Updated: Monday 4/09/2023
Chapter 2: Life In The Balance
Treville leads the Three Elder Inseparables to the Infirmary. Well aware what was going to take place soon. He hoped these Three would finally support their Brother and protect him from those that harmed him. He also hoped they gave the young Gascon strength to keep fighting.
He stops outside the infirmary looks at they with a hard look.
"Behave yourselves or I'll throw you out", Treville warns them.
They nod.
"Now this is going to be quite a shock for you. It was to me and Doctor Lemay. It is a mystery on how he managed to get here. So be prepared", Treville warns them, "And he is unlikely to be conscious when we get in there"
They nod.
They thought they were prepared to go in there.
How wrong they were…
(Line Break)
Treville lets Athos, Porthos and Aramis in first and their eyes go immediately on the sole occupied bed.
They freeze when they got closer.
D'Artagnan didn't look like D'Artagnan.
His face was badly bruised and he had a right black eye and looked like a broken nose. He also had a cut over his left eye and eyebrow was a deep cut that was deep enough to require stitches, actually the left eye looked a little swollen. His right leg and arm were in splints with his right shoulder strapped to his chest. And they could see the bulging of bandages that were wrapped around his torse. And the skin they could see was covered in marks. Also, his face that wasn't bruised was flushed with fever.
"Are those manual strangulation marks?" Aramis asks horrified.
"Yes", the Doctor tells them.
Athos and Porthos growl at that.
"What are his full set of injuries?" Aramis asks hurried getting over his shock and rushing to his Baby Brothers side.
The Doctor looks at Treville for permission who nods wearily watching the Three Brothers.
"Well on his face are the less of his injuries. Broken nose and cheek bone. Black eye and a cut going over his eyebrow that required 6 stitches. He also has a bad concussion. His right leg, ankle and foot are broken and his knee was dislocated. His right arm, wrist and two fingers were broken and his right shoulder had been dislocated. He has 5 broken ribs and 2 cracked. Bruising across his torso liking from a beating and he had burn marks. He was stabbed twice. Once in his side and the other in his right hip. Both of which are infected and he is currently fighting that on top of everything else and since it rained last night there is a chance, he will get pneumonia", the Doctor tells them.
They had gone whiter and whiter as the list of injuries continued.
"He also shows signs that before all of this he was malnourished and had a lack of sleep. Which that and his concussion and all his injuries probably is why he is still unconscious", the Doctor tells them.
Athos goes to the other side of the bed from where Aramis was who was checking over the Doctors work. He sat down heavily in the chair next to his protégée looking older then he had ever looked before.
He gentle cupped D'Artagnan's uninjured cheek.
"Brother what happened to you", he whispers, "Will be survive?" he asks the Doctor.
The Doctor hesitates before he answers, "It all depends on how much fight is left in him and how much strength. These injuries will take months to heal even if they do there are no guarantees they will heal right. But you all better prepare for the worst. His life is in the balance and the scales are not tipping in his favour"
"NO! We are NOT going to lose him!" Athos exclaims.
He gently cups his Brothers cheek again and leans in to whisper in his ear.
"Fight Little Brother. Fight. I am so sorry for how I have been treating you and you need to get better to hear a proper apology. We are right here Brother and not going anywhere. Show us how stubborn you are and survive this. We will be here with you all the way. Please Brother I can't lose another Little Brother. This would be my undoing. Please fight. Fight for Aramis. Fight for Porthos and Fight for me. Just fight and come back to us", Athos whispers to him, "Please live", he kisses his Baby Brothers hot forehead.
They all didn't hear what Athos had said to D'Artagnan but they saw Athos shed a tear as he pulls away and holds D'Artagnan's uninjured hand. They had NEVER seen Athos's cry before. It was a sight they hoped wouldn't be repeated in greater magnitude.
Porthos comes over and leans into the Gascon's ear. Careful not to touch him.
"Fight Whelp. Fight like hell. We will be with you all the way. We WILL find out who did this too you. You can count on that and it will be unlikely that person will survive that encounter if Athos leaves a piece of him, it will be a miracle. But you D'Artagnan need to concentrate on surviving. WE NEED you. We are better because of you. Don't give up! Live! And then I can give you a proper apology. And I believe you will have not just Three Overprotective Brothers but Three servants for however long you think we deserve it", Porthos promises.
Porthos moves to the foot of the bed bringing a chair over and he places a hand on D'Artagnan's uninjured ankle. To help give his Brother strength and for himself to know his brother was still alive.
Aramis comes over and places a hand on his Brothers forehead and winces at the heat radiating from it. But like his brothers he leans down to whisper in his ear.
"Please Brother fight. We are here now and you won't be getting rid of us that easy again. We made a BIG mistake Brother but survive to let us show you how sorry we are. Your OUR baby brother and we should have NEVER have let this happen. We attend to beg for forgiveness once you awake even through I know we probably don't deserve it. Please D'Artagnan fight. I don't think Athos would survive if you died. He loves you Brother, we ALL do. And I hope somehow you still know that. Even after the deplorable way we have been treating you these past few months. I sincerely hope you know just how much we love you and that if you died it would destroy us", Aramis whispers to him kissing his forehead gently and then murmuring a pray for his Brothers' survival.
Begging God to not take their Brother from them so soon.
He then starts to go over the care of his Brother with Lemay hoping to learn everything about his brothers' injuries so he could start treating them himself.
As one thing he was certain of he would NEVER trust his Brothers care in someone else's hand. But maybe because of how injured his Brother was he could share the load this once if it meant HE lived…
**~~Author's Note: What Do You Think? Please Review:)!~~**
