《Mabel》 Gorram Trucks ¡°Goram trucks!¡± Mabel hollered, sitting up as the mass reclamation truck went by. It¡¯d come out of no where from behind her like they usually did, and the force from the mana reclamation machinery blew her off of her bike. ¡°Every gorram time I come back into town!¡± She coughed and sat up straighter, dragging herself out from under the bicycle. Beside her Chunk barked a few times, and wagged her tail. She¡¯d ended up under the bike too, but didn¡¯t seem to be too bad. She leaned over, coughing. Her heart was goin now of course, and that meant it was gonna be hard to catch her breath. She¡¯d just gotten over breathing hard durin the ride. Chunk scooted over, tail wagging. Mabel sighed and rubbed the dog¡¯s head quickly. ¡°Well, you seem to be alrigh,¡± Mabel said. She took a few more moments, then struggled up to her feet. She was still tryin to catch her damn breath. Leaning over with her hands on her knees, she knew that if she were someone else, they would have slowed down. Even offered up a ride. But she wasn¡¯t no one else but herself. Mabel¡¯s eyes drifted to her cargo bike and between heaving for air, she sighed. She¡¯d had a good momentum going too. Good speed, and she was breathing easy. But nope, not anymore. Mabel dragged up the bike and started pushing it back up to the cracked roadway. Chunk wagged her tail and labored up the path with her, panting. ¡°Well you dun shouldna gotten pregnant if you¡¯re gonna go on about it like that,¡± Mabel said to the pup, even as she knew she was huffing and puffing more. ¡°Ain¡¯t so nice to complain when you done did it to yerself.¡± The road was clear either way¡ªthere wasn¡¯t enough fuel to justify people having their own vehicles so it was just those big reclamation trucks and the occasional bicycle or shaman wagon. And not much in the way of bicycle traffic since most humans spent their time in front of a box. Mabel moved to push her hat back, then paused. ¡°¡­Where¡¯s my gorram hat now?!¡± She looked around. Of course just as she was calming down this was gonna happen. She looked down at her fat-headed dog and said, ¡°Chunk, go find my damned hat.¡± The dog whined slightly, tail wagging one way then the other at a lazy pace. She then sneezed and trotted back off to the ditch they¡¯d just crawled out of. She started to snort and sniff around, ending up with an enthusiastic flump onto the ground with another snort. What a useless creature. Mabel finally got the breath back, not to mention the presence of mind, to check over the bike. There was a rattle or two and some odd lookin spots, but if she were lucky enough those were just things she could fix when she got home and wouldn¡¯t have to bother onna the others for. She threw her leg back over the bike, and hollered, ¡°Chunk! You find my hat yet?¡± The dog stopped rolling around in the grass to look back at her. Chunk¡¯s tail flumped once onto the ground, then she got up, picking up the hat. It was dripping wet, and so was chunk. Great, she was gonna haveta hose both of them off. Her daddy would be having a good laugh right now, that was certain. Mabel took the hat, shook it out and put it back on over her pointed ears. ¡°If I gotta go to the hospital again this week because of a reclamation truck, again, I am not gonna live it down from my damn doctor.¡± She pushed off on the bike, slow going at first because not only was it loaded down with some detris the city had asked for, but it also had a trailer that was loaded down with green matter that the hospital had asked for and there were some cotton plants on there that the factory had wanted to see if the wild grown field was gonna be any good for harvesting from because they¡¯d done gone and stripped all their others bare of nutriants, the good mana and even the bad mana. Lucky the gate wasn¡¯t too far off and she got there before she felt dizzy enough to collapse. It was still open cause it was still daylight though once they saw her comin they could have just closed the gate on her. They did do it once, too. Was a new kid, other guards made him eat Mabel¡¯s government given rations for a week and she got his. Then they made him apologize to her for disrupting the flow of city work and for being a little racist ass canoe. She stopped just inside the check point and leaned on the handle bars. ¡°Rough ride, miss Mabel?¡± One of the guards wandered over and helped steady the bike. ¡°Gorram reclamation truck dun knocked me on my ass again.¡± ¡°I bet I know who was drivin,¡± he replied. ¡°Anythin in the pockets we gotta worry about?¡± ¡°Only iffn you¡¯re wantin to make Granny Howell angry. You know how much she hates it when you boys mess with ¡®er samples.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Oh I know, we got a good yelling at for that the last time,¡± another said. He held out a hand. Gloved, of course. ¡°You¡¯re not looking so well, Miss Mabel.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t catch my breath,¡± she responded. She took his hand just long enough to get help off the bike. She stumbled and he almost went to catch her, but remembered what she was first. ¡°We need to go and call your doctor for ya? Doctor Scott told us to call him if you come on into the check point out of breath.¡± Mabel waved her hand ¡°Nah, just still have my heart poundin from that reclamation truck. Thought they was supposed to be turnin that off on main roads.¡± ¡°Well, around people,¡± The first replied. They started to paw though the bags. ¡°Anythin'' hazardous this time?¡± ¡°Got a couple of jars I pulled offa a dead tardog,¡± Mabel replied. ¡°Figured I¡¯d take the chance, it was fresh dead.¡± ¡°Thought I smelt swamp.¡± The young man shuffled through. ¡°What¡¯d you bring through for taxes?¡± Mabel leaned on her saddle, watching. ¡°You should damn well know by now I pack all that up on the top so y¡¯all don¡¯ go breaking or crushing other things.¡± ¡°Well, what is it?¡± Mabel looked at him from under the rim of her hat. ¡°I dun told you every time I¡¯ve been though here over the years, now haven¡¯t I?¡± He frowned a little. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. Sorry ma¡¯am.¡± She waved to the top of the trailer. ¡°Well, found a good patch of it. Should last y¡¯all a bit. Don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be able to go on out again.¡± He was quiet as he took the large bundle off of the top of the pile. Boy was getting sentimental on her and that wasn¡¯t gonna look good for the kid once the next review came around cause he was being sentimental about her. ¡°We appreciate it, Miss Mabel.¡± He replied finally. ¡°We really do. You go on and you get some rest.¡± ¡°Yeah, you look like you need it. You want my momma to come around with somethin for Chunk later?¡± ¡°Admit I wouldn¡¯t mind,¡± Mabel replied. ¡°Didn¡¯t really find no good meat out there.¡± Chunk barked once, and wagged her tail. Dog loved havin meat and was probably onna the few in town that got it on the regular. Mabel could afford it when it was around. That boy¡¯s momma ran the market. ¡°I¡¯ll let her know,¡± he replied. Mabel nodded to him. ¡°You¡¯re free to go on in, Miss Mabel.¡± She nodded again and said, ¡°Y¡¯all behave yerselves. Don¡¯t want to hear about any more late night drunken parties up on toppa the factory roof. Gets people killed.¡± ¡°Oh no ma¡¯am,¡± both replied. The second added, ¡°We¡¯ve learned our lession, hand to god. No more drinking when we¡¯re supposed to be keeping the factory safe.¡± ¡°Good,¡± she replied. ¡°Take care.¡± She walked in. ¡°Wait!¡± The second guard followed behind a few steps, saying, ¡°Momma says one of your hens stopped laying, so she brought it on home just in case she was sick. Said the vet looked her over and she¡¯s got herself some kind of chicken disease. Don¡¯t worry about nothin, though. Momma says you haven¡¯t got to worry about payin nothing.