PART VI - EMERGENCY MEDICINE
“Make a hole!” Tasi called out as a terse order as she led Koda and Xin towards the medical tent. People scattered, seeing the determination on the Fairy’s face even before they saw the litter bearing Kaisess.
Ambria raced ahead to make sure the way was open in the medical tent as Tasi followed and directed where to lay the stretcher. Once set in place, Koda removed one of the litter’s long poles, so the cloth could be pulled out from under the Tigerkin with the other, before the entire stretcher was set aside, out of the way.
“Water! Rags! Get him cleaned up. And cut those clothes off him!” Tasi called out as she rushed into the rear area of the tent to prepare. Through the back door, Cheena was pouring a bucket of cold water over her head before wiping her face and slicking back her hair. She was working to wash away as much of the mud as she could, obviously trying to clean up enough to be helpful.
Before anyone could come with a safety knife, Xin flexed out her claw once again, using it to make clean slices through Kaisess’s clothes so they could be pulled away. Xin stepped back as one of Tasi’s assistants charged in with a bucket of water and clean rags, which he used to start cleaning their patient. He started at the knee, which had become swollen and purple, now showing clearly through the Tigerkin’s fur..
“Both of you stand aside!” Tasi ordered, pointing at Xin and her assistant as she walked back into the alcove, the assistant stepping out of the area. She gestured to Xin again, adding, “You may watch but stay out the way and stay silent.” She then jabbed her finger towards Ambria, before motioning across the table. “You, stand there. This is your patient.” Immediately, everyone shuffled positions, Cheena also arriving, dripping with water but looking much cleaner.
Tasi took a deep breath, sizing up the patient. She glanced briefly at the dripping Shaman trainer, then gestured towards a pile of rags for her to dry herself. “Okay. Dislocated knee that was reduced. What’s next?” she asked the young Faun.
“Um, cast a quick Diagnose?” Ambria responded with questioning inflection, barely getting the words out in nervousness. The knee was looking bad, and getting worse as she watched.
“No! You already did that and know what happened and what is wrong. What next?”
“Um …” Ambria sputtered. Tasi was correct, she knew what was wrong. “Maybe use Stabilize, right? I don’t know if I can cast right now. I’m really nervous.”
“I’ll cast what is needed, but you must tell me what to do. Did you cast Stabilize before I arrived? Should I cast Stabilize now?”
Ambria thought for a moment, her brain racing back through all the lessons on how to treat trauma from the previous week, and all the lessons from before she arrived. “I didn’t before you got there, no. As for now … N-N-No! He’s stabilized enough already. He’s asleep. He’s not moving. And the injury isn’t bleeding out, so that wouldn’t be right anyway.”
“Good, that’s correct! What’s next?”
The recruit tried to think. So much of what they’d learned was about sealing holes and cuts, or fixing a broken bone or treating bruises. Basic starting points for a Combat Healer. So far there hadn’t been anything about a dislocated joint and whatever damage might accompany that. “I don’t know!” she finally blurted out in a panic. “Maybe Diagnose again, but deeper this time? Make sure it's been reduced properly? I might be able to manage casting that.”
“Excellent. Go ahead and try, tell me what you see,” Tasi said, pointing at the knee of her patient. “Relax. We have time.”
“Do… do you have a stone?” Ambria asked pleadingly.
“Do you need it?”
“I want to be sure.”
Tasi nodded, fishing one of her diagnostic stones out of a pouch on her belt. “Use it this time, but you may not always have one available.”
Ambria accepted the stone, nodding in acknowledgement of the future warning. Settling it into her palm before she reached across the table, she took a deep, but shuddering, breath and pushed her magic through. She pushed hard, and the stone amplified it, quickly giving her additional information about the extent of the damage that her unassisted spell at her tier wouldn’t see in such hurried conditions. Mechanically, she called out what she saw. “Torn connective tissue, ripped muscles and blood vessels, minor fractures at the end of the bone. Wow! It’s an absolute mess.”
“Should I cast Heal Wound on it?” Tasi asked, waiting for the recruit’s directive and holding up her hand as if ready to cast.
Ambria opened her eyes, catching the gaze of the remarkably calm Master Healer. Reflexively, her eyes shifted to both Xin and then to Cheena, who were both quietly looking on. “No!” she cried, holding up her hands. “Wait! It’s not the right spell since he’s stable. Right?”
