lia

I had practiced countless procedures in simulations before, but this was the first time

injury was worse than I expected. A silver weapon had torn through a major bloo

the vessel. The bleedi

painstaking process of debridement. Millimeter by millimeter, I e

There was only the focused pool of light, the gl

suture the artery, the

him!" Coraima shrieke

hrough me. One slip, one tremor,

out, grabbing her wrist in a grip of i

t.

arried the authority of someone who understood life

es, the gleaming scalpel, and the fury in my eyes

r arm and hauled her backward, slamming the door shut. "

ky breath, forcing the adrenaline do

, but a monofilament finer than a human hair, taken from my dimension. My fingers moved in

ry pulsed with life, the blood

rst wa

inserted the needle into his arm, and watched

e force, battered and weakened, greedily soaking up the life I was giving hi

lly, I applied a salve containing antibiotics and

nearly an hour. My bac

s pulse was strong, his

is sleeping face. The sharp planes and angles,

life would be infinitel

s chest, a deep, quiet satisfaction settled ove

et stared at me, his fa

"He needs a clean, qu

wly changed. The disbelief and shock in his eyes gave way to pure adm

her face a mask of disbelief at th

instruments, returning them to the dim

ur hours. Keep the wound dry. Here are some herbs for the pain."

ng low. "Physician, how can

ut him off. "I did it

d disappeared into the pre-dawn mis

stle before sunrise. Toni