Informed Differently

Writers: Heather, Miriah
Date Posted: 29th March 2019

Characters: D'hol, Jeyme, Dheymin
Description: D'hol and Jeyme are both frustrated over what could have been the cause of their misunderstandings.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 10, day 22 of Turn 9

D'hol

Jeyme

******

Trying to get as much time with Dheymin as he could required some
charming of his current foster mother, but he was successful in
wrangling the afternoon with his son after drills. Under a tree in
near the lake, and sitting with the boy on his lap, D'hol once again
told him his favorite story, the story of how he had Impressed Yumath
and then their first flight together as a pair. Dheymin's fascination
with the tales never ceased to bring both warmth and regret filling
his chest. Perhaps the lad would grow to Impress a fine bronze like
Yumath; he could wish that for his son.

When he'd finished and Dheymin hugged him, he wrapped his arms around
the child, reading his cheek against the dark hair. He gave an
unsteady breath, then patted the boy's back. "You're a good lad,
Dheymin. You know that?"

Dheymin beamed up at his father. "I love you," he looped his small
arms around D'hol's neck.

Jeyme hung back, hesitant to interrupt the moment between father and
son. When she had gone by to pick Dheymin up the foster mother had let
her know that D'hol had picked up him to spend some time with him.

D'hol's throat worked as he looked down at the child and his voice was
soft as he responded. "Love you too, little man." He stroked Dheymin's
hair with a large hand. "Very much. " He took a breath. "Yumath is
waiting for you. I think he needs a bath."

Dheymin's eyes lit as he pulled away from his father and ran full
speed at the bronze. "'Umath!" he squealed, launching himself onto the
bronze.

Jeyme approached now that Dheymin had given them some space. "There's
nothing like hearing him say I love you, is there?" It had caught her
off guard the first time Dheymin had said it back to her one evening
before bed.

He chuckled as Yumath gazed at him with a hint of annoyance. He _had_
been napping. The collision of a small body against his side caused a
tolerant sigh as the big bronze allowed the small child to climb on
his back leg.

It was Jeyme's voice that startled him from the contemplation of the
pair. He turned his head quickly, rising and brushing off his thighs.
"Jeyme." He had expected more time but, he supposed there was only had
so much that he could have. D'hol looked over at their son and nodded.
"No, there isn't."

"Don't let me interrupt," she said, waving for him to sit back down if
he wished. "I wasn't sure how long you'd had him and if he'd totally
worn you out yet. He's quite good at that."

His brows quirked upwards. "How long I have him has always been up to
you...or his foster mother." He checked the position of the sun
quickly. "Its been about a candlemark, I think." He kept his gaze on
the lad, eyes ever watchful. "Telling him stories keeps a lid on his
energy, at least for a while. He'd rather play on Yumath for as long
as Yumath will let him. "

"His foster mother?" Jeyme asked, quirking her head to the side to
look at him better. "What does she have to do with it?"

He turned his head to look at her, then one brow slowly raised. "Well,
not this one as much as the last one. I suppose you've relaxed a bit
since you've gotten here. "

Her brows furrowed as she puzzled over his remark. "What do you mean?"

"I mean your instructions to his foster mother at Far Island." He held
up a hand and ticked off on his fingers. "Never out of her sight,
never alone with him, never unscheduled visits and only for one
candlemark a week, but usually it was less than that because he'd have
sudden feedings, had to change him, or she had plans. I was not to go
in the air with him on Yumath and if I brought Kielya, I wasn't
allowed to take him out of her quarters at all, because she couldn't
keep an eye on me and her outside." His smile carried no humor. "Then
after the first turn, I was constantly informed how happy you were
without me, how I was a poor father, and that your weyrmate made you
happier than I ever had." He turned his gaze back to their son with a
roll of his shoulders. "I understand that you were angry and hurt. I'm
just glad that you don't feel the need here, so thank you. "

Jeyme stared at D'hol dumbfounded, although her temper was beginning
to blaze on the inside, not with D'hol, but with the foster mother.
"Wait... She actually said those things to you.. and you believed her?
I had no idea all of that was going on. Why didn't you just stop by my
weyr and ask me about it? I've never withheld Dheymin from you, and
I've always wanted you to have as much time with him as you can.
That's the way things have been since we've been at Dolphin Cove, and
that's the way they were supposed to be when we lived at Far Island."

