The Troika Dolls - Miranda Darling [126]
‘A very strange and rare case to see in the Engadine,’ continued the voice. ‘We don’t get many poisonings around here—especially not from the Oxyuranus scutellatus, or taipan. You were not bitten but rather ingested the poison, mixed into your coffee pot. I therefore have concluded that your unfortunate poisoning was the result of a deliberate act.’
Stevie squinted her eyes and managed to focus her gaze. She saw a neatly clipped white beard, rimless glasses, a broad chest in a waistcoat. She let her eyes close for a moment’s rest. ‘Quite, Herr Doktor.’
‘We were unable to move you to the hospital,’ the doctor explained. ‘Had you been bitten by a real taipan, the situation would be worse: the taipan is extremely aggressive and attacks with no warning, biting numerous times with its unusually long fangs. The venom contains a clotting agent that can be fatal to humans in minutes.’
He approached the bed with his stethoscope and listened to her breathing. Then his cold, papery hands took her pulse.
‘The key is immobility, heavy bandaging and an antidote administered as quickly as possible. For this, your hotel bed was quite suitable for treatment.’ He placed Stevie’s wrist carefully back on the bedcovers. ‘Any physical effort causes the heart to beat faster and pump poisoned blood from the site of the wound—in your case, the stomach—to the rest of the body at a faster rate.’ The doctor cleared his throat and tapped his pipe on the end of the bed. ‘This only speeds up its noxious effects.’
‘You seem to know a lot about snake bites, Herr Doktor.’ Stevie’s voice was as weak as rain.
‘I spent many years in the Australian bush and made many expeditions along the North Eastern Cape. I came to know the serpent and his ways quite well.’
He was now stuffing the pipe with tobacco. ‘I keep a modest collection— I call it my velenarium—of serpent venom from around the world, and many antiserums.’
‘Lucky for me.’
‘Indeed, yes.’ The doctor nodded neatly. ‘In your case, bandaging was not possible. Immobility was achieved by the fact that you lost consciousness and the resulting decline in heart rate that accompanies the poisoning worked much in your favour. I set up an intravenous fluid transfusion—’
Stevie saw the giant cannula inserted into the vein in her hand for the first time.
‘—and gave you a shot of antiserum. Your lung function will have to be closely monitored as death in these cases is usually due to respiratory failure. I have administered some steroids to help the heart and lungs, and an anti-clotting agent. You will be as right as the rain, as they say, in ten days or so.’
‘Poor Stevie, the pin cushion.’ Henning was stroking her forehead lightly and Stevie felt she could almost go into some kind of delightful trance.
Then her befuddled brain kicked in and she struggled to sit up. Henning slid her effortlessly into place, plumping two pillows to make her comfortable.
‘Ten days?’ she croaked.
‘At best,’ the doctor replied gravely.
‘I haven’t got ten days.’
‘You are fortunate you have a pulse, Fräulein Duveen. In a fortnight you should feel strong again, although there maybe some ongoing effects.’
‘Such as?’ Henning asked before Stevie could.
‘Well,’ the doctor gestured with his free hand, ‘drooping eyelids, for example. Or a slow swelling of the extremities, possibly extra sensitivity in the fingers. In one case I know of, the survivor developed night vision after being bitten. It varies from patient to patient.’
‘Wonderful—I’m turning into Spiderman.’
The doctor looked at her sternly. ‘A snake, Fräuelein, is not a spider.’
Sense of humour had never been the greatest attribute of the Swiss professional.
‘Quite,’ she agreed.
‘Bed rest for a week, stay warm and whatever you do, do not agitate the heart. Do. Not.’ Doctor Meinetzhagen actually waggled his index finger. ‘Perhaps you might have a small glass of schnapps this evening, to help stop any clotting. I will come back tomorrow and see you again.’
He lifted his flat