Chapter 4: Never

Claire felt like whacking Jamie in the head with her brush. Breakfast in bed presented by her half naked husband had been nice, but of course he had to omit the small detail that she had been asleep for over a full day and never had any intention of waking her till she did so on her own. Thankfully she had acquired more medicine from a ship returning from the Mediterranean the day before her comatoseness and could now rush up the Royal Mile promptly in the hope that the outbreak had indeed followed her predictions of being snuffed out or at least diminishing, with very few new casualties.

While Julian was still carrying water into the Hall the sick men were kept, the smile on his face already told Claire the story. That, and the busier than lately yard, with horses being readied and sacks carried. The corporal set his bucket down at seeing her and ambled over mirthfully, "good day Madam! The Captain requested your presence as as soon as you arrive," he reported, "so he can thank you personally for your grace and assistance."

"Captain Randall?" Claire wondered, tilting her head somewhat inquisitively. There could have been another commissioned military officer named in the case of his demise.

"Yes, M'am. He is very weak and can't come himself," he explained, indicating the building behind him, "you'll find him where he was before."

Claire nodded at the Englishman, "thank you Corporal. I trust everyone else survived?" She wanted to make sure.

Julian bobbed his head enthusiastically, "everybody who was in there when you were last here," he confirmed, "all recovering it seems."

"I'm glad to hear it," the nurse meant it too, somewhat taken aback internally by the news of Jack's survival. Of course she had thought him dead by her and her husband's doing twice before, once by the cattle that knocked him over in Wentworth prison, once by the injury Jamie imparted on him in France, yet here he was surviving again against all odds. It really had to be April of this year then at Culloden, she supposed.

The view in front of her however when she turned the corner to the secluded bit of the Hall the officer was settled into gave her some pause. Jack was breathing and had been dressed in a clean shirt, that much was true, but he didn't look all that much better for wear than he was when she had last seen him. His skin a greyish colour, he didn't seem to notice her arrival, head lying floppy as he was turned towards her. Nurse instincts on automatic pilot, she reached for his wrist and concentrated on taking his pulse as he slowly moved his head at the touch and his sunken eyes focussed on her with some difficulty. "I have news for you," he croaked quietly, confidentially, though Claire doubted he could speak louder right now if he would've wanted to.

"Just a moment," the brunette looked around for both of their sakes instead of him checking to start with as he didn't seem alert enough to remember the need for secretiveness, "let me give you some medicine first," she took some lycopodium powder out her bag to mix with his water and help his heart along slowing down. "Mary is well, and the babe too as far as I can tell," she imparted as she worked, not sure herself why. Perhaps to make the everpresent uncomfortableness between them less striking. Mix ready, she held out the cup for him, unsure whether he was strong enough to take it, but reluctant to touch him now that he was a bit more like himself.

He struggled with it indeed, taking a long time to as much as turn and position himself to be able to take the cup and then almost spilled it on himself. Not wanting the medicine to go to waste that she usually acquired either expensive or with painstakingly long work if she made it herself, Claire's hand snapped out to steady the bottom of the cup without making contact with his skin. "Are the cramps gone?" She enquired nevertheless, not at all convinced he was recovering as well as Julian had assumed, her medical examination of him not complete yet.

He panted a little at the exertion of swallowing half the cup's contents and dropped back on the straw padding that had been placed there for his head. "More or less," he allowed.

Less, she had to assume and added a new dose of laudanum to this cup. "I will have a look," she ascertained.

Jack moved his head to blink at her with a hint of confusion, but allowed her ministrations wordlessly and lethargically, the muscles of his tender abdomen speaking for themselves and they both knew it. He wasn't out of the woods yet and while he had passed the worst of the dysentery, his slightly warmer than normal state and the involuntary guarding of his upper abdomen spoke of a possible secondary infection, not surprisingly after the precarious health issues he'd suffered over the course of the time they've known each other. "Every man who's able is to leave tomorrow to join the Duke of Cumberland," he returned to business.

"You won't be one of them," she observed out loud. It was of course obvious, but it held ramifications that transfixed her. Yes, maybe he could join them later, but signs were still indicating he wasn't to die at Culloden, which meant that either records were wrong or that history did change. A re-evaluation of that assumption passed on a regular basis now.

"And because of that, this is probably the last bit of news I can provide. Part of the Hessians are to be positioned south of Aberdeen, to cut off possible Jacobite escape routes," he provided the main message he was intending to.

"I understand. I never expected as much news from you at any case," the woman admitted her appreciation of his solid wordkeeping, "much good is it going to do," she expressed her frustration with history.

He considered conversation and his duties as per their arrangement over nevertheless and let his eyes close as they wanted. "If every able men is to leave, who's taking care of those still in need of medical care?" The professional question occurred to her naturally.

"You don't suppose His Majesty would give care for such matters?" Jack grunted offhandedly as if the affair didn't affect him and placed the back of his wrist over his eyes, blocking out the outside world.

"Alright." Claire mentally strengthened herself for what was to be done. "I will examine all the rest of the recovering patients. You were one of the last to get ill and you are still passed the acutely contagious stage, but I will make sure to check everyone did and in that case you can perhaps hire someone temporarily for their care. As for yourself, I believe you would be better placed in your officers' quarters than down here in this filth. I trust there's no more solid reasoning keeping your wife back with us, god only knows how much she's been raring to come to your aid for some reason," she sighed. The more time passed, the more Claire felt less likely to ever tell her anything about Jack's dark side. Not till there was cause for it at any case.

"It's safe?" The Englishman peered out from under his cufflinks.

"It is, if I instruct her with proper direction," Claire promised, standing. Perhaps she was a little too eager to give responsibility over, but who could blame her for that.

Tbc