Bone Sets

[Lixue]

Spring 71, 512 AV -Around 15 bells Lixue had watched the snow fall. Gigantic, humongous, white flakes twirled from the sky above and littered the ground, coloring green white. Leaves drooped from the unexpected weight and, in return, the frozen liquid tumbled downward. On top of the Injury Ward, it sounded like rain. Patients who were able clustered near the entrance and window flaps, staring outward. Upon seeing the weather, they wandered back to their own cots with a slump to their shoulders and a drag in their step. The conditions outside played no part in lifting their wounded spirits. The plants had already suffered from the cold, trying to open but only failing. Certain water ways had frozen over, lowering the spots to catch fish. Standing by the door of the Injury Ward, Lixue's green eyes gazed out into the white storm. A cold breeze had picked up, but she did not mind. The mark Morwen had blessed her with helped keep her warm in the cold. And, currently, in The Spires, the weather resembled Avanthal. Though it made her miss her old home, Lixue was gladdened by the sight of such weather. With a smile on her face, she shrugged back into the Injury Ward; work was constantly calling. Only a few bells had passed, snow still dancing to the grass below, before the first injured started flooding in. People could not deal with any change without getting hurt, could they? At least three young Jamoura, a few visitors to the Spires, and a citizen were injured. All doctors on hand were put to work healing, going from one patient to the next with assistants tagging along. Jorg, who was lucid today, took charge and started ordering people around. Healers scrambled to do his bidding, looking up to the wizened Jamoura's words. Lixue was one of them. He had hired her with confidence and she sought to make him proud, along with help those who were injured. To do made her heart tingle with happiness. Lixue enjoyed assisting others, making them the best physical shape they could be. A healthy patient was a wonderful patient; a happy one was even better. If it was possible to combine them, the person would become the Injury Ward's pet, practically. Many of the patients were upset, angry, or depressed at their situations. A change of scenery was refreshing and appreciated. Besides helping lower the stress level, spirits were often rejuvenated. Lixue approached her newest patient with a calm demeanor and a chipper, "Hi there! I am Doctor Lixue and I will serving you today. What exactly happened?" The person was not a Jamoura. The man looked to be around thirty, judging from the crease lines on the stubby face. His skin was pale, his body thin. This was not what bothered her, though. Propped up on top of a pillow, the left leg was busted. The sight was gruesome. Halfway between the knee and foot, the bone was obviously broken. Lixue did not need to be a doctor to tell; the bone was sticking out of the skin. A large trail of blood ran down the front of his leg, separating into several different paths along the way. Surprisingly, the bone was still shockingly white. Several red droplets reflected in the light. Turning her head to the assistant, Lixue told her bluntly, "Grab three more assistants, bandages, hot water, sharp scissors, four hard boards, sewing needle, strong thread, alcohol and plenty of rags. Go now, hurry." The man groaned, rolling head to one side, eyes latching onto her petite form. "Was by the inner city, I chased after a feral Jamoura… Slipped and fell. Oh, gods, my leg! My leg!" In agony, he tried to move bloody fingers toward the spot. "Doctor, please… Please…" Silent tears rolled down his pinched face. "Make it go away, get rid of the pain!" Howling, he hissed between clenched teeth. Lixue felt sympathy. When her own leg was broken, it was somewhat like this. The bone had broken the skin and lay in the open. Part of her knee was shattered. The healing process was grueling work. Even with exercises the leg did not heal correctly. Lixue was left with a prominent limp, one that was difficult to cope with and tedious to survive with. The abrupt lifestyle modification changed Lixue forever. She transformed from a young, naïve girl to a young, wizened woman. Her personality moved from somewhat spoiled to kind and caring. Before Lixue had been talkative but after she was quiet. The need to heal others so this did not happen to them was immense. "Do not touch the wound. It will not help any." The assistant had returned, bringing along the tool requested and three more strong nurses. "I am going to help you, but you must listen to what I say. Your pants will need to be cut off. We are going to set the bone back into place and it is going to be painful. There will be a rag for you to bite down on. I will make sure the bone is in the right place before stitching the injury closed and setting your leg in a splint. Do you understand?" Hands fisted in pain, the man nodded jerkily. "Wonderful." Lixue quickly washed her hands before sitting on the bed near his feet, she leaned forward to inspect the wound. The bone appeared to be broken on a slant, and moved forward, breaking the skin. If she could manage to situate it back to the original place, Lixue was certain the fit would be near perfect. Now how to do so? Trying to think, Lixue's fingers gently pried the pant-leg away from the bone. A new flood of blood surfaced, leaking out. Lixue let it. After the surgery, the man would be moved to a new cot and this old one cleaned. "Scissors," she ordered, hand already waiting. The tool was placed in her palm. Holding them in her right hand, she quickly cut on the side of the leg, away from the wound, all the way to above the knee. She then proceeded to cut around the thigh, in a circle, to completely detach the fabric. However, it was still stuck in the blood. Slowly, Lixue pried the cloth away from the wound, breathing only between soft tugs. The pant leg fell off once it was detached. A nurse pulled it out of the cot. The scissors were handed back.

