Recovering, the followup to Sweet Iced Tea
Oct. 5th, 2011 11:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lilfluffTitle: Recovering [Maybe... Trying to think of a better title]
Fandom/'verse: Quite likely somewhere inaldersprig's Tir na Cali setting
Rating/Warnings: slavery, mild discipline, rude brothers, but no sex or graphic violence.
Summary: Comes the day after Sweet Iced Tea (LJ link), in which Owen discovers you don't just walk out of the hospital after being treated for multiple gunshots to the chest and Fiona's annoying brother shows up.
Niall
Niall held a contraband pastry in one hand, having cleared it first with one of the floor nurses as he wasn't a fool, and looked into Owen's room. A table had been rolled over to hold Owen's lunch tray and the boy still had a spoon in his one uncuffed hand. But the boy wasn't eating anymore, leaning back instead with his eyes closed shaking a little. Niall thought for a moment he was hiccuping or maybe laughing at something before catching on. Oh. He's one of the ones who's learned to cry quietly.
He wasn't sure what to do, he mostly ignored any of the servants and slaves who didn't serve him directly. Gwyneth and the overseers took care of the rest. He certainly hadn't ever played nursemaid for one. He wouldn't have even known the boy's name if not for that terrible call from Fiona when he learned how close he had come to losing his little girl.
With a shrug he walked over and simply asked, "Why are you crying?"
Owen dropped the spoon and rubbed at his eyes, "Sorry! Just being stupid again." If anything the boy looked worse, red around his eyes from rubbing and still dripping tears. "Didn't mean to ignore you Master, I promise. I didn't hear you."
"I didn't say stop, I asked why you were crying."
Owen looked down towards his toes answering quietly. "Because I'm stupid and broken."
"Really? You're in a hospital and you're hurt?" Niall sighed as the boy squeezed his eyes shut and looked close to crying again. Quickly unwrapping the pastry he set it on the tray, "Here, I brought you this."
Owen opened his eyes again and looked at the pastry and back up to Niall. "Thank, thank you Master."
"Go ahead, eat, then tell me what you meant."
Owen gave a jerking nod and took a small bite of the pastry, smiling he took a bigger bite after the first taste. "Thank you!" Several quick bites soon making the treat disappear.
Niall shrugged, "It's just something cheap from the cafeteria. Now, what do you mean by stupid and broken?"
Owen looked back at his toes again. Starting out soft enough Niall had to listen closely, "I thought maybe I'd get to come home soon. Doctor came in this morning and said they wanted me to try walking around the floor. Stupid enough I thought that was good. I've got one thing dripping stuff in me and another taking drips out of me and one of the nurses said my throat hurt yesterday because I'd had another tube just to blow air in me just to make sure I breathed, and I've got these stupid wires stuck to me I'm not allowed to touch even if they do make me itch, and I was dumb enough I thought they really meant I'd be able to walk!"
The boy looked up at him tears flowing freely again. "I can't even stand without holding onto something! They had to get me a thing to push around just to walk and still had to have someone follow me to push one of those stupid beeping things the wires go to and the damn bags for the tubes. Even if Mistress said she wasn't going to I wouldn't have to worry about being sold again now, nobody would want to buy me anymore anyway!" Dropping his head back onto his pillow crying as he was when Niall came in.
Niall had just opened his mouth to respond when Owen rubbed the tears from his eyes, "And damn it, I'm whining again after I promised myself I'd stop!"
Sighing Niall shook his head. "Hold out your hand boy." He took a moment to wipe the spoon clean before rapping it sharply across the boy's knuckles.
"Sorry Master. I'll try to stop whining." Rubbing the back of his hand under his chin as he spoke.
"Watch your language instead. I might tolerate the whining, for now, but no matter how bad you are feeling you will watch your language."
Niall rolled the table away and pulled a chair closer to the bed. "If I'm going to tolerate whining from anyone you have the best excuse. A month until you are thirteen and you have already been sold sixteen times" He saw he had the boys attention, hand frozen under his chin. "I wondered why you wouldn't ask Gwyn for more than just not being sold so I read through your papers last night."
"Sixteen... I was trying to be good. I've been trying to be good. I... I'll be thirteen?"
"I admit I was surprised too. I wouldn't have guessed a day over eleven, but all the paperwork agrees. You'll be thirteen in three weeks. No one ever tell you when your birthday is?" Niall hmmed at the boy's nod and decided to change the subject.
"Have you decided what you're going to ask for? Yes? Well, tell Master."
