Chapter 11
The sound of the clinic door opening made Nathan shout as he came down from the second floor.
“Alice! Where are you going?”
“I’ve memorized all the rules. I’m going to see Cherry.”
“Cherry? Why on earth?”
“She got hurt because of me.”
Nathan, noticing the house call bag in Alice’s hand, let out a sound that was either a sigh or a scoff.
“…Don’t think about it too much from the second floor in the future.”
“Yes, of course.”
That was the order he had anticipated.
Alice replied casually and left the clinic.
Damn freak show.
She doesn’t fully trust Nathan’s deductions, but… if these residents really are people who escaped from a freak show, she might be willing to turn a blind eye if they decide to kill someone.
After all, she thought of her younger sibling who had been offered a spot in a freak show.
…And despite recalling how she was treated in medical school.
Madam Adelaide looked at Alice standing in front of the management office as if doubting her own eyes.
“Alice, is that you?”
“You told me not to come out until I memorized the rules. I’ve memorized them all.”
Adelaide pressed her forehead.
Alice knows well that the sentence carried the context of ‘be on probation for a while.’
However, Alice deliberately clung to just the meaning of the sentence itself.
Adelaide frowned and said,
“What about ‘at the beach’?”
“‘If you want to swim, dive in without any tools to lean on and swim with your own skills. However, it is recommended not to approach unless necessary.’”
“‘Cautions for ordering groceries.’”
“‘Eat everything you ordered by yourself, and even if it was used in cooking, do not share it with other residents. Especially anything containing onions. Eat chocolate immediately after ordering.’”
“‘If you hear a baby crying at night…’”
“‘You must not pay any attention. A close friend will help the baby. If the crying does not stop, quietly move away from that spot as much as possible. Especially do not hide near the walls.’”
“What if it’s during the day?”
“That’s not in the rules. I would act logically: find the child, check their temperature and breathing patterns, protect them, and then look for Madam Adelaide.”
“…I suppose asking anything else wouldn’t yield different results?”
“Yes. I’m good at memorizing.”
“Hah…”
“Madam Adelaide, I know that today’s decision regarding me meant I should be on probation for a while.”
“…? Then why did you come out?”
“Cherry didn’t receive treatment, right?”
The only clinic in town has been occupied by Professor Nathan, who has been on strike for the past two weeks. Alice is certain that based on his attitude, he hasn’t gone out for house calls for Cherry either.
Adelaide frowned again.
“You’re planning to treat her?”
“Yes.”
“…”
“I know how it looks for someone who caused an accident to come out without being on probation. However, I’d rather choose to be somewhat helpful than be disliked more.”
“You speak well. As you said, it’s going to be difficult to be favored.”
Despite saying this, there was no malice in Adelaide’s voice.
“Follow me. I’ll guide you to Cherry’s house.”
“Oh, thank you!”
“However, if Cherry doesn’t want to see you, you’ll have to turn back.”
“Of course!”
Alice tightly gripped her bag and followed Adelaide from behind.
Cherry’s house was near the forest. In front of a pile of dirt filled with a gloomy humidity and the smell of wet tree bark, Adelaide opened the door and stepped inside.
“Cherry, I’m here. How are you feeling?”
There was no sound from inside. After a moment, Adelaide peeked her head out and gestured for Alice to come in.
Alice cautiously stepped into Cherry’s house.
This was her first time entering a resident’s home, excluding Madam Adelaide’s. She promised herself not to be surprised by any distressing sights, but soon that promise changed to “at least don’t show it.”
‘Is this really a home?’
The smell was suffocating, indistinguishable from the deep forest. The cause was evident: piles of fallen leaves stacked in the corners of the room. Each step she took left damp footprints of moisture and leaf debris behind.
Oh my God, is that a mushroom growing in the corner? Is that something that can bloom inside a house?
Alice forced herself to look away from them.
In the corner, Cherry turned to look at her while half-raising her body from a makeshift bed. A nasal sound escaped her.
“Did you come to visit?”
“I’m here to apologize for my mistake last night and to check your injury.”
“…Alone?”
“Yes. I’m a doctor too. Professor Nathan is still resting.”
Cherry didn’t question Alice being a doctor; instead, she looked towards the door as if someone else should be coming and slowly nodded her head.
Alice squatted in front of the bed and began unpacking her bag as she spoke.
“I’m sorry. I won’t turn on the light carelessly at night again. I’ve memorized all the village rules.”
“That? It’s really long.”
“I’m used to memorizing long things.”
“You don’t have to memorize it. If you’re just going to stay cooped up at home.”
“Even if I’m cooped up at home, should I set it on fire?”
“…You’re not very pleasant, are you?”
“Yes. However, not feeling pride in that aspect is my only redeeming quality.”
“Haha—ekking.”
As she laughed, Cherry suddenly made a strange sound and lowered her head as if something hurt. Alice hurriedly laid out her medical tools on a handkerchief.
There wasn’t much: gauze, sterilized thread, and a needle.
Adelaide quickly asked, “Should we boil some water?”
“Oh, thank you! Cherry, let me check your wound first.”
Alice carefully brushed aside Cherry’s grayish-brown hair, which was heavily dusted with what could be dandruff or dirt.
