Chapter 46 Chapter 44 Healing

"Xiao Man" "We're running out of time, I wanted to do it myself, but the angle is not good, there is no other way." "I don't think I can do this." "For Jamie, too?" I pressed the unscarred side of my face tightly against the headrest of the car seat and closed my eyes. Jared picked up the fist-sized rough rock I found and weighed it in his hand for five minutes. "You'll have to peel off the outer layers of skin to cover the scar, and that's it. Come on, Jared, we've got to hurry, Jamie" Tell him, I say do it now, and be quick.

"Mel said to do it now, and you have to make sure you use enough strength to succeed once." silence. "Come on, Jared!" He took a deep breath, gasping for air.I felt the flow of breath and my eyes closed tighter. There was a crushing sound, followed by a thud—that was the first thing I noticed—and then I recovered from the shock of the trauma and started to feel pain. "Ugh." I moaned.I don't want to make any noise, I know it will only make it harder for him, but the body can't help it.Tears pooled in my eyes, and I pretended to cough to hide my sobbing.After the impact, my head was buzzing from the shock.

"Xiaoman? Meier? I'm sorry." His arms were wrapped around us and pulled to his chest. "It's okay," I whimpered, "we're okay, did you tear it all off?" His hand rests on my chin, turning my face away. "Ah," he took a breath, feeling a little sick, "I tore half of your face off, I'm sorry." "No, well done, well done, let's go." "Okay." His voice was still weak, but he placed me carefully and let me lean against his seat, and then, the rumble of the car sounded. I was startled by the icy air hitting my face, irritating my bare cheeks, and I forgot how it felt to be blown by the air conditioner before.

I opened my eyes, and we were driving along a flat, dry riverbed—an unnaturally flat, man-made riverbed.It winds and stretches into the distance, and circles the bushes, and I can't see the way far away. I pull down the sun visor of the car and unfold the mirrors.Under the hazy moonlight, my face was black and white.There were black bloodstains on the right side of the face, and the oozing blood flowed to the lower jaw, dripped into the head and neck, and wet the collar of the clean new clothes. My stomach churned. "Good job." I whispered. "How much pain are you in?"

"It's okay," I lied, "it won't hurt for long anyway. How far are we from Tucson?" It was then that we reached the highway.Oddly enough, seeing the road race made my heart race with panic.Jared stopped the car, the bushes concealing the car.He got out of the car and removed the oilcloth and chains from the bumper and put them in the trunk.Back in the car, he drove forward slowly, carefully checking his surroundings to see if anyone was on the highway, and reached for the headlight switch. "Wait a minute," I said quietly, I dare not speak loudly, I feel that it is easy to reveal my identity here, "let me drive."

He glanced at me. "I can't be seen walking into the hospital like this, it will attract too many questions. I have to drive, you hide behind and tell me how to get there, do you have a place to hide?" "Okay," he answered slowly, backing the car back into deeper bushes, "Okay, I'll hide, but if you drive somewhere I didn't tell you to go" Oh!Melanie was stung by his suspicions, and so was I. My voice was lifeless: "Then shoot me." With no response, he got out of the car with the engine still running.I climbed over the drink rack and got into his seat when the suitcase slammed shut.

Jared climbed into the back of the car with a thick plaid blanket under his arm. "Turn left at the curb," he said. The car has an automatic transmission, but I haven't driven it in a long time and I'm uneasy.I drive forward cautiously, relieved to find that my driving skills are not in jeopardy.There was still no one on the highway. I drove the car onto the highway and became panicked again facing the empty road. "Lights," said Jared, his voice coming from the bottom of the seat. I searched and found the switch, turned on the light, and it was frighteningly bright.

We're not far from Tucson—I can see a yellowish halo in the sky, and the city lights ahead. "You can go faster." "I can't go any faster." I protested. He paused for a second: "Isn't the soul speeding?" I laughed hysterically: "I obey all the laws, including traffic laws." The halo of lights became clearer and clearer—becoming individual bright spots, and the green traffic signs reminded me that there was a fork in the road ahead. "Take Inna Road." I followed his instructions, and he kept his voice low, even though we could have spoken louder in such a remote place.

