Stitch in Time𓃒 𝐉. 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐫

XV. Surgery

(unedited)

"The bannocks should last a day or two between the two of you, and the cheese will keep for a week," Mrs. Fitz spoke, walking down the steps with Claire in front and Roselyn behind her as they gathered all they needed for the trip on the wagon.

"You've been too kind, Mrs. Fitzgibbons," Claire mused, Roselyn patting the smaller lady on the head gratefully - earning a confused expression in return. Roselyn shrugged, giving a meek smile to the older lady who had seen her scars the other day yet never judged.

"We can't thank you enough," Claire continued, a smile beaming onto her face, holding onto the basket that Mrs. Fitz had given them only moments before on the crook of her elbow. "Think nothing o' it, Lass."

"Safe journeys to ye," Mrs. Fitz wished, holding each girl by their cheek carefully. Roselyn nodded in appreciation, her blue eyes softening at the care that swirled in the other lady's brown orbs.

Roselyn was the first to move away, her white hair flowing in the slight breeze and over her face as she turned around and she wished that she was just seeing things through her hair, frowning.

"Please don't tell me I can see the old, grouchy bald man we talked to the other day and it's just a figment of my cruel imagination," she said to Claire, who turned as well to get into the back of the cart.

She reached up and pushed it out of her way, her face dropped in disappointment seeing the familiar bearded man on the side of the wagon. "I suppose my imagination isn't so cruel, and it's my reality instead," she mumbled, raising an eyebrow at the man who just smirked at her comments.

"Colum wishes to see ye both."

Dougal heaved himself off of the side of the wooden cart and walked past the two women who glanced at him with confusion. "Why?" 

The bald man paused, taking it upon himself to make eye contact with Claire as he scuffed his shoes on the ground as he halted. "It doesna matter why."

Roselyn caught sight of Claire's nervous fiddle of her finger and stepped closer to her friend automatically. "Alright," Claire agreed on the behalf of the two of them, walking forward to follow after the taller man.

"We will be back shortly," Rose informed the driver, who nodded at the unique appearance of the woman and went back to brushing the horse at the front that would be carrying everything along the way.

They were lead along the pathway of the castle, going deeper in the castle that Roselyn recognised was the same hallway that Claire had stopped Roselyn from following her and her husband, Frank back in the future.

Claire must've realised too, as she stopped walking, tensing up in alarm - her head jutting upwards. Roselyn's eyebrows furrowed in concern, knowing what it was like to have flashbacks - guaranteed her's wasn't about running through a historical castle, but it wasn't pleasant. 

Especially if the people you miss were in them.

Dougal turned around, noticing that he wasn't being followed by either of them and stood in question as the dark-haired, older woman stood in distraught and the other stood at her side - hands close to touching the other but not quite as if afraid to touch her whilst in such a state.

"Is something wrong?"

Roselyn's blue gaze snapped to Dougal's form and glared - chewing on the inside of her cheek. "No," Claire said, breaking the tense atmosphere that had been created between the three of them.

Dougal opened the door to the chamber Roselyn never got to see back in their supposed time and stepped in front of Claire who was currently massaging her own hands in a sense of comfort before pushing past the Scottish man who was definitely not in the good books with Roselyn for many reasons.