The Doctor

One day a doctor came across a woman lying naked in the street. Kneeling down to cover her with his cloak, he recognized wounds which needed attention and decided to carry her to his clinic. And so, he took her into his arms, and began to walk.

Along the way the doctor heard many passersby make comments towards him. At first they were mere whispers, but, as he moved closer to the clinic, their voices grew in severity.

"You! Why are you carrying that woman?"

"Because she was lying naked in the road and was in need of help," said the doctor.

"I have seen her before, she is a prostitute. Why bother?"

"Because she is a prostitute she is undeserving of help and love? If it were your daughter you would think differently. Yet because she seems to have no relation to you, you place guilt without remorse. Shame on you," said the doctor.

"Can you believe a man would disgrace himself by carrying a naked woman through the streets?"

"Disgrace? The only disgrace is that we can walk by someone naked in the street and do so much as to only avert our eyes," said the doctor.

Clouds overhead began to come closer and cast long thready shadows on the crowd of onlookers. The doctor kept moving, listening to their complaints, and thinking what a shame it was that not one person was willing to help him. And then it happened.

The woman awoke with such a jolt that the doctor nearly dropped her. He looked down and began to say something, but, before he could utter a word, she began to scream.

"LET ME GO!"

"Lady, I am a doctor. I found you naked and wounded in the street and have been carrying you to my clinic."

Again, she yelled, "LET ME GO! Don't touch me. I don't want anyone to touch me."

"Lady, please, allow me to at least clean your wounds. You will owe nothing."

At first, it appeared as though she would calm, yet when she saw the crowd she pushed away from him and landed in the street. Looking up she yelled, "WHY WOULD YOU BRING ME HERE?"

"Because this is where my clinic is."

"But these are the people who hurt me. They're all around me." Turning to the crowd she cried, "You wretched liars. Each one of you. I have listened enough to your deceit. I will no longer be your whore. I was told I would be a wife, but look what you have made me. YOU MADE ME THIS! Look, long and hard. Do you remember the words you spoke? Do you remember how you drew me to your bed? Do you remember how you left me, only to return and leave me again? DO YOU?"

The entire crowd moved back and became silent. Yet the doctor remained.

"Lady, it is apparent that these people have hurt you, but you must be attended to."

"And what do you suppose you can do for me," asked the woman.

"I have already told you, I can make you well. But the wounds on your body are not the only ones you have suffered. There is a wound upon your heart which must be healed as well."

"And how will you heal my heart?"

"Lady, you are a beautiful woman. You are deserving of much more than this crowd and what they have done, but you must be willing to forgive them. That is where healing of the heart begins."

"You say this as if it were easy."

"I do not pretend that it is easy, but it is what must be done. They are wounded too. The pain they inflicted was only a result of them casting their wounds upon someone else."

"Who are you that you can speak so easily of these things?"

"I am a man who has learned of healing through his own wounds. I live here, as a doctor, because there are many who are sick. It is through this understanding that I can speak to you."

The woman looked down at her own nakedness and began to cry, "You speak of things as though words were the solution to every problem."

"Lady, come with me. I will give you a new dress, good food, and a warm bed. I will clean and work your wounds and ask nothing more of you. But, for the sake of your heart, you must be willing to forgive these people."

"HAVE YOU HEARD NOTHING! THEY DID THIS TO ME!"

"Yes, I have heard, and I see with my own eyes the suffering of people ashamed of their wounds. And I will say this, to recognize the wound is only the first step. If we only see the wound and do nothing to clean it and allow it to heal, it will only become worse. This is simple medicine."

A young man came out of the crowd with tears in his eyes, shaking, undoubtedly full of pain. He moved slowly towards the woman and spoke, "Lady, I have seen those who have hurt you, and because of that I stand a witness. I am a tailor, and I will make you a dress."

A woman approached and spoke, "I am a baker, come take what you need."

The crowd began to come forward and speak.

"I am a farmer."

"I am a rancher."

"I am a banker."

Then a young boy came forward. His unkempt hair shook in the wind as he walked toward her with unwavering grace. He approached the woman, placed his head upon her shoulder, and rested a cup in her hand.

"You look thirsty," said the boy.

The woman looked up to the doctor and saw a man standing with presence and promise. Her heart shook with emotion as she contemplated the words he had spoken to her. Then, turning her head slowly, she looked to the people.