The World Turned Upside Down (Yet Another Lafayette Angst Story)

by hamiltrash.ocd.author

Washington's hand barely ghosted over the bandaged wound in Lafayette's hip, but Lafayette whimpered in pain. Washington quickly moved his hand, and retuned to pressing a wet cloth to Lafayette's to hot forehead. "On fire…" Lafayette whimpered, his breathing becoming quicker.

So here is yet another Lafayette angst story:

I bet you can tell I'm trying to keep my author notes shorter.

The battle was not going the way Lafayette had hoped, he and his battalion were surrounded, and they were growing increasingly exhausted as he British pressed closer and closer. Lafayette slashed at redcoats with his sword, desperately trying to think of a plan to get his men out of this situation. Looking around he could see Hamilton leading his own men on a charge towards the redcoats surrounding Lafayette and his men.

Lafayette was taken by surprise, he had been staring out at the other soldiers for too long, and a redcoat had slammed into him, slicing deep into Lafayette's arm and hand with his bayonet blade. Lafayette dropped his sword and stumbled away, managing to grab it with his non-dominant hand. He quickly raised his sword, blocking the bayonet of the solider who had caught him off guard before. He held his wounded wrist pressed against his body, he could feel the warm blood soaking through his sleeve, and white hot pain was pulsing through his entire arm and wrist.

The redcoat was pushing Lafayette further and further away from his men, and he was becoming exhausted and panicked. Another soldier slammed into him from behind, knocking the air out of Lafayette. He gasped and stumbled forward, tripping and falling into the mud. The redcoat yanked Lafayette up, twisting his left arm behind him and forcing him to walk forward.

Lafayette's eyes met Hamilton's, and that was when he knew it was over, Hamilton's forces were overwhelmed, and he too was taken prisoner. They were losing, and Hamilton and Lafayette had been thrown into a small jail cell.

Lafayette paced back and forth, the cell had no windows and neither of them had any way to tell what was going on in the battle. Lafayette held his still bleeding wrist tightly as he paced back and forth.

"Lafayette…?" Hamilton asked quietly, standing up and walking over to Lafayette, placing a hand on his shoulder and stopping him from pacing anymore.

"W-what?" Lafayette's voice sounded choked.

"Your arm, that's a lot of blood Lafayette, are you sure you're okay?" Hamilton tried to examine Lafayette's arm, but he pulled away and continued pacing.

"I. Am. Fine." Lafayette answered, his voice still choked.

"Lafayette…" Hamilton's voice was barley a whisper.

"Washington, Laurens, Hercules, our friends are out there fighting, and we're trapped, unable to help them." Lafayette sighed, staring at the floor.

Hamilton looked at Lafayette's arm, trying to survey the damage. He sucked in a breath as he realized that he could see the bone in Lafayette's wrist. His sleeve was torn and bloody, exposing the obviously very bad wound.

He took Lafayette's arm, and Lafayette seemed to lose the energy to fight against Hamilton, following him over to the wall where he slipped to the ground and Hamilton crouched by him, examining his wounded arm. Lafayette leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, his breathing quick.

Lafayette grimaced and sucked in a breath, he was beginning to shake slightly. Hamilton felt the wound, and his fingers accidently brushed the worst part of it, where the bone was visible. Lafayette gasped and shifted to the side, glancing briefly at Hamilton with his now tear filled eyes. He flinched and pulled away, pulling his knees to his chest and holding his injured arm.

"I'm sorry Lafayette." Hamilton reached a hand toward Lafayette, but he flinched, his tear filled eyes not meeting Hamilton's.

Lafayette was shaking more intensely now, his entire body trembling.

The door to the cell swung open and two redcoats stepped in. One wrenched Lafayette up by his injured arm causing him to stifle a scream as he stumbled forward. The other yanked Hamilton forward and they were both led to another, slightly larger cell. The soldiers shoved both of them in and slammed the door shut.

Lafayette took a few steps and the collapsed to the ground, holding his still bleeding arm tightly. Suddenly someone ran up to Lafayette, it was Washington. He gently lifted Lafayette by his shoulders and helped him lean against the wall.

"What happened…" Hamilton asked, astonished that the British had managed to capture Washington.

"We're losing, I don't know how many soldiers still stand fighting, but it was less than half of our forces when they captured me. What happened to Lafayette?" Washington replied, looking at Lafayette, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed tightly, shaking.

"He was wounded shortly before being taken captive, it's bad, I could see bone." Hamilton said, moving to sit down next to Washington and Lafayette.

Washington took Lafayette's arm and examined the wound. Lafayette opened his eyes and then closed them slowly, looking dazed. Washington ripped some fabric off his coat and pressed it to Lafayette's wrist, and Lafayette let out a hoarse cry, shifting slightly.

Lafayette opened his eyes again, and tried to speak, but only coughed weakly.

"Lafayette?" Hamilton asked, laying a hand on Lafayette's shoulder and turning his face towards him.

Lafayette coughed again, but managed to meet Hamilton's eyes. He looked exhausted and although he didn't make any sound as Washington bandaged his wound, his eyes betrayed misery and pain.

Hamilton moved to sit next to Lafayette, who was trembling. He pulled Lafayette into a hug, and Washington took the opportunity to press another bandage to the part of the wound where bone was visible. Lafayette let out a hoarse scream and buried his face into Hamilton's shoulder, Lafayette sobbed, his voice sounding choked.

"Shh, shh, it's okay." Hamilton whispered to Lafayette, who was still sobbing and shaking.

"I'm sorry," Washington said as he finished, giving Lafayette's uninjured hand a squeeze.

Lafayette let out a few quiet sobs, still hugging Hamilton and hiding his face in Hamilton's shoulder.

0o0o0o0o0o0

It was getting colder and colder inside their small, dark cell. Lafayette was shaking intensely now, half asleep in Hamilton's embrace. They had no way to tell what was going on outside, and no one had come to their cell since Hamilton and Lafayette had been moved to the cell with Washington. There was a sliver of light coming from a small, barred window in the cell wall, but the cell remained mostly dark.

Lafayette moaned and shifted slightly, curling onto his side, his breathing hitching slightly in his sleep.

