The Embers Book I: The First Fires Of War

Chapter Twenty-One: Casualties Of War. FIN

Chapter Twenty-One: Casualties Of War 

Taylor's back throbbed as he lay flat on his belly with his top removed waiting for Aeon to see him in the medical area. He was led on a metal surgical table which was cold to his flesh and did little to comfort him amid the pain he felt. The rest of the room was little better, the walls were painted a dull grew and wasn't all that big with only enough space for four beds which were all occupied. He was in between the others all in a row of metallic beds. To his right was a man with bloody stumped wrapped up in a hastily put together bandage, the wound would have healed from the heat but it must have been excruciating. Luckily for him he'd passed out from the pain and was being seen to be another doctor, a woman whose name Taylor did not know. 

She had brown hair tied up into a neat bun with a hair net, keeping any hairs from falling out into the stump of the man as she tended to it. She removed the bandages to reveal the most grotesque sight Taylor had ever laid his eyes upon. The hand had been severed with a diagonally cut just below the wrist, bone from his arm was showing and the wound had gone an odd colour, maybe indicating infection. He tore his eyes away as she set to work on cleaning the man’s wound and hoped to keep him alive. The wait didn't last much longer as a moment later, Aeon came bursting in through the double doors from the outside, causing them to bang into the walls as the swung out.

His face was etched with weariness as he looked upon the patients before him; he walked over to Taylor and with even an utter of a word set to work on his wound. Once his gloves were on he assessed the wound for a few moments, this set Taylor on edge. He'd assumed the wound was shallow but of course he'd not actually seen it for himself, now he expected the worst. 

"You are extremely lucky, Taylor. Whoever stabbed you got very close to your spine, from what Tobias briefly said you managed to roll away from the attack. If it had pierced you a moment longer, you would no longer be amongst the world of the living" said Aeon, his voice professional and lacked emotion. 

"I guess I got lucky then" said Taylor. He'd come so close to death and he hadn't even known. 

"Luck has nothing to do with it. Mylar trained you well, and it paid off young man be thankful for such a blessing" He said. 

"Blessing? Didn't think you were the religious type" He said with a smirk but winced a moment later as Aeon began to clean away at his wound, sending his nerves flaring off in pain. 

"Not particularly, but I class all gifts whether given or earnt a blessing. Even if there is a god or not" He said. 

The conversation ended there as Aeon continued to concentrate on Taylor's wound, after applying burn ointment he applied a large amount of gauze over it. He asked for his patient to sit up so he could begin to secure the gauze with a bandage, once he was sat up he went about wrapping the bandage around his waist twice and then fastened it with a pin. He tested that it was wrapped firmly about his body and also that the pin was placed correctly, so it would keep it in place. He stood back, pleased at his work and smiled. It was the first time he'd smiled in such a long time but he allowed himself to do so and break away from his usually hard exterior. 

"All done, just make sure to be careful not to twist too much, and stop by to see me every few days to have that bandage changed and the wound cleaned. Also take this burn ointment and make sure to apply it to the wound at least twice a day without fail" said Aeon handing him a small white bottle. He took it and nodded at the instructions he had been given. 

"Thank you, Aeon. I'll leave you to the rest of your patients, I'm sure you have a lot of work ahead of you" said Taylor. Aeon merely smiled and gave a curt nod as his king left the medical area and entered the reception.