I was relieved to say the least. I passed the boards, completed my internships, and secured my position at the hospital. You would think that someone studying medicine would recognize when they have pushed themselves past the point of exhaustion. Death is something that, as a doctor, you encounter more frequently than you might like. Even in today’s society, we still have diseases and ailments we have not overcome. And so every doctor has to come to whatever compromise with Death they can in order to continue walking the path of medicine.
However, I was not supposed to be one of my first deaths! I’ve never gotten to have a real boyfriend and my thirties were coming fast. I liked my career but I also wanted a family. Maybe that’s why I was able to throw myself at my studies like I did. Anyway I looked at it, I died before thirty, and nothing was going to change that.
I guess my first thought after dying was surprise that I had coherent thoughts, and that my senses were still working. Well, at least my hearing and sight were. Opening my eyes revealed a white room, which I initially mistook for a surgical suite. Everything seemed to glow, making it difficult to see anything. As I was thinking it was too bright, the glow dimmed to a low light, as if lit by just a few well placed candles. Was this place responding to my thoughts? I thought that the light might take on a blue hue, since it tends to be a relaxing color for people, and it happened.
With the calming atmosphere that I could apparently make with just a thought, I finally took in my surroundings. Like I said, I had mistaken it for a surgical suite at first. There were no windows or doors to this room, which was a slight concern. I wondered if instead of dying I had actually been kidnapped and locked in an asylum. It would not explain the thought changing atmosphere, but at the time my thoughts were convoluted. The only thing in the room was the bed I was lying on. Everything about the bed was soft. The pillow, mattress, sheets, and blankets made me think of being hugged by clouds or something else fluffy.
That soft feeling extended to my clothes which… wait, where were my clothes? Instead of my usual gear, I had on a longer robe that reminded me of a hospital gown like I might have asked a patient to slip into. No underwear though, which was a little unsettling.
I sat for what must have been an hour just taking in my situation and trying to figure out what was going on, but nothing changed in my bare, blue hued suite. Unsure of what else to do, I laid back down and easily drifted to sleep.
I was not sure how long it had been before I was woken with a light shake of my shoulder. I turned to see a woman looking down at me with a gentle smile. She was wearing a white full habit like a nun, leaving only her hands and face visible. What drew my attention were her golden colored eyes and pale complexion. She also seemed a little on the thin side for her size.
“Jaundice of the eyes, anemia, possible anorexia nervosa,” I muttered.
The woman cocked her head in a questioning manner as she straightened up.
“Sorry, I had just really gotten started practicing medicine. You have a peculiar appearance and I just jumped into diagnostics.”
She chuckled as she sat in a chair that definitely had not been there before my nap.
“I’m sorry, but who are you?” I asked.
“That’s more of the normal response,” she replied. Her voice sounded so beautiful I was left wondering how it was not music.
“I am Pylosa, a goddess.”
Now I was not the most religious person in the world, but I did consider myself a Christian and at the very least subscribed to Judo-Christian values. Therefore, seeing someone sitting next to me and saying they were a goddess set off numerous red flags for me.
“So I’m dead,” I said, accepting this and realizing why everything before only made sense if that were the case, “But I’m not sold on your title or name. Is this my judgement test?”
“This isn’t the first time,” Pylosa sighed, “Your religious experience isn’t wrong, but it’s also not relevant to where you are now.”
“This isn’t Heaven? It doesn’t seem to be Hell.”
“Not exactly, consider this an in-between. A sort of pit stop.”
“You make it sound like a journey.”
“Only if you want it to be.”
“So again, is this my judgement?”
Pylosa gave me another gentle smile.
“No. Consider this an interview.”
“Am I getting an afterlife job?”
“How about a new life?”
“Reincarnation?”
“In a sense.”
This sounded more and more suspicious to me. If Pylosa was indeed a goddess, it was not impossible that she could do something like that I guessed.
“Would you rather take up your soul’s judgement?” Pylosa asked.
“Can I get some details about this? Then I’ll decide.”
Pylosa nodded and gave me a rundown of what would happen. Basically, I would be given a second chance at life in another world. I would get to wind back the clock to when I was sixteen, but I was also able to keep my memories and experiences from my past life.
There were some downsides, at least for me. This new world was about four or five hundred years behind the one I knew. So the society would be very different from what I was used to. There was magic in this new world though, so with the right usages I could probably attain a standard of living similar to what I knew.
“I’ll also make sure you have some kind of... let’s call it a cheat,” added Pylosa.
