The Mantis Corruption - Book Three - 23. Chapter 23 - The Blood Corruption Clinic

“Please, Auntie Peg,” an old man wheezed to her from his cot, “let Ninyani finish reading the chapter.” He coughed and Auntie Peg handed him his glass of water.

“Of course, Ninyani can finish reading the chapter,” she replied with a smile.

Auntie Peg headed into the hallway and checked several charts as she continued her rounds. The night shift was about to start, and she and Ninyani were almost finished for the day. When they were done, they were planning to meet up with Dottie Marbles for a meal of street food before heading home together.

At the end of the hallway, Auntie Peg approached a door and paused to make a note before entering. In the room there were three patients all close to their ends. Over the previous 24 hours, each of them had displayed the final symptom of the blood corruption, and death always came not long after. Auntie Peg stepped up to each, dabbed the moisture from their brows and temples with a clean cloth, and she tucked their blankets tight.

Many of the city’s inhabitants did not like to deal with a person afflicted by the blood corruption. When someone began to show signs of it, they were often sent straight to one of Teshon City’s clinics for treatment. Auntie Peg possessed enough compassion for those stricken by the disease, to not only work at a clinic, but she also ran one of them.

People feared the disease, but it was not contagious. Similar to different cancers, the blood corruption grew within an individual, potentially for years before it would manifest and run rampant through the body. The disease was often fatal, affecting children and the elderly quickest and most severely. It tended to linger in those who survived, causing minor issues for years after.

At any given time, there were between five and 20 patients under Auntie Peg’s care. The staff who worked for her were devoted to the well-being of the sick, and she smiled when she heard the front door of the clinic open and the sound of her team’s voices.

Ninyani stepped out of the room and called down the hall, “I’m finished reading!”

Auntie Peg waved for him to join her in her office, wrapped him in his shawl, and pulled on her jacket. They turned as the other healers came down the hallway.

“Right on time,” Auntie Peg declared with a smile.

The night staff greeted her and Ninyani, and the two of them made their way out into the darkening city. Evening was slowly stealing the light as they walked together along a quiet city street. They turned onto one of the main thoroughfares, and ahead of them were a few shops with lights still lit.

Dottie Marbles suddenly rounded a corner, saw Auntie Peg and Ninyani, and she rushed in their direction. Her expression was serious.

“What is it, sugar?” Auntie Peg asked as Dotty Marbles approached.

“Tchama didn’t come see you two at the clinic, did she?” she asked.

Auntie Peg and Ninyani looked at each other.

“No, we haven’t seen her. What happened?”

“You know the building with the warning signs behind the old Oselian warehouse in Gate Town?” Dotty Marbles asked.

Auntie Peg and Ninyani nodded.

“Part of its wall fell and a little girl was almost killed,” Dotty Marbles declared. “It was just dumb stupid luck that Tchama was standing next to her. She managed to shield the child with her body.” She was visibly shaken. “It was a really horrible moment, until we all realized that they were both okay, but then Tchama wandered off, and she seemed really out of it.”

“We haven’t seen her,” Ninyani stated. “Should we head over to the mystic’s house and see if she’s home now?”

“She’s like me,” Auntie Peg stated. “She can’t have been injured.”

Dottie Marbles furrowed her brow. “No, you’re right. I don’t think she was; I think she was upset. I don’t know why. She saved that little girl.”

“Tchama has struggled with the change that happened to her,” Auntie Peg replied.

“She’s been really sad since she lost her arm,” Ninyani added in a quiet voice.

Auntie Peg and Dottie Marbles stood with Ninyani between them, and they both put an arm around their young friend, as they headed through Gate Town.

“Her body may be strong right now,” Auntie Peg explained, “but her spirit has been broken by what she went through. Also, coping with only having one arm has been frustrating for Tchama. You’ve been very compassionate, Ninyani,” she added. “I don’t know what could have made her distraught about saving someone.”

The mystic’s house was a little way from the clinic, and the trio talked as they walked. They soon arrived.

Dotty Marbles knocked on the front door and called out, “Tchama, are you home?”

They heard a noise on the other side, and Theolan opened the door. “Hello, lovely people,” he exclaimed. “What a pleasant surprise!”

“Have you seen Tchama?” Ninyani asked him.

“I haven’t,” Theolan replied in alarm. “She’s not here and hasn’t come back from working with you earlier, Dot. Do you three want to come inside?”

“Oh, no, but thank you,” Auntie Peg responded, “we’re here uninvited, just wanted to check up on Tchama, but we’ll leave you folks to your evening.”

“Well, now I’m worried,” Theolan declared.

“You needn’t be, love,” Auntie Peg said gently. “As you know, she’s struggling with some things. She knows that your home is safe and welcoming, and she’ll come back when she’s ready.”

Dotty Marbles added, “And thank you for providing her with that.”

“Perhaps Tchama will pop by our place,” Auntie Peg commented, “so, we ought to head there just in case.”

Theolan gave them each air kisses and closed the door behind them.

“I hope she’s okay,” Ninyani said in a quiet voice★