“It seems that the wounds accept the new skin because it’s from the same person,” he continued. “Then, the bandages are applied with a salve that the doctor provided. He gave me a list of the ingredients so that I could mix it at the shop. Hopefully it will be successful. The methods are old, however, and not without risk.”
“What sort of risk?” I asked.
“If not cared for properly, like any wound, the new tissue could begin to die.”
I could only imagine the horror of that possibility.
“I will see the boy through,” he assured me.
I approached the cot where Ethan lay, still weak even though it had been almost three weeks since the accident.
I could see skin on his neck beginning to heal, without the gruesome damage left behind by fire that I had seen when in Edinburgh with Brodie.
A miracle indeed, I thought, as Ethan nodded. “I canna stand so good as yet, miss.”
I assured him that wasn’t necessary as Mr. Brimley explained the reason I was there. He made it sound more like a social call to put the family at ease.
“I work with Mr. Brodie,” I explained. “He told me about your accident and the fire. I was hoping you might be able to tell me about Dr. Bennett.”
The boy’s eyes lit up. “He fixed me real good. I can use me hands, and he said that in time there won’t be any scars on me face.”
“It was terrifying,” his mother put in. “They brought him back here and I swear I was certain that he was…
“Mr. Brimley heard of Dr. Bennett and contacted him. Then we took Ethan to Aldgate, not one of them hospitals. I didn’t understand, but the doctor assured us that he could take care of Ethan there.”
“Did you see anyone else while you were there?” I asked. “Possibly someone else who had come to see the doctor?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t see no one else, miss. The doctor was there all alone. He had to leave after he saw to Ethan and I stayed there until he returned. Then he sent us home with my boy all bandaged up like you see him. And in the time since, he’s already started to heal.”
“Did Dr. Bennett mention anything about the treatment he gave Ethan?”
“He said that we shouldn’t tell anyone, that it might mean trouble for him. According to Mr. Brimley, we wouldn’t have gotten the same from other doctors and Ethan would have died.”
“Is there anything else you can tell me? Something you saw or something that happened while you were there but perhaps thought nothing of?”
“It was just me and Ethan with the doctor,” she replied. “He was unconscious most of the time.” She hesitated.
“What is it?”
She looked at Mr. Brimley, uncertain. He nodded. “You can tell her.”
“There was a man, showed up at the door of the doctor’s office.”
“What did he look like?”
“Didn’t get a good look; he wore a long coat with his hat pulled low and a neck scarf wrapped about ’im. But I did see the bandages, like my boy here. ‘im and the doctor spoke some, then he left real sudden.
“Seein’ how the doctor helped my boy and all, I figured it was another patient who was injured. It didn’t seem important.” She looked from me to Mr. Brimley.
“That’s fine, Agnes,” he assured her. “And it looks to me as if you are taking good care of the boy.”
She nodded. “’im and the girls are all I have.”
“Apply that salve when you change the bandages. I’ll come by again in a few days,” he told her.
She laid a tentative hand on his arm. “I can’t pay you right now wot with Ethan not working. Everythin’ the girls and I earn goes for food.”
“Don’t you worry about that, Agnes.” He patted her hand. “You just take care of the boy.”
