The Disguise Didn't Keep the Doctor Away (Solo)

[Maya Frostfawn]

Timestamp: Summer 6, 523 AV Location: Doctor Petricious's Clinic OOC: Warning--for the squeamish folk--there's blood and gore in this one. And some questionable medical practices. The air was thick, heavy with the summer heat. Thin streamers of golden light filtered through the windows, making the dust motes that floated through the air sparkle, the only light in an otherwise dark place. Speckles of blood danced across the floor, chased by shadows and highlighted by spider's webs. Screams filled the air, blood-curdling, cold. Endless. The place was like a nightmare come to life, but it was the only place Maya could find for work. And unfortunately, the poor girl needed to work, because she needed money for stuff and things. She supposed the grime wouldn't have been so bad on its own, the lack of cleanliness and sanitation, but when coupled with the man who ran the whole show--the good doctor himself, things took a turn for the worst. The doctor was clearly off his rocker and the nuit supposed there wasn't anything she could really do about that right now. She just needed to stay on his good side, if there was such a thing, so she could earn some money and keep herself alive a little bit longer. Today, she would be assisting in the care of some of the Blood Pit's survivors. The first customer on their docket had some shallow chest wounds; she supposed they had been applied by some sort of sharp object. He also had a broken arm. While the doctor was visiting his experiments out back, she was supposed to get this particular patient ready for care. Which meant that the first order of business was to try and clean him up, and then, get any tools they would need to use on him out, and place them somewhere within reach. She should probably try and clean them up a bit too, for sanitation's sake, and the place they were working in as well, although she knew the good doctor didn't care and she didn't really care much either, being as detached as she was. So, without any further adieu, she told her patient to lie back on the operating table, (he had been sitting up, surveying her as she studied him and went about the room). He looked to be a man in his thirties, with dark brown hair, cropped short, and stubble marching its way across his lower face. A lanky enough build, but with some muscle, and of course the injuries--Maya was surprised he had survived. Not because his injuries were particularly bad, but because he was so scrawny when compared to some of the other male specimens she had seen. "First, we've got to get you cleaned up, so we can work on you," she said, as she opened a few cabinets to retrieve what she had been looking for--some dusty cloths, bandages, some jars with herbs, etc. She also pulled a bucket of water that had been sitting in the corner for cleaning purposes onto the counter. "It may hurt a bit, and the water may be a little cold; I haven't tested it yet today," the man nodded as Maya reached for a cloth and dunked it into the bucket of water. Once it had soaked through, she wrung it out to the best of her ability and lurched over to her patient. There were two cuts on the man's chest--one below his right pectoral, and one closer to his right hip. Maya began by wiping the drying blood away from the wound below his pectoral, before using a cleaner part of the cloth to wipe the blood away from the remaining wound. When she was finished, she set the cloth down beside her patient and surveyed her work--a little blood was still seeping out, but it had mainly stopped at this point. She dabbed at the blood again. "I bet that hurts." The man nodded. "I'll try and find something to ease the pain and to keep an infection from spreading." She eyed the wound again. She couldn't tell if it was red because it was newly inflicted, because there was still some blood caked around the inside making it appear red, or if it was just every so slightly irritated and infected. She supposed she would have to find something to cover all of the above before bandaging both areas. But what to use? She knew the doctor had mentioned several good options to her earlier, when she had asked, but wasn't sure what would be best any more than she could remember everything he had said to her. Maybe, the jars would be conveniently labeled with uses in addition to names? She began searching through the cabinets as well as the items she had already pulled out earlier and found that the jars of supplies were conveniently labeled, but not with their uses. She did, however, remember that willow bark was one of the things the doctor had mentioned for pain relief. So, after rifling through the doctor's supplies a little longer, she finally found what she was looking for and pulled it out.

