Highland Fling

By Lady of Spain

Chapter 1: A Painful Start

Disclaimer: D. Gabaldon owns Outlander

A/N: This story begins in familiar territory, but I assure you it will veer away from the original very soon.

The room was dark as a dungeon, yet I could see the outline of a young man with curly Titian locks, sitting on a wooden bench, holding his sword arm with his other hand, and panting with pain. I listened to the conversation of my captors and realized from the context that the injured man had dislocated his shoulder. The short, grungy looking Scotsman with the beard and poorly maintained teeth stood in front of the other poor sod, ready to fix the dislocation. By fix, I mean to say that his ministrations would not end well. Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ, the ignorant oaf was about to break the man's arm!

I could not in good conscience allow him to proceed. Taking a stride forward, I yelled, "You mustn't do it that way. It will cause more damage, and certainly break his arm."

The tall man—I imagined to be their leader—looked at me, and sneered. "You have knowledge wi' this kind o' thin', Lass?"

If he only knew …"Yes," I ventured. "I've seen war, and have had a wealth of experience at repairing damaged limbs."

He threw up his hands. "See to it, then."

The first soldier took offense at being usurped by a mere woman, and a foreigner at that, and forced his way toward me, blocking my progress. He turned to the leader, and growled, "Ye mean to tell me, ye're gonta let this cheeky Outlander fix the loose joint in Jamie's arm? Christ, Dougal, how d'ye ken that this wee vixen isna a spy for the English, and is here to ruin a good fighter."

Dougal glared at the belligerent runt. "Step aside, Angus, lest ye wanta challenge me for the position o' warchief. Now let the Sassenach show us how it's doon."

I scanned the faces surrounding me. "All right then … I'll need two strong men to hold him while I do this."

The warchief pointed a finger at two of them. "Murtagh, Duncan, do as the woman says."

Kneeling beside the man they called Jamie, I looked up at him and explained what I was about to do. "Jamie, is it?"

He nodded, his leg bouncing slightly in anticipation of amplified pain, I suppose.

"All right then, Jamie. I have to rotate your forearm so it's properly positioned before I can slide your upper arm into the joint. Ready?"

He flinched just as I barely touched him, and winced through his teeth. A loud grunt sounded as I turned the forearm. Glancing up at my assistants, I admonished, "Hold him steady now."

I pulled down initially, then pushed the bone up into the joint with all my strength, and heard a snap as it locked into place. Jamie gasped loudly during the ordeal. Then he looked at me, once the job was done, blinking in amazement, and exhaled a big breath of relief. "Thank ye kindly, Claire. It feels a might better now."

I gazed at my reluctant patient, the color of his eyes indistinguishable, but the firelight reflecting off them, and the sweet smile he imparted, assured me that I was safe, despite the rough and filthy condition of these men.

Searching the eyes of the Highland group, I asked, "Does anyone of you have something I can use to strap his arm across his torso? It needs to be immobilized." I noticed a strip of leather at Angus' waist. "You there, what about your belt?"

Dougal, stood there staunchly, and backhanded Angus in the chest. "Give the woman yer belt."

He appeared to be shocked. "Give her my belt?"

"Aye. I said; give her yer belt. D'ye no ken my meanin'? Or has yer brain gotten boggy from the rain?"

Angus grumbled under his breath, and slipped it off his breeches, handing it to me.

"Thank you, Angus."

I fashioned a makeshift sling, buckling it securely around Jamie's neck, and advised him against the use of his arm.

After accomplishing my goal, it was my turn to be shocked. "You're going to let this man ride into the night when he only has the use of one arm?"

Dougal, in a no-nonsense manner, said, "Aye. He's had far worse. Forbye, it isna yer concern, anaways, Lass."

The man called Murtagh, shoved me forward out of the hideaway, and hoisted me up onto a horse's saddle. Jamie climbed up behind me, and with my help, spread his plaid about my shoulders to keep me warm.

# # # # #

I was cursin' my luck as I sat there by the fire. My shoulder pained me a good deal, but it wasna half so bad as the stripes applied to my back on that dreadful day many years ago.

Dougal and the others were talkin' 'bout what was to be doon wi' me, when Murtagh walked in alongside a slip o' a lass, wi' wild, curly hair the color o' burnished mahogany. She was wearin' naught but a shift, which I found most peculiar, but she explained as she'd been forcibly removed from her coach, stripped o' her garments, and accosted by that smarmy redcoat, Captain Black Jack Randall.

My uncle finally gave the task o' puttin' my arm right to Angus. I was astounded as when Angus stepped forward, the brown-haired lass—Claire, I kent she said her name was—berated the man, and took o'er his job. It was a bit o' a surprise to me, as Dougal seemed to be agreeable.

When she knelt afore me, I was struck by the tender look opon her face. The light from the hearth shone in her eyes … and stars and stones, they were the most beautiful I e'er did see—sherry in crystal, aye.

The woman spoke my name, and it was as if it were the voice o' an angel sent to me from heaven above. She touched my arm, and I flinched as much from the leapin' o' my heart as from the pain.