Suddenly the door to the cell flung open, slamming into the wall and startling Hamilton, Washington, and Lafayette. Lafayette tensed, his eyes flying open and looking up at Hamilton, giving him a scared and surprised look.

But it wasn't a redcoat who stepped into the cell, but Hercules Mulligan. He surveyed the cell for a second, and then ran over to them, crouching by Hamilton and Lafayette, "Let's get the fuck out of here." He said, before noticing Lafayette's state, "What happened to him?"

"He just got hurt, now come on and help me get Lafayette up, we need to get out of here." Washington replied, for once speaking quicker than Hamilton, who was still in shock that Hercules had managed to rescue them.

Washington tried to lift Lafayette, but he was swatted away with Lafayette's good hand, "I can walk." He hissed in a somewhat choked voice. He stood up, stumbling for a second before regaining his balance and following Hercules, who was leading the way out. Hamilton followed him in an almost daze, and finally Washington followed.

"Let's go!" Hercules called, jumping onto a horse tied up to a tree. Lafayette tried to follow suite, but couldn't pull himself up with one hand. He became quite frustrated, and then pushed himself up with both hands, managing to mount his steed. He let out a strangled scream and curled forward, holding his arm tightly.

"Lafayette!" Hercules, Hamilton, and Washington all cried in unison.

Lafayette clenched his teeth and pushed himself upright, grabbing the reins with his good hand and spurring the horse forward.

Hercules followed quickly, leaving Hamilton and Washington to quickly mount their own steeds and follow. Lafayette was still slumped forward, and he had slowed down and was now riding slightly behind Hercules.

Washington came up next to Lafayette, his horse falling into step next to Lafayette's. "Lafayette?" He asked, trying to reach for Lafayette's injured hand.

Lafayette flinched away and spurred his horse so that it moved next to Hercules's horse instead of Washington's.

Hamilton came up next to Washington on his other side, but didn't say anything, a very un-Hamilton like trait.

The rode for almost an hour before they came up to a hidden camp, soldiers came in and out of their tents, some stocking up on weapons, some tending to the wounded, and some planning some sort of attack.

"This is all that is left of us, I managed to take charge and lead them here and we're currently planning any kind of attack that we can pull off before the British find our camp. It's always better to have the element of surprise since they don't know so many of us are still alive." Hercules told them.

All the soldiers in the camp turned at the sound of Hercules' voice, and some began to smile and shout in victory as they realized that Washington, Hamilton, and Lafayette were with him.

Hercules jumped down from his horse, "Double the watch and make sure no one followed us back." He ordered a lieutenant, who saluted and left.

Hercules led them into the center of the camp, where his tent was set up. He handed off their horses' reins to another soldier and they stepped inside.

Lafayette was still hunched over and griping his arm tightly. Upon entering the tent, he collapsed onto the first chair he saw. He slipped onto his side and curled into a ball, panting with exertion from the ride. Although Hamilton nor Washington seemed affected by the ride, Lafayette felt oddly exhausted. Heat radiated from his wound, and the pain had become so intense that it took everything in Lafayette not to cry out.

"Hercules, this is amazing. I can't believe you managed to do all this." Hamilton said, almost in awe.

"As soon as we can rally our forces, we'll launch a surprise attack on the British camp. We'll have to move quickly because as soon as they realize you're gone, they'll know something is up." Hercules told them.

"Yes, call all the high ranking officers to a meeting to discuss our plan of attack." Washington ordered.

Hamilton moved over to where Lafayette was curled on the chair, "Lafayette? Are you okay?" he asked, shaking Lafayette by the shoulder slightly.

Lafayette let out a choked gasp as Hamilton shook his shoulder, jostling his injured arm. "I-I'm F-fine." He managed to say, his teeth clenched tightly.

Hamilton gave Lafayette a worried look but didn't say anything.

"Let's go, we have an attack to plan." Washington ordered, leading the way out of the tent.

Hercules and Hamilton followed, and Lafayette scrambled up and followed, his movements slightly sluggish.

Lafayette was the last to reach the tent where they had gathered, he almost fell into his chair. Some of the soldiers seated at the table gave him odd looks, and Lafayette crossed his arms and looked down, not meeting their gaze.

The group of men began to discuss plans, Lafayette listened intently to the planning, although he didn't speak. He knew that everyone needed time to rest and prepare for the attack, so, despite the worry that the British would become suspicious, they decided to wait until more reinforcements arrived to aid them in attacking the British camp.

Lafayette was in a daze by the time the meeting ended, he didn't even realize that he had been walking until he collapsed onto a chair back in Hercules' tent.

Washington left the tent, and a few young men brought two extra cots into Hercules's tent for Lafayette and Hamilton.

Hamilton shook Lafayette by his injured arm, "You need some rest, Lafayette."

Lafayette slipped off of the chair, falling to the ground and curling up into a tight ball, the pain in his arm becoming so bad he almost vomited.

"Lafayette!" Hamilton yelled, lifting Lafayette off the ground and carrying him to one of the cots.

Hercules rushed over, Lafayette was curled up onto his side, shaking and whimpering.

"What's wrong with him?" Hercules asked, trying to feel Lafayette's head, "He's burning up."

Hamilton tried to examine Lafayette's arm, but he yanked it away and let out a choked sob. "I think it's the infection from his wound." Hamilton pointed out.

"Shh, shh, hold still Lafayette, please." Hercules whispered, trying to hold Lafayette still.

Lafayette suddenly leaned over the side of the cot, and vomited onto the ground. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he fell forward, almost slipping off the cot, before Hercules caught him and lifted him back onto the cot.

Hamilton unwrapped the blood soaked bandages around Lafayette's arm, revealing the obviously infected wound. The wound was red and inflamed, and pus oozed from the worst parts of it. Hamilton could easily see the white shard of bone exposed in Lafayette's wrist.

Lafayette whimpered, his good hand gripping the sheets on his cot tightly.

"Do you have a doctor in this camp?" Hamilton asked.

"Yes, we do." Hercules replied, "I'll go fetch him." He added quickly, hurrying out of the tent.

It wasn't long before Hercules rushed back into the tent, followed by a doctor. The doctor leaned over Lafayette, examining his arm.

