You'd better call an ambulance, he thought, and tried to sit up. Dull pain flared into white heat from his left side, where he'd bounced off the stair.... Oh shit! I've broken my hip.Resolute, Jack knew minutes would matter. Despite the pain, he pulled himself to the kitchen, sort of using his good leg to push while he pulled with his right arm. Tacking, he knew, I need to tack. Every push is making me slide to the left.With necessarily economical movements, he slid to the broom, and then back. They need you far more than I do right now. Think of the babies who might never know their father if you don't return home.And I now know a bit more about how much that can hurt. We went to Borneo to find a new male concubine and while at the concubine barracks ran into a ten year old girl. She's cute, spunky and lost her mother two years ago. Worse, from what she tells me she never knew her father back on Earth. When her mother died she got sent to the concubine barracks with her mother's. Believe me, there are men out there for you, men who will love you and cherish you. Do not hide in your clam shell.”Marie hugged Ellen back with feeling.“When I see you and Richard...” Marie realised the double meaning, “when I see how you care for each other, it makes me wish for somebody like Richard. But, when I ... you know ... saw you ... in bed, and he was so big ... I am terribly scared. It must hurt!”“Marie, what I will tell you now has to stay between us.”Marie nodded.“When I first saw. David had to smile at the man’s humour, ‘I’m Walt… any orders sir?’ he asked. ‘The Uhlans are behind that bump so we can’t see them. I’m betting they’ll try to charge Sultar’s position. If they take it they’ll ride over the ridge and come back to take us in the rear. We have to stop them doing that.’ ‘Well sir, why don’t we move the Lewis gun over to the other one, they’re likely to get the best shots at them if they do charge.’ David nodded, ‘Do that Colour Serjeant, in fact we can move.