I wasn't sure if I was going to get this finished today, but I just couldn't leave you with that cliffhanger any longer. I'm not that evil
I hope this lives up to all of your expectations
Clutching his stomach Courfeyrac, someone who rarely admitted to being in pain, felt tears come in his eyes as he cried in agony. His knees collapsed underneath him and came into contact with the cobbles with a crack as he fell forward to the ground. Through the pain he was vaguely aware of movement around him, the sound of Enjolras' and Grantaire's voices shouting to move Thenardiar back and away with threats of pistols and police and the feeling of a hand on his shoulder, making him stay kneeling up rather than tipping forwards like he wanted too. His eyelids were heavy, they wanted to close. He thought of Gavroche. He thought of how scared the little boy would be to see him like this. That thought made him want to stay awake.
"Come on Courfeyrac, you fool, stay with us" came a voice, calming and soft. It had to be Combeferre. "That's it"
"I'm alright" Courfeyrac breathed, his vision blurred with tears as all he could see with the blurred outlines of his hands and red. The red of his blood. "But a scratch". The statement was added like an afterthought, a comment to comfort as if he sat there trying to comfort Gavroche.
"Stop being modest now ami, you are hurt, you are losing a lot of blood" Combeferre said. Courfeyrac felt his hands being moved away and fabric being pressed hard to his stomach. He could feel more movement around him now. Thenardiar must be gone, sunk back into the shadows like the beast that he was. He could feel something being tied around his stomach, something to stop the blood flow. Perhaps, the tricolour sash that Enjolras often wore around his waist. Courfeyrac wasn't sure. "Come on now Courfeyrac, you are brave and strong"
"Stupidly brave" He heard Grantaire say as he felt himself being pressed into someone's arms.
"Marvellously brave" came another voice, belonging to Jehan.
"Where's 'Roche?" Courfeyrac asked allowing himself to rest against whomever it was who was holding him
"You made him run, he went with Eponine. They are safe. That was an honourable act Courfeyrac, stupid but honourable" That was Enjolras' voice. It must have been him who was holding him and now lifting him off of the ground to carry him.
"I had to protect them" Courfeyrac mumbled, his hands still clutching his stomach as he gave a moan in pain.
"We know" Combeferre said gently, his hand pressed against Courfeyrac's knife wound in attempt to slow the blood loss. "He's your boy, we understand. We need to get you to the café and fast"
Courfeyrac thought of Gavroche and Eponine as he was carried, thinking about them being worried for him. He didn't want them to worry.
As soon as they reached the café, Courfeyrac was laid on the cot in the side room, the same cot that had used to be Gavroche's. Barely conscious, he felt movement around him. Voices talking in worried tones, Combeferre and Joly mostly giving orders to Grantaire and Enjolras to help tend to him.
"What happened?" Joly asked. He had a rag tied loosely around his neck, protecting his cut from germs. He may have panicked about the narrow cut that Thenardiar's knife had inflicted on his neck, but the sight of Courfeyrac's deep knife wound to his stomach made him feel ill.
"He was a fool, he let Thenardiar do this to him so that Gavroche and Eponine could get away" Combeferre replied preparing hot water along the equipment to provide stiches. "And before you ask, oui, it was the same knife that the beast took to you, rust and all"
"He could get an infection, this is serious!" Joly said in a panicked tone removing the sash from around Courfeyrac's middle, his eye's widening when he saw the injury in full.
…
Jehan, the young poet who had accompanied the chief, the guide and the drunken in the following of Thenardiar, had never seen anything so brave yet so terrifying. When he had watched Courfeyrac tell Eponine to take Gavroche and run, he had seen the young man's love for the little boy in his eyes. It was clear that he cared greatly for Eponine also but the way that Courfeyrac had knelt to the child and kissed his head, telling him that it would be alright had made Jehan's heart melt. He had held make a cry of fear when he had seen the knife slice into Courfeyrac's stomach and finally saw the bravery fade away as he cried in pain. He had aided all that he could to getting the wound covered with Enjolras' sash and helping Combeferre position Courfeyrac into the chief's hold. But, he hadn't followed the three of them back to the café. He had to do something. He had to be the messenger who brought the bad news. He could imagine Eponine and little Gavroche, running back to the house together, terrified for the man who had been willing to lose everything for them, including his life.
