Page 105 of Booked for Murder

“You’re not going to lose your foot.”

“That’s something.” I glared at the cast, which was bulkier than my old cast. “I’m not even going to be able to use a wheelchair with that thing. I’ll try to move it, and the weight of it will anchor me to the floor.”

“While I’m relieved the current drug you’re on has mitigated your tendency to panic upon waking in a hospital, I am concerned.”

“I’m concerned, too. I’m not going to be able to move at all with this thing. My foot is more secure than Fort Knox right now. Nobody is getting to it. You’ll need a chainsaw to free me from its clutches.”

“I’m sure we can handle removing your cast when it’s time for it to come off.” Dr. Mansfield checked my IV stand, confirmed the readings on the clipboard, and flipped through the pages. “There are a few issues I need to cover with you before I’ll allow visitors. I’ve barred visitation due to your tendency to panic while coming out of sedation, although we only had four failed attempts to safely rouse you this time.”

“I even woke up without an audience,” I reported.

“Yes, we were using the heart rate monitor with a low threshold for an alarm to allow the nurses to be able to work with other patients without having to be on constant observation. We’ll try this drug again for future procedures, as you seem to be having a far better time tolerating your situation while on it, and I’ll be looking into anxiety medication for you for future hospital stays. It would be foolish of me to presume you will have an easy time coping with hospitalization.”

“I like doctors but being an inmate sucks.”

She chuckled. “You’ll be here for three or four days. Two days from now, we’ll be evaluating how your foot is healing, and you’ll undergo another procedure. If everything goes well, you’ll be here for another twenty-four hours post-op and leave with a lightweight medical boot.”

“Wait, lightweight? I thought you were going to put me in a heavy thing to force me to walk on that side.”

“I’ve changed the plan following your latest operation. In some ways, the bullet was a blessing in disguise. While it broke bones in your foot, I was able to correct a lot of your prior injuries while addressing the trauma from being shot. You’re now eight months ahead of schedule. I was able to work with several menders to restore a great deal of your bone and muscle strength. In even better news, we had a medically trained exsanguinator in the operating room, and he was able to direct the cardiovascular menders on how to restore proper circulation to your foot.”

Wait. A medically trained exsanguinator? “Repeat that?”

“Which part?”

“About the exsanguinator.”

“Ah, I see. The exsanguinator is a member of the armed forces who is trained as a field medic. As Senator Maybelle’s death classifies as an assassination, the military was called in to review the case along with the FBI. I don’t fully understand the legalities, but I appreciated his assistance, as Senator Maybelle was on a new prescription to treat a medical issue, one that contaminated your blood along with the blood of the other victims. The drug was initially developed for military use to combat ability fatigue, but it’s in development as a general treatment for ability degradation. The side effects are not well documented, but it’s doubtful you will suffer from any long-term consequences, as the substance was removed from your bloodstream. Apparently, if taken for too long, it can become very addictive, but short-term usage can allow magic to be used extensively with minimal consequences. Essentially, the drug was why you were able to push the limits of your general abilities and treat three patients at one time. It was giving your natural abilities a significant boost. It is probable you were functioning at a complete 100% magical aptitude rating while under the influence. It took him several hours to purify your blood, which had to be done before we could begin treatment on your foot.”

I remembered the hot, slimy, and greasy contamination in Senator Maybelle’s blood, and I needed to ask Bradley to have Mickey check into the medical industry for any relevant research on the subject. “Why was she on it?”

“That is private information.”

“Magical aptitude degradation?” I guessed, well aware there were drugs on the market available to treat such a disorder—and a senator pushing through ability reforms would not want her aptitude rating to drop below the threshold for her benefit. “It felt similar to the one prescription I was given.”

“I can neither deny nor confirm that,” Dr. Mansfield replied.

“What’s the deal with my foot, really? I’m prepared to grudgingly accept if you have to cut it off.”

“We are not going to cut your foot off, Janette. Your foot is healing well, and you’re ahead of schedule for a recovery, not for an amputation. Your blood chemistry is back to normal, your foot’s circulatory problems have been addressed, and we did another round of treatments on your lungs while we were there, as your blood oxygen levels without influence of your magic were below acceptable ranges. The exsanguinator helped maintain oxygenation while the menders worked on restoring your organs to functional levels. We also took the time to do a proper check on your spleen.”

“How is my adopted spleen doing?”

“Very well. The transplant is being consider a complete success. We also did an aptitude test post operation.”

Uh oh. While most aptitude rating tests were done while the person being tested was conscious with special bracelets meant to monitor and rate, someone skilled could adjust their rating. The more expensive test, which most insurance companies refused to cover and cost thousands of dollars, could test aptitude ratings through more invasive means, best done while under sedation and impossible to falsify. “How’d I do?”

“98.7% is your new registered aptitude rating. We suspect because of the refined work involved with constantly oxygenating your own blood and correcting your circulatory problem, you further developed your magical ability. This, however, could be a significant problem for you because of the nature of your ability. With your physical health problems being handled properly, your magic will no longer have an outlet. You will have to do daily exercises to use your ability so it doesn’t bottle up.”

I grimaced at the thought of my magic erupting due to disuse and accumulating, something I’d been warned about could happen to adepts who weren’t vigilant about their abilities. “And my 17.2% rating?”

“The exsanguinator who came to assist with your treatment confirmed that a high-grade adept who is constantly draining their ability doing refined work can register that low. It’s more impressive you were able to maintain the working on yourself for so long. I do have some good news for you, however.”

“You do? What good news?”

“Your ability has been declared unsuitable for military use, and I have a recommendation for you to attend medical courses so you can work in volunteer positions, and if you would like to change careers, a recommendation would be issued for you to attend medical school. Exsanguinators require a special exemption for medical school, and I have the documentation signed, certified, and in the safe in my office. An official copy will be given to you upon your release from the hospital, so you can keep it in a safe place. Your demonstration at the rally has done substantial work in favor of exsanguinators in the medical field. Without you, at least one of the patients would have died before trained medical professionals arrived.”

“It’s rather difficult to survive through a torn aorta.”