Medical Check Up After Returning From the Lighthouse

Posted on Fri Aug 14th, 2026 @ 1:05pm by Juliet Parrish & Albert 'Bert' Smith

1,938 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Justice
Location: Clinic, Thistledrift
Timeline: TBD

Juliet was restocking shelves in the medical supplies closet. The Dunsbrough pharmacy had provided a plethora of much needed medical supplies and medicines. She had spent the better part of the last two days sorting all of it. She stepped out of the supply closet when the front door opened and the tinkle of the little shop bell announced the arrival of some one.

Smith walked into the pharmacy cautiously. He wasn't sure what to expect. The tickle above his head made him smile, bringing back an old memory of when the world was 'normal'. He approached the counter. "Excuse me, miss, I was sent over to get a once over by the doctor. I'm not sure if I'm in the right place."

The young girl looked up at Bert and nodded before glancing over her shoulder. "Juliet. It's one of the newcomers here for a check up."

Juliet peeked out to the front counter. She hadn’t had the opportunity the last couple of days since the supply run to do more than inspect the medical supplies and sort things to shelves. "Albert, isn’t it? Give me one moment." She pointed to an open door. "Have a seat in the exam room. I'll be with you in just a minute." She turned to the young girl. "Thanks for the help this morning, but you need to get to school."

The 12-year old girl frowned for a moment and sighed. "Okay."

Bert nodded nervously, "Yes, ma'am." He said with a small smile and nod, before moving towards the room which had 'exam room' etched on the frosted window. He opened the door, glanced in to make sure it was free before entering. Bert closed the door behind him and took a seat.

Juliet came into the examination room and laid out a few items on the small counter. She turned to the man in travel worn attire. "First things first. Any medical issues I should be aware of? Aches, pains or inflammation that you've noticed recently?"

"Well, I didn't have any problems before this all started. Not sure now though, everything seems up and down. Plenty of aches and pains, probably age related. The only thing I can say I have a problem with is this." He said as he showed her the pinky on his left hand. The tip was black and the rest was grey. "Think I caught a bit of frost bite out there "

Juliet took time to inspect his pinky. It did look like frostbite. "We need to try immersion in warm water. Preferably at body temperature. It may hurt some and...I may not be able to save the tip of your pinky."

"Take it all if you like." Bert said with a shrug. "A missing pinky is hardly a concern."

Juliet frowned as she picked up a kettle from the woodstove and poured the hot water into a bowl. She placed a thermometer in the water and set the bowl on a rolling tray table. "I'm not going to amputate your pinky finger unless it's absolutely necessary. One the water cools to 100 degrees Fahrenheit put your finger in the bowl. It's probably going to hurt some, but it's important to keep the finger submerged. Okay?"

Bert nodded. "Just don't waste any unnecessary medicine or time on it. I know what's coming. My own fault really for not looking for warmed gloves." He commented as he watched the thermometer. "So, how long have you been here?"

Juliet set about putting more water to heat up. The immersion therapy was probably going to take several rounds. She glanced at Albert and gave a slight sigh. "I came to England just before the world collapsed. I had just graduated medical school and my parents gave me a plane ticket for a vacation. Then the world went to shit. I had to flee London and ended up here a few weeks later. Thistledrift had just lost their only doctor and the place was in kind of nad shape. When Cassandra arrived a few days after me she helped get people organized and basically saved the whole community. She asked me to stay and become the new town doctor." She took a moment as she thought about her life the last couple of years. "Don't get me wrong. I do miss New York City and my family, but...I have been able to build a life here. I really don't know what I would do if an opportunity arose to go back to the United States."

"I'm a Londoner born and bred, funny how we've ended up here." Bert said with a chuckle. "I understand though, you've not made a life here, you've carved it out of nothingness. I suppose if going back ever came up you'd want reassurances of what was back home for you. Jumping blindly could definitely leave you in the lurch."

Juliet shrugged as she checked the temperature on the first bowl of water. "Water is ready. Put your pinky finger in and leave it in for five minutes. It is going to hurt a little."

"Already hurts." Bert replied with a chuckle before placing it in the warm water. He winced as it went in but the sharp pain soon became just a dull ache. "How many times will I need to do this?"

Juliet gave Albert a reassuring smile. "At least four times. I'm not entirely sure." She made an effort to keep him distracted. "So, where are you staying?"

"I was allocated some temporary quarters. Not sure if that's where I'll be permanently or if I'll be moved. More than happy where I am though. Just nice to have a bed and blankets again." Bert replied.

