Dirtier, part 17
Dec. 12th, 2008 10:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rabidsamfanDespite the assist from Steed and Purdey, the momentum of coming down from the wall would have sent him into the opposite flowerbeds if it hadn't been for Sam. One of the crutchtips sank deep into the soft soil and wrenched itself out of his hand. If Sam hadn't quickly substituted himself for the missing prop he'd have fallen and as it was he had to hop awkwardly to avoid knocking Sam over and going down with him. But somehow they managed to keep standing, even tangled as they were, and for a moment he found himself remembering a small cousin, helping him walk home after a disastrous ride on a bicycle with broken brakes. No. He had been the smaller one, trying to support an injured man through a hot, rancid darkness...
"Gumby?"
He opened his eyes. "Sorry," he tried to straighten, to take his weight off of the boy in spite of the protests from his bad knee. "I was just... remembering something."
"I'm the one who should be sorry," Sam said, softly. "I know you wanted to go by yourself. And I promised..."
"It's all right," he said. "It's been a hard day on promises all around." Except for one, and that was fifteen years old. If only he could remember all of it!
"Gambit?" Purdey had followed him over the wall.
"I'm okay." Or at least not much worse than he'd been before. He waited while she pried the crutch free and wiped the worst of the muck off the end. "What happens now?"
"Tinpot shows me the 'secret passage' and the rest of you head for the river," Steed said, from his side of the wall. The older man lifted Florrie's bag up onto the top of the wall with a small surprised noise. "Taking your bricks with you."
"It's not bricks," Peter said, following the baggage. "It's tea."
"Still in the original chests, I take it," Steed said, standing back to give Peter room to maneuver.
He'd nearly forgotten. "It's food. We took it from Peter's kitchen. I'll need to pay for it somehow," he told Steed, keenly aware of how empty his wallet was.
Steed nodded approvingly. "I see."
"We took the steps from there too," Peter said. "And I'll be in trouble if they got lost."
"Pass them back and we'll get them at least as far as the house," Steed said. "And don't worry about the money either," he added. "It will all be taken care of."
***
Sam wished he knew what it was about Steed that made Gumby worried. He could figure why Steed was worried about Gumby -- he was worried himself -- but the frown that Gumby got when Steed said he'd take care of the money didn't make sense. And there wasn't time to investigate it, because Steed was already gone with Tinpot, and Florrie was already summoning the rest of them through the gap in the fence at the far end of the yard that led to the street where they'd left Peanut guarding the "transportation."
Another question to add to the list, in case he ever had a chance to ask it. Although as far as Sam was concerned the "transportation" was a point in Steed's favor. He'd given Mrs. Moynihan ten pounds to lend it after all.
And Sam had got to ride it on the way over, which he'd wanted to do for about a million years, even if it meant Peanut got to ride too.
"A tandem bicycle?" Purdey's amused question sounded loud after all the whispering in the garden. "How far are we going?"
"Only a few blocks," Sam reassured her, as he waited for Gumby to negotiate the gap. It wasn't an easy trick on crutches. "Just down to the boathouse. But Mr. Steed said you'd want to be able to go fast if you had to. And it's mostly downhill."
"It's not going to be easy to keep the pedals from hitting Gumby's bad knee," Peter said. He and Florrie were looking at the tandem longingly, though, and Peanut was grinning back with the superior air of someone who'd already had a go.
"I can manage if it's not too far," Gumby said, hitching himself to one side so Sam could get out onto the sidewalk. "Sam, where are the others?"
"Well, Orly's down at the Handy, getting her fueled for the trip. And Annie's still guarding the coal chute. I'm going to go fetch her while the rest of you go to the river and Tinpot will meet us there as soon as he's finished showing Mr. Steed how to get through the secret passages."
"What about Toad?"
"Toad?"
"The Watcher saw him help you get me down the chute." Gumby didn't go on to explain the problem, which most grownups would have done, but Sam could see it anyway.
Sam banged himself in the forehead for being an idiot. "Bloody hell... he's in danger too." One more complication. And it would have to be dealt with. "I'll see to Toad. You get down to the river."