The doctor sighed, "The only thing we can do right now is clean out the wound, bandage it, and hope it heals." He told Hercules and Hamilton.

Lafayette moaned and coughed slightly, his knuckles turning white because of how tight he was gripping the sheets on the cot.

The doctor pulled out some alcohol and bandages. "Sir, could you hold his arm still? This will not be comfortable for him." The doctor asked Hercules, who nodded and grabbed Lafayette's shoulder so that he couldn't move his arm.

Lafayette opened his eyes slightly, and gave Hamilton a confused look, not seeming to understand what was going on.

The doctor uncapped and poured alcohol over Lafayette's arm, washing the dried blood and pus out.

Lafayette struggled, trying to wrench his arm free from Hercules' grip, he let out a suffocated scream, his confused gaze turning to pain and fear.

The doctor began to tightly wrap Lafayette's wound, causing him to scream again and curl to the side, tears slipping from his eyes. The doctor finally finished bandaging Lafayette's arm, and Hercules released his shoulder from his hold, allowing Lafayette to roll completely onto his side and curl up.

Lafayette's breath was coming in quick gasps, and he was shaking with sobs. Hamilton slipped off his coat and covered Lafayette's shivering form with.

"Shh… Lafayette, just rest…" Hamilton whispered, trying to comfort Lafayette.

Lafayette grabbed Hamilton's hand with his good hand, "Don't go…please…" He whimpered.

"It's okay, shh." Hamilton replied, siting down on Lafayette's cot.

Hamilton pulled Lafayette's head into his lap, and it wasn't long before Lafayette had fallen asleep, his breathing finally growing steadier.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Washington entered their tent early the next morning, "I need you three to train some soldiers today, keep it close to camp so we don't give away our location to the British." Washington turned and left the tent.

Lafayette scrambled up, stumbling to join Hamilton and Hercules leaving the tent.

"Lafayette, you need to rest, we can handle this." Hercules said, giving him a slight push backwards.

"I'm fine." Lafayette hissed, his teeth gridded, "Besides, training troops is more important than my heath."

Hamilton noticed how pale Lafayette was and how hard he was gripping his injured arm. He moved forward to stop him, but he pushed past Hamilton and left the tent quickly after Washington.

"Lafayette? You're wounded, you need to rest and recover in time for the attack." Washington said, turning around and stopping Lafayette, "Lord, you look horrible. You need to rest, please, you look like you're going to pass out."

Lafayette shook his head, the motion causing him to stumble to the side slightly. "I'm fine sir, thank you for the concern, but training is more important than my health anyway."

Washington sighed, "Fine, but take it easy, please don't exert yourself too much."

Lafayette rolled his eyes and walked past Washington. Lafayette's odd new reckless attitude worried Washington, but he didn't say anything more.

Hamilton caught up with Lafayette, who had mounted his horse and was now leading a group of men out into the forest. Hamilton and Hercules quickly mounted their horses as well and followed him.

They came up next to Lafayette, who was at the head of the group. They rode in silence for a while before Hamilton pointed out how cold it was getting, "Hey, maybe we should turn back, it's getting really cold."

Lafayette didn't seem to hear him, his face was even paler than before, and he was staring almost blankly forward.

"Lafayette?" Hamilton asked, a bit louder, reaching over and grabbing his friend's arm to get his attention.

Lafayette flinched away and spurred his horse to a faster pace, finally turning the group and beginning to head back to camp.

Lafayette slipped off his horse, stumbling slightly.

Hamilton stopped and talked for a few minutes with Washington, and Hercules turned and followed Lafayette, who was stumbling toward the tent. As soon as Lafayette entered the tent he collapsed to the ground, too exhausted to even keep his eyes open.

"Lafayette!" Hercules yelled when he entered the tent, crouching down and lifting Lafayette slightly, shaking him. Lafayette didn't respond, his breathing hardly even detectable.

Hercules lifted Lafayette onto his cot, noticing the way his skin felt too hot. Lafayette curled onto his side, his breathing slow and raspy.

Hercules wanted to run off and find the doctor, but he was afraid to leave Lafayette in his current state. He was unresponsive, and his breathing was so slow that it would have been hard to tell he was breathing if his inhalations and exhalations had not been so extremely labored and raspy.

Hamilton and Washington entered the tent, still talking to each other. They both stopped when they heard Lafayette inhale a raspy breath, and they quickly turned and rushed over, worry clear on their faces.

"I don't know what happened, he just collapsed when he went inside the tent, and I can't wake him." Hercules said almost too quick for the other two to understand.

Hamilton managed to understand what Hercules said, and dashed out of the tent.

Lafayette wheezed and struggled to breathe, shifting slightly in his cot.

"Lafayette? Can you hear me?" Washington asked.

"I-I'm…" Lafayette whispered, gasping for air, "f-fine." He wheezed as he tried to breathe, his eyes still closed. He struggled to try and push himself up into a sitting position.

"No, you're not, you're sick, hurt, and you can hardly breathe." Washington replied, pushing Lafayette back down.

"No, I need to… I need to… I have to…" Lafayette's panicked voice trailed off, as he struggled to find words. His eyes were wide open, and he managed to push himself up into a siting position, looking around as if confused by his surroundings.

"Shh, you don't have to do anything, just rest, you're hurt." Hercules said, trying to calm Lafayette.

Hamilton ran back into the tent, followed by the same doctor that had bandaged Lafayette's arm the night before.

"What happened to him?" The doctor asked, almost sounding astonished.

"He insisted he was fine this morning, so he led a group of soldiers through the forest to find the clearest pathway to the British camp." Washington answered.

"He didn't seem well, he looked sick and he could hardly stand when we got back." Hamilton added, his voice quiet.

Lafayette looked around, confusion clear in his exhausted eyes. "W-what… where… where… am… I?" He asked, looking at Hamilton with confusion.

The doctor pulled the now blood soaked bandage off Lafayette's injured arm, and examined his arm. He looked up, his eyes locking with Hamilton's. "The wound is badly infected, and it seems the infection has spread. That's why he's sick." He said, sighing with frustration.

"Is there anything you can do?" Hamilton asked, his gaze shifting between Lafayette and the doctor.

"I've already cleaned the wound out once, the only thing we can do is change the bandages and hope the infection passes." The doctor answered.

