Sorry it's been a while since I've updated. I'll do my best to make it more frequent. I hope you like it!

Chapter Three

The next day I returned to the Houses and saw the Lord Boromir sitting up slightly against his pillows. I set my things down and looked around. Again there seemed to be no one but Boromir.

"I have not yet changed his dressing," an older Healer informed me. "When you do he can be properly bandaged. The poison has stopped flowing from through his blood."

I nodded and the woman left. Boromir was watching me as I moved about getting everything I would need to tend to his still raw wounds. I poured a goblet of the strong Elvish wine we used for anesthesia.

"Would you care for a drink before we begin, my lord?" I asked setting my supplies on the bedside table.

"A drink?" He asked skeptically.

"For the pain," I replied. "For this shall be painful."

"I see." He raised one eyebrow. "Have you experienced this pain before, Lady Healer?"

"Nay, I cannot say that I have. Though I have treated men in similar situations and have heard their screams and shouts of anguish." I mixed the paste up in the small mixing bowl and poured the liquor in.

"I think I shall fare alright," Boromir said.

"Then perhaps a leather strap to bite down on?" I inquired further.

He shook his head. As in all things Lord Boromir would be brave.

"Then we shall get started," I said, dipping my sanitized fingers in the medicinal paste. With my other hand I pulled the blankets away from his chest. I started with the uppermost hole and probed my fingers into it, making sure all of it was covered in medicine.

Lord Boromir cried out sharply as the strong liquor burned his flayed flesh. He continued to yelp and shout with every move I made.

"Get your fingers out of my chest!" He yelled as I worked on the second wound.

"As you wish, my lord." I did as he said and stepped away from the bed.

He was breathing heavily and not meeting my gaze. "That hurt," he mumbled grouchily.

"I warned you of the pain, my lord." I shrugged.

"Do you dare rebuke the Steward-Prince of Gondor?" Boromir demanded, indignation flashing in his eyes.

"Of course not, my lord. I was merely reminding you of my fair warning." I shrugged again.

We sat silently, at an impasse for quite some time. Boromir and I both knew that I had to finish medicating and dressing the wounds.

"Give me the wine," he finally said, admitting defeat. It must've tasted bitter on his tongue.

I quietly handed him the goblet and watched him consume its contents without a break. As the wine was that of the Elves it didn't take long for it to do its job. Boromir was looking a little tipsy and much more relaxed.

"Pray, go on." He waved his hand, attempting an imperious gesture that didn't quite turn out right in his compromised state. I had to fight back a laugh.

I stepped up to his side and finished medicating the last and lowest wound. Since the poison had all been drained from his body it was time to wrap Boromir up.

It was difficult to do as he was such a large man and he didn't have much body control, both from the wine and the lack of physical activity of late. I managed to balance his weight and wrap bandages around his broad chest.

As soon as I laid him gently on the pillows he was asleep again. I cleaned up the mess and bustled about the room going about my business in silence.

A few hours later a young mother with a crying boy of about five or six came in seeking my help. She was pressing a cloth to his bleeding forehead. I moved the cloth and saw a long cut just above his eye. I gave the woman a new cloth and instructed her to apply pressure to the cut.

I then poured a small cup of the wine and threaded a sterilized needle.

"This isn't going to taste very good, but I just need you to take one swallow. It'll make you feel better." I held the cup out to his mother.

The boy looked at it skeptically and then looked back at me. He shook his head.

"Do you see that man over there?" I gestured to Boromir. The boy nodded. "He didn't want to drink the wine either and he ended up crying out like a child. It was terribly embarrassing." I shook my head.

The boy looked back at the cup and quickly took a swallow, wrinkling his little nose.

"There you go." I smiled and waited for the wine to take effect. His head fell back on his mother's shoulder and he wasn't even alarmed when I produced the needle and thread.

"Is that Lord Boromir?" The woman asked quietly as I sewed the cut on her son's forehead.

"Yes," I replied as I knotted the thread when I was through.

"I had no idea that he was back, or injured," she said.

"No one is to know yet. He isn't well enough to deal with the frenzy that would ensue, so you must keep it a secret," I instructed.

The young woman nodded.

"There you go." I patted the little boy's knee. "That'll make a splendid scar and you know the ladies love scars," I laughed lightly as the woman carried her drowsy son out.

I cleaned up again and went to boil the bloody rags. The sooner they were put into hot water, the more likely the blood would come out.

"I heard you jesting about me earlier," the low voice rumbled. I turned around and Lord Boromir was staring at me with his sharp gray eyes. "That's borderline treason, you know?"

"Well then, my lord, I will not blame you when you have to order my hanging," I said in mock seriousness.

The man had to fight back a smile. "Very good. At least I will not have your blame on my conscience," he finally smiled and I had to smile back. It was always a good sign when patients got their sense of humor back.

Boromir continued to doze off throughout the afternoon. I had one standing appointment that he been set up before I could leave.

"Ah Dirwen, how are you feeling?" I asked when the young woman entered. She was visibly pregnant and had the distinct waddle of someone who was very close to their due date.

"I feel terrible. My feet hurt, my back aches, and I feel so heavy. I only want this baby out," she complained.

There was a low chuckle form across the room. The woman looked around quickly, thinking we had been alone. Dirwen studied the man and then clumsily attempted a curtsy.

"My Lord Boromir, I didn't see. I had no idea you were back. Forgive me for speaking of such an improper thing so boldly." Her face flushed.

Boromir waved her flustered apology away. "Do not apologize. I must commend you on bringing a child of Gondor into the world."

I led Dirwen into a private examining room. "Everything looks good, though I do think you will be back quite soon." I helped her readjust her dress and sit up.

"I fear the birth," she said in a frightened voice.

"As do all first time mothers. Dirwen, I can assure you that you are in good health. You must get in a good mind set now." I helped her off the bed and back through the Houses. "Do not worry," I said in parting.

Later, as I was sweeping the floor I could feel Boromir's gaze on me. I continued cleaning, ignoring him for the time being.

"You aren't a very squeamish woman," he observed as I washed some more bloody rags.

"If I were this would have been a very poor career choice, don't you think?" I smiled over my shoulder at him.

He laughed. "I suppose so. Do many women from your home work?" He asked.

"No, most marry and raise children," I replied, hanging the rags to dry.

"And where do you call home?" He asked cautiously.

I looked at him for a moment before answering. "I used to call Bree home, my lord."

"And marriage and children were not what you wanted?"

Just as he asked the older woman Healer entered to take over for me. I quickly gathered my things to leave. "That, my lord, is a story for another day."

I hope you all enjoyed this update! Please let me know what you think! I love opinions and ideas as well!

Happy reading,

Avonmora