I was surprised when, for the third time that week, he brought me his nose to be mended.

an unfinished story

Not knowing what to write, I set a timer for fifteen minutes and wrote whatever popped into my head…

‘I was surprised when, for the third time in a week, he brought me his nose to be mended. 

“What was it this time?” I asked. He shrugged, carefully avoiding my gaze. 

“Jamie, please, just tell me. I swear I’m not gonna lose it this time.”

He still wouldn’t look at me, but his shoulders dropped a little, and I knew he was going to speak. 

“I got into a fight,”

“On the docks?”

“No, over at Kelsey’s,”

My hand moved a little, unintentionally bumping his swollen nose and he grimaced.

“Jesus Jamie!, what the hell were you doing at Kelsey’s!?”

“Take it easy, you’re gonna rip my nose clean off! Christ, I knew I should have gone somewhere else,”

I took a deep breath and tried to relax. Picking up a piece of gauze I carefully applied it to the bloody bridge of his nose. 

“You know Ma doesn’t like you going to Kelsey’s, it’s nothing but a bunch of–”

“Good for nothing, scoundrels, and scallywags” He finished for me. “I know, but I was short on cash, and George and Elliot Randallson said there was money to be made there.”

I put the last piece of tape in place, wiped the bits of dried blood off his face, and packed up my med kit. 

“There, you’re good to go.” 

Jamie smiled “Thanks Cass, i owe you one,”

“Yeah well don’t go bringing me your scrapes to fix if you’re gonna be hanging around with scum like the Randallsons. I have a reputation too you know”

Jamie just shook his head and walked out the door. It probably wouldn’t be long before he’d be back here again, and he knew it. 

He was a good kid, but that’s just the way he was, always looking to make friends with the wrong sorts, and digging himself into holes too deep to climb out of. Hell it was only last month he’d come in here dragging a broken leg behind him, and crying about how I couldn’t say nothing to nobody or his Ma would throw him out. Sure I felt bad for the kid and all, but you could only have so much sympathy for someone who’d never even tried an honest day's work in their lives. Sometimes I even hoped he wouldn’t show up here, that he’d take whatever injury he had to his Ma, and have it out with her there and then. 

I could’ve told her myself I suppose, but I wasn’t the sort to go ratting on well tried customers, especially not kids like Jamie. 

The door opened again and before me was Stuart Randallson. His forehead had a nasty gash running along it that was oozing thick dark blood. 

“I was wondering when you’d turn up,” I said, taking out the med kit I had only just put away, “I heard there was a rumble down at Kelsey’s.”

“Sure was Cass,” he said, grinning “Should’ve seen it. Half the chairs in the place are nothing but splinters now.”

I shook my head, I had never been one for violence and Stuart knew it. 

“You’re brother’s are dragging Jamie around again,” I said, as I started to stitch his brow up. 

He winced “You know I told ‘em to leave him alone Cass, but I got just as much control over them as you do.”

“That’s what scares me.”’

…And that’s when the timer went off and my fifteen minute writing session was over. Perhaps someday I’ll come back and finish this one.