14 Does This Doctor Even Know What She's Doing!?

Clay:

They led me to the side of the enormous castle where there was a small stone door that was camouflaged into the wall. The two guards pushed open the door, revealing a small stuffy-looking room. The walls were a light blue colour, everything else was drab with different shades of grey. "Patch this boy up." One guard grumbled as they pushed me inside the room.

I almost lost my balance, the sudden torc on my body sending waves of pain starting from my shoulder and igniting through the rest of my shoddily treated injuries. The door slammed behind me; the guards left. I guess they didn't care what happened to this doctor... or maybe whoever was here could take care of themselves. At least I thought that until the wooden chair at the desk turned around.

The face that turned to me wasn't a hardened, cold expression like I expected. She was a very young-looking girl, couldn't have been much older than me. She had deep dark brown skin and very long, burgundy hair in tight curls. Her eyes were also a dark pinkish-red colour, soft. The clothes she wore seemed bland enough to be some sort of uniform. It was a dark grey colour, matching the room she sat in.

"O-oh my gosh! Please sit on the bed there!" She stammered, her voice was high-pitched and delicate, sounding like she was hesitant to say every word she spoke. The girl jetted up from her chair and staggered around the room. She seemed panicked as she searched through the closets and drawers, pulling out many supplies I didn't recognize. The way she acted made me think she was unsure of herself…

Does this doctor even know what she's doing!?

Despite my doubts, I slowly made my way over to the bed with white sheets and sat down on top of it. To my surprise, when I did, the fabric sunk down. I gently lowered my behind into the fabric. It was so soft, like I was suddenly sitting on a cloud.

"Um… I'm sorry! To make you wait… that is." The girl said to me as she brought her handful of supplies over, rolling over a white table on wheels. She slid the thing next to the bed where I was sitting. "I ah… haven't seen you before. Are you… a new student?"

"Something like that," I stated, keeping my eyes shifted away from her. There was a long pause, a pause so long it made me think to the stupid girl dropped dead or something. It was to a point where I couldn't take the curiosity anymore, shifting my gaze over to her as she stared at me with quivering lips. "What!?" I snapped. "Spit it out if you're gonna say something."

"W-Well… you…. you see… um…" She began, each staggered and long pause raising my blood pressure to new heights.

"DAMN IT SPEAK NORMALLY!" I shouted at her, only making her lips quiver even more. She brought her hands up to her face as if hiding what she looked like now was going to help anything.

"I'm sorry! But you have to… take off your shirt! Since… since your injury... is on your… shoulder…" She finally could say after so long.

"Well geez, you're a doctor aren't you? Why do you gotta make it so awkward?" I spat at her. The way she was acting made me feel like it was some sort of problem to take my shirt off in front of a doctor. Not that I had much experience with them… I guess both doctors and girls. Maybe it was a girl thing…?

Either way. I carefully peeled my now blood-coated grey shirt off of my body and tossed it onto the floor. I winced having to raise my arm to slip off the fabric but once there was nothing rubbing against it and with the cool outside air on the injury; it felt better than it did before.

She looked quietly at me, peeking through the cracks between her fingers like that was going to be some form of censorship. "Wow… that's a lot of scars." She mumbled, those words made my stomach feel tight.

"Ya, AND!?" I snapped back at her like the statement was an attack against me. Her pointing those out made me feel sick.

"N-nothing! I'm sorry! Just… it's just…" She stammered again, and I bared my teeth at her. Sensing that I was going to snap at her again, she pressed on. "When injuries... go untreated, or are... treated poorly. They… they have a higher chance of scarring."

I paused for a moment when I saw her eyes swirling with worry. She had such warm, kind eyes. It made me wonder if I'd receive that same gaze if she knew who I was… if she knew all the things I have done. "Just patch up my shoulder," I told her.

So, that is what she did. With a small nod, she grabbed some weird-looking liquid first. The girl poured a bunch onto my open wound and as soon as she did; I felt like she lit a fire where the open flesh was.

Out of pure instinct, I lashed out. Grabbing the poor defenceless girl and tackling her to the ground. I pinned her onto her stomach, twisting her hand behind her back as the strange liquid bottle dropped to the floor. "YOU WANNA DIE!?" I shouted at her.

She winced from me contorting her shoulder, but now as I was pinning her down I could feel her entire body was loose. She wasn't struggling at all. There was no attempt to break my grip. This girl… let me tackle her. "I-I'm sorry! It's just alcohol! It's disinfecting your wound." She explained quickly.

I stared down at her for a moment. Then, as my adrenaline died down, my heart no longer racing, I realized I was not in danger. So, I slowly let her arm go and climbed back onto the bed. I just stared at the wall as I heard her rustling to get up.

"You… have… never treated your injuries before…?" The girl asked with a sudden shakier-sounding voice.

I didn't answer.

"M-My name... is Isabella. I am from the Iris family… we… we are a medical noble house... this… knowledge… was passed down for generations…" The girl explained to me in a soothing voice as if knowing what family she was from would make me feel better. She then grabbed something sharp from the table.

"Clay…" I responded, pressing my lips together at the sight of the sharp object in her hands.

"Clay. S-stay still… o-ok? From now on... I'll tell you everything I am about to do." Isabella offered.

I managed a small nod.