Fic: Hope for Healing - Chapter 19
Title: Hope for Healing - Chapter 19
Author: wastingyourgum
Characters/Pairings: Djaq, Will, Robin, Much, Little John, Matilda
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama, Angst
Words: 2182
Disclaimer: BBC & TA own anything you find familiar.
Notes: I know, I know - it's been forever. I'm sorry. Thank you for waiting - and thank you to my wonderful betas jagnikjen and robinfanatic for the continued encouragement. Only a few more to go...
Summary: The outlaws' camp receives some unexpected night-time visitors...
>>>------------------------------>
Previous Chapter
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CHAPTER 19
Though she would never admit it, Djaq could not deny it was comforting to see the relief on Will's face as she and Robin finally arrived back at the camp.
Will's expression switched to one of concern as he saw the blood on her clothes. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
Much came bounding up to Robin. "Master - you were gone so long... How is Marian? Did you see her? Has Djaq made her better?"
Robin held up his hands in an attempt to get a word in edgewise. "No, Much... There was an accident in Locksley which Djaq had to attend." He put his arm around Much's shoulders and steered him away towards the kitchen leaving Will and Djaq alone.
"An accident?" Will said.
"Yes. A child was hit in the head by a flail. She died."
"Whose child?"
Djaq had forgotten that Will knew everybody in Locksley as a friend and neighbour, not just another villager to be handed coin or food. "Abigail Weaver's youngest."
"Issy?"
Djaq nodded. "Yes."
"Poor Abby - she'd wanted a girl for so long," Will said sadly. He stepped forward and, without once glancing behind him to check where Robin and Much were, wrapped his arms around Djaq. "You must be exhausted."
Djaq closed her eyes and allowed herself to lean into his embrace. "I will certainly have no problems sleeping tonight," she admitted.
"Good. I know you've not been sleeping well since...these past few days," Will said. "Why don't you change out of that shirt and I'll fetch you something to eat?"
"Thank you."
After dinner they settled into their evening routine; Much cleared away the rest of their meal and washed the dishes, Will sat down with Robin in the main part of the camp to work on fletching some more arrows and Djaq sat by the fire at the camp entrance and tried to stop thinking quite so much.
"Here."
Djaq started in surprise. She had been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't even heard Much approaching. She had only meant to sit for a few minutes before turning in.
Much held out a cup to her. "I got fresh milk from Clun earlier. I warmed some - to help you sleep."
"Thank you, Much." She took it and smiled at him as he sat down beside her.
"Robin told me what happened in Locksley," Much said. "I'm sorry."
Djaq sighed. She stared into the fire again as she sipped at the soothing liquid. "There was not much I could do - except make sure she was in as little pain as possible."
"Still - that can't have been easy. It's hard when things like that happen and you... you think you should be able to do something about it and you can't."
Djaq nodded. "I remember the first time I was assisting my father and his patient died. Until then I thought he could cure anybody."
Much was about to speak again when they were both startled by the swishing noise of the camp door swinging up and open.
Djaq's stomach tightened in anticipation. Only two people were not present who knew the camp's location. Marian was ill - and also very unlikely to visit at this time of night - which only left Allan. The question was, had he come alone or brought his new friends with him?
A large figure shuffled forward into the firelight. It was an apparition straight from Djaq's recent nightmares; John - fresh from the grave, clad only in his leggings and with a filthy shroud thrown around his shoulders. His face and body were marked with deep bruises and his pale skin was streaked with dirt and blood running down his body from his neck. He held out his hand towards her and opened his mouth but no words came out.
Djaq barely noticed as the cup of milk slipped from her hands and dropped to the ground, spilling its contents over the dry earth. The rational part of her brain was screaming at her that it could not be a ghost and she so wanted to believe it was really him...but John could not be here. She had seen him die.
There was a muffled thump beside her, made by Much falling off his seat in a dead faint.
"Bugger." The apparition stumbled forward and fell to its knees beside Much, rolling him away from the fire before he hurt himself.
Djaq laughed in disbelief at the quiet curse word. Living or dead it was definitely John.
She got down on her knees beside him, reached out and touched his arm. His skin was cold but it wasn't the cold of a corpse - it was the cold of a living, breathing body not wearing enough on a cool summer's night. She laughed again but it became a sob halfway out of her mouth and tears pricked the corners of her eyes. "John..."