In this strange city, I was suffering unbearably.Seeing houses, apartments, stores with bright signs, and knowing that you are surrounded by it all, outnumbered, makes you uncomfortable.I wondered how Jared felt, his voice was strangely calm, but he'd covered himself like that before, many times. There are other cars on the road now, and I cringe in terror as their lights sweep across my windshield. Can't fall now.Xiaoman, for Jamie.You have to be strong.If you can't do it, you will fall short. I can, I can do it. My thoughts on Jamie tightened my grip on the steering wheel.

Jared guided me through the sleeping city, and the healing department was just a small place.It must have been a former medical building—doctors' offices, not a real hospital.There was light in most of the windows and glass walls, and I saw a woman behind the reception desk.She didn't look up at my lights, and I drove into the darkest corner of the parking lot. I wear a backpack, the bag is old but looks okay.Everything is ready, there is one more thing to do. "Quick, give me the knife." "Xiaoman, I know you love Jamie, but you really don't have to use a knife, you're not a fighter."

"Not for that, Jared, I want a wound." He took a breath: "You have a wound, enough!" "I need the same wound as Jamie. I don't know how to treat it. I have to carefully observe how to treat the wound. I wanted to get a wound just now, but I'm afraid I won't be able to drive like this." "No, don't do that again!" "Give it to me right away, someone will find out if I don't get in sooner." Jared figured it out pretty quickly, and as Jeb said, he was the best because he knew what to do and executed it so quickly, I heard the metal sound of the knife sliding out of its sheath. "Be very careful not to scratch too deep." "Are you coming to paddle?" He took a quick breath: "No." "Ok." I took that nasty knife with a heavy handle and a very sharp edge that tapered towards the tip. I try not to think about it, and I don't want to give myself the chance to back down.Arm strokes, no leg strokes—the only hesitation was this.I have scars on my knees and I don't want to have to cover up the scars on my legs. I held out my left arm and it was shaking.I put my hand against the door, turned my head and bit the headrest.The right hand holds the handle of the knife, clumsily but firmly.I press the point of the knife against the skin of my forearm so it doesn't scratch, and close my eyes. Jared is going to be out of breath, and I have to do it fast, or he'll stop it. Just pretend to be digging with a shovel.I tell myself so. I poked the knife into my arm. The headrest muted my screaming, but it was still loud.The knife slipped out of my hand—with a sickening jerk from a muscle—and fell to the ground with a thud. "Little Man!" Jared yelled gruffly. I couldn't speak yet, and I was trying to hold back a cry that seemed to come out of my mouth.I was right, you can't do this before driving. "let me see!" "Stay there," I gasped, "don't move." He ignored the warning, and I heard the tucking of the blanket behind me.I clung my left arm to my body and opened the door with my right.I almost fell out of the car door, Jared's hand was on my back.This is not restraint, but comfort. "I'll be right back." I coughed and kicked the car door shut. I staggered across the parking lot, suppressing nausea and panic.These two sensations seemed to be playing games - neither letting the other control my body.The pain wasn't too bad - or rather, I wasn't feeling that much anymore.I was going into shock, so many kinds of pain came one after another, warm blood was running down my fingers and dripping on the road.I wondered if the fingers could still move, but I was afraid to try. The woman behind the reception desk was of middle age, with dark chocolate skin and strands of silver in her black hair.As I staggered through the automatic doors, she stood up. "Oh, no! Oh, whoops!" She grabbed the microphone, and her voice amplified from the ceiling, "Therapist Nitz! Come to the anteroom! There's an emergency patient here!" "No." I tried to speak calmly, but my body shook in place, "I'm fine, it was just an accident." She put down the mic, hurried over to where I was staggering, and hooked her arm around my wrist. "Oh dear, what happened to you?" "So careless," I said vaguely, "I fell on a rock while hiking. I cleaned the wound after dinner and had a pocket knife in hand" She