Lafayette suddenly pushed himself up slightly, looking like he was going to be sick. Hamilton wasn't in time to stop him, and Lafayette vomited onto the cot. He looked up at Hamilton with a mix of misery, exhaustion, and pain in his gaze. Hamilton quickly pushed the ruined sheets off of Lafayette, and Washington helped lift him off the cot. Washington carried Lafayette to the nearest chair and set him on it. Lafayette curled into a ball, shaking with knees hugged to his chest. Loose hair fell over his bloodshot eyes and his face was deathly pale.

"I'm going to go get a bucket incase he gets worse." Hercules said as he stepped out of the tent.

The doctor moved over to the chair, and pulled Lafayette's arm forward, rewrapping it with fresh bandages. "The only thing we can do to help his recovery is to let him rest. He is not to, under any circumstances, exert himself in any way, try not to even let him walk."

With that, the doctor left the tent, followed by Washington, right as Hercules emerged back into it, carrying a bucket. He brought it over, and set it down next to Lafayette.

Lafayette had fallen asleep, curled up on the chair. Hamilton pulled one of the sheets off of his own cot, and set it over him.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Hercules woke up very early in the morning, so early that it was still dark. He heard the sound of labored breathing coming from where Lafayette was, curled up in the chair.

Lafayette pitched forward as he coughed, sounding choked. Hercules was just in time to shove the bucket Hamilton had brought into Lafayette's hands, and he threw up immediately into it.

Lafayette slumped forward, the bucket slipping out of his hands, Hercules caught it and set it on the floor.

Hercules sat down on the ground by the chair, taking a look at Lafayette and noticing how terrible he looked. Hair had fallen over hollow looking eyes, and he was curled up on his side, holding his stomach and looking nauseous.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Lafayette woke up in a sort of haze, Hamilton and Hercules were running back and forth around him, "W-what's going on?" He asked, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

"We're launching our attack on the British, but you're not coming, you need to rest." Hamilton answered as he grabbed his pistol and coat and began to head toward the exit of the tent.

Lafayette stood up and stumbled forward, "I will not be left behind, I'm coming with you." He stated, stumbling around and looking for his sword.

"No-" Hamilton replied sharply, grabbing Lafayette by his wrists and pushing him back onto the chair. "We can't risk you getting hurt again, and you're already hurt, and the infection has spread. You are going to stay here and rest."

Lafayette glared at Hamilton and then turned away, fuming. Hamilton left, followed shortly by Hercules, who glanced at Lafayette for a moment before leaving.

Lafayette was furious, he was not going to be left behind while his friends went off and fought for their freedom without him. He knew that the British forces, although they would be taken by surprise by the attack, greatly outnumbered the Americans. Especially since they had left many of the soldiers behind to guard the camp.

He pushed himself out of the chair, and stumbled over to where his coat and sword were piled on the ground. Lafayette put on his coat and grabbed his sword, stumbling slightly as he exited his tent. He jumped onto the first horse he saw, and spurred it on, heading toward the British camp.

He felt slightly nauseous as he rode, but he ignored it and only spurred his horse faster.

It wasn't long before Lafayette arrived at the battle, which had already started.

0o0o0o0o0o0

The battle raged around him as Lafayette slashed at redcoats with his sword. Then suddenly, amid the screaming and chaos of battle, Lafayette heard a musket fire. Seconds later pain exploded in his hip, and he felt himself slip off his horse. He crashed to the ground, rolling to the side and staggering up. Lafayette somehow managed to ignore the white hot pain now enveloping his entire left leg, and continued fighting.

His strength was fading, Lafayette could feel his movements becoming more sluggish and the pain in his leg was growing more intense by the moment. The redcoat he was fighting shoved him back, causing him to stumble back and fall. He tried to move away, but the soldier advanced on him, shoving him backwards. Lafayette fell back, crying out in pain, and squeezed his eyes shut as the soldier loaded his weapon. Then another gun fired, but not the redcoat's, the British soldier fell back, his loading gun slipping from his hands. The last thing Lafayette heard before his world went black was the sound of the redcoat's body hitting the ground.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Hamilton hated searching the battlefield, it wasn't looking for wounded men that bothered him, it was turning over the men only to find them dead, their sightless eyes staring up at him, their faces twisted in their last expression of terror.

He looked over the battlefield, and noticed something, he took a few steps forward, but turned away and suppressed the urge to vomit. Lafayette was laying in the mud, unconscious, blood soaking his once blue uniform and pooling around him, his face was colorless, as if all his blood had been drained. Lafayette wasn't even supposed to be there, he must have left after we did, and secretly joined the battle, Hamilton thought, he was torn between worry and anger at Lafayette for sneaking into the fight. Hamilton fell to his knees, desperately feeling for Lafayette's pulse, he breathed a sigh of relief when he felt a weak pulse.

He shook Lafayette, trying to wake him up. When Lafayette didn't wake, Hamilton lifted him up, carrying him back to the camp.

Everyone in camp was rejoicing, celebrating their victory, and Hamilton would have joined them if he wasn't desperately searching for the doctors.

Hamilton burst into the medical tent, "Help! He needs a doctor!" he shouted.

A nurse came up to him, "I'm sorry but the doctors are busy at the moment and there are many men waiting for medical aid as well."

Hamilton was screaming every curse imaginable in his mind, but he simply nodded and carried Lafayette away, taking him back to his own tent.

Hamilton set Lafayette down on his cot, causing him to moan quietly. Hamilton pressed his hand to Lafayette's forehead, frowning as he realized Lafayette had a high fever.

"ALEXANDER!" Hercules walked into the tent, "Why aren't you celebrating with us! We brought out some good-" He stopped as he spotted Lafayette. "What…what happened to him? H-he's supposed to be resting in my tent, he shouldn't have even been in the battle!"

Hamilton looked at Lafayette's blood drenched uniform, "I assume he was shot, but it's hard to tell with all the…" he took a breath, pushing back tears, "With all the blood…"

Hercules helped Hamilton remove Lafayette's coat and tunic, Hamilton grabbed a sheet, beginning to rip it up into a makeshift bandage, "At least it looks like the wound in his arm has healed a bit." He pointed out.

