The Apothecary's Daughter

Chapter 31

"Where is he?" Emmeline asked hurriedly.

"We put him in his study. He refused to go to his chamber as to not startle the child." The pair rushes into the house as Emmeline peppers the footman with questions.

"Is there any bleeding?"

"Not visibly, but his lordship refuses to let anyone go near him."

"How long ago was the fall?"

"About three hours ago ma'am. He was out for his morning ride."

Emmeline freezes, "Why was I not called for sooner?"

"His lordship knew you were coming later to work with Matilda and did not wish to cause a fuss."

"Incorrigible man," she whispers under her breath.

"What was that ma'am?"

"It does not matter." The pair approaches the door to the study. "I do not have all of my supplies with me so I may need a page to be prepared to go to my shop. I will give you all the information if it comes to that. For now I need a pot of hot water and fresh linen that can be made into bandages to be brought up." She took a breath and steadied herself before entering.

Daniel was sprawled on the couch by his desk. No one else was in the room.

"Miss. Somers, I wish we were meeting over better circumstances," Daniel says with a pained laugh, "but it seems my horse had a different idea this morning." Emmeline resisted a smile as she rushed over to him.

"We would've met earlier had you sent a page to get me the second you fell from your horse. What happened, my lord?" She examines his body, trying to determine where there was damage.

"We were riding by the brook, I was checking on the fairies for Matilda, and my mare slipped in the mud. I tried to jump off before she collapsed but I couldn't do it in time. She landed sideways on top of me." On first glance Emmeline didn't notice any major bleeding, just a few minor scrapes.

"Can you identify where it hurts, sir?"

"Is it cheating if I say all over?" He laughs as Emmeline pensively looks at his body, "Come now, Miss. Somers. I cannot be so broken."

"I will not know until I do a full physical exam to check for breaks."

"Of course," Daniel replies, realizing he wouldn't be able to get a laugh from her until she was done with her work, "do as you must." Emmeline began her examination.

"Please try to turn your head from side to side. If it cause pain do not force it." Daniel dutifully complies, "Now roll your neck as if you slept in a weird position and you're trying to get it back to normal." He does so, wincing slightly.

"Is that bad?"

"No, I do not believe your neck is broken. There are some minor wounds that need cleaning up, but we can tend to those later. Your muscles in your neck were strained slightly but it shouldn't be a long term issue. Let's move to your arm. I do not wish you to move it, but I am going to feel for breaks or sprains. If you feel pain, even the slightest, tell me."

She reaches for his hand and gingerly begins moving his fingers, moving down to his palm, to his wrist, working her way to his forearm. Daniel was feeling something, but it was not pain. She gingerly moves his elbow. As she moved closer to his shoulder, maneuvering those muscles, he begins to wince. She tries to move his should and he resists the urge to scream in pain.

"I am sorry my lord but this may hurt." She even more carefully tries to move the shoulder, making sure the joint was still set in place. Relief fills her eyes and Daniel cannot help but smile. "Your shoulder is sprained, but not broken, which is good. After the exam we'll fasten your arm in a sling and it should heal in a few weeks. Can you move your other arm?"

"I believe so." It takes a few moments of wincing before he is in a position to move his arm, then he does so without pain.

"For the sake of time, unless you enjoy being poked and prodded like a Christmas present, it would be helpful for you to tell me where it hurt."

"If it means you will not look at me so seriously then doctor I will comply." She smirks at him. "The horse landed on the right side of my body."

"Thank you sir. You've cut my work in half." She moves down to the lower half of his body and starts to move his ankle around. "Any pain?" He shakes his head and she continues her exam. She ginger moves to his leg, checking for breaks, looking up at him for signs of wincing. There were none. He looks at her in a way she had never seen before, a way that reminds her that she is alone in a room with a man without a chaperone, giving him a physical exam. She stops her hand at his knee. She dared not go further.

"I am going to need you to try to stand sir. We need to see if your leg can sustain weight. There's a bit of tension in your tendons and I cannot properly assess the level of strain."

"Of course, I may need your assistance though Miss. Somers, because of the broken shoulder."

"Of course." She reaches toward his good shoulder and helps him rise from the sofa. He winces slightly as he puts weight on the leg. "How does your leg feel?"

"A little tender. My midsection hurts more though."

"Sit again sir, I am afraid I am going to have to examine your torso for broken ribs. Is that okay?"

"Of course, whatever needs to be done." She gingerly helps him return to the couch.

"I am going be feeling around the right side of your abdomen. If there is pain anywhere else you must tell me. If you try to be strong and muscle through it could cause damage later on down the road. You do not want that for Matilda. The more we can fix now, the better." She says, avoiding his gaze.

"I would not lie to you Miss. Somers." His voice is sincere and Emmeline looks up at him, "I trust that you will make me better. You have already helped in so many ways." Emmeline blushes.

"I am going to start the exam now." Her hands are shakier than they were before as she gently massages his ribcage, feeling for any breaks. She feels some tenderness in the muscles, but no breaks. Daniel sits in silence, the pain he feels being overpowered with a feeling of peace. She was so gentle and deliberate with each motion she made, he observed. She removes her hands and suddenly the soreness returns.

Emmeline looked up at him.

"You'll have some bruises, a few rather garish ones I am sure, but it's nothing a few days of bedrest and glasses of whiskey won't fix." She rises from her place, her mind back into work mode, "I will get one of your footmen to get the things from the shop to set your shoulder. For now," She reaches into the pocket of her apron, "take this. It will help ease the pain a little." She hands him a vial and goes to the desk to write a list for the footman. She walks to the door and gives it to a servant who has arrived with the hot water and linen. She takes the items gratefully and returns to Daniel's side.

"Let's get those scrapes cleaned up, shall we?" She laughs, "We wouldn't wish to frighten Matilda even more than she has been already by having her father look like a dirty mess."

~
And there's chapter 31! 32 is in the works and will hopefully be up by the end of the week.

I hope you all are staying happy and safe during these strange times.