It was with some sheepishness that Depths made the second call to Rubus. He'd stepped on a sharp stick while helping people in the avalanche, and despite the application of antibiotics, it had quickly become clear that something was wrong with the healing of the wound. He had started to run a low fever, and the puncture wound site was inflamed and sensitive.

There was a knock on the door, and Depths called for them to come in. Rubus stuck his head in, then shook his head at Depths in mild consternation. "Again?"

Depths snorted embarrassedly and shuffled his hands. "Again. There was an avalanche and I stepped on a stick pulling people out of the snow… I didn't think much of it, but, well," he motioned at his swollen foot in embarrassment.

Rubus shook his head, seeming more amused than actually angry. "You can't win," he commented blandly, then set about setting out his tools. He pulled on some gloves and began to unwrap Depths' bandages, examining the wound site.

"Have you had any muscle soreness or spasms in your neck or jaw?"

Depths considered, then shook his head. "No."

Rubus nodded. "Good, so this probably isn't tetanus then."

Depths tilted his head. "But I have my vaccines up to date-?"

Rubus flicked a few fingers. "Those work fine for minor scratches. This is a fairly deep puncture wound - that stick brought the bacteria deep into your foot, which is part of why the topical antibiotics didn't work. They couldn't reach that far in, and even your body has trouble in situations like this."

Depths nodded, absorbing the information.

"I'm going to give you another tetanus shot, just in case. Along with some oral antibiotics…" Rubus trailed off into muttering, and Depths sat still, letting him gather his thoughts. It was disconcerting to realize that even with the tetanus vaccine, he could've still got it - but he supposed it made sense, especially with getting stabbed with a branch that might've left splinters inside the wound.

He twitched, not liking that thought, and Rubus glanced up at him, searching.

"Not something you did," Depths motioned calmingly, "just freaking myself out."

Rubus snorted before going back to work. "Ah, just being a normal patient, I see."

That piqued Depths' curiosity. "Do patients often freak themself out?"

"Always. It's quite annoying. Sometimes they convince themselves they're dying before I even get to them - the flu is actually some virulent, fatal disease, a minor infection is actually signs of their body shutting down… the list goes on and on."

The two lapsed into silence after that, Depths lost to his thoughts and Rubus concentrating on his work. The infirmary his colony had built was still partly in-progress, but the walls had been dug into the mountainside, veined with the natural strata of the granite. The granite had been polished, shining in the lights above, and a vein of a crystalized bone glowed through one wall, providing more lighting. Though the examination rooms were private, on the inside of the mountain, the waiting rooms and other rooms were on the outside, with wide windows to showcase the view and to let in natural light. It was a pleasant space, Depths decided, even in it's undecorated and unfinished state.

"There." Rubus sat back from his work, looking satisfied.

Depths leaned down to look, examining the new bandage and the sharp smell of the poultice that Rubus had applied.

"I'm going to give you some antibiotics to take by mouth for the next week or so - keep taking them after you feel better, okay? You need to finish the entire schedule, or else the infection can come back even worse. You're feeling better because of the antibiotics, got it?"

Depths nodded in agreement, and took the bottle and instructions. He started skimming them while Rubus talked through the rest of his recovery, including a pointed stare and a comment about he should at least try not to get injured until this one was healed, at least. Depths blushed a bit but didn't argue. He thanked Rubus for his time and offered to walk him out, but Rubus just snorted.

"Do me a favor and rest."

Depths agreed and bade him farewell.