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Chapter 44 begins with a hesitant Jared. He doesn’t want to hit Wanderer, but Mel “tells” him to, so he does. They proceed to drive to the hospital, but Wanderer tells Jared that she’s gotta be the one in the driver’s seat to make her story plausible. Jared goes to hide and when they reach the hospital, Wanderer decides that she also must stab herself, mimicking Jamie’s injury, so that she can find out exactly how to heal him. Jared protests, but it is done.
Wanderer goes into the hospital and she’s immediately treated. A nurse named Cerulean alerts a Healer named Knits Fire, and they take Wanderer in without question. While being treated, Wanderer plays dumb and asks about the process. Knits Fire explains that “No Pain” makes you feel ‘no pain’, but “Clean” and “Inside Clean” is what cleanses and rids the wound of any bacteria that might cause infection. And it is “Heal” that does the main job here, as it encourages your tissues to rejoin and grow the way they should.
Knits Fire finishes off with “Smooth” which is glue-like, and basically acts as a sealant. More Heal is applied to Wanderer’s face and she’s …healed! The process is over and Cerulean goes to get Wanderer some water. This gives her the opportunity to raid the medicine cabinet. She grabs cans of Heal, Clean, No Pain …and she comes across a can of something called “Cool”. She’s not sure what it’s for, but she takes some anyway. The deed is done and Wanderer goes back to sit on the mattress …but time passes and Cerulean isn’t back yet. Wanderer starts to feel uneasy, fearing that Knits Fire saw through her lies and is bringing back a Seeker. As the chapter comes to a close, two sets of footsteps are heard approaching the room…
