Story timeline: Oscar and André have joined the French Guards a short time ago.

Characters: mainly Oscar and André : I don't own these characters

Fandom: Rose of Versailles

Original author: Nicole

Where to find the original version: excessfanfiction, drama

Chapter four: The waiting

One hour later, Oscar was burning up, and nothing seemed to be able to bring her temperature down.

André kept applying cold compresses to her forehead, but all attempts seemed to be in vain. "If only she would wake up," he thought, "then I could make her drink a little." But Oscar stayed unconscious. A little later, she started talking in her sleep. When André heard her rave some words, he came closer to hear what Oscar was saying. In the beginning, the sentences were incomprehensible, but slowly, they became more and more clear.

-"Why, why did you act like that….. father, I love you so much." André understood Oscar was talking about the accident.

He as well didn't understand what had made the general turn into a complete madman.

Usually he became angry, and rose his hand to Oscar. But never had things gone to such lengths.

"One time is enough." He told himself. All of this could have happened before. Every time he rose his hand to her, something similar could have happened.

-"Why didn't I do anything? I should have intervened much earlier, so nothing of all this would have happened!"

Tears appeared in the corners of his eyes. He looked again at Oscar. Though she was still raving, she seemed to have calmed down a bit.

He knew. Never would she have accepted it if he were to intervene things between them. She was too proud to accept any help, even if it were his.

But if that were the case, why hadn't she said anything? Why had she let everything just happen, even though she was strong enough to push her father away?

Surely it was exactly because he was her father. Oscar never protested when her father rose her hand to her.

She had chosen to undergo it… undergo it and stay silent.

André had often seen the way Oscar looked, after another fight had passed between her and her father.

She always came out of it, deeply hurt inside. The general had never understood. Did he even care at all? André had its doubts about it.

Oscar loved her father so much, and even if she didn't say anything, he could read it in her eyes. She would bear with all his whims, no matter what it would take her. Just to please him, so he could be proud of her.

Oscar had never asked anything in return, … only a little bit of love. The kind of love a father could have for his child.

But he, that damned general, he had never given her anything. Not a single word, an action or just the littlest gesture that could show her his affection….

André suddenly came back to reality, when he felt a hand slide into his grip. He looked long time at that hand, so soft and so fragile. "I as well." He thought. " I too have made you suffer. At that one night when I declared my love for you so forcefully."

-"No!...please don't go… André don't go, please stay with me."

Those words made him smile. Some time ago, she told him the opposite. Oscar wanted him to leave. She wanted to get rid of his presence,' for his own good' she had told him. 'It was time he went to live his own life.'

If it were for his own good, she should have understood that above all, he could not live without her… And she, what would she have done? Would she slowly let her body die? André was certain she would.

At that time, when Fersen had rejected her love, Oscar desperately needed his presence and consolation. André knew her well, if he had left her alone, his friend would have drowned herself in her job, just until she would collapse from exhaustion.

André put another compress on Oscar's forehead. Little by little he felt sleep come over him. He could very well try to stay awake, but in the end his eyes closed and he sank into a deep sleep…

In the early morning, when granny entered the room, she found her grandson sound asleep. In his sleep, he had put his arms around Oscar's waist, like he wanted to protect her from all world's harm.

Granny approached, and bumped against the table. She grumbled some curses between her teeth. André woke up with a shock.

-"Oscar, Oscar!..."

He looked at the young woman, who seemed to sleep peacefully. He put his hand softly on the forehead. Even if she still felt rather hot, it seemed the fever had gone down a lot during the night.

-"Some idiot I am… I fell asleep while I was supposed to watch over her."

-"Don't worry so much about it, André." Said granny. "You must be exhausted. It has already been a long time you are watching over her. It's only normal for you to fall asleep, after such a tiring day with so much stress…, and look, she seems alright. She's still there."

-"I know! But while I was sleeping she could have…"

-"André!" yelled the old lady. "Don't say things like that!"

-"Yes, you're right ganny."

-"Good. Now it would be better for you to go change your clothes and have a little bit of rest. During that time, I'll stay with Oscar and I'll change her bandage. "

-"No, please let me do it granny. I've slept enough."

