Emma blew a strand of hair out her face impatiently as she bound a bandage around a man's arm.
"Rest for at least two weeks, then come back in and have it checked for infection. Keep it clean." She wiped her hands on a towel and stepped back. "You're free to go."
The man grunted and walked out of Cair Paravel's hospital. He had been injured while training with the soldiers. The hospital was attached to the south side of Cair Paravel, with a main room for triage and immediate care, and side rooms along the wall for people recovering. The hospital mostly served soldiers who were injured during training, and occasionally servants or maids who had become extremely ill. Emma was the assistant to the head nurse, Martha Blotts, a very strict old women, with no patience. Emma was only twenty-three, but had moved up quickly.
Emma walked quickly to the front desk, securing her light brown hair back with a piece of string. She glanced at the list of patients and set off to the next one, bone tired. This was her third straight shift, and it had been 24 hours since she had slept. The hospital was crowded and understaffed, and as assistant, she had to step in if needed.
When she finally finished an hour later, relieved by a grumpy older nurse, she tore off her apron and left before Martha could call her back in. Pulling a sweater around her, she found a tree outside and sat down, exhausted, too tired to walk all the way home to her house. Emma had to be back inside in three hours, and it took her almost an hour to walk home. Her eyes fluttered closed and her head leaned against the tree as she fell almost instantly asleep.
The first thing Emma noticed when she woke up was rain pelting down from above. The tree had blocked her from most of it, but her sweater was damp. She quickly stood up and brushed off the dirt from her dress and ran inside. She glanced up at a clock and realized she had a few more minutes until her next shift started, so she wandered down to the kitchen to see if she could find something to eat.
The hallway was filled with a delicious aroma, cinnamon and bread. Emma grinned as she saw her favorite cook was in the doorway, yelling at a servant to hurry. She stepped behind her and yelled "Boo!".
The cook turned around and rolled her eyes. "Ya don't scare me no more. Yer here every day, at least once befor' lunch. Yer late today, missy."
"I'm sorry Beth, I had to work three shifts in a row and I have another in five minutes."
"Dunna apologize to me." She turned back to face the kitchen and bellowed again. "Bring her some real food, an' this time, hurry!" Beth turned back to face Emma. "Ya gonna burn out if ya don't take care of yerself. When was the last time you had a decent meal?"
Emma shrugged. "I work too much to think about food."
"They overwork ya, I'm telling ya. Ya need more help."
"Martha won't hire anyone. Says it's too much of a risk to have inexperienced nurses in the palace."
"Well, ya tell her, it's also a risk ta have unhealthy, tired nurses." Beth plopped a plate of food on the table and Emma dug in. Beth turned away and began yelling again. Beth was the head cook at Cair Paravel. She had taken care of her like a mother when Emma's mother passed away when she was fourteen. Beth had noticed almost immediately that Emma had a knack for nursing and didn't crumble under pressure. She had helped Emma get an education and get hired in the palace. Beth lived in the palace now as head cook, while Emma lived in a small rented room in a hotel in the city.
Emma put down her fork and grabbed a roll. She was almost late. "Thanks Beth!" She hollered, and ran down the hall, dodging servants and straightening her white dress.
After her shift, Emma wearily hung up her apron and took off her cap. The flow of patients had finally stopped an hour ago, but took that long to treat and release, or in some cases, move to separate rooms for the night. After signing out, she grabbed her damp sweater and began the long walk home in the miserable rain.
When she finally reached the hotel, she was completely drenched and shivering. Her shoes squelched and she tiptoed up the stairs. It was almost midnight and she didn't want to wake up her landlady who would scream if she saw the water. When the door closed behind her, Emma sagged with relief and shrugged out of her wet clothes, threw them in a pile on the ground, pulled on a baggy dress and climbed into bed.
Emma slept for a solid twelve hours and crawled out of bed after lunch. She was still tired, but felt a little bit refreshed. She had the day off, and was planning to go to the market and stock up on a few things and then clean out her dingy room. To one side, stood a bed, tiny closet and nightstand, and on the other was a table, stove and a crooked shelf for all of her food.
Emma laid out her wet clothes and pulled on a simple bright blue dress and pulled her curly hair into a braid. Before she left, she grabbed a roll and basket and headed out the door, a spring back in her step.
Emma Holland was a tall, thin girl with spunk. She had a quick witt, and wasn't really afraid to be herself, but she could be shy around new people. It was usually her biggest insecurity. But the hospital was where she really came alive. There, she could take charge and was confident. Helping people made her feel better and worth something. Otherwise, Emma felt like she didn't have a purpose.
As Emma stepped out into the now sunny day, she noticed people seemed tense, at least more so than usual. As she filled her basket, she finally stopped a man who continually glanced up at the palace.
"Excuse me, sir," She said. "Has something happened?"
The man glanced up again. "Where have you been, miss? King Edmund and his guard have been attacked on the Telmar border. Three killed, dozens wounded. Apparently they were just doing a routine check of the border patrol when they were attacked. The men arrived early this morning, at least the healthy ones."
Emma's eyes were wide. If Telmar had attacked, this could be the start of yet another war. She all too clearly remembered the last war when she had been a nurse for Telmar.
"Thank you," She said quickly and walked quickly through the crowd. If men had been attacked, they would be brought to the hospital, and she would be needed.