John looked across at her and smiled. "Hello, Djaq." His voice was even gruffer than she remembered and so hoarse she could barely hear him.
A loud scream from below them made them both jump.
Much's face was a mask of terror as he stared up at the figure leaning over him. "No, no, no, no..." He sat up and scrambled backwards into the camp in a panic, shaking his head.
John was startled by Much's reaction. "Much..."
"Much - Much, it's all right. He's not a ghost," Djaq tried to explain.
Robin and Will appeared at the other side of the fire with their weapons at the ready, roused by the commotion.
Much's back bumped up against Robin's legs and his head snapped round to look up at Robin in alarm.
Robin lowered his sword and put his hand on Much's shoulder to reassure him.
Much clutched Robin's hand in his and pointed with a shaking finger to the large figure kneeling next to Djaq in the firelight.
Robin stared at him and blinked several times as if unwilling to believe his eyes. "John?"
Will's face had turned white and his eyes were large with shock. "It can't be."
John nodded. "I didn't mean to frighten you... Should've thought, sor--" His head dropped and he coughed as his voice failed him before he could finish his apology.
Robin helped Much to his feet.
Much looked very embarrassed but not yet fully convinced either. "You... You can't be... They killed you. Gisborne slit your throat. We all saw him."
"It was a trick," John explained wearily. He looked up at them all. "Please. I'm no ghost, I promise."
Will stepped forward and reached down to touch John's face. He laughed as he felt for himself the very real flesh and blood under his fingers. The noise broke the tension in the camp and they all smiled as Will threw his arms around John and hugged him.
John groaned and Djaq shooed Will away. She noticed the splints on John's fingers for the first time. "You are hurt. What have they done to you?"
"Damn near everything they could think of," John grumbled. "I'd be dead for real if it weren't for my guardian angel." He turned his head and looked back to the camp entrance where Matilda stood watching the reunion with a large smile.
"Matilda." Robin strode over to her and wrapped her in a huge hug. "We thought you'd moved away."
"Lucky for this big ox I hadn't, eh?"
"But what are you doing here?"
"How did you find John?"
"Were you in the castle?"
"Where is Rosa?"
The questions flew thick and fast as Matilda held her hands up. "Shush, shush, shush. There'll be plenty of time to answer questions in the morning. For now, if you'd like John to stay alive, I suggest we get him to his bed. He's had a rough couple of days."
Much and Will came forward and helped John get to his feet. They supported his weight between them as they walked to his bunk.
Matilda turned to Robin. "You'll be pleased to hear we both escaped with a little help from Marian - who has been unwell but is much recovered now."
"Marian?" Robin exclaimed.
Matilda nodded. "That's what I said."
John sat down on his bunk and nodded his thanks to Will and Much. His face was pale and drawn and his breathing was laboured.
Djaq had been carefully watching him. She was concerned at how much pain that short walk seemed to have caused him. Will and Much also exchanged worried glances.
"So where is she?" Robin asked as he looked around.
"Marian went back to the castle," John replied.
"And you let her? John, what were you thinking?" Robin burst out.
John hung his head. He opened his mouth to answer but Matilda beat him to it.
"He wasn't thinking anything. He was stone cold dead at the time," she snapped. "Marian was determined to go back for her maid's sake - and even if John had been awake and at full strength I doubt he'd have been able to stop her." She poked her finger into Robin's chest. "You of all people should know how hard it is to change Marian's mind once it's made up."
It was Robin's turn to hang his head in the face of Matilda's scolding. "Yes... Sorry, John."
Djaq went to her bed to fetch her medicines and returned as Matilda was lifting the rough blanket from John's shoulders. Djaq could not stop the small gasp of dismay that escaped her lips when the extent of John's injuries became clearer. "Oh, John."
"Aye - you're going to have your work cut out for you for a while, that's for sure," Matilda told her. "Lie down, John."
She helped John lie down on his right side, facing the wall of the camp. The worst of the damage - the burns, the broken fingers, his black eye - was on his left side.
Matilda and Djaq started looking at the cuts on John's back but the others stood around, paralysed by the realisation of what John must have gone through over the past few days.
"Is there... Is there anything we can do to help?" Robin asked.
