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Borealis: A Zutara Story	By : jaded_priceless Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > AU/AR - Alternate Universe/Alternate Reality Views: 33555 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, Avatar: The Legend of Korra, any historical figures or events, or easily recognizable persons, places or things. I make no profit from this work of fanfiction

Chapter List
- 237
- 238
- 239
Chapter 235
Zuko parted his lips and drank without question when Amayu held a spoon in front of him. He was already drowsy and a sense of euphoria was slowly overtaking him. He did not protest when the doctor handed him a bowl containing what looked like an oversized tea bag and told him to place it comfortably in his mouth and bite on it as necessary.
It tasted sweet. Zuko’s eyelids grew heavy. He barely registered it when she said, “I am making the first incision.”
The pain quickly brought back his awareness.

Katara stood beside Amayu watching as the doctor felt for the lumps in Zuko’s skin; pulled the pebbles forward with tweezers then cut. The result was an open circular wound in Zuko’s lower back. Zuko had barely flinched or whimpered. Katara closed her eyes remembering what he’d told her earlier about revealing pain as being a sign of weakness.
Amayu misunderstood the reason for her action, “I know it seems brutal, but this flesh is damaged. It has already started to necrotize. Even if we were to remove the blood leaving this behind would eventually kill him. How is this treated among your people?”
“It is treated similarly in the South Pole. In the North they have water healers who-” Katara paused, “Amayu, can I try something?”
“Help yourself so long as it is to his benefit,” the doctor replied.
Katara placed her hand near the wound and made a slow pulling motion. The dark purple blood flowed more freely as a result. Amayu’s face scrunched in concentration. She went to her medical bag and pulled out a bottle of peroxide. She washed another small pan with antiseptic and poured the peroxide into it then sat it next to the fire to warm. She rescrubbed herself then asked Katara to pull some of the warm peroxide onto the exposed wound. She smiled when it began to bubble, “That chemical reaction is helping to clean the wound. Discard that you are holding over the area and place more on it. Be careful not to close the wound, we need it open so all of the infection will drain.”
Katara placed peroxide over that particular spot twice more. As Amayu speculated each application bubbled less and the wound seemed to be in better condition than those she had treated before. She had had been Bingwen’s student long enough to know his greatest regret and triumph was letting his curiosity overtake his patients’ welfare. Bingwen was the illegitimate son of the current head palace physician and a servant. Fire Lord Azulon had seen his potential to surpass his father far exceeded that of his legitimate sons so he had requested that Bingwen accompany him as he raided the Earth Kingdom. He had been a teenager.
He had killed many and let others die just to sate his overwhelming desire to learn all about the human body there was to know; every life he saved was merely fodder for his ego. Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom, it didn’t matter so long as he was able to quantify the results. Those experiments advanced the field of medicine by leaps and bounds but as the years progressed he learned to place value on the person as well as what he could learn from them. He had seen that same thirst for knowledge and curiosity about the human body when she was a teen fulfilling her community service requirement at the local Ursa House.
Amayu bit her lip and was unable to fight the urge to fidget. Prince Zuko’s wounds and Katara’s assistance provided a never before seen opportunity to advance the treatment of blood poisoning but she wouldn’t be able to save a single person, not even herself if she let the Fire Lord’s son exsanguinate. She couldn’t really tell how much blood she’d drained as it was now mixed with the peroxide. She placed her hand on his neck and took his pulse. Once she had a good reading she placed her hand against his chest to measure his heart rate at the source before checking his wrist and foot.
The rates were lower than expected for a man his age but within variable tolerances. She washed her hands and removed the anesthetic bag from her patient’s mouth, “Prince Zuko, I wish to try something. It will be dangerous, but has the potential to save many lives. May I have permission to open all of your wounds and ask Katara to draw the tainted blood out? We will put the peroxide over them increase the rate at which the infection and damaged tissue is processed but it will also increase the rate of blood loss. You will be extremely weak until your body creates more but percentage of tainted blood will be reduced. May I try it?”
Zuko’s eyes rolled and he blinked before unsteadily warbling, “If I let you do this can it help save lives?”
“Yes, but yours will be in danger. Katara and I will do our best for you, but it will be risky,” Amayu explained.
“Do it,” Zuko uttered as he attempted to focus in her direction.
“Zuko,” Katara said placing her one hand on his shoulder and tilting his head up to her. Even though the medicine had dulled his senses she could see the tension in his shoulders and knew he was hurting.
Zuko’s grunted harshly as his eyes finally made contact with hers. He mistook her concern for pity and disappointment, “Do it. If it will help you save more people do it. I don’t care.”
Amayu went to her medical bag and pulled out several liquids and leaves. She added more of the liquids into the small pot, “This is an additional painkiller, it will dull your senses and thin your blood. It will help you bleed. This is a stronger antibiotic. Katara give him a small amount of the liver broth. It will help to keep his strength up. These are spinach leaves. It will help thicken and enrich the blood to offset the effect of the painkillers. There is no guarantee this will work or even if what I learn can be used without the aid of a Waterbender.”
“Do it,” Zuko practically yelled even though he was clenching his teeth. He didn’t like the way Katara was looking at him. It was the same way he was looked at as a child when he sought medical treatment.
Water sloshed in the basin as Katara angrily washed her hands. She wanted Zuko dead, but she didn’t want him to put himself at this type of risk unnecessarily. No one should have so little regard for themselves. She forced herself to calm down before going to the hearth. She didn’t want the broth to splash as she scooped some into a bowl for Zuko. He was hurting. She knew the first drug Amayu had given him was one that induced euphoria. If he was able to snap at her and rationalize it was not working as well as it should. Katara gently caressed his cheek as she spooned a small amount of broth into his mouth under Amayu’s watchful eye.
“That is enough. If we give him too much it could make him nauseous or hinder the effects of the medicine,” the doctor advised as she steeped the ground spinach leaves in boiling water. “Once this cools you’ll be have to drink some of this and a small amount of the broth every hour. Your bandages will most likely also need to be changed at that time.”
“You don’t have to do this Zuko. I promise even without doing this I won’t let you die,” Katara muttered quietly while wiping the excess liquid from his lips with her thumb.
“I’ve seen people die from blood poisoning Katara. It’s not pretty. Even if they don’t have a Waterbender I’m sure someone will find a way to increase blood flow and peroxide can be poured on wound. I know I’m in good hands and you won’t let me die. My people don’t have that insurance. I can’t be that selfish,” Zuko whispered.
Katara kissed his forehead and sighed, “You are such a fool.”
He smiled weakly at her and closed his eyes. Katara’s fingers lingered on his cheek as she set the medicine bag between his lips. She remained standing in front of Zuko watching his facial expressions as the last incisions were made and circular patches of skin were pulled off. There were tears pooling at the corner of his scrunched shut eyes, his nostrils twitched and flared, his face was pinched but he did not flinch. He kept his body still to hide how badly he was hurting from Amayu.
Katara washed her hands again then slid the antiseptic over them to sterilize them before coating them in anesthetic. She placed her hands directly on his wounds then took a deep breath while concentrating on Zuko. It was not the full moon but she was able to find the rhythm of his blood as it coated her fingers and palm. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, allowing herself to become fully integrated with the push and pull generated by his heart as it pushed blood throughout his system. She splayed her fingers imagining Lake Jang Hui and its pollution then pulled.
- 237
- 238
- 239
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Borealis: A Zutara Story