Arc 718, 5th of Ashan
"Make sure all the staff are supplied with whatever they need. If they're engaged in a simple task that you might be able to take over, do that for them. Of course, keep an eye on the patients and keep them comfortable. Otherwise, help keep all areas clean and uncluttered." The motherly looking woman who listed out all these instructions looked tired and distracted. There were probably a million things demanding her attention in the medical center besides instructing a willing but frankly medically useless volunteer. It was the crack of dawn and yet Rynata suspected that very few of the staff had actually slept and then gotten up. More likely, they had worked through the night. Of all the people in the clinic, she might have been the most energetic, even if she had just arrived from Almund. "If you could manage all that, it would keep a few more doctors free to do their jobs," the other woman sighed, giving Rynata a faint smile before being called away by some harried nurses.
Left alone in the halls, Rynata supposed she should get going herself. Occasionally, someone would come striding down the corridor, face buried in memos or arms full of medical supplies. She had to flatten herself against the wall to let them whip past. The whole place was buzzing with nervous energy while still somehow remaining draped in the hush of efficient work. She wasn't sure she liked the atmosphere. Somewhere where life and death didn't teeter so close together would have been more relaxing. Not that she could complain. She'd come here to help, after all. Coming across the entrance to what must be one of the wards, she poked her head in and caught sight of someone working among the collection of beds and mats housing the patients.
"Need help?" she asked the busy healer.
The woman who was perhaps younger than her looked up briefly, fresh bandages coiled in her hands. It seemed that she was working to change the dressings on the wounded. The healer gave a quick nod and indicated that Rynata was welcome to join her. Situating herself next to the other woman, Rynata glanced into the medical kit. Bandages, of course, squares of gauze, and bottles of disinfecting mixtures.
"Here, hold this in place," the younger woman whispered quietly, demonstrating how the gauze should be treated with the liquid from the bottles and held to the patient's wound. Since it was early morning, most of those in the ward were still asleep, tired from their ordeal and injuries. For the benefit of the patients, work had to be carried out with the least amount of disturbance possible.
Rynata watched as the length of bandaging was measured out and carefully secured around the wounded area. It was simple enough work, but obviously vital in the healing process to keep the injuries well cared for. Lastly, the woman pinned the end of the bandage in place as Rynata helped hold it down. They continued in relative silence, carefully moving from one body lying still to the next. Things might have gone on in that fashion for quite sometime, in this ward and many others that probably needed similar attention. However, the door once again creaked open, and a man about the same age as Rynata's current supervisor leaned in.
"Ellie, they want us to help with surgery," he said. Like most staff in the building, his face was drawn tight and he looked back over his shoulder distractedly.
The woman beside her gave a light sigh as if to steel herself and straightened up. "Alright, I'll be right there." As the man disappeared from the door frame, she turned to Rynata saying, "Can you finish up in this room? Just do what we've been doing. Check the wound, clean it, and redress it. I might be able to come back later. Probably." Not a moment after Rynata opened her mouth to reassure her, had the healer disappeared after her colleague. Even if she had been unsure of her capabilities, within this environment of help stretched thin, it would have been quite difficult to refuse.
Working her way across the room minus her previous partner, Rynata saw to it that all the patient's injuries were redressed properly. Luckily, none of them had any signs of infection setting in. At least the people in the clinic seemed to know what they were doing despite being dragged in every direction. Still, the skin of some of the patients were hot with fever, struggling from the strain of mending the damaged body. She briefly stepped out of the room to find water and clean wash cloths to place on the patient's foreheads. Perhaps later she could inquire about a more medically sound way to help with their fevers. Padding over to her last patient, Rynata knelt down, unraveling the bandages around the arm of a girl. She couldn't have been older than 7 arcs. She appeared to be fast asleep but as the old wrappings were pulled away from her arm, she awoke blinking curiously at whoever had disturbed her rest.
"Sorry to wake you," Rynata smiled reassuringly. "Just changing your bandages."
The cloth strips falling away revealed a nasty gash along half of her upper arm. The sight tugged the corners of Rynata's smile downwards slightly. The cut had been carefully stitched up by one of the doctors but still looked rather red and raw. There were a series of half healed bruises around the main wound. Their motley of green and purple made the injury look much worse than it actually warranted. All in all, it seemed as though something heavy had glanced past with considerable speed and force. It must have been painful. Still must be, in fact. She supposed the doctors had been relieved that no bones had been broken.
Taking up a piece of gauze, Rynata gently dabbed at the area with some solution from the bottle. She didn't think it stung because the girl showed no signs of flinching. That or she'd become good at hiding signs of weakness. Placing another piece of fresh gauze over the cut, she secured it in place with several wraps of bandaging. Tying it in place, she gave the young one's hand a pat.
"There, all done." The room was still quiet, and of course, there would be no need for the patients to be up and about. "You should get some more sleep," she suggested as she got up, intending to see what other work she could chip in on.
