No Man's Land

[capt_facepalm]

Title:  No Man's Land
Author: capt_facepalm
Rating: PG
Fandom:  Sherlock Holmes (Gaslight)
Characters:  Major John H. Watson, RAMC
Summary:  Watson recalls a friend's parting words of reassurance.
Warnings:  (none)
Word Count: 100
Author's Notes: drabble for the July 20th 2012 A.A. Milne quote prompt

.oOOo.

Near Field Hospital 15
April 10 1916

‘You're braver than you believe…’

What has bravery to do with this?
Explosions… bullets and shrapnel flying every which way…
What old fool would venture into this smouldering desolation?
Bravery feels so much like fear, yet when a hopelessly ensnared man cries out from the kill zone…
Comrade or foe?
It hardly matters now. Just cut the wires!

‘…stronger than you seem…’

He’s too heavy to carry and must be dragged to safety.
If bombed-out craters can be called safe.
Ah. Now, there’s gas—
Gas masks on!
Sit tight.

‘…and smarter than you think.’

Holmes must never hear of this!

.oOOo.

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Comments

[med_cat]

Excellent!

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Yes, smart idea NOT to give your loved one a fatal heart attack...

[wirral-bagpuss.livejournal.com]

That is lovely! :) But yes Holmes cannot find out about this! Imagine his reaction. Poor Holmes! And Poor Watson for having to face all of that as well. Makes me want to hug them both.

[debriswoman]

Wonderful work:-)

[keerawa.livejournal.com]

Comrade or foe, it hardly matters now
Lovely.

[hagstrom]

OUCH OUCH! But more ouch for Watson for being in a living hell and not having his beloved friend to lean on (which I think and Watson would see it like that too, is for the best).
Fantastic fill!

[methylviolet10b]

No, Holmes would not appreciate hearing this story - except to rejoice in the fact that Watson survived to tell it. I liked this a lot.

[capt-facepalm.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I had a bit of trouble figuring out what to do for this prompt.

[capt-facepalm.livejournal.com]

True... especially if his older brother, although retired, still has enough influence to get your butt transferred to a safer theatre of war... such as Sussex.
(Or the Faeroe Islands, just to be sure!)

[capt-facepalm.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm glad you think so!

[capt-facepalm.livejournal.com]

Thank you!
I need to think that it wouldn't have mattered who was stuck out there.

[capt-facepalm.livejournal.com]

WWI is about the worst type of hell on earth I can imagine. Even though Holmes is not there, Major Watson has other loyal people around him who usually keep him out of trouble.

[capt-facepalm.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I really don't think Holmes would be able to hear the horror stories from the front and not want to have Watson recalled and retired.

[med_cat]

You've done well ;)

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

That would be an awkward moment, when he's home and enjoying a celebratory dinner out with Holmes a few years later - and some one-legged young man in uniform comes right up to him and gushes over Major Watson's amazing act of bravery his mate in that trench told him about, and proceeds to unravel the whole story despite Watson's shushing (and Holmes' face growing whiter and more pinched). It may involve flung test tubes.

[capt-facepalm.livejournal.com]

I'm sure Watson did not plan, per se, to run into the battlefield. He just reacted and then found himself in over his head.