“A cheat?”
“Sure. An ability or power. Or maybe some sort of item.”
“Well, I want to keep practicing medicine… how about a mobile clinic?”
“A what?”
“Like an RV with a full set up in the back!”
Pylosa looked a little confused. I thought hard and at the foot of the bed appeared what I envisioned.
It looked more like an ambulance than an RV, which was a change I made just after I said it. Opening the doors into the back, it was a little more like an examination room at a clinic than the crowded compartment of an ambulance. A little ‘bigger on the inside than it is on the outside’ vision made plenty of space inside. I condensed some of the equipment so it could also function as a surgical suite if I needed it to.
Stolen novel; please report.
“That will certainly stand out,” Pylosa said as she listened to my ramblings explaining it, “Perhaps a more fitting exterior would suffice.”
With what I could only guess was her own thought wave, the exterior of my ambulance clinic took on a shape more like that of a horse-drawn carriage.
“It will be difficult to use this all the time. I’ll give you a magical storage space for it as well.”
“Can I use magic there?”
“If you train up.”
“No freebie there?”
“This is already quite a lot. The whole thing will have to operate on your magic when you use the equipment.”
“So shouldn’t I know how to use it from the start?”
“I’ll have the equipment absorb some and act like a battery until you learn to control magic on your own. It’ll have limited time usage, but you should be able to manage.”
I guess I would have to find an instructor as soon as possible. Wait, was I really considering this now? The idea of my ambulance clinic captivated me so much that I had forgotten how sketchy this entire situation was.
“I think I failed my judgement,” I murmured.
“No dear. As I said, this isn’t your judgement.”
I ended up thinking about it for quite some time, during which Pylosa quietly sat and waited for my answer. Eventually, I gave my answer and was whisked off to the new world.
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You know, there ends up being more than you would expect that you end up missing or not having in a society four hundred years behind the one you know. Hot showers, toothpaste, and toilet paper for example, but also your food actually being tasty. Apparently people with weird powers being reincarnated in this world is a somewhat routine thing, and they have frequently brought about changes that have shot this world’s society forward in some areas, perhaps food being the most notable. But as with almost all fancy things, it’s become commandeered by the nobility of the world. Figures huh?
That being said, the Kingdom of Sengar where I found myself has apparently been making significant strides in advancing commoner livelihood as of late. Though the decrees come from the king, I have heard it is the young prince that actually put forward the ideas. Perhaps I can meet with him someday and he will listen to my medical advice.
I apologize to all my fellow medical professionals on Earth, but it is kind of hard to do any annual continuing education when you have the most advanced medical knowledge. I guess it is fortunate that Pylosa gave me a slight intelligence boost so I accurately remember all of my medical school training. Since I am the top of the field here, it is only me advancing the field right now.
I guess it is slightly inaccurate to say I have not learned anything new medicinally. There are a vast array of medicinal herbs and plants, as well as some monster parts, that when appropriately mixed have effects much like pharmaceuticals. I have spent most of my time learning them and testing new compounds. As such I have taken up the side hustle of an apothecary. Since alchemy is potion making, and I still have not trusted anyone enough to learn magic yet, I cannot call myself an alchemist.
Like I said though, I am way ahead of the physicians here. Most view apothecary tonics as inferior to alchemist potions, which I can understand. Potions work immediately but they are expensive, whereas tonics are slow but can be reasonably afforded by even the country farmers. In that sense, I am alright with filling the niche of effective, affordable medications and treatments for now.
After only a year, I saved up enough to buy a magic bag. I now have a sort of home visit go bag for simple treatments. I even bought a small shack in the capital to stay in and operate out of. The bed is not as comfortable as the in-between one, but I have been working on that. I wonder if the records of the purchase of my shack will ever be seen by another Earth doctor, because I think only they would get the Rod of Asclepius joke I left there.
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I recently finished a new tonic that should act similar to an antibiotic and painkiller combo. I gave some to Patient 149, a carpenter that really busted his leg. Bones sticking out and everything. Unfortunately for him, I had not finished an anesthetic to numb the pain as I reset his leg and stitched him up.
I also happened upon Patient 153, a mother in labor. The child was trying to come feet first, which is incredibly risky. I am not certain that she fully understood what I was going to do when I outlined the cesarean section procedure, but she agreed. A few of the local wives who had come to act as midwives passed out during the procedure, but it was a success. Again no anesthetic, but I would not have administered it anyway because of the baby. I was incredibly apologetic to her afterwards, but seeing the baby girl and the mother survive was incredible. The mom was the second test subject of my antibiotic painkiller. Both patients reported no issues.