"Not really," Matilda replied. "As long as there's plenty of water on the fire we should be fine. You lads should get some sleep." She turned back to her patient and gave a small chuckle. "Sounds like John's got a head start on you."
John's deepened breathing gave away the fact he had fallen asleep almost as soon as he'd laid his head down.
"Will he be all right?" Much asked.
Matilda shrugged. "Too soon to tell. Other than his fingers there's no broken bones, which is a small mercy. It's his head you'll need to look out for."
Much peered closer. "His head doesn't look too bad."
"She means the inside, Much," Robin said.
Matilda sighed. "John's tougher than most but Baldy will have got in there at least a little bit."
Robin's face darkened. "Vaizey and Gisborne are going to pay for this."
Will and Much murmured their agreement.
"I hope so," Matilda said. "But getting John better should be your first job, not that. So let me and Djaq take care of what we can now and we'll talk more in the morning."
Djaq pulled two stools over for her and Matilda to sit on and they set to work as the men drifted away to their bunks.
Djaq listened to Matilda's hushed voice explaining all of John's visible injuries and their causes, where known. She knew none of the men were asleep but the whispering was more for John's privacy than to afford peace for the other outlaws. She fought against the heaviness in her eyes as long as possible but, after a while, the details of knife cuts, whip cuts, bruises from batons, bruises from fists, rope burns, metal burns, broken bones and broken skin all began to merge into each other.
She was startled awake by Will shaking her shoulder. She had fallen asleep propped against John's bed, with a roll of bandages still in her hand.
Will helped her up and guided her over to her bunk. He gave her a small smile as he returned to his own bed.
Djaq rolled on to her side to look back across the camp. The empty space opposite was filled again. John was back where he should be, safe if not unharmed, and tomorrow they would begin in earnest the slow task of bringing him back completely.
She could not help but glance to the other empty bunk which presumably would become Matilda's later, even if only for tonight. Had Allan had anything to do with John's captivity and torture? She could not believe that would be the case but she would not find out for sure until they got more details from John and Matilda in the morning.
In the meantime Djaq's eyes closed again on the sight of Matilda, half-lit by firelight and working on by herself...
>>>------------------------------>
Next Chapter
>>>------------------------------>
Author: wastingyourgum
Characters/Pairings: Djaq, Will, Robin, Much, Little John, Matilda
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama, Angst
Words: 2182
Disclaimer: BBC & TA own anything you find familiar.
Notes: I know, I know - it's been forever. I'm sorry. Thank you for waiting - and thank you to my wonderful betas jagnikjen and robinfanatic for the continued encouragement. Only a few more to go...
Summary: The outlaws' camp receives some unexpected night-time visitors...
>>>------------------------------>
Previous Chapter
>>>------------------------------>
CHAPTER 19
Though she would never admit it, Djaq could not deny it was comforting to see the relief on Will's face as she and Robin finally arrived back at the camp.
Will's expression switched to one of concern as he saw the blood on her clothes. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
Much came bounding up to Robin. "Master - you were gone so long... How is Marian? Did you see her? Has Djaq made her better?"
Robin held up his hands in an attempt to get a word in edgewise. "No, Much... There was an accident in Locksley which Djaq had to attend." He put his arm around Much's shoulders and steered him away towards the kitchen leaving Will and Djaq alone.
"An accident?" Will said.
"Yes. A child was hit in the head by a flail. She died."
"Whose child?"
Djaq had forgotten that Will knew everybody in Locksley as a friend and neighbour, not just another villager to be handed coin or food. "Abigail Weaver's youngest."
"Issy?"
Djaq nodded. "Yes."
"Poor Abby - she'd wanted a girl for so long," Will said sadly. He stepped forward and, without once glancing behind him to check where Robin and Much were, wrapped his arms around Djaq. "You must be exhausted."
Djaq closed her eyes and allowed herself to lean into his embrace. "I will certainly have no problems sleeping tonight," she admitted.
"Good. I know you've not been sleeping well since...these past few days," Will said. "Why don't you change out of that shirt and I'll fetch you something to eat?"
"Thank you."
After dinner they settled into their evening routine; Much cleared away the rest of their meal and washed the dishes, Will sat down with Robin in the main part of the camp to work on fletching some more arrows and Djaq sat by the fire at the camp entrance and tried to stop thinking quite so much.
