Faron, lips tight and jaw
clenched, followed on after them.
“ I
don’t think so. You need to let me take a look at
that . Look how hurt you
are–you need to be seen to.” The elderly woman stopped him with a
firm hand and examined the wound near his shoulder–a gaping hole
gushing with blood.
“ What in
the world did this to you, Faron?” She asked, her eyes filled with
concern.
“ It doesn’t matter. I will go to
see if I can help with Ashan’s treatment.” He didn’t look at the
woman once. She opened her mouth as if to say more, but changed her
mind and let him go.
Jillian made it to
his side just before he reached the building where the healer
was.
“ Faron. Oh God, you’re hurt. What happened?” She babbled
pointlessly in English, cursing her stupid lie not to speak the
language, but knowing even now, that revealing herself would make
her look awful. But she couldn’t not say anything to
him. His injury looked bad. She gulped, it looked really bad. There
was blood flowing freely from it, which she knew had to be stopped
as quickly as possible.
Jillian ripped a
strip of material from the bottom of her skirt and pressed it down
hard on the open gash. He shrugged her off immediately and carried
on walking.
Behind
the closed door of the hut, she could hear the wails of one of the
women and she bit her lip at the distress of the sound.
Half-jogging to keep up with Faron, she went to step inside with
him as he reached for the door.
He held
a palm up to her. Stop. And then disappeared into the building,
closing the door behind him and leaving Jillian on the outside,
confused and upset. Not knowing what else to do, and being worried
about his injury, she sat outside the hut and waited, hugging her
knees to her chest.
Inside, the healer had laid Ashan out onto a table. He looked closely at the hole
that penetrated through his chest. Dousing a cloth in oil, he laid
it over Ashan’s nose.
“ It’s to numb the pain when he regains consciousness,” he explained to his
audience.
“ Can I
help in any way?” Faron stepped forward.
“ Yes. I
need to get the piece of metal out from the wound. It seems to be
lodged, keep your hands on his shoulders. You’ll need to hold him
still. If he moves, I could end up causing more damage.” He looked
up as Faron took position, standing at his comrade’s
head.
“ You look like you need to be treated, too. That wound’s not
small.” The healer commented to him. Faron waved him off, his own wound could wait. Ashan’s wife
was being held back by Camil and Charin, but as the healer leant to
delve into the wound, she struggled free and flung herself onto his
still body.
“ I’m going to need her out of
here.” The healer requested.
“ Go and find Sennan, Fenn. She’ll
look after you.” Camil led her to the door.
As it
opened, Jillian leapt up from the ground. She took one look at
Fenn’s grief stricken face and grabbed her arm.
“ Fenn.
Is he okay?” She wanted to help so badly, and tried to pull Fenn
into a hug– knowing that her words were useless.
To her
shock, Fenn jerked away as if she’d been stung and narrowed her
eyes at Jillian.
“ Don’t
pretend you care. Those cuts are not from animals. Your people did
this to him. Your people,” she spat as she walked away into the
main clearing. Jillian stood, stunned. She hadn’t looked properly
at the hole in Faron’s shoulder, but hearing Fenn’s accusation made
her think. Had it been a bullet wound?
She had
thought the men had been out hunting, so how come they had come
under gunfire? She pushed the questions to the back of her mind,
knowing that she couldn’t provide the answers herself. She began
pacing up and down the entrance of the medical site, waiting once
more.
Faron ’s shoulder was
throbbing with pain as he held onto Ashan, but he simply couldn’t
focus on that right now. He needed to know that his man was going
to live. It had been his fault that they had been out there–he
clenched, followed on after them.
“ I
don’t think so. You need to let me take a look at
that . Look how hurt you
are–you need to be seen to.” The elderly woman stopped him with a
firm hand and examined the wound near his shoulder–a gaping hole
gushing with blood.
“ What in
the world did this to you, Faron?” She asked, her eyes filled with
concern.
“ It doesn’t matter. I will go to
see if I can help with Ashan’s treatment.” He didn’t look at the
woman once. She opened her mouth as if to say more, but changed her
mind and let him go.
Jillian made it to
his side just before he reached the building where the healer
was.
“ Faron. Oh God, you’re hurt. What happened?” She babbled
pointlessly in English, cursing her stupid lie not to speak the
language, but knowing even now, that revealing herself would make
her look awful. But she couldn’t not say anything to
him. His injury looked bad. She gulped, it looked really bad. There
was blood flowing freely from it, which she knew had to be stopped
as quickly as possible.
Jillian ripped a
strip of material from the bottom of her skirt and pressed it down
hard on the open gash. He shrugged her off immediately and carried
on walking.
Behind
the closed door of the hut, she could hear the wails of one of the
women and she bit her lip at the distress of the sound.
Half-jogging to keep up with Faron, she went to step inside with
him as he reached for the door.
He held
a palm up to her. Stop. And then disappeared into the building,
closing the door behind him and leaving Jillian on the outside,
confused and upset. Not knowing what else to do, and being worried
about his injury, she sat outside the hut and waited, hugging her
knees to her chest.
Inside, the healer had laid Ashan out onto a table. He looked closely at the hole
that penetrated through his chest. Dousing a cloth in oil, he laid
it over Ashan’s nose.
“ It’s to numb the pain when he regains consciousness,” he explained to his
audience.
“ Can I
help in any way?” Faron stepped forward.
“ Yes. I
need to get the piece of metal out from the wound. It seems to be
lodged, keep your hands on his shoulders. You’ll need to hold him
still. If he moves, I could end up causing more damage.” He looked
up as Faron took position, standing at his comrade’s
head.
“ You look like you need to be treated, too. That wound’s not
small.” The healer commented to him. Faron waved him off, his own wound could wait. Ashan’s wife
was being held back by Camil and Charin, but as the healer leant to
delve into the wound, she struggled free and flung herself onto his
still body.
“ I’m going to need her out of
here.” The healer requested.
“ Go and find Sennan, Fenn. She’ll
look after you.” Camil led her to the door.
As it
opened, Jillian leapt up from the ground. She took one look at
Fenn’s grief stricken face and grabbed her arm.
“ Fenn.
Is he okay?” She wanted to help so badly, and tried to pull Fenn
into a hug– knowing that her words were useless.
To her
shock, Fenn jerked away as if she’d been stung and narrowed her
eyes at Jillian.
“ Don’t
pretend you care. Those cuts are not from animals. Your people did
this to him. Your people,” she spat as she walked away into the
main clearing. Jillian stood, stunned. She hadn’t looked properly
at the hole in Faron’s shoulder, but hearing Fenn’s accusation made
her think. Had it been a bullet wound?
She had
thought the men had been out hunting, so how come they had come
under gunfire? She pushed the questions to the back of her mind,
knowing that she couldn’t provide the answers herself. She began
pacing up and down the entrance of the medical site, waiting once
more.
Faron ’s shoulder was
throbbing with pain as he held onto Ashan, but he simply couldn’t
focus on that right now. He needed to know that his man was going
to live. It had been his fault that they had been out there–he
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