" I've.., I have played the game while I should have rested.. and this made him suggest that I was not as injured as I claimed to be, and that I did not return to my Troops not because of my injury.. but because I had meant to desert." A terrible accusation, and it still felt so hard to speak of it.

".. It isn't true.. but as you thought I've had strange reasons to ask you to write me a report... so he suggested and speculated on my guilt." His frown deepened, and he looked tired, weary of all that had come and had gone in the past few days and perhaps even weeks.

Rob nodded gently and touched the mns hand, "Tis a hard thing fer a man ter have thrown at him, lad, specially when there do be little reason for't." He eyed the body stretched out afore him and bent to the floor, coming up with a blanket, "Throw this over ye, and grab some kip, if ye need it... though I'd like ter hear ye keep talking, tis my first duty to yer ankle and I'm afeared that wore ye out." Carefully he arranged the light blanket around his patients ankle so it was warm, but not heavy on the foot.

"It is not my ankle, sir." He smiled and he felt warmer. His ankle no better, it was atleast secured now. Still he had to stiffle a sound and force himself not to wince. "I did not take the path to follow the first, but..it was so that at first I have been dazed and lost.." Which he was hard to admit.:" And so I have thought I've taken a wrong path, till I turned..." He felt humble at telling this all.

And he found himself again scattered in the story, neither beginning not at the end, but somewhere inbetween, so that it made less sense. With a frown and scowl at himself and a look to Sinclair just to see if the man was not yet bored and might wish to depart, he began: "..Best start where it's due." The corners of his lips curved upwards in a made smile.

"What brought me here, was indeed the fault of myself and the French." He pulled at the blanket just so that it covered him more, and he hoped to ask for some thread and a needle so that he could have his breeches in an order that did not demand holding them up.

"We've been scouting further from our troop. About ten of us. Didn't really think there'd be much trouble. We've had the area covered before, you know. Burlingame was in a fair good mood, had us entertained with a story of his time. We've made a chase for us, very confident.. perhaps too so, that we were as safe as if we were at home. "


" Clapp came ahead as agreed and we were goin' to go after him when he comes runnin' back. And he was yelling, good lord, he was." He breathed in, remembering how the make believe chase of the enemy, under the permission of their commanding officer, swiftly turned into a meet of the true French.

"We though he was pulling a prank, he's the kind of lad that would. A year younger than myself, and with a cheeky mind. A fine horseman, if you've known any!" He spoke fondly of the lad:" A fair mouth too." The boy was talented to make a story so believable and yet so long that he would silence even the most persistant of hussars. "Anyhow.. we hear the shouts and hooves and are surprised, for we haven't smelled them." But the wind was blowing into their backs, and was a strong kind."

"So they come around thinking they've found themselves a stray cavalry boy, just to see us standing there, sabres drawn and carbines loaded. Now Burlingame shouts and sure as rain, we engage and.."He flushed and he grinned:" We've set chase on their tails! One after each. As surprised as they too! Kerr, Burlingame got themselves a pair."

His grin fading:" But it wasn't them all that came after Clapp. Come the bend and we came to face the rest. Still, the chase had felt so invigorating that we were sure we could take them all on."

" I do remember that I've engaged two of them..or perhaps they've engaged me. Fought pretty even like. Came all blank from there." He shook his head:" I remember only waking, and dazed .. to seeing that I was alone. And.. me horse.. was on me leg."

(that was hard to write xD. hope it's fair enough!)

Robert had sat still during the account, quietely listening, and also watching the mans general attitude- he knew from experience that recounting a story when ye were injured wasn't the easiest, though twas often the best way for him to get any information available.

"Well, lad, ye needen't heap any blame on anyone, ye ken. The thrill of the chase has done many men worse injuries.... with them unable ter remember even who they are." He eyed the mans skull carefully though "D'ye ken why yer mates weren't with ye?" He avoided the topic of the horse for now, for reasons either humane or lazy he wasn't sure, just yet.