"Alexander, why isn't Lafayette in a medical tent right now?" Hercules asked.

"The doctor's aren't available and won't be available for a while, and Lafayette's in no condition to wait." Hamilton replied.

Lafayette moaned weakly, and Hercules pressed a hand to his head. Lafayette's eyes fluttered open and he looked a Hercules with a painfilled and slightly confused gaze.

"Wha-" Lafayette's question was cut off as Hamilton touched the bullet wound in his hip and he cried out in pain, squeezing his eyes shut as tears slipped down his face.

"I'm sorry Lafayette." Hamilton said, quietly, giving Lafayette's hand a quick squeeze before pulling back the fabric around Lafayette's wound.

Hamilton grimaced, he could tell the wound was infected. He touched it lightly, causing Lafayette to cry out again. He knew as soon as he saw it that he would need to clean it before bandaging Lafayette's wound.

Hamilton grabbed his waterskin and a piece of the sheet he had ripped up, "I'm sorry but I need to clean the wound." He told Lafayette quietly.

Lafayette's squeezed his eyes shut, shaking slightly. Hercules set his hands on Lafayette's shoulders, trying to reassure him. Hamilton opened the waterskin and poured some water over the wound, washing some of the dried blood off.

Hamilton wished he couldn't hear Lafayette's scream of agony. Lafayette screamed in a pained frenzy as he tried to struggle away, but Hercules held him in place.

Hamilton pressed the cloth to the wound, soaking up the blood now streaming from the wound, and causing Lafayette to scream again. He gasped for air, his breathing quick and raspy.

"P-please…stop…" Lafayette gasped, struggling to breathe.

"Just let me bandage it." Hamilton replied.

"No…s'il vous plait…" Lafayette begged Hamilton, trying to shift away from Hamilton.

"Shh…it's okay…" Hercules said reassuringly.

Hamilton knew that Lafayette needed proper medical help, but he hoped that cleaning and bandaging Lafayette's wounds wound be enough to hold him off until a doctor was available.

He quickly wrapped a bandage around Lafayette's leg. Lafayette closed his eyes, tears running down his face.

Hamilton sat down and sighed, closing his eyes. He could hear Hercules trying to comfort Lafayette.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Hercules woke up sometime in the middle of the night, he was asleep in a chair next to Lafayette's cot. Lafayette was drenched in sweat, his breathing quick and raspy as he twisted around and groaned in his fevered sleep. Hercules was furious that Lafayette had joined the battle when he was supposed to resting, but he knew Lafayette was hurt and didn't need to be yelled at.

"No…no…s'il vous plait…" Lafayette mumbled almost inaudibly.

Hercules placed a hand on Lafayette's shoulder, shaking him slightly, "Lafayette, wake up, please."

"On…fire…please m-make it stop…" Lafayette whimpered, his voice hoarse.

Hercules noticed that the bandage on Lafayette's leg was entirely soaked with blood. He knew he should've woken Hamilton up, but it was so rare that Hamilton got any sleep whatsoever, so Hercules didn't wake him up. He pulled the bandage off, causing Lafayette to moan in pain. It was clear that Lafayette's wound was badly infected, so Hercules finally decided that he should wake Hamilton up.

"Alexander! Wake up!" Hercules hissed, lightly slapping Hamilton in the head to rouse him.

"What?" Hamilton asked, yawning.

"It's Lafayette, he has a high fever and it looks like his wound got worse." Hercules told Hamilton urgently.

Hamilton jumped up and rushed over to Lafayette, who was curled slightly onto his side, shaking.

"We need to get him to the doctor, now." Hercules said, quickly lifting Lafayette off the cot. Lafayette let out a choked sob as Hercules followed Hamilton out of the camp.

Hamilton was not looking where he was going and collided into Washington, almost falling down.

"What's going- is that Lafayette, what happened to him?" Washington asked, his voice taught with worry.

Hamilton ignored Washington, pushing past him and running into the nearest medical tent. Hercules followed him, still carrying Lafayette's almost lifeless form.

"Hamilton!" Washington shouted, running after them.

Luckily, one of the doctors was available, and they immediately moved Lafayette to a medical cot.

Lafayette moaned as the doctor poured alcohol over his wound. The doctor sighed, "The wound is badly infected and the bullet itself needs to be taken out." He said.

Washington burst into the tent, "Hamilton! Who the hell do-" he trailed off as he saw Lafayette lying motionless except for the quick rise and fall of his chest when he breathed.

"What the hell happened to him? He's…he's supposed to be resting, what happened?" Washington asked, astonished.

"He secretly left our camp and joined the battle, and he was shot." Hamilton replied, the anger at Lafayette clear in his voice.

The doctor looked up at Washington, "What do you want me to do, sir?" He asked.

Washington's gaze flickered between the doctor and Lafayette, "Take the bullet out of course!" He ordered.

The doctor nodded and pulled out several tools. Lafayette looked at him with terrified eyes, and tried to shift away from him but Hercules and Hamilton held him still. The doctor took a breath, and then pushed his tool into Lafayette's leg, searching for the bullet.

Lafayette frantically began to struggle, crying out in pain. "P-please-" He gasped, "Make it stop…p-please…"

Lafayette screamed in agony as the doctor pulled the bullet out, then he fell back and gasped for air, exhausted. He was shaking slightly, small sobs wracking his body.

The doctor pressed a cloth to the now heavily bleeding wound, bandaging it. Lafayette whimpered, but made no other sound, too exhausted to do anything more.

Hamilton offered Lafayette some water, but he weakly pushed Hamilton's hand away. It wasn't long before Lafayette slipped into the comforting darkness of sleep.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Lafayette stumbled around the battlefield, desperately searching for anyone who was alive, the ground was littered with the bodies of his fellow soldiers, most of them on the American side. Lafayette fell to his knees as he saw the bodies of Hamilton, Hercules, and Washington, all lying, dead, near each other.

"No…no…no…s'il vous plait…" He slumped down, his hands hovering above Hercules' body, "No…no…s'il vous plait…je suis vraiment desole." He sobbed.

