The Fall
Chapter 5
~Fran Gipani
Disclaimer- Flowers sadly cannot make claims to a TV show :(
Author's Note- I am so sorry for the long wait, I have been really sick with the flu recently and anything I wrote turned out to make little sense, if any at all...so I have had to wait until now to write and fix up this chapter. Any who I hope you enjoy the second last chapter to this little fic :) and review at will :)
~Fran xx
After the journey back to Camelot, which was made much longer due to the fact that they had the unconscious Merlin to carry between them, the two knights and Arthur were gathered round Merlin's bedside. Gaius, who had already cleaned and bandaged the boy's head wound, was trying to work out the way to best pull the arrow from Merlin's leg without causing too much more damage. "Right," he muttered to himself before looking up to Percival and Gwaine, "I am sorry, but I really need you all to leave, this space is cramped as it is!"
"Of course Gaius," the two men replied in unison before Gwaine added, "just please let us know when he wakes."
Arthur, however, watched them go, "I'd rather not go, if that's alright with you Gaius?" He's my friend, my closest friend, my brother. I was the one to get him into this mess. I need to do my best to help him out of it.
"I was going to ask you to get Gwen to help, but if you insist on staying that's alright…" he cast his eyes to Merlin's still form.
"Thank you," Arthur replied slowly, looking over at his friend worriedly, "what do you need me to do?"
"Ok I've checked over the leg and as far as I can see the arrow, luckily, is just in the flesh of Merlin's leg," he grimaced, "and also, when the arrow broke off in the water, there was some of it left out of the leg. Take this," he handed Arthur a sizable piece of thick material; Arthur knelt down by Merlin's leg, "I need you to hold his leg down when I pull out the wood. Then press the material to the wound to stop the bleeding."
It was over within seconds, however as Gaius had pulled out the offending piece of wood, Merlin's eyes snapped open and he let out a yell of pain. His bodies reflex system made him try to sit up but he was met with Arthur's strong hand on his shoulder, guiding carefully him back to the bed.
"Wha…what..ha?" Merlin tried to speak, but it came out as more of a gurgling cough so he didn't get a chance to finish.
"Don't try to speak," Gaius said calmly, thankful that Arthur could keep Merlin down with one hand, and have the other on the wound. The old man collected some more cloth and warm water before beginning to clean the wound. Merlin let out a hiss of pain, as the water hit the open wound, "Arthur could you pass me that small flask on the table there and also the needle and thread."
Arthur did so, and as he realized what the flask was for he asked, "do you want me to do it?" With the nod of confirmation from Gaius, Arthur slowly tipped the grayish liquid into Merlin's mouth. As the young man swallowed, a shudder ran through his body before his clenched fists relaxed and his eyes closed again.
"I am sorry Arthur; this will get a bit…errm…"
"…bloody?" Arthur finished for him.
"Yes," Gaius grimaced, "could you hold the wound together so that I can sew it up? It'll make it easier and the stitches will hold longer. Thank you." Arthur obliged, and soon enough Merlin's leg was wrapped tightly in bandages. They then proceeded to clean up the multitude of cuts and bruises that covered Merlin's arms and face. Seeing a tear in Merlin's shirt on his left shoulder he pulled it back to clean the wound, to find more than just a bleeding cut.
"Gaius…" Arthur said worriedly, taking in the look of the deeply coloured bruises that were forming in patches on the pale skin of the man's left shoulder.
Gaius grimaced again, "That's not good, not good at all. We'll need to push his shoulder back into place. Thank goodness we gave him that drink to knock him out, otherwise the pain for him would be excruciating."
"Won't it hurt anyway though Gaius?" Arthur asked worriedly, "I've dislocated my shoulder before and even after the shoulder is back in place, it hurts a lot.
"Oh it will hurt, but as I am sure you know, it is the constant ache afterwards that hurt more." With that Gaius rested both his hands on the young boy's shoulder, and holding Merlin in place with one he pushed his shoulder back into place with the other. Arthur passed him some more cloth and he bound the shoulder best he could before making a sling and looping it around Merlin's neck, the young man's slim arm resting in the safe cradle of material.
"There isn't really much else we can do but to wait." Gaius said with a sad smile, "he'll be alright; it will just be a while before he wakes again.
"Do you want me to stay?" Arthur asked, "I am sure you have other things you probably need to be doing."
"Are you sure?" He waited for Arthur's nod, "okay then…I have some errands to run in the castle. If he wakes again, give him some of this, it won't send him back to sleep but it will dull the pain."
"Thank you Gaius," Arthur said with a small smile, "I really am sorry to have brought him back like this."
"It's alright m' boy, it's all right. From what you said, you did your best, and he will be perfectly fine once he has healed." Gaius reassured him before picking up his bag from the side table and leaving the room.
Arthur sat on the chair by Merlin's bed, his gaze resting on the slow rise and fall of his friend's chest.
…but it is my fault.
"I'm sorry my friend. I am so, so sorry," Arthur said with a sad sigh, hoping Merlin would be able to forgive him. "Just please get better you selfless idiot!"