Once the boys had calmed down, Randall apologized for his outburst. He had been holding it in ever since he had seen Jonesy packing his bag when he came back to their room. Despite his happiness at his big brother's success, the sight of the packed bag fueled his sour feeling into loss-filled anger. Upon seeing Loch's sad but happy grin and Squirt's perpetually smiling face, Randall couldn't help but feel guilty over his overreaction.
After Jonesy sat in a rickety old chair next to the sleeping girl's bed, Randall and Squirt stood beside him while Loch stood on the other side with the wrapped bundle in his arms. "Alright, enough about my situation right now. I'll not be leaving until tomorrow morning anyway, so we can discuss it later. We have something far more important to do right now. Loch?" Jonesy stated, his deep brown eyes sparkling with excitement. He stared at the boy holding the tattered blanket bundle and looked down at the sleeping girl's face with a sad smile across from him.
Loch only nodded in response to Jonesy's voice as he stared into the pale girl's face before him. The girl looked around the age of twelve, carrying the childish chubby cheeks of youth, but with a feminine edge of a girl sprouting into a woman, with her straight orange-colored eyebrows and dark orange locks cascading down the sides of her face. She appeared to be the only current occupant of room D9 who had ever eaten a full meal. She looked healthier than the other four, except for strange black markings scattered across her face and neck. The strange marks upon her tan-colored skin appeared as if someone with a large paintbrush covered in ink splattered it toward her body. This resulted in spots appearing everywhere, in various sizes. They appeared raised at any moment, as if they would begin leaking black ink from her skin.
Loch set down the blanket, and with a gentle touch unraveled it, revealing its contents. The sight of the squirrel, who was starting to emit an odor, and the vial of dark purple liquid appeared. Upon noticing the deceased squirrel, Loch reprimanded himself audibly, "Ah, Soil it. I forgot to ask Granny if she could cook the squirrel for me." Jonesy, seeing the squirrel, shook his head and turned to look at the sparkly-eyed and curious-looking boy beside Loch. "Squirt, grab the squirrel and take it down to Mother Leanne; if she asks where you got it, just say I brought it from one of the Trappers in the market," Jonesy said. Squirt nodded with a smile in reply and ran around the bed to retrieve the squirrel.
Randall grimaced after hearing what Jonesy planned to do and couldn't help but whine, "Why are you giving our squirrel to her? We can just use the smoker tonight when everyone's in bed and keep the jerky to ourselves." Loch said nothing, but he was also looking at the older boy with a slight frown as well. With a steady hand, Jonesy pointed to the sleeping girl's form as he explained, "We have more important things to do brothers, I'm not as knowledgeable about the healing arts as our little miracle worker Loch here, but I know we have to apply the Marsh tincture to every one of Lacey's spots. It will take a while, and that squirrel smells as if it is starting to go off; it won't last until tonight." Seeing the two boys beginning to nod in agreement, Squirt grabbed the squirrel and headed towards the door while Jonesy continued, "Plus, it's not a bad idea to smooth over some of Mother Superior's anger towards you two. Your early release doesn't change the fact that she hasn't forgotten the trouble you caused the orphanage the other day.
Loch opened his mouth to protest their innocence while Randall mumbled under his breath about how the Baker's boys had it coming before Jonesy cut them both off, "I have told you too before, stop only looking at things from your perspective. There is so much more going on beyond these broken walls than either of you know." Hearing their 'big brother's' lecturing tone come on, both boys decided not to retort, while Loch quickly tried to change the subject, "I'll need you two to help me with a couple of tasks while I apply the tincture. We have to make sure we get every spot, or else it the infection will return. Randall, once Squirt gets back, can you wedge the door closed? I don't want anyone disturbing us. Can you also grab my kit? It's under my bed." Hearing Loch's words, Randall hurried off while he gave the young boy a mischievous wink. Loch then continued his instructions as he took the blanket off of Lacey's sleeping form. The orange-haired girl fidgeted for a short time, then lay still once more.
After removing the blanket, Loch sat down on the side of the bed and put his little head atop the sleeping Lacey's chest. Her shallow breaths caused Loch to frown, while the sound of the door opening and Squirt's running steps announced the silent young boys returned. Randall put a wedge of wood between the floorboards and the door and then brought over a small rusted but decently conditioned toolbox over to Loch, who placed it on top of the small bedside table. A look inside revealed an assortment of general medical supplies. There are rolled-up bandages, several small jars of different colored pastes, and some small wooden tools, like a measuring spoon. With a clean rag and a small container of transparent liquid fitted with a dropper, Loch applied the liquid to the rag on the bed, noticing a potent alcohol scent, then returned the container to its box. Passing the now damp rag to a confused-looking Randall. Loch explained with a small smirk, "I need you to wipe down the Swamp spots before I apply the paste to disinfect it. I'm sure out of the four of us here, Lacey would be most understanding if you were the one doing something so... Upon Loch's response and the smirks of his three friends, Randall blushed, avoiding their twinkling eyes and instead just placed his attention back on the sleeping girl.
