Night Watch I: Eliza, Ward of Andrew

*Andrew’s POV*

I stood behind Eliza, all the materials ready. I had started to sweat to the point of being uncomfortable. Her left wing was so badly broken, I’d have to splint it in a closed position. But to get it in place was surely going to hurt her terribly, regardless of whatever argument she had made about it not being a big deal. I had felt along the main breaks, and parts had started to heal in the wrong position. They would need to be re-broken. Fuck. Mammalian wings were so much tougher; when I fucked mine up, I just waited for them to molt…

“It will be fine.” Eliza turned her head and smiled at me reassuringly. I smiled back weakly. It wasn’t that I didn’t know what I was doing. It was that I didn’t want to do it. I knew she would feel it, whatever her elven lineage did, it didn’t make her unfeeling. “We agreed, Andrew.”

“So we did.” I frowned, hesitating still. Shit. I felt Eliza take my hand.

“You have a gentle, healing touch.” She squeezed my hand. “I have never allowed anyone to use pain medications to treat me before now. You must be a good negotiator.” She clasped my hand again, then turned and waited expectantly.

I had some kind of passing thought or feeling, but I had to concentrate, so I brushed it aside. I briefly wondered if, technically, she had a second set of forearm bones in her wings. “Your, umm…”

“It’s ok. I know; it’s a little weird; different from yours. They’re called an aerial radius and an aerial ulna.” She chuckled.

“Oh, uh, I see. Well, I think they both have a mostly transverse fracture, but with a few fragments. It’s begun to heal incorrectly. I’m going to re-break them, and bandage the splint to them with your wing closed. So, um, those two, with the splint, will be folded against your back, along with, errr, your wing and, aerial-humerus, by the bandage. Does that make sense?” Eliza nodded, looking unfazed. “Tell me if it becomes too painful.” I saw her raise an eyebrow, but she nodded.

With that, I steeled myself for her cries of agony, ready to try and roll with her to the ground when she fell. I took her twisted wing in my hands, focused everything I had into keeping my movements forceful but precise, and wrenched both the bones back into approximately the right shape. I had felt a crunching when I had re-fractured the site that made my heart hurt. The sound of newly-formed bone snapping was audible and made me almost sick to my stomach, it was happening to someone I cared about. I felt the delicate muscles of her wing spasming underneath my hands where I held her wing in place correctly.

Eliza hadn’t moved, but she let out a small hiss. She turned just her face, and I saw her pupils completely obscured her irises, and her eyes were wide open. It was mildly terrifying. “Shit, that does sting a smidgeon.” Her pupils were… vibrating?

I must have made a face because Eliza quickly turned back around, facing away from me. “I’m sorry, I should have warned you that the use of pain as fuel was literal.” She sounded sad, self-conscious. “Just don’t look at my eyes if they bother you, I can’t control it. It will wear off a while after we’re done.” She hesitated. “Shit, I’m sorry.”

I beamed. “What are you talking about? That was awesome!” Devil’s decanter, I was willing to bet that Eliza’s grandfather’s people would keep fighting after having an arm lopped off in battle! I saw Eliza had begun smiling too.

I carefully adjusted and bound Eliza’s aerial bones, now re-aligned, to the splint, then bandaged her wing closed, to her back, incorporating her aerial humerus. I was careful to avoid rub spots; friction anywhere that might cause ulceration.

When I was finished, I walked all around her, inspecting my work for flaws. It would do for now, enough for a quick nap, tonight’s Watch, and long enough to get to the Healer’s Tent tomorrow.

Afterwards, Eliza helped me set up Juliet’s hammock. I was grateful Eliza had the decency not to ask any questions about Juliet. When I asked if Eliza thought a bit of rest was in order before Watch, I was incredibly relieved that she seemed enthusiastic at the prospect. I wanted to get started on trying to relieve any built-up, er, tension, that might be skewing my judgment, as soon as possible.

Notes

hmm... wonder how well this is going to work out...