¡± Mabel nodded. In name, they were his momma¡¯s hens anyway. She just didn¡¯t feel like taking care of them and had started pawning the job off on her Daddy. They got some of the eggs, little bit of money. Most of the city called the chickens Mabel¡¯s though, on account of the fact she named them all and they were too onery to listen to anyone else. ¡°Thank ya,¡± she replies. ¡°I¡¯ll come and I¡¯ll check in on ¡®er before tonight.¡± ¡°You really should go rest,¡± the first guard said. ¡°Please, Miss Mabel? You ain¡¯t looking so good.¡± ¡°I¡¯m FINE,¡± she replied. She waved her hand at them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry none about me, cause you¡¯ll lose your jobs.¡± ¡°No we won¡¯t. You¡¯re practically a human, Miss Mabel.¡± The second said. ¡°Ain¡¯t no one going to yell at us for talkin to you.¡± Mabel wished she knew just how much those damn words stung every time they said them. Practically human herself. Well weren¡¯t her fault that she was born as an elf now was it? Mabel kept her mouth shut, though, and made her way into the city proper. It was a quiet place this time of day. It was still first shift at the factory when the most people were workin, and kids were still in school for the day. She didn¡¯t know what in the world they were learning save they didn¡¯t apply it none. She didn¡¯t go to that school as a girl cause they didn¡¯t like her kind learning with them. Anyone who was out ran a shop, were unfit to work, or were lucky enough that they didn¡¯t have to. Mabel often got looked at like she was one of those that was lucky enough to not work but they had no idea what went into pulling all that out of wreckage and corruptions. Mabel made her way around the streets, stopping to drop off what the city had asked her to pick up, then all the other things. She could feel herself getting weak and that wasn¡¯t good, because she had things that she had to go and get done before she could rest. Chunk trotted along beside her, still panting. All along the way, the people who saw her kept telling her seh wasn¡¯t lookin good, and she was pretty sure that one of the nurses from the hospital told Mabel she needed to get in right away, but Mabel waved her off. There was the chickens to feed, and Chunk needed that hosing off, and she was pretty sure that the bike needed work. She¡¯d been away for a while so she had to check in on the garden because she was gonna be hungry. She paused just in front of an intersection and leaned on the bike. Why was it so gorram hard to catch her breath again? She¡¯d done fixed this already. She looked up at her last stop for the day. The hospital. Of course it was the hospital. She felt like she was gonna collapse right on outside of the damn thing and it was her last stop for the day. Mabel took a few moments to try and catch her breath again, and pushed on forward with the bicycle. Only had to cross a street and walk on up to the door, then she could go on home and take care of what she had to take care of there. Hospital ¡°Mabel Corrine. Patient is a female elf, approximately 18 years of age.¡± Oh gorram hell, she ended up in the hospital again. Which one of those gorram guards ratted her out this time? ¡°Patient has presented with a terminal case of Mana-induced Pulmonary fibrosis. She has been under my care for the past year following an emergency room visit in which she was referred to me for further diagnostic treatment.¡± Of course he was gonna be all right about documenting the case. Elves with scaver¡¯s lung just didn¡¯t happen because elves usually weren¡¯t trusted as scavers, and even if they were the safety equipment for the profession just wasn¡¯t available. ¡°Patient has admitted to not using proper safety equipment in corrupted areas that need it, due to racial restrictions on purchasing said equipment. Despite this, she has tried to use a medical filter mask to little effect.¡± Mabel finally tried to move and her body was too sore for it. Gorram mana conversion trucks really needed to turn off their gorram collection mechanisms. ¡°The disease progression has been rapid-patient has reached terminal stage within eight months of showing symptoms as compared to the normal ten to twenty years. The best hope for treatment would be a lung transplant, but due to the lack members of her species, there is no compatible donor in the area. Attempts to find other donors in the hospital network has been unsuccessful.¡± Mabel finally got her eyes open. Yup, she was hooked up to the oxygen again. Had a full on mask this time instead of just that nose plug. Yup, there were two bags of IVs this time. One was smaller than the other. Must be that stuff they¡¯ve been giving her to calm down the pain and give her a little more time. ¡°Current treatment plan is to make the patient comfortable.¡± Her doctor was a man of science and it was kinda nice because he didn¡¯t waste time being gentle about what she was facin. Doctor Scott looked at her and sighed. ¡°You told me you were going to be back three days ago, Miss Corrine.¡± ¡°Well, Had to keep stoppin because I couldn¡¯t breathe. Also took me a bit to find herbs I needed to help calm it down.¡± He sighed again, putting down the recorder he was using on a table. ¡°I keep asking you to not mix your medications with bush medicine.¡± ¡°It ain¡¯t that I don¡¯t respect you, Doctor Scott. It really ain¡¯t. But I keep usin too much of it and hospital won¡¯t refill so I gotta do somethin.¡± Doctor Scott crossed his arms. ¡°That¡¯s the maximum I¡¯m allowed to legally give you, Miss Corrine. It might be time to consider other options.¡± ¡°We ain¡¯t got any other options,¡± Mabel replied. She got herself sittin up because she felt it was rude to be laying around when company was around, even if she was strugglin. She took a few seconds to catch her breath. ¡°You said their ain¡¯t no lungs available for donation or for reconstructing.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Scott replied. ¡°That¡¯s not precisely what I meant. I meant more options for keeping you comfortable.¡± Mabel frowned. ¡°We dun been over this, Doctor. I can¡¯t stop scaving.¡± ¡°Miss Corrine, you¡¯ve got at best six months.¡± He frowned. ¡°And that¡¯s if you managed to avoid more damage out on your last run. I know for a fact you¡¯ve put away a good bit of what you earned.¡± Mabel looked down at her hands. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to sit around idle and waiting to die, Doctor. I ain¡¯t one of those people.¡± He walked over, uncrossing his arms. ¡°Miss Corrine, you are one of the hardest working people I have ever met in my life. If it weren¡¯t for your lungs, you¡¯d also be one of the healthiest.¡± ¡°You got a point?¡± Mabel asked, crossing her arms. ¡°I do, yes.¡± Doctor Scott looked to the door, then to her. ¡°It¡¯s a known fact that the health of an area is reflected in the health of the elves that live there.¡± ¡°Well, why do you think I don¡¯t eat half the things that the rest of the city does?¡± ¡°Miss Corrine, it might be about time for you to think about relocating to a restored zone.¡± He frowned. ¡°It might buy you at least another six months, if not more.¡± ¡°There ain¡¯t a clean zone for at least fifty miles,¡± she replied. ¡°I won¡¯t make that.¡± ¡°We can arrange something to get you out there. I can write a perscription and make it happen.¡± Scott was still frowning, gorramit. ¡°You¡¯re only eighteen years old, Miss Corrine.¡± ¡°I know how old I am!¡± She frowned. ¡°Besides, most restored zones just got humans in them. They¡¯ll lynch me as soon as look at me.¡± He looked down and sighed. ¡°¡­I know that you¡¯re scared of what my backwards species is going to do to you. Hell, you have daily examples in the form of your brethern.¡± ¡°Yer right I do.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve exhausted everything else. I can either get you into a clean zone, or you¡¯re going to be hooked up to oxygen for the rest of your life. There won¡¯t be any more scavenging, or bicycle riding, or gardening.¡± Mabel looked down at her hands. ¡°I can¡¯t just¡­ leave everythin.¡± ¡°Look, your Father was a Bush Doctor, right?¡± Mabel huffed. ¡°My daddy was a Shaman, thank you very much.¡± ¡°Forget the terminology a moment.¡± He waved his hand. ¡°The point I¡¯m trying to make is that you live in a shaman¡¯s wagon. It¡¯s mobile. Do you know how to drive it?