Disclaimer: Trigun is not mine.
This kind of starts in the middle of the action. So what else is new?
"You okay?' Wolfwood helped Millie to her feet.
"Just fine." Millie frowned at the now unconscious forms of the gang that had surrounded her and Meryl in the lobby of the hotel. Vash was holstering his gun next to her.
"What did they want with you big girl?"
"I don't know really. They said something about being after the bounty- but that got put on hold didn't it? So either they were really dumb or they didn't know. Ma'am was telling them so and then they started shooting." Millie touched the small scratch on her temple with gentle fingers. Wolfwood frowned. It had been too damn close.
"Where is the small girl?" Vash glanced around the lobby. "Insurance girl?" He raised his voice. No answer.
"We had to separate... they were all shooting at us...." Millie began to sound a bit panicked. Vash began to move quickly, searching the room.
"Insurance girl? Meryl! Damnit! Where are you?"
"Help?" A faint voice answered him. "Can you help us?" Vash turned and saw the clerk, a child and Meryl behind the counter. Meryl was lying still, eyes closed, the clerk holding a bloody cloth against her chest. "Is this your friend Mister? She grabbed my Susie and dove over the counter with her when they started shooting. Then she just slumped over- took me a minute to realize she was shot."
"Yes," Vash knelt down next to them and placed a hand on Meryl's throat. Her pulse thrummed under his fingers, her breath wasn't wheezy- sounding. Thank goodness. He took a deep breath.
"She okay, spiky?" Wolfwood leaned over the counter.
"We got to get her to a doctor..." Vash looked at the clerk as he undid Meryl's cloak. He didn't want to have to explain all her derringers to a doctor. "Where's the nearest one?"
"Down the street about a block." Vash carefully picked up Meryl, one of his hands covering her wound.
"I'll take her. Wolfwood- you send Millie for the Sheriff and stay here to make sure none of these morons wake up."
"You got it Vash."
The doctor's office was very clean. The nurse took one look at Meryl and immediately went for the doctor. Vash laid Meryl down carefully on an examining table, his hand keeping a steady pressure on her wound. She was pale and waxy-looking under the bright office lights. "Hang in there insurance girl," he murmured to her. The doctor came in, a concerned look on his pleasant face. He asked Vash to lift up the cloth so he could see the wound.
"Hm.. stopped bleeding, didn't seem to hit the lung- just above really. Lucky girl. We'll have to pull the bullet out though." The doctor turned and gave quick instructions to the nurse as he cut away the fabric around the wound. He looked at Vash. "I'm assuming you want to stay young man- but if you don't, there's no shame in it."
"I'll stay." The nurse returned in a moment with the tray of instruments. She handed Vash a wet towel.
"For your hand, sir," she said gently. Vash looked down at his hand. It was red with blood- her blood. He scrubbed at it for a moment, he didn't want her blood on his hands. If she kept following him around like this... but how could he stop her? She always managed to find him! He knew that was a lame excuse. He could make her stop- he just didn't want to.
It took only a few minutes for the doctor to pull out the bullet. He looked at it with a sigh. "One of those dang Cowboy gang bullets. When are they gonna stop shooting up this town and hurting innocent people?"
"They've done this before?" Vash asked looking up.
"Oh yes. There's about five of 'em- they ride into town shooting their guns and terrorizing the people who live here. They've injured quite a few and always manage to leave right before the sheriff gets there. They haven't actually killed anyone yet, and there is only 5 of em, so the Cavalry hasn't come to help yet." The doctor stitched up the wound.
"Five of them?" Vash mentally calculated the number of men he'd seen laying around the lobby. "I think the sheriff has them now."
"That would be good news. Are you sure?"
"Pretty sure."
"Great! Who did it? The mayor put a bounty on their heads- I kept thinking it was a mistake since they're always bragging about it to strangers- trying to provoke a fight." The light clicked on in Vash's head. That's the bounty they meant- not the one on his head- the one on theirs! That made more sense since everyone knew that his bounty had been suspended- he was too dangerous to capture. Vash smiled faintly at the thought.
"All done." The doctor smiled and began bandaging the wound. "She should wake up soon. You're welcome to stay here until she does."
"Thanks doc- how much do I owe you?"
"Didn't you see the sign? We're a nonprofit clinic. If you can make a donation before you leave that would be great. If you can't- don't worry about it." The doctor patted his shoulder kindly. "Your girl is going to be fine. Make sure she gets plenty of rest the next few days, okay?"
