The first morning after she was named under law felt different

Before this people watched her with fear and whisper talk and hope all mixed together Now they watched her like a person they could not lose The looks on their faces had changed Not just respect Not just gratitude It was expectation

Expectation is heavy

Emily felt it the moment she stepped out of the clinic hut People were already waiting before sunrise Two with cuts One with fever A woman with swelling in her legs A man holding his ribs like they were glass Then she saw more standing back not moving forward yet like they were scared to take her energy too fast They did not just want her to work They wanted her to keep being possible

She rolled her shoulders and got to it

Work now think later

Lila set up boiling pots Without being told
Hart took position near the fever side Without being told
The old woman sat on her stool in the doorway Arms crossed Face sharp Without being told

The clinic was now a routine machine and Emily was the heart of it

She cleaned cuts and wrapped them tight She pressed every fever with a cool cloth She told every cough to sit in air not in smoke She made the swollen leg woman lie down and lift both legs against the wall and move her ankles in circles the slow way the same way from before The old woman complained but obeyed She always obeyed in the end It made Emily smile inside

But one case pulled her mood down

Near midmorning a young man came in with a wound in his side The cut was deep and ugly and crusted black around the edges From a blade not from work accident This was not farm This was fight Emily felt heat rise in her throat when she saw it

He sat down slow His jaw tight with pain His eyes sharp but guarded

What happened she asked

He did not answer

Hart answered instead His voice flat Bad men on the road

Robbers Emily thought Bandits The kind that watch travelers from the trees The kind that take and cut and leave you bleeding

She washed her hands then cleaned the wound slow and careful with boiled water He hissed through his teeth and gripped the table tight She pressed steady pressure to slow the bleed and checked for signs of infection The edges were angry red but not too wide yet No streaks creeping up the skin She had time

You came fast she said Good You did good

He looked at her like he had not heard that in a long time

She told him Keep the wrap dry Replace it twice a day Come back if red lines go up She drew lines with her finger to show bloodstream danger He nodded He understood Her instructions meant life

When he stood to leave he reached into his coat and pulled out something wrapped in fabric He held it out to her

No she said right away No payment He frowned Not money

He unwrapped it

It was a small knife Hard steel Well made Strong clean lines

For you he said You keep

Emily looked at it for a long time

She did not want it She did not want the weight of it She did not want to accept the idea that she needed a weapon of her own in this world But she was not stupid There were still men who would take her if they could There were still people who would call her witch if it served them There were still roads she might have to be dragged down again

She reached out slow and took it

Thank you she said

He gave her one short nod and left

Lila stared at the blade with wide eyes You going to stab bad people now

Emily huffed through her nose No I am going to keep it and hope I never have to use it

Lila nodded Very serious Then said You should hide it

Emily smiled Good idea

She wrapped it in cloth and tucked it behind one of the shelves in the far corner Not to feel strong Just to feel not helpless

The rest of the day moved in waves

A farmer with blistered hands from rope strain
A child with a splinter under the nail
A woman who had fainted in the field because she had not eaten enough food and too much sun
A cough that sounded like dust not infection She sent that one home with water and rest

Each person came in scared and left calmer Her voice became medicine Her rules became comfort Wash Boil Rest Breathe You live You live You live

This is what being needed feels like she thought This is the part nobody tells you when you start nursing You become air People breathe you like air

In Chicago she had felt it in the ICU Families watched her face to see if they should panic They watched her eyes more than they watched the machines If her eyes said It is bad they broke If her eyes said We are okay they held it together That power had always scared her She carried it quiet because there had been doctors above her and policy above them and law above that

Here there was nothing above her when the door shut and the patient sat down

That scared her more

Late afternoon the sun was low enough to turn everything warm gold The work slowed for the first time all day Emily leaned in the doorway rubbing the back of her neck The muscles in her shoulders had gone hard days ago and never really relaxed since

Hart walked over He did not speak right away He never rushed his words When he finally did his voice was low You tired

Emily laughed soft Tired is normal

Hart nodded You strong

Emily gave a small smile No I am held up

He tipped his head Not understanding

She pointed to Lila who was sweeping the packed dirt floor with a branch broom
She pointed to the old woman now asleep sitting up mouth open snoring
She pointed to the buckets boiling
She pointed to him

Then she touched her own chest and repeated Calm I am held up

Hart watched her for a long second Then his mouth pulled into the closest thing he had to a smile Slow small but real He grunted Approval

For a short while the village felt peaceful Kids ran around the square chasing each other with sticks The sick children from the fever scare were playing again not weak now just loud and annoying like healthy kids should be Women talked near the well laughing at something A young couple argued in whispers and kissed anyway

It almost felt like a town and not a survival camp

Which is exactly why Emily noticed the wrong sound

Hoofbeats fast From the trees North side Not the hill path Not official

Hart heard it too His face shut down in an instant He signaled with his hand and the mood in the square changed like someone had slapped the air flat Women grabbed children and pulled them close Men moved toward tools and posts and anything heavy Lila stopped sweeping and went still as a fox

Three riders burst out from between the trees at the north edge of the fields Not law Not the governor’s men These men looked rough Unwashed gear mismatched leather blades on hips No banners No seal