¡± ¡°My daddy taught me with onna the guard trucks. Think he was fixin to train me up as a shaman too.¡± Mabel raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°The thin here though is that I don¡¯t even know if that thing is gonna start.¡± ¡°Look, you¡¯ll lose your scavenging license, but in a Shaman¡¯s wagon people aren¡¯t going to bother you. It¡¯s taboo to anger or harm a Shaman, no matter the race.¡± ¡°That might be the case but that don¡¯t stop most folks,¡± Mabel replied. ¡°Didn¡¯t stop them from having my daddy stick his hands in machines to get¡¯em unjammed. Besides, I ain¡¯t a shaman. I only know enough to get me inta trouble.¡± ¡°I am sorry about that, Miss Corrine. I am. But that¡¯s not the point I¡¯m trying to make.¡± MAbel sighed and looked down. ¡°¡­I know. You¡¯re tellin me to get while I still got the strength to get.¡± He nodded. ¡°It¡¯s the only real treatment option you¡¯ve got right now, short of trying to find a shaman who specializes in organ repair.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯ like sendin people to shamans.¡± ¡°I usually don¡¯t. But shamans can usually do organ work while the organ is still in the body. We can do a better job in the hospital but it¡¯ll require longer than you have to do even one lung.¡± Mabel nodded, and tilted her head up toward him. ¡°Can I think on it a bit? I¡¯m plannin to be stayin put for a little bit anyhow.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he replied. ¡°It¡¯s a big decision to make.¡± She sighed, then asked, ¡°Where in the world is my dog? She ain¡¯t runnin around is she? She¡¯s pregnant and don¡¯t need to be doin that.¡± ¡°Chunk¡¯s curled up in the chair,¡± He replied. He pointed to where the fat headed dog was laying, ears perked up at the mention of her name. ¡°Has been beside you the whole time. I admit that I¡¯m a little jealous. She¡¯s the sweetest, most loyal dog that I¡¯ve ever met in my life.¡± ¡°Useless as a guard dog though I¡¯ll tell you what,¡± Mabel replied with a snort. ¡°Ain¡¯t the point though. I needed somethin after my daddy died to keep me company.¡± ¡°As for your other belongings, we made sure that everything got to where it was going and your belongings are at your house now. One of the guards told me to tell you that your derailleurs were broken, so he¡¯s replacing them.¡± Mabel sighed. ¡°They gotta stop doin that stuff.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± He crossed his arms again. ¡°Because the more we do for you, the much more resentment grows between you and the few other elves in the city.¡± Mabel sighed. ¡°Yeah, we don¡¯ get along so good. Ain¡¯t never. They were scared of my daddy, and they¡¯re scared of me. Last time I saw onna them he punched me in the gut and called me a human-pleasin traitor to my kind.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s harsh.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see what¡¯s so wrong with just tryin to help people. Don¡¯t think they¡¯d talk to me at all if I didn¡¯ have what herbs and all I did.¡± ¡°I would think that they¡¯d be a little more cautious around a shaman¡¯s daughter.¡± The doctor turned to turn off the recorder and picked up her chart. ¡°SInce you¡¯re stable, I can release you into your own care. I¡¯ve the feeling that you would prefer it anyway.¡± ¡°I would.¡± She rolled her head. ¡°How long was I out?¡± ¡°About 24 hours,¡± he replied. ¡°Also noted was some minor bruising. Collection truck again?¡± ¡°Gorram thing put me into a ditch!¡± ¡°I see that racism is alive and well in other parts of the dominion,¡± he muttered. ¡°Take it easy on the work and the cycling. I¡¯d like to see you back tomorrow evening, so try to have an answer for me so we can put something into motion for you.¡± Mabel sat there, brain racing for a little bit. She finally said, ¡°You wouldn¡¯ be making this recommendation without a reason. What¡¯re you hiding?¡± He sighed. ¡°There¡¯s more damage, Miss Corrine. It wasn¡¯t your fault this time¡ªIt was the mana reclimation truck. They were mining near an industrial corruption. We found evidence of textile corruption in your lungs.¡± ¡°If they were that close to a corruption, they shouldn¡¯ be using that mana in the gorram city.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s gotten into them,¡± He replied. ¡°One of these days, coming back with tainted Manna¡¯s going to¡ª¡± The whole building rocked. The lights went out and Chunk was up yelping a storm. She jumped up to the bed and right up against Mabel, still carrying on like the world had just ended. All the machines were off, and the doctor had to try and steady himself on the wall. The yelping was drowned out by a roar that sounded like the very fabric of reality tear itself to shreds. And in a few moments it was over and the lights came back on that much dimmer. The generators. Outside of the room, people were acting like fools. Probably mostly the patients, but with something that big she suspected that the staff wasn¡¯t so cool yet. ¡°What in the gorram hell was that?!¡± The doctor looked to the door. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m going to go find out.¡± He took a few moments to straighten himself up, and took the short walk to the door like it was a dyin emergency. He opened it to see doctors and nurses rushing around, probably to go check on patients that had machines breathing for them. He stopped one of them and asked, ¡°Status?¡± ¡°The plant exploded,¡± the nurse replied. She was shakin, Mabel could see it from there. ¡°They told us to get filtration going because it¡¯s bad.¡± ¡°How bad?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t know what exploded but it took out the entire building, some of the houses nearby. Got a bunch dead. We¡¯re waiting to see if there¡¯s an injured that didn¡¯t corrupt immediately.¡± ¡°Sounds like a mana conversion error,¡± he replied. He looked back to Mabel, the asked, ¡°How long until the Elf Beaters get here?¡± ¡°The two in charge of Miss Mabel are downstairs. They¡¯ll be up in a few minutes once they pull rank and get past the front desk.¡± He nodded. ¡°Get me status on the rest of my patients and I¡¯ll see to them as soon as I can. Make sure that they¡¯re wearing the filtration masks rated for textiles.¡± The nurse nodded. He turned and closed the door with a deep breath. He was quiet a few moments before he said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Corrine.¡± Mabel nodded. She knew what was gonna happen. Who was gonna be blamed. It didn¡¯t stop the sinking feeling in her chest. There were six other elves in the city. All of them were fathers or husbands, working at the textile factory for the same reason her daddy did, to support their families. They didn¡¯ like her or her daddy, but she knew about their families, how many of them were left, who had children just about her age though the subject of marriage didn¡¯t come up no more. With an explosion that big, even she was going to be lucky to get out of what was coming. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± he said. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I know.¡± She nodded and composed herself. ¡°I can be quick in makin my peace with myself.¡± ¡°Anything I can do if they do execute you?¡± ¡°Take care of Chunk for me,¡± she replied as the dog curled up beside her in a quivering ball. She pet the dog¡¯s head. ¡°She¡¯s real close to term, maybe another week or two if the corruption don¡¯t mess it up and we don¡¯t get a litter of dog corruptions. I figure that you could use a dog in your life.¡± ¡°And your home?¡± ¡°Try to get it to another Shaman, I s¡®pose.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s what my daddy woulda wanted.¡± He nodded as there was a gentle knock on the door. She barely heard it with all the commotion going on outside. ¡°ESLE,¡± said a voice outside. It was a female voice and it was one of the officers that checked in with her almost daily when she was at home. Not for anythin that Mabel was doing wrong, just to have something to eat or some tea. ¡°May we come in, Doctor?