[Maya Frostfawn]

There wasn't much left in the jar. Maya would have to let the good doctor know upon his return so that he could replenish his supplies, but for now, she knew, she had enough to get this particular patient through his treatment. For there were 10 pills left in the jar. They were pills crafted of willow bark. Maya wasn't precisely sure how the doctor had acquired or even made them, but they looked as though they might have been crushed into a powder and then encased in honey, which had been given time to solidify over time. Alternatively, the willow bark may have been boiled into a tea and then encased in the honey capsule. Whatever the case, Maya had what she needed and quickly uncorked the jar and pulled out two capsules before putting the jar back on the shelf. "I don't have any fresh water," she said as she handed the capsules to her patient. "So, you're going to have to swallow them without water." A pause. "They should help with the pain; hopefully, they'll take effect within the hour." Maya had no idea how long it would take before the effects of the willow bark were felt by her patient; she could only hope for the best. She also had no idea how much of a dose each capsule contained, and hoped it didn't make her patient worse, rather than better. The man nodded his understanding and took the pills from her with his good arm. He hastily swallowed them to the best of his ability and lay back down on the operating table as soon as he was finished. His movements had caused him to bleed anew, so Maya hastily wiped away the fresh blood with the wet cloth she had used earlier, heightening the unpleasant metallic scent that clung to the air. "We should dress your wounds before we deal with your arm," she said. "I'll clean them up first, and then wrap them up to help staunch the bleeding and keep your treatment in place." This was the only bit the doctor had given her direction on--she was to make a garlic compress, set it into the wound, and then wrap everything up. "This bit is going to take a few minutes," she explained, as she moved over to the area that the doctor used to heat and prepare certain medicines. After some effort, she managed to turn on the burner and placed a small iron pan onto it. The scent of iron quickly filled the air along with the scent of smoke. She moved back over to the supplies she had pulled out earlier, and took out a few heads of garlic, which she hastily threw into the pan along with a drizzle of oil. She wasn't sure what kind, but thought it may help to keep the garlic from sticking to the pan and burning. Unfortunately, she had forgotten to grab something to stir the garlic with to keep it from sticking to the pan and burning, and had to hastily look around the clinic to find a wooden spoon she could use. By the time she found the spoon, the garlic had started to brown and to burn as well. She could smell it in the air, and inwardly cursing, scraped the burnt garlic out of the pan with the wooden spoon... and placed it on the counter beside the pan... because she forget to grab another surface to put it on. Gritting her teeth, she turned off the burner and retrieved another cloth. She scooped the oil-slicked garlic into the cloth and tried to wrap the bundle as neatly as possible... it was not even remotely neat, but it stayed together well enough... minus the little bit of cloth that refused to stay in place no matter how hard she tried. "Keep this on your wound," she instructed. "Which one?" the man asked. Right... there were two wounds. Maya eyed them both. "Let's start with this one," she said, as she pointed to the wound by his pectoral, it looked a tad deeper and more serious than the other wound. Maya placed the garlic compress on the wound, before taking the man's uninjured hand and setting it onto the compress. "Please make sure this doesn't fall while I prepare the remaining compress," she said, before moving away, missing the man's nod of understanding. She quickly prepared another compress, burning the garlic, the same as before, before returning to her patient. This time, when she applied the compress, the garlic was still quite hot, and it burned him a little. She could see it--his skin turned red and he sucked in a breath rather sharply. "Sorry," she muttered. "It'll cool in just a moment," she added. "I'll wrap the first batch up first and then we can work on this second batch and your arm as well." The man nodded as Maya turned to retrieve her supplies--she'd need bandages and maybe a few clips to keep everything in place.

[Maya Frostfawn]

