Lessons in Healing

[Anamnesis]

She nodded to Heloise, "What I want to do is to test your knee a little Paddy. To see what makes it hurt worse for you. It sounds as if you may need to be off of it for awhile and let the swelling go down and your knee begin to mend."
 
 "When you are ready, my friend." She waited until he was ready and carefully took his foot and leg and lifted it in a controlled manner to bend and push back up towards his chest slowly to see if it would hurt or if it was just the pressure of touch that caused the pain.  

[RollinsCat]

"But it didn't hurt before.  It felt like my knee'd gone to sleep.  It was a little rubbery, that's it..."  Confused, Paddy lay still as she pushed the leg up.  At about a thirty degree bend he looked uncomfortable but remained quiet.

[Anamnesis]

As she determined that it was nothing as serious as she first thought it could have been and that it was a minor strain in his ligaments, she spoke up reassuringly.
 
 "Well my friend, it appears you are going to be in a brace just for awhile so that your knee has a chance to heal. And there are no arguments." Her tone firm with him. "I will let Tashe know that you are under Healers orders and Helly's care while you mend."
 
 She smiled and look the hand of Heloise, "You see right here along the knee are special muscles that help hold the knee to the bone, and it has been injuried. When he took the force of the impact to his knee, it caused it to stretch in a way that strained it enough so that he didn't notice it at first."
 
 She waited to make sure she could feel and understand what she was referring to before she would proceed to showing her how to set the brace on his knee.

[RollinsCat]

"A brace!?!"  He sat up and slung his legs over the side of the cot.  "Come on!  It's just tender, I'm fine."

"Paddy, Miss Elly says you need it."  

"I'm not going to wear a brace!  I don't know how to put that stuff on.  No way..."

"Paddy - "  She pursed her lips a moment then gave him a warm smile.  "I'll show you how when Miss Elly shows me.  I need the practice to be a nurse, and you offered to help..."  With hands on his shoulders she pushed him back.  He offered token resistance then laid down again.

"You'll show me how?"

"We'll practice together!"  Another bright smile.

"Okay..."

Heloise scooped up a bandage from the floor for the second time and pulled Paddy's pants leg back up.  "I'm ready, Miss Elly!"

[Anamnesis]

"Paddy, Dear, I don't think you fully understand that if you don't take it easy, if you don't let Helly treat this, you could wind up flat on your back for a longer time than you would like."

She paused a moment smiling again, "Though I think that Helly would like that very much, I think eventually it would bother you being confined. Now first things first. You will need to rest, and I will see about getting you a pair of crutches so you are not putting unnecessary weight on your knee. We will also need to apply ice every so often, and keep your knee elevated."

She stopped and turned her attention to Heloise for a moment. "While I am gone Helly you need to make sure he rests, and you will need to do some exercises with him to help make sure he regains strength in his knee without injuring it again. Which means however tempting it may be. No tickling his knee alright?"

She showed her carefully how to wrap the knee with the bandages and the brace making sure to let Heloise actually do the wrapping so that she learned each step, before she gave them both a hug and went to gather some lunch for them all.

[RollinsCat]

Paddy sat in subdued quiet while they wrapped and unwrapped and iced and fussed.  He almost jumped when Elohanna hugged him, then recovered a more stoic face and gave her an awkward pat on the back.  Hopping up, he tested the brace with a frown, sat again and let Heloise practice wrapping his other knee.  A full minute after Elly left the clinic he spoke.

"No crutches, Helly.  Please."  He caught her eyes, green in the clinic light, and reached down to take her hand.  "I'm not that hurt, I know Miss Elly means good but I can't be hobbling around.  I'm security!"  She opened her mouth and he jumped in before she could protest.  "I'll do the exercises...if you help me...I'll wear the brace, least I can cover it with my clothes, but no crutches, I won't use 'em, I swear."  His jaw set.

Her gaze went to their hands, his thumb circling idly over her smooth skin.  "You have to use them while Miss Elly's around though."  He curled his lips, shook his head, and she stared at his knee and then back to their hands.  "Wait, wait - I know!  A cane!"  He blinked, then a little grin started to creep.  "That's it.  We'll go out and get you a cane!  A nice one, maybe one of those with a little sword in it so you can say it's for protection!"

"Helly, brilliant!"  His grin bloomed to a full smile.  She perched on the edge of the cot and squeezed his hand, and he tipped his head, one ear toward the door for a moment.  

"Helly?"

"Paddy?"  She was still beaming, started to look where he was listening with a curious glance.  As her head turned he stole in for a kiss.  It was a quick brushing of lips, and she stared, not blinking, as it registered.  He licked his lips and watched her.

"HELLY, PADDY, Miss Elly says lunch is ready!"  Even the thick walnut doors could not block Edward's yell.  Helly was suddenly distracted, her eyes moving from the doors to Paddy and back, and her hand slipped from his to pick at her skirt.

His face seemed to sink in a little.  "Sorry."  

She shook her head, still flustered, and leaned to him, pecking his lips, blushing, then standing.  "We should let Miss Elly know about the cane."  With a flounce of fabric she was out the doors.  He watched them swing shut, the knuckle of his forefinger on his mouth.  It was a few minutes before he followed.

[cbnicholson]

Charlie leaned against the door frame watching the two with a slight grin.  Nobody had noticed him approaching, he just was there,  "Ya know, with yerself hurt like that, I could take over security fer a bit...boss."

[RollinsCat]

Helly brushed past Charlie, still distracted, but with a hard set to her mouth.   Paddy didn't say anything and remained sitting for a few minutes before heading for the door.  His walk was without a limp although the brace shortened his stride.  He paused by Charlie.

"Not your boss.  Mister Andrew is the boss, and Michael after him.  Not sure why you felt you needed to watch that but I'm asking you keep it to yourself since you had to snoop.  Surely going to make a difference in how we get along, yeah?"

[cbnicholson]

Charlie looks taken aback and a bit hurt, "Didn't know it was a secret ya kissin her, but sure, Paddy, whatever ya say.  I didn't see nothin."  Charlie regards the man for a moment then slinks off.

[RollinsCat]

A nod.  "Good.  And yeah.  Till Miss Elly leaves, you can work with Ed on keeping an eye for me."  He flexed his braced knee, then wandered toward the kitchen.