Episode 57
The disagreement between Ezekiel, who insisted on undergoing surgery without opium, and Polina, who said she could endure the pain only with it, remained unresolved even right before the operation. Dr. Briman had arrived well ahead of the appointed time, and Madam Selva had prepared the drawing room as an operating theater in advance, yet the surgery was delayed precisely because of this dispute.
"If you move even slightly from the fixed position, I will stop the surgery immediately. And I will never participate in this operation again."
In the end, after mediation by Rose and Dr. Briman, it was Polina who took a step back.
"Fine. Let's do it that way."
Ezekiel agreed readily.
Soon, servants entered. They were sturdy men chosen by Madam Selva. Since the surgery demanded extremely delicate handiwork, even with Ezekiel's limbs bound to the bed, the men were to restrain his body by force throughout the operation.
"Rose, will you truly be alright?"
Madam Selva looked at Rose with worry.
"Can I really leave a young lady like you here and go out? Even I, who have weathered every storm, simply cannot muster the courage to watch this surgery."
Having heard the details of the procedure from Rose, Madam Selva had given up on observing, saying it was a sight she could not bear to watch with her eyes open. She had even been sipping brandy since morning, claiming her heart was trembling too much to sit still.
"If you think it will be hard to watch sober, tell me now. I'll have them bring brandy for you as well. Wouldn't it be easier if you were a little drunk?"
"I'm fine. Please don't worry."
Rose hastily shook her head in refusal.
She could not waste this time—every minute and second of which might become unbearably precious later—by clouding her mind with alcohol.
As Madam Selva exited the operating room, the preparations began. Even faced with the device that would fix his eyes so they could not blink, the sharp needle that would pierce his eyeball, and the sturdy men who would bind his limbs, Ezekiel remained serene. His attitude suggested there was nothing to fear since he could not see. A man who had survived all manner of threats while blind was bolder than anyone.
Rather, it was Rose, who had to watch the scene of the surgery being prepared, who found herself in a living hell. Merely guessing the purpose of the utterly unfamiliar instruments and imagining how much they would torment Ezekiel was enough to erode the courage she had mustered, moment by moment.
"The ropes must be tied tighter. If his head moves even slightly, the needle could strike the wrong place. And would you please draw the curtains fully so no unnecessary light enters? Next, the surgical instruments go here. The magnifying glass here."
Besides Dr. Briman, who was assisting, an aide in charge of minor errands busily scurried about following Polina's orders.
"I will now fix the eyes in place."
Ah....
It was beginning.
Rose sat in the chair prepared beside the bed and gripped Ezekiel's hand tightly.
Sweat dripped steadily down Polina's forehead. The surgery was so delicate and demanded such intense concentration that one could instantly understand why Polina had been so reluctant to operate without the aid of opium.
Fortunately, Ezekiel maintained his composure even while fully conscious. The device designed to pull and fix his eyelids in place was clearly excruciating and uncomfortable, yet he showed no sign of it.
Even Polina, performing the surgery, marveled at the man's patience. Throughout the entire time she incised the surface of his eyeball with the tip of a sharp, thin blade and pierced inward with a pointed needle, Ezekiel never once complained of pain or thrashed about, let alone groaned. His patience as a soldier was so remarkable that it made one wonder if summoning five sturdy men had been unnecessary.
Thanks to that, the surgery proceeded smoothly. With efficient and precise hand movements, Polina removed the cataract through the incision. Even Rose, who knew nothing of this field, could tell that Polina's skill was no ordinary feat.
The eye that had been operated on was soon covered with a thickly folded bandage. Until the eyeball, picked apart by blades and needles, healed on its own, he would have to live with both eyes tightly wrapped in bandages.
Rose recalled Ezekiel's deep blue eyes. She was glad she had looked at them beforehand knowing this might happen, yet she also felt deep regret at not having looked at them more.
Because now, she would probably never... be able to look directly into those beautiful eyes again.
Because the eyes that had regained their light would no longer look upon her with kindness and gentleness.
If so.
Then....
"Uh, uh, uhhh!"
A sudden shout lashed against her ears.
Rose jerked her head up.
The tray table upon which were placed the surgical knives, needles, and lamp that had been laid out in advance was tilting directly toward the bed where Ezekiel lay. The assistant, holding the lamp to illuminate the surgical site, screamed "uh, uh" in surprise, but the distance was too great to stop it.
She did not know the cause, but she grasped the situation instantly. In a surgery where even the patient's slightest movement was unacceptable, if the tray table crashed into the bed, it would likely lead to an irreversible accident. Rose immediately let go of Ezekiel's hand and blocked the falling tray table with her own body.
