The Pearl Of Great Price

Chapter 30: Broken

Life is funny sometimes. It can press and squeeze pretty hard. But in the midst of all that pressing, all that squeezing, it brings hope too. No matter how hard the suffering and the setbacks, a reminder that good things can come out of darkness glimmers. After each trial there rises a stronger, better, wiser version of a self in a season of growth. Realizing that it wasn't a burial, but rather a planting.

However, Charles does not see it that way. It's going on day two of his beloved wife lying unconscious. He has not eaten, slept, or taken care of himself the way he should. He's at a loss and unsure of what to do. Except for one thing. He made it abundantly clear "Doctor Pearce. I need Doctor Pearce from Wales." 

The quack in the palace is on his last nerves. The man wanted to leech her blood, saying "She probably has bad blood in her system. Once it is drawn out, then the new blood will allow her to recuperate and awaken." He had to restrain himself from throwing the man, and his bag of tricks, out of the apartments and onto his ass.

Because there is "No way in Hell will I allow you to put leeches on my wife." The modern, skilled doctor from Wales was sent for posthaste. The minute he arrived, he was ushered into the Grand Duke and Duchess's quarters. Charles stepped away from the bedside and allowed the man to do his work. 

Doctor Pearce gave Her Highness a thorough examination. He turned to his apprentice Edmund and whispered something. Then he addressed the room which held the Duke, the King, Lady Dot, Sir Anthony, and Sir William. "As you ascertained already, Her Ladyship is not dead. Thank goodness, because a terrible fall such as she suffered could very well have brought that on. Now let's discuss what is wrong with her."

He bid everyone to take a seat. Once the party was seated, Doctor Pearce spoke again. "Upon examination, I found Her Ladyship has a few broken ribs. We need to set them back to the right immediately. I am most shocked that the palace physician did not do this already." 

Charles had to stifle a snort. It's not so shocking when you know what a fool that man is. With a hoarse voice, he asked "Once the ribs are set, will she wake up again?" 

The sympathetic doctor gave him a thoughtful look. "That is hard to tell My Lord. Your wife also has a chipped left knee. Edmund and I will fix that as well. There's major swelling there. Her left wrist is also swollen. It most likely is sprained, since I did not feel any bone damage. On top of these things, what most concerns me is her spine and neck." He noticed the faces of those gathered in the room grew pale at those words.

Pressing on, he told them all "Now I wouldn't worry so much because if there were something serious with the neck or spine, Her Ladyship would not be with us today. But because of the fall she took, I am concerned that there could be some nerve damage. Not to mention there's her back as well. When I looked her over I did not feel anything out of alignment in either her neck or spine. That's not to say the muscles or nerves aren't pinched. The only way to tell that is for her to wake up."

Not being able to hold it in any longer, Charles felt more tears leave his eyes. The King saw his longtime friend, nay brother, cry more in the past few days than ever in his life. So he voiced what everyone in the room is thinking. "You have told us all a lot of valuable information, Sir. But none of that matters more than my daughter waking up. When will she wake up?"

Shaking his head in understanding, Doctor Pearce looked to him. "Sire there is no way to know when a person will wake up from a traumatic injury. Make no mistake this was a traumatic experience. The brain is multifaceted, you see. It's precious and magnificent. When the body goes through trauma, the brain takes over and acts as the chief protector of it. This is primarily because the body's ability to cope is overwhelmed. The brain perceives you are in danger and works hard to get you out."