𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟓: 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧
“It’s been four years already.”
The woman lying in bed speaks weakly. I, who have come to visit, sit on a chair next to the bed and listen to her.
“Sometimes my head hurts as if it’s being squeezed.”
Headaches and stomachaches are very difficult to pinpoint the cause of. Whether it’s a problem with the brain or internal organs, the blood vessels, something psychological, or influenced by food.
“When it hurts, all I can do is lie down like this.”
Listening to the story slowly is very important, so I listen to her as long as time allows. The woman was in her forties, an age prone to health problems.
“My husband and mother-in-law just make faces like ‘not again’. I feel uncomfortable. Besides, my husband has a high position in the military, so he’s often not at home.”
“That must be hard. People can’t understand because they can’t see the pain. It’s sad on top of the pain.”
When I comfort her like this, the lady nods, shedding tears. She reaches out to me, so I wrap her hand in both of mine, signaling, “I understand, I’m on your side.”
Headaches are hard to understand. If they are chronic, healthy people tend to interpret it as “laziness” or “not again”. This can also cause new pain.
“The doctor said he couldn’t find a specific reason, right? Then we need to find out which medicine suits the lady’s pain.”
“Thank you very much.”
“I’ll give you some medicine first. I want to see how you are after you take it, so I’ll stay with you for a while.”
“Ellen-sama. How reassuring.”
The pale-faced lady weakly sat up and waited for the medicine I was preparing. I took out a pale red medicine from a small bottle and handed it to the lady, warning her, “It’s not tasty.”
The lady slowly drank it all and continued talking, leaning her back against the cushion.
“When the headache starts, all I can do is face the pain. It becomes hard to live.”
“That’s tough. Shall we practice diverting your attention from the pain now? Can you lie on your stomach?”
“Lie on my stomach… like this?”
“Yes. Now I will massage your legs. Please concentrate on the area being massaged.”
I lifted the lady’s blanket, who was lying on her stomach, and gently massaged her white, thin calves from the ankle to the knee with warm oil in my palm.
“Oh, that feels good.”
I massaged her calves several times, sometimes pressing the soles of her feet hard with both thumbs. Then I massaged her calves again.
In less than ten minutes, the lady fell into a deep sleep. If the medicine didn’t work, she wouldn’t be able to sleep because of the pain, so it seems to be working to some extent.
I sat next to her and waited for the lady to wake up. The maid was also in the room, so I signaled her to be quiet.
After about an hour, the lady opened her eyes. She took a deep breath, exhaled, and looked at me.
“Oh. My headache is gone. I feel so refreshed. That’s amazing. I don’t know how to thank you. Ellen-sama, thank you.”
The lady, who had taken a nap, looked better and repeatedly thanked me as she turned from her stomach to her back. I was relieved that the first medicine worked. If it didn’t, I would have to try five or six different kinds of medicine.
“It seems the medicine I gave you is working. I’ll leave you three doses.”
“I’ve taken up a lot of your time. You must be busy. Thank you.”
I handed the medicine to the elderly maid who had been waiting in the corner of the room.
“Thank you. Oku-sama has been really pitiful for a long time. Thank you.”
The loyal-looking maid must understand the lady’s headaches. I taught her how to administer the medicine and how to massage, thinking she would be reliable.
On the way home in the carriage, I felt relieved. I was glad I could help someone suffering from pain.
The medicine I gave to the lady contains a very small amount of juice from a poisonous plant. The strong poison that would stop the heart if taken directly, when diluted and combined with other herbs, constricts the blood vessels that have spread too much.
Poisonous plants produce poison to protect themselves from insects and birds and to proliferate their offspring. People despise poison, but neither poison nor plants are sinful. If there is a sin, it is only in humans who misuse poison.
This time, I used a plant that blooms beautiful flowers called “Fairy’s Bell.” It’s a variety that blooms red, peach, yellow, and light blue flowers, and many of them bloom in our garden. It’s a flower that can be grown in the garden of an ordinary house.
When I got home, I had Hanna make me a coffee in the living room. I enjoyed the aroma and drank it slowly.
“Ojou-sama, I heard from my brother. Congratulations on successfully treating a difficult patient.”
“Thank you, Hanna. I don’t have any appointments today, so I think I’ll make some medicine.”
I open all the windows in the room in the detached house in the garden, put up a sign to keep people away, chop up poisonous plants, and simmer them over low heat. Once the poisonous plants are mushy, I take them out and reduce the liquid.
I think about the pain of that lady. It seems that her mental anguish is making her feel her headache more intensely. I wonder if being abandoned and run out of patience by her husband, who was supposed to be by her side, is intensifying her pain.
“Couples are originally strangers, aren’t they? I wonder if it would have been different if they were parent and child.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, I forgot you were here, Stephan. No, it’s about the lady earlier. I was wondering if seeing someone suffering from pain becomes annoying once you get used to it.”
“I think it depends on the person. Some people will worry no matter how many years pass, and some people will get used to it in a day.”
“I suppose so. But I wonder what the chances are of meeting such a person.”
“You seem to be feeling down. Are you okay? If there’s anything I can do to help, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Can you take me to that shop again?”
“Yes, I will definitely take you there someday.”
That shop was full of deliciousness and fun that you can’t find in high-end shops. I hope I can go there again. But I have to make sure I don’t cause any trouble for Stephan.
・・・
『”𝘈𝘸𝘦𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴.𝘤𝘰𝘮” – 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 “𝘥𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴” 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 “𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴”.』
・・・
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