And we're back… Welcome to Chapter 4 of Enlighten Me. So let's get a few housekeeping bits out of the way. I'm going to try to make sure to separate when the characters are talking to make this all easier to read, and I'm going to apologize ahead of time because I know they will get (and have been) a little out of character. Thanks for the reviews so far and please continue to review to get updates! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.
Enlighten Me
Chapter 4
Never Too Close
"We're home my dear!" Dr. Cidolfus Bunansa called to his wife, bouncing a sleepy five year old Ffamran on his hip as he let the front door slam behind him. He continued down the hall, calling to her again. Still he received no answer. Assuming she had gone to bed early he climbed the stairs, smiling to himself as his son quietly dozed on his shoulder. After tugging the half asleep boy into his pajamas he tucked him warmly into bed.
"Goodnight Ffamran," he whispered, placing a gentle kiss on the boy's forehead.
"Night Daddy," he heard the boy mutter sleepily as he quietly shut the door behind him.
He entered his own room quietly, so as not to wake his wife if she was already asleep, but he soon realized the room was empty and it didn't take him much longer to realize that his wife's things were gone. Unable to accept the idea that had now seized his mind he returned downstairs, searching in vain, expecting to see her around every corner. Her note was left in his study, and after reading it he could no longer delude himself…she was indeed gone, and was not coming back. He fixed himself a drink, and then another…and another. Entering a drunken calm, he sat there for some time, lost in thought before a tiny voice snapped him back to reality.
"Daddy?"
Cid sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "What do you want Ffamran?" he asked, not turning around to acknowledge the tiny boy behind him.
"I had a bad dream."
"Go to bed Ffamran. It's late."
"But daddy, I…"
"Now Ffamran!" yelled Cid, turning around finally to face the boy. He immediately regretted his tone at seeing the tears that now stained his son's face, but lost in his own grief…he did nothing to comfort the boy, and only watched silently as tiny Ffamran ran back upstairs to his room, sobbing as he did.
Balthier's eyes snapped open, and for a moment he didn't know where he was. He was reminded of his current situation by a sharp pain in his side. He managed to sit up, wincing as he did.
"Is the pain bad?" asked Basch, who Balthier now observed was sitting not far from him, sharpening his sword.
The pirate smirked and gave himself a moment before answering so that he could be sure to disguise the pain in his voice, "It stings a bit," he lied, "Nothing to worry about. How much longer are we going to be here anyway?"
Basch thought a moment, "Depends on you. Actually let me rephrase that…it depends on your wound."
"Its fine," Balthier lied, "We can leave now if you'd like."
"Mind if I have a look at it?" asked Basch, already moving over to the other man without waiting for a response.
Balthier sighed, "I suppose…If you insist."
Basch ignored the angry glare that the pirate was giving him as he gently began removing the bandage from the other man's wound. He risked a glance up Balthier's face, and could tell by the way the pirate's eyes were clenched firmly shut that he was in intense pain. He cursed under his breath upon seeing the wound, which he had assumed would have begun to heal by this point. But instead of a slightly swollen, cleanly stitched wound he found that the pirate's wound was severely infected.
"You should have said something, Balthier," he muttered, "We might could have prevented this."
Balthier opened his eyes, and let out a small curse of his own at seeing the wound himself, "I didn't realize. I was asleep."
Basch didn't say anything as he poured some water over a cloth. He made a move to clean the wound but the pirate stopped him before the cloth could make contact, "I'll do it," he said, eyeing the older man warily.
"Balthier..,"
"What? I can do it! I don't need a damned nursemaid!"
"Fine…"
Basch tossed the cloth into the pirate's lap and moved back over to where he had been sitting before. He watched Balthier wince in pain as he let the cloth make contact with the aggravated wound. He was becoming restless here, and wanted to move on. Balthier, he knew, would not complain if he decided they should go ahead and leave, but he knew the pirate was in no shape to travel. He was not a man of many words, and was more than a little uncomfortable with being left alone with the other man for so long. Especially after his little talk with Fran.
Balthier's hands were shaking uncontrollably, and he no longer cared if Basch noticed or not. He was weak from being injured as well as from a lack of food, and the pain in his side felt like a hot poker being dug into his skin. "Ok," he muttered once his vision began to blur, "I might need a little help."
Trying to be as gentle as possible, Basch began to clean the pirate's wound as best as he could. "Does that hurt too badly?" he asked, but Balthier had already slipped back into unconsciousness. Once he had cleaned the wound as best as he could, he wrapped the other man's torso in clean bandages, trying not to move him too much as he did so. Balthier moaned in his sleep a few times, and Basch would stop to make sure the pirate had not woken up. He was tired, having tried to sleep as little as possible in order to keep watch over the camp while the other man slept. He leaned back against the wall of the cave a few feet away from Balthier's sleeping form. He tried to keep his eyes open, but was unsuccessful. He was unsure of how long he slept before Balthier's screams woke him up…
To Be Continued…
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