Helping Hand

Korhonen is hunkered down in the cabin, enjoying what's become an increasingly rare moment of quiet. He's mussing around by the fire, preparing a pot of coffee. One of his younger daughters, 16-year-old Marja, has made a stew out of one of the rabbits the hunters caught and bowls of that are being passed around. It would all be quite domestic, if they weren't hiding out from the Russians and Soviet tanks scattered across their homeland.

Vesa comes down from the second floor on surprisingly quiet feet considering the heavy boots he's wearing. He's got the dirty bandages that were on Niko's arm, wrapped up in a bunch. Spying the doctor, the teenager hesitates before he starts that way, stopping a short distance from him. "Sir?"

Korhonen looks up from his brewing. He turns to offer Vesa a faint smile that shows more tiredness than the doctor probably intends. "Yes, lad?" His gaze goes from the bandages back up to the young man's face. "Is there some trouble with one of the wounded?" The lines of concern deepen around his eyes but his reaction remains mild for now.

Vesa shakes his head. "No, sir." He holds up the bandages, stained with blood and other healing-related nasties. "I was just wondering how I should wash these." His Finnish is nearly perfect, though the unobtrusive Russian accent is always going to be there.

"They can be laundered - thoroughly - then boiled to kill any infection that remains," Korhonen says. "Not ideal, perhaps, but we can only do so much out here. I will show you where to put them. Emma or Sonja should be doing another batch of them with the wash." He straightens and strides over to one corner where he's taken to keeping his medical supplies. "You're Jokinen's boy, yes?"

Raimo steps into the Cabin. The engineer mutters a bit as he shrugs off his heavy parka, leaning his rifle against the wall as he looks about, inhaling deeply as he detects the brewing coffee, "Mmmmmm, that looks delicious…"

"Yup. Sir." That second word gets tacked on quickly. If a Russian mother did anything right at all, it was teach manners. Vesa follows Korhonen towards the corner, trying to untangle the mess of bandages as he goes. "My name's Vesa. And you're Dr. Korhonen…right?"

"I am at that," the older doctor replies to Vesa. "Put them here, boy." He indicates a pail where some other used bandages have been put. Not many. They hardly have an infinite supply, so Korhonen makes sure there is a steady flow of laundry. "Wash your hands when you're finished. Which one of the men did you take that off of? How did his wound look?" He gives his head a small shake even as he asks that question. What a time he lives in, that he can't even tell which gunshot wound a bandage came from. He turns at the sound of Raimo's voice, grinning. "Help yourself. There should be enough to keep us awake for a bit yet."

Raimo chuckles as he takes his tin-cup from his kit, filling it with some coffee. "Not pretty outside, hardly a defensible position…" he comments, taking a seat at the table, "Couldn't keep a ox out of this place."

Vesa dumps the bandages where he's told, once they've been separated into bloody strips. "I don't know his name, sir. The one with it here." He gestures to his arm where Niko's wound was. "It still looked kinda bad. Not as bad as Mr. Lindstrom's leg though." That's the best assessment he can give. He's no doctor. He looks around and smiles as Raimo heads for the coffee, not recognising him.

Korhonen doesn't comment much on Raimo's words, except to say, "Luukas and the nimismies know more of such things than I. You men worry about defenses. I am of little use in such matters." He goes about the work he is of some use at, and heads over to examine Niko's arm. "Is is not so bad as it looks, boy. A clean wound, at least, and one that is healing without infection. Thank God for those small mercies."

"How can you tell, sir?" Vesa asks curiously, as to the infection comment. The most he knows about these things is how to get the bandage to stay on. He wanders closer to Korhonen, though he looks back at Raimo. "They said some of our mines blew up a tank the other day," he says, optimistically. "Is it true?"

Raimo :shrugs, "I have no idea, I didn't lay them, that's for sure…" he says, leaning back in his chair, taking off his cap, sipping some coffee, "Think I might turn in soon, getting late."

"See the look of the wound," Korhonen says, indicating Niko's limb. "And he has no fever." Unlike many of the other poor bastards here. After a moment's examination, the doctor seems satisfied with how Niko's doing. He turns his head over his shoulder, toward Raimo.

"Doesn't matter who laid 'em, right? Long as they blow up some Ivans. They could be Russian ones, all I care." Vesa grins at Raimo. "Goodnight." He looks back at Niko's wound as Korhonen talks, nodding. "So I should tell you if there's fever? Okay." He scratches his bitten fingernails through his hair. "Should I keep watching him, sir? Or you want me to watch Mr. Lindstrom's leg?"

Raimo smirks, finishing his coffee, probably the last thing he needs before bed. Regardless, he rises up, grabbing his hat, nodding to the others he heads upstairs, in search of a bed.
Raimo has disconnected.

Korhonen gives Vesa a long look before he answers. Finally he says, "Lindstrom's leg does need greater attention. I think Niko is healing well enough on his own. You are Markus' apprentice, yes? He did not tell me you had an interest in medicine."

Vesa looks a little embarassed as he realises how eager that must have sounded. "Yes, sir, I'm learning carpentry. My mother was a nurse, I used to watch her a lot. I've always been real interested. Just expensive to go to school for that stuff."

"Any extra pair of hands is welcome right now," Korhonen says. And, truly, a trace of relief does come to the doctor's face. "I am sure Sonja and Emma would be grateful for some aid in looking after the patients."

"I think Miss Sonja's kinda pissed at me," Vesa relays, though he doesn't seem all that broken up about it. He even grins sheepishly. "But I'll help. I'll change Mr. Lindstrom's bandage when I get back upstairs." He scratches his head again, wrinking his nose. "Maybe I'll get better at it soon. I dunno half this stuff from shi-…" He cuts that off real fast. "From…anything else, sir. Like if someone's bleeding real hard."

Korhonen gives Vesa a tolerant look, particularly when he catches himself on his language. "Sonja?" He chuckles. "I find that difficult to believe. She is too forgiving, if anything. But do not worry over her, boy. Her good opinion is not difficult to gain back, if you only work for it. As for the wound, it is difficult to tell without showing. Though I am certain we will get plenty of opportunity. Put pressure on it, keep the body from losing as much blood as possible, that is the most important thing. Speaking of. If you want to help, you can change Lindstrom's bandages. I…" He straightens up with a faint groan. "I had best see to the other patients." There's no shortage right now, that's for certain.

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