Something For the Pain
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Bree, Eimi
Date Posted: 23rd October 2006
Characters: M'galec, Abrei
Description: M'galec confirms Abrei's suspicions that her illness has been caused by a serious ulcer that could kill her if she doesn't resign her post as Weyrhealer and find a less stressful career.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 13, day 23 of Turn 3
Even with pain making the world tilt dangerously, Abrei managed to summon a glare when M'galec slipped through the curtain separating her from the rest of the infirmary. "I asked to see Jynrek."
"He is in with a patient," M'galec said simply as he closed the examination room door behind him. "Is it your knee?" She probably found the bluerider she was talking about and twisted it.
"My knee is fine," she snapped, but her voice lacked its usual bite.
"Would you like to guess another body part or should I tell you what's wrong?" Well, there seems nothing wrong with her tongue... "I would rather save them time. What seems to be the trouble?"
Abrei closed her eyes, one arm still wrapped protectively around her abdomen. "A month and a half of steadily increasing nausea accompanied by mild abdominal discomfort. I haven't been able to keep down much of anything in the last sevenday, and the pain has increased rapidly over the past three days." "And you are just _now_ coming in?" he asked with a frown. There were a few possibilities of what it could be, and not many of them good.
"Just do your exam now and complain at me later," she replied, bracing herself for the inevitable. "Just lie back and try to relax. Let me see if I cannot figure out what is causing this." Either way, they were going to have to have a serious talk about her taking better care of herself...
Abrei suffered through the careful examination as silently as she could, answering all of M'galec's questions with as few words as possible. Her faint hope that she'd been wrong about her diagnosis slowly died as he asked her all of the right questions to rule out everything but the one thing she didn't want to hear. When he fell silent, Abrei finally met his eyes. "You might as well say it."
"You have an ulcer. A major one," he said matter of factly. M'galec knew she was a good enough healer that she probably had guessed as much. "You are in a very dangerous situation, Abrei. Should it start to bleed, even I would not be able to save you. If you do not make a dramatic change in life style now, there is a very high possibility that you will die."
"And if I don't agree to step down from my position, they'll just force me to," she continued in a tired voice. "I would have to insist," M'galec nodded. "I wish I did not have to, Abrei. Truly. But the stress of the job could quite literally, and quite possibly, kill you."
Abrei covered her face with her hands, willing herself not to cry. Not in front of him. "And you wonder why I didn't want to come here."
"Living in denial does not change anything, Abrei. It just increases your chances of dying." He put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. Shrugging off his hand, Abrei swung her legs off of the cot and straightened her tunic. "You might as well tell Jynrek. He's the acting Weyrhealer, after all. He'll have to talk to Tsaera."
"Yes," the bronzerider nodded. "But this does not mean you will become useless."
Shoving her feet into her boots, Abrei glared at him. "If that's your idea of encouragement, perhaps you should keep your mouth shut. I'm going back to my weyr. You can send an apprentice with whatever mixture of tea you think is best."
Perhaps M'galec should bring it by personally. Just to be sure she was relaxing. "Just relax for now, Abrei. We will see what happens from there."
She managed to get her feet onto the ground, but the world slid sideways as she tried to stand up. Abrei ended up leaning heavily against the cot, one arm wrapped around her stomach and the other clutching at the sheet. "I want to go back to my weyr," she insisted stubbornly, fighting back tears that had nothing to do with pain. "Abrei?" The bronzerider rushed to her side and wrapped his arms around her to steady her. "Perhaps you should lay back down here for a bit."
Abrei didn't have a choice. She let M'galec ease her back onto the cot and closed her eyes. "I need something for the pain, M'galec. I want to sleep."
"All right, I will find something for you," he assured her as he pulled the blanket over her. The bronzerider ducked his head out of the door and murmured instructions to a passing journeyman. "They are bringing something," he said gently as he walked back to her bedside.
It wasn't as satisfying as returning to her weyr and waking up to find this had all been a terrible dream, but Abrei accepted the mug without bothering to ask M'galec what was in it. All she wanted to do was sleep, and pretend none of this had ever happened.
Last updated on the October 23rd 2006