Owen
He really was thankful Master told the nurse to leave his hand free, but that didn't stop Owen from being bored. He tried counting the dots on the ceiling tiles for a while but kept losing count before even finishing the first tile. Trying to read what was on the plastic bracelet the hospital put on him was good for a few more minutes. He could make out his name and he thought maybe Mistress's family name. The rest he couldn't figure out whether the words were too hard or if they weren't actually words.
Twisting his fingers into the edge of his blanket he managed to keep fighting the temptation to poke at any of the things the nurses had told him not to touch. Even if the patches the wires ended in were starting to itch. He glanced over at Master. Still reading. He wasn't going to bother him, not after saying he wanted to prove he could behave and deserve the chance he was being given. Hearing Mistress's voice out in the hallway was a relief. He scooted into a slightly more comfortable position and smoothed the blanket out, he saw Master close the book he was reading and set it aside after hearing her voice too.
Then he heard Carrick's voice and for a second considered whether he might get away with hiding under the blanket. Sure enough right after Mistress came Fiona and her brother Carrick. He stood at the foot of the bed fixing Owen with a steady stare while Mistress and Fiona talked to Master. He stared at his toes trying to not to notice the older boy standing just past them. Trying to not to panic at the feeling of those gray eyes bearing down on him. Nervous thoughts rushing through his head, Don't say anything bad. Don't say anything. I've been good. Mostly good. He won't do anything in front of Mistress. Just have to be good. If Mistress is happy he won't do anything. Gasping softly as he felt a nudge on his right shoulder. Only realizing then that Mistress had been speaking to him.
"Sorry Mistress! Was, um, didn't mean to ignore you Mistress."
"I asked how you were feeling child."
"Still sore everywhere, tired, but my throat feels better than yesterday Mistress." Smiling shyly until Carrick spoke.
"You would hardly know it was the same one who told me to shut up two weeks ago." Two weeks ago? But that was only a few days ago. Owen's confused thoughts were interrupted as Carrick came around the other side of the bed lifting the blanket off his chest.
"That looks... like you are very lucky to be alive." Owen looked at the blanket instead of Carrick and gave a nod. He relaxed a little when Carrick let the blanket drop over him again. "But, it does seem to have cured your mouthiness."
Owen was trying to will himself to melt into the bed when his Mistress spoke, her voice leaving him very glad her words were directed at Carrick and not himself. "Is there anything more you wanted to say, son?"
"I guess not. Doesn't look like it's likely to misbehave now."
Owen, speaking mostly to himself quietly said, "Trying to be better. Didn't mean to be bad." Although Carrick and Mistress's faces turning to him made it clear he hadn't spoken softly enough. Thankfully his Mistress broke the silence before it became uncomfortable.
"Good." He wasn't sure which of them Mistress was speaking to, and a glance at Carrick found him looking uncertain too. "Have you given any more thought to my question, child?"
Owen nodded, "Yes Mistress." Then froze with worry again. Mistress said I didn't ask for enough yesterday, but maybe this is too much.
"Have you made a decision?"
Taking a quick look around he caught Master's eyes and saw him give a slight nod. Looking up to his Mistress he nodded again. "Yes Mistress. I wondered if, I mean all I'm good for now is fetch-and-carry and cleaning, so I wondered if I could be trained for something more. I thought maybe Mistress or Miss Fiona might think of something useful I could be trained to do."
Mistress didn't so no right away or anyone else so he pressed on. "I know I don't behave good enough yet to be anyone's personal servant or anything like that, but maybe whoever was training me could help with that too? I don't want to keep misbehaving."
"You mean you don't want to keep getting punished."
"Carrick, hush." Owen was thankful he managed to keep a grin off his face at that scolding when his Mistress turned back to him with kind smile. "I'm certain we can find something for you. If you are mature enough to ask for that you should be able to fix those rough edges. I half expected you would simply ask for some treat or toy."
Owen grinned at that. "Well. I had thought about something else, Mistress." Stopping and blushing a little when he realized he really had spoken, quickly adding, "But it was kind of silly."
"And this silly request would have been?"
"Nothing really big. Just a bell. Like the one Patches has."
"You mean a bell for your collar?"
He nodded, the smiles Mistress and Fiona had enough for him to feel safe giggling. "Yes Mistress. I would have had something none of the others had."
"True, little Patches is the only one at home with a bell on her collar." She made a show of looking over his collar then gave his head a pat. "Concentrate on getting better for now, when you are ready to come home the arrangements will be made. Perhaps for both requests."
Fandom/'verse: Quite likely somewhere in
aldersprig's Tir na Cali settingRating/Warnings: slavery, mild discipline, rude brothers, but no sex or graphic violence.