I’m sure someone, make that the entire medical community, would get upset at me back on Earth for conducting experimental drug trials on human patients without explaining the risks to them. The additional fact that I had not tested them on something else either would not go well if Earth practitioners found out. I wouldn’t consider myself to be a horrible person to withhold such information, but how am I supposed to explain the complexities of modern medicine to the average person who has about a second grade education at best? If they want to strip my medical license, they can come to this world and take it. Though it doesn’t excuse my actions, I intend to monitor these early recipients for any long-term side effects.
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I received a letter yesterday from a former patient. Though I haven’t exactly gone out of my way to hide, it seemed a little weird to receive it. The patient in question was a traveling merchant, Patient 73 if I recall, that I simply had diagnosed with pollen allergies. Most of my early patients have been such simple things like scratches and colds.
The letter was sent from a place called the Graywolf territory, where apparently there had been a mineshaft that collapsed. Pretty serious thing to have happen, even on Earth. I remembered a major incident several years prior in a South American country that made international headlines. They were asking if I could come and treat any wounded from the incident, which was certainly within my capacity.
It was already evening as I was about to leave when there was a knock on the door of my little shack clinic and home. It wasn’t impossible to have someone visit me since I had been slowly growing my reputation among the commoners here in the capital. I was not expecting a message from the royal palace though.
It had been a few weeks since I had picked up on the surveillance team that was constantly around. There were several, but it was mostly a man and a woman with dark skin who wore a lot of black leathers. They constantly hung out in the shadows and used magic to make themselves invisible to the naked eye. My x-ray glasses could see through their magic though, so I think they were a little frightened of me at times. Regardless, that man was kind as he gave me the message.
Anyway, the royal message contained a summons to the palace for a meeting with someone. I can only guess it is from the king, but at the same time I feel like if it was they would just say ‘the king.’ Maybe it’s the prince who is supposedly running the show behind the scenes? Whoever it is, the new Hippocratic Oath I made when I got here means more than their interests. Though that might come back to bite me, I have to stick to my morals. My departure was very delayed as I felt I had to write a response.
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The success of my first potion! Well, I need this Adelade girl to help me, but she’s okay I guess. I also treated a beastfolk for something serious. I wonder if beastfolk have more in common with their animal influence, medically speaking, than what I know. I guess I’ll need to increase my veterinary medicine knowledge just in case. If only I could, there are no books I can study. Everything is going to have to be trial and error. I just hope there aren’t any accidental deaths because of that. I guess I can’t be tried for malpractice here, but that’s going to weigh on me a lot more if I screw up. As such, I started compiling data about beastfolk. It will be useful eventually.
It seems clear that the powers that be want to utilize my knowledge. After thinking about it, I was a little disrespectful to the prince. The fact that I’m not dead means they must really value me. Of course, the fact that I’ve had bodyguards from the palace for several weeks both in the capital and here certainly helps that idea.
Adelade here is being really talkative, but she’s showing me the basics of magic. I guess I’m a natural as she keeps getting surprised when I do what she says. Maybe it’s because I have a broader imagination because I have Earth to draw on. She did say that envisioning a spell’s outcome has the greatest effect on it. Also, feeling my magic power respond to my will rather than just being sucked up is different.
There it is, the invitation. Adelade wants me to come back to the capital with them. It’s a tempting offer, don’t get me wrong. This case though has emphasized one thing to me though. My practical knowledge in this world is limited. The only way to fix that is to go and practice medicine. Though I suppose I could get that experience in the capital, I don’t want to be exclusive to nobles and royalty. A journey it is. A note should work, right?
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Although towns and villages are considered well spaced out by the people, I can get to two or three a day depending on the patient count. I don’t charge a lot either, so the poorer folks out in the sticks here appreciate it. I even take medicinal herbs and cloth in exchange.
Cloth is great because after I thoroughly clean it I can make bandages out of it. But I do save some for, what I consider at least, an important side project. Now that I can utilize magic too, the process is more efficient as I can gather larger quantities of cotton for stuffing. I think the kids really like the stuffed animals I make. Though there haven’t been many yet, I’ve given one to each baby I deliver as well. Surgical suturing is good sewing practice after all.
The last village I was just at said the elves live in the forests nearby. I don’t know a whole lot about elves yet. Going there would be good for expanding my knowledge. Maybe I can do continuing education after all.