"Here."
Djaq started in surprise. She had been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't even heard Much approaching. She had only meant to sit for a few minutes before turning in.
Much held out a cup to her. "I got fresh milk from Clun earlier. I warmed some - to help you sleep."
"Thank you, Much." She took it and smiled at him as he sat down beside her.
"Robin told me what happened in Locksley," Much said. "I'm sorry."
Djaq sighed. She stared into the fire again as she sipped at the soothing liquid. "There was not much I could do - except make sure she was in as little pain as possible."
"Still - that can't have been easy. It's hard when things like that happen and you... you think you should be able to do something about it and you can't."
Djaq nodded. "I remember the first time I was assisting my father and his patient died. Until then I thought he could cure anybody."
Much was about to speak again when they were both startled by the swishing noise of the camp door swinging up and open.
Djaq's stomach tightened in anticipation. Only two people were not present who knew the camp's location. Marian was ill - and also very unlikely to visit at this time of night - which only left Allan. The question was, had he come alone or brought his new friends with him?
A large figure shuffled forward into the firelight. It was an apparition straight from Djaq's recent nightmares; John - fresh from the grave, clad only in his leggings and with a filthy shroud thrown around his shoulders. His face and body were marked with deep bruises and his pale skin was streaked with dirt and blood running down his body from his neck. He held out his hand towards her and opened his mouth but no words came out.
Djaq barely noticed as the cup of milk slipped from her hands and dropped to the ground, spilling its contents over the dry earth. The rational part of her brain was screaming at her that it could not be a ghost and she so wanted to believe it was really him...but John could not be here. She had seen him die.
There was a muffled thump beside her, made by Much falling off his seat in a dead faint.
"Bugger." The apparition stumbled forward and fell to its knees beside Much, rolling him away from the fire before he hurt himself.
Djaq laughed in disbelief at the quiet curse word. Living or dead it was definitely John.
She got down on her knees beside him, reached out and touched his arm. His skin was cold but it wasn't the cold of a corpse - it was the cold of a living, breathing body not wearing enough on a cool summer's night. She laughed again but it became a sob halfway out of her mouth and tears pricked the corners of her eyes. "John..."
John looked across at her and smiled. "Hello, Djaq." His voice was even gruffer than she remembered and so hoarse she could barely hear him.
A loud scream from below them made them both jump.
Much's face was a mask of terror as he stared up at the figure leaning over him. "No, no, no, no..." He sat up and scrambled backwards into the camp in a panic, shaking his head.
John was startled by Much's reaction. "Much..."
"Much - Much, it's all right. He's not a ghost," Djaq tried to explain.
Robin and Will appeared at the other side of the fire with their weapons at the ready, roused by the commotion.
Much's back bumped up against Robin's legs and his head snapped round to look up at Robin in alarm.
Robin lowered his sword and put his hand on Much's shoulder to reassure him.
Much clutched Robin's hand in his and pointed with a shaking finger to the large figure kneeling next to Djaq in the firelight.
Robin stared at him and blinked several times as if unwilling to believe his eyes. "John?"
Will's face had turned white and his eyes were large with shock. "It can't be."
John nodded. "I didn't mean to frighten you... Should've thought, sor--" His head dropped and he coughed as his voice failed him before he could finish his apology.
Robin helped Much to his feet.
Much looked very embarrassed but not yet fully convinced either. "You... You can't be... They killed you. Gisborne slit your throat. We all saw him."
"It was a trick," John explained wearily. He looked up at them all. "Please. I'm no ghost, I promise."
Will stepped forward and reached down to touch John's face. He laughed as he felt for himself the very real flesh and blood under his fingers. The noise broke the tension in the camp and they all smiled as Will threw his arms around John and hugged him.
John groaned and Djaq shooed Will away. She noticed the splints on John's fingers for the first time. "You are hurt. What have they done to you?"
"Damn near everything they could think of," John grumbled. "I'd be dead for real if it weren't for my guardian angel." He turned his head and looked back to the camp entrance where Matilda stood watching the reunion with a large smile.
"Matilda." Robin strode over to her and wrapped her in a huge hug. "We thought you'd moved away."
"Lucky for this big ox I hadn't, eh?"
"But what are you doing here?"
"How did you find John?"
"Were you in the castle?"
