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"So have you done one of these practicals before?" I asked her.
"Oh, dozens," she assured me. "Medications is my first class, and those practical classes are on opposite days from First Aid. Last year, I had Trauma Response and Long-Term Medical Care. They're usually pretty laid back because we're working with real priests. The problem is that it's easy to get distracted and miss the point of the lesson."
"Noted," I told her as another group came down the stairs.
They were laughing and talking amongst themselves. When they saw Talin standing beside me, a few jerked their chins at him in greeting. Others said "guardian," the same way I used "priest" as a greeting. Their acceptance of him was casual and easy, which allowed him to relax a little.
"So, I'm probably not going to be allowed to follow you around in there," Talin said, then gestured to a chair along the wall. "I'll just camp there until you're done, if you're ok with that?"
"Next time, bring a book," Wen told him. "Besides, if she gets hurt in here, at least you know there's a physician close enough to handle it."
Which was when Farik, our instructor, poked his head into the hall. "Ok, all of you are here? Well, come on in." Then his eyes landed on Talin. "Nari, you brought your guardian?"
"I follow like a well-trained puppy," Talin assured him.
Which made Farik laugh. "Good. You can either get comfortable in our waiting room, or I can use your help."
That made Talin's head twitch. "Really?"
"I have a Priestess of the Body with a broken collar bone. Her guardian isn't happy about it." Farik lifted a brow. "I'd love a little extra muscle for this."
"Glad to help," Talin assured him.
We followed Farik into the room. Like everything else in the temple, the walls were made of white marble. The infirmary was mainly one large room. I could only guess that it mimicked the living quarter space for Obligation, but privacy screens were set up in rectangles along the walls. They were made from white cloth, which allowed the shapes on the other side to be seen, but no details could be made out. It was just enough to tell if the area was empty or not.
Priests in loose-fitting black clothing wandered from bed to bed. Farik directed us all to get our black coats, which were really more like an over-shirt to protect our clothing, and then he moved to the first patient. Before he pulled back the privacy screen, Farik paused to let us know what we'd be looking at.
"All of the patients you'll see today have consented to being a part of your training. There are many injuries that are worse, and there will be dozens that are lesser. Still, since this is a course in First Aid, I have tried to select the sorts of incidents you are likely to come across somewhat regularly."
"So mostly trauma?" Wen asked.
Farik smiled at her. "Or accidents, yes. Now, this is a Priestess of the Body. Her patron decided to break the rules they had agreed to and became aggressive. It is a common injury for this Path, and one we deal with far too often. Her guardian is with her, but what you all need to understand is the nature of the bond between these two. When the desire feels pain, the guardian will always try to make it stop, even if that pain is a result of repairing an injury." He looked over at Talin. "Which is where I'm hoping you'll help."
And then he pulled back the screen to reveal a face I knew. "Jola?" I asked, stepping forward.
Leaning over her, clasping her hand, was Harlin, one of the men who'd helped me learn the Path of Protection. I'd broken the man's nose by accident and Zeal had repaired it. The sound of his desire's name made Harlin look up, and his eyes landed on me. Surprisingly, that made his entire body relax.
"Nari," he breathed. "What are you doing here?"
"She's with my class," Farik explained. "And I'm going to have her guardian step aside with you. If you try to come back, he will stop you."
"And you know I can do it," Talin added. "Let's give them room to work, Harlin."
Harlin stood up straight, but he looked like he didn't want to move away. "She broke her collarbone."
"Harlin," Talin chided. "You know he's helping. I know it's hard."
"Go," Jola told him, patting his hand. "Talin, he'll shove at you when they set this."
"Been there," Talin promised her, stepping in to grab Harlin's arm and tug.
That was what made the man finally back off, so Farik moved the screen a little more, then gestured for all of us to encircle the bed. I made my way to the opposite side of her injury, right beside her head. Wen moved in right beside me.
"You will find," Farik told us, "that Priests and Priestesses of the Body are the easiest patients we get. With this Path, the best thing to do is let them know when a treatment might hurt, and allow them to prepare for it. They are often trained to take pain, you understand."
"If we know it's coming, we can relax," Jola said, reaching over to push down the gown that covered her shoulder, exposing the wound. "We also don't tend to be shy, Farik."
He nodded at her, then moved her gown a little lower so we could all see the dark bruising and mis-aligned collarbone. Her skin was swelling around it. Farik made a point of explaining how easily visible it was, what the bruising meant, and when we should worry about something more serious underneath. Then he talked us through how he was going to set it.