After Maya had gathered everything she'd need, she returned to the Clinic's patient and put everything down beside him. Then, she moved the bloody rag out of the way and set to work. She thought that the cloth she wrapped the compress in would get in the way, and keep the compress' core from making its way into the wound and working its medicinal magic. So, she was going to remove it and then bind everything into place and then let time take its course. "I'm going to remove the cloth around the compress," she explained. "And then wrap it in these fresh bandages. They'll need to be changed eventually, but it should be ok for a few days." The patient grunted. "Please remove your hand from the compress," she said; he obeyed, and she quickly replaced her hands with his. She carefully unwrapped the garlic from the compress, some of the oil spilling down the side of the man's heaving chest. He was breathing heavily; it must be a mixture of exhaustion and pain, she thought, as some garlic followed after the oil. She quickly scooped it up and placed it back onto the wound by the man's pectoral, before reaching for a bandage. She gently pressed one end into the garlic, keeping the bandage in place with her hand, before easing the remaining bandage around his body with a little help from the patient himself. The bandage made its way back around his body and to its starting point within a few moments, and she clipped it in place, careful not to clip the man's skin as well as she worked. It wasn't a tight job, and some of the garlic slipped out, but it was at the very least, in place. It was around the time when Maya was adding her second clip that the good doctor returned from whatever he had been doing with his experiments outside, on his latest visit. He stopped to survey his work. "That needs to be tighter," he commented, "or it'll fall off as soon as he starts moving." Maya frowned. He was probably right. A moment and the good doctor had effectively bumped her out of the way and begun reapplying the bandage to the wound, clipping it into place a moment later. The doctor grunted as he unraveled the second compress and took note of the burnt garlic--as though the smell hadn't been hint enough, although, then again, it was masked by the other odors that had made themselves permanent residents of the clinic. She wasn't sure if the man didn't care if the garlic was burnt or not, or if he simply didn't want to be bothered making a better compress, but he began to wrap the second wound in bandages as well, pressing the compress into its proper place with their assistance. She could see the oil she had used to cook the garlic in beginning to seep through the cloth when he called her over to assist them. "This should be tight enough as long as we cinch it in place." He motioned with a mixture of his chin and a twitch of his thumb. "As long as we apply a clip here," a pause as his thumb twitched again, "and here, it should remain in place." Maya nodded. "Come, put them there." She nodded again and quickly moved forward to obey. Another moment, and some awkward fumbling of fingers, and both clips had been applied to the bandage, keeping everything in place. The doctor took a moment to survey their work, and seemingly satisfied, stepped away from their patient. "Now all that remains is to deal with his broken arm," she commented. The doctor nodded as they both surveyed the wound. The arm was bent out of shape and the bone looked like it had snapped--its jagged edge was threatening to poke out of his skin. "How'd you get that?" she asked. The man eyed the wound, tried to shrug, winced from the pain. "Beaten by a club," he grit through his teeth. The doctor tapped his lip, as though in thought. "We're going to have to take it off; it'll never heal properly," he said. If Maya had the capacity to feel truly alarmed these days, she'd feel truly alarmed in this moment. But feelings were distant things, practically memories at this point. "Are you sure doctor?" she asked. "Surely it can be set." The doctor smirked; "I'm sure," he replied as their words finally seemed to dawn upon their patient. Who looked horrified and tried to get up, but through a mixture of the doctor forcing him down and his own weakness, he found himself unable to move. "Grab my bonesaw, would you?" the doctor said. "Yes, doctor. Of course, right away, sir," Maya managed as she turned to grab the rusty saw he had indicated.

[Maya Frostfawn]

Maya was careful not to accidentally hurt herself with the saw as she retrieved it and handed it to the doctor. "Should we give him something to numb the pain? I already gave him some willow bark, earlier." The doctor shook his head, "he should be alright." "How about something to put him to sleep, to keep him from having to feel the pain in this moment. Or... from passing out at the sight of what is about to transpire?" The doctor shook his head. "A rag to bite on so he doesn't cry out or hurt himself if he thrashes around?" The doctor shook his head. "Just hold him, or I may cut off more than I intend to." Maya wasn't very strong, and she didn't think this was the right course of treatment. But the doctor was her master and knew far more than she. He was also a wee bit insane, (an understatement of the year), and didn't wish to draw his attention when he was in one of his strange moods, so she said nothing and moved to comply. Although she wasn't strong and both men could easily overpower her despite their age in one case, and injuries in the other, Maya tried her best to hold the patient down as the good doctor set to work. He gripped the patient's injured arm, pressed the tip of the bonesaw into the spot right below where the shoulder met his arm, and slowly, slid the saw forward and back. Forward and back. Maya watched it move. Saw the patient's lips part in a silent scream, and then a real one, which drowned out all other sound. Blood began to pour from the wound, and soon, it had coated the good doctor's hands and begun to make its way down his wrists. It dripped onto the floor, and the skin... started to peel away from the rest of him as the saw slid deeper and deeper, toward the man's bone. Abruptly, the screaming stopped. The man had passed out, but whether it was from blood loss or fear or discomfort, or some combination of the above, or something else entirely, the nuit could not tell. Maya stepped away from the patient, retrieved the bloody cloth she had used on him before, and moved back toward the doctor and their patient. "Should I wipe him so it's easier for you to see what you're doing?" she asked. The doctor nodded absently and she complied; she moved away a moment later and he returned to his work. She set the cloth down beside the unconscious body of their patient, and raised her hand to his forehead. It was both sweaty and warm. His face was mostly pale, but there was a redness to his neck and cheeks that suggested heat. She thought it must have been nervousness then, that had made him pass out, and fear. She supposed she could do something about that and quickly went to retrieve a second cloth. She wet it in her bucket of water, quickly wrung the excess out, and folded it into a neat little rectangle. Then, she returned to the Clinic's latest patient and placed the cold compress onto his forehead to help cool him off. She thought it would be reassuring and make him feel better when he awakened. She also thought it may cool him awake, which in hindsight, might have been a cruel gesture considering the fact that he was currently getting his arm hacked off by a maniacal medicinal madman. And, unfortunately, this man's only hope as the doctor was the only true doctor in town. A bit frightening, when one considered the size of Sunberth and its overall shape. But what were you to do? Maya returned her gaze to the doctor; he was intent on his work. A few beads of sweat lined his brow, the same as their patient, she now realized. And his saw... was halfway through the man's arm, which had not stopped spewing blood onto the doctor's hands and had thoroughly coated the saw at this point. It wouldn't be much longer now, she realized, before the doctor was done with his work. He had done this so many times before, she realized, had grown so practiced and skilled, that it hardly took him any time at all to saw through both flesh and bone. It was a bit scary to think about, she realized, if you truly thought it about. Which she didn't... in fact, she very much made a point of not doing that. OOC: Warning. Graphic hacking of arm is taking place.