[Lixue]

Glancing at her tools, Lixue was happy to notice a nurse had already realized what she was going to do with one of the rags. He had brought a stick along with them. Nodding to show her appreciation, she wrapped a rag around the thick twig. "Open your mouth," she demanded. The patient did so, still pleading for Lixue to help him. She set the stick in his mouth. "Bite down when we begin working. Try to not scream. It tends to upset others. Understand?" The man, in response, clenched his jaw on the stick. Lixue instructed the assistants, "One at each appendage. Two at the top, grasp his shoulders. Hold tightly, do not let him wiggle. I would appreciate no other injuries, but I understand if it is an accident. Now, please." Lixue chose the strongest looking Jamoura to hold the man's left leg. She helped situate his hands on the ankle, directing him to press down and hold unless otherwise told to do so. Moving into place, she stood over the injured male, next to the injury. "Everyone, please, keep him still. Jala," the Jamoura on the left leg, "stretch his leg tightly." The patient whimpered, eyes shut. Lixue first practiced. With the very base of her palm, she pretended to hit the end of the bone sticking out. To this do, she would need to punch it straight on, in the knee to the foot direction. This would push the bone backward and, hopefully, downward. If not, Lixue would need to push it into place, lining it up directly with the other half. The assistants seemed to grasp the concept and their clutches intensified dramatically. Nodding to the Jamoura near the man's foot, Lixue waited until everyone was still, even the patient, who had tried to flail upon the movement. Feigning toward it once, Lixue narrowed her eyes, scrunched her nose, and lined the base of her palm up correctly. With one swift, hard hit, the bone cracked and was swallowed back up by the skin. The patient screamed, sounding more like he was trying to talk through the stick. Thankfully, the hole made was large enough for Lixue to stick two fingers into. She did so without hesitation, one on either side of the bone. Probing, she sought any uneven spots, or any piercing pieces. There was only one and it came away with a pinch, though she had to hold the other side of his leg. Plucking it out, she set it on the movable table next to her. The break itself was jagged and slanted, as she had believed. Without the piece that had broken off, it did not line up directly, but would not move any more into place. Her fingers pressed on both sides of the bone, trying to shift it, but it only budged a hair. Lixue was content with this, knowing anymore and there was a chance of doing more harm than good. Bloody fingers were removed from the cavity. Red oozed from the injury and now coated the appendage. Picking a rag from the pile, she wetted it before gently dabbing around the injury. Just enough to clean, but not enough to risk getting water into the chasm. Doing so did not sound like a good idea. The needle was difficult to thread with slipper fingers, but Lixue managed to push it through the eye of the needle. Testing the sharpness with her fingertip, she nodded. Carefully, alcohol was poured over it, cleansing the pin. "Hold him still. This will hurt, tremendously." Setting the thread and needle off to the side, a clean rag was doused with alcohol. Lixue daubed the wound several times, making sure to complete one thorough swipe over it. The man writhed in agony, howling. His hands were fisted. After a few chimes, Lixue set it back on the table. The needle was picked up. Without hesitation, she pierced his skin, a good two inches from the wound's edge. Pushing it through the skin, Lixue watched as it came out by the hole. She simply kept going, pushing down on the end to bring it back up to the surface about the same length on the other side. The excess thread was pulled through. Sharp scissors were used to cut the opposite end with multiple inches of length from the skin to the end. The needle and scissors were placed off to the side as Lixue took both ends in separate hands. They were crossed and pulled tightly upward, bringing the wound to a pucker. Lixue knotted it with enough room to stick her pinky finger underneath. This process was repeated all the way up the leg, until the wound was sealed. "Dayna, Molsh, over here!" Lixue called to two passing assistants. Her voice brooked no argument. Quickly, the two humans made their way over. "I need one on each side of the cot. Be careful, there is little room. Do not, I repeat, do not nudge the leg." Lixue was pleased when they jumped to do so. Taking the four boards from the table along with the bandages, Lixue began to explain the next step. "A splint will be made. As with such a break, it is necessary to put the whole leg in such a wrap. I will need one of you to hold a pair of boards; one on each side of the leg. You notice we have four. With the knee in the way, it would be dangerous to circulation if we went fully up. Besides, some mobility is necessary. Dayna, hold these here," Lixue held two smaller boards on the sides of the man's calves. Dayna's thin hands replaced hers. "Molsh, up here. I will need the leg slightly, not very much, elevated. Be careful, lift straight up. I do not want the bone displaced." The same process was repeated; a board on the inside and outside of the appendage. Taking the bandage in one hand, Lixue held the end at the very bottom, above the ankle, on the board. Slowly, carefully, Lixue spiraled up the leg with the wrapping. The layers were overlapping and pulled tight before she would continue on. Not too tight, though. No, the circulation would need to be kept. When it came near the knee, Lixue arced above it, from one side of the leg to the other. She continued all the way up the thigh, above half a foot before she slowed to a stop. Here, she tied it off. The same process was repeated on the way down. "It is necessary to lift him to the next cot. Dayna, hold your arms under his thigh and calf. If it is necessary, climb over. Do not, I repeat, do not let the leg drop. On three. One, two, three!" All six assistants lifted at the same time. The man spit out his stick and howled long and loud. Several patients turned to stare. Limping to follow, Lixue waited until the patient was back on the bed before saying calmly, "You will be here for a week at minimum. Your stitches will be checked daily, and your bandage changed every six bells. At four weeks, you will be placed on exercises and begin walking again. I will be back to check you in a bell, to see how you are doing." Hopefully shock would not have set in and a smooth recovery would be possible. "Doctor Lixue!" someone called. Lixue smiled down at the patient before excusing herself and making her way across the Injury Ward to the caller. Work was always busy.

[Creeper]

Skills Observation: 2 Rhetoric: 1 Leadership: 4 Medicine: 3 Sewing: 1 Teaching: 1   Lores Medicine: Identifying a Compound Fracture Medicine: Cutting Away Clothing Medicine: Using a Stick to Prevent Tongue from Being Bitten Off Medicine: Resetting a Compound Fracture with Force Medicine: Making a Leg Splint   Other None A lovely, cringe inducing thread. Remind me not to get injured around you. Well done!