Loch then grabbed several, what looked like a wooden popsicle stick, from another jar and put that on top of the bedside table. As he observed the sleeping girl, Loch asked the other boys if they could remove the girl's nightgown down to her waist. The girl's small chest showed similar ink splotches to her face, but covering a wider expanse. Uncorking the purple liquid-filled vial, Loch grabbed the flat wooden stick and retrieved a dollop of the thick gruel-like substance from the vial. With his gaze on the girl, Loch inhaled deeply to calm himself, then regarded his three friends whose eyes held encouragement and trust. Loch then announced, "I'm starting."
With directions from Loch, Randall wiped down the ink splotches before he applied a thin layer of paste on the same spot. After fifteen minutes of carefully applying the paste on Lacey's face, neck and chest, Loch looked over at the curious-looking Squirt and asked him to retrieve a clean cup for him. He then retrieved a small pencil case-sized wooded container from his toolbox. Undoing a small clasp on the front and pushing back the lid, revealed a handful of thin silver acupuncture needles. Strips of cloth filled the rest of the container to act as a cushion. After Squirt brought over an empty wooden cup, which Loch double checked was clean, he poured half of the small bottle of the disinfectant into the cup before placing the needles point down into the cup.
"Alright guys, I need you to hold Lacey's arms and legs in case she moves when I put in the draining needles," Loch said to all three boys. Even though they all agreed to his request and took an arm each, with Jonesy holding both of the sleeping girl's feet, Randall's face twisted in a grimace as he questioned while looking at the cup of needles, "I thought you said this cure was painless, Loch?" As Loch was checking the condition of the drying paste, he replied to Randall's worries in as calm and as confident a tone he could manage, "The needles shouldn't hurt, unless… I accidentally hit a nerve. Unfortunately, we don't have the funds or even the ability to buy anything to numb the area, and Granny doesn't bother with that stuff. She says none of her research projects deserve to have their pain lessened. But! Lacey shouldn't feel anything during the draining and I'm confident I can avoid her nerves… The only thing is, besides trying this technique on myself and seeing Granny perform it, I have only ever tried it on one actual patient." Randall's frowning face looked to scrunch up horribly before loosening up by the time Loch finished. With a hopeful tone, Randall asked, "But the one patient was a success, right? Nothing went wrong?" Loch couldn't help but give a shaky smile as he replied, "Yes... technically it was a resounding success, however that patient... he was a little different than Lacey."
"What do you mean by different? Like he had a different disease?" Jonesy interjected with a question of his own. Loch intently studied the drying paste, then replied in a whisper, "It was a different disease, similar treatment, but the patient was a... different species." Randall's face truly twisted now, looking as if he had sucked on a lemon, before he looked back down at Lacey with shaky eyes. He then lifted his head again when Loch mumbled, "It was Jack." After Jonesy let out an "Ah" in realization, silence soon stretched out, making Loch feel nervous and uncomfortable about bringing up his inexperience. 'Randall's right to be worried. What If I damage one of Lacey's nerves and cripple her? I still have her back to do, which will be a lot harder. Maybe I should just take Lacey to Granny's house and beg her to do it. I was too confident to think I could do this myself. What good would a one-armed, stupid cripple...' A small hand's gentle tap on his right-side broke Loch from his rapidly spinning self-criticisms, following the hand, Loch saw the large smiling face of Squirt and his pure shinning eyes looking right at him, the small boy didn't make any of his usual large hand gestures and instead just gave Loch a simple thumbs up.
Loch's deep scowl evened out, as he patted Squirt on the shoulder in thanks. "You've got this Loch." Randall's voice, laced with confidence, brought Loch's attention to the hairless boy across from him, as Jonesy chimed in with a "You've got this" too. With a smile and a hard nod in reply to the three boys he called brothers, as Loch couldn't trust his voice at that moment. After taking a moment to resettle himself, Loch checked over the paste and saw it had now dried out, looking like dried up mud. With a deep breath, he grabbed one of the thin needles at the rounded tip and lined it up above one of the dried mud patches, as he reminded himself, 'It only needs to just breach the first layer of the skin. The paste will bring the infection to the surface.' With the steadiest hand he could manage, Loch pierced the needle through the thin layer of paste before feeling a slight resistance once the sharp point contacted Lacey's skin, with only a little more pressure the thin needle pierced through and then stopped after going only about a centimeter deep. Loch stood back up from his leaning posture and took a deep breath as he wiped the sweat that had gathered on his forehead with his tattered sleeve. Even though his full focus was on the needle, he still monitored Lacey's pale sleeping face, which didn't show any reaction, besides the small shallow breaths she had been letting out the whole time.
