Rough Scene 2

        Harper wandered through his empty house, absorbed in the book he held. He had all but forgotten the conversation he had with Bastien earlier in the week. Bastien had been that way since he knew him, driven and passionate and idealistic. None of this was new, and while he could sympathise with Bastien's drive to cure all ills, Harper was almost aware how impractical Bastien's methodology was.

So, thinking very little of their meeting, Harper was more than a little surprised to hear banging at his front door. It took Harper a moment for the sound to register, it had been storming all day, and for a moment, Harper could almost convince himself it had only been thunder. With more than a little apprehension, Harper went to his front door.

On the other side he was shocked to see his friend, he had obviously been in the storm for awhile. For a moment all Harper could do was stand there, taking in the strange scene. Because it wasn’t only Bastien standing on his doorstep, on his shoulder he supported another human, equally bedraggled as himself.

Harper made a few attempts to start a sentence, but couldn’t quite gather his wits to form anything intelligible.

“Good God, man, let us in!”

Bastien’s shouting brought Harper back into the moment and he hurried to usher them inside.

Harper assisted Bastien in moving the other person, a woman who looked to be in her earlier twenties, onto his sofa. He fetched a towel for her and offer Bastien access to his closet, Bastien gratefully accept.

After about an hour, Bastien’s boots and wet clothing were drying near the fireplace and the woman sleeping on the sofa was wrapped in her own weight worth of blankets and towels.

“How long has she been unconscious?” Harper’s attention was focused on her now.

“A few hours...” Bastien sat in a chair near by, despite the change of clothes he still looked haggard and unwell. “I didn’t know where else to take her.”

“Well a hospital may have been a better choice, if I’m being honest”

Bastien shook his head, “I couldn’t take her there, it had to be you- you’re the only one I trust.”

Harper knelt down next to the woman, he took her wrist in her hand and watched his watch carefully as he timed her heartbeats.