by Donna

When Dr. Helm found out that he was going to have to leave to go tend the injured man at the fort, he gave his new nurse quick instructions for Father Alec’s continued convalescence and then headed out the door. The nursing sister went back into the darkened room, to continue her quiet vigil.

The injured priest had drifted in and out of sleep, occasionally rousing enough to talk with the young novice for a while. At one point, he tried to get up. That proved to be a mistake. Luckily, Sarah Jo was able to grab a wastebasket and so avoided having to clean up a mess.

Once the heaving stopped, the priest sat weakly on the side of the bed, his head throbbing painfully. "You should lay back down, Father" the nurse said gently, but he shook his head, groaning as that made it hurt even more.

"I have to get up," he whispered, the sound of his own voice adding to the sledge hammers pounding inside his skull. "I have to.., I mean..." He groaned, clutching his head.

"If you need to relieve yourself, I can bring you a bedpan," she told him. "Dr Helm does not want you to try standing or walking for at least 24 hours."

"Oh, Sister, I don’t know if I can do that with you…" he sputtered, his face flaming.

"Don’t worry, Father, I’m sure that I can work things so that you can," she chuckled. "But while you are sitting up, lets get you changed into something more comfortable to sleep in. I found a nice night shirt that you can wear."

Not letting him help her anymore than necessary, she removed his cassock and the shirt he was wearing underneath it, making a mental note of the bruising she saw on his thin, pale body, especially on the left side of his rib cage. "Have you been fasting a lot lately, Father?" she asked. When he said he had been, she asked him for how long. Information like that would be helpful in encouraging a speedier recovery. She certainly didn’t want to make things worse by trying to feed him a full meal after a long period of extended fasting.

Slipping the nightshirt over his head, she told him he could undo his pants for her. Sarah Jo had him lean forward, using her strong shoulders for balance, while she pushed his pants down over his hips, letting the nightshirt fall to preserve his modesty. Once she had him undressed, the young nurse placed the clothing aside. She would wash the blood stains out of his cassock and shirt once he went back to sleep.

Once she had him changed, Sarah Jo handed him the bed pan. "Ah’ll step out of the room while you use it," she said. "Just don’t try to get up! Ah don’t want you to get hurt even more, and you could if you hit the floor," she said in such a way that it reminded him of an old teacher of his.

"Yes, Sister," he said, a grin on his face. "No standing up. I promise." His legs felt so wobbly he didn’t think they would support him anyways. A few minutes later, the deed was done, and he called her back in. Placing the bedpan aside, Sarah Jo helped him to lie back down and put the covers over him.

"When Dr Helm gets back, we will see about you having a little bit of light broth to eat," she said. He made a face at the thought of food and she chuckled. "Don’t worry, you’ll be hungry soon enough. Now get some more rest while I take care of things."

Time passed, and Sarah Jo heard someone enter the clinic. Stepping outside the sickroom, she looked to see who it was. "Dr. Helm?" she called out softly.

"Yes, it's me."

"Is everything at the fort all right now?" she asked, leaning over the balcony.

"Yes," he said, a little tiredly as he stretched, putting down his black bag. "Just a flesh wound to the Gluteus Maximus."

Sarah Jo chuckled. "Go get some rest then, Doctor," she said with a bright smile. "Morning will be here before you know it."

"Yes, sir, Ma'am," he said, saluting, and then yawning, at her. He quickly covered his mouth and apologized.

He climbed the stairs and went into his bedroom. Without even bothering to undress, he laid down on the bed and was asleep almost immediately. And so ended an eventful day for the medical staff of Edan.