Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here is chapter eleven of "Running Around." This chapter has some Eric/Snow White. I have decided a major character will get severely injured. Who will it be remains to be seen. Stay tuned for chapter twelve.
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Chapter 11: Quiet/Help Patients/Confrontation
The early morning sun beamed its rays on Passili the next day. A common blackbird flew through the sky above it. It spotted the inn and headed downward. It landed on a second-floor windowsill. It ran its beak through its back feathers. It did the same to the ones on its chest. It moved its feet apart before emitting two soft chirps. It blinked three times.
The blackbird looked inside to see Snow White coming into the room and going toward a twin bed, where a young Kiforthian woman lay asleep. She had a bandaged long gash on the lower part of her right arm. She twitched her nose before letting out a long yawn. She smacked her lips and sighed in much content. Her eyes moved beneath her eyelids.
Snow White looked around the room. It happened to be small with an oval-shaped rug that covered the center of it. A vanity was in the corner of it. It contained a pine nightstand in which a burnt-out candle sat on top of it. The front and back walls had three pairs of deer antlers of varying sizes hanging on each of them. The other rooms were actually the same as this one, though two were larger.
Snow White stopped next to the woman. She recalled her being the last patient who was brought in last night. She heard her moaning about how much her arm hurt. The sight of gash unnerved her, but she cleaned and stitched it. She watched William bandage it. They recommended she take some herbs for pain to which she did so. They observed her going upstairs in hopes of finding an empty room and getting lucky. She was happy the patient was able to fall asleep. She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard knocking. She turned to see William standing in the doorway.
"I am sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," William apologized guiltily.
"It's okay," Snow White responded in a soft way. She shifted her attention back to the woman as he came to her side. "She looks peaceful, doesn't she?"
"Aye," William agreed. "She was crying about her arm when she was brought in. Her gash looked so nasty."
"Something tells me it would have become infected if she had been out on the battlefield a little longer," Snow White pointed out honestly.
"If you are far from any town with an infected wound, you are screwed unless you can find medicinal plants somewhere," William said, seriousness lining his voice.
"There are many medicinal plants in the forests beyond Tabor. Eric taught me how to locate several of them," Snow White said, a small smile crossing her lips.
"Many can be made into drinks that ease pain and infection. Most of their tastes are rather bitter," William grumbled, shuddering in disgust.
"It's not something you ever get used to," Snow White said, exhaling sharply. "I drank some bitter-tasting medicine due a cold I had two months ago. It was so bitter that I thought about spitting it out."
"Yes, but it helped you to feel better," William commented.
Snow White nodded in agreement. She looked down at the woman, who snorted and stirred in her sleep. She slipped a lock of hair behind her ear.
"Did you have a good night's sleep?" Snow White wondered.
"I slept well, yet I was alert for any new patients to be brought in throughout the night. How did your sleep go?" William responded.
"It was all right. I woke up in the middle of the night and stayed awake for an hour. I kept wondering when the war would end," Snow White admitted in sadness.
"Who doesn't?" William whispered and hissed angrily. "I overheard Luis tried to object to helping Xena and Gabrielle tend to helping a woman with an injury due to her not being of his people. Xena wouldn't have any of it and demanded he help. He agreed reluctantly."
Snow White scoffed irritatingly. "He has been trouble for us ever since we stepped inside this inn. I mean, he dragged Chase away from us."
"There are times where you may have to work with your enemies to achieve a common goal. This is one of them," William said.
"Chase has been helping with some patients, despite his shoulder injury is causing him pain. He does not like working with the Kiforthians, but he is willing to put his animosity aside to do so," Snow White explained.
"He might be doing that, but I don't think he understands the brutality of this war," William said, his body shaking some. "At least, not yet."
"It has been brutal for the two villages. I think it will get worse before it gets better," Snow White murmured in uncertainty.
William blew softly. "I think you are—"
Suddenly, running footsteps came out of nowhere. William and Snow White looked over their shoulders to see Eric appear in the doorway. He grabbed it, panting hard. He managed to catch his breath.
