Will looked up when he heard the doorknob turn, and adjusted himself in the bed. He had been looking forward to Elizabeth’s visit for most of the morning, and could feel the grin spreading across his face. He had not realized how lonely he was, but the simple act of reciting his story – and finding someone who was both intelligent and willing to listen – had opened his heart. He could feel the joy in his face at the thought of another day talking, and tried to firm his mouth.
When the door opened, though, he saw a stranger at his door. This was not Elizabeth, but a very young girl, no older than fourteen or fifteen. He frowned, wondering at the new presence. Had Elizabeth grown tired of him already? Had something happened? Was she hurt? Was one of the children hurt?
The girl at the door shook her head when he asked, though, and smiled gently. “It is nothing like that, Señor. Some of the sheep have gone missing, and my aunt is the best tracker on our ranch. She has gone to find them.” The girl noted Will’s face, which had fallen with disappointment, and continued. “She sends her very kind regards and deepest apologies, and promises that she will be back later today.”
Will smiled again at this, and asked the girl’s name.
“My name is Carmen,” she answered quietly. “Elizabeth is mi tía, and is very kindly teaching me to be a healer.” She paused. “She knows a great deal about healing, you know, and you are lucky to have her attention. I am learning the uses of the herbs, and how to sew up wounds. I’m also learning how to bandage those wounds.” She held a set of clean rags up, raising one eyebrow, and Will smiled again.
“Ah,” he said quickly. “I should have known. Elizabeth has sent you for the ever-present changing of bandages.”
Carmen smiled, nodding, and moved toward him. They talked as she removed the old bandages from his wounds, and Will was struck at how mature this girl was. She had seen her younger brother attacked by a bear, she said, and had helped her aunt through her grief when her husband failed to return from one of her journeys. The accidents around the ranch had led Carmen to understand the importance of a healer, and she hoped to take over the position at some point, to give her aunt more time for other tasks. This girl had seen much tragedy, Will realized, and could have turned bitter and disappointed. Instead, she was taking what she had been given and was growing. She saw that the world was a violent place, realized that it was in need of healers, and made the decision to move in that direction. Carmen tugged on one of the old bandages at that point, though, and he grimaced as the wound cracked under her ministrations.
Carmen saw the fresh blood and gasped. “Oh, Señor, I am sorry. I didn’t think that the wounds would bleed again.” She blotted at the wound with a clean rag, stemming the flow of blood, and looked up to his face. Instead of worrying, he saw that her mouth was turned up in a smile. “This is a good thing, though, this blood. The wound bleeds cleanly, which means that you are healing. It means that there is no infection.”
Will looked down at the wound, pleased that it was healing properly, and spoke quietly. “You have seen wounds go bad, then?”
She nodded, looking down at her work. “I have. It is not a good thing. You are lucky to have clean wounds, Señor."
After Carmen had dressed Will’s wounds, she moved around the room to tidy things up, and went to fetch him some food. She was to be his companion for the day, she told him, and would keep him company until Elizabeth returned. As she left, Will felt his mouth turning up in an answering smile. He had truly made an important friend in Elizabeth. Even when she was called away on an emergency, she had made sure that he would have food, clean bandages, and company.
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