Lafayette felt the surgeon take a hold of his leg, then a sharp pain as the man worked that made him cry out just before falling unconscious on the table. Then, all at once, he was sitting in a sunny field of grass. When he looked up, he could see the stone walls of the Château de Chavaniac in the distance. Somewhere nearby, he could hear the laughter of young children at play as they ran around together.
"Mon cher." He heard a voice say next to him. When he looked over and saw Adrienne sitting next to him, he found himself grinning happily. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close, the two of them laughing as they fell down into the soft grass together.
Adrienne smiled happily at him, her green eyes glittering in the sun as she lifted a hand to gently stroke his cheek.
"Gilly, I miss you." She said, her smile falling to a soft frown. A cloud passed over the sun, making the world seem darker, as if her emotions controlled the world around them.
"I miss you, too, Dear Heart. I miss you more than words can say." He replied, letting her take his hands and guide them down to rest on her abdomen, the bump of their unborn child prominent under the soft silks of her gown.
"You can still come home, my darling. Henriette asks for her papan everyday. You can make it home still before our baby is born. You can make it home and watch our baby be baptized." She said softly to him while he gently rubbed her belly.
Gilbert bit his bottom lip as he kept close to her, wrapping his around her tightly, as if his angel would disappear from him if he let her go. "I miss you both so very much, please don't doubt that for a second. But, ma vie, I truly feel that my being in America is God's will. Just like meeting you that fateful day about three years ago, my being in America and fighting in their revolution is part of the path that He has set for me. You know as well as I do that you cannot simply stray from that path."
Adrienne gave a soft sigh, pulling away from her husband to hold eye contact with him and gently caress his face. "I truly can't sway you, can I?"
"I'm sorry, Dear Heart."
"Then, I will pray every night and day for your safe and hasty return to us. If I cannot change your mind, then I will support you."
"Thank you, my angel." Gilbert smiled to her before leaning forward to kiss her soft lips, the sweet scent of the flowery perfume she would dab on her neck and behind her ears filling his nose and overtaking the rest of his senses. All he could feel was her lips on his own, kissing him back while she took his hands into her own and intertwined their fingers.
"Monsieur Lafayette." He heard a voice say, feeling an odd shaking on his shoulder that wrenched him away from his wife.
"Adri…" He whined, wanting to see her and hold her again and fighting the urge to open his eyes to the light of day. He didn't want to acknowledge the fact that the vision of his wife had been nothing more than a vision.
"Monsieur Lafayette, please wake up. It's been a day and you need to eat." The voice insisted, shaking him again.
Lafayette finally complied, slowly blinking awake to find himself laying on a bed in what appeared to be a room in an inn or a house, a young woman standing over him.
"Where is this?" He asked tiredly, only noticing after he'd spoken that his words were mumbled and painted with a thick accent.
"This is the Single Sisters' Inn. A group of your fellow soldiers carried you here late two nights ago. You've been asleep since then. I think the surgeon must have given you a bit too much of whatever he gave you." The young woman replied, moving to kneel down next to the bed to get at eye level with the wounded soldier.
Lafayette just nodded in reply, moving to try and push himself up into a sitting position. He only got about a foot off the bed before the shooting pain that came with moving his leg shot up his leg and through his entire body. He gasped in pain as his arms gave out underneath him, letting him fall back down to the bed.
"You shouldn't push yourself too hard just yet. The wound is new and I'm sure the drugs they gave you have worn off by now." The young woman said, placing a cold, wet rag to his forehead.
"What is your name?" Lafayette asked, her, raising a hand to hold the rag to his forehead, catching his breath from the large surge of pain.
"I'm Elisabeth, but you can call me Lissa. Everyone does." She replied with a happy smile to him, patting his shoulder.
"Lissa. Good to meet you, Lissa." He replied, finally noticing that he wasn't in his uniform anymore. He frowned a bit and moved a hand to lift the blanket on himself to peer beneath it, finding that he'd been dressed in a long nightshirt that fell to his knees and was a bit baggy on him. "Mademoiselle, where are my clothing?"