"William, Snow White, Xena needs your help. Two wounded patients have bene brought in. It is bad. Gabrielle is assisting her," Eric said seriously.
"How bad is it, Eric?" Snow White asked.
Eric swallowed hard. "One is a young Passilian man with a neck wound. The other is a young Kiforthian woman with multiple stab wounds. She is having a difficult time breathing."
William gritted his teeth. "Let's get down there now."
Eric, Snow White, and William raced out of the room. They proceeded to head for the stairs.
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Jason wiped blood away from the Passilian man's forehead with a rag. He cringed at the wound that was on the left side of his neck. He swallowed hard as the man moved a bit. Gabrielle was prepping a thread and needle. Xena was stitching a stab wound on the right side of the Kiforthian woman close to her stomach. It was bleeding somewhat seriously. The rest of the woman's body had stab wounds all over it, including one in her neck. Chase held her hand tightly. William, Eric, and Snow White arrived quickly. Xena looked up, breathing heavily.
"I am glad you two are here," Xena said and gestured with her head. "Snow White, William, tend to this woman. I am going to help Gabrielle. Eric, come with me."
"Okay," Snow White said, nodding at her. "Let's go, William."
William smiled. "Right behind you, my queen."
Snow White and William raced to the woman's side as Xena released her hold on the needle. She took hold of it and resumed stitching. William looked at a wound the patient's left leg. He could see it was bleeding profusely. He picked up a needle and thread from a table next to him. He poked it through the wound. He pulled it all the way through. He started stitching the wound. Xena and Eric headed over to Gabrielle's side.
"How is he, Gabrielle?" Xena asked.
"He is miraculously staying calm. It is as if he knows Jason and I are not here to hurt him," Gabrielle responded, glancing at her.
"Good," Xena said in relief. "Eric, help me hold this man's shoulders."
"Okay," Eric said with a nod. "Let's do it."
Eric and Xena went to the man's head. He took hold of his right shoulder, as did she with his left shoulder. The patient ceased his movements a bit. Gabrielle poked the needle through the wound. She pulled it all the way through. She started stitching the wound up.
"It hurts so much," the man moaned pitifully. "It hurts so much."
"I know. You are going to be okay," Xena assured.
"I imagine he was scared when he got that neck wound," Eric suggested.
"It is most likely he was," Jason agreed.
"A neck wound is one of the worst one to have. The arteries aren't far from the skin. It doesn't take much depth to bleed out if one is cut," Xena muttered, swallowing hard.
"The wound looked deep. That's why it needed to be stitched up right away," Gabrielle commented.
"You can never be sure how deep a wound is. There may not be any bleeding at all," Eric pointed out matter-of-factly.
"The bleeding could be happening internally. There are lots of blood vessels going throughout the body. When a vein or artery is cut internally, the patient can bleed to death without realizing it," Xena explained. "They may fall asleep and never wake up."
"That happened to a soldier who fought with me once," Chase said, looking toward the group. "His name was Justin. He got stabbed in the stomach just below his heart. He didn't bleed much at all. He closed his eyes and went to sleep. I wasn't able to wake him up. I realized he had bled to death in his sleep. I felt so bad about it."
"Don't be," Gabrielle assured. "It wasn't your fault."
"It is his fault if he couldn't see his friend was suffering. He could've done something to save him," a male voice snapped.
Xena, Gabrielle, and Eric looked at Luis, who stood not far from them. They huffed in irritation.
"There was nothing Chase could've done to save Justin. He had no clue he was bleeding internally. Even if he knew, there was nothing he could do about it," Xena hissed.
"That doesn't matter. He was responsible for him. What outrages me is how you've turned this inn into a medical camp for both Passilians and Kiforthians!" Luis yelled angrily. "It was meant for Passilians only!"
"Then you should have sent the Kiforthians back to their territory and alerted their army if you didn't want them here," Gabrielle said with a scoff.
