"Crystal."

Jennifer was breathing hard through her nose. Being addressed directly and spoken to like a person didn't help her mood much; things could still go way wrong, if she did anything they didn't like, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

"I was chief of surgery of a scientific expedition back home. I've taken care of dozens of wounds like this."

That probably meant nothing to them, but Jennifer went to work anyway without further comment, placing her tray of tools and an empty pan nearby, expert hands cutting away the skin, moving into that place at the back of her mind that allowed her to fully concentrate on her work. Now, more than ever, she was thankful that she was able to achieve that state of mind. It had saved her sanity and steadied her hand many times, especially during her first major crisis, when Elizabeth had been so gravely wounded.

It seemed to be no time at all before she was threading a needle, stitching the wound, and finally finishing it up with a heavy bandage and dose of antifungal on the rest of the awful, angry red skin.

"There. It's done."