¡± ¡°You may enter,¡± he replied. He nodded to mabel as he finished writing down what she¡¯d told him. The door opened in a slow manner, as if they knew better than to just go barging into hospital rooms. The young ladies tipped their hats to them and closed the door after them. They stood out in a crowd, what with their bright red uniforms that usually didn¡¯t see any dirt or anything. She was on nodding terms with most of the others, but these two would have been friends, if they weren¡¯t in the job of makin sure she wasn¡¯t breaking any of the so-called safety laws. ¡°Good evening, Doctor, Miss Mabel,¡± the first said, taking off her hat. ¡°Heard about you collapsing but the hospital wouldn¡¯t let us in to see you. Said something about possible intensive care.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the doctor replied. ¡°She¡¯s been under my care for the past 24 hours, under a sedative since she doesn¡¯t stop moving when she¡¯s awake.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it,¡± the second replied. ¡°But we gotta check. Its our job when something like this happens.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not about to drag my patient out of here, are you?¡± The doctor turned. ¡°No! No, of course not,¡± the first said. ¡°We know that Miss Mabel would never do such a damn thing in her life.¡± ¡°But we need some proof of where she¡¯s been for the past twenty-four hours. Got confirmation from the offices that she was out on a scaving run for the past two weeks. Just missing the last 24 hours.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± He pushed his glasses up his nose. ¡°I can get you such. Miss Mabel will have to authorize it however.¡± ¡°I know they ain¡¯t gonna do nothin to the files,¡± she replied, nodding at them. ¡°THey¡¯re good kids.¡± ¡°With all due respect, Miss Mabel, we got at least five years on ya.¡± The second took off her hat and fiddled with it. ¡°Ya seem nervous,¡± Mabel said. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Well, they were insistent that you elves did it. None of the other have an alibi. We¡¯re being pressured to bring you in too.¡± The first took off her hat to wipe her forehead. ¡°Keep tellin them you got a spotless record.¡± ¡°Mass hysteria has no bounds,¡± the doctor replied. ¡°If I go with you, they¡¯ll be angry at me instead of you two. You¡¯re going to have to wait until I check on my other patients.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine Doctor,¡± they replied. ¡°Until then, we gotta stand guard at the door.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine just so long as you stay out of the way,¡± he said. ¡°And you give her the peace and quiet she¡¯s going to need.¡± Both nodded, putting their hats back on. ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°Now out, both of you,¡± he said. He looked back at Mabel. ¡°I¡¯ll be back to see to you either way. Please rest.¡± He ushered them out of the room and shut the door behind him. It was quieter now, at least in the room. It was lookin like things were calming down out there too. Despite that, Mabel felt her heart still racing. That wasn¡¯t a context she¡¯d wanted to see either of them in. SIx months. And there was Thread in her lungs and that was certainly going to strangle out any remaining healthy lung she had left. She was wondering what else he wasn¡¯t telling her. It was the first time a clean area had come up in their discussions about treatment plans. Usually they were gated and didn¡¯t let elves in. SHe didn¡¯t think there were any that were elf dominated. Humans would have forced them on out. She was wondering if that was the only way she was going to get that six months. But it might not matter anyway. She could be dying in a couple of hours. And Mabel found herself wanting that. Cause it was going to be quick. It wasn¡¯t going to have her struggling for every breath and certainly wasn¡¯t going to be as painful as this was. That lump in her chest rose, and she started crying. She was scared. So scared that it was overwhelming her right at the moment. Chunk put her head in Mabel¡¯s lap and Mabel leaned down. It was hard to breathe again and the mask was irritating her and she pulled it off. Maybe that was a bad thing, but she didn¡¯t care. It got in the way of the cryin and she needed that. Discharge The door opened and one of the officers poked her head into the room. ¡°Miss Mabel? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Aww hell, they were seeing her crying. Mabel tried to wipe her nose with her hand to answer, still heaving and now it was just plain painful to breathe. She swallowed and shook her head. The girl entered and sat down on her other side. Now she was sandwiched between her dog, who was getting up to lick her face and this officer who was offering the box of tissues. ¡°It¡¯s okay! It¡¯s okay, I promise. We¡¯re not going to let them kill you.¡± She hugged Mabel. ¡°Please don¡¯t cry.¡± The other looked in. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you say something?!¡± Mabel shook her head again and swallowed again. She finally replied, ¡°Ain¡¯t nothing y¡¯all did.¡± The guard took a tissue to Mabel¡¯s eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Miss Mabel?¡± She gained enough composure back to finally reply, ¡°I¡¯m scared.¡± ¡°Scared?¡± The two exchanged looks and the first added, ¡°That¡¯s a new one.¡± ¡°I wonder if he gave her a bad prognosis,¡± the second said. Mabel nodded and said, ¡°Wants me in a clean area. Got Thread in my lungs too from that reclamation truck blowing by me too.¡± The first guard hugged her a little closer. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Mabel. I really am. There anythin we can do?¡± Mabel swallowed again. ¡°If I do get dragged on outta here, and they do decide to execute me. If they do that, I want you to promise me it¡¯s gonna be fast. That they ain¡¯t going to just shoot me in the gut and let me bleed out.¡± ¡°You ain¡¯t dying today,¡± the second guard said. ¡°You got enough evidence in your favor that they ain¡¯t going to think about it.¡± ¡°Hasn¡¯t stopped no one before.¡± Mabel wiped her eyes again. ¡°But you gotta promise me that. That I ain¡¯t going to feel it.¡± The first officer nodded and looked her straight in the eye. ¡°If it ever came to that, which it isn¡¯t, I swear to you that I¡¯ll make sure that it¡¯s as quick as can be. That you won¡¯t feel nothin.¡± The second looked around, and then asked, ¡°Oh lord Jesus, is that a morphine drip?¡± Mabel nodded. ¡°Yeah. Yeah, Scaver¡¯s lung is pretty painful The thread¡¯s gonna make it worse.¡± ¡°Oh Miss Mabel¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± They seemed to be genuinely upset by this. She was surprised that they did care enough to be upset by the fact she was dying. ¡°You were sitting here thinking about dyin, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m facin it and it¡¯s damn scary right now, I tell you what.¡± She blew her nose. ¡°¡­Thankya. Didn¡¯t even think about needing the company right now.¡± The first fit the oxygen mask back over Mabel¡¯s mouth. ¡°You take some deep breaths. We won¡¯t go nowhere until your doctor gets back.¡± ¡°You know, we forget sometimes that you¡¯re pretty young. I think everyone does.¡± ¡°Yeah, You come off as bein much older,¡± the second said. ¡°I think that part of it is the whole you tellin people what¡¯s what. And you take care of everyone.¡± ¡°You gotta take some help from others sometimes,¡± She said. ¡°You know, you got people who try and look out for ya because you look out for them.¡± Mabel nodded, feeling the panic go down in her chest as she breathed in and out. ¡°Just don¡¯t want to cause no one issues.¡± She said. ¡°What in the name of medicine are you doing to my patient!¡± The doctor walked back in. ¡°Get off that bed!¡± ¡°Hey, she was cryin so I came in to comfort her,¡± she replied. ¡°She¡¯s the best charge we ever could have asked for. I don¡¯t wanna see her upset.¡± ¡°For being elf beaters you two are far too nice.