Bandits

Emily felt the ground drop out from under her stomach

Two of the riders stayed back holding position The third rode farther in A scar cut across his cheek He looked over the huts like he was shopping His eyes landed on the clinic

Of course she thought Of course

He spoke loud and slow like he wanted everyone to hear him and fear him My man got cut He needs fixing Where is the healer

Lila moved toward Emily but Emily put a hand out to stop her Stay back Stay inside

The rider slid off his horse dragging someone with him The injured man nearly fell into the dirt He clutched his shoulder Blood soaked the sleeve Dark and steady drip Not spray so not artery Thank God Emily’s brain said automatically

The scarred rider shoved the injured man forward toward her Do it he said Fix him

Nobody else moved Nobody breathed Hart stood near but did not step between them yet He watched Waiting Reading Too many blades Not enough people ready for a fight

Emily felt anger rise fast in her throat Not fear Anger These men had probably done the cutting They probably hurt travelers They probably laughed while doing it But now that their own was bleeding suddenly they respected her hands

You think I work because you tell me to she said low

The scarred man looked amused I think you work if you want the village not to burn

The words were soft and casual

The meaning was not

For a second the entire world went silent in Emily’s head She saw it clear Flames Huts screaming Children choking on smoke Lila running She saw the fevered kids She saw the old woman She saw the swollen leg woman who still could not walk fast enough to run

No choice

You help then you talk That is how emergency goes she told herself You make sure the patient does not die on the ground Then you deal with the threat

Fine she said Bring him to the table

The injured man stumbled into the clinic clutching his shoulder She followed She could feel the scarred rider’s eyes on her back the whole time like a knife

Inside she pulled his hand away from the wound A blade wound under the collarbone Deep but not too deep Lucky He was losing blood fast though She needed pressure now

She grabbed boiled cloth Pressed hard He cried out She did not stop Hold this here do not move She pushed his own hand down over the cloth Showed him how hard Hold or you bleed out

He nodded shaking

She cleaned fast with more boiled water ignoring his hiss of pain The cut was ragged not clean metal almost like a tear She used narrow strips of cloth to pull the edges together the way she would have used butterfly closures in her own world She tied those strips firm Not neat but functional

You live she said Keep clean Do not touch with dirt Wash hands first You touch with dirt you die You understand

He nodded again Sweat on his face Shock in his eyes He did understand

She stepped back and exhaled Her own hands were shaking and she made them stop

When they walked outside the scarred rider wore a smirk like See You are useful

Emily stared at him and felt something new rise in her chest Something cold and focused

She pointed straight at his face You do not come in like that again she said You do not ride in fast and scare my people You do not threaten burn You do not touch one house here Do you understand

He laughed A short sharp laugh Oh I do not

She did not blink She lifted her chin and spoke louder now so everyone in the square could hear Because if you do she said I will not treat you next time I will let you bleed in the dirt while your men watch you drown in your own blood and I will tell them how to stop it and I will not let them

The square was so quiet she could feel the words hit the air like stones dropping in water

The rider’s smile thinned

He leaned down close to her face His breath smelled like old meat You think you scare me little witch

Emily smiled and the smile felt strange on her own mouth Calm Not nice Not soft Cold

I am not trying to scare you she said I am telling you math

You are three men We are a village You die fast or you ride away slow and keep breathing Those are the choices

He stared long at her eyes and something flickered there Confusion first then irritation then calculation

He was not stupid

He clicked his tongue pulled himself back onto his horse and jerked his head to the others We ride

Before he left he gave her one look that promised this was not finished but he still turned his horse and they were gone in seconds hooves pounding back into the trees

Emily let out a breath so slow it almost hurt Her knees felt weak She leaned one hand against the clinic wall to hold herself steady

Lila ran to her and grabbed her around the waist shaking You are crazy You are crazy You cannot say that to people like that

Emily let out a rough breath and gave a weak laugh I know

Hart walked up His face unreadable He looked at her then at the trees then back at her again He finally said Only this

Now all sides know

Emily frowned What does that mean

Hart pointed toward the hill where law had tried to take her then pointed toward the trees where bandits came from then pointed to the village ground under their feet

Now all sides know he repeated You are not theirs You are ours

Emily felt that land in her chest with weight

Not property of the rich
Not prey of the law
Not prey of thieves
Ours

Not mine
Ours

When evening fell the square slowly relaxed Mothers let children wander again The old woman woke up angry that she had slept through excitement Men laughed in relief because nobody died today which counted as victory

Emily sat alone on the bench outside with her notebook in her lap She tried to write what happened but her hand shook too much so she just pressed the pen to the page and let it rest

She stared at the dark sky and felt all of it at once The fear The anger The weight The duty The exhaustion The part of herself that still longed for bright hallways and steady monitors and gloves and a world where she did not have to threaten to let a man bleed to keep people safe

This is the price she thought

To be needed is to stand between danger and everyone else even when your hands shake

To be needed is to say I will keep you safe even when you are not sure you can

To be needed is to turn yourself into the wall and hope you do not crack

Inside the clinic Lila slept curled on a blanket The small knife sat hidden behind the shelf where she left it The boiled water hissed over low fire The air smelled like smoke and clean cloth and work

Emily leaned back against the wall closed her eyes and whispered to the night I am still here

Then after a long breath she added I am not done