Lafayette gasped as he woke up, sobbing and shaking. The pain in his leg had greatly increased and he felt sick to his stomach, his head spinning as well. Lafayette looked around, and realized he was in a medical tent. He had no idea how he'd gotten there, the last thing he remembered was falling asleep in his own tent after Hamilton tried to clean his wound.

He heard someone in the tent get up and walk towards him, and Lafayette tried to turn and look at whoever was coming towards him, but the movement caused him to cry out in pain as he accidentally jostled his leg.

Lafayette leaned over the side of the cot, vomiting onto the ground. He dissolved into coughs as he leaned back onto his cot. He felt a warm hand touch his forehead, he tried to look up at whoever it was, but his vision was swimming in and out.

"Lafayette…?" Washington's voice called.

Lafayette was only able to cough slightly in response.

Washington pressed a cool cloth to Lafayette's head, and Lafayette closed his eyes, unable to keep them open any longer.

Pain was coursing through Lafayette's leg and side, radiating from his bullet wound. He whimpered quietly as he felt Washington's hand lightly touch his wound, causing the pain to flare up.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Washington's hand barely ghosted over the bandaged wound in Lafayette's hip, but Lafayette whimpered in pain. Washington quickly moved his hand, and retuned to pressing a wet cloth to Lafayette's to hot forehead.

"On fire…" Lafayette whimpered, his breathing becoming quicker.

Washington felt Lafayette's head, it felt too warm, in a sickly kind of way. He realized it was probably the infection.

Lafayette's eyes flickered open, and he lightly tugged on Washington's sleeve, trying to get his attention.

When Washington looked down and realized Lafayette was awake, he sighed in relief. He turned back and let Lafayette grab his hand, squeezing with surprising strength.

"Wha-" Lafayette to say something, but leaned over the side of the cot, vomiting again.

Washington helped him lean back onto the cot, Lafayette coughed, tears running down his face. He look a few shallow breaths and looked up at Washington with a pain filled gaze.

"Wha-what happened…?" Lafayette asked quietly, pausing to cough, "Where are we?"

"You stupidly snuck out of camp and joined the battle against my orders. We won the battle, and Hamilton found you unconscious at the battlefield. He bandaged your wound, but you got worse, so he brought you here." Washington replied, his voice growing louder at the last part as he grew angry. "I'm disappointed in you son." He added, his voice a harsh yell.

Lafayette started shaking, and he pushed Washington's hand away, turning away from him.

Washington immediately regretted yelling at Lafayette, realizing how bad of a state he was in. He hesitated, his hands hovering over Lafayette's shoulder for a second before he turned and walked away. Washington didn't turn back, even when he heard Lafayette sob quietly.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"Alexander! It's good to see you! How are the others?" Laurens called, running up to Hamilton, he had previously been stationed in South Carolina, and had just arrived to the camp after being summoned by Washington.

Hamilton sighed, although he was happy that Laurens was back, he was still worried about Lafayette. "Hercules is fine, but Lafayette…" Hamilton's trailed off, "He got badly injured."

Laurens' face visible fell, "Can I see him?" he asked nervously.

Hamilton led him to the medical tent, Laurens immediate ran over to Lafayette, who was laying on his side with his back to the tent entrance, curled up.

"Lafayette…" Laurens whispered, his hands hovering over Lafayette, almost afraid to touch him for fear of making him worse.

Hamilton gently took Lafayette's shoulders and rolled him onto his back. Lafayette whimpered quietly, his eyes flickering open.

Lafayette looked at Laurens nervously, barely able to keep his eyes open.

Hercules stepped into the tent, "John, it's good to see you!" His words were happy although his tone of voice was somber.

Lafayette tried to speak but only coughed, his back arching as his violent coughs sent tremors down his body. His breathing grew labored and frantic as it became harder and harder for him to breathe.

"What's wrong with him?!" Laurens asked, the panic clear in his voice.

Hamilton pushed Laurens back, away from Lafayette's cot as he and Hercules crowed closer.

"Just breathe…shh…" Hercules said quietly, lifting Lafayette into a sitting position.

Lafayette's breaths came in quick gasps, and he leaned against Hercules for support, unable to stay up on his own.

Hamilton grabbed a water skin and poured it down Lafayette's throat, not giving him the chance to refuse it. Lafayette coughed, but finally swallowed, his breathing slowing as he managed to take deep breaths. He collapsed backwards onto Hercules, his eyes drifting shut as he panted.

"Oh shit, that's a lot of blood," Hamilton spotted the blood drenched bandage and gently tried to unwrap it.

Lafayette cried out in pain, tensing and squeezing his eyes shut.

Hamilton stopped, not wanting to cause Lafayette any more pain. He turned and left the tent, quickly telling Hercules that he was going to find the doctor.

Laurens jumped forward after Hamilton left, "Hercules, what happened to him?"

Laurens could visibly see Hercules become angry, "He…he was injured," Hercules' voice was taught, "He was supposed to be resting, but he snuck out of his tent and joined the battle secretly, and he was shot. Hamilton found him after the battle."

"Oh." Was all Laurens could say in response.

Hamilton came back in, followed by the doctor.

"What seems to be the problem?" He asked calmly.

"His bandages are soaked in blood, and he can hardly breathe." Hamilton replied.

The doctor pushed Laurens away from the bed, and Hercules backed up slightly, still staying close to Lafayette.

The doctor gently touched the bandaged wound, causing Lafayette to whimper. Hercules pushed forward so he could stand closer to Lafayette, grabbing his hand and squeezing it reassuringly. The doctor sighed, but began to unwrap the bandage, ignoring Lafayette's cries of pain.

Hercules recoiled as he saw it, there was blood and pus leaking from the deep gunshot wound in Lafayette's hip.

"The infection from the wound in his arm was already affecting him greatly, and the gunshot wound is also badly infected. I'd say our best option is amputation, but that would most likely lead to further infection. It's hard to tell right now what the best option for him is, or whether or not he will survive. We can only pray that he will recover from the infection." The doctor sighed sadly and looked at Lafayette with pity.

The doctor bandaged Lafayette's hip, putting several layers of cloth over his wound to keep the blood from soaking through. "Let him rest, but make sure to find me if he gets worse." He said as he turned and left the tent.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Lafayette felt nauseas, his vision was blurred, making it hard to see around him. He tried to sit up, but his arms buckled, and he sagged back down. Lafayette closed his eyes, trying to ignore the horrible pain in his hip.

