"They're temporary, but your permanent ones will look exactly the same, just with the proper fittings. We put a pair of shoes on them so you could see how they look with shoes on them." Anja grinned, trying to look happy, as she carefully wiped her tears away. "We thought you would appreciate the sleek black design, they'll allow you to be as tall as you had been before, and they will look normal under nearly all clothes." Anja gave a thumbs up.
The doctor and nurse were well aware of who she was as a Vandiver and a witch, as witches were prominent members of society and openly used their magic. Anja's parents were extremely powerful witches, and Anja followed in their wake, her power to be reckoned with despite her gentle nature.
Carlisle watched silently as the nurse helped Anja move to the edge of the bed, taking the sheet she'd been covered with off of her as he did so. Anja got her first view of her newly-reduced legs, done via transtibial amputation to each leg. Her legs tapered off below the knees. They were both covered with stockings and had drainage tubes coming out of them.
"Ah, drainage is going wonderfully," the nurse stated, sounding pleased, as he looked inside the stocking to check the bandages underneath. "You should be able to start wearing these tomorrow when we take out the drainage tubes."
The doctor walked over with one of the prosthetics and held it up to where Anja's leg ended. "In a couple weeks, we'll get you fitted and started on wearing the permanent version. Thankfully for you, witches tend to heal faster, with their advanced physiologies and their magic... Sound good?" Anja nodded. She liked how the prosthetic looked as the doctor put them on her so she could see. "How does that look?" She grinned and nodded. "Marvelous!" He handed the nurse the leg and placed it back on the cart with the other one. He stood as he said, "I'd like to have you see Dr. Leisa Froyd, though you may choose any physical therapist from the list of many you wish. I recommend her because she was present during your amputations and is aware of the circumstances that caused them."
Anja looked down at the notepad and pen still sitting in her lap, picked both up, and wrote a response.
Dr. Froyd sounds good to me. I'll take her.
The doctor looked pleased with her response as he continued, saying, "I also highly recommend Dr. Don Filetti, an American psychiatrist who's recently moved here. He has a lot of witches as patients, and he's really, really good. My... daughter has recently been in a horrific car accident, and she's making a lot of progress with him. I'd like you to start seeing him next week, if possible"
Anja wrote again.
Dr. Filetti sounds great. I'll have him, as well.
"It's great to hear you say that." The doctor's smile widened. "I'll let you get some more rest before it's time for breakfast and morning medications. If you need anything, your butler may ask a nurse for it." The doctor looked to Carlisle for confirmation. The butler gave a subtle grin as he bowed his head a little, his eyes shining with something that resembled mischief that intimidated the doctor. "I'll see you later." Anja waved as the doctor and nurse left, leaving her alone with a butler she didn't quite feel right about.
Since childhood, Anja had been very gifted with sensing and analyzing the auras of those around her and had a knack for judging character. Though Carlisle Lomen may have wanted nothing but good for her, he definitely didn't come across to her as benevolent. In fact, she wasn't quite sure if her butler was actually human, as his aura was so black, with just the faintest hint of crimson around the edges, that it resembled a void, a rare, if not non-existent, characteristic to human auras; however, she had no idea what he was if not human.
She rolled onto her side as tears welled up in her eyes so the butler wouldn't see, but it was useless as she started sobbing, her shoulders heaving with each shuddering, raspy breath. She covered her face with her hands to try to quiet herself. She stopped when she felt the bed dip behind her and was about to try to turn around when two fingers, which were no longer gloved, were gently pressed to her temple.
"Sleep," Carlisle whispered, and the witch's body relaxed and her eyes fell closed, and her heart rate immediately relaxed on the monitor, the beeps becoming just a little slower. Although he hadn't known any of the Vandivers for a very long time at all, it was already difficult to see his master in such a state of agony and sorrow, though he knew that humans and witches needed to grieve for those they have lost.
That same morning, at a more reasonable hour that involved the sun in the sky, Anja was woken for breakfast and taken to be given a bath. Everywhere Anja was taken, Carlisle followed, though he allowed the nurse to do her job when it came to giving her a bath and applying ointment since he hadn't yet been given instructions on doing so. The witch had no recollection of being put to sleep.
When the gown was taken off of Anja, the nurse smiled enthusiastically and said, "What's your tattoo?"
Anja, confused, looked down at herself until she saw the top of a black mark peeking out from underneath the waistband of the underwear she'd received from the hospital, starting about half an inch beneath her belly button. She scowled and watched as the nurse helped her with the underwear, as well, since there were still bandages and drainage tubes in her legs, until they were off and the mark was revealed. It ended at a point just above the groin. She recognized it as a sigil of some sort but had no knowledge of its meaning. "Is it a symbol witches use?" the nurse wondered, knowing the witch couldn't respond. Anja nodded. "Very cool."
Carlisle was in the hospital room reading when the nurse returned Anja, now bathed and with fresh ointment, bandages, and drainage tubes. The long hair of her undercut was wet and combed back but beginning to lighten back to its original colour as it dried; for now, it was a deep shade of grey.
"Let us know if you need anything. If not, we'll see you at noon!" the nurse said as she started walking out of the hospital room. She made eye contact with the butler, who bowed his head ever so slightly as a grin played with his lips, immediately blushed, and walked quicker. Indifferent, the butler returned to his reading.
"How are you feeling, madam?" Carlisle wondered, flicking to the next page of the book before looking up to see her response.
Anja shrugged, scowling with thoughts about the new mark on her body. It hadn't been there before the night of the attack, so she couldn't help but wonder if it had to do with either those who tried to kill her or the new butler that had unexpectedly entered her life. Once she got to her study and library at home and could search for the sigil engraved into her skin, she'd be able to pinpoint the source. For now, however, she needed to remain in the darkness of her confused, mourning mind.
YOU ARE READING
At Your Service
Fantasy{Book 2} One of the most noble, prestigious, and powerful of witch families in the country, the Vandivers, are targeted, successfully killing all but their only child. Before their untimely, gruesome death, Master and Mistress Vandiver summoned a de...
