Don't Expect Too Much

Writers: Cali, Eimi, Roxanne
Date Posted: 31st July 2007

Characters: U'kaiah, D'wrayt, Arilanna, Shedia
Description: Shedia tells U'kaiah and D'wrayt about Arilanna's grave condition.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 2 of Turn 4
Notes: This is WAY late, and I'm sorry about that. I figure it had better come out late and way out of sequence then not at all for anyone following Arilanna's story (which btw, if you need a refresher for the first part of this story read here:
http://www.triadweyrs.org/story.php?st_id=2683 ).

Shedia opened the door to the waiting room and noticed Arilanna's blood was splattered on her skirt. She didn't look pretty, but she knew the two men on the other side would want to know her condition as soon as possible. The labor had started so normally too, then everything had just gone wrong. Arilanna had needed to start pushing, and U'kaiah had called for D'wrayt. The Weyrleader had come almost immediately, but it was then they realized she was having complications. The other healers had rushed the men out and she had spent the last hour trying to save Arilanna's life.

"Thank you for waiting." She said calmly as she tried to think of where to start. "D'wrayt, your son is alive and healthy."

U'kaiah glanced over at the Weyrleader before his eyes found a spot on the floor to focus on. Though it was good news, he understood the implication. He knew something had gone wrong, and by the lack of any mention of the mother, the bronzerider could figure out what was coming next - Arilanna was in serious trouble, if she was alive at all.

D'wrayt was overjoyed that he had a son, but he was more concerned about Arilanna. "How is Arilanna?" he asked anxiously.

"She is unconscious, at the moment." Shedia said, her voice tinged with concern. "I honestly don't know if she'll wake up or not. She lost an awful lot of blood."

"I see. There's nothing I can do, but hope for the best. Can I see my son?" he asked relieved that she was still living, but also concerned that she may not survive. He had been through this twice before and knew that there was nothing he could do except be there for her and hope that she came back to him.

The healer was unimpressed by his apparent lack of concern for Arilanna, but maybe she had been nothing but a distraction for the man.
"He's being monitored since he was from a distressed birth, but of course you can stay with him."

U'kaiah couldn't even imagine the worry that D'wrayt must be feeling.
He knew the Weyrleader. He knew what loss he had faced in his life.
For it to happen again, and so soon after Jaela... "Sir, if there is anything I can do..."

D'wrayt wasn't certain how to proceed. All he really wanted to do at the moment was to sit by Arilanna's side with their son in his arms.
They hadn't settled on a name yet, but that was the least of the Weyrleader's concerns at the moment. His mind was warring between his duty as Weyrleader and his devotion to his family, but his family had to come first right now.

}:Stay with them. They need you now.:{ Treadoryth informed his rider as he sought to comfort his confused and hurting rider.

"You can keep me company while we check on Arilanna and the baby."
D'wrayt replied glad for the bronzerider's support. He knew that the young bronzerider would do anything for him and had been the with Ari when she went into labor.

"Of course," U'kaiah nodded. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but think of Jaela. Both he and D'wrayt had been strongly attached to her, perhaps even loved her in some way. He had never felt anything but friendship for Arilanna, but it did bring back memories of a time not so very long ago.

"Arilanna is down the hall." she explained, "You both can stay with her as long as you like, but don't expect too much."

"All right." D'wrayt replied not sure if he was more scared or worried considering what had happened the last two times that the women he loved had been in the infirmary. He motioned for the bronzerider to follow him and headed to the room that Shedia had indicated.

There was a journeyman in the room when he entered. He nodded in greeting and came to stand at the edge of her bed. She looked so lifeless just like Jaela had not so very long ago. "U'kaiah, why does this keep happening? Eknaryi, Jaela....it's going to be different this time, isn't it." D'wrayt said as he gazed at the healer lying on the bed fighting for her life. "Of course it will," U'kaiah said with much more confidence than he actually felt. "We've seen rider come back from worse than this. She'll come back too..."

Last updated on the July 31st 2007

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Don't Expect Too Much