"Where is Rosa?"
The questions flew thick and fast as Matilda held her hands up. "Shush, shush, shush. There'll be plenty of time to answer questions in the morning. For now, if you'd like John to stay alive, I suggest we get him to his bed. He's had a rough couple of days."
Much and Will came forward and helped John get to his feet. They supported his weight between them as they walked to his bunk.
Matilda turned to Robin. "You'll be pleased to hear we both escaped with a little help from Marian - who has been unwell but is much recovered now."
"Marian?" Robin exclaimed.
Matilda nodded. "That's what I said."
John sat down on his bunk and nodded his thanks to Will and Much. His face was pale and drawn and his breathing was laboured.
Djaq had been carefully watching him. She was concerned at how much pain that short walk seemed to have caused him. Will and Much also exchanged worried glances.
"So where is she?" Robin asked as he looked around.
"Marian went back to the castle," John replied.
"And you let her? John, what were you thinking?" Robin burst out.
John hung his head. He opened his mouth to answer but Matilda beat him to it.
"He wasn't thinking anything. He was stone cold dead at the time," she snapped. "Marian was determined to go back for her maid's sake - and even if John had been awake and at full strength I doubt he'd have been able to stop her." She poked her finger into Robin's chest. "You of all people should know how hard it is to change Marian's mind once it's made up."
It was Robin's turn to hang his head in the face of Matilda's scolding. "Yes... Sorry, John."
Djaq went to her bed to fetch her medicines and returned as Matilda was lifting the rough blanket from John's shoulders. Djaq could not stop the small gasp of dismay that escaped her lips when the extent of John's injuries became clearer. "Oh, John."
"Aye - you're going to have your work cut out for you for a while, that's for sure," Matilda told her. "Lie down, John."
She helped John lie down on his right side, facing the wall of the camp. The worst of the damage - the burns, the broken fingers, his black eye - was on his left side.
Matilda and Djaq started looking at the cuts on John's back but the others stood around, paralysed by the realisation of what John must have gone through over the past few days.
"Is there... Is there anything we can do to help?" Robin asked.
"Not really," Matilda replied. "As long as there's plenty of water on the fire we should be fine. You lads should get some sleep." She turned back to her patient and gave a small chuckle. "Sounds like John's got a head start on you."
John's deepened breathing gave away the fact he had fallen asleep almost as soon as he'd laid his head down.
"Will he be all right?" Much asked.
Matilda shrugged. "Too soon to tell. Other than his fingers there's no broken bones, which is a small mercy. It's his head you'll need to look out for."
Much peered closer. "His head doesn't look too bad."
"She means the inside, Much," Robin said.
Matilda sighed. "John's tougher than most but Baldy will have got in there at least a little bit."
Robin's face darkened. "Vaizey and Gisborne are going to pay for this."
Will and Much murmured their agreement.
"I hope so," Matilda said. "But getting John better should be your first job, not that. So let me and Djaq take care of what we can now and we'll talk more in the morning."
Djaq pulled two stools over for her and Matilda to sit on and they set to work as the men drifted away to their bunks.
Djaq listened to Matilda's hushed voice explaining all of John's visible injuries and their causes, where known. She knew none of the men were asleep but the whispering was more for John's privacy than to afford peace for the other outlaws. She fought against the heaviness in her eyes as long as possible but, after a while, the details of knife cuts, whip cuts, bruises from batons, bruises from fists, rope burns, metal burns, broken bones and broken skin all began to merge into each other.
She was startled awake by Will shaking her shoulder. She had fallen asleep propped against John's bed, with a roll of bandages still in her hand.
Will helped her up and guided her over to her bunk. He gave her a small smile as he returned to his own bed.
Djaq rolled on to her side to look back across the camp. The empty space opposite was filled again. John was back where he should be, safe if not unharmed, and tomorrow they would begin in earnest the slow task of bringing him back completely.
She could not help but glance to the other empty bunk which presumably would become Matilda's later, even if only for tonight. Had Allan had anything to do with John's captivity and torture? She could not believe that would be the case but she would not find out for sure until they got more details from John and Matilda in the morning.
In the meantime Djaq's eyes closed again on the sight of Matilda, half-lit by firelight and working on by herself...
>>>------------------------------>
Next Chapter
>>>------------------------------>