Nipping The Bite

[Lixue]

Spring 50th, 512 AV -3 bells in the morning The day had been excruciatingly long. Several Jamoura had been "captured", but in the process, nearly half a dozen were injured. Doctors and healers sent assistants scrambling to retrieve supplies, even as they themselves tried to direct the chaos. The already full injury ward became stuffed. Patients with less serious issues, such as minor fevers or bruising, were sent to rest in the longhouses. Novice doctors tried to care for patients with bites and scrapes, but seemed to cause more problems than help. The few competent doctors pulled patience from inner reserves, to keep from lashing out at simple mistakes. Jorg, the main healer of the injury ward, was not lucid. No one paid him mind as he rambled on about random topics; they were too busy trying to help. Blood appeared to be on everyone in some way, whether it was on their clothes, their faces, or their hands. The red stains were from the wrists on, as everyone tried to wash their hands before handling the next patient. Lixue was tired. Her knee ached from having to stand on her tip-toes to reach as high as, on average, the individual's chest, must less their face! From leaning over the ones who laid on the comfortable looking beds, Lixue's back hurt. A headache throbbed behind her eyes. Since she had taken to going barefoot around the ward, as her shoes were nearly wore through, Lixue incidentally picked up a thorn in her heel. The Injury Ward was crowded and hot, even with the windows open. Lixue's short black hair clung to her forehead. More than once, while helping someone, she had been forced to stifle a yawn. Breaks were rare for a competent doctor and she had not been able to slip in even a five chime nap. Side by side, she and the Jamoura healers worked tirelessly into the night. If Lixue had to guess, she would estimate it to be around three bells in the morning. As the day had progressed, Lixue's smile had become strained and her sentences short. The patience she seemed to be bred with was running low. Even still, she greeted her newest patient, who was laying down on the cot, with an upturning of her lips and a somewhat forced chirp to her voice. "Hi there! What did you get into, a briar patch?" While she awaited the answer, Lixue's sharp green eyes ran over the Jamoura's form. There seemed to be some abrasions near the elbows and shins. A long, jagged incision ran from the shoulder to almost the elbow. The wound would need sutures, from the looks of it. Lixue could only guess at the mark on the Jamoura's right arm. Perhaps a bite? Two rows or jagged, straight holes were tugged toward each other. The jaw locking? The forehead seemed to be soggy. A fever? Turning her head to the assistant idling at her side, Lixue did not waste her breath in whispering, "Strong thread, sharp needle, scissors, multiple rags, two dishes of clean water, one hot, razor and several bandages." The assistant skipped off to fetch the items. "Well, doc…" A pause as the Jamoura readjusted. Judging from the voice, Lixue could estimate it was a male. "I went out with a group to capture us some feral ones. I think I see my buddies over there." A thick finger was held up to point across the longhouse. Lixue had moved forward and placed one hand above the Jamoura's eyes. As the Jamoura spoke slowly, Lixue felt no need to stay in one place and listen intently. Beneath her palm, the skin was soaked. Obviously a fever. Kneeling down next to the cot, Lixue shifted his right arm so it was sticking straight out. Her fingers probed the indents, tracing over them and flicking back the hair covering it. "… Y'see… He bit me, yes he did." Lixue tuned back out, nodding noncommittally. The mark did not look deep enough for stitches. The width was nearly the length of Lixue's hand. The length was about the same, but the opposite direction. Thankfully, it did not appear deep; perhaps half of Lixue's finger width. The bite had blood lightly seeping out. "Did you catch him?" Lixue questioned absentmindedly, moving the Jamoura's arm back toward his body before limping around the other side of the cot. His left arm was the one with the jagged line. Again, she pulled the arm straight out before rotating it inward, to better see the wound. Placing two fingers on either side, Lixue pushed the hair away, or tried. The strands seemed to be matted with blood. When pressure was applied, red liquid burst out and dribbled downward. Where was that assistant with those rags?

