The Young Are Resillient

Writers: Eimi, Yvonne
Date Posted: 5th July 2008

Characters: Tsaera, M'galec
Description: M'galec's surgical skills aren't limited to Threadscore
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 10, day 19 of Turn 4

M'galec spoke with the dolphineer in hushed tones while the mother gently rocked her small child, naked from the waste up with a small circle drawn on his stomach with a black oil pencil. The Weyrwoman stood beside the worried mother, offering her encouragement as the two crafters talked. Finally they turned and walked towards the anxious family. "Well," the bronzerider said when they reached the group, "Master Gidimor was able to locate the piece of metal, and it seems that your son is incredibly lucky. So far the dolphins could not detect any pockets of gas or fluid that would indicate that it has perforated his stomach or intestine, but after speaking with them, Master Gidimor is also fairly certain that if it is left to pass on it's own, it is likely to do some sort of damage. I am afraid we will have to remove the object through surgery."

"Surgery?!" The young mother's eyes grew wide and she clutched her boy a little tighter. "You're sure?"

Tsaera laid a gentle hand on her arm. "Gidon will be just fine, Talegga.
M'galec is a fine surgeon with a very steady hand, and he'll take very good care of him."

"But..." Talegga took a step away from the pair of them. "Will he- he _will_ be okay, right? He's so small..." Gidon put his arms around his mother's neck and buried his face in her hair as he picked up on her distress. "He'll be all right?"

"There are of course always risks," M'galec admitted, "but those risks will only increase if we do not act now. He is small, but children are amazingly resilient. He will heal up good as new in no time, I assure you."

Talegga sniffed, then pressed her eyes with her free hand. A moment later she smiled at her son. "You hear that, you silly caprine? You'll be good as new."

"My tummy hurts," Gidon mumbled into her shoulder. "I know, baby." She looked over Gidon's shoulder at the surgeon.
"When... when do you want him?"

"I don't wanna go!" Gidon protested, but his mother shushed him.

"Now, while we know where it is." The last thing M'galec wanted to do was go hunting for it.

Talegga looked to Tsaera, who nodded. "He's in good hands," the Weyrwoman said quietly. The young mother nodded and made as if to hand her child to M'galec, but Tsaera discreetly intervened and sat the child on her hip. The child was frightened enough already. "Why don't you and I go out into the waiting room, and when M'galec is ready he'll send for Gidon."

"Shouldn't I be there too?" Talegga asked, but Tsaera shook her head.
"We'd only be in the way, but I can stay in the Infirmary with you, if you'd like, until the operation is done. That way, you are needed, M'galec only has to ask Dwarkanath to tell Tabanirth, and you'll be on your way."

The bronzerider nodded his agreement. He gestured that they had best be on their way. "We will be ready to begin within the candlemark."

~*~

M'galec sighed heavily as he paused, his hand on the knob of the door. One last check to be sure he had cleaned up thoroughly. The last thing he wanted to was to walk through the door covered in the boy's blood and worry her even more he was sure she had been. Satisfied he turned the handle. "The surgery was a success," he said with a small smile towards the worried mother. The bronzerider held up a small glass vile with a sharp piece of metal inside. "A memento of this ordeal." He pressed it gently into the mother's hands. "No irreparable damage had been done. It went smoothly and your son is resting. You may see him now."

Talegga let go of a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. She looked up at the bronzerider with eyes wet with tears and choked out a thank you before rushing out of the room in the direction that M'galec had come from. The Weyrwoman watched her go, her expression unreadable.
"Congratulations on another job well done, M'galec."

"Thank you ma'am," he said, bowing politely. "He was a lucky boy."

"He _is_ a lucky boy," she corrected gently, then stood. "You're a fine surgeon, and Gidon was lucky that his mother noticed what he'd done before the damage was any worse. And the young are resillient."

"Yes, he will recover fully in time. They will have to watch him carefully for a while of course. He will have to have a little rehabilitation since we had to cut through abdominal muscle. It will not be easy, but luckily children that young's memory of such experiences often fade over time."

"I've forgotten - do you have children of your own?"

"No. I have not had that pleasure yet." At least, not that he was aware of. He had hoped with Lenala... But now he was glad she had not become pregnant during their brief time as weyrmates.

The Weyrwoman smiled and stuck her hands into her pockets. "There is nothing worse, as a parent, than seeing your child hurt and being unable to help them. You did something extraordinary for Talegga today."

He shrugged, showing a moment of almost uncharacteristic humility. "It is only my duty, ma'am. It is why I became a healer in the first place." Tsaera smiled again. "I'm sure that you have other patients to attend to, so I shan't keep you. Good day, M'galec."

The bronzerider bowed politely. "Good day to you, lady."

Last updated on the July 9th 2008

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The Young Are Resillient