***
When they reached the dock, Purdey breathed a sigh of relief. Gambit had done his best to help one-footedly, but there was no denying that the awkward way he'd had to prop his bad leg up with one of the crutches had made it harder than it ought to be to balance the bicycle. The children were all panting and laughing, giddy with the effort of keeping up, even though Purdey gone as slow as she could and still keep upright. Florrie and Peter immediately set about helping to get Gambit dismounted from the bicycle, but the youngest boy - Peanut - jumped down to the deck of a green narrowboat still carrying the crutch he'd been entrusted with. "Hey, Orly! We're here!"
"Oy!" Gambit called after him. "I'm gonna need that!"
"Peanut?" a lanky black-haired boy called from the boathouse. "Where's Sam? I need the money to pay for the petrol. They won't let us leave the dock, else!"
"He's getting Toad," Florrie called back, and then looked up at Purdey. "You don't have any money, do you? We can pay you back."
"I should think this trip would be on us," Purdey said. She looked to Gambit. "Will you be okay till I get back? It looks like getting aboard might be tricky to me."
"I'll be fine," he said, offering her a grin. "I'm a sailor, remember? I'm used to this sort of thing."
"That was with both knees," she reminded him. "You've already done enough messing about for one day. Don't you remember what Dr. Peterson said about that knee and living with a cane for the rest of your life?" That squelched him -- a little too much really, Purdey realized, when she saw the frightened eighteen-year-old looking out of his eyes. "Look, just wait up here on the dock until I get back, all right?"
***
"Yes, miss. Purdey." He wanted to kick himself, both for forgetting about what the doctor had said, and for the disappointment on her face when he forgot that she was meant to be a friend and not a 'Miss'. But he had forgotten what the doctor had said, and he wasn't any the happier for remembering. Was this part of the amnesia? Was he losing parts of 1976, too? Or was it just that he hadn't wanted to think about being crippled? He wished that Sam were there. Or Steed. Even if he still had entirely too many misgivings about how dangerous Steed could be.
"Gumby?" Peanut was waiting with the other crutch. He took it, saw the Florrie and Peter were watching him uncertainly too and made himself smile at them.
"It's all right. I just have be a little more careful, that's all. Florrie, Peter, you get the bike and the food on board, make sure everything's ready to cast off by the time the others catch us up. Peanut..." he looked around, saw a telephone booth on the embankment, "let's go give your Dad a call, make sure he knows you're coming." A little insurance, to make sure that the kids wouldn't just disappear.
"Mr. Steed is going to call him," Peanut objected.
"Yeah, well, he's a busy man. And it never hurts to be sure."
"Gumby?"
He opened his eyes. "Sorry," he tried to straighten, to take his weight off of the boy in spite of the protests from his bad knee. "I was just... remembering something."
"I'm the one who should be sorry," Sam said, softly. "I know you wanted to go by yourself. And I promised..."
"It's all right," he said. "It's been a hard day on promises all around." Except for one, and that was fifteen years old. If only he could remember all of it!
"Gambit?" Purdey had followed him over the wall.
"I'm okay." Or at least not much worse than he'd been before. He waited while she pried the crutch free and wiped the worst of the muck off the end. "What happens now?"
"Tinpot shows me the 'secret passage' and the rest of you head for the river," Steed said, from his side of the wall. The older man lifted Florrie's bag up onto the top of the wall with a small surprised noise. "Taking your bricks with you."
"It's not bricks," Peter said, following the baggage. "It's tea."
"Still in the original chests, I take it," Steed said, standing back to give Peter room to maneuver.
He'd nearly forgotten. "It's food. We took it from Peter's kitchen. I'll need to pay for it somehow," he told Steed, keenly aware of how empty his wallet was.
Steed nodded approvingly. "I see."
"We took the steps from there too," Peter said. "And I'll be in trouble if they got lost."
"Pass them back and we'll get them at least as far as the house," Steed said. "And don't worry about the money either," he added. "It will all be taken care of."
***
Sam wished he knew what it was about Steed that made Gumby worried. He could figure why Steed was worried about Gumby -- he was worried himself -- but the frown that Gumby got when Steed said he'd take care of the money didn't make sense. And there wasn't time to investigate it, because Steed was already gone with Tinpot, and Florrie was already summoning the rest of them through the gap in the fence at the far end of the yard that led to the street where they'd left Peanut guarding the "transportation."