-"…"

-"Very well, but only on one condition. After you change the bandage, you'll go shave properly and take a good breakfast.

-"… Deal. Seems you've won again, granny."

-"You know I always get what I want."

-"Sadly, yes indeed."

-"What did you just say?"

André smiled.

-"No, nothing. I was just thinking aloud."

-"I see. That's better."

André stood up from his seat and began to take of Oscar's bandage. Granny watched his actions. Since yesterday, André was so caring towards Oscar. He always was, but today it was a little bit different. He displayed such softness towards her and he worried a lot.

Granny knew. Oscar and André had had a fight in the past, but after some time, it seemed they had made up, though there seemed to be some coldness left between them.

The old woman hadn't worried more than that. She knew nothing could separate those two mischievous kids that never ceased to drive her nuts.

She had also noticed that André's feelings towards Oscar had slowly changed by time, and that from then on, he had been thinking of her as a woman, a woman a man is hopelessly in love with.

"Oscar will be in shock when she wakes up." Said the old lady. "Did the doctor really have to cut off her hair?"

-"Yes, he told me there really was no other way. He had to stitch the wound, and her hair bothered him. Even more, if we hadn't cut them, Oscar would have risked getting an infection."

-"But still! Cutting all of it."

-"Granny, you can very well see where the wound is on her head. We couldn't just make a gap in the middle of her hair. She would have looked like a monk." André burst into laughter, but stopped almost immediately.

Normally, he loved teasing Oscar, because she was very easily offended, and always immediately counterattacked. But today it was different. She didn't respond. He cleaned the wound an put a new bandage on her head.

-"Don't worry, she'll make it through. And when she'll be better, I'll tell her your stupid little joke you just told me… I bet she'll want to handle this case personally. Too bad for you. You asked for it."

-"Oh, so that's the reason you aren't hitting me today. I was already thinking something was fishy."

-"Mmmmmmhhh… in other circumstances you would deserve some beatings… Oh well. Now leave, André. I'll take care of Oscar's other wounds. You weren't thinking about handling them as well, were you?"

-"And why not? I am very well capable of putting topical on those little bruises on her body."

-"Hmhm, get out!"

-"Alright, alright, don't shout like that. Think about Oscar, she needs some rest. I'll be back in one or two hours, so I can get ready and inform lieutenant D'Allembert that Oscar won't be able to come during a long period and that I'll stay by her side. While waiting, please take good care of her. I'll count on you."

-"Of course, of course. Now leave or I'll get angry."

So André left the room, leaving granny alone with Oscar. He quickly went to change in his room and went down to the kitchen to make himself some breakfast. Not that he was really hungry. Afterwards. He decided to send a message to Oscar's lieutenant to inform him of the situation. Like that, he could return faster to Oscar's sides…

The days passed, and there was still no visible change yet. Even though her health was stable now, she still hadn't woken up.

André was still in Oscar's room, when granny came to inform him that the lieutenant had sent a soldier to the mansion. The young man descended quickly to have a look at this soldier, who in the end turned out to be Alain.

-"Hello Alain."

-"Hey André. Is everything alright?"

-"I'm ok."

-"I'd say you're not. Have you seen your face?" André didn't answer.

-"So what's going on?"

-"The lieutenant lets you know that you can stay as long as you want to with your dear colonel."

-"Very well."

-"So, how is he?"

-"Are you really interested in that?"

-"… Of course. I know there have been some troubles between us in the past, but little by little, I've learned more about Oscar, and he's not like all those other rotten nobles."

-"His health is stable now, but the doctor still can't say any more about it."

-"I see… But what has happened?"

-"It's only up to Oscar to decide whether or not he wants to tell you."

-"Very well, I understand."

-"André! André!" Granny called on top of the stairs.

-"What is it, granny?" André shouted back, trying to hide the fear in his voice.

-"It's Oscar. Come quickly."

Fourth chapter finished.

Do not comment about writing style or try to influence the story, because this is only a translation from someone else's story.

Please forgive my grammar mistakes. It's sometimes hard to switch between French and English.