"Your uniform is being washed and laundered for you as we speak. We didn't want you to overheat, so we changed you into something lighter that gives us more access to your leg. The General gave us that nightshirt and said it should fit you relatively well."
Lafayette blinked at that before smiling softly and feeling at the soft cotton of the shirt. "George is so kind to me." He hummed softly.
Lissa nodded and smiled softly. "He said quite plainly that we were to treat and care for you as if you were his son. That said, I'm going to get some food for you. You must be awfully hungry."
Lafayette nodded and watched as she stood up from the floor and dusted off the skirt of her dress. "Mademoiselle, before you go, I need to introduce myself to you. It'd be impolite to go on without it."
"Alright. I suppose I can't stop you." She complied with a small smile down at the soldier.
"My name is Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette, Marquis de Lafayette. People only call me that at formal occasions, though. You may call me Lafayette. Just don't call me Fire Head." He said, raising a hand to her to shake.
Lissa couldn't help but laugh a bit as the man smiled up at her. She took his hand and shook it politely. "Well, Lafayette, it's a pleasure to meet you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get you something to eat."
Lafayette nodded and watched as she left the room, leaving him alone for a while. He rested back in the bed and relaxed, completely alone with his thoughts. He let his mind wander back to his dream of Adrienne and Chavaniac. He made a mental note to take her to his childhood home when he returned to France. She would like the little rural town that was far enough away from other aristocrats so they couldn't be bothered for as long as they were away. They could relax in the grassy meadows together and hike through the wooded areas. He would teach her which mushrooms and berries were safe to eat and how to pick them. As they relaxed, he'd put some of the berries between her lips. Then, he'd kiss away the juice that colored them like rouge and they'd relax for the rest of the day. Perhaps, he'd find some of his old playmates and introduce them to her and the two of them could just relax and play together.
He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a knock on the door before it opened, Lissa walking in with a tray of food.
"Hello again. I found some friends of yours while I was down there." She said happily, stepping aside to let John and Alexander inside.
"Mes amis," Lafayette said happily to the pair, letting Lissa take him under the arm pits and help lift him up into a sitting position, doing so carefully so she didn't move his leg too much.
"Your first battle ever and you manage to get yourself shot in the leg. I'd say I can't believe it, but I absolutely can." Alexander said with a shake of his head as they watched the Frenchman get settled against the headboard of the bed.
Lafayette just grinned sheepishly and let Lissa set the tray of food on his lap.
"How do you feel? Do you want anything for the pain?" She asked a bit warily as John sat down on the edge of the bed.
"I'll be fine for now, I think. At least until I finish eating. Thank you, though." He replied to her.
"Are you sure about that one? You were reckless enough to get shot, I don't think you should be reckless enough to turn down painkillers." John pointed out, patting the other's shoulder with a small smile.
"You do not talk to me about reckless. The way you fought at Brandywine, I'm surprised you aren't hurt or dead." Lafayette shot back, waving his fork at John before taking a bite of the meat on his plate and eating politely.
"He does have a point, you know." Alexander agreed with a small smile to John. "God damn, it's so weird seeing your real hair."
"You don't mean that. He don't mean that." Lafayette replied, looking once at Alexander, then up towards the sky.
"He doesn't mean that. Maybe while you're confined to a bed, you can work on your English." Alexander corrected, fighting the urge to roll his eyes at the Frenchman's piety.
"English is hard and makes my head hurt. Il est une langue laide."
"Et le français est une langue prétentieux. You know you have to, Lafayette. How can you expect the General to give you command of your own troops if you barely know how to give commands in a language they understand?"
Lafayette pouted a bit at that, looking over at Lissa as she watched the pair argue. "Mademoiselle, monsieur Hamilton is being mean to me."