He had to get them. He had to bring them to Courfeyrac.
Trying to ignore the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he looked up from the stains of blood on the ground, Jehan nodded to himself as he turned and ran. He had only visited the home of Courfeyrac and Marius once before, but he could remember where it was. As he ran, he kept looking back over his shoulder, as if afraid that Thenardiar was following him. The man was nowhere to be seen, the shadows were his home and that was where he would stay until night fall. He was safe. When he arrived at the house, he banged on the door, fearing that time was everything. He didn't understand how the human body worked but he could see that losing as much blood as Courfeyrac had could not be good for any person.
"Jehan" It was Marius who opened the door. "What is it? What has happened?" He spoke in whispered tones, afraid that Eponine and Gavroche would hear him. They were worried enough without overhearing a nervous conversation.
"Eponine and Gavroche need to come to the café now, it's Courfeyrac, and he's hurt." Jehan said hurriedly, rocking back and forth on his feet in nervous habit.
"Courf's 'urt?" Came a tiny voice, a voice laced with fear and tears.
Marius looked down to his side, and saw the little boy looking up at him. He must have rushed to the door as soon as he had heard his name. "Oui, come on" He said trying to remain calm as he held out his hand to Gavroche.
Eponine was now there, standing beside him with her brown eyes wide. "How badly hurt?" she asked looking at the poet. "Tell me"
"Badly, we need to hurry, he was stabbed" he replied timidly, his heart hurting when he saw the look on Gavroche's face and heard him give a whimper. The little boy, tears in his eyes and his hands nervously clenched, shook his head in disbelief as he took Marius' hand and allowed the young baron to quickly lead him out of the house with Eponine on his other side.
Gavroche, a little boy who had seen a lot for his short life, felt sick. He wanted Courfeyrac. He had to get to him. He pulled on Marius' hand as he tried to make him move faster. "Come on, please, hurry"
"I know Gavroche, I know calm down" Marius said leading them quickly in the direction of the café.
"You can't tell him to calm down, Monsieur Marius, not now. He's scared" Eponine said, fear evident in her own voice. "Monsieur Courfeyrac is his best friend, ever"
Marius nodded watching the little boy pull ahead as they reached the café. "That is what worries me now 'Ponine, this could end badly. Really badly" He didn't want to say that Courfeyrac may not survive.
"Don't say that" Eponine said strongly taking Gavroche's hand as they charged up the stairs.
When they reached the upstairs room, somewhere that normally made everyone feel so comfortable, the atmosphere was uncomfortable. Enjolras sat at the table, looking anywhere but towards them. He didn't want to see the fear in their eyes. Grantaire was staring out of the window, a bottle of wine in his hand. The door to the side room was open, and the cries of pain could be heard. Eponine felt her stomach clench. "Courfeyrac" She breathed.
"Courf!" Gavroche cried, running past Eponine towards the door to the side room. He needed Courfeyrac, he needed to get to him. "Courfeyrac!"
Enjolras jumped up, knowing that Combeferre and Joly needed to work, they needed to stitch the wound as quickly as possible. It was something that Gavroche couldn't see. He couldn't see Courfeyrac until he was bandaged and decent, no matter how much he wanted too. "No Gavroche, not now" He said quickly running to the boy and grabbing him around the waist. "I'm sorry petit, but not now"
"Courf, no let go Enjolras, No!" Gavroche cried, tears pouring down his face. "I need to see him…Courfeyrac!"
