Healers by Laurence Dahners Page A

very typical for someone with poor arterial flow, or what the ancients called ‘claudication,’ in their legs. They can’t walk very far without terrible aching pains in their calves.”
    Albert said, “Hey, you’re talking about me like I’m just some piece of meat here.”
    Eva grinned at him, “You told me to do it. Now lie down so we can check the pulses at your groin.”
    Albert settled back suspiciously, “What’s my groin?”
    “The front of your hip,” Eva said, pointing to her own groin. “That’s where the big artery to your leg goes and one of the common places it gets blocked up.” She looked at Daussie and raised an eyebrow as she continued, “Or, the blood flow can get blocked in the aorta, or farther down in leg.”
    “You’re going to feel the front of my hip?!” Albert said obviously uncomfortable about how close that was to his crotch.
    “Yep,” Eva said kneeling down on his left and waving Daussie and Tarc to kneel down on his right side. She tugged down a little on his belt and put her fingers on his lower abdomen on her side, nodding to Tarc and Daussie to do the same on their side.
    Albert started to rise up, saying, “Hey now!
    Eva pushed him back down saying, “Hold still, this will only take a second.” She hadn’t pulled his pants down far enough to actually feel his pulse, but she hadn’t needed to anyway. She sent her ghost in to check his aorta and femoral arteries, hoping Tarc and Daussie had understood her earlier and were doing the same. A moment later, she looked up and said, “I was right Mr. Albert. You have a lot of crud called ‘plaque’ blocking your arteries.” She chewed her lip for a moment, then continued, “We can’t get it all out but we have a way to take some of it out. If you want we could open up the worst spot here in your upper left thigh. If you felt like it helped you, we could work on some of the other places.”
    His eyes wide, Albert said, “Even if you’re right, there’s no way you’re cuttin’ into my arteries!”
    Eva tilted her head and looked at him as if considering what to say next. After a moment, she said, “We have a way to do it. No cutting. If you want, we’ll just do that bad spot in your left leg and we won’t charge you for it. If you feel like it helps you, you can pay us to do some of the other places the next time we come through town.”
    Albert looked suspiciously at her, then said, “How did you know my left leg was the worst?”
    She grinned, “That’s our business.”
    He studied them through narrowed eyes. This went on for long enough that eventually, Eva said, “We’ve got to pack up so we can leave with the caravan. If you decide you want us to do it, holler out. Right now, you’ll need to get up off our boxes, because we need to put them in our wagon.”
     
    Albert stood watching in what looked like skeptical indecision until the Hyllises had finished packing. Finally, with the guards moving out onto the road and the caravaners just beginning to pull out, he stepped over and said, “Okay.”
    “Okay what?” Eva said looking a little irritated.
    “Go ahead and try it in my left leg. I guess if you ain’t charging me I got nothing to lose.”
    Eva rolled her eyes and said, “ I’ve got to lead my team,” she said, patting the lead mule of the team that pulled their wagon. “You lie down on that big log over there and Tarc and Daussie will be over in a minute to do your treatment.”
    His eyes widened, “ You’re not going to do it?! Some wet behind the ears kids are going to do my treatment?!”
    Tugging the horse forward, Eva said, “You waited too damn long, Mr. Albert. But don’t worry, Daussie’s the best we’ve got at clearing crud out of things. If it helps you, you can look us up the next time we come through and we’ll treat some of those other bad spots you’ve got.”
     
    Kazy didn’t realize what was happening when Eva called Daussie up to talk to her. Then Daussie and