The Lady in Armour

CHAPTER 18 - DRUNKEN JO

CHAPTER 18             -               DRUNKEN JO

 “How is Jo?” Hanna asked worriedly.

The healer looked at Hanna and then at Jo who is lying unconscious on the bed. She wanted to tell her that her sister is in critical condition but she knew it would only make Hanna more agitated. The men gathered inside the room might not be hysterical when she told them the truth but she is sure Hanna would be.

But isn’t her only concern.

Everyone, including her, thought Jo is a man and not and not a woman so it is really a surprise to her when she found out that she isn’t. When she finished putting medicine on Jo’s scars, she wanted to ask Hanna, who stayed with her in the room at that time, but decided not to when she saw how worried she is.  

“The patient lost too much blood,” she said instead. “If you’ll look closely to the patient’s throat, chest and right arm, you’ll see that they are full of scratches. The blood from those scars and the patient’s continuous coughing of blood had made he –”

“Got it!” Mon cut in.

The healer is about to say ‘her’ and it made him panic. At a time like that, he knew he isn’t supposed to be worrying about it but he made a promise to Jo that he’ll help her keep her little secret. He might not be good at lying but he sure is good in making excuses.

“I mean… we already know that,” he stammered. “What we really wanted to know is what kind of disease caused that.”

The healer looked down at Jo. “I really do not know. I’ve never seen anything like this. All her scars are caused by her. I think something inside her body hurt so much that she clawed her own flesh in an attempt to get rid of it.”

Everyone looked down at Jo. They too have no idea what is going on though something they saw on Jo’s body kept bothering them. Since Jo’s body is covered with too many scratches, they couldn’t tell what it really is. One thing is for sure though.             

They saw it moved. 

“Let’s just leave her for now and let her rest,” she suggested. “I’ll get more herbal medicines in the forest. One of you could stay here and watch her – I mean him.”

Everyone in the room started leaving. Travis and Maki volunteered to help the healer find more herbal medicines while Liam insisted on staying with Hanna and Jo. Hanna is hesitant at first but agreed nonetheless.

Liam and Hanna took turn in watching over Jo. There are times when Jo would suddenly scream and start clawing her chest again and the two would stop her with Liam pinning both her hands on both her side and Hanna holding her feet. Sometimes she would just scream in pain and sometimes she would murmur the words, ‘kill me’.

By twelve midnight, Liam and Hanna are left with no other choice but to tie both her hands and feet. Travis and Maki joined them then because they heard Jo’s screams. Eyes bulging and body arced upward; Hanna almost fainted. Not one of them knows what to do – even the healer is left speechless and all worked up.

“Do something!” Hanna cried and knelt on the floor.

The men looked at the healer, desperately seeking for her help but she only shook her head.

Five past midnight, Jo stopped thrashing. Her clothes are drenched in blood and sweat and all her wounds have opened and started bleeding. Only Hanna and the healer remained in the room to change her clothes and remove the dried blood on her skin.