“Achoo! Wait a moment; I’ll tie your hair back.”
After struggling with the dry hair and finally revealing Cherry’s face, Alice noticed bruises and red abrasions all over it from repeatedly hitting against the window despite the glass not breaking.
During this time, Cherry flinched at the sight of the needle with sidelong glances.
“Yikes!”
“Cherry?”
“I don’t like that! Get it away! The sharp thing!”
“I won’t use it; I promise!”
Alice covered the needle with cloth. Some patients have a fear of sharp instruments after all.
‘But if there’s a need to stitch up the wound…’
Fortunately, there were no severe lacerations on her face. While carefully wiping the dried blood from Cherry’s face, Adelaide began to scold her.
“Cherry is really a delicate child, you know? Be gentle. Don’t press hard at all.”
“Yes, I’ll be careful… oh.”
“Alice! What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry for startling you, but don’t scare me! I almost pressed on the wound!”
Alice cautiously felt around Cherry’s nose. The ridge that descended from her forehead twisted at the bridge of her nose.
Upon closer inspection, it seemed that there was even a horizontal crack visible, indicating that the nasal bone might be completely fractured.
“Cherry, did you keep getting nosebleeds after coming home?”
“A bit… That’s why I’ve been lying down.”
“You shouldn’t lie down when you have a nosebleed; you could suffocate! It’s too late to say this now, but remember it next time!”
‘What on earth was Nathan doing?’
When Alice had asked him to watch Cherry for a moment while she went to find Adelaide last night, did he really just “watch”? Even if he didn’t want to interact with the residents, he could have at least given some advice.
“I’m going to apply some medicine now. It might sting a little.”
“Ugh… be gentle…”
“I’m going to put a bone splint on your nose. If this bends, the bone will bend too, so don’t touch it carelessly.”
After applying the stickiest ointment inside the splint, she carefully placed it on Cherry’s bridge and tied the strings at the back of her head. It resembled an eye mask over her nose.
Adelaide stifled a laugh from the side. Cherry made a whimpering sound.
“Madam—! Is this funny? I want to take it off!”
“No, keep it on! Do it, you little brat! It’s not funny at all!”
“Madam!”
“Cherry, don’t shout. The pressure in your nasal cavity will increase and cause another nosebleed.”
Cherry quieted down. Madam Adelaide also suppressed her laughter and tried to regain her usual kind demeanor by forcing a serious expression. Alice almost burst out laughing at that expression.
“I think this will do for now. You’ve been through a lot, Cherry.”
“Isn’t there any medicine to eat or apply?”
“There isn’t. More importantly… sigh.”
Alice looked around the room.
It’s not about the medicine. Open all the doors and windows for ventilation and throw away those wooden scraps and fallen leaves rolling around in that corner! That should solve the issue of dust coming from your hair too!
She knew that complaining about cleanliness on her first visit to someone else’s home was quite rude.
But since I’m a doctor, maybe I can afford to meddle a little…
However, that thought was interrupted by Cherry’s question.
“What is a nasal cavity?”
“It’s the space beyond your nostrils where air collects before going down your throat.”
“…Is there one here too?”
Cherry tilted her head and mumbled as if unsure what to say. She didn’t seem like the type to hold back words; what was she trying to hide?
As Alice was about to tidy up and leave, she turned back to Cherry with an uncomfortable feeling.
A chubby body with thin limbs. A really tiny jawline. On the first day, Alice thought it was just eye makeup, but even after wiping her face clean, there were still red marks around her eyes.
Adelaide next to her crossed her arms whenever she had a chance, making it hard to notice, but upon closer inspection, her long arms created an odd impression compared to her small and sturdy physique.
Professor Nathan had said that if you looked closely at these residents, they all deviated from some sort of “average.”
It’s a play on words. Except for a very few people, deviating from the average state is “normal.” No one is wrong here.
So…
“…Cherry, Madam Adelaide. If there’s something different about you from others when receiving treatment from me, please let me know. It’s not something to be embarrassed about or something strange to look at; at least for me.”
“Excuse me?”
Was this sudden nonsense too abrupt?
Alice hesitated for quite some time before tightly gripping her house call bag and speaking again.
“My younger brother has his internal organs reversed… his organ placement was entirely opposite from that of an average person. We found out during surgery after the doctor poked in the wrong place.”
“…”
“It spread into peritonitis, but since my brother was a rare case, it wasn’t really the doctor’s fault; however, the hospital bills became astronomical… In the end, we resolved it by donating my brother’s body to the hospital.”
Even if she dipped into her tuition fees, it wouldn’t bring him back; Auber had faced death and accepted his subsequent humiliation while trying hard to smile at his sister.
They said if he recovered, he could earn money in a freak show, but now Auber lies asleep in the special sample storage of Canery City University Hospital.
Not even properly covered with a coffin lid or blanket; not even able to wrap his skin properly…
…He must be asleep now. Please.
Her voice trembled continuously, but Alice managed to finish her story without crying.
“I may have made careless mistakes since day one, but as a doctor, I want to help you all. If there comes a time when you need treatment, please be honest about your body.”
