Mayra rushed out of the room, leaving Peter alone for a moment. "Hold still," Were the only instructions she was able to impart before she ran.
He looked down at his badly bruised side. It was true that his ribs hurt, but he was beginning to feel a little dizzy. He moved to a chair so that he could sit comfortably while he waited for her return.
She came back with Mrs. Sherman in tow. The older woman was wiping her bloody hands onto a towel with a dark look on her face.
"Mmmm. Yes, I see, Mayra. The bruising is extensive and you were right to be concerned about internal bleeding," She was saying. Mrs. Sherman took Peter's arm and moved him to lay down on a bed.
He blinked in confusion, ready to argue with her, but she hushed him.
"I think that based on the location of the bruising, it may simply be trauma and the strain of carrying Caspian all this way, but it bears watching." She continued to Mayra.
Peter tried to interrupt again, but was hushed by the matron.
"Are you struggling to breathe?" She asked.
He took a deep breath and winced, then nodded as a sharp pain stabbed him through the middle.
"Any dizziness? Nausea, vomiting?" She asked.
He opened his mouth to deny it, but answered her questions honestly. "Some dizziness, a little nausea."
Mrs. Sherman nodded. "You are conscious and don't seem to be swelling. Your pupils are even. The dizziness is likely either shock from the fighting or a slight head injury."
He flushed red as the older woman examined his shirtless body closely.
"We'll keep watch over you. Let us know immediately if something changes." Mrs. Sherman ducked back out of the room.
"Stay away from windows, and don't go outside," Peter said to her departing back.
"You told us that already," Mayra assured him. "And the first few patients who arrived warned us of the gargoyles."
Her face was tight and he wondered what horrible wounds she had seen before his coming.
"Are you all right?" He whispered, taking her hand.
"What a question! Look at yourself and then ask me again," She teased quietly, pulling away and retrieving a roll of fabric with which to bind his ribs.
He gasped in pain as she began, kneeling in front of him as he sat up for her to work on the injury. Peter gritted his teeth, determined not to show weakness in front of his future wife. Her eyes darted to his face.
"You were right," She said, distracting him from his efforts to appear stoic.
"Hm?" Was all he could manage.
"You're not as scrawny as last time I saw you shirtless and bound your wounds," She boldly winked at him before turning her attention back to her work.
His face burned with a mix of embarrassment and pleasure. As she reached her arms around his back to pass the roll from one hand to another, her fingers brushed his bare skin. Their eyes met, and she froze for a moment before continuing.
Peter held as still as he could, determined not to be overwhelmed by emotion.
"When is the wedding, again?" He whispered.
Mayra ducked her head.
"Mother and I need at least six weeks to prepare everything," She said.
"That long?" He sighed. "You're sure?"
He winced as she tied off the bandage. Her fingers splayed over the injury gently, soothing and cool. He laid his hand alongside hers.
"You'll need that long to heal," She assured him with a smile that set his heart racing. He tried to lean down to kiss her, but the pain and tightness of the binding made him flinch instead.
"Don't do that." Mayra chastised with a frown.
"Don't try to kiss you?" He didn't like that one bit.
"For now," She said softly as she rose, "let me be the one to kiss you."
She pressed her lips briefly to his, and with the arm on his good side he pulled her to sit on his lap. She shot up with a look of shock and outrage, but even in the dim light of the lamp he could see the blush creeping up her neck.
"Peter!" She whispered angrily, but he responded with an unrepentant grin.
"Six weeks?" He asked.
"Maybe three or four." She conceded as his grin grew wider. "But only if you're a good patient and heal quickly. You can't start off a marriage severely injured, now can you?"
He saluted her with his good arm, and she motioned him to lay back down. Somehow, the other two patients in the room had slept through everything. He understood; war was exhausting.
"I'll go check on the other patients and bring you some tea." She said softly. She laid a quilt over him gently and he took her hand before she left, kissing her fingers.
"I'll be back," Mayra assured him. She darted a look to the sleeping men and then dropped a kiss to Peter's forehead.
He wished it were on his lips, but after all, there was a battle raging outside. He was only now realizing how unfit to fight he was in his current state. Adrenaline must have carried him just far enough to get Caspian inside…
In the hallway, Mayra pressed her hand to her chest. She was fine, but goodness what that man could do to her heart rate! She counted to ten, breathing deeply, before moving on. She had felt bad interrupting Mrs. Sherman before, but Peter's bruising had alarmed her.
Thankfully, the older woman seemed understanding and took her concerns seriously. Perhaps Mayra's judgment was clouded somewhat by her feelings for Peter, but his injuries did look severe.
Things could easily be different under the surface than they appeared. This was true both in life and in medicine.
She hurried to the main room where Dr. Sherman was finishing up his work on Caspian.
The man looked badly mangled. Mayra had a practiced seriousness when seeing terrible injuries or medical problems, but the people weren't usually her friends.
Not that she thought Caspian liked her particularly, but she was very fond of Naomi, and Naomi loved her husband.
Half his face was out of sight, wrapped underneath thick white bandages. He was unconscious, but breathing evenly.
"Will he recover?" She asked softly.
"He has lost an eye, and there will be heavy scarring. When he wakes up, we will know a little better the extent of the damage to his brain. I am hopeful that he was unconscious merely from pain and blood loss and not from severe trauma. The injuries seem sharp and acute rather than blunt force."
Mayra nodded, and her mind went to Naomi. She would be tempted to run to Finn's house now and give the news, except that there was a war outside. Gargoyles and goblins!
"If you'll keep things in hand here, I'm told I have another patient waiting outside," Dr. Sherman shrugged into his coat.
Mayra blinked, remembering Peter's rant about the giantess when he first came inside.
"Will you be all right out there, alone?" She asked. "If gargoyles are still attacking…"
"I'm a doctor and a soldier, young miss." He squinted at her. "And my duty lies not just in treating our own men, but our allies as well."
He took his medical bag, secured a sword to his belt, and ventured outside. Mrs. Sherman barred the door after him, causing a flutter of panic in Mayra's heart. If it was so dangerous that the door had to be secured, how would Dr. Sherman remain safe?
She crept toward the window, despite Peter's warning. The wooden shutters in place were secured beneath decorative curtains, but Mayra edged one of them open to peek out into the night.
Was it still night? Surely it must be close to dawn by now, but the blizzard was so thick it would be hard to tell.
She watched Dr. Sherman trudge away from the front door and through the storm towards the hulking, huddling form of a woman.
The giantess was in poor condition, though her spirit was clearly intact as she swatted a gargoyle to the earth and squashed it beneath her palm.
The oozing gore left behind was not a pretty sight. Another one landed on the giantess's face, boldly digging its fangs directly into her cheek, causing the giant to slap herself roughly. Mayra winced.
"I am Dr. Sherman! I am here to help you!" The brave man called up.
"You took long enough." The woman's voice shook the windows and caused the doctor to drop his bag and cover his ears. She blinked, and continued in a loud whisper. "Please help me."
Dr. Sherman picked up his bag and hurried over to her. By far the largest patient he'd ever had, Mayra wondered how he would go about it. The woman was covered in bleeding wounds, and bruises painted her body. She shivered in the cold, but there was nowhere large enough to shelter her from the blizzard.
"Tell me what seems to hurt most right now!" The Doctor called over the storm. The giantess opened her mouth to answer, but paused to swat another gargoyle away. It careened out of control and slammed into the window from which Mayra watched, shattering it.