Chapter Twenty-Seven: What Really Happened
I faded in and out of consciousness for several hours afterward. In retrospect, I was most surprised that it was not pain that I experienced, but instead a strange numbness, that seemed to consume the whole of me. At times I was dimly aware of the presence of Dr. Stanton and Abigail, and once I thought I heard William's voice calling for me, but for the most part, my world was a hazy nothingness.
Finally, after almost two days spent in this manner, I was awake enough to be somewhat alert. Someone had carried me to my quarters, and I was lying on my bed, flat out. I started to try and roll over, but my sides were tightly wrapped, and attempting to move caused me a good deal of pain. I looked down and saw a dull bloodstain coming up through my bandages and nightdress. I forced my head to turn to one side and saw that my sheets and some of my blankets were piled in the chair at my bedside, also bloodstained. It appeared, for the moment at least, that I was alone in my room.
However, when I turned my head to the other side, I was surprised to see that I was not alone. Sitting hunched over in a chair beside my bed, his head resting in his hands on the side of my mattress, was my William. He hair was out of its harsh military queue, and he wore naught but his shirt and pants, excluding his usual vest and red coat, as was the standard uniform for a British Dragoon.
Ignoring the aching in my side, I forced myself to speak.
"William," I said, but it came out as a mere whisper. I took a deep breath and made myself say it again, more loudly this time. "William."
William stirred in his sleep and picked his head up, rubbing his swollen eyes wearily. He had obviously not been sleeping for long, as there were dark circles under his eyes. I was surprised to see that his normally enchanting blue eyes were now bloodshot, and their sparkle seemed to have diminished since I had last gazed into them. Or perhaps it was simply the lack of light in the room.
"Charlotte!" William nearly cried, bolting up out of his chair. "You-you're-" he stuttered. "You're awake!" He put a hand to his forehead and took a deep breath, as though he was trying to recover from some sort of shock. "Oh, Charlotte," He began again. "I thought the worst…Dr. Stanton didn't expect you to make it through till morning!"
I smiled weakly. "Well, I believe he's been proven wrong before, has he not?" I asked, in a dismal attempt to make light of the situation. The events of the previous evening were slowly coming back to me.
Captain Williams had shot me. Even now, looking down at the blood-soaked bandages that were covering my wounds, it was a shock to me. Even after all that I had thought of him, I had never believed that he would attempt to kill me.
And then I remembered that I had not been the only one there. Nathan, my beloved brother, had been there, too. And he had shot the captain in retaliation. And then…And then he had been captured by the British soldiers. After shooting a British officer.
"William!" I said, wincing with pain as I forced the words out of me. "What…happened…to…Nathan?"
William looked down. "He's being held right now," he told me. "He is….he is scheduled for hanging at dawn."
"William, no!" I said, crying out in pain after shouting the words. "William, you have to stop them! He…he did it to help me! Please!"
William gave me a strange look. "Charlotte…I don't understand. Why would you want that bastard saved? He shot you!"
I stared at him. Now I was giving him the shocked look. "No he did not!" I argued, angrily. "Captain Williams shot me!"
"But Captain Williams said….well…right before he died, he said that it was all your brother…"
"He died?" I asked. God, my brother had killed a British officer. "Never mind, that doesn't matter now," I said, shaking my head to the best of my ability. "You…" I now had to pause between words because the sharp pain emitting from my wound had returned. "You…check…Nathan's…gun…. I…guarantee…there….was…only…one…shot…fired." I took a deep breath. I was now breathing hard, and I could feel myself becoming somewhat woozy and light-headed as I went on. "Please…stop….them…"
William's face was paling. "Charlotte," he said, looking at my sheets. "You're bleeding again. I have to get the doctor." I had never seen that look on William's face. Even when he was going off to battle, and to perform raids, I had never seen a look of such shear fear on his face.
"William," I said, my eyes filling with tears. I was now struggling to get the words out. "Please…my brother."
William looked down. "I will do whatever I can." He turned and headed to the door.
"William," I called him back. He turned and looked at my over his shoulder. "Promise me."
"I promise, Charlotte," William said. Something in his eyes told me that he truly would try. And I did not have time to question it before my vision grew blurry, and my eyelids once again closed against my will.
