Chapter 11

Bruce wants Rosalind to do something for him regarding Alfred. What could his request be?

Read it and find out!

I walked through the hallway towards the kitchen. Bruce reckoned this was the place where Alfred would be tending the wound on his arm. I wasn't sure how exactly I let Bruce talk me into this, but his request was simple enough and actually not that odd.

Five minutes earlier

"Alfred stitched his arm up last night after we got back home. I didn't help him, I would have, but I almost passed out when he told me I had to stick a needle into his arm. He eventually did it himself. I think the stitches came undone, could you perhaps check on him and help him out? Only if you don't mind and aren't as uncomfortable with blood as I am."

He looked at me expectantely, apparently thinking I wouldn't get queasy from stitching up a man's arm. Which I wouldn't, but Bruce didn't have to know that. I sighed.

"All right. I guess I can help."

Present

I peeked into the kitchen to see if Alfred was there. On one of the high stools at the kitchen table, a first aid kit in front of him, with a needle stuck between his teeth sat Alfred Pennyworth. I guess Bruce was right and the man really needed some help. I snorted at the sight and Alfred swiftly looked up, causing the needle to drop from between his lips.

"Bloody hell." He cursed again as he looked at the ground for the dropped needle.

I walked towards him and bent down to pick the object up. "Bruce suggested you might need a little help." I said holding the curved needle in front of him.

"Did he now? How convenient of him." Alfred grunted. "I'll manage, thank you."

"Didn't look that way from where I was standing." I retorted. Alfred threw me a look and I quickly clasped my hand in front of my mouth.

"I apologise, that was rude of me." I looked at his uncovered arm. The shirt he was wearing earlier lied crumbled up on the corner of the table. All he wore now was a sleeveless under shirt. The wound on his arm was clearly visible, nothing too bad but it definitely needed stitching. From the look of it a bit of cleaning was also in order. When he showed up last night with blood on his sleeve and a tear at the shoulder area, I admit I worried a little. He seemed so collected though, as if it wasn't the first time he'd gotten hurt. I never could have imagined the tear had been from a gun shot. It made me wonder in how much danger him and Bruce had actually been in. But now I knew, thanks to Bruce, that the people after them weren't afraid to do someone in. And they almost had.

"You are certain me helping you won't do you any good?" I asked again.

"Well, that depends, Miss Wood. How squeamish are you?" He countered.

I narrowed my eyes at his daring comment. "How about I stick this needle in you and we'll find out, shall we?"

He smiled as I said that. I had no intend of humouring the man, this was not a joke. Alfred turned his upper body towards me to give me a better view of his arm. It surprised me how fit the man looked. Beneath that suit and tie, I never would have thought he looked like this. I set the needle back on the table and went over to the kitchen sink.

"Towels are in the upper right cabinet." Alfred said as if having read my thougths. I opened the door, took a towel out and wetted it in the sink. First step, cleaning the wound. Second step, anaesthetic. Which was always the fun bit. But I had not seen any of it on the table.

I slowly made my way back to Alfred, grabbed his arm and started to dap the moist towel on the wound. Not too roughly but not too soft. Neither of us spoke as I cleaned the wound to the best of my abilities. I put the towel aside and looked at the contents of the first aid kit.

"You won't find any." Alfred said. "I'm afraid you'll have to do it the old fashioned way."

"Tough as nails, are you?" I replied as I reached for the needle but it was no longer on the table. I looked up at Alfred who held the needle in front of me.

"Let's find out, shall we?"

I reached out at grabbed the needle from him. Something happened as my fingers grazed his. It wasn't my intention but a weird tingling feeling went through me.

"Thank you, Alf,- Mr Pennyworth." I said correcting myself as I retracted my arm.

Alfred looked at my hand, it trembled slightly. "Have you done this before?" He asked.

"Actually, I have." I replied trying to hide my nerves, swallowing the lump which had formed in my throat. "Ready?" He nodded.

With my left hand I held his shoulder and with my right I carefully but swiftly pierced his skin with the needle. I glanced quickly at Alfred who was staring back. He seemed to be doing fine. I, however, wasn't. I felt rather warm all of a sudden. Must be from the lamp hanging above the table. I moved the needle back and stuck it through his skin again.

"You all right, Rosalind?" Alfred asked, his deep voice held a hint of laughter. Was he enjoying this? The fact that he used my name instead of calling me Miss Wood, suggested he probably was.

"I see you decided to call me by my name again." I countered as I looked at him again but this time he averted his gaze, which surprised me.

"I guess I owe you an apology." He said softly after another moment of silence.

I sighed, a bit annoyed but also relieved he acknowledged the fact that he had treated me a bit rudely.

"I'm sure you had your reasons." I said. "Though might I remind you, who suggested conversing on a first name basis?"

"You don't have to. I'm fully aware." He replied quickly turning his eyes back to mine. "My apologies."

I shook my head. "It's all right." I took a deep breath and continued fixing his arm.

"I'm guessing Master Bruce informed you further on the matter?" Alfred asked. I nodded.

"Quite the story. I knew something was off, but what Bruce told me, I,-" I paused and looked at Alfred. "I'm glad nobody got hurt. More hurt." I added as I tucked on the needle a bit to tighten the thread.

I meant it. Bruce's explanation had only worried me more. This wasn't over yet or perhaps it was for now. I hadn't been informed about what happened to the people who tried to stop Bruce's friend from testifying, but seeing as they were willing to go as far as murder, who knew what could happen next. I think Alfred and Bruce were happy to be back home safe and sound but they were both still on edge. I know I would be too.

