January 12th, 1893 — St. Mungo's
Eugene Scamander

Despite there being a great many patients in need of a pain relieving salve, her research had stalled as a result of the dragon attacks. There were too many patients to attend to, their needs stretching beyond what the various wards could handle independently. However, as the weeks stretched on the the patients were discharged with varying degrees of injuries, Rosalie found herself wanting to return to the work she'd been so focused on over the summer. She was on the cusp of something then, she was certain of it.

A salve that not only numbed but relieved the pain and tension of the affected area could potentially help those that might otherwise succumb to the addictive qualities of pain potions. The potions were euphoric, or so she was told, relieving not only their physical but emotional pain as well. But, if they had an alternative ... well, perhaps then they might employ other healers to help with injuries of the mind.

She'd heard of Mr. Scamander briefly through a colleague, and had inquired further only after confirming that his injury was the sort that might benefit from this type of relief. She'd made certain to relay to her colleague that the salve was nowhere near perfect yet, and that when used at present it either brought about terrible itchiness or a horrendous (but harmless) looking rash. And yet, Mr. Scamander was still heading into her office to be a test patient. Rosie wasn't entirely sure what to make of that.

"Hello, Mr. Scamander, I'm Healer Hunniford, we talked briefly through letters." She greeted as the man limped his way to the chair opposite her desk.

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stunning set by Lady <3

Almost six months later and the pain in his leg was still achy, bearable, but only just. He wondered if he would ever be able to walk normally again at this point. The cane was annoying, it made him feel old and at the ripe old age of thirty-one, he shouldn't feel as such. Theseus was going to be five in a month's time and these days Eugene could hardly keep up. It was unfair and aggravating and he was getting a little desperate for some kind of relief. At least his new position at the ministry involved more desk work. It was bad for his brain, but good for his aching body. He missed being in the field more than he was, but it gave him more regular hours to be home and that was what mattered.

As he made his way into the hospital, he looked at the outside of the building skeptically. It wasn't that he thought this was pointless, he just didn't want to be too optimistic. The scar that mangled his thigh down over his knee and around to his calf was a little gruesome to say the least. Sometimes, when he was deep into the anger, he wondered if it would have just been better if they amputated it, but he was unlikely to ever know, unless it somehow got worse.

Still, he'd been given Miss Hunniford's name and was told she was somewhat of an expert in this field of pain relief, so he was willing to give it a try. What could it hurt? "I appreciate you taking the time to see me," Eugene sighed as he took the chair gratefully, stretching his bad leg out slightly. "Your plan sounds promising." It was all a little bit above his pay grade, but as long as she thought it would work, he was willing to give it a shot.

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His wound had to be far more severe than she expected if sitting gave him such relief. The salve she was designing wasn't meant to be a miracle potion. It wouldn't right whatever damage had been done to his muscles, it would only take the edge off. Briefly, Rosie wished she had interrogated the referring colleague more thoroughly to ensure there hadn't been any false hopes given. She couldn't stand to disappoint one more person in her life.

"Certainly. I only hope it'll bring you some relief." She answered. "Could you tell me more about your injuries? Do you use the cane daily?"

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stunning set by Lady <3

"I'll try anything once, twice just to be sure." Eugene said as he stretched his leg out again, turning his foot both ways to get the muscles to loosen up. He hadn't quite been the same person since September, but flashes of his previous sense of humor were coming back, so that had to be a good sign, right?

At her question about the depth if his injuries, Eugene sighed. "I got caught by one of the dragons, clawed from here," he started at the outside of his left thigh and ran one finger down along the scar across his knee and back around to his calf. "To here, it was pretty deep." The muscles had suffered such severe trauma that they couldn't quite fix well enough to work properly anymore. "I use the cane daily, mostly for longer distances, but that's most things at the ministry these days." Stairs were the worst. He was hoping with time it would get easier but it hadn't happened yet.

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Rosie listened to his explanation with rapt attention, flinching only inwardly at his gruesome injuries. She had long since grown accustomed to masking her reactions to her patient's injuries, which had served her well in recent months. Still, his leg had to be nearly ripped off entirely from what he was describing. That he was mobile at all was proof of his willingness to try anything and his resilience.

Merlin, she hoped he didn't have the rash reaction.

"I'm sorry you went through that." Rosie offered quietly. "Might I ask about your scars? Have they healed well?"

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stunning set by Lady <3

"Well enough, I suppose." That had been a process in and of itself. Eugene was no stranger to injuries or scars, but these were by far the worst he'd had to deal with. "It was deep, especially across my calf." The worst of it really, as if the dragon really was trying to tear his limb from the rest of him. "My muscles are pretty ruined, which is where most of the pain comes from." And what irked him the most. It was a wild sort of injury, like someone had tried to cut him like a piece of meat and now he had to deal with the lifelong repercussions of that. All he could do was shrug really. At this point he'd started to come to terms with it, even if it was frustrating at best and infuriating at worst.

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Rosalie frowned. The healers working on him had to know what sort of leg they would be leaving him with — why hadn't they chosen amputation? It was such an intense injury with such life-long complications. How many hours had they worked on him just for him to end up with a lifetime of pain and discomfort? How many others might they have saved?

(Rosalie was still not quite over the emotional impacts of the dragon attacks.)

