up the gash.
The man watched her with curious detachment, amazed by the swiftness of her work and the lack of pain. That, when he asked about it, she assured him would come later when the opiate she had given him earlier would dissipate. By the time she had finished with the wound he slept and she proceeded to check him over for other injuries. Finding nothing but relatively minor bruising, she moved on to the third man.
About this time, a troop of men rode into the village and she became the center of attention in a different way. Where people had watched her before with nervous concern, she now came under a cold calculated scrutiny. She shrugged off the discomfort of their manners, thinking of them as a minor irritation, and turned her full attention onto her patient. He had a deep gash in his thigh and was lucky it had ceased bleeding earlier. He also had a bruise over his left eye, which she determined would bear closer examination, in case of a concussion. He watched her, whimpering at her every touch and Aura wished he could have been unconscious, for he looked as if he could cause her trouble.
"Are you capable of moving?" She asked as she checked out his eyes to ascertain the extent of damage his head had received. She decided the problem, if any, was minor.
"Yes, M'Lady." He whined. "You are not going to cut off my leg are you?" The question was very telling, giving Aura the reason for his fear, as well as a way to deal with it.
"Not if you cooperate." She decided to give him something else to think about, as well as a reason to control his basic instincts. She did, however, wonder where he had ever seen a leg amputation in this day and age.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Remove your trousers and lay back. I need free access to the wound."
The man nodded, and as she went to check on the fourth and last patient, he removed his pants then sat down to wait for her return. The fourth man had not waited for her to tend to his wounds in a stationary manner. He had grown restless and had gotten to his feet to move about, for lack of anything else to do.
"How are you feeling?"
"I am not cut open like the others were, if that is what you mean, but my shoulder feels as if it is on fire. Nor can I seem to move it."
Aura nodded as she tried to remove the man's tunic, but he would not let her as he screamed with pain at the first sign of movement. She sighed as she noted his anguish then took out a sharp knife to cut the shirt off of him, only to uncover a mass of bruising. She sucked in her breath as she looked at the discoloration then told the man to sit down while she took care of the man awaiting her attentions.
Watching her return to him, the man laid down as she approached. She gave him a little of the opiate she had given the other man earlier, but knew it would not be enough, so she warned him. "What I am about to do will hurt. I will understand if you feel you need to scream, but I must ask that you control any urge you have to hit me."
"No man would hit a Lady." The statement was said in such a manner as to give a genuine impression of his feelings on the matter, and Aura smiled at him.
"I am just warning you so you will have an idea what to expect. After I do what I must, well, you just might want to hit me."
The man nodded in understanding and Aura, determined to get it over with, cleaned and stitched his leg. He let out one yell as the antiseptic touched the wound then gave several whimpers thereafter. Aura wished she had more to give these men for pain, but she did not. She had never expected to treat anything like this and was not prepared.
She suspected the fourth man was going to take more muscle than she had. He had a broken collarbone and she knew he was not going to let her set it without resistance. It was definitely going to need attention. She looked at his heavy build and bit her lip in indecision. He had the look
The man watched her with curious detachment, amazed by the swiftness of her work and the lack of pain. That, when he asked about it, she assured him would come later when the opiate she had given him earlier would dissipate. By the time she had finished with the wound he slept and she proceeded to check him over for other injuries. Finding nothing but relatively minor bruising, she moved on to the third man.
About this time, a troop of men rode into the village and she became the center of attention in a different way. Where people had watched her before with nervous concern, she now came under a cold calculated scrutiny. She shrugged off the discomfort of their manners, thinking of them as a minor irritation, and turned her full attention onto her patient. He had a deep gash in his thigh and was lucky it had ceased bleeding earlier. He also had a bruise over his left eye, which she determined would bear closer examination, in case of a concussion. He watched her, whimpering at her every touch and Aura wished he could have been unconscious, for he looked as if he could cause her trouble.
"Are you capable of moving?" She asked as she checked out his eyes to ascertain the extent of damage his head had received. She decided the problem, if any, was minor.
"Yes, M'Lady." He whined. "You are not going to cut off my leg are you?" The question was very telling, giving Aura the reason for his fear, as well as a way to deal with it.
"Not if you cooperate." She decided to give him something else to think about, as well as a reason to control his basic instincts. She did, however, wonder where he had ever seen a leg amputation in this day and age.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Remove your trousers and lay back. I need free access to the wound."
The man nodded, and as she went to check on the fourth and last patient, he removed his pants then sat down to wait for her return. The fourth man had not waited for her to tend to his wounds in a stationary manner. He had grown restless and had gotten to his feet to move about, for lack of anything else to do.
"How are you feeling?"
"I am not cut open like the others were, if that is what you mean, but my shoulder feels as if it is on fire. Nor can I seem to move it."
Aura nodded as she tried to remove the man's tunic, but he would not let her as he screamed with pain at the first sign of movement. She sighed as she noted his anguish then took out a sharp knife to cut the shirt off of him, only to uncover a mass of bruising. She sucked in her breath as she looked at the discoloration then told the man to sit down while she took care of the man awaiting her attentions.
Watching her return to him, the man laid down as she approached. She gave him a little of the opiate she had given the other man earlier, but knew it would not be enough, so she warned him. "What I am about to do will hurt. I will understand if you feel you need to scream, but I must ask that you control any urge you have to hit me."
"No man would hit a Lady." The statement was said in such a manner as to give a genuine impression of his feelings on the matter, and Aura smiled at him.
"I am just warning you so you will have an idea what to expect. After I do what I must, well, you just might want to hit me."
The man nodded in understanding and Aura, determined to get it over with, cleaned and stitched his leg. He let out one yell as the antiseptic touched the wound then gave several whimpers thereafter. Aura wished she had more to give these men for pain, but she did not. She had never expected to treat anything like this and was not prepared.
She suspected the fourth man was going to take more muscle than she had. He had a broken collarbone and she knew he was not going to let her set it without resistance. It was definitely going to need attention. She looked at his heavy build and bit her lip in indecision. He had the look
Similar Books