Luis snorted. "It was better to bring them here and let them rot like the animals they are than take them back to those bastards' territory!" He glared at Chase, who narrowed his eyes at him. "He is the one who has caused the most pain for my people! I should have beaten him up when I had the chance!"
"I will come over there if you say what you said again," Chase warned sternly.
"Come and—" Luis started.
Eric snarled fiercely. "Just shut up, Luis. What you said about the Kiforthians is truly awful. You better wise up before you have a sword up your ass."
Gabrielle finished stitching the wound. She got a dagger from a table next to her. She cut the thread and laid it and the needle aside. She picked up a rag to wipe the blood away. She winced somewhat.
"Cleaning up blood is never easy. Not even stitching can stop it from flowing sometimes," Gabrielle commented.
"It can take a while for even light bleeding to stop. That can increase the risk of infection if the wound is not properly covered," Xena responded, seriousness lining his voice.
The man started moving more. Xena and Eric pressed down on his shoulders, calming him down. Gabrielle finished wiping the blood and laid the rag aside. She picked up a bandage. She pressed it against the wound. She started wrapping it.
"Good work, Gabrielle," Eric complimented.
"Thanks. I had a lot of practice," Gabrielle responded with a smile.
Xena exhaled. "You never get good at something unless you practice."
Suddenly, the woman started jerking. Her arms went up, down, and out, as did her legs. William and Snow White stopped their work. They pushed her legs down. Chase placed his hands on her shoulders to steady them. Her movements got more intense. The trio looked about ready to lose their grip.
"Xena, we need your help!" Snow White screamed.
Xena rushed over to the woman. She pulled Chase back and gestured for him to take the right shoulder. She went over to the left one. She pressed down on it, as did he with the other one.
"Shit. This is crazy," Chase said, his body shaking a bit.
"I have seen convulsions like this before," Xena admitted. "They can be really bad. I even got hit in the eye once. It left a bruise underneath my eyelid."
Chase winced painfully. He, Xena, William, and Snow White felt the woman jerk even more. It seemed they were about to lose their grip on her. The woman became still and let out a loud gasp. They pulled back after letting go of her. Xena checked her pulse. She looked down, her face full of dejection.
"She's dead," Xena whispered.
"No. She can't be," Snow White said, shaking her head fast.
"I am sorry, Snow White," Xena said, looking at her. "She was too badly injured and lost too much blood."
Snow White choked back a sob and walked away. She began crying hysterically. Eric looked down in sadness as Gabrielle tied a knot in the bandage. Luis clicked his tongue before chuckling humorlessly.
"You weren't able to save a life, Xena. What do you have to say now?" Luis asked sternly.
"I don't need to say anything, Luis. I try my best to save as many lives as possible. So does everyone else here," Xena replied in a fierce voice.
"You better shut your mouth if you know what is good for you," Eric added, flaring his nostrils.
"I would listen to him if I were you," Gabrielle said through clenched teeth. "We have had just about enough of it."
Luis gritted his teeth before walking away. Gabrielle proceeded to straighten the bandage as Xena and William grabbed a blanket at the woman's feet to cover her with it.
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Snow White stood near a table ten minutes later. She was crying and had her arms crossed. She wiped tears from her eyes. Her heart was beating fast. Several people walked past her in either direction, but she did not notice them. Eric came up behind her and touched her shoulder. She turned around to face him. She emitted a soft sniffle.
"I'm sorry, Eric. I didn't mean to let that woman die," Snow White stammered and choked back a sob.
"Shh," Eric whispered while putting his hand over her mouth. "It's not your fault. You, William, Xena, and Chase did everything you could to save her."
Eric kissed his wife's forehead. He pulled her into his arms and gave her a big hug. She wrapped hers around his waist.
"I wish death wasn't part of this job," Snow White said, her breathing turning into shudders.
"All of us do, but we have faced it before," Eric pointed out truthfully.
Snow White swallowed hard. "Like when we fought Ravenna and her army."
"Exactly," Edward agreed as he pushed her back. "We may not be fighting right now, but we are part of this civil war just as much as anyone else is. We didn't expect to get involved, but finding Belach injured in that bush forced us to do so.
