The airship swiftly took off after we were aboard, as they were preparing to leave to let a military airship land. The whole ride back to Lagford, they had me keep pressure on his wound, and had me keep him elevated on my lap. A warm blanket was provided but other than that we had to wait to make it back to the city for medical aide.
As soon as we landed, the crew helped carry Bav off and rang the Gilded Medical Hospital to come fetch a wounded civilian. The motor carriage from the hospital arrived quickly and they had Bav situated on a cot and me in the back with him as they took his blood pressure and other vitals they could.
The doctor assured me that he would be fine, if we got the arrow out sooner rather than later. I had given Viekar a ring at the house but no one answered. At the office, they merely said he's out and they'd take a message. The tone they had with me once again was rather rude and I was in no mood for it.
"Look here you little shit nosed secretary, Bavarthos Fairchild is in surgery after being shot! Go and find Viekar and tell him to get to the hospital!" I hung up the device and handed it back to the receptionist who was staring wide eyed at me.
"I apologize for my foul language. I didn't mean to be offensive but they were not understanding the gravity of the situation."
The receptionist merely nodded as I took off down the hall.
I'm fidgeting outside the surgery hall, pacing back and forth. Looking at the clock, he'd already been in surgery for the past half an hour. I'm fretting every time the door opens and a nurse comes out with bloody trash bags and going back in with clean gloves and clean gauze. I peak through the doors, but can't see much. I almost get hit in the face when a nurse comes through, calling for more gauze. A nurse at the station jumps up and rushes to supply them with more gauze.
As she comes out, I stop her, "Is everything alright? Is something wrong?"
"Ma'am, the doctor is doing everything he can. Please take a seat. He's in good hands." She says quietly and calmly.
"ANSWER ME!" I demand getting frustrated, but quickly realize she's just doing her job. I drop my attitude and plead, "Please."
"He's fine. I know you are concerned, but it's normal to need extra gauze to soak up blood around an incision. Just take your seat. Fretting will do nothing but wear you down."
She points to the chair and I thank her and sit, but still fidget. A half an hour later, Viekar is running down the hallways.
"Viekar!" I stand waving him to me.
"Lady Langridge, I apologize for not getting here sooner. Where is Master Fairchild?" He asks out of breath and chest heaving.
"He's still in surgery, he's been in there for an hour. They said he's fine about half an hour ago, but haven't heard anything new." I tell him quickly.
He takes a few more gulps of air and says, "Well, we'll just have to wait till he's out of surgery then." He clasps my hands and tells me, "Do not trouble yourself about this, come tell me what happened while we wait."
I went over what had happened, from the sudden voice, taking off in the motor carriage, the road block and then the arrows being shot at us.
"Viekar.... " I start to sob, "IF any thing happens to him..."
"Don't talk like that, Ms. Langridge! He will be fine! Come here dear." He opens his arms and allows me to sob into his shoulder.
After a minute Viekar nudges me, "Ms Langridge?"
I pull back, "Yes?" I sniffle and wipe my face with my handkerchief.
His head nods to the side and I look to see some guards and an official coming our way.
"Ms. Langridge?" The official asks as the group comes nearer.
"Yes, how may I help you?" I try to collect myself as the official nods.
"I know that you have just suffered a terrible shock, but I must ask of you to give me all the details of the incident earlier." He asks.
Viekar stands up, "Sir, her fiance, Mr Fairchild is not yet out of surgery. She is terribly concerned about his well being, I ask may she come to talk to you after he's come out of surgery and is awake?" He sighs before continuing, "Like you said, she's suffered a terrible shock and is concerned for her fiance. I believe her mind will be better once she knows her fiance will be fine and you'll get a better report."
The official looks at my countenance which is still very much distraught looking. I can only imagine how I look, I've not seen a mirror, but I don't care. I let the tears fall freely from my eyes, dabbing at them as they fall.
"Very well, Ms. Langridge, I would appreciate you come by to talk to me once you're reassured about your fiance." He bows as he says this.
"Thank you." I start to sob again and Viekar put a hand around my shoulder trying to comfort me. The official hands something to Viekar and leaves with the guards. I continue to cry for a little while, until the nurse at the desk comes and brings me a glass of water.
"Thank you." I croak and she just smiles and goes back to work, filling out papers that are placed at the desk by others.
I've finished the glass of water and Viekar takes it away for me. I'm dozing off on Viekar's shoulder, when the surgery door finally opens.
Jumping up I run to the surgeon who's looking tired but has a warm smile on his face.
"Ms. Langridge, Mr. Fairchild is awake now and is asking for you. Come follow me." He directs me through the doors of the surgery that is being cleaned up by the others and walks me through another doorway that leads down a long hall with rooms on either side. On the fifth door way he turns to the right and opens the door. Bav is sitting up leaning forward over some pillows, while a nurse wraps his shoulder up.