¡± ¡°Miss Mabel¡¯s kind to us, we¡¯re kind back. She¡¯s got basic decency towards everyone, unlike the others who don¡¯t wanna cooperate.¡± The second nodded. ¡°You ready? I bet ya money someone¡¯s already waiting downstairs to see what¡¯s taking so long.¡± The first gave her another hug and stood up. ¡°We¡¯ll be back to come and help you get back to your house, Miss Mabel. Don¡¯t you worry.¡± The doctor ushered them out with the clip board saying, ¡°The sooner you two report in, the sooner I can start the discharge for Miss Corrine. I have to make sure that there won¡¯t be trouble when she leaves the hospital.¡± ¡°Aye aye, Doctor,¡± The second said, ducking out of the room. ¡°I¡¯m hopin this doesn¡¯t mean a complete reassignment.¡± The other young lady replied, ¡°Providing that we don¡¯t die when we step on outside, can¡¯t see that happening any time soon.¡± The doctor sighed and asked, ¡°Do I need to order something for you to calm down? Or are you okay?¡± ¡°Some nice herbal tea would be nice. And getting this mask off too.¡± ¡°Keep the mask on, I¡¯ll check on the teas we have in stock to make sure that nothing will interact with the medication you¡¯re on.¡± He moved to follow her officers. ¡°It¡¯s the least I can do after all of that.¡± The door clicked shut after them. She looked down at Chunk and said, ¡°Well, that ain¡¯t my strongest moment, Chunk.¡± She whined and licked at her again. Twice, then a third time before Mabel put her hand on the dogs back. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry none, Okay? I¡¯m gonna find you a good place to go before I kick the bucket. I promise.¡± The dog grumbled as if begrudgingly accepting this. She took another deep breath and laid back. Damn introspection. The dog gave a heavy sigh and put her head on Mabel¡¯s chest. Her fat head was heavy, but it was a comfort so she let it stay there. Mabel stroked the dog a few times and closed her eyes. Normally she¡¯d just pull out everything, but she was tired and there was panic all around her and that got tiring too. Seemed to only be a few seconds before she woke up to a nurse pulling the needles out of her arm. The young lady started when Mabel shifted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Didn¡¯t mean to wake you.¡± ¡°No, no it¡¯s okay. I gotta get home anyway,¡± she replied. ¡°You¡¯ll be glad to know that you¡¯re going to be released into your own care.¡± She bandaged Mabel¡¯s arm and helped her sit up. ¡°How¡¯s your pain?¡± ¡°Better than last time I was awake. How long was I sleeping?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s morning now, so I¡¯d say quite a while.¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°Now, your pain level.¡± ¡°It ain¡¯t nothin to worry about.¡± ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t. You¡¯re not doing that this time.¡± The nurse raised her eyebrow at Mabel. ¡°I know that you were pretty bad when you came in. Don¡¯t be stubborn with me again, Miss Corrine.¡± Mabel sighed. ¡°You ain¡¯t lettin me out of this, are you?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Uncomfortable to breathe in and out. Feel like my lungs are getting constricted.¡± ¡°Alright. We can get something for the pain. Not sure what we can do for the constriction. That¡¯s probably the Thread that got in there.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I suspect so. I think I might have something in my daddy¡¯s library that might help. So I¡¯ll check there.¡± She nodded. ¡°We got a whole lot of people from near the explosion site that just had their insides all squeezed to nothing. Most of ¡®em died. Some of ¡®em killed themselves before getting here.¡± ¡°Thread ain¡¯t no thing to laugh at,¡± Mabel said. ¡°Much as we like jokin about it bein not so bad, It messes people up but bad.¡± ¡°You ain¡¯t gotta tell me,¡± the nurse replied with a nod of her head. ¡°Now your daddy was a good shaman so if you find something in his books that can help us before we evacuate you let us know. We got a couple of doctors and nurses here who should be able to pull off the preparations necessary.¡± ¡°I will,¡± she replied. ¡°Am I supposed to be takin anythin with me?¡± ¡°Doctor¡¯s gonna come and talk to you.¡± She turned and picked up a pile of clothes. ¡°The ESLE brought by some clothes for you. They¡¯re gonna be waiting downstairs for ya.¡± Mabel took them. ¡°Thank ya kindly. I think that I got getting dressed handled.¡± ¡°You know how to get a hold of me if it goes south,¡± The nurse said. ¡°I¡¯ll tell the doctor you¡¯re about ready.¡± The nurse left, leaving mabel to pull on her clothes. Those girls managed to bring her some of the newer items. That was good, cause they probably ruined that last set of clothes getting them off of her to get her breathing again. They felt just loose enough. That was good. From the chair in the corner of the room, Chunk wagged her tail, not bothering to get up. As Mabel was pulling on her socks, she heard a knock on the door. ¡°Yeah, you can come in,¡± she said. ¡°Now where in the gorram hell is my hat¡­¡± The doctor opened the door and stepped in. ¡°I expected you to be struggling with those clothes, I admit.¡± ¡°Life¡¯s too short to be strugglin to dress yerself,¡± she replied. ¡°You know where my hat is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s under Chunk,¡± the doctor replied. Mabel raised her eyebrows at Chunk. ¡°Bring me my gorram hat, Chunk!¡± Chunk barked at her once, howling a little at the end of it, tail wagging a little more enthusiastically. She didn¡¯t move, however. Of course she didn¡¯t. ¡°In any case, Mis Corrine. How are you feeling?¡± ¡°About as well as I expected, which is probably a bad thing.¡± ¡°Considering you really should be on bed rest, yes,¡± he replied. ¡°Because I know you¡¯re going to go and work your tail off the second you get out of here.¡± ¡°Sounds about right.¡± Mabel said. ¡°So what have you got for me?¡± ¡°The nurse told me you¡¯re going to see if there¡¯s anything in your father¡¯s books to relieve Thread in the lungs, So just be careful about it. We appreciate the offer of letting us know.¡± ¡°Least I can do since I can¡¯t really do the healin myself.¡± The Doctoro crossed his arms. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about that clean zone idea, Miss Corrine.¡± Mabel sighed. ¡°I keep tellin ya, Doctor, they ain¡¯t going to let me in. And I still probably won¡¯t make it.¡± He sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve found one that will.¡± ¡°Bull shit.¡± ¡°Language.¡± He frowned. ¡°I have no reason to lie to you. And I did find one that¡¯s willing to take you.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s actually kind enough to do that for an Elf? Really, cause it¡¯s real hard for us to own property.¡± The man raised his eyebrows. ¡°Me. I am. It¡¯s a clean Zone that I bought when your condition started to decline rapidly.¡± Mabel paused, and stared at him. He started to pace. ¡°My stance on the institutional racism your kind faces has never been secret. I find it morally objectionable. No, disgusting actually.¡± ¡°Well you try tellin that to the people who think they¡¯re right.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve tried and I keep trying.¡± He stops pacing. ¡°Your kind is dying out, Mabel. Rapidly.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re trying to make a space to protect me,¡± Mabel said. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry with me,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s a small area, big enough for your wagon, maybe a few other buildings and a small farm. In a clean area your medication can start reversing the damage done.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I want to help you. I want to help others like you. Your kind has the largest occurrence of Scaver¡¯s lung, the highest percentage of cancers, of birth defects, of complete corruptions.¡± He ticked these off on his fingers. ¡°Scientifically, we¡¯re not even sure there are enough of your race left for the species to survive without outside help.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re trying to keep us from going extinct?