Alice watched as Cora worked. She was never able to handle the sight of blood well, but this was different. It wasn't any less gruesome, but this was Uncas. And those injuries were there because of her. So she watched, the shock of the past few hours keeping her emotions pleasantly numb.
She watched how Cora washed away the blood around the chest wound, fully revealing the lenght and the frayed edges of it. It was about the lenght of her forearm and it started as a shallow cut right under the left pectoral muscle and became hair-raisingly deep on the soft part of the abdomen under the ribs. Dark liquids were still oozing from it, albeit slower than before. Meanwhile, Chingachgook disinfected a surgeon needle in the fire and kept a brew of herbs and some misterious paste boiling above the flames. The light of the fire on his serious face emphasized his fatigue and worry and in Alice's eyes made him look older than ever before. Nathaniel was keeping a lookout in case any of the scattered Hurons decided to follow them.
After the gaping chest wound was sewn shut, Cora focused on the stab wound. "The chest wound is severe, but not that dangerous if maintained regulary and properly. It is this one that worries me especially. There is not much I can do about it. We can at least be greatful it's located under the ribcage. A little higher and the knife could have punctured a lung." Alice didn't know what it was like to puncture a lung, but she imagined it wasn't pretty.
All the while Uncas laid still as a corpse. A ghastly pallor settled over him, dulling the usually rich and warm impression his copper coloured skin made on Alice. The thick lashes resting on his cheeks were a dark contrast.
The only thing left to tend to was the cut on the forearm. It was still deep, but compared to the other wounds it looked quite mild. This gave Alice an unsuspected wish to, for once in her life, try her hand at something useful she thought she would never have the stomach to do.
Cora just cleaned the wound and took the needle in hand-"Can I try sewing it?" Cora gave her a shocked look. " You…Alice you've never done this before. Besides, I thought you couldn't stand blood. I'm surprised you were able to watch at all." "Cora please, ever since we arrived here you were able to do something useful and help people. I am just left standing here with no purpouse because all I have learned in my seventeen years in England has no meaning here. And I'm so sick of it. I watched how you do it carefully and you know father always said that I have nimble fingers." Alice pleaded in a hushed voice, ignoring the feeling of deep sorrow that acompanied the memory of her father.
Cora observed her face with slightly narrowed eyes. "This is not the same as regular sewing or embroidery, which I know you were always decent at. Are you sure?" She was not going to fully object against her younger sister learning a valuable and life-saving skill, but the thought of the always so delicate and squeamish Alice willingly touching blood was hard to grasp.
"You can stop me anytime if I will be doing more damage than good." the younger girl reaffirmed, though was not able to conceal a nervous gulp. She would never forgive herself for worsening Uncas' condition.
At least partially convinced by the determination in her voice, Cora nodded. "At least allow me to make the initial stitches, so that I can better explain to you the angle of the needle that is required during the piercing of the flesh."
After the initial detailed demonstration, Alice finally found herself with the needle in hand, poised at the edge of the cut. When the hand that she used to squeeze the edges of the cut closer together first came in contact with the blood, an alien feeling shot through her, but she quickly reined it in. The very first sensation of it against her skin was uncomfortable, very much like the sensation you get when you are feeling your way through the dark and your hand unexpectedly touches something sticky and slimy and you don't know what it is. But she reminded herself that she does in fact know what it is, where it came from and who it belongs to. And that knowledge suddenly made her feel much more at ease.
The beads of blood that pearled around the needle after it pierced the flesh also made her lose focus for a little bit. Therefore the first few stitches came out a little awkward. But Cora pronounced the rest of them surprisingly decent. After finishing the deed, Alice felt strangely restless.
Chingachgook left his spot by the fire and brought to them the pot. The paste from the herb brew was applied onto the stitched wounds and everything was wrapped in bandages made from deer hide. Then the older Indian poured some of the herb brew down his unconscious son's throat. The shadow of worry never left his face. The patient was at last wrapped in a thick blanket. The wisest thing to do now was get some sleep.
Chingachgook handed out blankets and pelts and left to take over the watch duty. When Nathaniel returned to the fire, he and Cora arranged their sleeping spot together and laid next to each other, asleep in an instant. This day took a toll on everyone. Alice was left to herself. Still feeling restless despite the underlying fatigue, she sat down at the young Indian's side.
Nothing about him changed. He has not stirred, the pallor was still there. She knew it was foolish and naive to think that simple and crudely performed medical treatment would somehow speed up recovery, but by God how she wished it would. Would he even make it through the night? In the silence of the night she remembered how shockingly cold his hand was to the touch when she held it during sewing the wound. His skin was always so hot to the touch that her own felt almost frigidly cold. Now it was the other way around.
She shucked the heavy pelt off her shoulders and placed it over his form, taking special care in tucking it under his chin and sides, careful not to upset the wounds. The night air was positively chilly and the ground way too cold to lie on without a blanket, so she stayed in her sitting position, curling her arms around her legs. This was the position in which she kept her vigil, even during the moments when sleep overtook her.
She was awakened by Nathaniel shaking her shoulder early in the morning.
"Time to wake up, princess, we have to move on." Despite the humor in his voice, his face looked drained and his smile strained. Evidence that he was also worried sick about his brother. When Alice stood up, shaking but oddly refreshed from spending the night without a blanket, she noticed the camp was already broken. Both men were carrying their possesions on their person and Cora was lingering over Uncas who was moved onto the carrier, still lying still and quiet.
When the young girl made her way over to them, Cora gave her a shaky smile. "He's still breathing. He woke up for a little while just earlier, you know? Didn't stay awake for long, but he asked for you." Alice felt deeply dissapointed and angry at herself for missing that. But the fact that he asked for her made her eyes water. "I told him you were safe." Alice graced her sister with a tired yet greatful smile. Cora smiled back."But we do need to go someplace safe. Nathaniel, where are we going?"
Both Mohican men came over. "We planned to travel to the Delaware camp, but it is too far for the condition my brother is in. So we are going to pay a visit to some of our dear old friends and ask their permission to stay with them at their cabin for some time. Until Uncas is better. My father feels uncomfortable simply taking advantage of their hospitality, so we are going to offer to them our hunting skills and our protection" explained Nathaniel. The respect and affection he held for those friends of his was tangible in his voice.
"They must be really good people to be held in such high regards in your books. Who are they?"
Nathaniel's face broke into a fond smile.
"The Camerons."
Author's note:
Most fics don't include the Camerons, but they are alive and well in this one! They will be an important influence on our main characters. I imagine Alexandria Cameron as this cool lady who is really chill about everything. Even when something out of the ordinary happens, she's just like: okay, let's go with that.ezhdgbfgfghhhhhDFGGXKJSCxjsfv