Free Marie's Journey (Ginecean Chronicles) by Monica La Porta

appropriate, but she was smart enough to keep her thoughts to herself.
    “The patient needs his wound cleaned and dressed with clean gauzes.” Rane put together what was needed for the task and then passed the tray to Marie. “You must come close if you want to learn anything.”
    Marie felt Rane’s disapproving look and hurried to join her at the head of the bed where a blond mane was slowly moving as if its owner were waking from deep sleep, although he had answered Rane a few seconds ago.
    “He’s heavily sedated. Don’t worry. He isn’t going to bite.” Rane beckoned her closer still and Marie obliged fearfully, worrying she was never going to please the woman.
    “What happened to him?” Marie could see bandages on his naked arms and shoulders. Someone had carefully tucked linens around the rest of his body.
    Rane answered her question by gently peeling the linen down to the man’s abdomen. Then with equal gentleness, she raised the hem of his undershirt and uncovered his torso. She moved him to his right side where a bloodied bandage covered a big portion of the upper body. She removed the dressing to show what lay beneath. Two wide, angry-red marks marred his already-ruined skin. “They treat them like animals and then pretend they work again the morning after.”
    Again, Marie didn’t ask who “they” were. She had already decided it was safer to let the woman mumble her heretic thoughts and pretend she hadn’t heard or understood. The aftermath of the recent whipping sickened Marie and she had to avert her gaze. She remembered how a slap she had once received on her face had stung and wondered how much a whipping that had cut the skin in two long gashes would hurt.
    “Pass me the peroxide. I’m worried it’s going to get infected.” Rane pointed to a small plastic bottle on the tray she had given Marie, which she promptly opened and handed to her.
    Marie didn’t expect the reaction of the transparent disinfectant once poured on the wounds. The peroxide sizzled on contact, forming white foam that engulfed the red wounds. “Good,” Rane said and Marie shivered at the same time the blond head thrashed side to side.
    “Keep him in place,” Rane ordered, filling the gashes with the peroxide and dabbing at the liquid as she poured with a steady hand.
    Marie applied all her weight on the man’s shoulders to stop his frenzied rocking and ended with her face close to his. She heard him swearing softly, and when his eyes fluttered open for one brief moment, she was surprised by two bright-green lights staring back at her. Dear Goddess, it’s Grant! She recoiled from the shock. The wounded back, his deep gashes… The whole picture seemed uglier than a moment earlier and she had to repress a gasp.
    “Keep him down, would you?” Rane muttered something else Marie didn’t understand.
    Rane shoved Marie out of the way as the doctor calmed Grant and finished dressing his wounds by herself. “What’s the problem with you? Didn’t you want to be a nurse? What do you think it means? Redecorating the patients’ rooms?” The woman was furious and her eyes shone dark and bright.
    Marie felt small and useless as Rane towered over her and pushed her toward the wall by poking at her chest with a finger. “Change your attitude or get out of here and nev—” Grant moved on the bed and emitted a haunting sound that stopped Rane midsentence. Both Rane and Marie ran back to him.
    “Why is he screaming?” Marie couldn’t bear to hear the piercing laments. “Can’t we do something?” Please make it stop.
    “He turned on his back. That’s why he’s screaming. And yes, we can do something to help him. It’s called a strong opiate.” Rane showed her how to keep Grant on his side and then went to a cabinet where there several small bottles stood behind glass. The brunette fished a key out of one of the pockets on her vest and opened the cabinet. “Here, take one. You’ll feel better.” She placed a