¡± ¡°Oh, this is going so horribly,¡± he said, covering his face with a hand. ¡°I bought the clean space because I want you to survive. You deserve to have a full life. You deserve to be able to have the basic freedoms that humans enjoy without a second thought.¡± Mabel shook her head. ¡°You know how much I hear that I deserve better because I¡¯m practically human?¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯ve heard the nurses say it and I¡¯ve corrected them many times.¡± He bent down. ¡°Miss Corrine¡­ Mabel. I¡¯ve been your doctor for many years. Ever since your Father died and you needed someone to talk at. I don¡¯t do things to make a point. I¡¯m not trying to use you as a pawn, or an example.¡± ¡°Then what are you trying to do.¡± ¡°Same thing everyone else in this town did when the ESLE sent in outside officers to take care of all the elves in town. Defend you because you¡¯d do the same for us.¡± Mabel looked down. ¡°¡­Then why not for the rest of them?¡± ¡°Because it''s a lot harder Mabel.¡± He frowned. ¡°I know they weren¡¯t behind the plant. Investigation found that out quickly. But the officals claimed the nine of them had secured enough supplies between them to cause a similiar malfunction.¡± "I keep tellin people that it''s not that great out in the sticks where there families are living. Of course they gather all kinds of supplies to make their lives easier. I jus don¡¯t understand why they¡¯d do that to these families. Why they¡¯d¡­¡± She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. ¡°No. I ain¡¯t going to do this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bring it up. They haven''t left town yet, if you wanted to say anything to them.¡± The doctor held out his hands and took hers. ¡°THe point is, Mabel, I want you to heal. And I want others to heal. You¡¯ve invaluably have helped my research into your condition. As distressing as it was to watch, the fast progression allowed us to connect some pieces together that we were missing. You¡¯ve helped us pinpoint some of the chemical corruptions that cause the damage. I think that we might be able to come up with an effective reversal treatment program soon.¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t goin to be a guinea pig if I go to your clean zone, am I?¡± ¡°No. Just like before, observations and routine medical tests. Documenting the findings. The same things you agreed to when I approached you about it before.¡± Mabel sighed, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s goin to happen? To the survivors, I mean.¡± ¡°We¡¯re being sent off to different cities as a temperary measure. People will be allowed to go their own way, if they so desire. As for you, however, I don¡¯t know.¡± Mabel nodded. ¡°And I ain¡¯t gotta pay you to get into the clean Zone?¡± ¡°No. The most I¡¯ll ask is assistance in getting herbs and identifying them.¡± He squeezed her hands a little. ¡°No tricks.¡± Mabel took a deep breath. ¡°¡­Got enough room there for Chunk to run around like she¡¯s got something to chase?¡± ¡°Of course. And any livestock that survived is welcome too. I know you¡¯re careful about your diet, Miss Corrine.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± SHe nodded. ¡°It¡¯s worth a try.¡± He smiled. ¡°Excellent. I¡¯ll make sure all the papers are in order before I get diverted out of the city. I¡¯m supervising the surviving patients and staff getting evacuated.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to be last, ain¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Unfortunately I believe so. I¡¯ve ordered¡ªand gotten my hands on¡ªa filtration mask for you with replacement filters. They¡¯re with your ESLE officers.¡± The doctor stood up again. ¡°I¡¯m also perscribing you enough of your medication and an additional pain medication to get you to the clean zone. You may need to supplement with bush medicine depending on the day. I¡¯ve got an interactions list ready for you.¡± ¡°I really outta just get a book,¡± she replied. ¡°I don¡¯t think my daddy ever had one.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can scrounge up a paper copy for you,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re to take it easy on the road. In case of stops by police or outside ESLE officers, I¡¯ve got papers ready for you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Doctor. I mean it.¡± She looked down at her hands. Gorramit, she was feeling teary-eyed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve said it already.¡± He sighed. ¡°Mabel, it¡¯s about time you got back what you give.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t help for reward,¡± she replied. ¡°I know.¡± He chuckled lightly. ¡°I¡¯ll walk you downstairs. We¡¯ll pick up the papers on our way down.¡± ¡°Alrigh. Chunk, we¡¯re gonna go home. You ready?¡± Chunk got up and stretched like she was a diva. She hopped down, stretching again before she turned around and pulled Mabel¡¯s hat off the chair. Chunk brought it over and Mabel took it, making sure that the hat was over her ears. They made their way downstairs, with the doctor insisting on a wheelchair for Mabel which she found to be utterly ridiculous. It let her look through the papers she¡¯d been given. Medication interactions, summary of what¡¯d been discussed, special instructions for the filtration mask she¡¯d been prescribed and for the current situation outside. A stop by the pharmacy provided her medication and Mabel knew that wasn¡¯t gonna be enough if she had to use her bike to get out of town. Nothin that she didn¡¯t expect. The two ESLE officers were waiting for her, true to their word, and chunk trotted over to greet them with enthusiasm. The first bent down to pet her as the second held out a filtration mask, fresh from the package by the looks of it. ¡°Here ya go. We got everything all in for you,¡± she said as Mabel took it. ¡°You¡¯re not leaving this building without it on.¡± ¡°You sure someone else ain¡¯t just going to rip it off my face?¡± She asked. She was versed in putting these things on. It was a requirement to know how to use them because of accidents like this. She just wasn¡¯t allowed to buy one because they kept thinking that she was goin to use it to do some kind of terrorist act. ¡°We¡¯re sure. Most of the town has been evacuated. Going to be a few days before you can leave though,¡± the first said, standing up from greeting Chunk. ¡°It¡¯ll give ya time to get what you can together.¡± ¡°Am I going to be able to take my house?¡± ¡°If you can get the thing going. You know how to drive it, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, It ain¡¯t much different than the trucks that the guards use,¡± Mabel replied, getting up. She made sure the mask was secure and sealed around her face. It wasn¡¯t too bad of a fit for being off the shelf like it was. ¡°I would rather you took the chair with you,¡± the doctor said. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± she replied. ¡°We¡¯ll make sure she doesn¡¯t get into trouble,¡± the second said. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Miss Mabel.¡± Just doing the right thing. As they left the hospital, Mabel was quiet, walking between the two Esle officers. Chunk was walking close by as if she was going to support Mabel. The mask was stuffy, and she already hated it. There were already people with bits of precious on hand or on their backs starting to make their way out of the city. Mabel got a few dirty looks here and there, as if she was to blame. One man even started tward her but his wife smacked him and scolded him, loudly, about how you don¡¯t attack folks who give themselves to take care of others. ¡°You seem like you got a lot on your mind, Miss Mable.Is it about what Doctor Scott tol you?¡± Mabel shook her head. ¡°The other Elves¡ªare they really going to be executed?¡± ¡°Nah. Word on High is that they¡¯re going to labor camps,¡± Tina said. ¡°The things they got weren¡¯t for building bombs or something, but they¡¯re taking it anyway.