Kram
h with a soft sizzle. Phoebe squeezed her e
ed away the surface layer of pus and grime, re
crotic tissue had to be cut away, or the i
lpel. And I di
he sharpest, smallest knife
turned minutes later with a small paring knife
om. I held the blade of the knife in the fire, watching it glow a dul
's wounds with the liquor. The sharp, alcoholic sting filled the air, a clean smel
orner, her face pale, loo
teady as a rock. I took a deep breath, le
y movements were precise, economical. I excised only the dead, black tissue, preserving ever
I finally cut away the last piece of necrotic tissue, my
each wound. When the last one was tied, I strai
was starving. I hadn't e
gle echoed in the quiet
, and she looked down at t
and a genuine smile broke through my exhaustion. It was th
tle her. She looked up,
gry too,
ered a wonderful secret. She scurried to the small bundle of her be
Inside were two golden-brow
ed, holding one out to me like a precious
mell of butter and caram
, sweet filling melted on my tongue. In this cold, des
girl. I wasn't just the surgeon. For a moment, I was jus
oebe was the one pe
he flickering candlelight, and ate o
and bandaged, his breathing seemed a little l
ection, flushing the silver from his system, prov
e first time, I wasn
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