Once again, the challenge slid off of him easily. He was used to defiance and mistrust, and truthfully, it was those patients he usually found most interesting.

When he had finished washing his hands, he returned and knelt down on one knee in front of the young foreigner. "Most likely, no. Not if we treat it." The kid might die if certain germs had gotten in, but he decided not to mention that. He brought his fingers to the skin around the wound, touching gently at first, then pressing a little to feel for any abnormalities. "I'm sorry," he apologized in advance. Then he carefully pulled the skin on either side of the first cut, to see if there was any dead tissue.