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title: Missing Scene From "Cast A Giant Shadow"
author: Owlharp
author's email: Owlharp@juno.com

   She heard the mud-man's voice as she approached the bath-house
door.

   " - if he'd taken one more step, I'd be a soprano!" 

  Laughter and an inaudible comment greeted this remark. 

   "Yeah, better a broken arm than - " the rest of this was lost in
the creak of the door as Brianna opened it. 

    "Well hi there!" came a cheerful greeting in a voice that she
now recognized. Wrapped in a linen sheet, with the dirt scrubbed
off, the mud-man proved to be a combination of blond hair - now wet
and slicked back - and bronze skin, marred here and there with cuts
and bruises. Nevertheless his grey-blue eyes met hers brightly, and
he smiled. Her heart turned over at the sight and she smiled back. 

   Hercules watched the process and then cleared his throat.    

  Brianna hastily remembered what she had come about. "I brought
the things you asked for," she told Hercules, handing him a basket
that contained linen strips, yarrow ointment and two sturdy sticks.
"I also brought this". She held out a small pottery flask. "It's
poppy-wine. I thought you might need it". 

   "Thanks - I really appreciate that". Hercules turned to his
friend. "Come on, buddy - let's get this done with". 

   "Stay and hold my hand, will you?" asked the blond man of
Brianna as he seated himself on a stool before the fire and
stretched his splinted arm out towards Hercules. "It always hurts
less if there's a beautiful woman to talk to while I - OW! Watch
it, Herc!"

   The half-god had begun to unwind the filthy cloth that had
wrapped his friend's arm. "All I'm doing is taking off the splint!"

   "Well be careful, will you?" He turned back to Brianna, as
Hercules continued to strip away the bandages . "You know, he
almost got kicked out of Asclepius' first aid class, back when we
were kids".

   "I did NOT!" Hercules was almost finished. He pulled away the
last of the cloth.

    "Only 'cause you were a relative!" The blond man grinned
wickedly at Brianna, then suddenly went ashen as Hercules gently
ran his fingers over his arm. "Oh DAMN that hurts!"

   Even to Brianna's eyes it was clear that there was something
seriously wrong. The skin of his arm was red and swollen and there
was an unnatural bulge along one side. 

   "Did they even set this?" Hercules demanded.
   
   "I don't know. I was kind of out of it, at the time! Anyway, I
bet THEY didn't take a class with Asclepius!" 

   "Buddy, I'm going to have to - "

   "I know. I know! Just do it, OK?" He looked up at Brianna and
gave another heart-melting smile, though there was suddenly sweat
on his face. "Actually you might not want to stay around for this.
I have a feeling I'm going to say some very nasty words in a
minute!" 

   Brianna shook her head vigorously. "Don't be silly," she said
briskly. She moved closer until she was standing over him, took his
good arm and put it around her hips. "Just hold onto me, and I'll
hold on to you". She put her hands on his head and pressed his head
gently against her waist. "You'll be fine". 

    "Oh yeah. This is great", came the muffled words. "Go for it
Herc!"

   Brianna met the half-god's eyes and nodded gravely. She saw him
take a deep breath and square his shoulders. His hands went to his
comrade's arm.

   There was a single swift movement. 
   
   Brianna felt, rather than heard the scream. It resonated through
her entire body as the blond man stiffened, burying his face in the
softness of her belly, trying to escape the pain. His arm tightened
like a steel band across her bottom. For a split second it was
impossible to breathe. Then he went limp against her. 

    "He's fainted!" she said in an alarmed voice.

    "Just as well. I'll get this done before he comes to",  replied
Hercules grimly, wrapping linen strips around the arm, which was
now straight. Speedily he strapped the two splints, one on either
side and wrapped the whole arm in more bandages. 

    In the meantime Brianna stroked the blond head that lay heavily
against her. His face was marked with bruises, and there was a cut
at the corner of his mouth that was bleeding slightly. "It'll be
all right", she whispered over and over, even though she knew he
could not hear her. 

    "Done. Let's lay him down". Lightly Hercules picked his friend
up in his arms and set him gently on a pallet by the fire. 
The blond man began to stir almost immediately. 

    "Just lie still, will you?" 

    "Asclepius ... should have... flunked you ..." came the mumbled
words. 

    "You're welcome", replied the half-god with a snort. "Here -
have some poppy-wine."
    
   Brianna held the flask to his swollen lips as Hercules helped
him sit up and steadied him. Two swallows and the blond man pushed
it away with his good hand. 

   "S'enough", he said thickly. "Thanks". Gingerly he lay back
down, wincing as he did so. "Good stuff. Room's starting to spin
already...".

   "Go to sleep, buddy" said Hercules, heading for the door. "Back
in a minute - I'll get some more wood and build up the fire". 

   "No hurry..." again he smiled at Brianna. "Just the two of us
now ".  His eyelids came down and the smile faded.     

   Brianna brought out the yarrow ointment and began to spread it
gently on the marks on his face. 

   "That's nice...". 

   "You're a very brave man."

   "Nah.."

   "No really. I watched the way you fought for your friend's sake,
even though you were hurt."

   "Herc's done ... the same for... me". The words were coming more
and more slowly as the poppy took hold. 

    "I can tell. You two have the look of sword-brothers". She took
another dab of the yarrow and began to spread it over the bruises
on his ribs. 

    "Oh ...yeah ...".

     For a moment he lay still and his breathing became slow and
steady. Brianna was certain he had fallen asleep, lulled by the
medicine, but suddenly he opened his eyes and frowned.

    "Did I hurt you?" she asked quickly. 

    "No ... no. ...just realized ..." His gaze was becoming
increasingly unfocused and he struggled to get the words out. "I
... don't even know ... Wha's your... name?...". The golden lashes
fluttered and his head rolled limply to the side. The poppy-wine
had won at last. 

   Brianna smiled to herself as she drew a blanket over him and
brushed the drying yellow hair back from his face. She took a
quick, guilty look at the door, and then - moved by an impulse she
didn't quite understand - swiftly kissed him on the forehead. 

   "My name's Brianna", she whispered, so softly that only the fire
heard her.  

End

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