so glad someone else appreciated that
The sound of someone approaching while he was vulnerable might forever remain enough to put Oliver's instincts on edge but so were the side effects of war. Still, his faint smile hardly wavered, as he raised his eyes to the added sound of a voice. Words registered in slight delay, a sure sign, he decided, that he was not all-together well, though he hadn't expected to be. In fact, he had expected to be far worse off than he currently appeared, in that he had not entirely expected to even be alive. Perhaps this was the final favor of a not particularly kind nor grateful god, or perhaps Hewey had been right and there truly was a place for him in Heaven.
Either way, he took a moment to focus on the woman who had spoken, his voice upon response sounding rough in that way which comes with a parched throat, though his tone and accent combined to also illustrate an odd level of pleasure in being able to speak at all. "I was often told that a man should never willingly admit to weakness in front of a lady." He coughed at that, laughed, coughed again until his already sore ribs ached whenever he breathed. Still, he didn't feel, and so hoped he didn't appear, particularly upset, even as he took in the sorry state of himself, or at least what he could see of it without a mirror. "On the other hand," he added, "I am not foolish enough to put pride before necessity." Another coughing laugh. "You wouldn't happen to be a doctor, would you?"