Ruth Downie: Medicus

"Does anybody know what the going rate is?" asked Ruso. "Half the army wasn't even born when Trajan took over, let alone on the payroll."

"Hard to say, sir," said the orderly, "but in nineteen years it's bound to have gone up, isn't it?" He bent over the table. "Just lie on your left, now." As they rolled the girl first to one side of the table and then the other, slipping the stretcher sheet out from beneath her, he observed, "Nothing of her, is there?"

When they had settled the girl, the man hurried out to refill the water bucket, complaining that someone else should have refilled it the previous night. "You can tell Priscus isn't here."

Ruso waited, hearing distant voices. The clump of boots on floorboards in the corridors. The usual clatter from the kitchen. Window shutters crashing open to let in the new day A day the anonymous girl in the mortuary would never see. Ruso, who did not like to inquire too deeply into matters of religion, wondered vaguely if she and Trajan would meet each other on the voyage into the shadowy world of the departed. He eyed the girl lying on the table in front of him. It might have been kinder to let her join them.

Laid out under a crumpled linen gown that smelled faintly of lavender, she looked smaller than she'd appeared to him yesterday And younger. He wondered how old she was. She must have a name, a tribe, a language. The trader had been yelling at her in Latin but the words she had mumbled as the poppy juice carried her into oblivion sounded British.

That was the only time he had heard her speak. When he had put his head around the door of Room Twelve just after dawn and said, " 'Morning! Did you sleep well?" — She was alive! He must go and tell Valens-she had looked at him with those eyes that were the color of-well, whatever it was-as if she did not understand the question.

The eyes were open again now. The pupils had been shrunk to small black dots by the medicine he had given her. She was staring up at the dust motes floating in the sunshine that streamed in from the high windows. She showed no curiosity about where she was.

She did not seem to have grasped the purpose of the gleaming instruments laid out on the cloth beside the empty water basin. She was not alarmed by the rolls of bandages stacked on the shelves, nor did she seem to be wondering what so many empty bowls might be there to catch.

Ruso was pleased with himself. Deciding the right amount of poppy juice to administer had been a tricky business. The borrowed works he had hurriedly consulted last night had implied that in all respects that would matter this morning, women were the same as men, only smaller. In Ruso's experience, however, there was much about women that was dangerously unpredictable, and one of the attractions of army life was that he was no longer expected to live with one.

"Everything all right, sir?" The orderly was back, splashing clean water into the basin.

Ruso nodded. "I think she's about ready."

The orderly began to buckle a leather strap across the girl's legs. She lifted her head slightly.

"Nothing to worry about," said the orderly, who was a practiced liar.

The girl's head fell back. She closed her eyes and appeared to be drifting off to sleep.

The door opened. Valens's head appeared, then retreated. "Sorry!

Didn't know you were in here."

Ruso called after him, "What about that five denarii?"

Valens reappeared, glanced at the body on the operating table, and grinned. "You must have cheated."

"I could do with some help."

"I'm supposed to be doing rounds. What have you got?"

As the girl continued to doze while the orderly strapped her down, Ruso jerked a thumb toward the bandaged arm lying on top of the linen sheet. "Compound fracture of radius and ulna about halfway down. Probably three or four days old. I redressed what I could last night but it was too dark to operate."

"I like a challenge," said Valens, and closed the door behind him. "Have you heard? Trajan's dead."

"I know," said Ruso, who had private reasons to mourn the emperor's passing. "Sounds as though it's going to be Hadrian."

Ruso began to remove the bandaging he had put on last night. The girl's body jerked as she tried to raise herself. The orderly gripped her shoulders and held her down.

On the other side of the table, Valens stroked her good hand, leaned over, and said gently, "We're going to see to your arm. We'll be very quick."

Ruso wished he had remembered to say that himself.

They began to soak the rag that had been stuffed into the wound.

"I met him once," mused Ruso.

"Hadrian?"

"Trajan. InAntioch."

"I suppose he'll be the Divine Trajan soon."

"No doubt," agreed Ruso. At least, none that he was foolish enough to express in public.

"May he rest among the gods," added Valens.

"Among the gods indeed, sir," echoed the orderly.

Ruso left a brief silence that could have been respect or rebellion, then murmured, "Water."

The orderly refilled the jug.

"Think Hadrian'll try and take the North back?" asked Valens.

"Why not?" Ruso said. "He'll be wanting to make an impression.

Britannia's big enough to count, but remote enough not to matter."

"He'll have to send more legions if he's serious about it. We're spread pretty thin here."

"He might not go for it. He's Trajan's man. He might just carry on the Divine Trajan's policies." Ruso glanced at the orderly. "No doubt the kitchen staff will let us know. Here it comes… " He lifted off the rag and dropped it into the wastebasket.

Both men leaned forward to peer at the swollen and blood-caked mess that had once been an arm.

Valens brought one hand down over his own elbow with a chopping motion and raised his eyebrows in question.

Ruso shook his head. "It looks clean. The wrist's intact."

Valens strolled around the table, looking at the injury from a different angle. "I wouldn't," he murmured. "You'll only make a worse mess and end up taking it off anyway."

"It might work. If you broke your arm-"

"I'd pray I didn't get some would-be hero like you."

"I think we should try."

There was a pause.

"She's my patient," added Ruso.

Valens shrugged. "Fine. She's your patient. So, do we know how much Hadrian values his loyal troops?"

"He'll be doubling the usual bonus, apparently."

"How much is that?"

"Not a clue."

As they began to clean the wound, the girl gasped. Her face twisted into a grimace of pain.

"Try and lie still," said the orderly, tightening his grip and glancing to check that all the straps were fastened.

"We'll be very quick," promised Ruso, wishing he could make patients believe it the way Valens did.

"My friend's famous for being quick," added Valens. "Ask all the girls." He glanced at Ruso. "What's she called?"

"I don't know."

"Ruso, only you could round up two women and not know the names of either of them."

"Next time," said Ruso, "I'll tell them my friend would like to be introduced." He picked out a stray thread of rag with the tweezers. The girl gave a low moan.

"Shush now," said the orderly.

Ruso hoped she wouldn't be a whimperer. Whimperers were worse than screamers. Screamers made him cross, which made him work faster. The sound of a whimperer trying to be brave was a distraction.

The girl didn't whimper. She clenched her teeth and didn't make another sound.

There was a rap at the door.

"What?" snapped Ruso. A very young soldier appeared, swallowed, and announced, "Urgent message for Gaius Petreius Ruso."

"That's me."

"Sir, there's a man at the east gatehouse. He says you promised to pay fifty-four denarii first thing this morning."

"It was fifty," said Ruso, not looking up. "And I'm busy."