"Okay." The doctor smiled again and vanished out the door. Vash sat down carefully on the edge of the table and took Meryl's hand. The color was returning to her face slowly. He interlaced her fingers with his, unthinkingly and held her cold hand to his cheek. "You really scared me this time, small insurance girl." He said softly to the unconscious girl. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the feeling of her small cold hand against his skin. She was alive, he reminded himself, the adrenaline surge that had kept him moving since he saw her lying on the floor in the lobby was finally dying down. A tear slid down his cheek, dampening her hand. So close- too close...
Meryl awoke to a dull feeling of pain- in her chest, in her head and in her hand. She remembered the goons coming into the lobby yelling about a bounty- they had aimed at that little girl... she remembered the searing pain in her chest, her head hitting the floor- well that accounted for two out of three. She opened her eyes, blinking against the light. Vash was sitting next to her, his hand holding hers against his cheek. He was squeezing a bit too tightly, but that was a minor concern. He looked upset. Hell, she could practically feel the unhappiness radiating off of him. But why? This wasn't his fault. Why did he always blame himself? She turned her hand gently in his to cup his cheek.
"Are you okay, Mr. Vash?" His green eyes focused down on her and his face lit up.
"You're awake! How are you feeling?" He asked anxiously.
"My head hurts, this hurts..." she touched her chest with her free hand. "Did I get stitches?" Vash released her hand.
"The doc had to pull out a bullet. You were lucky. It missed hitting your lung." Meryl's eyes opened a bit wider.
"How about that little girl- is she..."
"She's fine. Everyone's okay except for you. The big girl had already knocked out three of em by the time Wolfwood and I arrived. The doc said those guys were a real menace- even had a bounty on their heads."
"So that's what those idiots were talking about!" Meryl groaned a bit and tried to sit up.
"Careful!" Vash moved to slide an arm around her shoulder for support.
"Please tell me I don't have to stay here- I hate hospitals."
"It's a clinic, not a hospital. And no- doc said as long as you're careful we can go."
"Great!" Meryl slid out of bed carefully, clinging to Vash for support. "Ouch..."
"Ouch?"
"Must've pulled a muscle in my leg jumping over the couch. I can walk it out." Vash sighed. He bent down and swept an arm under her legs, easily picking her up. "Hey!"
"C'mon, insurance girl. The last thing I need is to have you fall and tear those stitches open. Besides, the doc had to cut away your blouse on this side," he nodded towards the side closest to his chest. "This way no pervert can try anything while we're going back to the hotel."
"Except you of course." Meryl grumbled halfheartedly. It really was nice to be in his arms, even if she hurt like hell.
"I'll be a gentleman," Vash said teasingly. "This time."
Wolfwood and Millie were in the lobby with the Sheriff and his men. The Cowboys had been handcuffed and led off to jail. Millie's eyes lit up when she saw Vash enter with Meryl.
"Ma'am!"
"This your superior, Miss?" the sheriff asked.
"Yes. Are you okay, Ma'am?"
"I will be. Though right now I want to go lay down." She looked at the sheriff.
"I'm sure you do," the sheriff was a lanky brown-haired man with a frown. "But first can you try and talk some sense into this girl? She took out 3 of the bounty hunters, so she gets 3/5ths of the reward, but she doesn't want to take it." He looked at Vash. "According to this gentleman, you get the other 2/5ths. Are you going to refuse it too?"
"Well," Vash said with a smile. "I'd like to give my share to the clinic down the street. The Doc did a great job stitching up my friend here."
"That's easy enough," the sheriff smiled suddenly. "I know they'll appreciate it- the doc always helps everyone out." Vash looked at Millie, his eyes drifting over her to Wolfwood.
"Take your share," he said quietly. "If you like, I'm sure you can find a good cause to donate it to, right?" Millie's eyes widened a bit.
"You're right, Mr. Vash. I wasn't thinking. I will take it," she said turning to the sheriff.
"That's what I wanted to hear," he said. "If you'll come down to the station with me?"
"Of course. Will you come with me, Mr. Priest?"
"Sure, big girl, no problem." Wolfwood grinned. "As long as Vash can handle the small girl by himself?" His tone was teasing and Meryl stuck her tongue out at him.
"We'll be fine. Thank you Sheriff." Vash replied.
"No, thank you. People in this town are going to be safer now." The Sheriff left, Wolfwood and Millie in tow. Vash took Meryl upstairs. The room had two beds, chairs and desks. Meryl's cloak had been tossed over one of the desks. Vash put Meryl down carefully on a chair. "Just let me put your suitcase next to the bathroom for you, so you can go change. I think that blouse is ruined."
"I think you're right," Meryl sighed. "Oh well, just a company expense- I can't wait til they get that one! That will earn me a telegram from Karen!"
