A/N:

Hi, this is my first fanfiction ever and I'm really happy about it! I have been reading them forever and I have always wanted to write one so here it is!

It is set about halfway through Monsters Of Men, just after Viola and Bradley go and talk to the Spackle for the first time, enjoy!

{Viola}

Acorn treads hard down a slope and I gasp, pain shooting through my body. The night in the spackle camp brought up my fever and worsened my cough, meaning every breath I take comes out in a raking rasp. My chest kills and my head pounds as we enter New Prentisstown.

I know that Todd is probably going to greet us when he spots us so I try and get my act together, although my head is spinning and Bradley is saying something behind me that I can't hear.

I see him coming towards me and I try take in some big breaths, only bringing on a massive coughing fit. Bradley rides up next to me and puts his hand on my shoulder as Acorn says GIRL COLT.

"Let's get you inside." Bradley sighs, his hand on my shoulder.

I nod as Todd takes my hand, smiling.

"Viola," he breaths,

"I can't hear you..." I croak, as the world starts spinning twice as fast. I fall off Acorn and the world goes black.

{Todd}

Viola blacks out and falls into my arms. Bradley shrieks when she falls but takes a big breath when I catch her.

I'm about to ask Bradley to take us up to the ship so I can understand what's wrong with her when the Mayor walks up to me.

"Todd, come, I have a speech to make now that our Peacemakers are back."

I nod slightly, praying he doesn't notice Viola, unfortunately, he does.

"Oh dear! What is the matter with dear Viola? Well, she will recover during the speech, she will be very interested in the last bit."

I sigh, carrying her to the square. I lie her down on a bench, me sitting at the end.

I hear Bradley's noise, full of concern for Viola, considering ignoring the Mayor and taking Viola up to the ship without listening to the Mayor's speech.

I stroke Viola's hair, opening my noise slightly to let Bradley know that it's not a good idea.

He nods, taking a seat on the bench next to me and Viola.

The square is full as the Mayor bumbles on about peace and trust, but I ignore him, instead listening to Viola's raspy, unsteady breathing. She coughs and I squeeze her hand as she stirs.

"Hey," I whisper as the Mayor announces,

"Our Peacemaker has recovered! Well, now she is conscious I can tell you all that I have created a cure for the bands!"

Viola gasps at this, causing her to cough hard into her hand. Once her coughing fit is over she goes limp against my chest, shivering violently, still awake but barely.

I look into her eyes, beautiful but filled with sickness. I stand up with her in my arms.

"We ain't need that cure." I whisper into her ear, never trusting the Mayor in a million years to heal Viola.

Bradley jogs over to help me lift Viola onto Angharred.

BOY COLT she whinnies as Viola gives a small whimper of pain.

"Angharred." I mutter quickly, climbing onto her myself once Bradley manages to mount a slightly jumpy Acorn.

As we ride up the hill, all I can hear is Bradley's noise worrying about Viola, Acorn's noise worrying about Viola and Angharred's noise worrying about apples.

GIRL COLT? Acorn asks.

"She's alright boy." I try, just as Viola coughs harshly again.

I hold her to my chest as Angharred starts to speed up, breaking into a canter.

Viola's breathing starts to hitch occasionally when we run over uneven ground; whenever it happens, I find myself holding my breath till she continues breathing.

Finally, the ship comes into view as Angharred starts to slow down, panting slightly.

Simone greets us at the door and I slowly lift a barely conscious Viola off my horse. Once in the medi-bay, I lie her down on a bed as Bradley walks in, Mistress Coyle in tow.

"So what happened?" Coyle asks.

I'm about to answer but Bradley starts before me,

"She was alright at the Spackle camp, well not alright but better, and then on the way down, she looked really out of it. Todd came to greet us and she just passed out. The Mayor then ordered us to listen to his speech, apparently he has discovered a cure for the illness, Viola woke up but hardly and she just kept coughing loads, and her breathing is really weird."

Mistress Coyle nods, ignoring what everyone else in the sickbay reacts to.

"A cure?" Lee pipes from a bed in the corner.

Bradley nods,

"He said that he had 'created a cure for the bands'."

"Bullshit." Lee replies.

"That's what I thought." I say, not really listening as Mistress Coyle stands over Viola.