"Last night when I came by to thank you, I deliberately avoided the topic regarding Bruce's disappearance. I don't know how far those people are willing to go." Bruce's butler sighed. "I was trying to,-"

"Protect me?" I suggested.

Alfred's mouth twitched. "No sense in denying it."

I was about to stick the needle through his skin again but waited. "You're not saying this because I'm the one holding a needle, are you?"

He chuckled. "Perhaps a tad bit."

As he said that I pierced his skin with said needle. This time it caught him off guard and Alfred let out a loud. "Oi."

I pressed my lips together, holding back the laugh which was trying to burst out. After the last stitch I pulled the thread out of the needle and cut it short. I leaned in to inspect my work. It looked quite well if I may have said so myself.

"All done." I set the needle and loose thread aside to grab the towel once again. I started cleaning the remaining drops of blood from Alfred's arm, when he suddenly moved and grabbed hold of my wrist. I remained still and quiet, feeling far to anxious to look at him.

"Thank you. Rosalind." He said warmly. A shiver ran down my spine. What was going on here?

"I, uh,-" My heart pounded and that same weird feeling from earlier started to resurface in my stomach. "I'm glad you let me."

His thumb moved for a moment, a small caressing touch, then he let go and I could breathe again.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Alfred asked. "I could show you how to make that stew you fancy so much." He glanced at his shoulder. "Might be helpful as well considering the circumstances."

I was about to say yes, but the idea of staying in the manor any longer somehow made me feel very anxious. I don't know if his touch had just been meant as a thank you or if he was chatting me up. Whichever it was, I might have overstepped some boundaries without realizing.

"Honestly, I would love to but,-" I hesitated as the look Alfred was currently giving me made forget every thought in my mind. I cleared my throat. "Yes. Yes, I will."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Bruce kept a close eye on everything Alfred and I were doing in the kitchen. He'd walked in almost immediately after I had agreed on staying for dinner, which gave me the slight suspicion he might have been eavesdropping on our entire conversation. Aside from the fact he, quite innocently, asked. "What's for dinner, Alfred?" As he had entered the kitchen.

The boy might be polite and well spoken but he lacked greatly in the playing coy department. Nevertheless Alfred told him and added I would be the one making it. Which magically made a smile appear on Bruce's face. Alfred cleared the first aid kit and pointed me towards the refrigerator.

When Alfred was out of sight Bruce leaned across the table and said with a whisper. "Thank you for helping Alfred." He then not so subtly added. "I haven't seen him smile like that in a long time."

And that's when suddenly I remembered why I was reluctant to stay for dinner in the first place. "I'm sure you manage to get him to smile too, Bruce." I told the boy. This type of conversation is one I wanted to avoid, especially with a student.

Alfred came back wearing a new shirt with the top three buttons undone. He looked rather dashing. I caught Bruce staring at me and swiftly turned around to the kitchen counter.

"Right then, ready Rosa,-" He coughed. "Miss Rosalind?"

A boyish laugh came from the table and I saw Alfred throwing Bruce a look. This was going to be a long, long afternoon if Bruce continued this behaviour.

We started by cutting up the vegetables, at least I was. I noticed Alfred grimace every time he tried to put too much pressure on his left arm. I told him to sit and just give directions, but the man was stubborn. The kitchen was obviously his territory and he seemed quite reluctant letting someone else handle the cooking. He stood next to me the entire time, thankfully not critiquing my every move otherwise he had a whole other thing coming.

After the cutting was done, all put in the pot on top of the stove and the counter cleaned, I sat down at the table. "Job well done, Miss Rosalind." Alfred said as he sat down next to me.

"Thank you. How long until it's ready?" I asked.

Alfred leaned back and looked at the clock. 'Three hours from now, should do it."

I couldn't help but groan. Bruce jumped up from his seat. "I'll be back in a minute." He said as he disappeared out of the kitchen. Alfred sighed the moment he was gone.

"Very dodgy behaviour Master Bruce is displaying today." He noted.

"Twelve year old boys tend to be that way." I told him. "The whole lot of them, especially in the classroom."

"About that,-"

I turned my head to Alfred who folded his hands together and placed them on the table. "You were right about informing school of his absence. I should have, the boy is my responsibility after all. I guess I was just as caught up with all of this as much as he is." He huffed. "I don't know how to do this. I've been the boy's butler since he was born."

I gave him a supportive smile. "I think you're doing a great job. Proper English education."

"Kind words. I hope you're right, Rosalind." He unfolded his hands and moved one towards mine.

"Found it!" Bruce's voice came from the hallway. Alfred quickly stood up and went towards the stove.

Bruce crashed back into his seat and handed me a silver box. It was oval shaped. Engraved with to resemble an oyster. The engravings were actually carved in what had to resemble the inside of an actual oyster.

"This is beautiful, Bruce." I said as I turned the object around and looked at the bottom. No engraving there except for a tiny stamp in the corner.

"It was my mother's." The boy exclaimed. A loud clattering sound filled the room. Alfred had dropped a spoon. The man turned to us and glanced at the object in my hands.

"Any reason you brought this into the kitchen, Master B?" He asked.

"I thought Miss Wood could tell me something about it. She knows a lot about antique objects. Like the koi fish vase? Qinq dynasty." I lowered my head as Bruce continued explaining to Alfred the details of said Qinq dynasty koi vase.

"In that case, I wouldn't mind hearing some information about this silver box. Care to elaborate, Miss Rosalind?" Alfred sat back down again.

I was right. This was going to be a long, long three hour wait.

Thank you all for reading!

Hope you enjoyed the interaction between Alfred and Rosalind.

Can you guess what will happen next? Or is there something you would like to see happen?

Let me know in the reviews!