Chapter 15:

[Ethan Talon]

New Hope, Kingdom of Galena
Formerly Fremont County, Colorado
June 16, 2011
Change Year 13

Ethan sat at the edge of his bed and stared down at his thigh. The surgeons had removed the arrow after the battle, but the wound still hadn't started to heal. His whole leg was swollen, red, and hot to the touch. A foul smelling fluid was being secreted from the wound that would dry as hard green-yellow crust.

He finished dressing and hobbled down the stone steps in search of Tess Ryder. He found her working in her surgery treating one of the farm workers. He waited patiently for Tess to finish treating the farmer.

"Milord," the farmer said with a bow of the head.

"Mornin'," Ethan replied. Walking fully into the surgery, "Hey Doc, I'm not doing too well."

[Tess Ryder]

"I can tell." Tess said as she glanced at his leg. "Take off your pants and get on the exam table." she said in her usual no nonsense style. "This is what happens when you don't see me for things like this." she walked over to a cabinet and opened a very large lock and hummed as she looked inside. "Now, I'll probably need to drain that wound and get some of the natural antibiotics I've been working on in there." she shook her head. "You know how many legs I've had to take off because of that same kind of wound? I'm tired of cutting off legs. And I'm not cutting your's off."

[Ethan Talon]

Ethan dropped his trousers without hesitation or shame. The arrow had penitrated just behind the armor high up on his thigh. "Good, cause I don't think you could take the leg in this case." He grunted in pain as he crawled onto the table laying on his right side, because laying flat or on his left side hurt too badly. "I think I have a fever too," he added as he wiped away sweat forming on his brow while simultaneously shivering with cold.

[Tess Ryder]

"You certainly do have a fever." Tess said as she felt his forehead. "Probably fighting off some nasty infections, your body is doing what it needs to do, but I'll help it." she walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a bottle with oil. "This may smell like I'm making you a ham, but that's just the clove oil and the other spices that have antibiotic and antiviral properties. Once upon a time they called this Samaritan's oil. I must say it's been fascinating rediscovering old medicines and techniques." she took a closer look at his leg. "This is definitely infected, now, I'm going to numb it as much as I can, but it's going to hurt like hell when I clean this. I can knock you out with some Ether, but it's going to be painful. If I don't then gangrene will set in to a point where I'll no choice but to take the leg and i don't think either of us want that. Plus... you know how hard it is to saw through a bone?"

[Ethan Talon]

"Just get it done. Whatever it takes," Ethan said flatly. He wasn't in the mood for preamble or a lecture.

[Tess Ryder]

"Well there is such a thing called informed consent." Tess reminded him. "And in this hospital... I'm the Queen." she winked her eye at him. "Speaking of Queens... how is your queen doing since her mother is finally spending more time here. Three generations of Ryder women around... most men would be annoyed at having their mother and grandmother in laws living with them." she said as she prepped a few things. "Actually I take that back four generations if we count young Diana."

[Ethan Talon]

"Like a duck to water," Ethan replied. "You know how Trinity is. Family is important, but she thrives with or without you. Diana will make an even better queen. She's smarter than I'll ever be, and she's a changeling. She understands that generation and they her. A part of us will always be a part of that old world, and no matter how hard we try we still think of things through that lens." He sighed, "I lived a life for the most part that helped me to be more prepared for this. Riding, and ranching works the same now as it did when there were cars. Trinity and her gardens helped her teach others, but that in no way prepared us of large scale farming needed to feed people and cattle. But, I tell you what, I miss my old Piper Cub. Getting in the air and flying... well there's nothing like it, and I suppose I'll never fly again."

[Tess Ryder]

"If you don't mind not having an engine, there's always gliders." Tess said as she worked on his wound. "I keep thinking someday we'll figure out a way to get some of what we lost back and yet... a part of me is happier. Simpler life. Get us back to our roots, although I do worry we'll lose the drive to innovate." she numbed his leg and gently started to clean it. "A new dark ages as it were but if we don't have hope there's a renaissance and a gilded age on the way..."

Tess hummed as she worked and then poured Ethan a shot of moonshine. "It's really strong, but it should help... I did give it a bit of flavor so it's not just jet fuel. Some of the nurses found it pretty much numbs you to any pain for a while, certainly not healthy in the least but under medical supervision you should be fine. This is about ten times more potent than vodka. So don't think you're getting more than a couple of shots of this stuff. I can only take three before I'm out cold."

"I can do three." Lucy said as she walked over and scrubbed in. "And I'm half your size Tess." she chuckled and picked up one of the trays with gauze and wraps. "Still yeah not something you would drink for fun..."

[Ethan Talon]

Deep inside Ethan's leg the trauma had caused a blood clot in the artery broke loose and traveled through bloodstream where it became lodged in the pulmonary artery of the lungs.

Grabbing his chest Ethan groaned in pain. "Doc... I can't breath, and my chest feels like I've been kicked by a horse."