[Lixue]

"No, ma'am. He ran off into the woods, but we will be back out there soon!" So determined, so fierce. An inner fire lit his dark eyes and Lixue had to smile. The pounding headache behind her eyes throbbed a tiny bit less. If she had anything to do with it, he would be "hunting" the feral ones before lone. "I believe his name was Lesh. I grew up with him. I refuse to let him succumb to his wild side." A hint of pride blossomed in Lixue's bosom. Scanning his elbow, eyes running over the abrasion, Lixue figured the lesion would be alright without a bandage. It seemed minor and was already scabbing over. A thorough cleaning to keep it from being infected would be necessary. "As soon as it is possible, I will be out there again. He will be caught." The assistant had arrived, finally, Jamoura arms laden down with the tools Lixue had asked for. Setting the objects on a small, movable table, she met Lixue's eyes. "Thank you," Lixue told her stiffly. "I can take it from here. I believe the other doctors could use your help. Or, you could go watch over Jorg, make sure he stays out of trouble and out of the way. I suggest the latter. In about half a bell's time, bring me honey. If you cannot find any, seek my bag near the back; it has a jar of honey in it." Finished with giving the assistant instructions, Lixue turned back to the male Jamoura. "I find patients like it better if I explain what I am doing. Would you like me to?" Lixue rearranged the items on the table into a habitual order. The rags were placed near a corner, in case they leaked. The water was near the top of the table, in case they spilled. The tools were rolled out from smallest to biggest on a cloth. The bandages were farthest away, as she would need those last. "Yes. Call me Mons." The Jamoura seemed to dislike the needle and eyed it warily. "Do all of my wounds need to be...Closed?" Lixue was cleaning the tools. The assistant, used to Lixue's ways, had brought an extra cloth for her to wipe off the objects. She first dipped the tools into the hot water, then slipped the end of them into the cool before using the cloth to wipe from top to bottom. When it came to the thread, she tugged both ends of a strip to make sure it would not break. The needle, after being cleansed, was gently poked into Lixue's own fingertip to make sure of the sharpness. If the tip was dull, it would not go through the skin and would cause more pain than use. "No. You only need to be sewn shut on your upper arm, where you have a large line. The bite on your right arm will be bandaged. The abrasions, or scrapes, will be cleaned and left alone. You do, however, have a fever. We will need to sweat it out. After everything is finished, we will keep an eye on you for the next few days. Just to be certain nothing becomes infected. Bites can be nasty things." A pause. "You may call me Dr. Lixue. Outside of the Injury Ward, I go by Lixue." Dipping a rag into the hot water, Lixue shifted the Jamoura's right arm to stick out. With a fingertip hidden inside the fabric, she began to gently pat the sore, soaking it. "First, I am going to work on this bite. Since there is blood stuck to the hair around it, I will need to soften the forming scab. This way, there will be less pain to you. The water will also take away the blood, so I can see what exactly I am working with." She fell silent, stifling a yawn. Green eyes watched carefully as red driblets fell to the floor below. Lixue was careful to not scrape the lesion, in case of tearing hair or worsening it. Instead, she swiped from the outside edge in. Fairly soon, the wound was accessible, but covered in wet hair. "I must ask, as it would be rude to otherwise, would you mind if I shaved the hair around your injuries?" With wide eyes, Mons shook his head from side to side. "Alright, thank you." The used rag was set a safe distance away from the clean ones on the table. Taking the razor in her right hand, Lixue splashed it in the hot water. Her other hand pulled the skin on Mons's arm tight. Setting it to go with the grain of the hair, Lixue angled it so there was barely any room between the blade and his skin. Slowly, with short strokes, she applied very little pressure before dragging the razor toward his hand. Black, thick hair fell off in chunks. Shaking the strands that clung to her razor off, Lixue repeated the pass two more times in the same spot before shifting more to the side. She repeated the steps all the way around the wound itself before gently, oh so gently, scraping on the top of the lesion. Mental force was used to keep from shaking and accidentally nicking his skin. The last bit, to cut the final hairs, was against the grain, Ly claimed. He had also said it was the hardest part. Halfway through softly applying pressure, someone dropped an object with a clang! And Lixue lost her concentration. The blade dipped into Mons's skin, but she managed to jerk back before any real damage was done. "I do apologize!" Lixue told him, wincing on his behalf. "I suppose it is a good thing you are here, eh?" An awkward laugh.

