A/N: He he! Already got a review on this. How happy I am... :)

5. Never before

Emie woke up, panting, clutching her sleeping back as if it had been a life-preserver.

She had had one of the most realistic dreams of her life. And really disturbing too, seeing the topic of it.

Worst was, she didn't remember the face. Had she been with James? Or Henry?

As she wondered this, something downed on her. She slapped a hand on her forehead.

Oh dear. She was equally attracted to two very different men.

On one side, Pretty-face, as Henry called him, gorgeous from eye to toe, with his gentleman manners, his beautiful speech and his...gentleness.

On the other side, Henry, the sickening doctor who didn't care about the life of his patients, who was trying his best to shove her off her patience, who was teasing her in the worst ways, and who was...strangely charming, in his one way.

She couldn't make her mind. And she knew that that day would be difficult, having realised that.

"Dammit Emie! Told you to be careful! Now the man might as well die!"

She knelt, retrieved the needle in the dust, and took it up. She quickly walked to a sink, washed the thin tool and burnt it with a lighter she had near.

She brought it back to Henry's care. "No need to act pesky. Here it is, your bloody needle!"

He looked at her strangely, and then turned back to his work.

After a short silence, he sighed. "Have you got your period or what?"

She stomped, and rushed out of the medical tent, wiping her dirty hands on her apron.

She almost ran to the horses' paddock.

Topthorn was showing his impressive muscle. She patted the stallion.

"Here, boy, nice and easy."

She heard paces behind her. "Are you alright, Miss Tate?" She didn't turn around at first, acknowledging the smooth and warm voice before everything else.

"I am...a little tired, I should say." She shuddered at the recall of her dream.

"Are you cold? Do you wish me to ask for a cloak?"

She shook her head. "No, thank you Captain. You really are kind, but...I should probably head back now."

Nicholls looked at the entrance of the tent. "Oh, I see. You and Dr Lennings have had another argument."

She eyed him, surprised. "What do you mean, another?"

He smiled kindly. "Well, we have ears, you know. Sometimes, both of your voices can be very loud."

She chuckled. "Yes, I'm sorry about that. I'll ask Henry to yell at me in the sign language."

Nicholls opened his mouth in wonder. She stared. "The sign language? You mean, the one for mute people?"

"And deaf people too." She gestured her straight palm under her chin, and then waved it, curved in a fist apart from the thumb and last finger.

"What does that mean?" He tried to make the same signs.

She helped him with the last move, until he signed it to perfection. "Congratulations, Captain. You've just said "Hello"."

He smiled, amazed. "You should teach me."

She smiled back. "Of course. But for now, I really have to go."

"Wait. How do you say "Goodbye"?"

She chuckled and then straightened. She then withdrew her hand, and simply waved.

Nicholls watched her walk away, and then parted his own way, repeating the "Hello" moves over and again.

"Henry, I'm sorry."

He sighed and wiped the blood off his hands, taking the sheets off the operating table and crumbling them on the floor. "That's okay. I shouldn't have said that. I can be a scumbag sometimes."

Emie smiled. "Not sometimes. All the time."

His grey eyes locked on her. "Eh, but, I've just realised. Have you just...apologized?"

She rolled her eyes and turned around to clean his medical tools.

Henry came behind her, almost lifting a hand to touch her shoulder. She felt it, but didn't move a hair, pretending to be oblivious to the fact.

He sighed and walked away.

She turned around. "Henry! Wait!"

He looked back at her, a hand on the tent's fabric. "What?"

She sighed. "You owe me a drink."

He rolled his eyes and exited the place.

Emie swore between her teeth.

So, what do you think? Oh, also, I have a very limited knowledge of sign language, and the ones I know are proper to the French sign language. So if you don't recall the gesture for "Hello", that can be normal... ^^

Review! :)