milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Johnny is outside, the baby playing on the grass nearby.

He's leaning as far away as possible to have a cigarette without the smoke going near the kid. And keeping an eye out for the person he said he'd stop smoking to.

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"Johnny!"

Speak of the devil.

Johnny chokes on the smoke and tries to stub it out quickly on the grass.

"You bloody liar."

Stop smoking indeed.

"Give it a break." he coughs. "I'm under stress, it helps me think."

"What are you trying to think about?"

Talking also helps that.

"How I can get Edward to his uncle without being executed."

He glances around at Jack.

"I got caught."

"Caught doing what?"

Jack blinks.

"Encouraging men to desert, going against orders to go to different locations, enrolling women in the army... I've already built up enough to get shot at least twice."

"Stay here."

That's Jack's solution.

"But what about the kid?"

He hits the floor irritably.

"The one time in my life I try and do something good..." He looks up. "Edward needs his family. I'm a crap father! I managed to get hold of a baby book with pictures in the other day and he's not doing any of the stuff a kid his age should be."

"Keep him here. He's malnourished, go to the infirmary and ask them for help and for sitters and advice. He won't be any better off back there."

Jack is certain of this.

"But I have been feeding him right, I know I have. I followed all the picture instructions for that to the letter and he's the right weight now. He's had bar food for months, and vittymins from Bar."

"Then go to the infirmary and ask."

Other people always know best.

"But they'll take him away." Johnny whines.

"They'll do what's best for him, whatever that may be."

"I'm not giving him to strangers. He screamed like heck when the guards tried to take him away."

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