Try as I might to endure it in silence, I couldna help but gasp aloud as Claire deftly slid the bone into place. It didna hurt anamore then, and I was amazed. She then strapped me op wi' the belt off o' Angus' breeks.

After she commenced a useless argument wi' Dougal 'bout movin' me, we were once more on the road to Leoch; me in the saddle o' Donas, and Claire seated between my thighs, wrapped snugly in my plaid, and leanin' agin me in a most pleasurable way.

# # # # #

We rode all night, and part of the next day, when all once, I was purposely thrown off the horse. Jamie and his cohorts raced onward, once again embroiled in warfare. It was my chance to escape, but unfortunately, Jamie found me before I had gotten very far. He was covered in blood, and looked like an actor in a horror movie, only he was not an actor, and this was no movie.

Once more, I was forced to ride with him, until he tumbled off, apparently, weak from blood loss. The foolish Scotsman, had been shot through the same injured shoulder, yet never had the good sense to voice a complaint.

# # # # #

The skirmish was brief as skirmishes go, and we taught the bluidy redcoats to think twice afore tryin' anathin' wi' the highlanders agin. We rode back to the verra place where I'd tossed Claire off Donas, laughin' and jokin' bout' settin' the Sassenachs on the run.

When we arrived at the spot, I couldna believe my eyes … as the lass had disappeared. Dougal sent me out to search for her. It wasna hard to follow the trail she left tho'. E'en a blind man could find her as she took nay care to cover her tracks.

I found her in a clearin' and backed her op agin' a big spruce, a sword in my hand to persuade her to come wi' me. The feisty woman attempted to escape—imagine that, aye! I had to admire her spirit, altho' it was sadly misplaced. A wee lass agin' a weel armed Scot, was nay a match as would win at this game. She couldna outrun me, nor fight agin me, so it was wi' reluctance, as she was once agin setting her bonny rear on my horse in front o' me.

Night fell, and my shoulder was throbbin' somethin' fierce. The blood was still runnin' down my chest from the hole made by a musket ball as happened durin' the battle wi' the British scum. There was nay time to dawdle, and so I ne'er said a thin' 'bout it to my hostage. Claire was ignorant o' the fact, 'til as fate would have it, I got right woozy, and couldna keep my hind end in the saddle. I toppled off Donas, and landed in a heap in the middle o' the road.

The men carried me into the forest at Claire's behest. There, she saw to my wound and chastised me soundly for bein' an imbecile. Her touch was so light and gentle, I was almost glad to be shot at, just so I could have her sittin' her rear end opon my chest, to bandage me 'bout and strap me op proper once more. Her head was near enough to my face while she wound the sling 'round my neck, as if I'd mind to, I couldha, brushed my lips along her jaw. It was temptin' me sorely, but I minded my manners, and let her continue on wi'out the likes o' me buggerin' her.

Dougal was adamant as we should be on the road, and so Claire offered her hand to help me op off the ground. I swear to god almighty, a bolt o' lightnin' couldna have affected me more than the mere touch o' her hand.

# # # # #

I was livid at the utter stupidity of these men. They carried Jamie away from the road, so I could see to his wound. I stood, staring down at the moron. "You might have told me you'd been shot. Of all the brainless … Why didn't you say something?"

"It isna bad. The ball passed clean through. It was naught to trouble ye 'bout."

"Bloody hell. Well, you're troubling me now. You men and your damn, stoic, nonsense!"

Murmuring rose up among the Scotsmen, most probably because of my use of colorful phrases. I ignored them, and resorted to tearing strips off the hem of my dress to use as bandages, since there seemed to be no other recourse available. I knotted them tightly so Jamie would have to really tug to remove them. He'd already been fighting with his recently injured arm, in direct defiance of my medical opinion. I shouldn't wonder it wasn't dangling there, useless from the abuse that was inflicted upon it.

Their stubborn leader insisted that we continue our journey to wherever we were going, never mind that poor Jamie was dizzy with blood loss—the callous brute.

# # # # #

We were but a day's ride from Leoch, and so Dougal said we could camp for the night. Claire stood apart from us, and I went 'bout layin' the hides on the cold ground for her to set herself to sleep. She nodded, and said, "Thank you, Jamie." Those few words stoked the fire as was burnin' in my heart.

She sat on the pallet, and Dougal instructed me, "I'm givin' ye the duty to watch as Mrs. Beauchamp doesna decide to op and leave us, aye."

"I mean ye no disrespect, Uncle, but ye can see as there's no moon above, and the lass has nay idea which way to go. She'd be daft to leave us, and her bein' unprotected, as weel."

"That might be true, but I'm still holdin' ye responsible to keep yer eye out on this one. She's a tricky lass. And, as I dinna ken whether or no she's a spy, I canna have her roamin' these hills, 'til I've puzzled it out."

"Aye."

Glancin' at Claire, I shrugged. "Sorry, Sassenach."

She looked away, and I sighed, yearnin' to gaze at her a bit longer.