We Are The Cure : The Plague Doctor's Tale.

Chapter 8

They entered the first house marked with the black cross they encountered. There were three graves in the yard. One of them looked like it was new. The interior of the house resembled Jack's interior but in different colour palette. Thin hallway led them to the sleeping area where most of doors was closed except for one. They entered the room where a young boy was lying on his back on the floor. Rosalynn instinctively wanted to lift him up but Doctor barred her way with his cane and instead he came closer to the patient. He hunkered down beside the boy and using his cane examined his skin. 

"Hmm... swollen neck lymph nodes..." He turned the boy's neck from one side to another. Then he looked at boy's fingers and toes. "No gangrene symptoms. He will live." He finally said and turned to Rosalynn. "Here is my bag. Hand me what I will tell you to. Remember, no objections, no questions. And most importantly, do not touch the sick." He didn't wait for her to respond. Using his cane he torn boy's clothes apart showing his pale skin covered with sweat. He did the same with trousers. 

"What do you need then, Doctor?" Rosalynn asked confused by the sight of naked male body. 

"First, hand me the vinegar bottle, a sponge, an onion and a knife." When she did that, he spoke again. "Also, we have to raise the temperature in this room. Bring more firewood." When she left the room, Doctor poured vinegar on sponge and cleaned boy's body thoroughly. Then, he cut an onion into slices and placed them on visible buboes. He himself stood up and went in search of more candles.

Soon Rosalynn came with firewood. She was holding only four pieces of wood.

"Why so little?" Doctor asked a bit disappointed.

"I couldn't lift more." She admitted putting the wood by the hearth. 

"Well, it must be enough for now. Here are the candles I found. Light them up." He handed her the candles he found and came back to the sick. When she was lighting the candles and putting more firewood into hearth, the whole room became less dim. "Finally, some light in this dim room. Rosalynn, find bottles with dried herbs in my bag."

She grabbed his bag and after a while she got out three round bottles. Each of them was signed with a beautiful handwriting. 

" "Rosemary", "Thyme", "Sage"." She read out loud small labels. 

"Exactly, throw a handful of each of them  into the fire. This should cleanse the air." She did as he told her to do. Meanwhile, Doctor was still examining the boy's body as there was more light than before. He found more buboes on boy's groin and armpits. He sighed so loudly that Rosalynn heard that.

"What happened, Doctor?" She was about to go in search for more firewood.

"I got too optimistic for this patient. But there is still hope for him." He cleansed the other buboes with vinegar and put onion slices on them. When he was done, he removed the slices he put on neck buboes and rub a herbal ointment. "Now, let's wait." 

After Rosalynn put even more firewood in the hearth and Doctor changed the last onion slices with ointment, they left their patient and went to the other marked house. For some reason, the house was crowded with the family of the sick and curious neighbours. Every pair of eyes was gazing at them with both horror and disbelief. They were equally surprised when they saw there the ginger girl from before. She was in the middle of some kind of rite when they entered the room. 

"Long time no see." She greeted them with a neutral tone in her voice when she was done casting spells. The room was already relucent with candles. 

"Indeed." Doctor answered briefly examining the room and their new patient. An elderly woman was lying on her bed with her eyes closed. She looked like she was long departed, however, her chest was still slowly moving up and down. Also there was a small posy placed on her forehead. "What did you do to this woman?"

"I rubbed these swollen nodes with a mint ointment, gave her an intensive herbal drink and prayed for her to my one and only saviour SATAN." She answered emphasising the last word. The villagers gasped with terror. Meanwhile, she started packing the bottles into her basket. She was about to leave.

"Hm... Actually, this is a pretty nice job you did. What is your name, Miss?" The girl looked at them cautiously.

"It's Mary. I-..." She wanted to say something but a man suddenly invaded the room of the sick screaming.

"My wife is in labour! Mary, quick!" Everyone looked at the man, then at Mary. The girl scanned the crowd and her quick gaze stopped in Rosalynn's direction.

"You." She pointed at the plague nurse. "You're a female doctor so you must know how to midwife. You're coming with me." Mary grabbed Rosalynn's hand and they both disappeared in the crowd before Doctor even protested. Instead, he sighed annoyed and came back to examining the sick. 

...

Both girls entered the house which was located near the rectory. It was easy to guess which house it was as the female screams were heard  in the whole Castleton. They reached the labouring woman and Mary spoke to Rosalynn.

"We have to place her on the ground. It will be easier for her and for us. Grab this blanket and place it on the floor." After Rosalynn did what she told her to, together they helped the woman to got down on the floor. Her screams were getting louder and louder. Mary grabbed a pillow and placed it under woman's head. 

"Breathe, Emily. Breathe." She spoke calmly to the labouring woman. "You must focus on breathing and relax your lower muscles." 

"I'm trying but it hurts so much!" Emily answered in tears. 

"I know, darling. I know. It will be over soon. I promise-...Oh! I can see the head! Push, Emily!" The woman grabbed Rosalynn's hand and squeezed it so hard that Rosalynn almost screamed in pain herself. 

Emily was pushing, screaming and squeezing her hand at the same time. Mary seemed like it wasn't her first time midwifing, however, for Rosalynn, it was the first time indeed. 

"You." Mary spoke to Rosalynn. "Come and help me get the newborn out. I will gape the birth canal and you will pull the baby. Hold it's arms and pull slowly. Ready?" Rosalynn gently grabbed little arms and nodded at Mary. "Pull!" She was pulling the newborn while its mother was screaming her lungs out. Thankfully, the baby came out smoothly and safely.  

It was difficult to hold a newborn in her arms as it was so slippery due to blood and body fluids on its skin. Mary quickly brought a knife and some towels to wrap the baby and to wipe Emily. First, she cut out the umbilical cord and then wrapped the baby in one of the towels. She handed the baby to Rosalynn and Rosalynn gave the baby to its mother. Meanwhile, Mary was taking care of Emily's lower body part.

...

"You did a great job." Said Mary on the way home. "And sorry for taking you with me. I thought... I thought that you might be better skilled in midwifing than me."

"I'm sorry I disappointed you." Answered Rosalynn both embarrassed and confused. She could still hear Emma's ringing screams in her ears. 

"It's fine... So... How long are you staying in Castleton?" She asked.

"I don't know. As long as Doctor says so." Rosalynn guessed and Mary nodded. 

"You have to visit me tomorrow! I would like to get to know you better." She smiled and Rosalynn smiled back but after a while she reminded herself that Mary couldn't see her smile because of the mask.