Mistakes

by Kyra4

Gunther's bewildering behavior frustrates Jane to the point where she flatly refuses to ask him for help– possibly at the cost of her very life. "He could sense time stretching out ahead of him– days, weeks, months. Years. Time that, according to the laughing bandit, wouldn't include Jane. He didn't want it. He didn't want ANY of it, not a single, solitary moment." J/G *Complete*

9. Chapter 9

[All right. You are all right. It is only your shoulder. Just breathe. Breathe and think this through.]

Gunther cannot know about this. The situation betweem them is bad enough already, withouth throwing more fuel on the fire. He will not react well to this and she really doesn't fancy a confrontaton, particularly when it's only an arrow to the shoulder and she can handle it perfectly well until she gets home. There is no reason for him to know. Not now, not ever.

So then…

[So then the arrow has to come out. Right now.]

She's perfectly well aware that in most circumstances, an arrow should not be dislodged until proper medical attention is at hand, but then, this is hardly "most circumstances", is it? And it's not as if anything vital's been hit.

She risks another glance at Gunther. He is still occupied, but she needs to act fast. She returns her attention to the arrow. Once it's removed, it will not be difficult at all to conceal this. Due to a combination of circumstances including the thick, tough leather of her jerkin and what must have been an abysmally poor quality bow, only the arrowhead and perhaps an inch of the shaft – at most – have penetrated her body.

There isn't even any blood visible. She can feel it spreading beneath her clothing, tacky and warm – but the same thick leather that prevented the wound from being much worse than it is, is also preventing the blood from seeping through. Once the arrow itself is gone, the wound will be essentially invisible.

Good.

She gulps in a deep, shuddering breath; takes hold of the arrow shaft; bites her lip, hard. Slams her eyes shut. And yanks.

PAIN. Stunning in scope and intensity, especially considering how she's spent the past several seconds convincing herself that really, this is no big deal.

The pain says otherwise. It is huge, explosive.

In that moment, it is all-encompassing.

Then it is over. She is left gasping and trembling in its wake. She feels something hot trickling down her chin – she swipes at it and her hand comes away red. She has bitten her lip bloody.

But she didn't cry out. She didn't attract attention to herself. That is what matters.

[Breathe. The worst is over. Breathe Jane breathe just breathe.]

The worst is over. In that moment, she believes it. And that is probably the gravest mistake she's made yet.