"What do they expect, sending you out to follow a dangerous criminal like me?" Meryl chuckled as she shakily rose to her feet.
"You aren't dangerous, Mr. Vash. It's everything and everyone around you that is! Besides, I knew how dangerous this job was when I accepted it- both times."
"But you still accepted it- why?" His tone had turned serious. Meryl turned to look at him and smiled faintly.
"Karen would tell you that I enjoy this- risking my life for the job- the excitement- the adventure..." Vash snorted and Meryl grinned. "And maybe that is why I accepted it the first time."
"And the second?"
"Because I'm your friend," Meryl said matter of factly. "And I want to help you anyway I can." She closed the door of the bathroom behind her. Vash looked after her for a moment. Then he leaned back in a chair and put his feet up on a desk. He hoped nothing else happened today- but around him anything was possible. They were still trying to track Knives down with no success- but at least there were no gung-ho guns left... well, Wolfwood... but he didn't know that Vash knew what he was, and Vash wasn't going to mention it. No matter what, Wolfwood was his friend- just like the insurance girls. When had they all become his friends instead of people sent to keep an eye on him?
His eyes drifted to the closed bathroom door. She had accepted the job the second time simply because she wanted to help him? He knew that underneath her 'insurance girl' exterior that Meryl was a warm and kind- hearted person. But to know that following him was dangerous and yet still return? Maybe... he cut that thought off. No way. She knew what he really was, and friend or not, she would never accept that from him. He couldn't ask it of her even if she did. People he got close to died. She and Millie and Wolfwood were already in danger- what he was thinking of would make her an even bigger target. Not that he wasn't tempted... if only it was all over...
"Mr. Vash?" Her voice broke through his pleasant dream and he turned to look at her. She was in her nightshirt, the length of her bare legs making another fantasy pop up in his brain. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he mumbled and turned his back on her, focusing on clean thoughts. "How are you feeling?"
"It hurts like hell," she replied matter of factly as she climbed into bed.
"The doc gave me some pain meds, but you have to take them with food." Vash turned around when he heard the rustle of the blankets. "I'll go get some if you like. Wolfwood and the big girl should be back soon."
"Okay," Meryl agreed, leaning back against the headboard, pushing her pillows around. Vash got up and helped her. Millie opened the door a minute later, accompanied by Wolfwood who was carrying bags.
"We picked up some dinner, Ma'am, Mr. Vash. I hope you're hungry!"
"You okay?' Wolfwood helped Millie to her feet.
"Just fine." Millie frowned at the now unconscious forms of the gang that had surrounded her and Meryl in the lobby of the hotel. Vash was holstering his gun next to her.
"What did they want with you big girl?"
"I don't know really. They said something about being after the bounty- but that got put on hold didn't it? So either they were really dumb or they didn't know. Ma'am was telling them so and then they started shooting." Millie touched the small scratch on her temple with gentle fingers. Wolfwood frowned. It had been too damn close.
"Where is the small girl?" Vash glanced around the lobby. "Insurance girl?" He raised his voice. No answer.
"We had to separate... they were all shooting at us...." Millie began to sound a bit panicked. Vash began to move quickly, searching the room.
"Insurance girl? Meryl! Damnit! Where are you?"
"Help?" A faint voice answered him. "Can you help us?" Vash turned and saw the clerk, a child and Meryl behind the counter. Meryl was lying still, eyes closed, the clerk holding a bloody cloth against her chest. "Is this your friend Mister? She grabbed my Susie and dove over the counter with her when they started shooting. Then she just slumped over- took me a minute to realize she was shot."
"Yes," Vash knelt down next to them and placed a hand on Meryl's throat. Her pulse thrummed under his fingers, her breath wasn't wheezy- sounding. Thank goodness. He took a deep breath.
"She okay, spiky?" Wolfwood leaned over the counter.
"We got to get her to a doctor..." Vash looked at the clerk as he undid Meryl's cloak. He didn't want to have to explain all her derringers to a doctor. "Where's the nearest one?"
"Down the street about a block." Vash carefully picked up Meryl, one of his hands covering her wound.
"I'll take her. Wolfwood- you send Millie for the Sheriff and stay here to make sure none of these morons wake up."
"You got it Vash."
The doctor's office was very clean. The nurse took one look at Meryl and immediately went for the doctor. Vash laid Meryl down carefully on an examining table, his hand keeping a steady pressure on her wound. She was pale and waxy-looking under the bright office lights. "Hang in there insurance girl," he murmured to her. The doctor came in, a concerned look on his pleasant face. He asked Vash to lift up the cloth so he could see the wound.