He shifted to the side, whimpering as the movement caused the pain to flare up. "S'il vous plait…" he whimpered, his voice hoarse.

He heard someone stand up and move towards him. Lafayette flinched as someone felt his forehead.

"Shh… It's okay…" Hercules' voice calmed Lafayette slightly.

Lafayette relaxed at the sound of Hercules' voice, and he curled to the side, trying to reach for Hercules.

Hercules squeezed Lafayette's hand gently, whispering calming words to him. He sat down on the side of the cot, pulling Lafayette into a hug.

Lafayette broke down, sobbing and burying his face into Hercules' tunic. He was shaking, and hyperventilating, trying, but failing to say something.

"I-I…I…" Lafayette stuttered, unable to speak.

"Shh… don't speak, just breathe." Hercules whispered, hugging Lafayette tightly.

Lafayette shook his head slightly, "I-it-it…it's a-all… all… m-m-my f-fault…" he finally managed to choke out.

Hercules looked at Lafayette, slightly confused, "What's your fault?" he asked.

Lafayette curled further onto himself, "I l-left my tent and join…joined the battle a-again-against orders, and n-now… it's my fault that all of you are w-worried…" He paused and sniffed, tears slipping from his eyes. Hercules sniffed angrily, and suddenly Lafayette looked up, the fear evident in his eyes, "A-are you going to…yell a-at me…?"

Hercules looked slightly shocked, he tried to jump forward and pull Lafayette into a hug, but Lafayette flinched back, slipping off the cot and crashing to the ground.

He pulled his knees to his chest, and turned away, hiding his face in his hands. Hercules stepped off the cot, reaching toward Lafayette slowly. He pulled back immediately as Lafayette whimpered and turned away.

"I'm not going to yell at you Lafayette…" Hercules whispered, reaching toward Lafayette again.

Lafayette finally relaxed enough to let Hercules hug him. He leaned into the warm touch, burying his face into Hercules' shoulder and sobbing.

"I-I'm s-sorry…" Lafayette sobbed, his voice hoarse and quiet.

"Shh, it's gonna be okay..." Hercules replied, wishing he could believe his words.

Hercules tried to lift Lafayette back onto the cot, but Lafayette let out a sob of pain as his leg was jostled by the movement, and Hercules stopped immediately.

Lafayette shook slightly in Hercules' embrace, but it wasn't long before he fell asleep, his breathing growing slow and calm.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Laurens entered the tent rather awkwardly, he'd followed Hamilton out of the tent the night before after the doctor left. He looked down at the rather meager looking bowl of soup in his hand, he knew it wasn't much, but some food was better than none, and Lafayette was most likely hungry.

"I brought food," Laurens called as he made his way across the tent to Lafayette's cot. He looked down in surprise as a voice called from the opposite corner of the tent.

"Over here." Hercules called, startling Laurens and causing him to jump.

"What are you doing on the floor?" He asked as he crossed the tent, moving to sit down next to Hercules, who was seated on the ground with Lafayette curled against him.

"Long story." Hercules replied.

Lafayette shifted slightly, whimpering quietly and opening his eyes slightly to look at Laurens and Hercules.

"You hungry? I brought food." Laurens asked, offering the small bowl to Lafayette.

Lafayette shook his head slightly, looking dazed.

"Maybe we should get him back onto the cot so he cam properly rest." Laurens offered.

Hercules nodded and slipped Lafayette's arm over his shoulder, lifting him up and practically dragging him over to the cot. Lafayette let out a strangled scream, and slumped down, squeezing his eyes shut. He sagged onto the cot, his breathing coming in quick gasps.

Hercules took the bowl from Laurens and offered it to Lafayette again, "You should eat." He said, trying to hand the bowl to Lafayette.

Lafayette shook his head again, his eyes squeezed shut and his jaw clenched.

"Lafayette, please." Hercules said slightly more forcefully.

"Can't." Lafayette's voice was strained and tense.

"You have to try." Hercules' voice grew more forceful by the moment.

Lafayette shook his head once more, and a tear slipped down his face as he tried to turn away from Hercules.

"Lafayette?" Hercules asked, his voice calmer. Lafayette didn't respond.

"Lafayette!" Hercules lightly shook Lafayette, who again didn't respond. He grew panicked as Lafayette still didn't respond to anything, his skin had taken on a greyish tint, and a small trail of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth.

"Go find someone! Quick!" He yelled at Laurens, who immediately dashed out of the tent, dropping the now forgotten bowl of soup.

Hercules continued to shake Lafayette, trying to get some kind or reaction, and finally, to his relief, Lafayette whimpered. His eyes flickered open, and he looked at Hercules, pain exhaustion and confusion mixed in his dazed gaze.

Hercules breathed a sigh of relief then turned as Laurens came back in, followed by Hamilton and a doctor.

"What happened?" The doctor asked.

"He was awake one moment, then he just went slack and wouldn't respond."

The doctor pushed forward and looked closely at Lafayette, examining his wound and then turning to talk to Lafayette directly.

"Do you know where you are?" He asked.

"Um… I-In a t-tent with H-Hercules, John, and A-Alexander." Lafayette replied, stuttering slightly and whimpering as he finished.

"How bad is the pain?" The doctor asked, giving Lafayette a worried look as he suddenly pitched forward and curled in on himself, whimpering and sobbing in pain. Hamilton jumped forward, and tried to calm Lafayette. He glanced at the doctor briefly, giving him a worried expression before turning back to Lafayette.

Lafayette looked up at Hamilton, tears streaming down his face, "Bad." Was all he mumbled before dissolving into sobs and whimpers of pain again.

"The infection is getting worse, he needs to be bled." The doctor ordered, "I'll go fetch my supplies." With that he briskly left the tent.

"Bled?" Hercules asked, his voice a worried mix of fear and astonishment, "Won't that just weaken him further?"

"We shouldn't question it, he knows what he's doing. I just hope it does him more good than bad…" Hamilton trailed off, almost at a loss for words.