"Stop whining to the poor lady like she's your mother and face the facts." Alexander argued, making John start to laugh happily from the sidelines.
Lafayette just grinned over at Alexander, the other soldier marching over to him and pushing his face about two inches away from his. Lafayette couldn't help but smile and laugh happily as he held eye silent eye contact with Hamilton.
"Lafayette, you will work on your English while your leg heals." Alexander said seriously.
"What if I don't?" Lafayette challenged, still grinning at Hamilton.
"Then, I'll spank you." Hamilton replied without missing a beat, reaching up to tweak the marquis's nose before pulling away while John started laughing even harder at the shocked and flushed face.
"Hey, are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, he's French. I don't think it would be much of a punishment for him." John pointed out between peals of laughter, making Alexander join him.
"Mademoiselle, would you please bring me a Bible? Every moment I spend with these men, I feel myself getting further and further away from Heaven." Lafayette asked Lissa, having started to grow rather used to the pair's teasing, though the raunchy comments still got to him.
Lissa smiled and laughed at that, nodding to him. "I'll find one for you right now. Just work on eating your food, please."
Lafayette nodded obediently, going back to eating his meal while John and Alexander calmed down next to him.
"Don't worry about rushing. We can take care of him while you're out." John said as he slung an arm around Lafayette's shoulders, holding him close.
"I don't doubt it. Try not to corrupt him too much while I'm gone." She replied to the pair of soldiers as she left the room.
Once the door shut, Alexander threaded his fingers through Lafayette's red curls, messing his hair up while John hugged the marquis, pressing soft kisses to his cheek and jaw.
"You scared the shit out of us, you know that? All joking aside, we were really fucking terrified." Alexander said softly to him.
"He's right. When we all rendezvoused at the camp, we couldn't find you anywhere. Then, we heard you'd been shot and just about had a heart attack." John said, resting his head on Lafayette's shoulder.
"Je suis désolé, mes amis." Lafayette replied with a small frown, leaning into John and wrapping an arm around him, holding the other out to invite Alexander into the group hug. "I did not mean to scare you. I feel terrible. I pray that you will forgive me."
Alexander let Lafayette pull him into a hug, hugging him back along with John, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Of course we'll forgive you, Lafayette. Just try not to pull that shit again. I swear, I could see Washington's asshole go cold."
"Alexander Hamilton, you are making the mood bad." Lafayette scolded lightly, giving his arm a small pinch.
"I'm ruining the mood." Alexander corrected with a small smile.
"But, speaking of Washington, don't be surprised if he stops in sometime soon. He wanted to give you a surprise." John piped up with a happy smile. "Of course, we'll be visiting you every so often, too. You can't get rid of us that easy."
Lafayette nodded and smiled to the pair before lightly kissing both of their lips. "Thank you. I love you both very much."
"We love you, too, buddy." John hummed.
"Yeah, we do. We're going to miss you, especially when night falls." Alexander agreed, reaching his hand down to pinch his backside through the nightshirt.
Lafayette felt his cheeks flush a bright red and he pulled away from Alexander, leaning into John a bit further. "I'm being sexually harassed." He whined softly to the other man.
"Alex means the best, don't worry." John said with a laugh, rubbing the Frenchman's back, the three of them looking over as the door opened up once again as Lissa returned with a copy of the Holy Bible.
"Oh dear, his face is nearly as red as an apple. What did you two do to him?" She asked with a smile to the soldiers, handing the book over to Lafayette.
"They were picking on me, mademoiselle. It was worse than the halls of Versailles." Lafayette replied to her, though he couldn't help but fight the playful grin that threatened to spread across his mouth when he looked over at his friends next to him.
"If you want Versailles sass, just say the words, Frenchy." Alexander replied, giving his head a playful shove to the side.
"Maybe some other day. Though I think Lafayette's more versed in Versailles cattiness than we expect. For now, though, we should get back to the camp." John cut in with a small smile at the way his friends played.
