Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Meeting Family and Friends (Part 9)
Don walked toward one of the unoccupied rooms in the clinic. Jazmine quickly opened the door after swiping the card that hung around her neck. "Here we go," she said as she opened the door carefully and gestured for Don and Amanda to enter.
Amanda, still holding onto Don, followed him inside. Once they were inside, Don gently shook off her hold without needing to say anything, and Amanda quickly let go.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Donnie. Old habits die hard," she added before chuckling awkwardly. Jazmine, unaware of their worries, approached the situation casually, joining the conversation with a chuckle.
"Does Donnie not want his favorite aunt to hold him anymore? You were practically glued to her when you were younger. How they grow up so fast," Jazmine mischievously added, causing Amanda to cut her a glance.
Jazmine, being a close friend, could sense something was wrong and looked at Amanda with concern. "Is everything all right, Amanda?" she asked, placing one hand on her hip.
Amanda gave Don a subtle glance before focusing her gaze on Jazmine. "Can I talk to you for a minute outside?"
Jazmine had no reason to refuse but still spoke to Don. "Sure, we'll be right back, Donnie," she said, her voice now lacking the enthusiasm it had the first time she called him.
It was clear to Don that his distant approach had made her uncomfortable, which in this case was positive as he could already see that she spoke less. Not much was said, saving him the trouble of trying to recall a history he did not live.
As Jazmine and Amanda left the sterile patient room, Don let out a sigh and lowered his head to gaze at his bloodied hands, his fingers trembling slightly with each breath. He could remember flashes of what had just occurred.
It was a situation he had not expected at all, and though he had gotten out of it relatively unharmed, it still left quite an imprint on him. That feeling of knowing you could potentially die was incredibly nerve-wracking, but with it came an undeniable feeling of exhilaration upon getting through it.
'How many more situations like that will I get into in this world?' Don wondered, recognizing the very real danger he had faced today and the luck with which he overcame it with.
'That power I felt during the fight... if I can learn to control that...' Don thought, closing and opening the palm which had been cut. He began to wonder if he were trained and skilled in the use of these powers, how far could he go? "At least I need to-."
Before Don could finish collecting his thoughts, the door swung open and Jazmine returned without Amanda, which left Don inwardly curious about what they had talked about. However, he said nothing and simply raised his head to look at Jazmine, who approached him while dragging over a nearby tray with equipment on it. She then glanced at Don's hand and shook her head.
"What a sorry patch-up job. I mean, can you even call this first aid?" Jazmine criticized as she reached out to Don's palm, which she carefully examined. "Yeah, that's a pretty nasty cut, but let's get you sorted."
Don was about to ask her about the doctor but stopped himself. 'Maybe she's on her residency,' Don thought, lacking much knowledge regarding the medical process in this world and what qualified as doctors' uniforms. From what he had seen so far, they were completely different in style and design compared to those in his former life.
After a speedy inspection of the wound, Jazmine put on a pair of surgical gloves and brought over a dish, then rinsed Don's wound with a saline solution to remove debris and reduce the risk of infection. Don felt a stinging sensation immediately when the liquid touched his wound, causing him to let out a pained groan.
Jazmine paused for a moment, looking at him. "I forgot to say it stings. I guess you aren't such a big boy after all," she teased. Don, however, was neither in the mood nor had the mental capacity to tackle an interaction with a close friend of Amanda, regardless of her personality.
"Yea, I guess not," he muttered, causing Jazmine's smile to fade. "Not much of a talker now, huh?" she replied, turning her attention back to his hand.
After cleaning the cut, Jazmine inspected it before giving her assessment. "It's a deep one, but it looks like you avoided any major tendons and nerves. I'll need to numb the area before stitching it up," Jazmine explained, injecting Don with a local anesthetic around the wound.
Don felt the pain followed by a tingling sensation as the area began to go numb.
With the area numbed, Jazmine started to stitch up the wound. "We'll use a few stitches to close it up and help it heal properly, okay?" Jazmine asked, receiving only a nod from Don in reply.
Jazmine worked quickly, and before long, she was done. With the stitches in place, she applied an antiseptic ointment to prevent infection, placed a sterile gauze pad over the wound, and began to wrap it with a bandage.
After securing the bandage, Jazmine inspected her work and nodded in satisfaction. "There we go, all set. Now, here's what you need to do to ensure it heals properly," Jazmine added, reaching for a notebook on the counter and removing one of the three pens tucked in the pocket of her uniform top.
"First of all, make sure to keep the bandage dry and change the dressing once a day or whenever it gets wet or dirty."
"Secondly, be sure to watch out for signs of infection, such as increased redness, swelling, warmth, or pus. If you notice any of these, make sure you come back immediately."
"Thirdly, you should limit how much you use that hand and avoid any strenuous activities that could strain the wound or cause the stitches to pull. If you feel any pain, any over-the-counter pain relievers should help. You can come back in about a week for a check-up and to remove the stitches. If everything looks good, then once the stitches are out, you just need to continue protecting the area.
I suggest using an adhesive bandage until the skin fully heals,"
Jazmine finished, tearing the paper she wrote on and handing it to Don, who received it casually without saying anything.
Jazmine gave him a strange look but only said, "Your aunt went to use the restroom. You can wait for her here. It was nice seeing you again, Donnie," she added before quickly leaving the room.
'Something is very off about her.' Don thought.