He stared at her, not quite certain that he really believed it what
she was saying. Three turns of belief were hard to change. "Yes. I
did. You left angry and hurt. What was I supposed to think? And I was
not going to risk the time I did have with him by complaining about
it." He turned his head back to Dheymin, watching him as he slid down
Yumath's tail. "I figured you wanted me to hurt like I'd hurt you and
she was following your directions." It was a large part of his
remaining anger and bitterness towards her and though he had tried to
push it aside, it was still difficult.

"I was hurt, yes, and mad, yes, but I still loved you, I wouldn't have
done something so deliberately vicious." She really thought he had
known her better than that. "You never came by, and when I would ask
the foster mother if you had visited she would say 'yes' and nothing
else. I just assumed that everything was going well." And she'd
assumed that he was moving on just fine without her, since he'd never
reached out to her.

He turned his head to study her face again. "Then if that's true, then
perhaps she felt she was helping you by getting to me." She had
succeeded admirably. Nearly every visit ended with him in his weyr,
drowning himself in as much drink as he could physically take in. He
had developed a resentment and hatred for Jeyme until she had returned
with their son, and it had only been with more contact that it had
eased enough for him to really direct the blame to where it should
have gone. "I get to see him now. That's the important thing."

"No, that's not the fecking important thing," Jeyme said in a low
growl where Dheymin wouldn't over hear. Mommy never cursed. "All that
time wasted. I knew I should have just reached out to you myself but I
figured you were just angry and didn't want to talk."

"You came back wanting us to just get along and talk like the whole
three turns was just you venting." He kept his eyes on Dheymin but
there was tension along his neck and jaw. "Honestly, I don't know if I
could have talked to you after the first few months. I _was_ angry
when you left, but it got worse.Then, when she told me how happy you
were without me and had moved on to someone much better..." He
shrugged. "I just wanted to see my son when I could, Jeyme. "

"I just don't know why she took it upon herself to do that. And 'happy
without you'? I moped the entire first Turn I was there. I wouldn't
have met A'dan at all had we not been wingmates, and then Ayeme
happened as result of a Quinneth's flight." Dheymin's foster mother at
Far Island had been the real protective sort, Jeyme supposed she might
have felt "protective" over Jeyme, a young greenrider who was showing
up at Far Island with a broken heart and a baby. Jeyme wanted to
throttle her now. "I'm sorry, I hope you know that. I honest to
Faranth had no idea that was going on."

"I was informed differently." His voice held little anger in it, just
a type of flat acceptance about the situation, as though it no longer
mattered. "It kept me from asking you to come home after the first
month. But, all things considered, perhaps it was for the best. You
have a lovely daughter now and had a weyrmate that gave you what you
needed." He watched as Dheymin hugged Yumaths foreclaw and a brief
smile came. "And Dheymin seems no worse for it."

The information tore at her heart. "I would have come home, if you'd
asked." She had wondered about it often, that D'hol had never came
after her, she had always just chalked it up to him not loving her
enough. Jeyme released a little sigh. "I suppose it does no good to
dwell on it now." He was right, if he'd asked, she would have gone
home with him in an instant, and then she would never have had Ayeme,
or known A'dan, and she couldn't imagine never having known the gentle
brownrider.

"No, doesn't." He agreed softly, still watching Dheymin. "You'd better
gather him up. It's getting late."

She reached up and gave his shoulder a squeeze as she walked past him
and gathered Dheymin up, who insisted on giving Yumath a parting kiss
on the snout. Jeyme walked him back over to D'hol. "Give Daddy a hug
and tell him good-bye."

Dheymin leaned out of his mother's arms and hugged D'hol around the
neck again. "Bye Daddy."

D'hol gave Dheymin a kiss on the brow, then stepped away. "Goodbye,
son. Goodnight, Jeyme."

"Goodnight, D'hol." Jeyme said, leaving with Dheymin in her arms, sad
for what could have been.

Last updated on the April 4th 2019

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Informed Differently