seemed a little surprised by my hesitations.There was no suspicion in the way she looked at me—nor was it funny, the way Ian sometimes looked at me when I was lying—just concern. "Poor boy! What's your name?" "Glass Spears, 'Glass Spire,' I told her, using a very common name from a member of my pack on Bear Planet. "Okay, Glass Speers, the therapist is here, and you'll be all right in a little while." I don't feel flustered anymore, this kind woman is patting me on the back, so gentle and caring, she will never hurt me. The therapist was a young woman with hair, skin, and eyes of about the same shade of hazel.It made her look special — a monochrome look, accentuated by her tan surgical gown. "Wow," she said, "I'm Nitz Fell, the healer 'Fireweaver', and I'll fix you soon, what happened?" I told my story again while two women helped me through the hall and into the first door, and they laid me down on a hospital bed covered with paper. The ward looked familiar, I'd only been in a place like this once before, but Melanie's childhood was full of it.A row of low double cabinets, a sink for the therapist to wash their hands, and a bright, white wall.She opened the cabinet.I know it's critical, trying to focus.The cabinet was filled with rows of white cylindrical medicine bottles stacked on top of each other.Without thinking, she reached for the bottle, knowing she needed it.There's a label on the vial, but I can't see the words, "A little painkiller should help, don't you think?" When she unscrewed the cap, I saw three words on the label again, Painkiller?Is this medicine what it says it does? "Open your mouth, Glass Speers." I did, and she took a small square piece—it looked like a piece of tissue paper—and placed it on my tongue.It melted instantly, tasteless, and I swallowed unconsciously. "Is it better?" the therapist asked. Yes, it has worked.My mind is clear - I can concentrate easily.Under the action of the small square tablet, the pain gradually dissipated and disappeared, and I blinked in surprise. "yes." "I know you're feeling better now, but please don't move, your wound hasn't healed yet." "certainly." "Wei Lan, can you get us some water? She seems to have a dry mouth." "Go right away, Therapist Nitz." The older woman left the room. The therapist turned and opened another cabinet this time, this one also filled with white vials. "It's right here." She took out the top bottle of a stack of medicines, and took another bottle from the other side. As she took it, she listed the names of the medicines, as if trying to help me complete the task. "Anti-inflammatory agents—internal anti-inflammatory agents, external anti-inflammatory agents, restoratives, where's the healing balm, scar powder. You don't want scars on your pretty face, do you?" "Well, I don't want to." "Don't worry, you'll be as beautiful as ever." "Thank you." "You're welcome." She moved towards me with another vial.The cap pops off with a bang, and there's a nozzle for the aerosol underneath.She sprayed it on my forearm first, coating the wound with a clear, odorless mist. "Healing must be an enjoyable career." My voice sounded just right, interested, but not overly so. "I haven't been in the therapy department since the implant, which is interesting." "Yes, I love this profession." She started spraying my face again. "What are you doing now?" She smiled, and I guess I'm not the first curious soul. "It's an anti-inflammatory agent, it keeps foreign objects out of the wound. It kills bacteria that might cause wound infection." "Anti-inflammatory agent." I said silently in my heart. "There are also internal anti-inflammatory agents, in case something accidentally gets into your system, please suck this in." In her hand she held a different white cylinder, this one thinner, with a pop at the top to reveal a sprayer-like nozzle underneath.She pressed a mist into the air above my face and I swallowed, the mist tasted like mint. "This is Restorin." Nitz Fehr continued. She unscrewed the lid of another storage jar, revealing a small drip tip. "This can promote your skin tissue to fuse and grow as before." She dripped a little of the clear liquid over the big gash in my arm, and held the edges together.I can feel her touch, but it doesn't hurt. "I'm going to let the wound heal before I do that." She opened another container, this time a hose, and squeezed a thick, clear gel on her finger. "Like glue," she told me, "it