Chapter 11
Judging by the seating arrangement in the hall, it was evident that among this group of people, the priest held the highest status.
With a firm command of "release," even the knights didn't argue; they grimly stepped aside. The restraints on Garrett immediately loosened, and he stumbled to his feet, nodding toward the priest in acknowledgment. Then, he scrambled on all fours toward the child.
"Hmph! How impolite..."
The knight scoffed. The priest interrupted in a hushed tone, "Don't speak, watch!"
Garrett's timing couldn't have been better. Just a few steps away, the boy whose neck had been cut woke up as if from a dream, limbs thrashing as he burst into tears. Though fierce, his crying produced no sound, which only heightened the child's panic. Tears streaming, body convulsing, he seemed on the brink of passing out again.
At that moment, Garrett rushed in. He threw himself over the child, pressing down on the legs to immobilize them. He then grabbed the child's arms, soothingly patting his face, repeatedly reassuring, "Don't be afraid, you're okay, you're okay... Just take a breath, and you'll be fine... Don't be scared, follow my breath, inhale... exhale... inhale... exhale..."
His voice transitioned from high to low, from fast to slow, filled with genuine concern. He managed to calm the child, who, with wide eyes, began to breathe along with him. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale...
Soon, the convulsions subsided. Despite the lingering neck pain, the child whimpered pitifully but appeared much calmer.
This wasn't in surgical texts or treatment manuals. This move was something Garrett's mentor in his previous life, an emergency department head, had taught himwhen performing a tracheotomy without anesthesia, always pacify the patient afterward! Suffocating and suddenly having their neck cut, the patient's oxygen consumption skyrockets due to panic. Without proper reassurance, shock could set in any minute.
...And also, reassure the family and onlookers... Otherwise, while you put down the scalpel, you might end up beaten by a group of self-righteous citizens, or even handcuffed by the police. Better to anticipate these things.
Garrett's thoughts swirled, filled with myriad emotions. It wasn't that he forgot his mentor's advice; he simply didn't get the chance before the knight sent him flying. Luckily, the knight showed mercy, refraining from killing him outright. Otherwise, he might have had to traverse once more.
Thinking of the knight, Garrett overheard him speaking behind him. The voice was hushed, as if whispering to the nearby priest:
"Can you save someone by cutting their neck?"
"...I've never seen this kind of treatment before," the priest replied. Perhaps due to being practitioners of magic, the priest's voice was serene and melodious, markedly different from the deep, gravelly tones of the knight. Even if Garrett had just met them today, he could easily distinguish their voices:
"But, he's quite confident. And the child isn't suffocating anymore. Despite the neck cut, there was no immediate gush of blood..."
Of course, not. I've been familiar with the anatomy of the neck since university. If, by some chance, he'd cut the carotid artery during the cricothyrotomy, I might as well have gone to meet my maker!
Garrett silently grumbled.
After comforting the child in his arms, he sighed with relief and straightened up. The priest had been watching with interest. When Garrett stopped, the priest couldn't help but ask:
"Is it all right now?"
"The tube's here! Check if it's usable! I cleaned it painstakingly!"
Garrett lowered his gaze. In his palm lay a chicken leg bone, cut at both ends to reveal the hollow interior. Glancing at the bone, he saw the marrow nearly cleaned out from the center, allowing candlelight to filter through the other end.
...It'll do, makeshift as it is.
No sterile packaging, no disposable PVC tracheal tube, not even bambooprobably not grown in this regionjust a hollowed chicken bone. It would have to suffice for now.
Garrett shrugged. With a swipe of his thumb on the bone's edge, he furrowed his brow, then handed it back:
"The edge is too sharp. Smooth it out."
"This..."
Uncle Edmund hesitated. Someone delicately extended a hand, the priest taking the chicken bone from Garrett's palm and passing it over to the knight beside him:
"Roman, lend a hand."
The knight, Roman, frowned slightly. Without a word, he took the bone, using the pad of his thumb to rub the edge, then flipped it and did the same. Bone fragments fell, and the sharp cuts made by a kitchen knife visibly smoothed out.
Wide-eyed, Garrett couldn't help but exclaim softly.
Directly using his hands for it!
Thumb as a whetstone!
Just a gentle rub!
Are the knights in this world physically this powerful?
Before he could close his gaping mouth, the priest handed back the smoothed bone. While passing it, he curiously inquired:
"Insert into the airway? How? Why?"
"Wow! It's actually going in!"
---------------
Here is a theCharacters List.Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at Novelupdate.If you come across any mistakes within this chapter, kindly notify me in the comments below, so that I can make the necessary corrections.
RECENTLY UPDATES