[Maya Frostfawn]

Maya watched the master at work for a few moments longer; he seemed to have everything under control, especially now that their patient had passed out, so she decided to begin tidying up a bit and getting ready for their next patient, which she imagined would roll in soon enough, if they weren't already waiting for them somewhere out of sight. She took all of the jars of supplies she had taken out and placed them back where she had found them before doing the same with the rest of the supplies she had taken out earlier during the course of her practice. When she was done, only a few minutes had passed, and the good doctor's brow was beaded with sweat as he made through the last little bit of blood and sinew. The last little bit of flesh that was allowing the man's arm to cling to the rest of his body. Within a moment, with another spurt of blood, the arm came free, dangling on the edge of the operating table for a moment before tumbling uselessly to the floor. Maya watched as it fell in a spray of blood, and the doctor himself wiped his sweaty brow with the back of his hand without giving the arm much more thought. Maya was about to suggest that they bandage the man up to keep him from bleeding all over the place... or all over the place some more, when she realized something. Maya couldn't hear the patient breathing anymore. This wasn't altogether odd, she didn't have the best hearing, but as she moved to stand beside her patient, she realized that his chest wasn't rising and falling as it had been before. Not altogether odd either, considering his state and the fact that some breathed so softly, you couldn't always make out the rise and fall of their chest as they breathed. And then there were those like her in a category all of their own... those that no longer needed to breathe at all. But, as she held her head over his chest, closed her eyes, and listened she realized she couldn't hear him breathing at this distance, and as she placed the palm of her hand over his heart, she realized that not only couldn't she hear the man breathing, but she couldn't feel his heart beating either. She pulled away from him, held her right hand in front of his mouth to see if she could feel anything coming out. A single breath, the whisper of a breath, but there was nothing. Maya blinked. She doubt this would be the last time she found herself in this situation, especially with a master such as this. "I believe he died during the operation doctor." A pause. "From loss of blood if I had to guess." The doctor looked down at their patient, the nuit wasn't sure what she saw in his eyes. He grunted. "Looks like it." "Do you need help disposing of him, doctor?" she asked. The doctor shook his head. "I want to look at him a little longer before we get rid of him. And I can dispose of him well enough. Why don't you go and retrieve our next patient? I think he's waiting for us just outside the front door." Maya nodded. "Of course, doctor," she responded before scurrying away to fetch their next patient... or perhaps, victim would have been a more suitable choice of word.

[Maya Frostfawn]

Maya Frostfawn: Awards Experience: +2 Observation +4 Medicine +3 Rhetoric +1 Cooking +1 Interrogation Lores: Medicine: Cleaning Blood From a Wound Medicine: Making a Garlic Compress Cooking: How to Burn Garlic Medicine: Working as a Medical Assistant The Scent of Blood Notes: Remember to be mindful that medicine and herbalism are different skills.