None of the other boys talked, as they all stared at the thin needle that was standing straight from a spot on the upper half of Lacey's uncovered chest. Even though nothing appeared to be happening, none of the boys looked away from the needle, until a soft sigh of relief escaped Loch's mouth. The boys all perceived a faint odor filling their small room. It smelt like stale water, like one would find in a swamp. A dirty black and brown liquid bubbled up from the point where the needle penetrated the purple paste, as if something was forcing it to the surface. With the dirty, foul-smelling liquid being drawn out, the paste began to shrink as it mixed with the now running liquid. Loch, seeing this, couldn't help but break out into a smile that the other boys in the room all shared. He then retrieved another clean cloth from his toolbox and handed it to Randall, instructing, "Once I take out the needle, use this to wipe up the rest of the paste and impurities." He understood that even though the needle hadn't caused her any pain, causing her to move, however, if she shifted in her current state, the thin needle could snap and might hurt her nerves permanently.
After a couple of minutes, the dirty liquid ceased. Loch directed Randall to wipe the area after he eased the needle away, removing all the impurities and the remainder of the paste, leaving an unblemished pale skin in its wake. The only sign that the area had something wrong was a red raised area, resembling a small rash more than anything serious. "Amazing." Jonesy couldn't help but breathe out. When he saw the sight before his eyes, what was before a hand-sized blotch of infected skin was now no more. "Besides the magical healing from the priests, I don't think even the revered doctors from the Crown district could do any better." Jonesy said, as he looked over at Loch's proud and bashful face. "It's honestly nothing compared to what I've seen Granny do. She is amazing, even if she is a little odd and crabby at times." Loch said as he retrieved another needle from the cup and placed the used one back in. Jonesy nodded in agreement from the younger boy's words, all the kids in room D9 had met the Old woman one time or another, but besides asking about the symptoms they received because of their Tainted blood, she never took much interest in them, only Loch she appeared partial to. The kids independently chose not to bother the Old Woman, despite Loch's invitations to visit her with him. They all recognized it as Loch's special opportunity to engage with a mysterious and wise individual and didn't want to spoil it for him. Similar to the treatment Jonesy received from his current boss.
Over the next twenty minutes, Loch placed a needle into all the spots covering Lacey's chest, taking special care of the ones on her neck and face. Everything proceeded flawlessly. After finishing, Loch checked Lacey's breathing again and noticed it sounded less scratchy and shallow than before. Her face appeared to have a little more color than before. While he sat on the bed to take a quick rest, Loch instructed Squirt to clean the two rags Randall was using, while he purified all the needles with the cup of disinfectant before refilling it with a new solution and placing the needles back in it.
After Randall retrieved the now clean rags, Loch stood back up and looked at the boys with a solemn face as he instructed. "Okay, now for the hard part. We need to flip Lacey onto her front so I can get to the infected spots on her back. This is the most crucial part and regardless of how gentle I am, it is still going to hurt her. Ensure she remains motionless." Why this was different compared to working on Lacey's front was soon revealed. Along with Randall and Jonesy's help, they rotated Lacey onto her side, her face towards her pillow and her back exposed. What was revealed in their eyes was a back one could only call grotesque, even though none of the boys showed any shock at the sight. Lacey's back appeared to hold several small hills underneath her skin, as if someone had shoved rocks of several sizes in her back. The young girl didn't just have one hunch in her back, but several, with a large one placed right in the top half of the middle of her spine, the size of two clenched fists.
All the children of room D9 suffered from some form of deformity, because of the rare chance of being born with Tainted blood, some more obvious than others. Loch had his withered arm, that was like Jonesy's leg. Randall was born with pronounced gums instead of teeth and the inability to grow hair, while Squirt's deformity was less obvious, his was more internal, he had an oversized tongue and by oversized, it means the tongue almost took up his entire mouth, leading to the boy only being able to eat liquids for food, as opening his mouth up and down caused his teeth to chomp down on his tongue no matter what he did. It also stopped the boy from being able to speak. His constant grin served to free up his mouth, thus preventing his tongue from impeding his breathing. Besides that, though, he just looked like a typical child, if not a gaunt one. Lacey, however, suffered the worst out of all the boys. Her tainted blood seemed to be the only one that continued to grow, considering when she arrived at the Orphanage, she only had one or two minor bumps on her back. Lacey now had close to ten of them. Every time a new one grew, it caused the girl unimaginable pain that left her bedridden for days.
