efforts, the fire was almost out and needed tending. She added a small armful of wood to the fire then banked it for the night, before going outdoors to bring in some fresh wood to use in the morning. She then returned to check on her patient.
He was shaking, as if cold, yet, when Aura touched him he seemed warm enough, and he was not running a temperature. She sat back on the heels of her feet and tried to remember what she had been taught about people in his condition. There were several possibilities that sprang to mind. First and primary, was that he could be suffering from a reaction to his injuries from the battle. It was also possible that he could be having a reaction to the cold or perhaps even a combination of events.
Aura was not impressed with the solution that came to mind. It was obvious that he was going to need more heat than the fire could provide. She called Wolf to her side and ordered him to lie down beside the man, to provide him warmth from that angle. She then took all of her blankets and covered him. Then she watched to see if it was going to help.
An hour later she gave a sigh of resignation. Her efforts, while not without some merit, had not been completely successful. That left her with the one option that she had tried to avoid. She sat closer to the fire, and unbraiding her hair as she remembered the words of her teacher.
"In primitive surroundings, in cases of shock due to exposure, nothing works better to warm the patient than skin to skin contact. For one body lends its heat to the other."
Aura removed all but her thin underclothes and sat combing her hair for a few moments, while warming her feet. There could be nothing cold touching her patient if she was to be successful. She rose, when she felt warm enough, and made her way over to his side then, taking a deep breath to fortify her decision, she slipped under the blankets beside him. He felt hot to the touch; although he still shivered, and she slid her arms around him as she pressed her semi clad figure against his, taking special care not to hurt him further as she did. She sighed as she settled her head against his good shoulder then fell asleep. She was so tired that she didn’t even wake when he stopped shivering, or when his arm curled about her shoulders to hold her closer.
CHAPTER VIII
Feeling warm and comfortable the man woke with the first rays of sunlight. He squirmed then winced at the pain the slight movement caused. Where was he? How did he get here? He gave the matter thought, but could remember nothing beyond the fight that he had been involved in.
The light movement of a person at his side alerted him to another presence and he moved to view that person closer. It was a woman. One he had not even noticed when he had woken earlier. She was asleep and he was finding it almost impossible to keep his eyes off of her. This was no village wench that he had taken to his bed to warm him during the night. He noted the deep healthy shine in her hair, the clear complexion of her face and the sweet smell of her body. He gave a smiling sigh of contentment, pleased with what life had dealt for the moment. He closed his eyes and went back to sleep, pulling her body back against his to draw her closer.
Aura woke an hour later and extracted herself from her patient’s side with exaggerated care, so she could dress and tend to her fire. When she had everything under control again, she turned her attention back to him. He was slightly flushed and showed traces of a fever. She frowned at this turn of events, but was not really very surprised. He had been hurt and had been chilled by his exposure to the elements. She should expect him to show some effects.
She turned her attention to his head injury and noted how it had already started to heal. The wound looked good, but she was not too pleased about the sanitary conditions surrounding it, his hair was
He was shaking, as if cold, yet, when Aura touched him he seemed warm enough, and he was not running a temperature. She sat back on the heels of her feet and tried to remember what she had been taught about people in his condition. There were several possibilities that sprang to mind. First and primary, was that he could be suffering from a reaction to his injuries from the battle. It was also possible that he could be having a reaction to the cold or perhaps even a combination of events.
Aura was not impressed with the solution that came to mind. It was obvious that he was going to need more heat than the fire could provide. She called Wolf to her side and ordered him to lie down beside the man, to provide him warmth from that angle. She then took all of her blankets and covered him. Then she watched to see if it was going to help.
An hour later she gave a sigh of resignation. Her efforts, while not without some merit, had not been completely successful. That left her with the one option that she had tried to avoid. She sat closer to the fire, and unbraiding her hair as she remembered the words of her teacher.
"In primitive surroundings, in cases of shock due to exposure, nothing works better to warm the patient than skin to skin contact. For one body lends its heat to the other."
Aura removed all but her thin underclothes and sat combing her hair for a few moments, while warming her feet. There could be nothing cold touching her patient if she was to be successful. She rose, when she felt warm enough, and made her way over to his side then, taking a deep breath to fortify her decision, she slipped under the blankets beside him. He felt hot to the touch; although he still shivered, and she slid her arms around him as she pressed her semi clad figure against his, taking special care not to hurt him further as she did. She sighed as she settled her head against his good shoulder then fell asleep. She was so tired that she didn’t even wake when he stopped shivering, or when his arm curled about her shoulders to hold her closer.
CHAPTER VIII
Feeling warm and comfortable the man woke with the first rays of sunlight. He squirmed then winced at the pain the slight movement caused. Where was he? How did he get here? He gave the matter thought, but could remember nothing beyond the fight that he had been involved in.
The light movement of a person at his side alerted him to another presence and he moved to view that person closer. It was a woman. One he had not even noticed when he had woken earlier. She was asleep and he was finding it almost impossible to keep his eyes off of her. This was no village wench that he had taken to his bed to warm him during the night. He noted the deep healthy shine in her hair, the clear complexion of her face and the sweet smell of her body. He gave a smiling sigh of contentment, pleased with what life had dealt for the moment. He closed his eyes and went back to sleep, pulling her body back against his to draw her closer.
Aura woke an hour later and extracted herself from her patient’s side with exaggerated care, so she could dress and tend to her fire. When she had everything under control again, she turned her attention back to him. He was slightly flushed and showed traces of a fever. She frowned at this turn of events, but was not really very surprised. He had been hurt and had been chilled by his exposure to the elements. She should expect him to show some effects.
She turned her attention to his head injury and noted how it had already started to heal. The wound looked good, but she was not too pleased about the sanitary conditions surrounding it, his hair was
Similar Books