The perilous tools atop the tray table struck Rose directly before tumbling to the floor. With a crash and sharp clatter, the lamp shattered and rolled about.
The surgery was halted briefly by the commotion. Still, by a stroke of luck, nothing had struck the operating table itself.
"Hey, you little..."
Only after seeing the faces of the mortified hired men did Rose roughly guess what had happened. One of the men, having too little to do because Ezekiel was enduring the pain too well, must have been unable to stand his restlessness and moved slightly. In doing so, he had carelessly bumped the tray table placed beside the bed.
"What happened, Rose? Where are you?"
"I'm right here."
Rose hurriedly returned to her place and placed her hand over Ezekiel's.
"It's nothing serious. The tray table was about to fall over, so I held it for a moment."
"You didn't hit it badly?"
"It was just loud. Everything spilled onto the floor."
Her voice was calm, no different than usual.
However, only those who had witnessed the situation firsthand turned pale. Fear showed on the faces of the employees, who knew all too well how much Ezekiel cherished Rose.
"Is she oka—"
"Doctor, it seems the surgery is almost over—is that correct?"
Rose smoothly cut off the employee before he could ask if she was alright. Polina hastily played along and answered.
"It is almost finished."
Those words were as good as a signal. Everyone fell silent.
It was customary to sharpen all surgical tools to a very keen and thin edge. Only then could one incise the affected area as desired without applying force.
A blade that, under ordinary circumstances, would have bounced off the elasticity of the skin had instead pierced deep into Rose's thigh because it happened to have been sharpened to extreme keenness. Moreover, with the weight of the tray table crashing into her, it embedded itself deeply inward.
A burning sensation like fire erupted in her thigh, but she could not stop the surgery here. Rose exchanged a glance with Polina.
Polina understood the meaning in Rose's eyes. She resumed the surgery.
The man was quite tough, but the woman was no pushover either. Though it had been rumored from the start that the man was no ordinary person, who would have thought that such a young and delicately beautiful woman would also defy expectations.
Polina shook her head.
"Let's take a look quickly. No matter how important the surgery is, how can you endure with the knife still stuck in you? Doesn't it hurt?"
Moreover, Rose had checked two or three times whether the surgery had ended successfully, and even helped with the aftermath.
"It was surprisingly bearable."
Unfortunately, the injured part was high on her thigh. Since the wound could not be examined until all the men had left, Polina detained Rose separately under the pretext of explaining post-operative precautions.
"There was no need to endure it so stubbornly. Dr. Briman was right there; emergency treatment could have been administered on the spot."
It was Rose who had refused. She had merely smiled to show she was fine to Dr. Briman and Polina, who were anxiously urging her to receive treatment. Since she was showing every sign of trying to hide it, they went along for the moment, but seeing her endure with a face pale from pain, the doctors could not feel at ease.
"The Lieutenant Colonel has a sensitive sense of smell. Eye surgery is an operation that barely bleeds, but if he started smelling blood from somewhere, he would surely find it strange."
"So you waited until now?"
When the knife plugging the wound was pulled out, blood finally gushed forth. By luck, it was in a place that did not endanger her life, but the entire blade had been embedded in her leg. Had the knife been even slightly longer, it would have gone straight through. Polina clicked her tongue after checking the depth of the stab wound.
"You were fortunate. The bone wasn't damaged. It's a good thing it lodged in your leg—you could have been stabbed in the stomach if things had gone slightly differently. Then it would have been a serious injury. And this scar will not disappear."
While Polina examined the wound, Rose deliberately turned her head to gaze out the window. She was not strong-hearted enough to stare at her own injury. However, at Polina's concern that a scar would remain, she smiled faintly.
"What is there to smile about? A scar will remain on such clean skin."
"Just because. I'm happy that at least one thing that will never fade away will remain."
It was a remark whose meaning was difficult to grasp. Coming from such a young girl, it sounded somehow not merely sad, but meaningful.
While pressing hard on the wound to stop the bleeding, Polina paused to look at Rose. Just then, the white afternoon light poured directly onto Rose's face.
It was only on this day that Polina properly saw the woman's face, which had always been hidden in Ezekiel's shadow.
Despite clearly possessing a young face, Polina realized why Rose's age had felt ambiguous until now. Her tone and demeanor were composed, but more than that, her complicated gaze gave the observer a bittersweet pang.
There were too many stories written on such a young person's face.
Her eyes, in particular, were truly peculiar.
Whether sensing Polina's gaze, Rose lowered her eyes. Even so, the afterimage remained vivid. Rose's eyes were a very mysterious and beautiful hazel, with complex and subtle layers of light and shadow settled deeply within them.