Bab 610: The Root of the Problem
Once everything was in place and the tools were cleaned, Rafa took the sharp clean blade in his hand and cut at the thread holding Aurora's shin together. He really did hate to do it. It was beautiful work. And in a non-medical setting, the doctor would have done anything possible not to offend the young woman now assisting him in surgery.
But someone's life was completely in his hands. Feelings of being hurt were the least of his problems just now.
And so the thread was mercilessly cut away. Fresh blood seeped out of the wound, but not at too rapid of a pace.
That was a good sign, hopefully. Either her blood had gone back to its normal viscosity or Aurora simply didn't have enough of it to pour out of the wound.
Rafa obviously hoped for the former.
At the head of the bed, Brinn was getting the unconscious woman to finish yet another bowl of green paste. The golden woman did fast work.
"What now?" she asked the doctor.
"Monitor her for any changes. And hold her hand through the pain. After all that Rory has been given, I cannot administer new herbs for pain until I am sure the other set is completely out of her system. If she wakes up now, comfort her. If she won't be comforted, restrain her."
Brinn nodded. She had seen how Devrim held down Aurora during the last procedure. As much as the elf wanted her friend to awaken, she hoped it would be after the worst was over.
It was very possible that her mind would not be able to consciously handle that level of pain again. And there would be no way to lessen it.
The elf set her mouth in a determined line. "I understand."
The doctor was relieved that neither woman seemed faint at the sight of blood. He wasn't surprised. The healer should be quite comfortable with all kinds of ailments and the other woman had already dealt with this same wound once.
Using cloths and water, Sav expertly kept the area clean as Rafa pulled back the skin to reveal the carnage underneath.
The doctor gently prodded around with his finger. "It must have been some fall," Rafa muttered to himself.
"It was," Sav answered, calling attention to the man that he had spoken aloud. His usual assistant was asleep in his bed many streets away, but the man usually ignored Rafa's idle ramblings while they worked.
The doctor took a cloth and dabbed at the injury to inspect one spot much closer. "How is the rest of her not broken like this?"
"She was rescued mid-fall by a fairy," Brinn squeezed Aurora's hand.
Rafa's brow furrowed. Was she serious?
"Her fever is coming down, I think," Brinn added before he could ask a follow up question. "The ice water is working.
Having put away the bowl, Brinn took up a cold cloth and patted her friend's face with her free hand. The Empress seemed to like the cold, for her groaning became less intense when the cloth touched her skin.
"When this is done, I will need to wash all the sand out of her hair." The elf's comment was as much for herself as the other two. The lowering fever had given her hope that Aurora might actually make it long enough to care how her hair looked.
When Rafa did not immediately respond, Sav piped in, "I'm sure she will appreciate that."
Brinn left the other two to their work. Wiping Aurora with the wet cloth, the elf paid attention to every movement the Empress made.
Every breath. Every twitch. Every restless eye movement below her closed lids.
If anything changed, the green-eyed princess wanted to be able to report it to the physician immediately. For now, there was nothing new to cause her concern.
Rafa and Sav fell into a rhythm at the other end of the bed. The woman began to anticipate his needs and so their conversation became almost nonexistent.
Which was good for Rafa. He really needed to focus. The bone was splintered into so many pieces. The fact that it was more or less back in place was a miracle.
The bone had more jagged edges than a cliff face. It looked wrong. So wrong.
Even in all the carnage, Rafa could not shake the feeling nagging at his consciousness. 'I'm missing something.'
It was possible the wound was just infected, but everything in his experience said something was causing the woman's body to react how it was. Her body was fighting more than a fever. 'It has to be.'
"There!" Sav saw it at the same time as Rafa.
Pulling the muscle aside gently, the doctor's fingers brushed against something that looked just like the bone but felt very different. Part of the soft, chalky substance rubbed off onto Rafa's thumb, while the sharp edge behind it nearly nicked his fingertip.
"I see it," Rafa agreed. "But I am not sure how to get it out. The stone is simultaneously soft and very sharp around the edges. If I move it wrong, I will further wound our patient."
'It must have sheered off and embedded in the wound when Rory hit the wall or ground,' Rafa realized.
Already some bits had been pulverized into the blood, as the bone and muscle rubbed at the shard of stone.
This was the reason that the patient had been steadily getting worse. With each movement, the stone was leeching powder into her blood while also gouging at the bone and muscle around it. Already deep cuts had been made in the muscle and on the other side, part of the bone was chipped away.
"I should have seen it!" Sav lamented.
Brinn peeked over and shook her head. "I did not see it either."
"It was easy to miss," Rafa had not immediately found it. If he had done the original setting of the wound, the doctor was not sure he would have spotted it either.
Sav dug through the tools which she had laid to dry on a clean cloth. Pulling out a pair of pinchers, the healer held out the instrument to Rafa.
The doctor looked at the tool but shook his head. "If I let go, I think we may lose it. I am already nervous about how close it is to that." Rafa indicated a vessel with his head. "It's a miracle nothing more major has been cut."
Sav bit her lip. Part of her wanted to argue about her competency after missing the shard the first time. But it had been hidden by the muscle and was the same color as the bone next to it. The healer would have to let past mistakes go and focus on the present.
"I'll do my best."
The healer closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
At that moment, Aurora's eyes began to move more rapidly beneath her lids. "Doctor?" Brinn could see something was wrong.
"Keep her calm," Rafa answered firmly. He too could feel the shift. Sav took hold of Aurora's foot and thigh, anticipating tremors.
Calm? Brinn thought about the man outside. Surely Devrim would be done caring for the horses and want to come in. But would he be a calming force? Possibly.
At least he would try to do everything he could to make his wife as comfortable as possible.
However, Rafa had been right to kick the Emperor out after seeing the man was in shock. Brinn didn't want to stir up a new problem while trying to deal with the current one.
She reached for Aurora's pack, hoping to find something that might help the restless woman be still. Brinn's hand happened upon the pure white, silk flower. Grasping it quickly, she pressed it into Aurora's hand and then pushed the woman's hand to her chest.
Brinn wasn't good at comforting people, but she gave it her best. "Here, Rory. This represents love, remember? You have told me this at least a hundred times since you got it. You are loved by so many people. Keep calm a little longer and we will have you all fixed up. But you have to stay still."
The flower's petals fell just below Aurora's chin. Along with Brinn's words, a subtle scent wafted through the air. Aurora's fidgeting slowed and her breathing became more even. Her chest began to rise and fall at more regular intervals.
Brinn felt calmer too. If she didn't know better, she would say the flower had magical properties.
"It's infused with lavender. Very smart." Rafa praised the elf.
The redhead nodded at him in return. She had no idea what lavender did for people, but she was glad it was the right move.
Sav released the Empress and took the pinchers. She stuck out her tongue slightly as she got to work.
The next few moments were crucial. Things had to go perfectly.
Or else...
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone