After Brielle left, I sat for a while next to William, allowing a few moments of silence to pass between us.
"How are you feeling?" I asked.
"I would trade my father's...beatings for...for this if I could." William replied, wincing in pain. "The bayonet wound in my middle..."
My eyes widened. I instinctively slid the covers down exposing William's bare chest and middle, which was wrapped in bandages. From the looks of the bandages, they hadn't been changed in a while.
"Did they stitch it?" I asked.
William nodded.
"Your bandages are quite blood soiled; let me check your stitches."
I left William's tent and went to a nearby medic's tent, and grabbed a knife, cloth, and a pail of water. Then I returned back to the tent.
I walked over to William with the knife and cut the bandages, exposing the stitches. They, like the ones near his neck, were also encrusted with dry blood. I took the cloth, dipped it in the water and carefully wiped some of the blood off of William's wounds, including a wound on his right shoulder and a bullet wound in his left arm. William moaned in pain when I carefully went over the stitches near his neck. He moaned again when I went over the stitches on his abdomen, placing his right hand over my right hand, and gave me a pleading look.
"Mary...please..." Said William swallowing painfully.
I paused for a moment and stroked his face.
"I know William, it hurts, but I'm almost finished."
After I was finished, I carefully re-bandaged the bayonet wound in William's middle with fresh bandages that I had found in the tent. Then I pulled the covers back up and kissed William gently on the lips.
"I love you." I whispered softly in his ear.
William smiled and kissed me, his lips burning a pathway from my lips down the flesh of my throat. I began to cry softly.
"Mary?" Asked William softly.
"I'm fine William. I just...I nearly..."
William reached out and pulled me down so my head was resting on his chest and I could hear his heart beating.
"I'm still here, Mary."