any sort.
Bethany didn't say anything, she simply worked the mechanism on the side of the bed, lowering the hand rail without asking for help and without hesitation. Gwen would have had to get someone to show her how it worked to do the same thing. The mechanism was just too different from what she knew. The coppery nib, looked like it should be a button, but when she pushed it, or tried to slide it, nothing happened at all. Then, after climbing under the covers, she laid back and, as far as Gwen could tell, instantly went to sleep.
Looking at Bethany and then giving Gwen a strange look, Nurse Rogers told her she'd be back with her afternoon tea shortly after four. She left using quick, efficient steps, probably needing to get to her other patients, having just had an hour bitten out of her day by the demands Gwen had placed on her. Thinking about it, Gwen decided to give the lady a fourth mark on her mental list, letting her tie for first place with Mrs. Williamson, a neighbor of hers that always gave her a fruitcake at the holidays, Gwen being a freak recluse or not.
For the rest of the day, Gwen sat, trying to figure out what the device next to her did. It looked like something a mad scientist might have in their lab, rumbling at her, the top section seeming to produce a sense of warmth, but without actual heat. She could feel it, but it didn't make a lot of sense to her.
When the doctor came back in, she finally just asked about it. When in doubt, admit ignorance and try to learn, rather than stay in the dark.
He looked at her, surprised at her interest.
“That?” He pointed to it, confirming that she did indeed mean the device next to her. “It's a radiative device on the top, sending out waves of positive energy, magic attuned specifically to healing, and in the cabinet here on the bottom is a device that produces a set of sounds, around fourteen to twenty-four hertz... I don't know if that makes sense to you, being, well, not from here...” He tried to be delicate even about that, she noticed, as if it would be disruptive to her to think about.
She just nodded, slowly and carefully.
“Hertz, that means waves per second here, right?” This seemed likely to her, but she really wanted the confirmation.
The doctor beamed at her.
“Yes! That's exactly right. That range, fourteen to twenty-four, is the main healing range for human tissues, at least as far as sound goes. Using constant exposure to such sounds, you'll heal much faster than you would without, and the additional energy from the coil helps to keep you alive while healing. Normally you produce plenty of such energy on your own, of course, but in a hospital situation, we've found over the years that it's of immeasurable help and aid in rapid healing.” He spoke with confidence, as if these things weren't just pseudoscience here. She felt pretty certain he'd have been laughed out of a modern hospital in her world for saying such things, if not thrown out by security. Then again, she was still alive, so these people must be doing something right.
The blond doctor turned and glanced at the sleeping form of the detective in the bed next to hers, only a few feet away. The woman slept soundly, almost unmoving, except to reposition herself about once every ninety minutes or so. Gwen had seen her eyes twitch, showing REM sleep, so Gwen knew she dreamed. Bethany hadn't shown any other outward sign of it yet.
“You know, Miss Farris, you're quite kind... sharing your room with a Westmorland. No one else in the women's ward had been willing, and you stepped forward without hesitation. Silly superstitions and prejudice on the part of the others, but...” He held his hands up, turning his palms toward the ceiling, but his shoulders didn't shrug at all, the move a bit different than anything she had noticed before. “Still, a kind thing
Bethany didn't say anything, she simply worked the mechanism on the side of the bed, lowering the hand rail without asking for help and without hesitation. Gwen would have had to get someone to show her how it worked to do the same thing. The mechanism was just too different from what she knew. The coppery nib, looked like it should be a button, but when she pushed it, or tried to slide it, nothing happened at all. Then, after climbing under the covers, she laid back and, as far as Gwen could tell, instantly went to sleep.
Looking at Bethany and then giving Gwen a strange look, Nurse Rogers told her she'd be back with her afternoon tea shortly after four. She left using quick, efficient steps, probably needing to get to her other patients, having just had an hour bitten out of her day by the demands Gwen had placed on her. Thinking about it, Gwen decided to give the lady a fourth mark on her mental list, letting her tie for first place with Mrs. Williamson, a neighbor of hers that always gave her a fruitcake at the holidays, Gwen being a freak recluse or not.
For the rest of the day, Gwen sat, trying to figure out what the device next to her did. It looked like something a mad scientist might have in their lab, rumbling at her, the top section seeming to produce a sense of warmth, but without actual heat. She could feel it, but it didn't make a lot of sense to her.
When the doctor came back in, she finally just asked about it. When in doubt, admit ignorance and try to learn, rather than stay in the dark.
He looked at her, surprised at her interest.
“That?” He pointed to it, confirming that she did indeed mean the device next to her. “It's a radiative device on the top, sending out waves of positive energy, magic attuned specifically to healing, and in the cabinet here on the bottom is a device that produces a set of sounds, around fourteen to twenty-four hertz... I don't know if that makes sense to you, being, well, not from here...” He tried to be delicate even about that, she noticed, as if it would be disruptive to her to think about.
She just nodded, slowly and carefully.
“Hertz, that means waves per second here, right?” This seemed likely to her, but she really wanted the confirmation.
The doctor beamed at her.
“Yes! That's exactly right. That range, fourteen to twenty-four, is the main healing range for human tissues, at least as far as sound goes. Using constant exposure to such sounds, you'll heal much faster than you would without, and the additional energy from the coil helps to keep you alive while healing. Normally you produce plenty of such energy on your own, of course, but in a hospital situation, we've found over the years that it's of immeasurable help and aid in rapid healing.” He spoke with confidence, as if these things weren't just pseudoscience here. She felt pretty certain he'd have been laughed out of a modern hospital in her world for saying such things, if not thrown out by security. Then again, she was still alive, so these people must be doing something right.
The blond doctor turned and glanced at the sleeping form of the detective in the bed next to hers, only a few feet away. The woman slept soundly, almost unmoving, except to reposition herself about once every ninety minutes or so. Gwen had seen her eyes twitch, showing REM sleep, so Gwen knew she dreamed. Bethany hadn't shown any other outward sign of it yet.
“You know, Miss Farris, you're quite kind... sharing your room with a Westmorland. No one else in the women's ward had been willing, and you stepped forward without hesitation. Silly superstitions and prejudice on the part of the others, but...” He held his hands up, turning his palms toward the ceiling, but his shoulders didn't shrug at all, the move a bit different than anything she had noticed before. “Still, a kind thing
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