"Hm.. stopped bleeding, didn't seem to hit the lung- just above really. Lucky girl. We'll have to pull the bullet out though." The doctor turned and gave quick instructions to the nurse as he cut away the fabric around the wound. He looked at Vash. "I'm assuming you want to stay young man- but if you don't, there's no shame in it."
"I'll stay." The nurse returned in a moment with the tray of instruments. She handed Vash a wet towel.
"For your hand, sir," she said gently. Vash looked down at his hand. It was red with blood- her blood. He scrubbed at it for a moment, he didn't want her blood on his hands. If she kept following him around like this... but how could he stop her? She always managed to find him! He knew that was a lame excuse. He could make her stop- he just didn't want to.
It took only a few minutes for the doctor to pull out the bullet. He looked at it with a sigh. "One of those dang Cowboy gang bullets. When are they gonna stop shooting up this town and hurting innocent people?"
"They've done this before?" Vash asked looking up.
"Oh yes. There's about five of 'em- they ride into town shooting their guns and terrorizing the people who live here. They've injured quite a few and always manage to leave right before the sheriff gets there. They haven't actually killed anyone yet, and there is only 5 of em, so the Cavalry hasn't come to help yet." The doctor stitched up the wound.
"Five of them?" Vash mentally calculated the number of men he'd seen laying around the lobby. "I think the sheriff has them now."
"That would be good news. Are you sure?"
"Pretty sure."
"Great! Who did it? The mayor put a bounty on their heads- I kept thinking it was a mistake since they're always bragging about it to strangers- trying to provoke a fight." The light clicked on in Vash's head. That's the bounty they meant- not the one on his head- the one on theirs! That made more sense since everyone knew that his bounty had been suspended- he was too dangerous to capture. Vash smiled faintly at the thought.
"All done." The doctor smiled and began bandaging the wound. "She should wake up soon. You're welcome to stay here until she does."
"Thanks doc- how much do I owe you?"
"Didn't you see the sign? We're a nonprofit clinic. If you can make a donation before you leave that would be great. If you can't- don't worry about it." The doctor patted his shoulder kindly. "Your girl is going to be fine. Make sure she gets plenty of rest the next few days, okay?"
"Okay." The doctor smiled again and vanished out the door. Vash sat down carefully on the edge of the table and took Meryl's hand. The color was returning to her face slowly. He interlaced her fingers with his, unthinkingly and held her cold hand to his cheek. "You really scared me this time, small insurance girl." He said softly to the unconscious girl. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the feeling of her small cold hand against his skin. She was alive, he reminded himself, the adrenaline surge that had kept him moving since he saw her lying on the floor in the lobby was finally dying down. A tear slid down his cheek, dampening her hand. So close- too close...
Meryl awoke to a dull feeling of pain- in her chest, in her head and in her hand. She remembered the goons coming into the lobby yelling about a bounty- they had aimed at that little girl... she remembered the searing pain in her chest, her head hitting the floor- well that accounted for two out of three. She opened her eyes, blinking against the light. Vash was sitting next to her, his hand holding hers against his cheek. He was squeezing a bit too tightly, but that was a minor concern. He looked upset. Hell, she could practically feel the unhappiness radiating off of him. But why? This wasn't his fault. Why did he always blame himself? She turned her hand gently in his to cup his cheek.
"Are you okay, Mr. Vash?" His green eyes focused down on her and his face lit up.
"You're awake! How are you feeling?" He asked anxiously.
"My head hurts, this hurts..." she touched her chest with her free hand. "Did I get stitches?" Vash released her hand.
"The doc had to pull out a bullet. You were lucky. It missed hitting your lung." Meryl's eyes opened a bit wider.
"How about that little girl- is she..."
"She's fine. Everyone's okay except for you. The big girl had already knocked out three of em by the time Wolfwood and I arrived. The doc said those guys were a real menace- even had a bounty on their heads."
"So that's what those idiots were talking about!" Meryl groaned a bit and tried to sit up.
"Careful!" Vash moved to slide an arm around her shoulder for support.
"Please tell me I don't have to stay here- I hate hospitals."
"It's a clinic, not a hospital. And no- doc said as long as you're careful we can go."
"Great!" Meryl slid out of bed carefully, clinging to Vash for support. "Ouch..."
"Ouch?"
"Must've pulled a muscle in my leg jumping over the couch. I can walk it out." Vash sighed. He bent down and swept an arm under her legs, easily picking her up. "Hey!"
"C'mon, insurance girl. The last thing I need is to have you fall and tear those stitches open. Besides, the doc had to cut away your blouse on this side," he nodded towards the side closest to his chest. "This way no pervert can try anything while we're going back to the hotel."
