Disclaimer: I don't own any of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen characters. They belong to their respective owners.
Author's Notes: Please be nice and leave me some kind of feedback in the form of a review.
Author's Comments about the Comments:
Keyanna: Thank you for a good comprehensive review about the goods and bads of my fic so far. I'm really not a writer, but I do try. I'm really an artist who does appreciate the comments you've been leaving. I know when I do art, I hate comments like "hey, cool stuff". They might be ego boosters but they never help the content of what I produce.
Monnie: I bet I sure surprised you when I actually produced a fic that IS going to be completed sometime within a decade.
Funyun: Thank you for your enthusiasm about my story. This story came to me when I realized that there really weren't any stories dealing with the direct aftermath of what had happened after Mongolia. More than that, I felt that Mr. Skinner should have a story dealing with him and what happened during his recovery.
Clez: I hold you and your comments in very high regard because you are to me one of the great LXG writers that are here at I didn't correct my initial mistakes of my first chapter dealing with the spelling of Mr. Quatermain's name. I did although catch myself with this and corrected the subsequent chapter(s) even before you left the comment. The bit with the imaginary funeral is my favourite part of chapter 1 too. :D hugz Clezzard
Lady Norbert: Glad you like it so far. And see, I updated!
Drakena Destroyer: Glad you like the interchange between Rodney and Henry. My favourite types of fic are those that deal with missing scenes. It helps build on what's already established.
The Infirmary
The thief had slept as well as can be expected. He had only woken up twice the previous night. His right shoulder was still hurting him terribly but he had been able to sleep though most of the night without having to wake the Doctor. Ever since the incident in Mongolia, the Doctor had taken up temporary residence in the infirmary. He had many patients to attend to including some of the German refugees that were rescued. Every now and then he'd hear the hushed murmuring in a thick tongue he didn't understand from some of the children who'd sneak in to see the invisible man they'd heard about. Of course, they were often disappointed because all they saw was a figure clad in layers of bandages. In a way, he wanted the children to come up to him and talk to him, even if he couldn't understand them. Just to have some interaction besides the usual bedside conversation of the Doctor.
It had been some period of time since any of the League members had visited, since he had initially come into the care of the Doctor. It was now his seventh day since the events of Mongolia had happened. The Captain had the most valid excuse with having to attend to his duties on the ship. Mrs. Harker and young Tom Sawyer on the other hand, had plenty of time to come see him. Tom Sawyer did come and see him for short visits though. It was through him that he had related that Mrs. Harker had not recently come out of her room. She had been spending the majority of her time in there. In a brush with Tom Sawyer, she gave her reason for being confined to her room so much was 'her experiments'. Inwardly, he suspected that she was still reeling from the betrayal of Dorian Grey and her fight with him that led to his death.
A knock at the door pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Come in", Skinner said without hesitation. Whoever it was, he would be glad for some company. It most likely wasn't the Doctor because he wasn't due quite yet.
To his pleasant surprise, it was the young American agent. It was even more of a pleasant surprise when he was what the visitor was carrying; a large carafe of brandy. The gentleman thief let a smile slip from his mouth. Agent Sawyer closed the door quietly behind him and made his way to the lone wicker chair situated near the bed of Mr. Skinner.
"Ah, just though I'd come for a visit. I wasn't doing anything important, so I figured I'd come to see you", Agent Sawyer said.
"Yeah? Well I welcome any visit, especially if it involves the contents of that carafe", Skinner said gesturing with what limited mobility he had towards the glass container.
Agent Sawyer took the time to fetch two small glasses stored neatly away on a shelf. The smile on Skinner's face grew larger. "I saw this here bottle of brandy and I thought of you. I've been meaning to come to see 'ya anyways", Sawyer said as he poured the brandy into the two glasses.
"Well, thanks mate. You're just what the doctor ordered. But, just don't tell him that though. Unless he makes an unscheduled visit, we should be okay. 'enry is a real stickler to proper procedure", Skinner said as he accepted the glass from Sawyer.
"So.... I'd ask what's new but you can't exactly do many things", said Sawyer.
"You got that right. I did manage to scare one of those German kids. Yesterday, the little scamp and his mates were peeking into my room. I saws them and laid perfectly still. The doc' had just changed my bandages and had stepped out of the room for a moment. He had left my right arm used bandage on top of my chest next to my left arm. Heh, it looked like I was sitting there cross armed like some Egyptian mummy. That little boy then came over, on a bet I suppose. Was he ever surprised when I reached out with my right arm that was not really on my chest. He let out this yelp and took off running. The other boys were on the other side of the door and wouldn't let him out. Theys kept sayin', "Sag das zaberwort!", whatever that means. Finally, they let that scared one out and were laughing", Skinner answered while talking a liberal swallow of his drink.
"I bet you gave that kid an awful fright", replied Sawyer.
"Well, there's not much to do for entertainment 'round here. I've got to seize the opportunity while it's there. Besides, those kids aren't going to be around for long. We're almost to Germany, aren't we?", Skinner asked.
"Yeah, Captain said within the next day we should be there. I had gotten used to having so many people aboard the ship. Makes the place seem lively", Sawyer answered while taking a small swig of his drink.
"Busyness keeps us occupied, occupied keeps us from thinking, thinking keeps us from brooding. I wish I had more busyness about now...", Skinner stated looking intently into the brown liquid that was in the clear glass.
A silent moment passed between the two till Sawyer cleared his throat.
"I........ I know what you mean. I've been trying to keep working in anyway I can. Just being a grunt working on repairing the ship has been taking up most of my time. I don't want to stop and think really. Stopping makes me go back to Mongolia. What happened to you and Quatermain.... I... I wish it could have been different", said Sawyer before he downed the rest of his brandy in a single gulp.
A lump formed in Skinner's throat. He knew what had transpired in Mongolia was eating Sawyer alive. The boy had lived and came through relatively unscathed, while the person he was starting to see as his mentor was murdered and he himself had been injured, while not initially fatal, could have easily developed to that point because of infection. He genuinely felt really bad about what the spy was going through. Sympathy was something he hadn't felt in a long time.