Another question to add to the list, in case he ever had a chance to ask it. Although as far as Sam was concerned the "transportation" was a point in Steed's favor. He'd given Mrs. Moynihan ten pounds to lend it after all.
And Sam had got to ride it on the way over, which he'd wanted to do for about a million years, even if it meant Peanut got to ride too.
"A tandem bicycle?" Purdey's amused question sounded loud after all the whispering in the garden. "How far are we going?"
"Only a few blocks," Sam reassured her, as he waited for Gumby to negotiate the gap. It wasn't an easy trick on crutches. "Just down to the boathouse. But Mr. Steed said you'd want to be able to go fast if you had to. And it's mostly downhill."
"It's not going to be easy to keep the pedals from hitting Gumby's bad knee," Peter said. He and Florrie were looking at the tandem longingly, though, and Peanut was grinning back with the superior air of someone who'd already had a go.
"I can manage if it's not too far," Gumby said, hitching himself to one side so Sam could get out onto the sidewalk. "Sam, where are the others?"
"Well, Orly's down at the Handy, getting her fueled for the trip. And Annie's still guarding the coal chute. I'm going to go fetch her while the rest of you go to the river and Tinpot will meet us there as soon as he's finished showing Mr. Steed how to get through the secret passages."
"What about Toad?"
"Toad?"
"The Watcher saw him help you get me down the chute." Gumby didn't go on to explain the problem, which most grownups would have done, but Sam could see it anyway.
Sam banged himself in the forehead for being an idiot. "Bloody hell... he's in danger too." One more complication. And it would have to be dealt with. "I'll see to Toad. You get down to the river."
***
When they reached the dock, Purdey breathed a sigh of relief. Gambit had done his best to help one-footedly, but there was no denying that the awkward way he'd had to prop his bad leg up with one of the crutches had made it harder than it ought to be to balance the bicycle. The children were all panting and laughing, giddy with the effort of keeping up, even though Purdey gone as slow as she could and still keep upright. Florrie and Peter immediately set about helping to get Gambit dismounted from the bicycle, but the youngest boy - Peanut - jumped down to the deck of a green narrowboat still carrying the crutch he'd been entrusted with. "Hey, Orly! We're here!"
"Oy!" Gambit called after him. "I'm gonna need that!"
"Peanut?" a lanky black-haired boy called from the boathouse. "Where's Sam? I need the money to pay for the petrol. They won't let us leave the dock, else!"
"He's getting Toad," Florrie called back, and then looked up at Purdey. "You don't have any money, do you? We can pay you back."
"I should think this trip would be on us," Purdey said. She looked to Gambit. "Will you be okay till I get back? It looks like getting aboard might be tricky to me."
"I'll be fine," he said, offering her a grin. "I'm a sailor, remember? I'm used to this sort of thing."
"That was with both knees," she reminded him. "You've already done enough messing about for one day. Don't you remember what Dr. Peterson said about that knee and living with a cane for the rest of your life?" That squelched him -- a little too much really, Purdey realized, when she saw the frightened eighteen-year-old looking out of his eyes. "Look, just wait up here on the dock until I get back, all right?"
***
"Yes, miss. Purdey." He wanted to kick himself, both for forgetting about what the doctor had said, and for the disappointment on her face when he forgot that she was meant to be a friend and not a 'Miss'. But he had forgotten what the doctor had said, and he wasn't any the happier for remembering. Was this part of the amnesia? Was he losing parts of 1976, too? Or was it just that he hadn't wanted to think about being crippled? He wished that Sam were there. Or Steed. Even if he still had entirely too many misgivings about how dangerous Steed could be.
"Gumby?" Peanut was waiting with the other crutch. He took it, saw the Florrie and Peter were watching him uncertainly too and made himself smile at them.
"It's all right. I just have be a little more careful, that's all. Florrie, Peter, you get the bike and the food on board, make sure everything's ready to cast off by the time the others catch us up. Peanut..." he looked around, saw a telephone booth on the embankment, "let's go give your Dad a call, make sure he knows you're coming." A little insurance, to make sure that the kids wouldn't just disappear.
"Mr. Steed is going to call him," Peanut objected.
"Yeah, well, he's a busy man. And it never hurts to be sure."