Summary: Comes the day after Sweet Iced Tea (LJ link), in which Owen discovers you don't just walk out of the hospital after being treated for multiple gunshots to the chest and Fiona's annoying brother shows up.
Niall
Niall held a contraband pastry in one hand, having cleared it first with one of the floor nurses as he wasn't a fool, and looked into Owen's room. A table had been rolled over to hold Owen's lunch tray and the boy still had a spoon in his one uncuffed hand. But the boy wasn't eating anymore, leaning back instead with his eyes closed shaking a little. Niall thought for a moment he was hiccuping or maybe laughing at something before catching on. Oh. He's one of the ones who's learned to cry quietly.
He wasn't sure what to do, he mostly ignored any of the servants and slaves who didn't serve him directly. Gwyneth and the overseers took care of the rest. He certainly hadn't ever played nursemaid for one. He wouldn't have even known the boy's name if not for that terrible call from Fiona when he learned how close he had come to losing his little girl.
With a shrug he walked over and simply asked, "Why are you crying?"
Owen dropped the spoon and rubbed at his eyes, "Sorry! Just being stupid again." If anything the boy looked worse, red around his eyes from rubbing and still dripping tears. "Didn't mean to ignore you Master, I promise. I didn't hear you."
"I didn't say stop, I asked why you were crying."
Owen looked down towards his toes answering quietly. "Because I'm stupid and broken."
"Really? You're in a hospital and you're hurt?" Niall sighed as the boy squeezed his eyes shut and looked close to crying again. Quickly unwrapping the pastry he set it on the tray, "Here, I brought you this."
Owen opened his eyes again and looked at the pastry and back up to Niall. "Thank, thank you Master."
"Go ahead, eat, then tell me what you meant."
Owen gave a jerking nod and took a small bite of the pastry, smiling he took a bigger bite after the first taste. "Thank you!" Several quick bites soon making the treat disappear.
Niall shrugged, "It's just something cheap from the cafeteria. Now, what do you mean by stupid and broken?"
Owen looked back at his toes again. Starting out soft enough Niall had to listen closely, "I thought maybe I'd get to come home soon. Doctor came in this morning and said they wanted me to try walking around the floor. Stupid enough I thought that was good. I've got one thing dripping stuff in me and another taking drips out of me and one of the nurses said my throat hurt yesterday because I'd had another tube just to blow air in me just to make sure I breathed, and I've got these stupid wires stuck to me I'm not allowed to touch even if they do make me itch, and I was dumb enough I thought they really meant I'd be able to walk!"
The boy looked up at him tears flowing freely again. "I can't even stand without holding onto something! They had to get me a thing to push around just to walk and still had to have someone follow me to push one of those stupid beeping things the wires go to and the damn bags for the tubes. Even if Mistress said she wasn't going to I wouldn't have to worry about being sold again now, nobody would want to buy me anymore anyway!" Dropping his head back onto his pillow crying as he was when Niall came in.
Niall had just opened his mouth to respond when Owen rubbed the tears from his eyes, "And damn it, I'm whining again after I promised myself I'd stop!"
Sighing Niall shook his head. "Hold out your hand boy." He took a moment to wipe the spoon clean before rapping it sharply across the boy's knuckles.
"Sorry Master. I'll try to stop whining." Rubbing the back of his hand under his chin as he spoke.
"Watch your language instead. I might tolerate the whining, for now, but no matter how bad you are feeling you will watch your language."
Niall rolled the table away and pulled a chair closer to the bed. "If I'm going to tolerate whining from anyone you have the best excuse. A month until you are thirteen and you have already been sold sixteen times" He saw he had the boys attention, hand frozen under his chin. "I wondered why you wouldn't ask Gwyn for more than just not being sold so I read through your papers last night."
"Sixteen... I was trying to be good. I've been trying to be good. I... I'll be thirteen?"
"I admit I was surprised too. I wouldn't have guessed a day over eleven, but all the paperwork agrees. You'll be thirteen in three weeks. No one ever tell you when your birthday is?" Niall hmmed at the boy's nod and decided to change the subject.
"Have you decided what you're going to ask for? Yes? Well, tell Master."
Owen
He really was thankful Master told the nurse to leave his hand free, but that didn't stop Owen from being bored. He tried counting the dots on the ceiling tiles for a while but kept losing count before even finishing the first tile. Trying to read what was on the plastic bracelet the hospital put on him was good for a few more minutes. He could make out his name and he thought maybe Mistress's family name. The rest he couldn't figure out whether the words were too hard or if they weren't actually words.
