The Doctor's Daughter

Start: 1/15/2012 Finish: 1/20/2012

Summary: What if Tavington had survived Cowpens? Bordon takes a lifeless body of Tavington to the doctor's tent only to find the only one who can help is the doctor's only daughter, Andrea. As Tavington slips in and out of life, he keeps seeing a beautiful girl hovering over him. He lives and begins to seek out his angel. That angel is Andrea. What would he be willing to do to win her shy heart? Tavington x OC

[Author's Note: Howdy! So this plot bunt has been running rampant in my mind for a time. Now, I'm just putting the story on paper and refining the story. Also, assume that Bordon was not killed by Gabriel but survived the skirmish. Please, for the sake of my low self-esteem, if you review, be nice. Constrictive criticism is extremely welcomed. Enjoy! ~Cosmic Horse]

Chapter 1 ~ Alive

Captain Bordon spurred his horse into a faster trot. His eyes raked over the body littered battleground, his eyes searching for a familiar figure. The figure being his commanding officer, Colonel William Tavington. Then, he beheld a sight that startled his core. Colonel Tavington was hanging limp on a propped up rifle while a bayonet protruded from his back. His once white shirt was stained red from his spilt blood. Bordon spurred his horse into a bone jarring canter before pulling up hard in front of the colonel. Quickly dismounting, Bordon placed two fingers on Tavington's severed neck, hoping for a pulse but knowing better. But as his fingers found a vein, Bordon felt a very faint pulse, so faint, he almost didn't feel it.

Bordon went to his horse and pulled out a spare shirt he carried from his saddle bag and ripped it into stripes. He slowly wrapped the stripes around the neck wound. Acting fast, Bordon took the bayonet off the rifle. He took the remaining stripes and attempted to stabilize the bayonet in Tavington. Bordon was afraid to remove the blade from Tavington's abdomen for fear of bleed out. Bordon then took Tavington's faintly alive body and put him in the saddle before leading the horse to the medical tent.

Bordon tied the horse outside the tent before pulling Tavington off the saddle. He carried the dying colonel into the tent. He was met by a sight of beds filled with wounded. Many of them were shot and moaning out in pain while a few men worked on them. One of them, the doctor Bordon assumed, glanced up upon his entrance and said, "Just put him anywhere and I'll get to him."

Bordon was about to protest but the doctor was no longer paying him attention. He placed the limp colonel on one of the few empty beds. Tavington looked dead but his chest faintly rose up and down. Bordon left the colonel to go to the doctor. "Sir, the colonel is dying. He is barely breathing. He needs help now." Bordon said, rather urgently.

Without even looking up from his work, the doctor said, "All in due time."

"Sir!" Bordon said, but the doctor was not listening.

Just then, a young woman with gentle brown hair entered, carrying a bucket of water and an armful of bandages, and her deep blue eyes immediately landed on Colonel Tavington. She crossed rapidly to the doctor, brushing past Bordon, and placed the bucket and half the bandages next to him. "Thank you Andrea." The doctor said before the woman left to Tavington.

Bordon followed the woman. Upon coming near both her and Tavington, he saw her examining the wounds. "Miss..." Bordon said, drawing her attention.

"Are you his second in command?" She asked, avoiding his eyes and her voice soft.

"Yes... can you help him?" Bordon replied.

"If you help me, I can give him a fighting chance." She replied, her eyes drifting up to Bordon's.

He nodded sharply before taking off his jacket to help this Andrea woman. She drew a small knife and cut away Tavington's blood stained shirt. "Alright, I'm going to slowly pull the blade out and I want you to place that shirt under him where the blade was protruding from his back. Then, I'm going to dam the wound from on top. On my count... one... two... three." She instructed softly.

Then she drew the bayonet out while Bordon shoved the shirt under Tavington's back while the woman grabbed a handful of bandages and putting them onto the wound. Never once did she flinch from the blood. She then took one of the longer bandages and wound it around Tavington's middle to hold the padding in place. She then paused and observed the wound. A few moments passed and the top layer of bandages did not stain red. She let out a small sigh before turning her attention to the neck wound. "You did a good job stopping the neck bleeding..." she said, leading Bordon to introduce himself.

"Captain James Bordon, Green Dragoons of His Majesty." Bordon said, giving the woman a small nod.

"Andrea Dalton, the doctor's daughter." Andrea said, still avoiding his eyes.

Just as she spoke, Tavington seemed to wake up and began to thrash around. Before Bordon could act, Andrea had placed her hands onto Tavington's shoulders, speaking in a quiet reassuring voice, "Steady solider... steady. The battle is finished. Steady... steady..."

Tavington eyes flickered open for a moment before he settled. His breathing increased. "You were severely wounded on the field in both your abdomen and throat. You must remain still so the wounds will not tear." Andrea said, a small smile on her face.

Tavington inhaled slowly before his eyes flicked shut once more. Andrea removed her hands and turned to Bordon. "If he awakens again, keep him still." She then crossed to a small cabinet to take a bottle then taking a canteen. "Prop his head up, Captain."

Bordon complied and Andrea placed a few drops from the bottle into the canteen before making Tavington drink. "In a few hours, give him another drink, but keep him still." Andrea instructed.

"I will." Bordon said.

Andrea turned to look at Tavington once more before going to her father. "I don't know if you can hear me Sir," Bordon whispered to the passed out colonel, "But I feel like you have just been saved by an angel."

Colonel William Tavington, The Butcher of the Carolinas, was dying. Of that he was sure. Death had finally come to claim him. He could feel his eyes shut from lack of life. Then, he was in darkness. The darkness lapsed a few times; when he felt something touch his neck, then when he felt the familiar hug of the saddle, then being laid onto a bed. The next dark lapse yielded a sight that actually brought Tavington to consciousness.

A young woman with deep blue eyes and faded chocolate hair was leaning over him with her small hands on his bare shoulders. He could see her slightly full lips moving and the muffled sounds of her voice, saying, "Steady... steady solider... you must remain still..."

Tavington felt the urge to speak but thought better of it when he felt dull pain in his throat. The same dull pain radiated from his abdomen. He lay still, his eyes becoming hooded, but he watched the woman. Eventually, she left his bed. The, before the darkness took him again, Tavington heard Bordon say, "...you have just been saved by an angel..."