Unfixable

Hysteria

"This was such a good idea!" Chloe sighed as they finally returned. Gavin grumbled his agreement through the raw soreness in his stump. Maybe going into town all day hadn't been the best idea. It was the longest he'd been on his leg since it had been fitted. He was more than ready to tear it off and relax for the evening. He had his cane in one hand and a healthy stock of bags in the other. Needless to say, things had gotten out of hand. Chloe was even more laden down. He was pretty sure she'd dragged him into every store.

"Yeah...great..." She beamed despite the sarcasm. She knew he'd had fun really. He was just a little grumpy because of the leg. They'd gone to town briefly a few weeks ago to get him some smarter clothes, but this was the first time he'd spent a full afternoon walking around. He'd patiently waited as she'd tried on new clothes and shoes, and taken his time looking around for anything useful and hard-wearing he could send to Nines. Chloe did the same for Connor and Sixty. The army provided a lot of things, like shaving kits and basic rations, but there were extra little luxuries they could send.

They bought fresh underwear. Gavin knew it could be a pain to get hold of, and new sets were always useful. Soap was another luxury item that was often overlooked. He bought Nines a new comb. It was a nice little metal one that could easily be slipped into a pocket. Chloe bought Sixty a pocket knife, thinking he may find it useful in the trenches. She then bought Connor a smart little pocket book. She knew he did a lot of writing, so she was sure he'd use it. They may have gone a little overboard where food was concerned. There were little packets of boiled sweets, gummy candies, fruitcake, and biscuits. He'd learned pretty early in their search that biscuits was the word the British used for cookies. They finished the packages off with a new pack of cards for Sixty, a travel chess set for Nines, and a little book about European birds for Connor.

Gavin was going to sort out Nines' package, while Chloe would see to Connor and Sixty. They didn't want the parcels to be too big, so it made sense to package them all separately. That worked well for Gavin, because he was more than ready to hobble up to his room, toss off his leg, and stay there. He wasn't worried about dinner. They'd ended up stopping at a little pub in town, where they'd eaten a hearty meal. He wasn't sure why the British were so fond of roasting things, but they certainly did it well. His stomach was still warm and full, even an hour later.

He sighed almost forlornly as he sat on the edge of his bed, plopping the bags down beside him. He'd originally planned to only write when he got a new letter so it was a proper back and forth and he didn't seem too eager and clingy, but with Nines' response taking so long, he was going to have to break the system. As soon as I get this damned thing off, phcking Christ! He winced as he loosened the laces and finally slipped the prosthetic off. Hissing, he removed the sock-like covering as well, wincing as he examined the raw skin. His stump was a little swollen and raw around the edges. He shuffled his way further up the bed and grabbed the tub of balm from his bedside. It stung a little as he massaged it in, but he knew he'd feel better once the sting wore off.

With that done, he used the bed for support and hopped his way along to the window. Beside the window was a small writing desk, where he already had a small pile of papers and a pen left ready. He wasn't really sure what to say at first. Dear Nines. With the greeting done, he sat for a while. I should have more to say...It had been almost a month. Unfortunately, not much really happened around the mansion. Nothing positive, anyway. He bit his lip as he thought about all the things Nines would want to hear, getting his thoughts in order.

He didn't want to sound accusing, but since he didn't have Nines' latest reply, he had no idea what he'd said before. I haven't received a letter from you yet. Don't worry, Chloe told me how the post is screwed up right now. I just wanted you to know, in case you feel I've overlooked something. That didn't sound too accusing. He wasn't sure where to go next. He looked out the window at the rolling grey clouds. It hadn't rained all day, but it looked like it might that night. Wonderful...Hopefully another storm wouldn't roll in.