¡± Mabel stopped. There was a ESLE transport there, where the officers were preparing, the other elves in a line. She watched the scene for a few moments, then narrowed her eyes. No. She wasn¡¯t letting this happen. They had children, wives, parents too old to work. ¡°Uh oh. She¡¯s got that look,¡± Crissy said. ¡°Should we¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare,¡± Mabel said, then marched forward. The officers at the bus stared as Mabel approached, ripping off her hat and holding it down to Chunk. She then proceeded to plant her hands on her hips, then bent down to catch her breath. ¡°Can we¡­ Help you?¡± The man she was now standing in front of asked, a sneer in his voice. ¡°Yeah.¡± Mabel said, standing up straight. ¡°Who¡¯s in charge here?¡± ¡°I am. What¡¯s your name, elf?¡± Mabel Narrowed her eyes at him and said, ¡°I¡¯m Amablis Corrine, and you¡¯re going to let these men go home to their families.¡± ¡°Oh Am I now?¡± He bent down to look her in the face, coming within inches. ¡°And who do you think you are asking for THAT, whelp?¡± ¡°I¡¯m as close as they got to a gorram Shaman!¡± He smirked. ¡°Oh are you now?¡± Crissy Grabbed Mabel¡¯s arm. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Lietenant! We¡¯ll be¡ª¡± ¡°You stop that now Crissy,¡± Mabel said, patting her hand. ¡°We¡¯ll be done here shortly.¡± ¡°Now why should I let them go home to their families, hmm?¡± his eyes flickered about. ¡°You don¡¯t LOOK like a shaman, child.¡± ¡°You just ask anyone here, and they¡¯ll tell you I take care of them, just like my Daddy did.¡± She looked at the elves. An older man was kneeling. ¡°The hell you kneeling for?¡± The man did not raise his head but stiffened. ¡°I-I- I¡¯m not meaning any harm, Miss Mabel! It¡¯s just¡­ you¡¯ve never told us your full name before! Please forgive me for my actions in the past.¡± Mabel raised an eyebrow. ¡°You can get up, Gorgary.¡± ¡°Th-thank you,¡± he muttered, standing slowly. The other Elves were murmuring, mostly in Confusion. The lieutenants smirk remained. ¡°You have one chance to mind your own business.¡± ¡°You need to let these men go. They have familes to feed and care for, they have children and parents. They are the strength of their familes. You give their belongings back, you give them the supplies they need to travel, and you let them leave before this corruption twists their bodies to death!¡± The man stood back to raise his fist, and struck down. The hit knocked her to the ground, her jaw popping out of place and the mask snapped and fell off. He raised his foot to stomp on her and succeeded once before her officers restrained him. ¡°You stop that! You stupid jerk!¡± Tina said, putting him in a headlock. Crissy bent down to check on Mabel. ¡°Oh my god, Doctor Scott is going to kill us!¡± Mabel winced, looking up. ¡°Don¡¯t think I can get up,¡± She stammered out, jaw killing her. ¡°WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!¡± They all stopped and looked up. A more decorated man stepped into view. ¡°Report, Lieutenant.¡± ¡°This delusional elf is demanding that we let them go so I was trying to give her what she deserves!¡± ¡°Officer, let him go,¡± the older man said. Once Tina did so, he asked. ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡± ¡°Some Amablis Corrine, sir,¡± he said. The man stiffened, and hauled off to smack the man. ¡°You IDIOT!¡± He then bent down to Mabel. ¡°Miss Corrine, why are you asking for their release?¡± Mabel tried to move her jaw again but couldn¡¯t. Crissy told him, ¡°They got families, sir, that need to be cared for out there. She¡¯s concerend, because they¡¯re just good, hardworking men who want to provide.¡± The older man nodded, then looked back. ¡°Do as she says. Release them, get them travel paper work, and supply them well. Make sure there¡¯s extra for those families¡ªit may be a while before they can find work again, given the state of things.¡± ¡°What?! General Barls, they¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s an order, Lieutenant! Now get to it, and you can personally handle the paperwork. We will be talking about this incident once we are finished.¡± Barls looked back to Mabel. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Miss Corrine. Had we known you were the Shaman here we whould have asked for their character before doing this. I promise that you will be well compensated for the trouble caused here. While I¡¯m at it, report anything you might need to your lovely officers here. In the meantime, please accept my apologies.¡± The man stood up and looked at Crissy, then Tina in turn. ¡°Please make sure she gets to a hospital to be checked and have any broken bones set. I¡¯m sure that she has means to mend these bones once they¡¯re set. Once she is safe and sound, I¡¯d like th have a talk with you both.¡± He turned to walk away, as did the others. The elves, once freed of their bonds, walked over. The older man knelt down. ¡°Shaman Corrine, are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± she got out with a nod. Oh god above this was painful! He nodded. ¡°Please, accept our sincerest apology for all we¡¯ve done. And from the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much. We were doomed, and you stepped up to save us.¡± ¡°Was the right thing,¡± she said. ¡°Now I want ya¡¯ll to go, and take care of your families. I¡¯m gonna get together a few things for you for the road, so you come on by before you leave, you understand?¡± ¡°Your generosity is so great for people who have done you wrong,¡± he said. ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s the angle?¡± The youngest of them asked. ¡°Why you doin this?¡± ¡°Cause it¡¯s the righ thing,¡± she said. ¡°Dun make me repeat myself, my jaw¡¯s busted.¡± He gave her a long side glance, then sighed. ¡°Fine. ¡­Thank you. My mother¡¯s so sick and my little sister¡¯s had to take care of my siblings. This will help.¡± There was a rise of thank yous, and promised aid if she ever needed it. It made her feel uncomfortable because she was only doing what was right. She nodded though. ¡°No ya¡¯ll stay outta trouble, go get yer things back,¡± she said. It took a good ten minutes until it was just her and her Esle officers paying attention. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get you back to the hospital,¡± Tina said, picking up her filtration mask. ¡°Here, hold this to your face. Fittings are busted¡ªwe¡¯ll have to get this fixed. Of course, Doctor Scott scolded her as she was examined in the overwhelmed emergency room. Her jaw had to be set back in place, which was also painful in different ways. The bastard had broken her hip too, so that had to be fixed as well. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you did that!¡± He was saying. ¡°What a mess, you won¡¯t be fit for travel for weeks!¡± ¡°I had to! Those men didn¡¯t deserve that,¡± she said, voice muffled by the fact she couldn¡¯t open her mouth wide enough to speak. ¡°Weird happenins, to be sure though.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he sighed. ¡°Look¡­ do you have a bone mend of some kind? We are out.¡± Mabel sat back. ¡°Ya¡¯ll are out?! Crissy, come on over here.¡± ¡°What you need Miss Mabel,¡± she asked. ¡°I want you to go on to my house, and look for growler jars. There should be ten¡ªbring six of them. You bring them on over here, and bring the growler that¡¯s in my cabinet too. Should be partly used. You bring that partial one to me, then give the rest to doctor scott.¡± ¡°Miss-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare. I make that bone mend with pharmacuticals and straberries. Touch of lavender, and vitamins and minerals. That there will help you. You administer one half of a cup, then provide some milk, say two cups of it. You make sure to tell them over the next few days to keep drinking milk, and other calcium rich suppliments. Should take three days to be firm enough to start travel, but they¡¯ll be able to use the limbs after about 24 hours. You make sure they rest, alright. It will help with pain, but they need to rest.¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.Again, the poor doctor sighed. ¡°Of course. Thank you, Miss Mabel. That¡¯s generous.