And then Gwaine came walking in, cradling Merlin in his arms. "Where do you want him?" Gwaine asked, stopping just within the door.
Gaius couldn't respond for a moment – for all that he'd been warned, he was still taken aback by the sight of his boy, battered and still, wrapped in blankets.
"Gaius," said Gwaine, "He doesn't look it, but he does get rather heavy after carrying him up here from the courtyard."
"Put him right there," Gaius said, snapping back to himself and pointing towards the patient bed, "Right there will be fine."
Gwaine did as directed while the other knights hovered in the doorway. "Someone go and intercept Guinevere," said Gaius, "I think this will only upset her."
Elyan and Lancelot both turned to go, and hesitated, both waiting for the other to keep moving first. "Oh, for the love of – both of you go," Gwaine snapped from where he was standing next to the bed, Merlin laying on it. So, the both of them did go, walking away down the corridor.
"Has he woken at all?" Gaius asked, pulling the blankets from Merlin, beginning his analysis of the young man's injuries. He made himself not look at Merlin as his clumsy, well-meaning ward, but as a patient. He forced himself to be distant.
"A few times," said Gwaine, "I don't know how...aware he was."
"Help me sit him up," said Gaius. Percival moved in, and both he and Gwaine kept Merlin sitting. It was hardly a two-man task, but Gwaine sent a small, almost-smile at the other knight. "How many times was he coherent?"
"At least twice," said Gwaine, "Maybe more, but we only got him to talk to us those two times."
As Gaius continued his examination, Gwaine filled him in on anything and everything they knew about Merlin's condition. They'd created something of a brace for his arm, and bandaged him up as well as they could on the road. There were lacerations on his back. Burns crisscrossed his arms and legs looked almost like they were patterned after a chain. Bruises were everywhere. Multiple lacerations. Evidence of being whipped. Broken ribs. Definitely concussed. More malnourished than Gaius could ever remember seeing a man in his life. One of Merlin's ankles was swollen, as well, though Gaius suspected a sprain over a break.
"He started a fever earlier today," said Gwaine, "Just before we split up and sent Percival up ahead with Arthur."
"I noticed it," said Gaius, "But nothing seems to be infected. We'll just have to watch it."
He sent Gwaine over to the other side of the room to fetch bandages, and Percival to tend the fire.
"Oh, my boy," Gaius whispered. From the way Gwaine's back stiffened, he knew he was overheard.
And time passed. It took three days, but Gaius did, eventually, fall into something of a routine. He had assumed that every one of his waking hours, and most of his sleeping ones, at that, would be focused on Merlin, on helping Merlin, on taking care of Merlin.
What Gaius hadn't counted on was the small army all clamoring for their chance to care for the hurt warlock. Lancelot, Gwaine, Elyan, Guinevere, and Percival (although the last did with only a raised hand and a quirked eyebrow) had all demanded turns watching Merlin. As soon as Mary, the woman in charge of the kitchens, had heard of Merlin's return she sent a serving boy to loiter outside of Gaius's door, who's only job was to run back and forth from kitchen to tower, fetching things for Merlin to eat. Gaius thanked God that Arthur was locked in the dungeons. On top of all the others he had to deal with, the last thing he needed was a prince with a guilt complex.
So, while it was true that Gaius spent most of his time thinking about Merlin, he actually found himself with more free time on his hands than usual. There was always someone there, someone who was a bit bored as Merlin was, for the most part, out cold, to help out Gaius with tasks that weren't necessarily Merlin related. Gwen and the knights had formed a sort of rotating watch force, one of them with Merlin at all times. So while Gaius did have to treat his ward's wounds daily, he was able to sleep enough and still care for his other patients.
Not that Merlin ever noticed – he spent most of his time completely oblivious and asleep. Gaius took some of the responsibility for that. The first thing that he had done after checking the half-conscious warlock over was to drug him into oblivion. After all, that arm needed to be set, and it wasn't something that he wanted Merlin to be able to look back on later