"With me? When I woke up?" He kept still so that the surgeon could have his way around his scalp. " I reckon that they did not come back....I don't know. Perhaps they have thought me for dead, perhaps they were still on the chase.." He shrugged his shoulders lightly and it was the first time he had considered it. He frowned and lowered his gaze, remembering the faces of his friends and fellow soldiers. Why hadn't they come back? Even just to bury him or atleast to take from his horse what they could use. The belongings that they could spend. There must have been a reason that they haven't returned.

Was he to soon in leaving? Woke early after. Perhaps he was not unconscious for as long as he thought. He placed a hand to his temple and winced. It hurt. "..I don't know, sir."

Robert stood and moved close enough to touch the mans head himself, "Headache?" he asked, briefly, feeling for any fever. He thought for a second, "Well, they had their reasons, I'm sure, lad. I'd be betting they were still in the chase, or taken up somehow like that. It normally happens they come back, no?"

He turned away, ostensibly to get some water onto a cloth, which he had to do by pouring some over a cloth held outside, but also to let the man have a break from this possibly frustrating ordeal. He had no wish to harm his patients in any way. "D'ye want anything, lad?" He asked, crouching to peer at the head of his storyteller.

[nono, this is good- and better out than in, too!]

"..Headache... yes." He murmured in reply and was grateful for a small break. He breathed in. They must've still been on the chase. How unfortunate that they've missed each other. Perhaps they thought he was taken by the French when they returned and there was but a dead horse on the floor. Bayard.

He stirred from his thoughts to the question and flushed:
"...sir.?...Oh...would there be a needle I could borrow. I've against a habit to hold my garments in place by hand." He murmured, subdued, yet thankful. "And, have you anything to drink?"

Rob draped the cloth over the mans temples, "Ye leave that there and ye'll feel better in no time," and again stood, knees clicking. "I'm loath ter give ye anything but water, lad, but I'll give ye plenty of it... and a needle and thread, once ye've drunk."
Carefully he poured half a mugfull of water and then added, "Though ye'll have ter take care not ter poke yeself while stitching, unless ye'll risk yer ankle in taking off those clothes."

"If you were to help me, sir.. I'd rather not to find a needle where it's not meant to be." He did not wish to disturb his ankle and less he wished to stich himself or prick himself with anything pointy and sharp.

He took the mug when offered and smiled faintly taking a sip of water. "Thank you, sir. " He touched his temple where a cloth lay. "I've no mind to know what medicine you got me. But if it cures this, I'll be glad to take more." He tipped the mug and drank more water. He hadn't minded it, not much of a drinker he found himself more often with tea than ever desiring alcohol.

Rob grinned and folded the blanket down to the lads knees. "Here, ye drink another mug of this, and I'll stitch up yer pants... and I promise not ter go sticking the needle anywhere but cloth, either."
He threaded the needle with a cotton matching the colour as closely as he could and set to work, "Ye always this hard on yer clothes, lad?"

He looked down at the surgeon and found himself chuckling:" No sir. I'd have to say.. that we pride ourselves in our uniform and take good care not to have it suffer from wear." He looked down at his pelisse and his chuckle turned into light laughter. "...Wouldn't believe if you saw this.. eh?"

The pelisse was covered in dried blood, tattered and muddy, with grass sticking out inbetween the braiding that used to be white but was now either brown, green or dark red. His trousers may have looked better,.. if slightly, but for the missing buttons. He reached into his pocket and produced those.

"...." Flustered at the task that was to be done soon: "I didn't cause my buttons to go, though. I swear."

Carefully Rob placed the buttons on the edge of the table, leaving one in his hand an lining up the outside buttonhole with this soon to be attached button. "I'm sure no-one would be wantign ter run about without buttons" he smiled, setting to work. "No doubt yer'll be wanting ter wash all that dirty braid and such?"

He concentrated on his stitching, carefully pushing the needle through firmly, so as not to loose control of any pointy needles in the wrong place.

"No, sir. Rather easy to trip without those." He observed the back of the surgeon's head and neck, as he bent over to work on the buttons. He felt like fidgeting and even had the urge to pull away each time the needle sunk into the fabric. It was nerve-breaking.