"He didn't deserve what happened to him," Snow White commented.
"Nor did Greta and the other women when Ravenna harmed them," Eric added bitterly.
"The last time we saw Greta and her family, Lucas was just three months old. Now, he is a year old. He will never remember his mother. I hope they are safe wherever they are," Snow White said.
Eric nodded in agreement. "Me too. Riley and Greta are amazing parents. They will raise Lucas to be a good man."
Eric spotted Xena talking with Gabrielle. He turns back to Snow White, who emitted a shuddering breath.
"Why don't you go spend time with Xena and Gabrielle? It will get your mind off what happened," Eric suggested.
"Okay," Snow White replied with a nod. "Okay."
The couple hugged once more. They released their hold on each other. Snow White went over to Xena and Gabrielle. Chase came up behind Eric, who cleared his throat.
"She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," Chase complimented.
"Yes, she is," Eric agreed.
"How could you bring your wife into a warzone? She should be home tending to her kingdom," Chase said seriously.
"Snow White is more than capable of protecting herself like Xena and Gabrielle are," Eric said, facing him.
Chase flared his nostrils. "Xena should not have brought Gabrielle and Solan here either. Women like Gabrielle and Snow White do not belong anywhere near a battlefield. The same goes for children like Solan."
"When in the hell did you become so concerned about others?" Eric demanded in a stern way.
"I fight for the welfare of young people like Snow White, Gabrielle, and Solan," Chase insisted. "I care about them deeply to the point that I would die to protect them."
Eric shook his head fast. "I don't call you and your men laughing after you stabbed Belach and chased him to be fighting for the welfare of others and protecting them. I call it being overzealous in a desire for freedom. I have no doubt you don't give a shit about the Passili's young people."
Eric walked toward a middle-aged Passilian man with a bandaged gash on his forehead. The man was seated in a chair. Eric stopped before him to examine the bandage. Chase came up behind him.
"The Passilians want to take away our right to live our lives as we see fit!" Chase yelled angrily while raising a fist. "They attempted to force their ways on us multiple times!
"So, it is best to eliminate them instead of peacefully protesting against them," Eric said, looking at him
"I do not think you understand. These people are tyrants and need to be dealt with permanently. They are absolutely brutal," Chase insisted.
"You want to know brutality? Sara died at the hands of Ravenna's brother, Finn. He tortured her horrifically before killing her. I had a death wish until Snow White helped me to become more positive and hopeful," Eric explained swiftly.
"Then why aren't you keeping your current wife safe?" Chase commented.
"She is safe with William and me. Being her husband, bodyguard, and second-in-command is challenging, but I live for challenges. William is our closest friend and ally. We work together to protect her when she needs it," Eric said and emitted a soft snort.
"Then take her home. She will be much safer there," Chase responded firmly.
"She would protest if William and I suggested that," Eric hissed in a fierce way. "She is determined to assist in caring for all these injured people. You are nowhere near close to securing your freedom. You crossed the line when all of this became a bloodbath."
Eric headed over to a young Kiforthian woman sitting on the floor. She had a broken right arm wrapped in a splint. He squatted down and touched it very gently. Chase moved up behind him and leaned over him.
"No one deserves to be viciously attacked, especially when they had nothing to do with this crisis," Eric said.
"If you could only understand what my people and I have gone through," Chase retorted through clenched teeth.
Eric rose to his full height along with him. "Oh, I understand perfectly. I do not blame you for feeling anger toward those who wronged you. However, it is not right to make innocents suffer, especially a young former slave. You are not a freedom fighter, Chase. You are a butcher. Ravenna was pretty bad, but your mindset of achieving freedom at any cost makes you worse than she was."
"That's not—" Chase started.
"Do not even try to deny it. You know I am right," Eric interrupted sharply and gritted his teeth.
Chase snorted. "Hmph."
Eric walked away with an irritated scoff. Chase narrowed his eyes at him before swallowing hard.