"You wanted to poison this child!" Rosalynn raised her voice disgusted with that idea.
"If there are gangrene symptoms then the case is helpless. It's better to end his suffering as at this level the pain is hardly bearable." Giovanni didn't seem to be moved with her discovery. "Tell me, do you want to see this little soul suffer longer? Wouldn't it be better to help him out?"
"I don't think this is the right way." She remained sceptical and looked at child with compassion in her eyes. "In my opinion there is still a chance for him." The little boy was breathing calmly with his face all red.
"Lost case." Said Giovanni indifferent focusing on curing the father. He was already applying an ointment on his body to prevent the occurrence of buboes.
He didn't notice when Rosalynn took care of the child opening her own bag and using her and Doctor's medical supplies. First, she make sure the temperature in the room is high enough although Giovanni wasn't very content with that fact as he was already sweated like a pig. Then she carefully took off all the boy's clothing and using a sponge wet with vinegar she cleaned the body. When she was done, she took a small jar with mint ointment which was a gift from Mary. She applied it onto his body, and added some more herbs on th areas affected with gangrene. After she applied an ointment, she grabbed a bottle with dried paper mint and threw them into the fire. Within few second the whole room smelled with that particular scent.
When she was done, she took a look at Giovanni's patient and quickly threw away one of the bottles Giovanni was holding in his hand.
"Dammit Rosalynn. Why have you done that? How am I suppose to help him when you break the bottles." He was gesticulating vigorously with his hands and his Italian accent was much more visible when he was annoyed.
"That was fool's parsley." She looked gravely a him. "I assume you wanted to use a regular garden parsley. Here, take mine." She handed him one of her bottles and he felt stupid. "You almost killed your patient, you know?" She gave him a cold look what made him even more embarrassed. He came back to treating the father with the right herb and applied some ointment on top of his skin.
...
"I'm sorry. " He said when they both were resting on the porch of the house with their masks taken off and taking some fresh air. The temperature inside was almost unbearable, especially for Plague Doctors who must wore their special clothing. Rosalynn looked at him with her face covered with sweat, all read from the summer heat.
"No problem. Just be more careful next time." She took out her handkerchief and wiped her face.
"How did you know it wasn't garden parsley?" Giovanni was truly amazed with her skills.
"The colour of the flowers and the smell." She smiled warmly.
"The smell?" He was surprised and confused at the same time. "When I have my mask on I can't smell anything so how come you noticed that difference?"
"Well, my smell is quite sensitive as from early childhood I was taught how to tell herbs apart, especially useful and poisonous ones. Oh, and besides, the fool's parsley has hairless leaves, sheaths and stems. See?" She pointed with her finger the poisonous plant which was growing in the grass near her shoes.
"You're right." Giovanni lifted up the bottle with garden parsley and noticed the difference.
"Did you pick it up by yourself?" Asked Rosalynn.
"To be fair, I've bought it from one of the merchants in Edinburgh. It looked like garden parsley to me so I didn't even smell it and that was my mistake." He smiled bitterly.
Soon they were about to put their masks back on and go see other plague victims when they noticed the same young boy from earlier. He looked more miserable than few hours before. The boy was still as pale as chalk, his eyes were rounded and the way he was walking resembled rather a half-dead person rather than a vigorous young man. Rosalynn and Giovanni looked at each other surprise both suspecting the boy of being an another plague victim but soon their suspicions were resolved as the wife of the sick father appeared on the porch.
"That's Mark Blight." Said the lady without any emotions in her voice.
"Is he sick?" Asked Rosalynn looking at the boy.
"Perhaps." The lady shrugged her shoulders. "Oh and you forgot one of your bottles." She handed Giovanni a bottle entitled "Parsley" and disappeared inside her house. Rosalynn smiled and they both headed to another house marked with white cross.
...
Meanwhile Doctor has already visited three houses and was about to enter the fourth one. He looked around and noticed a priest who was almost running out of the church with a small notebook in his hand. Doctor shook his head and knocked on the door marked with white cross. Hearing no response he pushed the door which soon where wide open inviting him in.
"Hello? Is somebody here?" Inside there was nobody or, at least, it looked like so. He made few steps forward and looked around. He noticed that the house interior was neat and tidy with few decorations and tones of light as there were no curtains in the windows. "Please, pardon my intrusion but your door are mar...-"
"Come in. I'm in my bedroom." Suddenly a weak female voice which was coming from his left side answered. He entered the very first room on his left and saw an elderly woman lying in her bed. She was all wrapped in blanket resting. To his surprise the room was quite bright due to curtains wide open. He noticed that the woman was reading a book. "Please, come in, Sir." She invited him and put the book aside.
"I prefer to stay here for a while." Doctor answered slowly carefully examining her from the distance of a door frame. She didn't look like she was sick or required a special medical treatment. Just an ordinary old lady with grey her and wrinkled pale face. At first glance there were no visible signs of plague. "Were there any symptoms of plague in your house?"
"Yes, Sir. Here, under my armpits." She lifted the material of her pyjamas and showed a swollen nodes. Doctor came closer to have a better look.
"A pestilence indeed." He agreed and put his bag near the bed. "Are there any other disturbing changes on your body? Do you experience any pain?"
"I don't think so, Sir. But it's better to check it. I'm not a plague expert." The old lady didn't seem to be afraid of Doctor or uneasy about him as most of his patients were. She was rather curious and remained calm. These facts surprised him and made him curious as well.
"You are quite an interesting person. May I know your name, Madame?" Asked Doctor while unpacking his back. He took out the bottles with herbs, some vinegar, sponge and an ointment.
"My name's Wilma. It's nice to meet you, Sir." She was taking off her pyjamas, just as she already knew what she had to do.
"Please, call me Doctor. And it is nice to meet you too, Wilma." When she was done, he examined her body in search of other buboes and he didn't find any except the ones under her armpits. "Other areas are untouched. The probability of your survival is rather high, Wilma."
"That's good to hear." She smiled relieved. Meanwhile Doctor watered the sponge with vinegar and cleansed her body. "That's how it's treated now? With vinegar and herbs?" Asked Wilma curiously trying to keep the conversation flowing.
"Correct." Answered Doctor nodding his head. " It was proved in numerous medical records that vinegar has cleansing properties and herbs are ideal for supporting the immune system which is why the human body is able to fight the pestilence. It is also beneficial to raise the temperature in the room. Only then the plague seeds are defenceless..." He started talking and soon realised she was listening to him with a gentle smile on her wrinkled face.
"You must truly love what you do."
"I cannot argue with that." He was cutting an onion into slices which soon were put on the buboes. "Please, stay with your arms close tight to your body for some time. Meanwhile I will bring some firewood to light the fireplace." Doctor stood up and was about to leave when he heard her calm voice.
"I've heard she is back." She was breathing slowly looking at the ceiling. Her mood seemed to change into more tired one.
"Who is back, Wilma?" He suddenly stopped and looked at her surprised.
"Somebody who has died quite some time ago. Haven't you heard about Dorothy's ghost, Doctor?"