Early morning in the hold there's pretty often not much to be done at the infirmary. There's a couple still on their backs, but they should hold stable to sunrise, back on their feet in a few days. Not that everything went so clean as those two. First time John's lost a patient for something that wasn't an interruption. We've all had those times when there's nothing could be done, or some jackhole stepped in to make sure nothing<em>would</em>be done. This was different. This was their patient, their body for work, and their work just didn't cut it.<br/><br/>Rough times. Gets you thinking about how things could get worse, get better. How things maybe used to be. Only natural for him to ask about it, just the two of them still awake, John with his flask cradled on his lap for his lifeboat, Ruth taking shots of water out of habit. A while back she'd figured out turning down offers of alcohol as payment altogether caused more trouble than it was worth, so she'd started putting on a little show for those as needed one to smooth things over. John, Anise, they were in on the act, but damned if it wasn't hard to just drink a straight glass of water anymore. Hell, it helped with rationing anyway, so maybe it was for the best.<br/><br/>"Once," she said. "One time. This was before Esther got here with her crew, maybe...hell, not like it matters how long. Been a time. Her name was Jules. She and one of the old holder's enforcers had a thing going. Nothing official, mind, just everybody knew hers was a 'look don't touch' type situation, and that went fine. Up until she started to swell."<br/><br/>The water pours from a clear, almost pristine bottle, one of very few in her small collection that looks presentable enough to keep out in public view without suggesting the infirmary's less than sterile. "He comes in here, her man. Tells me I'm not to help her when the time comes. Real matter-of-fact like, as if I'm supposed to say, 'Well, shucks, okay,' and that'll be that. Not so much.<br/><br/>"Now, I had three on cots already by then. So Chuck, that's her man's name, Chuck says he'll just keep an eye on those three for me until after I send her on her way. Considered himself a fair hand at surgery himself."<br/><br/>Ruth turned the short, stout glass in her hand, watching things play out again in the angular design. "Couldn't trade two for three, could I? Not when he'd sure as shit have taken us along with the downed. Sure he'd have been cut out himself afterward, but we'd still be dead. Have to take these things one step at a time, not hang yourself on the humanity of it all or whatever useless philo crap you spoonfeed yourself to justify suicide. So she came in, all flustered and flushed, and I had to put on a song and dance of being too busy to even offer her a place to rest with Chuck behind a cabinet listening in. She came. She went, all cramped and limp waddles. Few minutes later Chuck thanked me for the help, went on his way."<br/><br/>Her lips twitched, as if thinking about a smile and deciding against it halfway through. "Had a strong boy. Six pounds, good tone, about as healthy as you can hope for. She was fine. Turns out, though, Jules was brighter than her man gave credit. Next day he shows up at my doorstep again, got his fine leather pants a new peephole and saw fit to ruin the new gap immediately by way of having his junk junked. Seems when she figured out<em>why</em>I'd been so busy the day before Jules saw fit to express her displeasure to her loving worse half with something sharper than some harsh words. But, wouldn't you know it? I just couldn't for the life of me find the time to stitch him up.<br/><br/>"I've had folk bleed out on me, on this floor and others, dirt, dust, tile, you name it." She drank. "Funny how Chuck's the only one I've watched go down who never bothers me. Threaten my patients and still expect to be one when you want?" The woman shook her head and set the glass aside, pushing up to her feet. "Shake this one off. More to be done in a few hours and you'll need to be rested for it. It could've been worse: we could've lost them all. Let that be enough to get you through the night. Plenty of time to be haunted later."