Juliet set down a second bowl of warm water. "There are a few cottages empty of inhabitants. You could set yourself up in one. If you want that is."

Smith shock his head, "A cottage would be a waste for just me. I'm not a homely person anymore, ever since..." He paused for a moment as I lump formed in his throat. He swallow hard and cleared his throat. "Shall I put my finger in the second bowl?" He asked scooting past the subject at hand.

Juliet caught his unfinished statement and instinctively looked at his hand. She saw the plain wedding band and her expression turned to sympathy. "I understand and...I'm sorry for your loss." She gestured to the second bowl and nodded to change the subject back to his health. "Yes. We need to gradually need to raise the temperature though I think you may lose the tip. It appears the section is necrotic."

He took his finger out of the fingers bowl and placed it in the second, wincing again. "It was before the world turned to a nightmare. She was lost in the London terror attacks. She was pregnant at the time with our first. The loss hit me hard, I turned to drink. Only got clean coz of this nightmare." He cleared his throat again. "I only put the ring back on before I left London. Didn't want to lose it and knew it was safe on my finger. Stupid I know but it feels like she's watching over me."

"So, when will you have to take the tip?" He asked changing the subject.

Juliet stared at the man's hand for a moment. "Perhaps tomorrow. Right now I want to see if we can save the rest of the pinky finger. We need to determine how much of the finger is necrotic before proceeding."

"Be easier just to take it all, surely?" Smith replied with a shrug.

Juliet sighed. "Perhaps, but I am not about to amputate any more of your finger then is absolutely necessary. I don’t think you want that either."

"I honestly don't care, Doc." Bert replied with a shrug. "I'm pretty sure I can live without a pinky."

Juliet rolled her eyes and frowned. "Let's see if this treatment works first before we discuss amputation. That's what my job is."

"Of course, Doc. You're the boss." Bert replied with a small smile. He didn't see the point in wasting on saving something so insignificant but he was willing to toe the line.

Minutes passed as they went through several rounds of immersion therapy. Juliet inspected the pinky finger several times over the course of the treatment before pulling his hand out and wrapping it with gauze. "Keep it dry and wrapped until tomorrow morning then we can better discuss further treatment.

Herbert nodded his understanding. "Is there anything else you need to know?"

Juliet shook her head as she gave Albert a warm smile. "That about covers it unless you have any other health conditions I should be made aware of. I'm here to help if you need it."

"Nothing else apart from age related aches and pains." He said with a chuckle. "I'm guessing you haven't discovered a cure for aging yet." He added with a chuckle, as he pushed his long hair behind his right ear.

Juliet shrugged her shoulders and grinned. "Unfortunately, no. No cure for aging. But I can recommend you find something enjoyable to do in your downtime. Perhaps make a few friends along the way too."

Making friends wasn't easy in this new world. People tended to keep their friendship groups small to avoid the pain of losing someone close. "What would you suggest, doc?"

She gave the question a bit of thought before answering. "Well, there's a billiards and dart league held at the pub on Friday and Saturday night. You could also volunteer at the greenhouse if you're interested in gardening. There's a group that meets every week to train with weapons."

Smith didn't want to spend any more time in the pub than he had too. Eating there was fine but he didn't want the temptation of alcohol on his mind. He was never green fingered either. Weapons training could be the one. "Weapons training is something I could offer. I've become pretty proficient with my bow and arrow. Happy to pass on that knowledge to others."

"Archery training is Friday afternoons and Samuel conducts melee weapons training Saturday afternoons." Juliet crossed the room to a cabinet. She unlocked the cabinet and pulled out a small plastic bottle and put six tablets of Advil in the bottle. She came back and handed the bottle to Albert. "For pain, sorry. It's the best I can do at the moment." Let's take a look at that pinky now."

"I'll take a look thanks." Bert replied before watching the Doctor stand up and cross the room to the cabinet. He admired her figure from behind with a small smile to himself. "Keep the pills, Doc. I've managed up till now. Keep them for someone who needs it." He replied as he took his pinky out and gave it a small shake to get the excess water off.

"Men!" Juliet sighed as she began to examine the finger. She finally gave a nod as she wrapped the digit in gauze. "Fine, no meds. I want you to keep this finger warm for the next 24 hours. We'll take a look again tomorrow. I'll give you a local anesthetic and excise the necrotic flesh tomorrow. You can go Albert."

Bert nodded his understanding as he stood up. "Thank you for your time, Doc."

Juliet gave a friendly smile and extended her right hand. "My pleasure Mr. Smith and welcome to Thistledrift."

"Thanks for having me." Bert said with a small smile before he walked out of the room
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