“Why?” Tasi demanded.
“That kind of damage; It’s delicate!” Ambria sputtered. “Heal Wound is too fast.” She gestured to Cheena. “We have a Shaman available. She should do it using Repair Wound instead, so she can start deep. That would even be better than a Druid’s Mend Wound. It takes longer, but he’s stable and she’s not rushed.”
“Good!” Tasi said, lowering her hand and stepping aside, allowing Cheena to step up, still slightly dripping with dirty water. Tasi moved up to the head of the table, still obviously in charge of the room. She had a smile on her face, proud of the recruit catching the need for different magic. “Continue. What should the Shaman do?”
“I … I don’t know!” Ambria cried, panic returning to her voice as she hopped up and down, her arms flailing momentarily. “I don’t know what to do! Just fix him, please!”
Cheena reached across the table, grasping the Faun’s shaking hands in both of hers. “Deep breath. There is plenty of time. How would I know what to do?”
“I … I tell you what happened, right?” Ambria said, looking at the sleeping face of Kaisess. “Tell you what my Diagnose showed through the stone?”
“You could do that. But what should I do?”
“L-L-Listen to me?”
Cheena and Tasi both laughed. “Of course, but what spell should I maybe cast?” Cheena asked, pushing the young Healer to focus as she offered a hint.
“Um … do your own Diagnose? That’s right! Your own Diagnose! That’s way you know exactly what’s wrong?”
“Very good,” Cheena cooed, releasing the Faun’s hands. “That would be much faster than you trying to explain it all to me anyway, right? Now, take a deep breath before you pass out while I do this.”
Ambria quickly nodded, sucking in an exaggerated breath and holding it. Cheena flexed her fingers briefly, then held her right hand over the wounded knee. She made a few grunting noises for several seconds, the look on her face turning from slightly relaxed to grim. “She’s right, it’s really bad,” Cheena said. “A Shaman could repair the damage, but he could be in some pain for a day or two, I’m afraid. This will take some time, too.” She turned to Xin. “This is probably too much for you right now, so I’ll do the healing this time. But, pay close attention to my work, and I’d like a Rejuvenation from you when I ask. It’s good practice for you with the new spell.”
“From my Totem?” Xin asked, then corrected herself. “Wait, that’s Refresh. Rejuvenation is from me, right?”
“That’s right,” Cheena said. “Refreshing Pulse is from your Totem at Bronze, which will restore Stamina. Rejuvenation is both Mana and Stamina, but you cast it directly. You’ll get a Rejuvenating Pulse at Silver.”
Xin nodded eagerly, shaking out her scaly arms. “Simply tell me when, and I shall do as you need.”
Cheena shook her own arms out, then took a moment to do a quick squat to stretch her knees before flexing each finger. Placing her hand over the Tigerkin’s dreadful-looking knee she took a deep breath, centering herself and her magic.
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Before she could start, though, Kaisess shook once, then began to spasm. His body twisted, paws extending deadly claws as he scratched at the air and tore a gouge in the table underneath him. Ambria’s eyes opened wide and she stepped back quickly, tripping over a basket and crashing backwards to the floor, banging her head against the side of a cabinet.
“What the…?” Tasi hissed, surprise evident in her voice. “He’s seizing?”
“What's wrong?” Cheena asked in a panic, instinctively trying to hold Kaisess’s legs.
“You!” Tasi snapped at Koda and Xin. “Hold him still.” As the two recruits raced to grab limbs on either side and hold the Ranger down, Tasi tried to re-take stock, mumbling loudly to herself as she raced through what could be wrong. Still Kaisess continued to spasm.
“Shit!” Tasi growled, suddenly seeming to have an idea. Using one hand to hold her patient’s head still, she used the other to force open one eye. “Looks fine,” she mumbled, releasing to reach for the other. “Fuck!” she hissed. “His pupil is blown.”
Ambria was still untangling herself from the floor, rubbing the back of her head, trying to stand and get her bearings. There was a thick trickle of blood falling from one of her antlers where the end had broken off, dripping down her cheek. “What is going on?” she asked worriedly, putting a hand to the top of her head and wincing.
“There was a lot of blood vessel damage. Did you cast a reversed Coagulate on him before you reduced his knee?” Tasi demanded, pointing at the petite Fae. “Did you thin his blood?”
