Despite the blood, Perry watched intrigued as she washed the cut and stitched it from the inside out while he handed her the shiny surgical tools she needed.
“Is she going to live?” the publican asked.
“I hope so.”
She worked quickly without raising her gaze from the woman. Silence lingered in the room. The only sound came from the snoring physician.
After she stitched the wound, Perry helped her wrap a tight bandage around the woman’s belly. A round of applause rose from the crowd once they finished. He sagged against the table, hands shaking.
“She’ll need a proper doctor anyway.” She wiped her hands.
“He should be on his way.” The publican spread his arms. “Ale on the house.”
Perry covered the woman with a blanket the publican produced from behind the counter while Edith sat on a chair, her hair dishevelled and her eyes wild.
He squeezed her hand, and she flashed a little smile.
They waited in the public house for the doctor to arrive in an eerie silence. After the outburst, no one chatted, the music had stopped altogether, and only the sound of the patrons sipping their drinks could be heard. It took the doctor a good half anhour to arrive. Without Edith’s help, the woman would be dead by now. The patrons formed a circle around the improvised operating table again.
“Out of my way. Let me see,” the doctor said.
Perry held his breath for both the woman and Edith. She had to see that medicine was her call after the incident.
The doctor examined the woman and inspected Edith’s work. “Who attended to the patient’s wound?”
Edith stood up. “I did. It was a penetrating abdominal trauma, two inches from the spleen. The patient went into shock approximately two minutes after the event. I believe the shock was due to the fright and the pain rather than to a severe laceration of an artery or hypovolemia. I performed a ligation of a branch of the splenic vein, using the smaller haemostat clamp, although the laceration wasn’t as deep or serious as I feared, but I thought it wouldn’t harm,” she said all in one breath.
“Blimey.” Perry scratched his chin. “I wish I understood what you said.” But it was bloody arousing.
She blushed, looking adorable. “I just said the patient lost a lot of blood, but she didn’t faint because of that.”
The doctor nodded, a wide smile stretching his moustache. “I’m impressed, miss. The patient needs absolute rest, and I’ll have to inspect the wound every day, but, miss, you did a good job.” He offered his hand to her, and she hesitated before shaking it.
“Did I?” she said in a low tone.
“Absolutely. Your quick assessment of the patient’s condition saved her life. You should think about becoming a professional.” He checked the woman’s pulse. “Perhaps you don’t know, but there are a few medical schools that accept women. It’s your moment, miss. Take advantage of it.”
Perry beamed, but Edith’s mouth didn’t contract; it remained strained as if she were smelling something foul.
When they left the public house, Edith shivered despite the fact she was wearing a thick cloak and that no chilly gusts blew.
“You saved her,” Perry said, shrugging off his coat to drape it around her shoulders.
“I was so scared. Look.” She showed him her shaky hands. “I haven’t touched a book on surgery in years, and the last time I practised was beforePrincess Alicewhen my father showed me the different suturing techniques on animal carcasses he got from the butcher. Mother hated our practice. She thought it was horrific. Only a few times, Father let me practise on unclaimed cadavers in the morgue.”
“I don’t need all these details. Thank you.” He put a hand on his chest.
“Tonight, it was the first time I stitched a human, a living one, that is.” She wheezed.
“Even the doctor said you did a good job.” He swept a curl from her face, feeling her cold skin.
“I’m not sure how I feel right now, but I know I was lucky.”
“That’s not true. You were used to studying and reading years ago. All the knowledge you gathered didn’t go away. It’s there in your brain, waiting for you to decide to pick it up again.”
She leant against his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her.
“You should start studying again, become a doctor, and help more people survive a stabbing.”