"Your calf would be the optimal place to begin then. I have a small sample here-" she slid a small jar towards him across the desk. "- there are some side effects involved still, so you might want to test it somewhere inconspicuous first. I'd suggest the inside of your wrist." The rash would at least be manageable there — she'd hate for him to be itching in a place he couldn't scratch in public. "I'd like to examine you as well, though that doesn't have to be today if you're uncertain yet."

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stunning set by Lady <3

At least his calf was the lest embarrassing place to start. Eugene eyed the little jar she slid toward him, reading forward to take it in hand, he held it skeptically, but hoped it would provide some sort of relief. The last six months had turned him uncharacteristically sour and pessimistic, he had to figure out how to turn it around before it consumed him. Theseus deserved better, at the very least.

"Ah, if you'd like." If she needed to see it, he could at least show her the lower half. It was the worst of it anyway. It reached high on his thigh, which he didn't think Miss Hunniford needed to see, not today at least. Maybe if the salve was of some relief, eventually.

Eugene reached down to do his best to roll up the bottom half of his pant leg, most of them having been tailored to be a little looser so as not to aggravate the scar itself. It was ridiculous, just how much of his life had been altered by this. The angry dark red scar curved up from his ankle to his knee, around the meat of his calf. "Like I said, gruesome." Healers had probably seen worse, worked on worse, but even now, months later, it was still hard for him to look at.

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Rosalie hadn't meant here when she mentioned an examination. There were appropriate places — usually involving curtains, a bed and a nurse to protect both of their dignities. She nearly suggested as much, but he was already rolling up his pant leg and she was too embarrassed to speak. Instead, Rosalie stood from her chair and moved closer to him to better examine his damaged calf.

He was right — the wound was especially gruesome. That he had kept his leg had baffled her minutes ago and continued to confuse her the longer she stared at the angry red scars. "What have you been doing for scar management?" She asked from her now crouched position, though she made no move to touch it. "It'll take awhile for the scars to feel less sensitive but you want to keep them as mobile as possible."

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stunning set by Lady <3

After Miss Hunniford got her good look, Eugene rolled his pant leg back down. He couldn't look at them too long without growing frustrated. "Movement. I do still work, though it's not as easy as it used to be." The promotion meant more desk work, which was and wasn't a blessing. I kept him seated a little bit more and kept his mind busy, but Eugene wasn't foolish enough to know that he would have preferred to stay in the field.

"Whatever solution they gave me after they let me out." He couldn't remember anymore, just that he applied it morning and night and thankfully it kept the skin from getting too tight or itchy. The skin wasn't really the problem anyway. It was mangled, certainly, but the muscle underneath was ruined. Sometimes, when the pain was near unbearable and his thoughts turned dark, he did wonder what had propelled the healing team at the time to even save the leg, but he wasn't giving up on keeping it just yet.

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The solution given to him wouldn't do anything for the ruined muscles beneath his skin, but Rosalie was nevertheless relieved to hear that wasn't part of the issue for him. There were some returning patients who refused to follow their discharge instructions and then complained that their injuries were healing improperly. She stood and returned to her chair, pausing only to write her observations quickly in the column of his file, and looked back up towards him.

"The salve isn't a cure all, unfortunately." Rosalie gently informed him. "If it works, it'll numb some of the pain enough for you to function better. I'm sorry that I'm not able to do more."

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stunning set by Lady <3

Any relief, even temporary, would be enough for him, he supposed. If he could get through the day, he could suffer after Theseus was in bed. "As long as I can somewhat keep up with my almost-five-year-old." Eugene shrugged, smiling slightly. Eugene had been active in his son's life since the very beginning and not being able to play outside or go riding or for walks like they used to was hard for both of them. Theseus was too young to really understand how bad the injuries were and frankly Eugene didn't want to burden him with the knowledge either. It was hard to tell your child much beyond, "Daddy isn't as fast as he used to be, that's all."

"So I should try some on my wrist first and see how it goes? Any other instructions? Anything I should look out for?" He'd been good about caring for the wound so far, it wasn't likely to stop now. Anything to help ease the impacts.

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Rosalie's brows rose in surprise. She didn't realize Mr. Scamander was married, never mind the father of a five year old son. "Time will be your best bet there, I'm afraid." Rosalie admitted. His injuries would heal further over time or, more likely, he'd learn to tolerate the pain. Either way, he most certainly would never be able to freely chase after the small boy again.

"The largest concern is a blistering rash, which is why we suggest trialing it somewhere else to start with. You'll know within minutes if you have it." She explained. They were still tweaking the recipe towards something with lesser side effects. "I'd like to follow up with you in a few weeks to see if there's been any improvement. Then we can alter the recipe some to see if that helps further."

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stunning set by Lady <3

Yes time, that was what everyone said. Really Eugene knew he would just have to get used to it. This new discomfort would be his normal and he would, in time, just be able to suffer it in silence. The expectations seemed rather easy enough, try it, see what happened and then that would be that. Hopefully it would go well. It couldn't get any worse, he didn't think.

"A few weeks it is then, I will owl if anything else happens or with questions?" If this was indeed experimental, he was certain Miss Hunniford would want data to keep track of. Eugene was fairly good at that, so he would make notes, pay attention and report back. Shifting in his seat to find any semblance of comfort, Eugene waited to see if the healer had anything else to add before he departed.

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"That would be great." Rosalie acknowledged with a nod. Owls were always welcomed, something she sought to ensure her patients understood. "Thank you again for coming in. I hope you'll find some relief with this."

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stunning set by Lady <3