"Except you of course." Meryl grumbled halfheartedly. It really was nice to be in his arms, even if she hurt like hell.
"I'll be a gentleman," Vash said teasingly. "This time."
Wolfwood and Millie were in the lobby with the Sheriff and his men. The Cowboys had been handcuffed and led off to jail. Millie's eyes lit up when she saw Vash enter with Meryl.
"Ma'am!"
"This your superior, Miss?" the sheriff asked.
"Yes. Are you okay, Ma'am?"
"I will be. Though right now I want to go lay down." She looked at the sheriff.
"I'm sure you do," the sheriff was a lanky brown-haired man with a frown. "But first can you try and talk some sense into this girl? She took out 3 of the bounty hunters, so she gets 3/5ths of the reward, but she doesn't want to take it." He looked at Vash. "According to this gentleman, you get the other 2/5ths. Are you going to refuse it too?"
"Well," Vash said with a smile. "I'd like to give my share to the clinic down the street. The Doc did a great job stitching up my friend here."
"That's easy enough," the sheriff smiled suddenly. "I know they'll appreciate it- the doc always helps everyone out." Vash looked at Millie, his eyes drifting over her to Wolfwood.
"Take your share," he said quietly. "If you like, I'm sure you can find a good cause to donate it to, right?" Millie's eyes widened a bit.
"You're right, Mr. Vash. I wasn't thinking. I will take it," she said turning to the sheriff.
"That's what I wanted to hear," he said. "If you'll come down to the station with me?"
"Of course. Will you come with me, Mr. Priest?"
"Sure, big girl, no problem." Wolfwood grinned. "As long as Vash can handle the small girl by himself?" His tone was teasing and Meryl stuck her tongue out at him.
"We'll be fine. Thank you Sheriff." Vash replied.
"No, thank you. People in this town are going to be safer now." The Sheriff left, Wolfwood and Millie in tow. Vash took Meryl upstairs. The room had two beds, chairs and desks. Meryl's cloak had been tossed over one of the desks. Vash put Meryl down carefully on a chair. "Just let me put your suitcase next to the bathroom for you, so you can go change. I think that blouse is ruined."
"I think you're right," Meryl sighed. "Oh well, just a company expense- I can't wait til they get that one! That will earn me a telegram from Karen!"
"What do they expect, sending you out to follow a dangerous criminal like me?" Meryl chuckled as she shakily rose to her feet.
"You aren't dangerous, Mr. Vash. It's everything and everyone around you that is! Besides, I knew how dangerous this job was when I accepted it- both times."
"But you still accepted it- why?" His tone had turned serious. Meryl turned to look at him and smiled faintly.
"Karen would tell you that I enjoy this- risking my life for the job- the excitement- the adventure..." Vash snorted and Meryl grinned. "And maybe that is why I accepted it the first time."
"And the second?"
"Because I'm your friend," Meryl said matter of factly. "And I want to help you anyway I can." She closed the door of the bathroom behind her. Vash looked after her for a moment. Then he leaned back in a chair and put his feet up on a desk. He hoped nothing else happened today- but around him anything was possible. They were still trying to track Knives down with no success- but at least there were no gung-ho guns left... well, Wolfwood... but he didn't know that Vash knew what he was, and Vash wasn't going to mention it. No matter what, Wolfwood was his friend- just like the insurance girls. When had they all become his friends instead of people sent to keep an eye on him?
His eyes drifted to the closed bathroom door. She had accepted the job the second time simply because she wanted to help him? He knew that underneath her 'insurance girl' exterior that Meryl was a warm and kind- hearted person. But to know that following him was dangerous and yet still return? Maybe... he cut that thought off. No way. She knew what he really was, and friend or not, she would never accept that from him. He couldn't ask it of her even if she did. People he got close to died. She and Millie and Wolfwood were already in danger- what he was thinking of would make her an even bigger target. Not that he wasn't tempted... if only it was all over...
"Mr. Vash?" Her voice broke through his pleasant dream and he turned to look at her. She was in her nightshirt, the length of her bare legs making another fantasy pop up in his brain. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he mumbled and turned his back on her, focusing on clean thoughts. "How are you feeling?"
"It hurts like hell," she replied matter of factly as she climbed into bed.
"The doc gave me some pain meds, but you have to take them with food." Vash turned around when he heard the rustle of the blankets. "I'll go get some if you like. Wolfwood and the big girl should be back soon."
"Okay," Meryl agreed, leaning back against the headboard, pushing her pillows around. Vash got up and helped her. Millie opened the door a minute later, accompanied by Wolfwood who was carrying bags.
"We picked up some dinner, Ma'am, Mr. Vash. I hope you're hungry!"