Feeling the little boy tremble with tears, Enjolras carefully picked him up, turning him in his arms and inviting him to cry into his shoulder. Gavroche shook his head, trying to pull away. "Gavroche shh, I'm sorry but Combeferre and Joly need to see to the injury first, you can't see it. Soon, I promise"
"Courf" Gavroche cried, pulling himself out of Enjolras' grasp and running towards Eponine, who was stood silently against the wall, her eyes fixed on the open door. She could just see Combeferre, rolls of bandages in his hand as he moved around the end of the cot. Courfeyrac was on that cot, she knew he was. And she could still hear his cries. She fell to her knees when she felt Gavroche's thin arms wrap around her. She held him tightly, stroking his hair and whispering to him. She knew that nothing would comfort him until he saw Courfeyrac.
" 'Ponine, I need to see him" He said between sniffs and tears. "I need too, please 'Ponine"
"Shh, shh petit frère. Shh, I know" She whispered, looking into his tear filled eyes. She wasn't sure if she had ever seen him looking so scared before. There was the fear of their papa catching them, but this was different. This was the fear of losing his best friend. " You 'eard Monsieur Enjorlas. We can see him soon. They just need to put a bandage on, to keep it clean and sealed. Then, we can see Courfeyrac". Tears were in her eyes, but she wanted to stay strong. She needed to stay strong for him.
Gavroche didn't, or rather couldn't reply. Tears poured down his face, and he made no effort to stop them. He simply wrapped his arms around her neck, allowing his head to fall onto her shoulder as he cried with harsh and ragged sobs. To Enjolras, as he watched the scene of the two siblings, it was the first time he really felt weak. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't make Combeferre and Joly work faster, he couldn't turn back the time and make Courfeyrac run with the two Thenardiar children. He couldn't do anything except watch the heartbreaking scene and wait. Grantaire met his gaze and the drunken too, looked weak. The alcohol wasn't having the same effect on him as it usually did. He wasn't laughing and joking. Of course, his usual partner for those jokes was Courfeyrac.
Finally, the door opened fully and Joly stepped out, wiping sweat from his brow. "We have sealed the wound, and wrapped it tightly. Courfeyrac is resting now, he is weak. Time will tell his recovery. I only hope that there is no infection, a wound that large getting infected would make him incredibly ill"
"Joly, Gavroche needs to see him. There is no way that he will be calm until he sees him" Enjolras said watching as the little boy looked up at the young doctor.
"Oui, indeed. Well, he is resting but I see now harm in letting Gavroche see him, and Eponine of course" Joly replied. "But be quiet, and very gentle if you insist on sitting beside him on the cot" Gavroche nodded, saying nothing as he tried to wipe the tears from his eyes, before running into the side room with Eponine close behind. Both of the siblings froze when they saw the young man who had saved them.
Courfeyrac, his shirt and waistcoat removed, lay on the cot. A large bandage was wrapped around his stomach and around his back tightly, extra layers of the fabric over the large wound. Parts of the bandages were stained red.A blanket covered him up to his hips. His head was tilted to one side as he rested, his eyes closed and his breathing laboured with slight gasps of pain. This was the weakest they had ever seen him. He was pale, sweat on his forehead and tear tracks down his cheeks. There was a slight tremor to his body, a nerve reaction perhaps.
"Courf" Gavroche cried in a small voice, quietly rushing to the side of the coat and climbing up to sit beside the injured young man and putting a tiny hand on his larger one. "Courf? Can you hear me?"
His face twitched.
"Courf" Gavroche repeated looking nervously to Eponine. "Courf, please. Can you hear me?"
Eventually, Courfeyrac opened his eyes slowly. He couldn't stop the weak smile that came to his lips as he saw Gavroche sitting there and felt his touch.
"There's my boy" He breathed.
And there we have it, I hope you all liked this. I was trying to be sad and sweet at the same time. Did I achieve this?
I just want to say that this is the longest chapter yet. Over 2000 words
Please review and let me know what you thought, I take in everything that is said and love the feedback.