Machine of Fire and Blood

FOUR

Calaithe held her breath as the medicine man held two fingers against Kade's wrist, checking his pulse.

"Good. Now, sit up for me and take a deep breath in," the medicine man instructed, placing a palm flat on Kade's bare back.

Kade did as he was told. Calaithe's eyes raked over the medicine man, trying to gauge any sort of inkling she could about Kade's condition from his facial expressions. The man's face remained blank, however. Calm and neutral. He was old with greying hair and fragile looking, sagging skin. She suspected he'd seen many people in far worse condition over his long life. She curled her fingers into the bottom of her loose fitting shirt, trying to bite down on the impatience she felt. She wanted to know what was wrong with Kade.

"Alright, I think I've seen enough. What kind of conditions have you been living in up until now?" the man questioned.

"I lived and worked in a large furnace room, shoveling coal and stoking the fires," Kade replied.

The man nodded. "Yes, that explains a lot. All that coal dust hanging around in the air, it isn't good for the lungs. And you are not planning on going back to that furnace maintenance job?"

"No," Kade barked out with enough ferocity to cause the medicine man to raise his thick brows.

"Good. That's the best remedy for it then."

The man turned and began packing up his small bag. Kade pulled his shirt back on.

"That's it?" Calaithe gawked. "You're not going to prescribe him something? Or put him on bed rest?"

"No," the old man said simply, shutting his leather case. "There is nothing that can be done for the lungs in a case like this except giving them a chance to rest. Finally breathing fresh air is the best thing for the boy."

"But we paid you! We gave you good money, and for what? So that you could listen to him breathe for a few moments and then leave without doing anything? If all I'd wanted was for someone to listen to his breath, I could have done it myself for free!" Calaithe cried.

The medicine man whirled on her. "What you paid for, young lady, was an expert to let you know whether your friend was going to drop dead tomorrow, and to better understand what was wrong with him. Sometimes, I cannot provide healing. All I can do is let you know that you don't have to worry about saying your goodbyes and getting your affairs in order quite yet. All I can do is provide peace of mind. And peace of mind is not something to be looked down upon. Not everyone has that luxury."

Calaithe stared at the man. He was right, of course. Before he'd come, she'd been terrified not knowing what was wrong. Now, at least she had an idea of what was going on, and knew that Kade wasn't on the brink of death. It would make sleeping at night much easier.

"Thank you, then," she finally breathed.

The man narrowed his eyes, but turned away from her. "Now, boy, would you kindly walk me out? I don't do so well on stairs anymore and I'll need some assistance."

Kade nodded and stood. He took ahold of the man's elbow, guiding him out of the room. He shot Calaithe a small smile over his shoulder as he shut the door behind them. Calaithe let out a sigh and sat down on the edge of the bed. Her and Kade had gone out first thing in the morning and stocked up for their trip before going stall to stall in the Square, asking who the best medicine man in Hyward was. After discovering that the best was not only expensive, but near impossible to get an audience with without being a person of import, they opted for the best they could afford. Calaithe crossed her arms over her chest. She was still upset that during the fifteen years she'd been trapped in the Manor, not much about medicine had changed. It was still difficult to find a medicine man, and even if you did, they would only take on the case if you had money—as if only the rich and powerful deserved to be healthy. Not to mention, women were still forbidden from practicing medicine. Everything about it felt rather exclusionary.