The Razor's Edge

Writers: Heather
Date Posted: 7th September 2019

Characters: T'kev, R'axe
Description: R'axe has an accident that requires T'kev's full attention.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 12, day 4 of Turn 9

T'kev

R'axe

********

}:Jayth's is waiting on you.:{ Jeminath reminded T'kev.

T'kev was frozen in the middle of his bedroom, staring at the rug
beneath his bed where he knew his last bottle of liquor was stored. He
hadn't touched it yet, nor had he shown up to work in the infirmary
drunk, but the temptation was there and it was strong.

}:Jayth says his rider really needs you.:{ Jeminath urged.

**I'm going, I'm going.** T'kev sighed as he left his weyr at a quick
clip and hurried down to the other bluerider's ground level weyr.

"R'axe?" he called out as he strode through Jayth's weyrcouch.

"In here," a dejected voice called.

T'kev stepped into the man's bedroom and froze in shock for a moment.
Blood, there was so much blood. All over R'axe's neck, soaking into
the front of his shirt, and even some on the bed. His eyes zeroed in
on the straight razor that R'axe held in his right hand.

"What are you doing?" T'kev asked, striding over.

"Not killing myself, if that's what it looks like," R'axe said with a
sigh. "I was trying to shave myself but I nicked myself somewhere." He
held up his left hand which was covered in blood. "I can't figure out
where the cut is but, don't worry, I can tell its bleeding."

T'kev exhaled a pent up breath. It truly had looked, at first, as if
R'axe had been trying to... Well.... T'kev shook his head.

"Relax," R'axe said, hearing the huff of air from T'kev. "I wouldn't
kill myself and do that to Jayth. I just wanted to do something for
myself. I've shaved ever since I was fifteen, I thought that it was at
least something I could do without my eyes. I guess not."

"Why didn't you call me sooner?" T'kev asked as he looked around for a
towel to start wiping up the blood so he could find the cut.

"Jayth told Jeminath as soon as I realized I'd cut myself. You took
your sweet time getting here." R'axe said pointedly.

T'kev thought back to the way he'd been standing in his weyr talking
himself out of having a drink and felt guilty, since his patient had
been bleeding in his weyr waiting for him.

"I'll get here faster next time," he promised.

"Next time?" R'axe huffed. "Next time I might just finish the job."

"Raxe," T'kev said in a warning tone.

The bluerider would have rolled his eyes, if he had them. "I'm just
giving you a hard time."

T'kev finally found the cut underneath R'axe's jawline. It wasn't a
large cut but it was deep enough to have caused all the bleeding. "The
next time you want to shave just call me so I can at least supervise
while you do it."

"Yes, mother," R'axe muttered as T'kev went back and forth to the
basin, washing R'axe's neck and then applying a strip of bandage to
the cut so that it would clot and quit bleeding.

"You're a riot, aren't you?" T'kev said as he went to the bluerider's
wardrobe for a clean shirt and pair of pants.

R'axe's lips pressed into a thin line. "I used to be."

"You still can be. You lost your eyes, not your personality." The
healer returned to the bed. "Okay, I've got a new shirt and some pants
for you, the ones you have on are probably ruined." T'kev took the
straight razor. "And I'll just take that and give you some privacy
while you change."

"You're not going to help?" R'axe asked.

"Nope," T'kev said as he started toward the door. "You know how to put
on clothes."

"I thought I knew how to shave, too," R'axe grumped, even as he began
to unbutton the sticky front of his shirt.

When T'kev came back to the bedroom R'axe was in his clean clothes but
the shirt was inside out; he didn't have the heart to tell him. "Okay,
let's change your bedding now."

R'axe, who was standing, took a cautionary step backwards, his hands
splayed uncertainly.

"Where are you going?" T'kev asked.

"To get out of your way?" R'axe said, puzzled.

"Oh, no you don't. You're going to help me. It's your bed."

"But... I can't see."

"You've got hands, don't you?"

T'kev could see the sullen expression on R'axe's face from the set of his mouth.

"Fine." R'axe ground out.

"Good." T'kev ripped the soiled bedding off of the bed and tossed it
aside to be picked up later. "Here, I'm going to give you a corner of
the sheet, I'm going to take the other corner and we'll start at the
top of the bed."

R'axe took the piece of cloth that was shoved into his hand and then
took a tiny step forward, one hand reaching out to feel around for the
bed. He had to feel the corner sheet several times to get it aligned
properly as he stuffed it over the corner of the mattress, his tongue
poking between his lips in concentration.

T'kev watched his progress before putting on his corner of the sheet.
"Good, now just the bottoms."

Without needing to be forced this time, R'axe followed the long side
of the sheet down to the corner and pulled it over the end of the
mattress. There was a slightly satisfied smile on his face as he
straightened. "There. I did it."

"See? It's not that you can't do things, you just have to relearn
them, but if it's something like shaving, wait to relearn those kind
of skills when one of us is here to supervise."

R'axe sighed. "All right, well.... I'm hungry."

"Okay, do you want to go to the Dining Cavern?" T'kev asked.

"No," R'axe said quickly, face paling. "I'm not ready to be around
others yet, to have small talk and try to act like everything is
normal."

T'kev knew what that felt like, that was how he had ended up in a
bottle for over a Turn. "Okay, I'll go get a tray then and bring it
back here and we can work on eating, yeah?"

**Practice eating, ugh.** R'axe couldn't believe this was what his
life had come to.

}:You helped me eat when I was a dragonet didn't you?:{ Jayth interjected.

**Yes, but you were a baby. I'm a grown man.**

}:Sometimes we need help. There is no shame in that. I am just glad
you are here to complain.:{

That humbled him. **I know, buddy, me too.**

"Okay," R'axe said to T'kev.

"Good," there was a touch of relief in T'kev's voice, afraid he would
have to convince R'axe into that too. "Why don't you wait for me on
the couch?"

R'axe exhaled loudly, because he did not like to leave his bedroom,
where he at least felt marginally safe. "Fine." He made short,
shuffling steps with his hands thrust out in front of him to keep from
going face first into a wall.

"Don't forget to count. Once you memory these steps you won't have to
be uncertain." T'kev coached.

"Can I just make it to the couch today?" R'axe snapped.

T'kev held up his hands. "Fine, but you'll have to start counting eventually."

R'axe muttered obscenities under his breath as he left the bedroom and
found the couch in the living area. Sinking down onto it, he breathed
as though he had just ran a great distance. "Well, I didn't end up out
in the Weyrlake or anything, so you can go get me some food now."

"Yes, milord, is there anything else you require?" T'kev asked
smartly, the question earning a chuckle.

"No, you're dismissed," R'axe flapped his hand, even though it wasn't
even remotely in the direction of where T'kev was standing.

"I'll be back," T'kev promised as he walked out of the weyr, his own
needs and problems with the bottle under his bed forgotten as he put
his mind to the task at hand.

Last updated on the September 23rd 2019

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The Razor's Edge