Claire checks in on Tom after surgery in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 24
Tom Christie starts his rehab in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 24. It’s time for him and Claire to bond a little more.
Claire’s work as a doctor doesn’t stop after the surgery. She also needs to do the post-op work, which means checking in on her patient and giving rehab tips to prevent the muscles from contracting back.
This chapter offers another chance for Tom and Claire to bond a little more. It’s clear that there is some foreshadowing in this chapter when it comes to Tom and Claire’s story.
The chapter then moves onto Claire and Jamie, and it’s a chance to delve into the past. We learn a little more about things at Ardsmuir and Jamie’s experience there. It’s the most he’s opened up about his own feelings during that time.
We haven’t had any of this chapter on the show just yet. I do think some of it will come up, but not all of it.
Let’s dive into A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 24.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with Claire checking on Tom’s bandaged hand to make sure that it’s healing well. This gives them a chance to bond a little, and it even includes Tom apologizing to Claire for the way he talked to her.
I do like this chapter. I think it gives us a very good look at the type of man Christie is. He does have his own views, but he is also willing to change his outlook. There are times that he will apologize and realize what he’s done wrong.
After the interaction, Claire thinks about what she’d heard about the time at Ardsmuir. When she is with Jamie, she asks about that. She wants to know if the men ever tried to force themselves on Jamie. Since he was like a chief to them, they would never have done that. He didn’t reach out for that comfort either, although he admits that he wanted it.
This is huge. We have to remember everything that Jamie went through. For him to admit that he wanted to be touched with everything that happened shows what the experience was really like.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
The chapter foreshadows a lot about Tom. We get that reminder that he’s not a terrible guy but that he is stuck in his old ways. He also has opinions that don’t necessarily gel with the other people on the Ridge.
What’s important is the bond forming between Claire and Tom. We know that this bond is necessary, and it’s the only thing that saved Claire from being found guilty of murder. Without seeing the bond and the feelings form, it wouldn’t make sense to have him help clear her name.
Adapting A Breath of Snow and Ashes chapter
The chapter hasn’t been used in the series just yet, but we’re expecting some of it. We need to see the recovery process in Outlander Season 6. This is where the bond forms, which is needed to see how his feelings for Claire adapt.
We might not see everything play out from the chapter. We probably don’t need the whole conversation. What we do need is the moment that he apologizes. We need that softness to the character to show that his time in Ardsmuir and everything that happened with his wife afterward would have likely hardened him as a person and made him a little bitter.
What did you spot while reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 24? Let us know in the comments below.
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