"Can you hear me Viola." She asks, two fingers over Viola's wrist.

Viola nods, her raspy breathing hitching again. Mistress Coyle frowns,

"She is going to need something to help her breath.

Simone looks up at this,

"I have something, hold on."

She disappears and reappears again with a strange mouth thing in her hand.

A plastic, see through mask thing goes over Viola's mouth and nose as Simone lifts Viola's head up to put a loop of blue elastic behind her ears.

"It's a breathing aid, provides her with fresh, clean oxygen." explains Simone.

"Some strong antibiotics and a night on oxygen should get her back up to the strength she was earlier." Coyle declares, showing me out the room.

"Can't I stay for a bit?" I plead, trying to see over her broad shoulder.

"No, she just needs to rest." Coyle says, shutting the door of the medi-bay.

I sigh, climbing onto Angharred. I tell Acorn to follow and start off back down the hill, my noise full of Viola.

{Viola}

I wake up and my body feels numb. It's light in the medi-bay and I can see Lee getting his bandages changed by Mistress Lawson so I presume it's daytime.

Breathing is easier then it's been in ages and I don't feel dizzy at all.

At first, I think that someone has given me a cure and that I'm better but then feeling starts to return to my body and I notice a strange mask over my mouth and nose. My right arm stings slightly wear a needle is connected to a drip and my left arm is in a sling. But I feel better than I have in ages so who cares.

Wilf walks in and Lee gasps.

"Wow Viola you look like shit." He says.

I try to tell him that he does too but the thing helping me breath muffles it. I consider taking it off but the bliss of breathing makes me keep it on.

I try to sit up, the white sheets falling off my body, revealing my bare upper arm.

The band is clamped tightly just above my left elbow, red lines running up and down my arm. One red line runs along my neck and another down my thumb. The skin around the band is red and swollen, a sick smell coming from it. Lee swears again as I swallow, I hadn't realised it had got that bad. I'm about to cover it up when Mistress Coyle walks in. Before she can say anything I rip the breathing aid off my face and croak,

"Do I feel better because I am better, or because I'm worse? Give me an honest answer."

Mistress Coyle hesitates and I notice Lee listening intently.

"You have had a set back, the infection is reaching other parts of your body and I think it would be best if you stopped using your left arm, just for now. Your fever is getting worse and your lungs are not in a good way. We have found some new antibiotics that seem to be helping a lot of women though, so don't worry. We will try you on those and see how you go."

I don't say anything to this, just look at my pale, gaunt face in Wilf's noise and my healthy, happy face in Lee's.

I'm about to put the breathing aid back on when my com starts to beep, it's Todd.

"He's been calling for the last 3 days." Mistress Coyle mutters.

"What do you mean 3 days?" I gasp, causing me to cough.

"We kept you sedated for the last 3 days until your fever went down, I don't think you understand how ill you are my girl."

I ignore Misstress Coyle as she and Wilf walk out, answering the com, Todd's little head pops up.

"Viola." He breaths, and I can see the relief washing over his face.

I smile back at him, trying to hold back a cough and hide how hard it is to breath. "How come I ain't been able to get hold of yer recently?"

"Oh, I hadn't realised you'd been calling, I've been busy." I swallow.

Todd frowns slightly then says,

"Viola, yer arm looks really bad."

I look down, I had forgotten it was on show.

{Todd}

I notice that Viola is wearing a loose grey vest top, her arm on show. Red lines run up and down her arm, one coiling around her ear.

"Viola, yer arm looks really bad." I mutter. I see the guilt in Viola's eyes as she begins to say,

"No, it's fi-"

"Viola, please stop lying. How sick are you really?"

She coughs, taking in a raspy breath that causes her to cough more. She doubles over, causing the com to roll off her lap, but I can still see what's going on.

As Viola continues to cough, I hear Lee calling for help. I feel a flash of feelings when this happens, thankful that Lee is there to help, but jealous that Lee is there and I'm not. Mistress Lawson rushes over to Viola, trying to uncurl her coughing body. Suddenly, the coughing stops, Viola goes limp and horror fills Mistress Lawson's eyes.

A/N:

I'm really sorry the chapter ended so badly, but there will be more! Please review if you liked it and review if you didn't, although please don't be too mean.

Byeeeeee!