Remedy

21

Sleep was greeted with open arms, only when Dot's eyes slowly opened she remembered she hadn't freely gone to sleep. She had fainted. She had fainted all thanks to Arthur. Dot had never fainted before in her life, and the one time she did was because of him.

Looking to the side Dot eyed up the sleeping nurses, the day shift nurses all slept soundly, every so often they would twitch and mutter in their sleep and then fall silent again.

Pushing herself up she ventured out of the room and walked along the clean corridor. A set of stairs greeted her and she swiftly walked down them quietly. Looking over her shoulder, Dot grimaced slightly, looking down at herself she ran a hand down her face.

She was still covered in mud, as such the dried mud had started to flake and left a flaky mud trail behind her. Shaking her head Dot continued on her way, every so often she would hide in a room which was being used as a ward only to avoid a nurse.

As childish and silly as that sounded she didn't want to be caught out and sent back upstairs. Right now, Dot needed more than anything, to see her twin. She had gone weeks without sleep, one more night wasn't going to effect her at all.

Walking out of the makeshift ward Dot continued on her way. She vaguely remembered the room Arthur had walked stiffly out of. That room was close to the reception of the manor house turned hospital.

Backtracking Dot easily found the place where she had fainted. Yet again she frowned, fainting really wasn't something she was accustomed to. The door to the ward was already open so that was one less hassle. Walking in quietly Dot's eyes skimmed over the lines of beds, each bed had a curtain parting it from the one beside it.

Every so often a sound of shock would come from a sleeping man which caused her to jump and look around.

"Look who is being a sneaky little mouse." A voice whispered, Dot twirled and looked towards a bed. It was dark in here so seeing the figure on the bed took all her squinting and eye adjusting skills to make it out. "Why are you looking at me like that for? Oh, it's because I made you faint? Gee, I am so sorry!"

"Arthur."

"Well who else are you expecting? In second thoughts please do not answer that, come over here, Dot." A bandaged hand waved over in her direction. Walking slowly over she sat down and looked at her brother.

"Oh, look at you."

"Shouldn't I be saying that to you? After all you are the one in the hospital bed." Dot said while reaching out and holding onto his hand.

Arthur shook his head slowly. "My dear sister, you look how I feel. The war has injured me, but you honestly look worse."

"You know how to compliment your sister."

"I know!" Arthur grinned and winced slightly.

"Are you in pain?"

"Yes," he answered, Dot's expression turned serious and she went to jump up from the bed. Her movements got stopped thanks to Arthur clasping a hand on her wrist.

"I'm in pain all the time, there is nothing these lot can do."

"They can make the pain go-"

"For an hour. For an hour of peace it isn't worth it."

"You're stubborn." Dot rolled her eyes and relaxed on the bed again. "Here," reaching into her apron she pulled out the pocket watch and put it in his hand. "I think it belongs to you." For the first time in a while Dot smiled a smile which wasn't fake or strained.

"Oh, Nurse Blake!" Percy exclaimed rather deliriously. "Look at the state you're in! You need to really look after yourself better..."

"What's he on?" Arthur questioned his sister. Dorothy looked up slowly from leaning her head against the bed and looked at Percy. Arthur had pushed the curtain away and the three friends could easily see each other.

"Morphine?" Dot mused and looked at Arthur, he looked at her sceptically. "Or chloroform." She paused and rubbed her eyes. "Either way he's coming down off of something."

"So, that means he's about to start kicking and screaming again?" Arthur asked, Dorothy looked at him confused. "He's in bad shape, Dot." At this she perked up and stood up and away from his bed.

When she reached the bed where Percy lay incoherently rambling quietly to himself, she eyed him up. Truthfully Dorothy had seen worse back in the makeshift hospital in France. But right now in this room, Percy was one of the men in bad shape.

"It burns, it itches...what...what is wrong with it? It's not there! Where is it?" Percy opened his eyes and looked at her. "Hello, Nurse Blake."

"Hello, Percy." Dorothy smiled, she looked at his form and realised his leg was probably ghosting. The day nurses flitted in and out of this room and allowed her to stay talking to her brother, and to Percy when he wasn't drugged up on something for the pain.

"I'm dead aren't I? I'm dead and dreaming of you?"

"Well, if you are dreaming of me then I am very honoured." Dorothy smiled, Percy blinked and frowned.

Through his pain and gritted teeth he pointed a finger up at her. "You're really here? We're...we're here and...not dead? We're very much alive?" Percy asked in a shaky voice, she nodded slowly.

From his bed Arthur swung his legs over his bed. "All right, Percy calm down, we get it. We're all alive."

"Arty!"

"Is he still on a come down?"

"No," Dorothy put a hand on Percy's head and smiled. "He's very much sober I think." Smiling at him one last time she walked away from his side and sat down next to her brother. "You have to do something," Dorothy's voice was a whisper, a deadly whisper. Arthur turned and looked at her, he nodded for her to continue. "Do not mention the fact that Tommy, James, Charlie and Jamie or the rest of your group are dead." Dorothy paused, "If you do you will seriously scare him and he'll have a massive episode from fear and confusion."

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(Edited: 29/August/2019)