Karin drew a hissing breath through clenched teeth at the mention of Vanessa's attempt at first aid. It was not an unheard of practice, and it happened more often than Karin cared to contemplate. But a bad idea it most certainly was, and now the victim was paying quite dearly for it. She was grateful the wound wasn't worse than it was; she found herself saying a small prayer of thanks for that, glad her job of cleaning up would cause Vanessa less pain for it.
The orderly returned soon enough, pushing a small cart laden with sterile gauze pads, medical tape, and various ointments. It was clear that while he had not been entirely sure of the nature of the injury, he had seen and understood enough to come prepared. Karin thanked him as he left, making a mental note to praise him to his supervisor later.
She took a sterile wipe from the cart, taking Vanessa's hand as she slowly began cleaning on and around the wound. It was delicate work, so she tried to keep up a steady stream of conversation as she attended to it, hoping to distract her patient as best she could. "It's good you're settling in well," she said. "It can be a strange place at times. Were you there when the power went out?"