A/N - Since all seems to still be working (touch wood again!) I bring you another one! I'm going to upload two today, to try and get back on schedule, the next one will be up this evening to give everyone time to read this one first. As always, please drop me a review to let me know what you thought :)
Hope you like this one, some Gwaine whump...
No. 6 – "Get it out" / "Stop, please"
"Gaius!"
Merlin dropped the bunch of herbs he had been sorting for Gaius when the door to the physician's chambers was thrown open with enough force to bounce the door off the wall behind it, sending several things crashing to the floor from the shelves along that wall.
Noise erupted in the room. Arthur was still yelling for Gaius, Leon and Percival between them carrying Gwaine, who was screaming. Blood curdling, pain filled screams that shook Merlin to the core.
"Sire!" Gaius ran towards them. "What's happened?"
"Gwaine! Arrow shot." Arthur shouted, pointing back to the knight. Leon and Percival brought him forward and Arthur swept his arm across the table, sending the remains of Gaius and Merlin's dinner to the floor. Leon supported Gwaine's back as Percival lifted his legs onto the table.
"Get it out!" Gwaine screamed, writhing and scrabbling at his side with blood covered fingers.
"It's out, Gwaine, it's out," Leon said, trying to sound calm, his hands moving to hold Gwaine's fingers away from the puncture hole in his chainmail.
"No!" Gwaine kept screaming.
"Here, Gaius. He pulled it out himself." Arthur shoved an arrow into Gaius's hand. "Careful, don't touch the tip. Poisoned."
Gaius sprang into action. He bustled to his workbench, pulling jars from his bag and mixing together a concoction. With his other hand he began flipping through a book and peering at the arrow head with his magnifying glass.
"Merlin, get his chain off, I need to see the wound," he said, still stirring the bowl on his bench, adding more things to it.
Merlin moved over to the table, pushing his sleeves up his arms. Arthur had already started unfastening Gwaine's belt, letting the leather and sword fall to the floor unceremoniously.
"Lift him," Merlin told Percival. Percival gently pulled Gwaine's shoulders up off the table, muttering apologies as Gwaine cried out in pain.
Pulling the chainmail over Gwaine's head, Merlin passed it quickly off to Leon before undoing the straps on his gambeson. Arthur helped him remove the heavy jacket and the horribly bloodstained tunic underneath and they all gasped when they saw the wound on Gwaine's side.
Tendrils of black and dark green ringed the wound, slowly spreading out like veins across Gwaine's skin. The only good thing they could say about it was it had stopped bleeding.
"Gaius…" Merlin called the physician back over.
Gaius brought his magnifying glass over, examining the wound carefully. Leon grabbed Gwaine's hands again as they clawed at the black tendrils, Gwaine fought him, writhing and arching off the table.
"Get it out!" he yelped. "It's burning. It's-" He cut himself off with another ragged scream. "Make it stop!"
"I believe it's Serket venom, concentrated to make it more potent," Gaius said, shaking his head. "I can try to make an antidote, but it will take time."
"Anything we can do to help, Gaius?" Leon asked.
"Yes, I need clean water. And fresh linens."
"I'll go," Percival let go of Gwaine's shoulder and ran from the room.
Arthur moved to Percival's position, holding Gwaine as he struggled again. He was throwing his head from side to side, sweat pouring down his forehead, matting his hair.
Gaius put his ear to Gwaine's chest.
"His heart rate is too fast. I'll give him some motherwort and hawthorn to bring it down then lavender to try and soothe and calm him a little." He moved over to his work bench again, picking up two jars. "Merlin, do that, please. I'll find out an antidote." He handed the bottles to Merlin and began flipping hastily through his books.
Merlin tipped a little of the motherwort and hawthorn tincture into a cup and held it to Gwaine's lips. Arthur lifted his head enough that Merlin could pour the liquid into his mouth.
It didn't help; they only got him to swallow a little before Gwaine thrashed, knocking the cup aside and arched his back, lifting up off the table as he threw his head back and screamed again.
"Get. It. Out!" he shrieked again.
"The arrow's out, Gwaine," Arthur said.
"He means the poison," Merlin corrected. "Serket venom is the most painful substances we know of. It's like burning, ripping, tearing, inside your veins. It raises the heart rate and fever until the body can't take anymore."
Arthur and Leon stared at Merlin in horror.
"But Gaius" – Arthur turned to the old man – "you can cure him?"
"I think so, Sire. The druids have created an antidote, I have the method here."
Gwaine screamed again, curling in on himself. Merlin hoped the antidote was easy to make, he hated seeing his friend in so much pain.
Calling Merlin over to help, Gaius got to work.
A/N - Don't forget to leave a review and check back later this evening for the next one!
