I remember the most horrific day of my life. It was a day within the camps, right after a bombing. I had never seen so much destruction and distraught before in my life. Bodies were scattered across the tent, along the floor and some were even piling up outside, staining the white fabric red. So many of the bodies were mangled, missing multiple limbs which were also scattered among the examination tables. It looked like a graveyard and I swore that I had never been more disgusted, or horrified, or utterly vulnerable in one moment of my life.
Being forced into this time period, this odd place that I had no knowledge or memory of in my entire life, may just have put me at a dangerously vulnerable state. I was alone and I had no idea how to live here or how to survive. My only hope lived in a woman who seemed to fit in here, but as well seemed to be insane, giving me the idea that stones had thrown me into a parallel universe. It seemed unreasonable and more of a fantasy, yet nothing else could make sense in this situation.
"Hurry on Aurora. I'll grab the bandages but it would be more helpful if you try to go relax his muscles so it will be easier to push back the bone into the socket." Claire's request was quick and rushed as she hurried into the shack, the clean bandages would be essential to Jamie's injury, yet the idea of going back into that house filled with men made me freeze slightly. Claire glanced back at me, motioning me to come on. I took another deep breath before I began to walk back to the house that was still echoing the sound from inside of the rooms. "Okay just make sure he isn't too awful uncomfortable. I just want to be able to reset the bone, a deep tissue massage isn't needed but don't be cruel," Claire informed as we walked through the entrance of the shack. The men were as loud and rowdy as before, but now they had left a small bench unoccupied for Jamie to sit at. As we entered Claire turned and walked down a smaller corridor I had not previously noticed. I took another breath as she left my sight before I set my gaze on the man across the room. The bench had been set in front of the fire, Jamie's arm and shoulder fully exposed though he still wore a thin shirt. My legs were carrying me closer towards the man before I was able to even comprehend my own actions, the curiosity and concern that had made it's way into my mind overpowering my conscious. As I made my way in front of him I felt the blood rush to my neck as my eyes passed over his body seated in front of me. Goddamn this man is attractive. He's built like a freaking swimmer but goodness he is so fit. I couldn't contain the blush that reached further up to my ears as I realized my thought process, immediately moving my eyes to his shoulder, which seemed to look larger and more swollen in the light. I reached out to lightly brush my fingertips along the red skin that stretched across the dislocated joint. Jamie hissed at the slight pressure my hands offered, causing me to recoil slightly, leaving my fingertips just a few centimeters away from his skin.
"Sorry but I need to try and relax the muscles. If I don't Claire might not be able to reset the joint," I explained as I stepped closer to the man who was now gazing up at me with a hint of pain in his closed off eyes. I swallowed thickly as his deep blue eyes captured my gaze, holding mine captive, as I was unable to look away from the gentle look that he continued to give me. I bit my lower lip as his eyes left mine, glancing over me before he nodded and took a deep breath as if to relax himself. I took yet another breath, attempting to prepare myself for his own pain as I left my hands gently wrap around his joint, completely covering his deformed shoulder. I left my fingers lightly apply pressure to the tense muscles that fought against the bit of pressure leaving Jamie to gasp in pain as my own face scrunched up in discomfort. Mr. Datrum used to tell me that my only weakness was my empathy, my own emotions that conformed with the emotions of others around me. It made me weak in some cases, but it also encouraged me to help people feel better, seeing their pain as my own and wanting to fix it no matter what cost. I gritted my teeth as Jamie's obvious grunts of discomfort became more frequent, my own fingers increasing in the intensity of which they massaged the swollen muscle. I felt the muscles slightly ease as I moved my hands so that they both were pushing against the muscle that could block the joint, hoping to set off the possible obstruction. Jamie let out a low hiss when my fingers delved deeper into the swollen tissue, a sound that made me jump slightly when it reached my ears. I glanced back down at Jamie to see his eyes already set on mine. His eyes held only a bit of pain, which vanished, as he seemed to attempt to cover up his moment of weakness. I smiled at him softly, hoping to possibly make him trust me a bit more so that he would feel more comfortable in this awkward situation we had found ourselves in. "Sorry," I let the apology slip from my lips at a low volume so that only Jamie could hear while my fingers again took their place along his skin. His jaw clenched, obviously swallowing as he took a breath as if to brace himself for the oncoming pain. I winced slightly as I glanced back at the hot skin my fingers were pressed against. His shoulder was going slightly purple, internal bruising that was making it's way to the outside. It must have been so painful.
"All right, I grabbed the bandages so we can get started now," Claire announced as she rushed back into the room, "We really need to get on the road again so Aurora if you don't mind could you help me guide the bone back into the joint? That way it won't take as long for me to move it alone?" I nodded rapidly, biting my lower lip again as I moved to stand beside Jamie so that one of my hands could be set below the crook of his neck and the other on his bulging bicep. Dear Lord did I find the right man to feel up. God the things I would like to see those arms do. "Aurora, on three I want you to push his arm up but try to keep it aligned with his collarbone so that we don't break it. There will be some resistance since the muscles have swollen but just put all that you can into it," she instructed, grabbing Jamie's wrist before she glanced down at the man. "This will hurt but I know that I can count on you not to scream and attract any attention, right Jamie?" she teased before beginning her countdown. "One… Two… Three!"