"Can you tell me a story?" The little girl cut in before Rynata could go anywhere. She looked a little guilty to ask and quickly ducked her head. "I can't sleep well without a story, and everybody's always busy. I promise I'll go back to bed after just one story." She looked up hopefully, searching Rynata's face.
Most would not expect it from her, but sometimes children made her nervous. So much trust seemed to be riding in their gaze that while was sometimes necessary to disappoint them, it still felt like a crime. Rynata then supposed it had been good luck that she had been born the youngest. It had been up to her parents and older brothers to run after her and ensure that all her wishes were granted or skillfully deflected. This time, however, the responsibility had fallen to her and hopefully it was something she could live up to.
"I suppose I could do that," she said slowly. "What kind of story do you want to hear?"
"Anything!" the child chirped back excitedly.
Internally, Rynata smiled wryly. How helpful. Still, the story would have to be something mild in terms of scary excitement. Something child appropriate. An injured and resting child at that. Flipping through her mental stores, Rynata tried to remember such a tale. Perhaps one of her father's old bed time stories would do, but those tended to be rather swashbuckling. Though there were a few...
"Have you heard the one about the cabin boy and the island of gold?" she asked, raising a brow. The girl shook her head and settled in, eyes shining expectantly.
"Well, in the far eastern reaches of the Hollow Sea..." Rynata began, leaning close to the little one's cot, speaking in a conspiratorially low voice. Half to add mystery to the tale and also to keep from disturbing the other sleepers.
Throughout the story, the girl remained wide-eyed and invested. As she wove the tale, Rynata briefly questioned in the back of her mind how exactly bedtime stories were supposed to work if they captured a child's attention so. Perhaps it was meant to tire their imagination out. She couldn't well remember how exactly it had gone in her own childhood, but her father had often preached it helped with good dreams. With some of the horror stories he was apt to tell, Rynata liked to disagree.
"And with that, the crew sailed away with riches to last them a life time and a slightly quieter, kinder captain."
This story was meant to be a parable lauding the virtues of a quick mind over shiny titles. In some versions of the story, the arrogant captain would meet a grisly demise on the island. In others, like the one she had relayed to the child, the man survived the adventure with the help of the aforementioned cabin boy, and returned to the ship a better man for it. Rynata was unsure how much of it the girl had picked up on, but she seemed to have enjoyed it nonetheless.
"Will you come by again later?" the child asked.
It was difficult to say if they'd run across each other again, and though it was easy to spout empty promises, Rynata thought they left a rather bad aftertaste. This was why children were so difficult. They hadn't learned to expect that certain things were bound to fall through.
"I'll try, but tell you what," she replied, "rest well and get better quickly. That way, you can always come find me."
Confirming that all was quiet in the ward, Rynata backed out, heading to wherever else would benefit from an extra pair of hands.
Left alone in the halls, Rynata supposed she should get going herself. Occasionally, someone would come striding down the corridor, face buried in memos or arms full of medical supplies. She had to flatten herself against the wall to let them whip past. The whole place was buzzing with nervous energy while still somehow remaining draped in the hush of efficient work. She wasn't sure she liked the atmosphere. Somewhere where life and death didn't teeter so close together would have been more relaxing. Not that she could complain. She'd come here to help, after all. Coming across the entrance to what must be one of the wards, she poked her head in and caught sight of someone working among the collection of beds and mats housing the patients.
"Need help?" she asked the busy healer.
The woman who was perhaps younger than her looked up briefly, fresh bandages coiled in her hands. It seemed that she was working to change the dressings on the wounded. The healer gave a quick nod and indicated that Rynata was welcome to join her. Situating herself next to the other woman, Rynata glanced into the medical kit. Bandages, of course, squares of gauze, and bottles of disinfecting mixtures.
"Here, hold this in place," the younger woman whispered quietly, demonstrating how the gauze should be treated with the liquid from the bottles and held to the patient's wound. Since it was early morning, most of those in the ward were still asleep, tired from their ordeal and injuries. For the benefit of the patients, work had to be carried out with the least amount of disturbance possible.
Rynata watched as the length of bandaging was measured out and carefully secured around the wounded area. It was simple enough work, but obviously vital in the healing process to keep the injuries well cared for. Lastly, the woman pinned the end of the bandage in place as Rynata helped hold it down. They continued in relative silence, carefully moving from one body lying still to the next. Things might have gone on in that fashion for quite sometime, in this ward and many others that probably needed similar attention. However, the door once again creaked open, and a man about the same age as Rynata's current supervisor leaned in.
"Ellie, they want us to help with surgery," he said. Like most staff in the building, his face was drawn tight and he looked back over his shoulder distractedly.