[Lixue]

Lixue did not wrap a bandage around the now bleeding wound. Honey still needed to be applied. She did, however, apply pressure with the same rag she had used to clean the bite. The razor was swished around in the cool water, wiped off and set back onto the movable table. "Next, I will clean the scrapes on your elbows and knees. This will be simple and quick." Using a clean rag, Lixue repeated the same steps on his elbows that she had in the beginning for the bite; soak, then gently wipe away the forming scab. "Be careful so you do not kick me. A doctor is needed for healing, not being healed." Leaning over his legs, Lixue nearly grimaced. Whatever he had scraped the skin against had also taken off the hair. No shaving would be necessary! Using hot water, then switching to cold, Lixue cleaned those two wounds. "I am not putting bandages on these yet because I will need to put honey. Honey will stop it from festering, or becoming infected. The line on your forearm is next." Mons flinched. His eyes snapped to the needle. "Yes, I will be using a needle. Yes, you may feel pain and pressure. However, it is necessary. If I do not stitch it up, it will become infected and, in this environment, you risk a chance of losing the arm itself. How will you rescue Lesh?" The question was purely rhetorical. Nodding his consent, Lixue first set taking the clumps out of his thickened, bloody hair. The task was not pleasant and a dribble of watered-down blood ran down Lixue's arm, leaving a red trail in its wake. More cautious the second time around, Lixue concentrated hard on shaving the area. Her pale nose was scrunched. Thankfully, no gashes were made. The hair, however, was not completely shaved to the surface. Instead of risking cutting him again, Lixue figured a little stubble would not hurt. Threading the needle was not a fun task. Besides taking several tries, Lixue's tired eyes kept trying to make the pin two instead of one when she squinted. Finally, with a sigh, the needle was threaded. "I need you to hold still." A yawn was stifled and her eyes watered for a moment. Pushing the tired feeling away, lest she make a mistake and harm the Jamoura, Lixue continued, "I have found the Jamoura skin to be tough. You will definitely feel pressure. Do not, I repeat, do not move your arm when I am working. If you believe you cannot complete that task, please let me know. I will find someone to restrain you." Yes, the words were blunt, but very serious at the same time. If she made a mistake and did not sew it right, the chance of infection was higher than high. Eyes wide, Mons nodded his agreement. "You can? Good." In Avanthal, Lixue had been taught how to sew a wound shut. You inserted the needle as far away from the wound as it was deep. About every tip of the first finger, cut off the thread and tie a knot. The problem was? It was a whole lot harder than it sounded. Lixue had to remember how to force the tip of the needle to break skin again at the other side, along with how tight to pull it before risking pulling the thread completely out. The other problem was that Jamoura skin was incredibly tough. The needle often resisted and intense force was necessary. Lixue first pulled the skin taught. She was hesitant about just stabbing away at him, but knew there was no other choice. The wound needed to be closed. Pushing, literally, the needle through the skin, Lixue restrained a wince. The Jamoura was tense. The needle popped into the skin and Lixue angled the needle so it would surface on the other side. The thread in the eye of the needle, upon slicing through the other side, was pulled close. Lixue cut the piece of string still attached to the spool. Taking both sides of the string, she crossed, looped, and tightened the string to the skin before knotting it. The thread was tight against the skin. Lixue repeated the process all the way up the arm. One stitch had to be taken out and redone because it ripped into the skin. Mons had his eyes clenched shut. "I am done stitching, Mons. You can open your eyes now. From here, it is as simple as placing some honey and bandages." The assistant had returned and placed the jar of honey on the movable table. Lixue made quick work of placing honey on the lesions. Her fingers became sticky from the thick liquid. It was placed on the injuries with fingers rotating in circles. Lixue made sure to cover all of the raw skin. Whatever blood had seeped out mixed with the food. No honey was placed on the elbow or shin abrasions. "The bandages will keep infection out. Think of it as a blanket; sometimes it is necessary to keep the cold out." Mons nodded, though he seemed slightly out of focus. "Mons? Mons?" A hand was unceremoniously slapped against his cheek several times. The Jamoura moaned. Listening closely, Lixue tried to discern the tone. Pain? Fever? Faint? Her nose scrunched. If the Jamoura had fallen into a coma, she could do nothing for him. His face was soaked in sweat. Water was splashed onto his facial features. No response. Mons was out cold, apparently. "His fever overtook him. I will stay with him. I can take it from here. Please remove everything but the honey. Bring me a new dish of cold water, along with a thick blanket. Thank you."

