The Doctor and the Libertine - Callie Hutton Page 0,49

turned onto her stomach.

Whoever shot the woman had done so at close range since the wound was larger than Rayne expected. “Miss Kincaid, please gather some things for me to clean the injury and then sew it up.”

Without hesitation, the nursing assistant moved around the infirmary, placing cloths, sewing implements, tweezers, bandages, and salves into a clean pan, and then brought them to Rayne. She reached up to the shelf over the sink and pulled down another pan and headed to the kitchen, no doubt to fill it with the boiling water Mrs. Foster always kept handy for tea and emergencies.

The two men shuffled their feet, obviously uncomfortable now they’d done their Christian duty and brought the woman to a doctor. Rayne turned from the woman. “Thank you very much for bringing her in.”

They both nodded and quickly took their leave.

Once Miss Kincaid returned to the infirmary, she said, “We must get her dress off.” Luckily, the dress buttoned down the back, so they were able to remove it and push it down to her hip, along with her chemise and stays.

It was an ugly wound and Rayne feared it might affect the woman’s legs, since it was at the bottom of her spine. A bit of prodding told her the bullet was still in her back. She would do her best to remove the bullet, stop the bleeding, clean out the wound from particles from her clothing, and then sew her up. Whether this would affect the woman’s ability to walk was yet to be seen.

Once she completed her examination, the woman groaned and opened her eyes. She looked around, the pain she suffered evident on her face. “Where am I?”

Rayne squatted so she could look in the woman’s eyes. “I am Dr. Stevens, and you are in my infirmary. You were brought in with a bullet wound to your back. Do you remember being shot?”

“Yes.” She closed her eyes and a lone tear leaked down her cheek. “I remember, and I know who did it.”

“Do you want us to summon the police?”

It took a minute for the woman to answer, almost as if she were wrestling with the answer and not sure what to do. “No.”

Rayne leaned back on her heels and glanced up at Edwin who studied the patient, also. Although quite odd to not want the authorities involved, Rayne did not pursue it. Perhaps in a day or so she would change her mind. “What is your name? Do you have family I should contact?”

The woman began to shake her head, then stopped. Most likely any movement caused additional pain. “No family.” She hesitated for a moment, then said, “My name is Mrs. O’Leary.”

Mrs. O’Leary. Why did that name sound familiar?

Chapter 15

Edwin and Rayne looked at each other and said at the same time, “Lizbeth!”

“Mrs. O’Leary, do you own a boarding house?” If this truly was the woman who sold any number of women from her boarding house, including their friend, Lizbeth Mallory, into brothels, Rayne would find it hard to do her duty as a doctor.

“No. I did own a boarding house, but I was forced to sell it.”

The pain in the woman’s voice reminded Rayne that she was a patient. As a doctor, sworn to heal the suffering regardless of who they were, she needed to focus on helping her.

“I am going to place a cloth over your face. It contains chloroform which will make you sleep. When you awaken, the procedure will be finished.”

“Just do it. I am in a lot of pain.” Her snappish tone could be from her suffering but considering who she was and what she’d done to destroy so many young girls’ lives, Rayne was hard pressed to feel sympathy.

She reached out for the cloth and bottle of chloroform that Miss Kincaid held and doused the linen with the liquid. “Turn your head to the side so I can place the cloth over your face.”

Once the woman was asleep, Rayne began to remove the bullet. “This bullet is right next to her spine,” she said as she prodded the wound with a pair of forceps. She looked over at Edwin. “She might never walk again.”

Edwin snorted. “Serves the bitch right.”

Instead of chastising him, Rayne smiled and nodded. “Not very professional of me to agree, but I do.”

She worked diligently, removing the bullet, cleaning the wound, sewing it up, placing honey over it and bandaging her up. The last part with Edwin’s and Miss Kincaid’s help since Rayne was unable