"Bav!" I run over to him and kiss him gently on the cheek as to not interrupt the nurses wrapping. "I was so worried about you." Tears fall again from my eyes, but they are ones of relief.
The doctor points at the table near the bed, "That was a nasty arrow we cut out of you. The jagged teeth of the fixed point of the arrow tip is the kind intended for warfare and big game. You are lucky it didn't go any lower, it almost pierced your lung. We'll keep you overnight just to make sure.."
Bav groans out, "Thank you, doctor but that will be unnecessary. I have my own doctor who can do my follow up care and will be going home, as soon as the nurse is done wrapping me up. I thank you for all that you have done. Viekar can you settle the bill with them?"
"Of course, Master Fairchild." Viekar responds.
The doctor looks shocked but nods his head. "Very well. Come with me, Viekar." The doctor leads Viekar out and the nurse finishes up the bandages.
"Help me get dressed, please." Bav asks.
The nurse quickly brings his clothes over and starts to pull the blanket back. "Not you Nurse. Thank you but I would prefer my fiance to help me."
The nurse gives a disapproving look but nods her head and hands the clothes over. "Don't let him move his arm with the bandages. He'll have to deal with not wearing anything over his upper torso for at least a few days."
"Thank you, nurse. I will make sure of it." I blush before turning to Bav to pull the blankets back.
"Oh thank goodness, you're not completely naked." I exclaim making the nurse giggle as she walked out of the room.
"Are you alright? Nothing happened to you?" Bav looks at me concerned and I shake my head.
"No, nothing happened to me." I caress his cheek before I finish pulling his trousers up his legs and have him stand up to get them over his hips and button them.
"I dress to the left dear." He mumbles and I'm confused.
"Sorry? I didn't know you can dress left or right." I chuckle.
He grins, "No... darling... my member prefers to be to the left of the seam...."
Kill me now. He wants me to move his manhood to the other side of his trousers! What if the doctor walk in!
Burning up from embarrassment, I clear my throat and shift it quickly before sitting on the floor and putting his socks and shoes on.
Viekar comes in with a mobile chair. "They insist on you bringing this home with you, Master Bavarthos, and that you use it to exit the building since you just got out of surgery."
Bav grumbles something under his breath and takes a seat in the chair.
"Let's get out of here please. I hate hospitals."
It's not long before Bav instructs me to sit in his lap before I fall over myself in exhaustion.
"I couldn't let Viekar push us both.." I start and Viekar points to Bav's lap, instructing me to do the same.
In Bav's one arm, he cradles me in the deep seat, with Viekar pushing us out to the sidewalk and head for Bav's home. I nod off on his shoulder, my head laying against him, smelling his scent, comforting me as I slept.
I am awoken when I feel someone picking me up and I look up.
"Bav? How are you..?" He's using both of his arms! "No, Bav! You'll injure yourself further!" I go to stand but he grips me tightly.
"I am completely healed. As soon as we arrived at the house, I healed myself. Now, I'm going to put you to bed and in the morning, we will talk. Viekar told me how an official came to talk to you."
I remember and try to hop out of his arms again. "I have to go speak with him, I said I would."
"No, he's going to ask how we got to the ship's dock considering how far away the car was from there. We would not have had enough time to make it there on foot. What would you have told him?" His words are curious and I catch my tongue.
"You're right, I guess it's a good thing I didn't speak to him. What do we tell them then?" I ask.
"Do not fret yourself. I already called the heads of the departments and explained that I'm injured, you've suffered a shock, and that is all that official needs to know is that we were attacked by the wild people. Twenty men, armed with bow and arrow, swords and spears, and thank our lucky stars that the guard dropped us off near the village since I was shot, and drew the wild men away from us and the rest of the citizens by driving away. That is the story. Rakara, can you repeat it for me?"
I nod, "You were shot as we neared the village. The guard dropped us off, and lured the wild men away from us and the village.... but Bav that makes no sense. There would have been no reason to lure the men away, not when there was so many other guards there. Doesn't that seem suspicious?"
Bav shook his head, "In the heat of things, people do crazy things. He'll be remembered as a hero, his family will earn more benefits from his death since he died in the line of duty, and they'll also earn enough to live comfortably since he died doing a heroic deed."
"But isn't that a lie?" I ask confused as he lays me on the bed and removes my shoes.
"Kara, if I told them the truth, that he was just trying to save us.... It would not have been considered a heroic action and the family would have been served a pittance for his death in the line of duty. Since he died as a hero... instead of the hundred gold one time payment, they will receive a hundred gold every month until their youngest son becomes of age. The wife will receive fifty after that until the end of her life. They may not live in the lap of luxury, but they will not starve or go without the basics neither. Viekar has learned every law and loophole your government system has and he's very good at what he does."
He lifts my arms up so he can take my dress off.
"May I take a shower? I still feel dirt and blood on me." I go to stand and Bav swoops me up in his arms with me in just my chemise.
"Allow me, my dear." He says making me giggle.
"I love you, Bav."