Remedy

27

"Do you lot even have money to play poker?" The three men looked up and eyed Dorothy as she tied up her curly hair. "What?" She asked genuinely confused, straightening out her dark green dress she sat down on Arthur's bed.

"You just pointed out the main flaw to our game."

"So what...you're betting...matchsticks?" Dorothy raised an eyebrow at the pile in the middle of the wheeled table. "Perfect sense."

"Are you here to completely pick holes in our game? Or is there another reason why you're here?" Arthur narrowed his eyes at his sister when she leaned against his shoulder to try and get a peek at the cards he was holding.

"Oh." Dorothy put a hand over her heart. "And here I thought my dear brother would be happy to see me." She sighed heavily and shook her head. "I'm working the night shift today, so I thought; what better way to spend the day than with my three favourite patients?"

"Favouritism shall get you nowhere...stop leaning against me it hurts!" Arthur whined and rubbed his arm. Dorothy shot him an apologetic look before turning around and watching a rushed group of nurses flit down the corridor. Standing up she walked away from the bed and stuck her head out into the corridor. "I think you've got more patients." Arthur said from her side, she jumped because she hadn't realised he'd followed her.

"A lot of patients." Percy added while managing to lean against the door frame, the only one who wasn't chipping in was James, he stood on Dorothy's other side just watching the nurses and doctors help the wounded.

He frowned and took a step forward however when two men he recognised were getting aided to walk. "Jamie?" James said confused, Jamie looked up at him completely shocked. Charlie was limping along behind him and grinned in their direction. James was going to take a step forward but Dorothy pulled him back gently.

He looked at her with a frown. "You have to let them get settled James. I'll take you to see them later though, I promise." She smiled and patted him gently on the arm, as much as he wanted to just walk after them. James knew that Dorothy would stick to her promise and take him to see his friends when they had settled in and had been checked over by a doctor.

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Admittedly tonight was Dot's first time doing night shift. It wasn't too much different than the night shift back in France. Half the time all she could do for the injured men was to make them comfortable, or even sit and talk to them for a little while.

Peeking her head around the curtain she slowly walked in. "Psst," she tapped James on the shoulder gently.

Slowly but surely James's eyes opened and looked at her confusedly. "Dorothy?"

"I've found Jamie and Charlie." He perked up at this and sat up too quickly, the quick movement caused him to wince. She put a hand on his shoulder and helped him to sit up properly, "Neither of them are sleeping too well, I asked if they wanted a friendly visit from you."

James looked down at the hospital cover before looking up at her and nodding. "Thought as much," she smiled and nodded her head. "Come on then." James smiled lightly and slowly got out of bed. The mobility he had was improving, but each movement had to be done slowly or else a tightness would wrap around his chest and he'd find it hard to breathe.

The one thing which made Dot a better nurse compared to the others in his opinion was; she let him try to be independent. The other nurses James had observed, tried to do most things for the men. If it was a different nurse beside him now, James was rather sure his arm would be getting gripped onto and he'd be more or less pulled to stand, instead of him using his own strength to stand.

He sat swinging his legs over the edge of the bed for a moment, "How are they?" He questioned quietly while Dot sat down next to him while he was having a minor break.

She reached up and pushed a stray piece of his hair out of his face and smiled. "They're exhausted but otherwise all right. There aren't any injuries," at this James looked down at himself. She looked down at her lap before nudging her shoulder lightly against his. Looking up from the bandages which were only just visible over his shirt, James looked at her. Dot didn't say anything but just smiled lightly at him, slowly a smile appeared on his face too. "Come on." She stood up and straightened out her uniform. "They'll be wondering where you are." And with that James stood up slowly and walked beside her down the corridor.

The few nurses which were flitting around looked at the two confused, but then none of them could stop a patient from asking to go for a walk if he wanted to go on one.

James got lost in his thoughts and only got pulled from them when a hand gently slipped to hold onto his bandaged one and stopped him in his tracks. "Down here, James," Dot nodded to a small corridor which seemed to only have two rooms leading off from it.

She continued to hold onto his hand as they walked down the corridor and passed the first door, when they reached the second door James had entwined his fingers with hers loosely. "You can't stay long, obviously," she looked up at him and walked into the second room and along the aisle. Unlike the hall where he previously was there weren't many beds in this space. There were ten if that. Five running down each side of the walls.

"How long can I stay?"

"Hm," Dot hummed quietly and looked at him. She smiled and squeezed his hand quickly. "Because it's you, I'll finish my rounds and come back to get you. How does that sound?"

James smiled and nodded, "So how long is that roughly?"

"An hour." Dot stopped at a bed and pulled her hand free from his. Opening the curtain she smiled at Charlie. "Is that enough time for a catch up?"

"Oh, Dotty am I glad to see you! These other nurses, no offence to them, they're a little annoying. Always fussing around me, I tell you, do I look that bad?" Charlie rambled and then eyed up James. "Good lord man you look slightly worse for wear."

"Hello to you too, Charlie."

"Hello James, it is very good to see you again."

James looked at him blankly. "Is that meant to be some sort of consolation?" Charlie went blank faced for a moment before grinning, James rolled his eyes and watched as Dot moved from his side and hunted out a chair for him to sit on.

Slowly sitting down the two men watched as she pushed away the other curtain. Jamie looked at the two of them and then at Dot, "What a reunion this is, I dearly hoped it would happen elsewhere." Jamie said while getting helped to sit up.

"I have to please beg you to be as quiet as possible. If someone comes in here and notices James, the three of you are going to be in trouble."

"Oh dear," Charlie said mock dramatically. "In trouble with a dear old nurse?"

"Haha," Dot laughed dryly. "Matron is scary...and she can nag you all silly, so yes. You'll be in trouble with a dear old nurse."

"I thought Nurse Harper was the only nurse who could scare you?" James questioned, Dot playfully hit him on the shoulder and then pulled a face when he winced and an expression of pain flitted onto his face.

"I'm sorry James." She said while leaning down to his level, James opened one of his eyes and grinned. "That's a mean trick to play! I thought I'd hurt you." Dot ran a hand down her face. Charlie laughed as quietly as possible at his friends trick, whereas Jamie rolled his eyes and watched the nurse leave them alone.

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(Edited: 29/August/2019)