Gift- Book 1

Chapter 27

"Oh, and have this," She opens her pack back up and pulls out the pack of crackers and grain, handing it to Vaeic. She gratefully takes it with a smile and gasps as she takes out full flasks of water, which will certainly be many people's first drink of clean water in days. She piles it all in her stained apron and starts moving it to the back room. "Go talk with Clyra," She nods to the short woman helping a patient in the corner. Vaeic disappears into the back room and Clyra jerks her head to urge Leiea over. She follows until standing right next to the nurse, who's holding the stitching kit from her medical pack and hovering over a young boy with a gash in his thigh.

"Can you do stitches?" She asks, her voice sounding sore and raspy from smoke inhalation.

"I... have never done something so big, but I can try."

"Good enough. At least you're not scared of blood like half of the others that tried out. Knock yourself out." Clyra hands her the tools.

"I... uh, okay." She flips them around in her hands and goes into the project with a wary hand, trying to ignore the shrieking coming from the patient.

"Look what you've done, you worthless thing! He might as well lose his leg now, thanks to your work!" Clyra screams, snatching the tools back out of Leiea's shaky hands. Something went wrong along the way- maybe she put the stitches too deep- and now the boy's blacked out the areas around the stitches that look bruised or stretched too tight. Dumbfounded and unsure, Leiea profusely apologizes and the nurse waves her off, calling for Vaeic again. She emerges from the back room, her eyes widening at the scene and immediately softened by Leiea's bout of panic and rookie failure.

She mouths an apology to both of the nurses again and runs out of the tent. Her arms refuse to stop shaking and watching them go off with the boy's blood on them sends her mind into a frenzy. My first test as a nurse, and I blew it! She thinks, slinging her back back over her shoulder.

She tries to convince herself otherwise. I specifically told her I can't stitch large wounds. That I'm not at all at their level of expertise. And yet, she let me work on that poor boy.

She wipes her hands on her pants and jumps when Sheyric pops out from the side of the tent. He glides over with a troubled look in his eyes.

"Whatever happened in there was extremely loud." He says.

Leiea shuffles and holds her hands up a bit, Sheyric snorting at the mess on her arms. "They tried to test me by stitching up a leg. I've never done such a big project and now his leg is probably amputating. They won't want me back."

He pauses before responding, glancing back at the tent. "That sounds like their fault. They'll take you for feeding the patients or something."

"I suppose," She sighs. "Oh, and I promised Ryn that I'd stay in his tent, for now. I'm not sure if you have a place to stay though.."

"Ah, no, I do. I found an old friend that lived by some miracle. A really rambunctious man, but it's something, " His face and body language say he's fine with her staying with Ryn, but the smile is too fake to think it's real. He continues. "I'm guessing you gave food to people?"

"Some to Ryn, the rest to the medical tent. Gave out some water, too."

"Well that's something you did for them. I'll get what my stash has left, it's only right to give to everyone." He says, nods before stopping again and looking at her. "I nearly forgot. I'm planning to go hunting regularly for the camp. Big game will last a while here, and they ran out of rations of fresh food a few days ago."

"Oh, are you going with the hunting team? They didn't sound too successful from what I was told."

He blinks. "Hunting team...? You must know more about this place's system than me. No, I'm going alone. As far from the burn scars as possible, so it'll be some trips."