"I'd like to, yes. There is a river near by to which I could go?" There was one a day ago, but since they've been marching and privates weren't privy to maps.

Rob shook his head, reaching for the last button, "Yer ankle, me lad, ye wont' be going no where on it yet." He looked up breifly, before seeing how nervous this was making the man and carefully looking only at the needle, "But I'll get ye a wash basin and let ye sit on the tail gate, ter clean it.... Twill keep ye outta trouble, so long as ye don't fall off."

"How long till you permit me to walk, sir?" A couple of days could be two or more. He nodded to the suggested:" I hope that shall not cost me a lot more." He prefered the surgeon to look at his handy work, if only that he would not by accident slip in further.

" Are there any papers that you wish me to write, today?"

Carefully Rob tied off the last thread and cut it close, "Ye won't be walking, lad, till I say so... so don't ye go hankering after it, alright?" Then he smiled, to take any sting out of the words, "Ye could have been doing this yerself, had ye decided ter take yer pants off- ye clean t'rest of yer clothes though, and we'll call it quits on that front."
He checked the cloth on the mans head, "and I'll be giving ye plenty of papers ter write up fer me, tomorrow, when I ken yer head won't ache. D'ye want some tea?"

A frown that made him look younger than he was even, appeared on his face at the notion that the time was not set. Two days, three, or even a week. He could be sitting on his bottom doing nothing but paper work for the whole long while. A rather peculiar punishment for disobeying the doctor's orders.

"...Will I be permitted to join the 60th in camp, or am I to remain here, not walking at all, sir?" He nodded to the question then:" Tea? I would be most grateful for it." He tested the button and placed it through the hole and saw it was at a proper height and firm in its place. Splendid.

Rob, feet almost staying in the same place- a good trick when in a busy tent- made a pot of tea, setting it near the lad to cool slightly.
"Lad, I cannae make no promises. I don't won't ter have ter go back on me word, ye ken, but I'm thinking a couple of days completely of yer ankle, then I'll let ye think about getting up."
He set a clean mug down for himself and gathered the lads now empty one, "Ye mustn't think of anythign I get ye ter do as punishment, lad, I'd be wrong ter say I dinna beleive in it, but me patients tend ter punish themselves" He gestured to the bandaged ankle, "Wouldn't ye say?"
He poured a cuppa each, "WHy ye so eager ter leave, lad? AM I that bad?"

"No sir. I find your company indeed very pleasant." And boy was it the truth.

"Please I have meant no offence by my questions. Solely that I wish not to impose and take your time, that you may wish yourself, to spend differently." He smiled politely and found himself explaining a simple thing with quite too many words. "I already owe you a fortune for your hospitality, kindness and patience."

He glanced at his ankle:" I didn't injure it on purpose sir, nor have I made it worse with intention. But... perhaps your words have a point, sharp enough not to miss." He glanced to the pot, which still held inside it, searing hot tea.

He thought about the men that he saw being treated:" Have any suffered gravely, sir? Or have you been treating only mild wounds today?"

Rob seated himself with a sigh and took a sip of his own tea, "Thankfully few real problems, lad, today at least. All my patients are either here, "He nodded to the two men sitting side by side, still talking to each other, "or outside doing their duty, or some version of."

He carefully tested the temperature fo the cup around his fingers, then replaced it on the table as too hot for him to hold yet, "Lad, if I ever wanted ter have time ter meself, I'd let ye know... but I'm both used ter and capable of dealing with having people demanding me time. Not," he hastened to add, "That ye demand it, but I wouldna consider me job done if I didna spend more time with ye than with me thoughts."

"Thank you , sir." He lay his head back. The cloth felt light against his temples. The tent was not unlike any other, and crammed as it was, it felt like a pleasant little home. He placed his hand to the cup and waited a moment then decided again that a few moments more were to be spent, before the liquid could be consumed.

"Have you anything to read, that I may borrow, sir?" For the day and once the surgeon was called away, he wished to have something to busy himself. Which brought to mind the rifleman, Cotton." Oh, might you.. well you certainly do know, ... how is rifleman Cotton? His back, has it been any better?"