Loch, looking over the valley of growths painted with dark ink splotches like those previously on her front, frowned. He knew from previous experience that these growths were quite sensitive. Lacey had once told him that even a small tap on them felt as if someone was pulling her hair out at the roots. Several infected splotches dotted her back, some clear of the growths, but a worrisome few overlapped. A particularly bad one was directly located in the middle of the growth on Lacey's spine.
Knowing he had little time, as he needed to complete this treatment in one sitting, Loch swept away his worrying thoughts and looked at the three boys around the bed. "Hold her tight, guys. I'll try to be as quick as I can, but it will be painful no matter what I do. Randall." The toothless boy looked into his best friend's eyes after hearing him call his name, with a compassionate look. Loch instructed, "Even though she is unconscious, the sound of your voice might calm Lacey when the pain hits, do your best to reassure her when I start." Randall nodded his head with a determined expression. Bringing his face close to the red-headed girl, who was facing him with closed eyes.
With a fresh popsicle stick, Loch collected a dollop of purple paste on it before smearing it onto the ink shaped splotches. Even though he tried to use the lightest touch he could, every time Loch brushed along the growths, Lacey's sleeping face scrunched for a moment, causing Randall to swiftly start whispering in her ear. Talking about things they would do once she woke up and things they did in the past, even though the girl didn't wake up, a small smile played upon her lips at the sound of Randall's voice. Once Loch finished applying the paste and waited for it to harden, he retrieved a needle and first pierced the spots that weren't touching the growths before moving onto the smallest growth that had an infected splotch.
As the thin needle hung over the growth mere centimeters from piercing the dried paste, Loch looked over at the three boys and said, "Get ready, hold her tight." Then, with a confident and smooth hand, Loch stabbed the needle through the paste and flesh in one smooth motion. Even though he did it as quickly and as gently as he could, Lacey's previous still body broke out into a pain-filled spasm straight away, with only the three boys holding her and her own light frame stopping her from twisting up into a shrimp. Loch didn't hesitate as he retrieved another needle and attacked the other two splotches that were on top of the growths. All the while, the boys held down the squirming and panting girl.
With Randall muttering right into her ear, saying, "It'll all be over soon. Relax, just relax." Once Loch placed the last needle into the middle of the largest growth, he even had to pause for a moment himself and hold the needle tightly with his fingertips as Lacey abruptly burst out with a full body twist, even opening her mouth and releasing the first sound she had in days, it was a hoarse, whimpering growl as if she was an injured animal. The sight and sound brought tears to Randall's eyes as he raised his voice over the painful groans leaking out of Lacey's mouth, "Endure Lacey, remember what you said about the pain? It's only a small part of you and it will never control you. You will not let it beat you. Please, you have to relax. It will be over by the time you wake. I promise."
Even though the little girl was unconscious, the words appeared to have some effect, as her tensed muscles relaxed. Loch, taking the opportunity Randall had given him, continued to push the needle into the enormous growth. He had to use a heavier touch than all the others, as the growth appeared to have made the skin harder than the other parts. Lacey's face still contorted in pain, but her body didn't spasm like before. Loch took a step back and gasped, as if he had just gotten back from a long run. His little lungs sounding like bellows in the muted room, while sweat ran down his forehead like a waterfall. Once all the needle-pierced spots stopped leaking the impurity filled liquid, with the large growth one on the spine taking the longest, Loch deftly pulled out all the needles and passed over the now clean rag to Randall before taking a seat on the bed opposite him. His exhausted face broke into a small smile at the sight of the unblemished, red skin that was soon revealed once Randall had wiped away all the gunk left on Lacey's back.
While Randall cleaned up the unconscious girl, Jonesy and Squirt both approached Loch and sat on either side of him. With Jonesy putting his arm around Loch's bony shoulders before whispering into the young boy's ear, "Good job Loch. I knew you could do it." Even though Loch was now grinning from ear to ear, a steady stream of tears began to run down his face. Jonesy and Squirt patted the tired boy on the back, leaving the boy in companionable silence. After releasing two weeks of silent stress and worry, Loch felt his head getting heavy and his eyes closing. Before he completely passed out, Loch heard the calm voice of his big brother, "You rest now, little Loch. I got it from here." Then everything went black and Loch began to dream.