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Jun. 5th, 2011 11:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fiery_ringThe radio transmission comes in in the morning. Carlotta scrambles out of bed, trying to get to the radio before Will wakes up. She listens to it with headphones, and writes down the instuctions on her edible notebook.
"You have to get back." she says to Will, who has woken up and is looking at her. "And I have to move on."
"This is insane... you haven't really explained why you're here." Will says. "And I'm worried about you being here on your own."
"I'll be fine, I have a new assignment." Carlotta says. "And my transmission told your commanding officer I'd send you back once you were rested enough to walk."
They make their way downstairs, with her few possessions in a bag. She's left money for the rent, but not told them she's leaving. It's for the best.
"I want a word with you!"
Carlotta spins around, and sees Eduardo coming down the road. He looks... royally pissed off.
"What is it?" she asks, putting her hand in her handbag so that it rests on the gun.
"Pushing me off, all this time, saying you don't want to get involved in romance, and then I find out you're with Raul, and... and who is this?"
"I told you quite clearly that I wasn't interested, it's nothing to do with you who I choose to have relations with." Carlotta replies.
Eduardo shouts a torrent of abusive Spanish at her.
The next few seconds seem to occur in slow motion. She sees Eduardo reach into his pocket and pull out a gun. She pulls her own gun from her handbag. Will grabs his gun in one hand, pulls her behind him with the other, and suddenly there are shots flying. Eduardo goes down, Carlotta feels something slam into her leg, and Will catches her as she collapses.
"We have to get out of here, someone will have heard that!" Will says. "Carlotta? Oh God. Hang on."
Carlotta looks down at the blood oozing out of her leg. Will is helping her lie down, then he rips his shirt and ties it around the wound.
"It's okay, hang on, I'm going to take you to the hospital." Will says. His voice sounds strange, sort of far away. And then he's lifting her in his strong arms, with her bag slung over her shoulder. He keeps talking to her, but she can't really hear. At some point, she thinks he lifts her onto a horse.
***
When she wakes properly, she's in a bed, with her leg... entangled in some mass of contraptions. She tries to move, but it's too painful, and a nurse comes bustling over.
"Now don't you move, you'll have your stitches out." she says.
"Why is this... scaffolding on my leg?" Carlotta asks.
"You've been shot. The doctor will be along at some point to explain."
Carlotta waits. And waits. And starts to need the toilet, but the nurses seem very busy. The other patients seem to be soldiers, though she tries not to look too close.
There's a lot of screaming in the next room...
Eventually the doctor turns up, talks about her as though she isn't there to the others in the crowd, and taps her mechanical contraption, before eventually deigning to talk to her.
"Well my girl, very careless getting shot, should have left that to our brave boys! I daresay we can pop you back to blighty in a few days."
"Can you please tell me what's happened to my leg?" Carlotta asks, starting to feel annoyed. "And provide me with some sort of pain relief?"
"You've had a complex fracture of your tibia and lost quite a lot of blood, so we took the bullet out and fixed it from the outside."
Carlotta feels her stomach drop.
"Is it going to heal? Outside of the war, I'm a professional acrobat..."
"It should heal, yes, but it'll take a while. You'd better take up knitting for a bit." the crowd of people in white coats chuckle at the doctor, who clearly thinks he's cracked a great joke. Then the party walk off, before Carlotta can protest.
"Wait, I was with Will, is he okay?" Carlotta yells after them. A nurse comes over to her and tries to tuck her in.
"William's fine, he carried you most of the way here so he was a little tired, but he's been checked by the doctor. He wanted to stay, but he's being sent back to England too."
"Can I see him before he goes?" Carlotta asks, as the nurse walks off to attend someone else.
But they ignore her in favour of the 'real' soldiers. And eventually, having had to dismantle and rebuild her traction herself to go to the toilet (thanking goodness for being flexible enough to reach), she falls into exhausted sleep.
"You have to get back." she says to Will, who has woken up and is looking at her. "And I have to move on."
"This is insane... you haven't really explained why you're here." Will says. "And I'm worried about you being here on your own."
"I'll be fine, I have a new assignment." Carlotta says. "And my transmission told your commanding officer I'd send you back once you were rested enough to walk."
They make their way downstairs, with her few possessions in a bag. She's left money for the rent, but not told them she's leaving. It's for the best.
"I want a word with you!"
Carlotta spins around, and sees Eduardo coming down the road. He looks... royally pissed off.
"What is it?" she asks, putting her hand in her handbag so that it rests on the gun.
"Pushing me off, all this time, saying you don't want to get involved in romance, and then I find out you're with Raul, and... and who is this?"
"I told you quite clearly that I wasn't interested, it's nothing to do with you who I choose to have relations with." Carlotta replies.
Eduardo shouts a torrent of abusive Spanish at her.
The next few seconds seem to occur in slow motion. She sees Eduardo reach into his pocket and pull out a gun. She pulls her own gun from her handbag. Will grabs his gun in one hand, pulls her behind him with the other, and suddenly there are shots flying. Eduardo goes down, Carlotta feels something slam into her leg, and Will catches her as she collapses.
"We have to get out of here, someone will have heard that!" Will says. "Carlotta? Oh God. Hang on."
Carlotta looks down at the blood oozing out of her leg. Will is helping her lie down, then he rips his shirt and ties it around the wound.
"It's okay, hang on, I'm going to take you to the hospital." Will says. His voice sounds strange, sort of far away. And then he's lifting her in his strong arms, with her bag slung over her shoulder. He keeps talking to her, but she can't really hear. At some point, she thinks he lifts her onto a horse.
***
When she wakes properly, she's in a bed, with her leg... entangled in some mass of contraptions. She tries to move, but it's too painful, and a nurse comes bustling over.
"Now don't you move, you'll have your stitches out." she says.
"Why is this... scaffolding on my leg?" Carlotta asks.
"You've been shot. The doctor will be along at some point to explain."
Carlotta waits. And waits. And starts to need the toilet, but the nurses seem very busy. The other patients seem to be soldiers, though she tries not to look too close.
There's a lot of screaming in the next room...
Eventually the doctor turns up, talks about her as though she isn't there to the others in the crowd, and taps her mechanical contraption, before eventually deigning to talk to her.
"Well my girl, very careless getting shot, should have left that to our brave boys! I daresay we can pop you back to blighty in a few days."
"Can you please tell me what's happened to my leg?" Carlotta asks, starting to feel annoyed. "And provide me with some sort of pain relief?"
"You've had a complex fracture of your tibia and lost quite a lot of blood, so we took the bullet out and fixed it from the outside."
Carlotta feels her stomach drop.
"Is it going to heal? Outside of the war, I'm a professional acrobat..."
"It should heal, yes, but it'll take a while. You'd better take up knitting for a bit." the crowd of people in white coats chuckle at the doctor, who clearly thinks he's cracked a great joke. Then the party walk off, before Carlotta can protest.
"Wait, I was with Will, is he okay?" Carlotta yells after them. A nurse comes over to her and tries to tuck her in.
"William's fine, he carried you most of the way here so he was a little tired, but he's been checked by the doctor. He wanted to stay, but he's being sent back to England too."
"Can I see him before he goes?" Carlotta asks, as the nurse walks off to attend someone else.
But they ignore her in favour of the 'real' soldiers. And eventually, having had to dismantle and rebuild her traction herself to go to the toilet (thanking goodness for being flexible enough to reach), she falls into exhausted sleep.