“Uh …” Ambria stuttered, wobbling slightly, her vision still a little out of sorts. “Was I supposed to?”
“Fuck!” Tasi gulped, refocusing back on her patient. “He’s having a stroke.”
Kaisess jumped again, this time only the left side of his body jerking.
“Stone, where is it?” Tasi yelled to anybody.
“Um … here!” Ambria called, holding the magic object awkwardly out to the Master Healer. She fell slightly into Koda, still dizzy, grabbing his dirty sleeve with her free hand to stay upright. The Bearkin instinctively reached down and helped to steady the wobbly Faun.
Tasi snatched the magic amplifier and cupped it in her hand. “Come on. Don’t do this, kid!” she hissed as she forced magic from her hand through the stone and into the head of her patient. She scanned, moving her hand carefully over the Catkin’s scalp before finally stopping. “Yup, there it is!” She flung the stone to the floor with a clatter to free up her hand, before starting to push a spell into Kaisess’s head. He jerked again.
“How can I help?” Cheena asked swiftly.
“I just need to break this clot up,” Tasi mumbled to nobody as she tapped Kaisess's furry head several times with her finger. She moved it slightly around, each time tapping in a slightly different location. “Come on…”
Ambria stood next to Koda, hugging his big arm tight in terrified worry. “No!”
“There!” Tasi finally said after an agonizing several seconds of tapping. She then placed her palm on the Tigerkin’s forehead, pushing another spell. Almost at once, the twitching ceased. Tasi nodded briskly, before pushing Xin and Cheena aside. “I dissolved the clot, and it was a chunky one at that.” She placed her hand on the Tigerkin’s chest, casting another spell, a light glow sinking into him, before repeating the same motion, but directed at his swollen, purple knee this time. “This will thin his blood properly, but he’ll be apt to bruise and bleed if he gets hurt or cut for at least a week.”
“Is … Is he going to be okay?” Ambria asked.
The Master Healer slicked her hair back with her hand and blew out her cheeks. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
“What do you mean?”
Tasi blew out another deep breath, moving to the head of the table and motioning Cheena to return to the injured knee and get started. “He’s lucky he was here. I … I don’t think it will be that bad. We won’t know until he wakes up, though.”
“But … we can fix it, right?” Ambria squeaked.
Tasi glanced briefly at Ambria, the blood from her antler now running in twin rivers down her cheek, before falling to the floor. “Let’s just see.”
“Please, tell me.”
Tasi sighed. “He could have brain damage from the stroke. Depending on the extent, maybe no effects, or maybe bad ones. Probably something, though.”
Ambria put her hands to her face, a horrified look appearing in her eyes.
Tasi moved towards the Faun, pushing Koda aside. She put on her best motherly smile, grabbing Ambria’s upper arms and looking her in the eyes. “Honey, you’re a Healer so I’m not going to lie to you. I don’t think it will be bad. He was here and we got to him in moments. What we don’t know is how much damage occurred before he started seizing, though. I can’t determine that with the sleep spell I just put on him in effect. With luck, there will be minimal lingering effects. But, I am sure there will be effects. We will have to wait and see.”
“But … we can still fix him,” Ambria said again, her voice still quiet and weak. “Right?”
Tasi shook her head. “If his brain is hurt, he’ll need ritual healing. Long, slow healing from a Druid or Shaman.”
“Okay,” Ambria whispered, turning her head to look towards Cheena.
“She and Maugra are combat Shamans, and Rowani’s a combat Druid,” Tasi said quickly, grabbing Ambria’s chin and pulling her gaze back. “This isn’t their specialty. If he’s hurt, he won’t be able to stay here. But, he will make a full recovery in time, both his knee and anything else. That I can promise you.”
“All because of me? Because I forgot a step? I didn’t know to do that! We haven’t learned about that yet!”
Tasi pulled the little Faun in tight, instinctively regressing to being a parent again. “You didn’t know, and I didn’t think to ask if you had. If anyone is at fault here, Ambria, it’s me.”
“But …”
The Fairy released her hug, holding Ambria at arm’s length again. She looked the recruit in her eyes, a serious expression showing. “You did everything right! From the moment you started treating him all the way until he seized. You remembered your training. You did what is required of a Combat Healer under pressure. It’s not your fault.”
“But … I didn’t …” Ambria said once again, still trying to process what was happening.