The woman beside her gave a light sigh as if to steel herself and straightened up. "Alright, I'll be right there." As the man disappeared from the door frame, she turned to Rynata saying, "Can you finish up in this room? Just do what we've been doing. Check the wound, clean it, and redress it. I might be able to come back later. Probably." Not a moment after Rynata opened her mouth to reassure her, had the healer disappeared after her colleague. Even if she had been unsure of her capabilities, within this environment of help stretched thin, it would have been quite difficult to refuse.
Working her way across the room minus her previous partner, Rynata saw to it that all the patient's injuries were redressed properly. Luckily, none of them had any signs of infection setting in. At least the people in the clinic seemed to know what they were doing despite being dragged in every direction. Still, the skin of some of the patients were hot with fever, struggling from the strain of mending the damaged body. She briefly stepped out of the room to find water and clean wash cloths to place on the patient's foreheads. Perhaps later she could inquire about a more medically sound way to help with their fevers. Padding over to her last patient, Rynata knelt down, unraveling the bandages around the arm of a girl. She couldn't have been older than 7 arcs. She appeared to be fast asleep but as the old wrappings were pulled away from her arm, she awoke blinking curiously at whoever had disturbed her rest.
"Sorry to wake you," Rynata smiled reassuringly. "Just changing your bandages."
The cloth strips falling away revealed a nasty gash along half of her upper arm. The sight tugged the corners of Rynata's smile downwards slightly. The cut had been carefully stitched up by one of the doctors but still looked rather red and raw. There were a series of half healed bruises around the main wound. Their motley of green and purple made the injury look much worse than it actually warranted. All in all, it seemed as though something heavy had glanced past with considerable speed and force. It must have been painful. Still must be, in fact. She supposed the doctors had been relieved that no bones had been broken.
Taking up a piece of gauze, Rynata gently dabbed at the area with some solution from the bottle. She didn't think it stung because the girl showed no signs of flinching. That or she'd become good at hiding signs of weakness. Placing another piece of fresh gauze over the cut, she secured it in place with several wraps of bandaging. Tying it in place, she gave the young one's hand a pat.
"There, all done." The room was still quiet, and of course, there would be no need for the patients to be up and about. "You should get some more sleep," she suggested as she got up, intending to see what other work she could chip in on.
"Can you tell me a story?" The little girl cut in before Rynata could go anywhere. She looked a little guilty to ask and quickly ducked her head. "I can't sleep well without a story, and everybody's always busy. I promise I'll go back to bed after just one story." She looked up hopefully, searching Rynata's face.
Most would not expect it from her, but sometimes children made her nervous. So much trust seemed to be riding in their gaze that while was sometimes necessary to disappoint them, it still felt like a crime. Rynata then supposed it had been good luck that she had been born the youngest. It had been up to her parents and older brothers to run after her and ensure that all her wishes were granted or skillfully deflected. This time, however, the responsibility had fallen to her and hopefully it was something she could live up to.
"I suppose I could do that," she said slowly. "What kind of story do you want to hear?"
"Anything!" the child chirped back excitedly.
Internally, Rynata smiled wryly. How helpful. Still, the story would have to be something mild in terms of scary excitement. Something child appropriate. An injured and resting child at that. Flipping through her mental stores, Rynata tried to remember such a tale. Perhaps one of her father's old bed time stories would do, but those tended to be rather swashbuckling. Though there were a few...
"Have you heard the one about the cabin boy and the island of gold?" she asked, raising a brow. The girl shook her head and settled in, eyes shining expectantly.
"Well, in the far eastern reaches of the Hollow Sea..." Rynata began, leaning close to the little one's cot, speaking in a conspiratorially low voice. Half to add mystery to the tale and also to keep from disturbing the other sleepers.
Throughout the story, the girl remained wide-eyed and invested. As she wove the tale, Rynata briefly questioned in the back of her mind how exactly bedtime stories were supposed to work if they captured a child's attention so. Perhaps it was meant to tire their imagination out. She couldn't well remember how exactly it had gone in her own childhood, but her father had often preached it helped with good dreams. With some of the horror stories he was apt to tell, Rynata liked to disagree.
"And with that, the crew sailed away with riches to last them a life time and a slightly quieter, kinder captain."
This story was meant to be a parable lauding the virtues of a quick mind over shiny titles. In some versions of the story, the arrogant captain would meet a grisly demise on the island. In others, like the one she had relayed to the child, the man survived the adventure with the help of the aforementioned cabin boy, and returned to the ship a better man for it. Rynata was unsure how much of it the girl had picked up on, but she seemed to have enjoyed it nonetheless.
"Will you come by again later?" the child asked.
It was difficult to say if they'd run across each other again, and though it was easy to spout empty promises, Rynata thought they left a rather bad aftertaste. This was why children were so difficult. They hadn't learned to expect that certain things were bound to fall through.
"I'll try, but tell you what," she replied, "rest well and get better quickly. That way, you can always come find me."
Confirming that all was quiet in the ward, Rynata backed out, heading to wherever else would benefit from an extra pair of hands.
1709 words
