Page 149 of Long Live the King

While Sean and Liam began gatherin’ our horses taegether. Quentin dismounted his horse and crouched beside Ash. “Hey, Ash, how’s it going?”

Her hand gripped her shoulder. “Where are you from — you sound normal.”

“Fernandina Beach.”

“Island local... okay, you explain it, what the hell is going on?”

“Damn, you’re all the way back at ‘what the hell is going on’? That’s not good, jumping sucks, especially when you have no idea what’s going on. But... welcome to Scotland.”

Ash winced. “Sucks so far.”

Quentin said, “Where does it hurt?”

“I dislocated it. I did it once before, about four years ago.”

Quentin said, “So... you know it’s going to hurt, right? The next few minutes are going to be awful.” He helped her sit up. “Did you do this part in the hospital?’”

“Yep.”

Her face was in a grimace of pain. I hated seein’ it, I stood up and began pacin’ around them.

Quentin said, “You’re cool, Lochie?”

“Tis hard tae watch, I daena want ye tae hurt her.”

She blew out air, “Owie owie owie.”

I asked, “Dost ye need me tae hold yer hand?”

She nodded.

I crouched down beside her and held her good hand. But then I looked at her palm. “Yer hands look verra painful, Ash.”

She nodded. “Blisters from carrying my weapon.”

I said, “What kind of weapon?”

“An iron spike, about five pounds, about twenty inches long. It was not great, but it was all I could find.”

“Och nae...”

Quentin said, “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we don’t have a hospital, Ash, so you’re just going to have to buck up while we get this joint back, can you do that?”

She nodded.

He took her hand and gently raised it up and over her head.

She breathed in bursts, puff puff puff. “Owie owie owie,” she choked out, “I suppose there’s no pain meds either?”

He folded her arm down. She was panting.

“No no, we have lots of pain meds, we got all the pain meds, just no doctor. We’re going rogue. Now scratch your back. Back and forth.” She winced, holding her breath as she shifted her hand back and forth until there was an audible pop and her shoulder went back intae place.

She let out the air and said, “Oh thank gumdrops and Easter candy, sweet, sweet relief.”

Quentin helped her bring her arm back around to her front. He said, “Lochie, check my side pack, there’s a first aid kit.”

I raced over tae the horse and dug through the pack for a big red box with a cross on the side. I brought it back and he said, “Ash, I’m going to give you a rudimentary field-wrap, we’ll do it better when you get to the castle.”

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