Twisting his fingers into the edge of his blanket he managed to keep fighting the temptation to poke at any of the things the nurses had told him not to touch. Even if the patches the wires ended in were starting to itch. He glanced over at Master. Still reading. He wasn't going to bother him, not after saying he wanted to prove he could behave and deserve the chance he was being given. Hearing Mistress's voice out in the hallway was a relief. He scooted into a slightly more comfortable position and smoothed the blanket out, he saw Master close the book he was reading and set it aside after hearing her voice too.
Then he heard Carrick's voice and for a second considered whether he might get away with hiding under the blanket. Sure enough right after Mistress came Fiona and her brother Carrick. He stood at the foot of the bed fixing Owen with a steady stare while Mistress and Fiona talked to Master. He stared at his toes trying to not to notice the older boy standing just past them. Trying to not to panic at the feeling of those gray eyes bearing down on him. Nervous thoughts rushing through his head, Don't say anything bad. Don't say anything. I've been good. Mostly good. He won't do anything in front of Mistress. Just have to be good. If Mistress is happy he won't do anything. Gasping softly as he felt a nudge on his right shoulder. Only realizing then that Mistress had been speaking to him.
"Sorry Mistress! Was, um, didn't mean to ignore you Mistress."
"I asked how you were feeling child."
"Still sore everywhere, tired, but my throat feels better than yesterday Mistress." Smiling shyly until Carrick spoke.
"You would hardly know it was the same one who told me to shut up two weeks ago." Two weeks ago? But that was only a few days ago. Owen's confused thoughts were interrupted as Carrick came around the other side of the bed lifting the blanket off his chest.
"That looks... like you are very lucky to be alive." Owen looked at the blanket instead of Carrick and gave a nod. He relaxed a little when Carrick let the blanket drop over him again. "But, it does seem to have cured your mouthiness."
Owen was trying to will himself to melt into the bed when his Mistress spoke, her voice leaving him very glad her words were directed at Carrick and not himself. "Is there anything more you wanted to say, son?"
"I guess not. Doesn't look like it's likely to misbehave now."
Owen, speaking mostly to himself quietly said, "Trying to be better. Didn't mean to be bad." Although Carrick and Mistress's faces turning to him made it clear he hadn't spoken softly enough. Thankfully his Mistress broke the silence before it became uncomfortable.
"Good." He wasn't sure which of them Mistress was speaking to, and a glance at Carrick found him looking uncertain too. "Have you given any more thought to my question, child?"
Owen nodded, "Yes Mistress." Then froze with worry again. Mistress said I didn't ask for enough yesterday, but maybe this is too much.
"Have you made a decision?"
Taking a quick look around he caught Master's eyes and saw him give a slight nod. Looking up to his Mistress he nodded again. "Yes Mistress. I wondered if, I mean all I'm good for now is fetch-and-carry and cleaning, so I wondered if I could be trained for something more. I thought maybe Mistress or Miss Fiona might think of something useful I could be trained to do."
Mistress didn't so no right away or anyone else so he pressed on. "I know I don't behave good enough yet to be anyone's personal servant or anything like that, but maybe whoever was training me could help with that too? I don't want to keep misbehaving."
"You mean you don't want to keep getting punished."
"Carrick, hush." Owen was thankful he managed to keep a grin off his face at that scolding when his Mistress turned back to him with kind smile. "I'm certain we can find something for you. If you are mature enough to ask for that you should be able to fix those rough edges. I half expected you would simply ask for some treat or toy."
Owen grinned at that. "Well. I had thought about something else, Mistress." Stopping and blushing a little when he realized he really had spoken, quickly adding, "But it was kind of silly."
"And this silly request would have been?"
"Nothing really big. Just a bell. Like the one Patches has."
"You mean a bell for your collar?"
He nodded, the smiles Mistress and Fiona had enough for him to feel safe giggling. "Yes Mistress. I would have had something none of the others had."
"True, little Patches is the only one at home with a bell on her collar." She made a show of looking over his collar then gave his head a pat. "Concentrate on getting better for now, when you are ready to come home the arrangements will be made. Perhaps for both requests."
no subject
Date: 2011-10-06 06:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-06 07:36 pm (UTC)I'm not really certain what the expected level of even informal education is for slaves in the setting, but whatever it is Owen knows quite well he's behind. But it's hard to do much when about every six months you're buddled up and shipped off somewhere else. But whatever he hasn't learned, he's figured out being useful is a way to climb up the ladder.