[Lixue]

Lixue picked the bandages up. Before the assistant took the scissors, she cut the bandages into two long pieces. Enough to go around the Jamoura's arm several times. Taking one, she moved the heavy, but limp, left arm from where it had fallen. Lixue looped the cloth under the Jamoura's arm, circled around and crisscrossed, before going back under. Thankfully, the stitches did not catch on the cloth. Surprising. She had to be careful of wrapping too tight because it would cut off the circulation. The wound also needed to breathe. The cloth ran out on the outside of his arm. Without hesitation, Lixue knotted it off. She would need to change the bandage within six bells. The bite was a lot easier to wrap. The stitches were out of the way. The honey tried to cling to the bandage, but after the first loop, there were no more problems. Lixue tied the bandage on top of the lower arm, on the wound. Her eyes were trying to close. She had forgotten about her knee; most likely pushed it to the back of her mind to care for the patient. The assistant had returned quickly this time. Lixue, instead of allowing the water to be set on the movable table, had it placed on the ground. Clean rags were retrieved. "Thank you. Go catch some sleep." Slipping back into silence, Lixue folded a rag into a long rectangle and dipped it in the cool water before placing it on Mon's forehead. The blanket was tossed over his form and tucked in on the sides. Mon would have to sweat the fever out. The sun was beginning to rise. Nocturnal creatures were diving back into the trees, seeking shelter. Day animals were coming out of hiding and wandering in search of food. The Injury Ward barely had any doctors in it and, if there were, they were dead on their feet. The assistants seemed the same way. Moans and groans of injured echoed, blending together like a lullaby. Plopping down onto the ground, Lixue rested one shoulder against the cot. Lixue's eyes were closing. She was so tired. Her knee throbbed. Absentmindedly, one hand massaged the leg. Slowly, ever so slowly, Lixue fell asleep...

[Creeper]

Lixue awoke several hours later to the sound of two Jamoura discussing a recent capture attempt. She would recognize one of the voices as belonging to Mons. "Yeah, we searched all over for Lesh, chased him around the Inner Petals to no end. We eventually gave up, when we saw him returning to his old house in the Petal of the Climbing snake. You know how those Deacons love their heights. You wouldn't find me living that high up inside of a tree. He liked the view of Caiyha's temple I guess. Oh well, we'll get him next time." Lixue for some reason felt this would be important information to remember, before falling back into slumber.   Skills Observation: 2 Leadership: 3 Medicine: 4 Interrogation: 1 Cleaning: 1 Rhetoric: 2 Teaching: 1 Sewing: 1   Lores Note to Self: Get Better Shoes Medicine: Identifying a Jamoura Bite Medicine: Identifying a Fever Medicine: Clean Your Tools Medicine: Testing Sharpness of Needle Medicine: Shaving Around a Wound Opportunity: Lesh, the Deacon, Lives in Petal of the Climbing Snake   Other None Lovely read, you know how to tickle my medical love Doctor Lixue. Well done! Keep it up!