Knock...
Knock...
Knock...
The door swung open moments after the doctor had announced his arrival, greeted by the master of the house.
"Who are ya?" The man spat out stressfully, glaring up at the man that stood before him.
-"I'm Elias Dimheim. The physician of the Blackbird Soothery in the village across. I believe you sent for me. Mister Bramble, isn't it?"
The stocky lumberer eyed the doctor over and slowly nodded "Aye." He stepped aside, waving the other inside. "T'is my wife. She ain't holdin' up so good, doc. Been bedridden since earlier this month. Need ye to fix her."
"Of course, sir." The doctor replied, stepping inside and looking around the small cottage that the two had made a home out of. A weak cough was heard from the other room, causing the doctor to turn his head and listen to the dry wheezing that followed.
"It's just you and her here?" He questioned, placing his bag down on the nearby table to look through.
"Aye. Ain't had any luck wit' a children yet." The lumberer answered and made his way over to the dining table to watch the doctor.
-"Have you felt sick, mister Bramble?" Elias questioned, while the strange bird-like mask was pulled out from his bag "Any aches? Coughs? Stomach trouble?" The doctor added, brushing the gloved fingers over the beak to gather up some of the dust.
"Nay. I ain't had any trouble, doc. Fit as a fiddle!" The man smiled, but it fell as quickly as it formed when he caught another cough from the room. "T'is just me wife."
Elias nodded, collecting his hair to stuff down the neck of his wax leather coat. "If you'd be so kind as to warn your wife before I step inside."
The man looked puzzled, but the question on his mind was answered once the doctor slipped the strange hooded mask on. Tom Bramble shifted uncomfortably, meeting the hollow gaze of the man's mask as he turned to face him.
"Aye... I'll be right back." He muttered, sidestepping around the strange figure that now stood within his living space, slipping into other room to speak with his wife and warn her about the odd sight she was about to witness.
Elias closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, filling his senses with the rich scent of mint that he had stuffed the beak with. He had always enjoyed mint, there was something about the strong scent and the tingle it created that helped calm both his nerves and mind. While his father had preferred lavender, the doctor had never liked the smell of it.
He opened his eyes again upon hearing the door hinges creak, the stocky Bree-lander stepping out and giving a firm nod to indicate that the patient was ready to be seen. The doctor nodded in turn, resting his arms behind his back and straightening the posture to look presentable before stepping inside to meet with the sick woman.
After half an hour, the husband had begun to grow worried and irritated by the time it took for the doctor to examine his wife. At times, he had to restrain himself from barging in to check on matters, catching only some murmurs between them through the door.
When the doctor finally stepped out of the room, the husband was quick to confront him, barely allowing Elias to get back to the medical bag that waited on the table.
"How is she? Wha' is happenin'? Ye can fix her, aye?" The worried man questioned, following the other.
The doctor slipped off the mask slowly, his expression heavy due to the man contemplating on how to break the news to Tom, the husband growing more fearful the longer that the silence lasted.
"Talk to me!" He finally barked out.
Elias shifted, lips pressed tight together and his eyes staring off to an empty spot on the table. He had to say something, but in that moment, he was afraid to.
"Your wife is very ill, sir." The doctor started, forcing his eyes upwards to meet the frightened gaze of the man. "She has caught a cough, it's causing her breathing problems, but..." He paused there for a short moment "-There is something else."
Tom frowned deeply, his whole body trembling as the fear took root. "Wha' is it? Talk to me, dammit!" He demanded.
Elias looked away, unable to face the man when it was time to break the news. "Mister Bramble, your wife suffers from the Flux. There is nothing I can do."
There was a long silence.
"Wha'-... Wha' do ye mean there's nothin' ye can do? Yer a doctor, fix her!" Tom demanded, the anger and fear rising. "Give her some medicine! I've saved up enough to pay yer sorry arse! Heal my wife!" He took a step forward, forcing Elias to back away.
"Sir." The doctor started again "There is nothing I can do. There is no medicine for this illness. The only thing I can offer is something to ease her pain." He inhaled deeply "You should start preparing."
"Preparin'?! Wha' ye mean preparin'!? For wha'?!" Tom shouted, fingers balling into a fist as his body shook.
"Mister Bramble, she isn't going to survive this. It's best that you prepare for the coming loss. The only thing I can offer currently is medicine for the pain or..-" Elias stopped, looking at the man and quickly his eyes averted again.
"Or wha'?" The husband spat.
"-Or I can prepare something that will end it quicker. So that she needn't suffer."
Tom's face turned pale, his breath quickened and the man's eyes began to glisten when he realized what the doctor had just told him. "Yer wantin' to kill my wife?" The man's shoulders tensed, arms shook and before the doctor could reply; Tom's fist flew through the air towards Elias "Ye son of a -....!"
The doctor stumbled, eyes wide and his head forced aside by the impact of the other's fist. It took a few moments for Elias' body to register the pain that rushed through his face, the warmth trickling down from his nostril and the taste of iron against his lips.
He could hear the other man yelling, but couldn't register the words, the world spinning and an odd tone ringing in his ears.
Elias turned to look at the man, seeing a second strike aimed towards him. Panic rushed through the doctor's body, but he couldn't move. The second impact struck his stomach and forced Elias to keel over and fall to the floor. Tom continued to yell and curse, his boot finding the doctor's side where he laid curled up on the floor.
"Get out, ye bloody Gondorian dandy! Get out o' my house! Murderer!" Tom yelled, giving Elias enough time to scramble to his feet. He tried to address the man, but was interrupted "Get out I said!"
The doctor didn't dare linger any longer, grabbing the bag from the table and stumbling his way towards the front door as the world spun around him and his body ached.
Elias could still hear the man curse at him, but the constant ringing tuned much of his words out. When he finally managed to get through the door, he felt a harsh kick against his back forcing the doctor to fall forward into the dirt road that lead to the house.
"Yer worthless! Get off my property! Don't ye dare show yer bloody face here again!" Tom snapped and then the door was slammed shut.
Elias laid in the dirt for a long minute, catching his breath as the pain throbbing through his body grew. This wasn't the first time he had suffered such reactions, but it had been the most brutal thus far.
He drew his arms closer, pushing the hands against the ground to lift his body from it, pulling his legs underneath himself, slowly rising up to stand and preparing for the long walk back home.
Elias was forced to stop many times on his way back to the Soothery, the ache overwhelming or the man feeling sick from the constant spinning around him; forced to the side of the road to hurl the contents of his stomach.
It was late when he finally managed to climb up the steps of his infirmary, his body crashing against the front door to rest its weight on while his hand fished in the pockets for the key. He felt faint, but stubbornly kept himself awake until he had managed to get inside and shut the door behind himself. The doctor dropped his bag carelessly, making his way further in despite the dizzy feeling in his head, looking around as he tried to decide what he had to examine first about his current state. Elias blinked, reaching for the wall to support himself and an odd thought ventured through his dazed mind; At least he no longer had the headache.