I heaved against his shoulder, putting every amount of force I was able to exert towards my mission to replace the bone into its socket. I tried not to think about Jamie and how much pain he must be in, or how his face must be scrunched up as he struggles not to scream at the pressure. I instead closed my eyes, pointing my head to the floor as I pulled the arm towards me. Claire rotated his wrist towards his opposing shoulder until we heard the bone pop back into its rightful place. I couldn't help the slightly overdrawn pants that left my mouth as I pulled my hands away from Jamie's body and let him roll his shoulder to make sure it was set back right.
"There we go. No pain anymore," Jamie announced as his hand reached up to grab the injured shoulder, poking at the places where the swollen muscle still seemed to bother him. I smiled in satisfaction, happy to see the smile that also graced Jamie's own face as he glanced up at me. "Thank ye, thank ye both," he offered as Claire grabbed the bandages she had fetched, his eyes not leaving my own until he glanced down to see what Claire was doing. She wrapped his joint firmly, strapping his arm down to his chest and securing the tie across his chest and opposite arm.
"Rest that. You'll need a few days until it feels good again. It may feel better now but don't you worry, you'll be feeling the pain soon," Claire said, standing up from her former crouch and handing me the bandages to hold onto. She turned back away before I could ask why she had given them to me and walked over to the other side of the room. I was left holding a handful of sterile bandages while standing beside a injured man who didn't seemed to care that his stares were both noticeable and uncomfortable. I glanced at him a few times, as if I was trying to make sure he was real and not some figment of what seemed to be this everlasting dream. His cat like blue eyes reminded me that he was real, and that I was here with him, real just the same.
"Good. We can head off now. Jamie, are you good to ride?" MacKenzie asked as he called all of the men to attention, looking over at Jamie for the last part, staring straight through me to the man who sat behind me.
"Aye," was Jamie's short response. MacKenzie nodded and shouted something in that unfamiliar language. The men chanted something back before they began to head out of the shack and back into the night.
"Come on lassie, you're riding with Jamie tonight," MacKenzie said averting his eyes back to me for a moment and then back to Jamie who nodded in response and stood from the bench. I turned back to face the redhead to discover that not only was he significantly taller than myself, he literally towered over me. I frowned slightly as I had to crane my neck to look up at him, making the man chuckled before he placed a hand on my waist to push me towards the door.
"Don't worry lassie. Ye'll be all right with me. Just head on out to the horses," Jamie instructed me, turning me about to face the door and giving me a stern little push. I stiffened slightly as his hand came in contact with my lower back, willing my mind not to memorize the feeling of his rough seeming hands against my skin. I swallowed again before I took a step towards the door, then another one, hoping to get to a proportional distance away from Jamie so that his hand would not be within my personal bubble once again. I followed the other men out the door, walking back to the horse that Jamie had arrived on. Jamie stepped in right behind me before his steps over took my own and he grasped the saddle of the horse. Slinging himself over, even with one arm he seemed to do with ease. Making the whole act look to be as natural for him as breathing was for me. I huffed slightly as I looked up at the beast and his rider; God knows my chances of actually getting up on that thing. "Give me your hand," Jamie offered, breaking me out of my inner debate on whether to ask him for help or to just wait until I was thrown onto the horse. I glanced up at the brawly man to see his good hand extended towards me. His thighs were firmly holding onto the horse's body, making sure that when he was to pull me up he wouldn't get pulled off of the horse himself. I gratefully took the larger hand, letting Jamie guide me to plane my foot into the saddle's hook before he pulled me up and onto the horse. My dress was pulled tight across my legs and the mare, the fabric riding up to revel my thighs; something I knew was indecent even in this age. A few moments later after Jamie had found the reins in his grasp and I had managed to find a semi comfortable position to rest on the horse, trying not to crowd the man behind me. After I had found this decent spot, I felt Jamie pull his hand back from the reins, tugging on something behind him in the darkened light.
"What on earth are you doing?" I asked, glancing back at Jamie to see that his good hand was holding some fabric while he jerked it towards him.
"I was trying to get some of me loose plaid to cover ye up. Ye're shivering like a naked child in the raining winter, I thought maybe it could warm ye up," he explained, continuing to tug on the stubborn fabric. I reached back to offer my assistance but found my hand placed on something… else. As I realized that the hard object now encased in my hand was not any sort of buckle or his fabric, I yanked back my hand and froze in my place, wishing that I had not actually reached around and grabbed Jamie's cock. I felt my face go fire engine red as Jamie coughed behind me. He didn't draw attention to the incident, simply went back to tugging on his plaid until it finally broke free. When it did he used his good hand to wrap the portion of his kilt around my shoulders. "Sorry about that lassie, but for a good little while your arse was pressed against my crotch and I couldn't help but er, notice yer position," Jamie attempted to explain, stuttering slightly as his voice remained low and close to my ear. I swallowed again, mentally slapping myself for being so careless. Wait, did he just admit to getting a boner because I was between his legs? Dear God how am I going to survive this?