Esprit Abbey

Chapter 4

Ava followed the healer into the room. There were several pillows propping the boy into an upright position. His eyes were open, though he still looked a little confused. Ava walked to the bed and looked down at the boy. There were bandages covering his torso and left arm. Though the wounds were sealed, there were still large blood stains on the gauze. Ava turned to the healer still standing in the room. "Why have you not changed the bandages."

"We were instructed to inform you the moment he awoke. We were about to."

"I can take care of it," Ava said.

The healer gestured to fresh bandages that were rolled up and placed on the table by his bed. "Help yourself," The healer said.

Ava gently lifted his arm and began unwrapping the blood-stained compress. "Has he spoken at all?"

"When he first awoke, we asked him his name. He said Cailean. He was still fairly incoherent so I can't guarantee that's actually his name, but it's how we've been referring to him."

Once Ava fully removed Cailean's bandage she saw that his arm was completely black and blue. "That doesn't look good."

"We haven't had a chance to treat the bruising yet. His torso is likely the same. I'll be back in a moment, don't replace the bandage just yet." The healer turned and left the room.

Ava carefully rested Cailean's arm on the bed and pulled him into a full seated position. She steadied him by placing her arm across his shoulders, just below his neck, and unwrapped the bandage from his torso. It was awkward doing it with one hand, there had to be a better way; however, she was so focused on what she was doing, it didn't even occur to her to question this method.

Once the bandage was free, she slowly laid him back down. The bruising on his chest and stomach was spotted; with color resembling the last moments of a sunset: blue, black, purple, and deep red. Clearly it was serious, but it didn't look as bad as his arm. She gently pressed on his chest with her fingertips. Practically no swelling, she thought to herself. Cailean winced and grunted causing Ava to quickly pull her hand away. "Sorry," she said.

The door opened and the healer reentered the room, carrying a large jar. He set the jar on the table and turned to Ava. "Rub this gently over the bruised areas."

"You're not going to do it? It must be more involved than just replacing a bandage." Ava said.

"Now that he's awake, I'm sure he'd prefer if you did the honors. It's just a simple Arnica-Comfrey salve, no special technique required."

"It'll take the bruises away?"

"And any pain resulting from them. It'll be tender as you first apply it, but it will bring relief." The healer smiled as he turned and left the room.

Ava opened the jar and looked at Cailean, wondering where she should start. She saw a dark stone hanging around his neck that she hadn't previously noticed. She moved it to the side and laid it on the bed so it wouldn't be in her way. She then used her fingers to scoop out a glob of the salve. She spread it over Cailean's chest and stomach and began to cover the bruised areas using gentle circular motions. Cailean grimaced as his body twitched away from Ava's hand. "Sorry," Ava said again but did not pull away this time. "He said it'll take a few minutes to kick in."

"You're fine," Cailean said exhaling. His face immediately relaxed as he let out a sigh of relief but tried not to move as Ava slathered his chest with the salve. After his chest was sufficiently coated, Ava began working on his stomach. His stomach inadvertently flexed as she ran her hands over it, causing sharp pain to shoot through his body; however, the pain instantly subsided. As Ava focused on his stomach, he noticed a warm and soothing sensation rush over him.