Disclaimer: I do not own Albert the Fifth Musketeer or the characters

Chapter Nine

Captain de Treville entered the workshop, expecting to see Albert at work, in order to distract himself from the thoughts he was having. But, to his surprise, the young Musketeer wasn't in there. "He's not outside the infirmary, is he? Maybe I should check his room first." He made his way through the workshop, to the backrooms.

In a minute, he was outside the Fifth Musketeer's bedroom. He didn't knock, for what if Albert was asleep? Chances of that were minimal, but if he was, it wouldn't do to wake him up, now would it? He quietly opened the door, and peered inside. It wasn't hard to see inside the room thanks to the sunlight shining in. His eyes widened when he spotted the petit blond in his bed, eyes closed and some quiet snores coming from him. Incredible! He's actually sleeping! I'd better let the doctor know about this! He quietly closed the door and turned away from it.

The doctor was serving breakfast to the awakened Musketeers, when he heard the knock on the door. It didn't sound urgent. "Just a minute, Sir!" He handed Athos his bowl of broth, and then moved to unlock the door. He opened it. "I'm sorry for the wait, Captain, but I was giving them their breakfast."

"That's alright, that's more important. Anyway, did Albert come by at any time this morning?"

"Yes. I'm afraid he did. He mentioned he'd had a nightmare, but I reminded him that the Musketeers were all on the mend. I also forbade him from coming in here without you."

D'Artagnan choked on his broth. "You what?"

"He practically barged in this morning, so I knew I'd have to keep him out of here. He can't let his fears rule over him any longer. It's fine for him to come in for brief visits, but only with Captain de Treville. Otherwise, he's certain to want to stay longer, or never leave, and that will only hinder his progress."

"Well, I do have some good news. It seems Albert was actually asleep when I went to check on him. Maybe after experiencing that nightmare and then seeing that's all it was, it helped alleviate the fears, giving him a peaceful rest," de Treville commented.

"I am hoping that's what it is. He told me himself that nightmare kept him up for the rest of the night, so I am hoping it's not exhaustion."

"No, it's not."

"How can you tell, Sir?"

"Albert, when exhausted, is in a deep sleep, so deep he doesn't even snore. I saw him stir slightly when I opened the door to check on him, and he did twitch a couple of times because of the sunlight shining through his window." He looked to D'Artagnan. "That sounds about right, doesn't it?"

The brunette Musketeer nodded. "Yes, Sir. So, since he was snoring slightly, twitching and stirring, it means it's not exhaustion."

The doctor nodded. "That's very good to hear then. He's already working on those fears. But, what of the guilt?"

"I think once the fears have been confronted, it will be much easier to convince himself he was not to blame for what had happened. I think the guilt stems from his fear of nearly losing his friends," de Treville voiced.

Later in the afternoon, Albert woke, feeling much more refreshed than he had over the last couple of days. He let out a yawn and stretched. "That was a peaceful sleep...I'm actually a little amazed I was able to sleep. Maybe the doctor was right in keeping me out of the infirmary." He threw the blankets back and slid off his bed, his feet making contact with the hardwood floor. His stomach rumbled. "Hmm...I did miss breakfast...maybe I should try to eat something. I can try something a little more substantial than broth, but nothing too extravagant. Maybe just a hard-boiled egg will suffice for now...and if I still feel a little hungry following that, I might have something else. After that, I'll try to work on those recovery devices, though if they really are going well, then they may not need them." He thought to himself. "Though, they might still be handy to keep in the infirmary in the long-run. Then, that is what I'll do."

He didn't notice his tone sounded a little more upbeat. It seemed his own recovery was finally underway.

Monsieur de Treville entered the workshop and saw Albert having a small plate of spaghetti bolognaise. "Well, you're certainly looking much better today."

Albert turned to the Captain. "Thank you, Sir."

"So, you're feeling up to eating something more substantial?"

"I am. I had a hard-boiled egg earlier, but then I found I still felt hungry, so I dished this up."

"Good. I'm glad. Also, you were sleeping when I went to check on you."

"Following my nightmare, after seeing the Musketeers really were still alive and still recovering well, I was able to convince myself a lot easier that it really was just a nightmare, and that they would still be there in the infirmary when I'm able to visit them later."

"Yes, I saw them this morning, not long after checking on you, and they're all doing very well."

"I'm glad." He set down his plate and looked to the ground. "I'm sorry I've been causing so much concern lately..."

"It's alright, Albert. I can see that you're beginning your own recovery. To be honest, this morning it did cross my mind that maybe you'd be sitting outside of the infirmary, since you couldn't be in there."

The petit blond looked up at his Captain.

"So, imagine how pleasantly surprised and relieved I was to see you were actually fast asleep in your bed. And the surprises seem to keep coming. You're in here, eating something other than broth. For you to be in here, it means you're going to work on something, aren't you?"

"I decided that even though the Musketeers may not be needing the assistance devices, thanks to their own recovery going along smoothly, I should still make some to be kept in the infirmary, just in case someone does need them in the future."

"So, what devices will you make?"

"As is expected, the crutches are on the list."

"Those would certainly be handy." The Captain smiled. "You sound almost like your old self again."

"I do?"

"Your voice is filling with that same enthusiasm you'd feel whenever it came to your inventions. I think keeping you from the Musketeers really did help you."

The blond nodded. "When I woke not long ago, I didn't find my thoughts saying I needed to hurry to the infirmary. Instead, they were that the doctor was right, my sleep was peaceful, I was feeling hungry so what should I have? and then the thought of working on those devices came to mind."

"You're definitely returning to your old self."

"I think I still have a long way to go. It's still hard to ward off those thoughts and feelings of guilt."

"They might be connected with your fear, so once that has been completely overcome, those feelings of guilt might also leave. It will take a while, but you're already on your way to recovery."

The blond nodded again. "That does make sense, Sir. When those thoughts came, the most powerful, the one that stopped me from convincing myself otherwise, was that it was my fault they almost died. But, now I know that even though the wounds were serious, they wouldn't ever give up and die because of them. They haven't given up and died, they've been resting and allowing themselves to heal."

"Hmm, sounds like you're managing to convince yourself that the Musketeers will be just fine."

"Yes."

"Good. I'll come by later, we can go and visit the Musketeers this evening."

"That would be good, Sir. I'd still like to be able to see my friends."

"I thought so. But, when I leave, that's when you do as well."

"Of course. The doctor told me that I wasn't to enter the infirmary without you, and that means that even if I'm already in there, I can't be there without you."

"Good. Now, don't work too hard, Albert."

"I'll put in my best effort, but I won't push myself. I know that won't help."

"Good."