"You are going?" Lafayette asked, his smile falling from his face at the news that he'd be practically alone once again.
"We'd better be. Lots of work to do, lots of letters to write back to Congress." Alexander said with a nod, moving with John to hug their friend tightly.
"If you must, I can't exactly stop you. Return as soon as you can." Lafayette sighed, hugging them both in return.
They nodded and pulled away, courteously tipping their hats to Lissa as they left the room together.
"How are you feeling? Does it hurt too terribly yet?" She asked the young marquis once his friends had left the room.
"Yes, it is horrible now." Lafayette finally admitted, letting the pain show on his face now that his friends were away.
Lissa nodded and took the tray of food away from his lap and setting it aside. "Shall I get the surgeon to give you something, then?"
"Yes, please. But, first, may I get some ink and paper? Knowing France and Versailles, I give it a week until everyone talks about how I was shot. I don't want Adrienne getting worried that I've died." Lafayette replied to her as he leaned back against the headboard of the bed.
"Of course. If I had a husband fighting in a war across the sea, I'd be beside myself with anxiety between each letter and until he returned home." She replied, pushing his red curls away from his forehead to place another cold rag to his brow.
Lafayette nodded and watched as Lissa left the room with the tray of food in her hands. In an attempt to keep himself from thinking too hard about what Adrienne must be going through, pregnant and a world away from him as he fought in a war and risked suffering the same fate his father had, he opened the Bible to the first page and started to attempt to read the first few verses of Genesis. He only got to the end of the first page when he heard a knock on the door before it opened, Lissa walking in with a doctor.
"Miss Elisabeth tells me your pain is rather horrid." The doctor said, moving to sit down next to the bed while Lissa gave him a small lap desk and his paper and ink so he could write to his wife.
"It is." Lafayette replied with a nod to the doctor. "Simply moving is enough to make it light up."
The doctor nodded and poured out a bit of laudanum into a glass before handing it over to him. "This will take a little while to take effect, but it'll help with the pain. You might end up passing out, though, since it's rather strong."
Lafayette nodded and took the glass, pinching his nose and tossing the drink back and swallowing it as quickly as he could without tasting it. He sighed when it was gone and coughed a bit at the strength of the drink.
"Alright, I'm going to inspect the wound now and redress it. If you want to distract yourself with the letter, that would probably be wise." The doctor said, taking the glass from him.
Lafayette nodded and got to work on the letter to Adrienne explaining to her what had happened. He told her that, yes, he had gotten shot but he was still alive and well. The round hadn't created that deep of a wound and it hadn't hit the bone of his shin at all, so he wouldn't have to worry about having that leg amputated.
"It's healing very well. Nice and fast." The doctor hummed after removing the bandage that was wrapped tightly around the Frenchman's skinny calf.
Lafayette nodded and wrote to Adrienne about how quickly the wound was healing and how much it hurt simply to move it. He paused his writing to grip the desk and groan in pain as the doctor moved the leg a bit closer to him.
"The Laudanum should take effect soon. The wound is healing well, but I'm going to have to sew it up, just to be safe." The doctor explained to him.
Lafayette gritted his teeth and nodded, going back to writing his letter to Adrienne, telling her once again how much he loved her and how much he missed her and Henriette.
'I pray that this war ends victoriously and quickly so I'll be able to return to you and Henriette and our unborn baby. I love you all very, very much, Dear Heart. I will write again as soon as I can.' He finished, signing his name as Gilbert at the bottom of the page. He addressed the envelope and sealed the letter inside with wax, letting Elisabeth take the letter and the small desk away.
The doctor stood up once he was done, helping the young marquis lay down on the bed as the laudanum visibly took effect, his eyelids looking rather droopy.
"It's almost hard to believe he's just a kid." Lafayette heard the doctor whisper to Elisabeth just before he fell asleep in the bed, a cold sweat on his brow once again.