Prologue
In medicine there are two kinds of wounds. Clean and dirty. Clean wounds usually result from a sharp, clean instrument. It has clear edges, receives care immediately and closes easily. It heals well leaving a thin, barely noticeable scar.
Then there are dirty wounds. They are usually more destructive, often caused by the tearing or crushing or breakdown of tissue. They lay open for the world to see for a long period of time, becoming an ugly wound that festers. It takes a long time to heal and in the process, there are often complications. In the end, the scar is usually ugly, a constant reminder of the original wound. On rare occasions, the wound never quite heals completely.
Those are the physical wounds of life. Then there are the emotional ones. As Kate McCullough knows all too well, most emotional wounds are dirty wounds.