“Come, let’s take a look at your head and get you cleaned up,” Tasi said affectionately, trying to change the subject. As she led the Faun off into the next alcove, she glanced briefly at Koda. “Let me know if anything else happens.”
“Of course,” the Paladin responded.
While Tasi had been comforting the Faun, Cheena began casting on the swollen knee, using a slow, channeled Repair Wound spell to slowly rebuild everything. Bone, muscle, blood vessels, nerves and all the other tiny parts and pieces that made up how a body functioned were slowly mended together. With all the damage to bone and connective tendons and ligaments, it was slow going, though. Joints were always tricky, and a knee was particularly so.
Where a Combat Healer’s Heal Wound spell would have similar results, those results were like shoving everything haphazardly into place and then setting it with a final burst of magic. With Cheena’s spell, it was slow, delicate, work, more akin to an artiste. Each misaligned fragment was fixed with precision and patience, Reshaped, reformed, repaired as needed. It was methodical work requiring careful attention to details. In the end, though, Cheena’s spell would leave the knee in perfect order, maybe even better than previous. If Tasi or Koda had done the repair, or possibly even Rowani, Kaisess would have been on crutches for at least a few days, with more spells possibly needed to fine tune the repairs during his recovery. Joints were extra delicate.
Tasi and Ambria returned about ten minutes after Cheena started. Ambria had been wiped clean, and seemed physically fine from her fall, save a healed bump on her head and the end of one antler being snapped off, leaving a sharp edge. Thankfully it was just the tip, maybe the last four centimeters. While there had been a good amount of blood, Ambria’s antlers had no direct feeling, so overall the wound was very bloody, but minor. The Faun could easily file the end round again, the strange asymmetry ultimately not a big deal since her antlers would eventually shed naturally, before they started their regrowth.
“How is it going,” Tasi whispered to Koda.
“No complications,” the Bearkin whispered back. He glanced back at the Faun. “She’s settled?”
Tasi nodded as she watched Cheena work. “Bruised her head. Broke off the tip of a horn. Lots of blood, but overall minimal damage. She’ll be fine.”
Ambria glanced up at Koda, nodding and pointing up above her head. “Looks strange, I’m sure.”
“Battle scars are always sexy,” Koda grinned in response, adding a wink, and Ambria blushed slightly, her mood having calmed. Still, she had a far off look in her eyes as well, as if she was still trying to process all that had happened, and was going to need time.
Everyone watched in quiet fascination as Cheena continued her work. The knee’s swelling had lessened somewhat, but it was still an ugly purple color that contrasted against the yellow fur. Finally, the Shaman smiled and sighed. “There. Even better than I had hoped. Everything should be good as new. It should even be able to bear weight, but will probably be stiff until he works it a bit. He should rest off his feet until morning and avoid running or the like for a few days. Of course, that doesn’t account for any other issues he may have.”
Twice, Xin had restored some of Cheena’s mana with her Rejuvenation spell. The Lizardkin wasn’t very good at it, having just learned it at Bronze, but it was good practice and let Cheena keep going without losing her spot or any momentum. That was all Xin could manage, though, as her inefficiency showed and her mana bottomed out after the second casting. Tasi retrieved a mana potion for the Shaman, to help get her through the final pieces of the spell.
“Masterful,” Tasi said, running her hand briefly over Kaisess’s knee as she magically inspected Cheena’s work. “Far better than I could have done.”
“I regret that my ritual healing is so poor. I wouldn’t trust myself to do the work that may be needed,” Cheena said sadly. “Maugra is even less skilled than I.”
“With luck, he will have no problems since we got to him quickly,” Tasi said, trying to sound encouraging. You could tell she had her doubts, though, and seemed to imply Kaisess was going to have an extended recovery in front of him. The Fairy finally broke from her examination, looking at the recruits in the room. “The three of you, go. You’re filthy. We’ll finish getting him cleaned up and I’ll have him put in one of the recovery tents. With the Sleep spell I hit him with when he seized, he won’t be awake until mid-evening. We won’t know anything until then. Probably best no visitors until tomorrow.”
Slowly, Koda and Xin left the tent, Ambria shuffling along behind them. The sun had fully come out now, the dark clouds of earlier gone and revealing blue sky filled with white, fluffy ones and no further threat of rain. Across the way, in another tent, sat several people, and they quickly rose and stepped out. None had changed clothes or used the showers, and they all showed hopeful but worried looks on their faces.