Lafayette let out an almost delirious cry of pain, twisting to the side on the cot and grabbing onto the tail of Hamilton's coat. Hamilton turned and managed to detach Lafayette from his coat, taking his hand and squeezing reassuringly instead.

The doctor returned carrying a medical bag, he glanced at Hamilton with a slightly annoyed expression, before taking Lafayette's other arm and beginning to clean it before he made a cut. Hamilton watched him, not stopping him but not moving away either.

"And you're sure this won't weaken him further?" Hercules asked skeptically.

"It may weaken him, but it will help clear out the infection." The doctor replied with a sigh. He examined Lafayette's arm once more before taking out a blade and bowl and slicing deep into Lafayette's forearm, holding the bowl just below so that the blood now gushing from the wound would be caught.

Lafayette whimpered and moaned in pain, but he was slowly drifting off, and he could hardly hear Hamilton's comforting words as he descended into a world of darkness and numbness.

The doctor made three more deep lacerations in Lafayette's arm before taking out clean bandages and wrapping them tightly around his bleeding arm.

Twisting around slightly, Lafayette let out a quiet whimper and then stilled again, his hand still clutching Hamilton's.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Laurens had left earlier that night, and the doctor had left soon after bleeding Lafayette, telling them to call them if his condition changed. That left Hercules and Hamilton alone in the tent with Lafayette, who was still unconscious and clutching Hamilton's hand.

It had hardly been an hour before Lafayette awoke, he groaned, his grip on Hamilton's hand releasing as he tried to push himself upright.

"No! Lafayette just lay back and rest. Don't strain yourself." Hercules quickly ordered, almost jumping up to push Lafayette back down. "Just rest."

Lafayette sagged back down with a quiet whimper, "W-what ha-happened? W-why d-does my arm h-hurt so m-much?" He asked quietly, biting back another cry of pain.

"The doctor decided our best course of action was to bleed you. I'm not sure if it did much." Hamilton replied.

Lafayette nodded slowly, and then turned and slumped back down onto his side. Hamilton exchanged a glance with Hercules, both of them unsure of what to do. Hamilton laid a hand on Lafayette's shoulder, causing him to whimper quietly.

"Maybe we should change the bandages," Hamilton whispered to Hercules, not wanting to wake up Lafayette, who had drifted off.

Hercules nodded, moving over to Lafayette and gently lifting his bandaged arm. Lafayette remained asleep, not noticing that Hercules had begun to unwrap the bandages around his arm. Hercules finished bandaging Lafayette's arm, and turned to move away, but Lafayette grabbed his hand. He looked up at Hercules with pain in his eyes, trembling slightly.

Hercules moved to sit down next to Lafayette, and he practically threw himself onto Hercules, wrapping his arms tightly around him and burying his face into Hercules' shirt. Hercules looked slightly taken aback by Lafayette's actions, but didn't stop him, instead turning slightly to the side to allow Lafayette to hug him.

Hamilton watched, a smile creeping it's way onto his face. Lafayette was now curled on his side, partially on Hercules' lap, still clinging to him in his sleep.

0o0o0o0o0o0

The peace did not last long. Hamilton was currently holding Lafayette down while the doctor cut into his arm, Lafayette was screaming and struggling to get away.

One hour earlier

Lafayette whimpered in pain, trying to ignore the white hot pain in his hip and arm. He felt someone lay a hand on his shoulder, and heard Hercules' calming voice, although he could not tell what he was saying. He tried to move, but found himself trapped, unable to move or speak. He began to panic as the world around him faded and was replaced with darkness. He was still conscious, but now was unable to see or hear anything around him.

Lafayette's eyes flickered open, but didn't focus on anything in particular, looking closer Hamilton could see they were glazed over.

"Lafayette!" He called, shaking Lafayette by the shoulder.

Hercules began to shake Lafayette as well, "What's wrong with his eyes?" Hercules asked, noticing Lafayette's glazed over eyes.

"I don't know, but he isn't responding. Keep trying to wake him up, I'll fetch the doctor." Hamilton practically yelled at Hercules a he turned to dash out of the tent.

Present time

Lafayette struggled desperately to try and break free from Hamilton's hold, but in his fevered and weakened state he was unable to break free. He screamed out in pain as the doctor made a cut in his already wounded leg, trying to drain some of the infected blood. Hamilton grimaced as the doctor made another cut and Lafayette let out another pained scream.

"Shh, it's gonna be okay." He heard Hercules whisper to Lafayette, he was crouched by Lafayette's head, trying to calm him slightly.

The doctor finally sighed and sat back, "He should be better in the next two days. I'll be back to check on him in a few hours."

Lafayette lay still, gasping for air. Tears ran down his face and he was shaking.

Suddenly Washington entered the tent, looking concerned, "How is he?" He asked in a worried voice.

Lafayette immediately tensed at his voice, shaking harder. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He whimpered, shrinking back on the cot away from Washington.

Washington stared hard at the floor for a moment before turning his gaze back to Lafayette, "No it's me who should be sorry, I lost my temper and yelled at you." He said, his voice low.

Lafayette relaxed slightly.

"What happened?" Hamilton asked, slightly confused.

Washington looked back at the ground, "I lost my temper and yelled at him." He replied.

"N-no, I-I'm the one w-who should be s-sorry. I s-snuck o-out of the tent w-when I was supposed t-to b-be r-resting. I j-joined the battle a-against orders, I'm s-sorry." Lafayette stuttered, trying to hide the tears now running down his face.

Hamilton noticed and moved to sit down by Lafayette, wrapping his arms around him. Lafayette sniffed and buried his face into Hamilton's shoulder.

"Just promise me one thing, please." Washington asked.

Lafayette nodded slightly.

"Don't ever join a battle when you are supposed to be resting." Washington said, "We need you here son, I don't know what I would do if you died."

Lafayette pulled back from Hamilton, focusing his still slightly fevered gaze on Washington, "I promise." He replied.

Washington nodded, suddenly he moved down and hugged Lafayette tightly.

Well I hoped you enjoyed this story! Thanks to all the positive reviews I've gotten on my other stories my confidence in my writing has gone up significantly! So thank you to anyone who left a review on my other stories! And now for, you guessed it, the word count! Well, as usual, the story itself was 9000 words and 21 pages long, but with the author notes the total word count is 9433!