Can stick anything together and let the prosthetic do its work.” She spreads the gel all over my arm in one quick swipe, “Okay, you can move now, your arm is healed.” I lifted my hand to look, and a pale pink line could be seen beneath the shimmering gel.The blood on my arm is not dry yet, but it has stopped bleeding.As I stared, the therapist briskly wiped my skin with a damp washcloth. "Turn your face this way, please. Well, I guess you fell badly on the rocks, bad luck." "Yes, I fell badly." "Well, thank goodness you can drive yourself here." She dabs the restorative drops on my cheeks and smooths them with her fingertips: "Ah, I love watching it work, it looks better already. Nice wound edges," she chuckled, "Maybe some more One coat, I want to get rid of the scars here." She rubbed it on for another minute, "Very good." "Here's water." The old woman said as she walked through the door. "Thank you, Azure." "Call me if you need anything else, I'm right up front." "thanks." Azure left, I wondered if she was from the flower planet, blue flowers are rare - someone might name it after it. "You can sit up now, how does it feel?" I sat up: "very good." This is the truth.I haven't felt this healthy in a long time.The rapid transition from excruciating pain to relief made my feelings even more intense. "That's what it should look like, okay, let's sprinkle some scar powder on." She twisted open the last vial, shook the bottle, and poured the iridescent powder into her palm.She patted the powder on my face, poured it into the palm of her hand, and patted it on my arm. "You always have a fine line on your arm," she said apologetically, "like the nape of your neck, it's a deep cut" She shrugged, brushing the hair on my neck absently to examine the scar, "this Beautifully done, who is your therapist?" "Well, Fez Sunny," I used the name of a former student, "I used to live in Eureka, Montana. I didn't like the cold, so I moved south." It's all lies, and I feel my stomach squirming anxiously. "I'm from Maine," she said, not noticing anything in my voice as she cleaned the blood from my neck. "It's too cold for me, too. What is your duty?" "Well I'm a waiter at a Mexican restaurant in Phoenix and I like spicy food." "Me too." She looked at me without doubt, and was wiping my cheek. "Very well, don't worry, Glass Byers, your face looks wonderful." "Thank you, therapist." "Of course, would you like some water?" "Okay." I remained calm.Even if I wanted to swallow the whole glass of water, I couldn't do it, but I couldn't help but finished it, it tasted so good. "Do you still want?" "I want it, that's great, thank you." "I'll be back when I go." As soon as she was out, I slid off the mattress.The paper on the bed crackled, and I froze.She didn't turn back, time was running out.It took Azure a few minutes to pour the water, and maybe the therapist took the same amount of time.Maybe the cool, pure water is far away from this room, maybe. I slipped the backpack off my shoulders, jerked the straps open, and started with the second locker.There was a stacked column of restoratives, and I grabbed the entire column and tipped it gently into the bottom of the pack. What should I say if she catches me?What lies can I say? Next, I took two types of anti-inflammatory from the first cabinet.There were two stacks of each type of anti-inflammatory, I took the first stack and half of the second stack, then the pain relievers, both stacks were taken.I was turning to get the healing ointment when the labels on the second row of cylindrical vials caught my attention. Cooling medicine.For reducing fever?There are no instructions on it, just labels.I take down this stack of bottles.None of the medicines here are harmful to the human body, I'm sure of that. I grabbed all the healing balms and two jars of blemish powder, not taking any chances anymore.Gently close the cabinet and pick up the backpack.I lay down on the mattress and there was another crackle, trying to look relaxed. She didn't come back. I checked the clock. One minute passed. How far away was the water?two minutes.three minutes.Was my lie as obvious to her as it was to myself?Beads of sweat started to ooze from my forehead, and I wiped it off immediately.What if she brought back a hunter?I thought about the little pill in my pocket and my hands trembled, but I could do it, for Jamie.Then I heard quiet footsteps, two people, coming down the hall.