¡± ¡°I¡¯d offer more but I got to make sure those elves have some to take to their families¡ªdon¡¯t think there is another shaman for miles.¡± Crissy left to go run her errand. Tina said, ¡°What else you given them miss Mabel?¡± ¡°Bit of this and that,¡± she replied. ¡°Some seeds for herbs, flesh and bone mend, other bits and pieces that will help. Think I¡¯m going to have to make room for anything else I might need. I should try to get more salt, too.¡± ¡°What else you think you¡¯ll be needin?¡± ¡°Not sure. Might see about bedding that¡¯s left behind. New cabinet would be nice.¡± Mabel shrugged. ¡°Generally supplies, and things to make life more comfortable when I settle again.¡± Tina rubbed her chin. ¡°Think we can do that. Might be able to find some animals around, if you want. I¡¯ll put word out that if people don¡¯t want something, you¡¯re looking for things.¡± Mabel nodded. ¡°I got a lot of flesh mend made up too. You tell folks if they think they need something for their journey, they can come to me. Might need to bring clean glassware. Amber, if they got it. I think I¡¯m low on bottles. Didn¡¯t pick up anymore on the last trip, couldn¡¯t find any.¡± Doctor Scott smiled. ¡°Why don¡¯t you let me get a list together of what we¡¯re giving out for travel, and then you send over a list of what you can add. That way we can send folks over to you as well. Just keep enough for yourself and this trip. Should only take you three days but I know how you are.¡± Mabel shrugged. ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯ll do that. I¡¯ll let you know amounts, and just let them know they ain¡¯t got to pay me for it¡ªthey¡¯ll still need their own bottles but these are hard times.¡± He nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you get a kit as well, Miss Mabel. I¡¯ll put some extra in there in case you encounter someone on the way needing it. It¡¯ll be basics¡ªmild pain killers, first aid supplies, and I can see if we can add a sterilized surgical kit or two, and some extra supplies for suturing. I don¡¯t know how far your education has gone, but you pay close attention when I have to treat you, or others do, so I think you¡¯ll be able to put those to use.¡± ¡°I appreciate it. I need some supplies to re-sterilize those though. I¡¯m low.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± He rubbed his chin. ¡°¡­Mabel, I¡¯m lucky to have you as a patient. Your kindness and wisdom are beyond your years.¡± ¡°I think you should just start callin me a friend, Doctor Scott,¡± She said with her arms crossed. ¡°Then start calling me Hermes,¡± he replied with a chuckle. ¡°Only when we ain¡¯t discussing medicine and my treatment,¡± Mabel said with a nod, and held out her hand. ¡°I¡¯m lucky to have you as a friend too, Hermes.¡± Crissy walked in at that moment, pulling a wagon with her partial bottle under her arm. ¡°I brought you one of those flesh mends too, Miss Mabel. You got a couple of things in your yard. Your chickens didn¡¯t make it, Miss Mabel, I¡¯m so sorry. I think all the chickens in the city are gone.¡± Mabel sighed. ¡°¡­Was afraid of that.¡± ¡°Well, one did kind of survive,¡± she said, pulling the wagon in. On top of the bottles was perched a small hen¡ªshe had been a bantam. But the hen was now made up of colorful floral patchwork, with a few ragged thread-fethers here and there, another of which she plucked out and dropped in the cart. There was quiet until Doctor Scott said, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a chicken survive a fabric corruption.¡± ¡°Me neither,¡± Mabel said as she gave a soft sigh. ¡°And I dun know how to take care of it.¡± ¡°I dunno, she¡¯s kind of cute,¡± Tina said. ¡°Like a stuffed animal or something.¡± ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t test out hugging it. She clawed up my arm something fierce. I think her claws dun turned into some kind of wire.¡± Mabel gestured for her bone mend¡ªshe did not have time for this now. It was going to be a while until she was even allowed to leave anyway, what with this then the prep she was going to have to do. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can find out about her, then.¡± Mabel shifted to get up. ¡°Can I go home now? I got plenty enough to do and I gotta keep in mind that I could twist into somethin if I stay here too long.¡± Doctor Scott crossed his arms. ¡°Only if you take the rest of today off and you stay off that hip.¡± Mabel groaned. ¡°I got stuff I gotta run to here though, and to take to others.¡± A nurse poked her head in. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re bringing things for us? What a saint, bless you!¡± She was a younger lady, bright, clean and well kept. ¡°Why don¡¯t I swing by tomorrow morning? The pharmacy has plenty of empty containers, and I can help you divide and label things.¡± ¡°That¡¯s kind of you,¡± Tina said, ¡°Nurse¡­?¡± ¡°Oh! My name is Karen.¡± She smiled. ¡°I just started here not too long ago.¡± ¡°That is kind of ya,¡± Mabel said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come on by around six or so in the morning, and we¡¯ll get all my excess bottled up.¡± ¡°And I¡¯ll bring it here and deliver anything I can to you once I drop this off.¡± She waved, smiling. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow then Shaman Mabel.¡± The nurse disappeared from sight and Doctor Scott took a deep breath. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s about time we get you home.¡± The fenced yard that contained Mabel¡¯s little home was a mess. The chicken coop was a collection of thread, gore, and bones. Her lawn had turned into fabric, and it looked like velvet and maybe some kind of lamb skin. All of her plants were dead and already silk flowers and plants were starting to push their way through the curly skin. ¡°It was gonna be a good garden this year,¡± she said. Tina put her hand on Mabel¡¯s back. ¡°You still got the house. Looks like that didn¡¯t change one bit.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ve got velvet too,¡± Crissy said. ¡°And look at that rose bush¡ªI think that turned into silk!¡± ¡°I appreciate you tryin to cheer me up,¡± Mabel said, patting Tina¡¯s hand. ¡°I suppose that it¡¯s about time I got to layin down and restin. I¡¯m¡­ damn I¡¯m tired.¡± Tina opened the gate. ¡°We¡¯ll make sure nothin inside corrupted first.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t happen. My daddy made sure that he put all sorts of protections in place. I¡¯m hoping that it¡¯ll be strong yet.¡± Crissy eyed the front part of the house. ¡°You suppose this engine still runs?¡± ¡°Last I checked it was dead,¡± Mabel replied. ¡°I know how to drive it but I ain¡¯t got the know-how to fix it. I¡¯m gonna have t leave on my bike If I can¡¯t get it fixed.¡± ¡°No way in hell you¡¯re going to make it on that bike,¡± Tina said. ¡°We¡¯ll ask around to see if there¡¯s any parts. Guard station might.¡± ¡°If there¡¯ anythin I can trade for it, sure, but I ain¡¯t got enough money,¡± Mabel said. ¡°You don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Crissy said. ¡°Can you get on inside on yer own?¡± ¡°I need help, I can¡¯t walk on this yet.¡± The two helped Mabel into the house and to her room. The house itself was mostly built to be a shaman¡¯s clinic with a front area big enough for a few people, and over time it had become filled with salvage she¡¯d pulled in. She was going to get this stuff to the side of the house so people could pick through it and she could have the space. Her bedroom was in the back, with her daddy¡¯s room closed. ¡°Now you rest, we¡¯ll be back in a couple of hours or so to check in on you. You don¡¯t do anything heavy now, okay?¡± ¡°Crissy, you and Tina go rest, I¡¯ll be alright,¡± Mabel said, finally getting settled on her bed. Chunk hopped up onto her chair. The two left and Mabel finally felt like she could breathe. ¡°¡­I¡¯m damn lucky.¡± Chunk stretched in her chair. Mabel reached over to rub the dog¡¯s head before layin down herself. Chunk joined her and Mabel just let herself slide into sleep.