The residential clinic of Sky High Haven operated with the quiet efficiency of a place that had decided emergencies were an inconvenience best handled quickly and without drama.
Silas placed Salvar on the examination bed.
The doctor was precise and unhurried as she examined him.
She examined his nose first.
She pressed along the bridge with two fingers and Salvar's entire face filed an immediate formal complaint.
"Oops," she said, not unkindly.
A precise professional look settled on her face before she declared, "It's a clean break. No displacement. We will tape it."
Salvar looked at her with visible pain.
The taping was its own specific experience. She worked efficiently and without apology, and when she finished, Salvar's nose felt like it was being held together by sheer institutional determination.
Next she examined his temple.
She pressed along the bone and watched his pupils with a small light that apparently had strong opinions about whether he had a concussion.
