A Grave Error

Writers: Avery, Eimi
Date Posted: 9th November 2007

Characters: M'galec, Riveenata
Description: Riven realizes she is responsible for a misdiagnosis...
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 6, day 13 of Turn 4

Riveenata had a late shift today, and as a result it was evening when she arrived in the Infirmary. Usually it was fairly quiet, with only a few on duty and only those wounded enough to stay overnight in the cubicles. Today, however, she could tell that something was going on.
There was activity, people carrying supplies to the back, and the smell of redwort. "What's going on?" she asked a healer who was going past her.

"A candidate was brought in this morning with acute appendicitis.
M'galec is operating on him now," the journeyman replied, clutching a bowl of fresh redwort. "It looks as though it might have ruptured."

A candidate with appendicitis? Her thoughts turned to Wesit. It couldn't be, he'd just had a stomach flu! But he'd been holding his stomach...so...could it? "Is there any way I can help?" she asked the other healer.

The journeyman looked relieved at the offer. "Actually, yes, I've been called in to assist. Could you look in on my patients for me?"

"Okay." Riveenata said. In truth, she'd rather be directly helping. On the other hand, if it was Wesit- and shards and shells, was she hoping it wasn't- she would be too involved to do this. "I can do that. Just give me the charts." she said.

"They're on my desk," he said with a nod in the general direction of the office he shared with several other journeymen. "Thanks, I appreciate it! I better get in there.
This one's looking bad."

That just made her feel worse. "Okay." she said meekly, heading to the office to pick up the charts and make the rounds.

~*~

Riven had checked in with all of the patients on the list. It had taken her over a candlemark, since one of them had had a few concerns, but she was done. Now she sat in an unoccupied chair, hand wrapped around a mug of klah, waiting for either a new patient to come in or for news on the surgery.

Half a candlemark later, Journeyman M'galec stepped through the door, followed by his assistants. As he dried his hands on a towel, he continued his converstation. "I doubt it is a question of _if_ Wiset will have an infection, but how bad that infection will be. He can be given mosstea now to try to prevent infection, but I think my knowledge might be a bit too limited in this case. I would consult a Master Herbalist soon as possible and see if there is anything more he can take. We must watch him carefully for signs of sepsis - high temperature, chills, excellerated breathing and heart rate. From there he could go into shock, and then.... Well, I am afraid there would really not be much more we could do for him."

Riveenata couldn't help but overhear. It didn't sound good. She'd really screwed up, and now he was going to be infected and possibly go into shock and die, and it was all her fault. She put down the klah cup quickly, before she could drop it. She didn't know what to do- go over and confess? Offer to help out? He would probably yell at her if he knew it was her fault...

"Who has his chart? I need to update it before I go to work with the Weyrlings." And he would have to appologize to R'syl for missing a class already this morning too...

Ack. Now she had to face the music. "Sir, I know where it is." she spoke up.

M'galec was surprised at the sound of Riven's voice. He hadn't even noticed her sitting there. "Oh yes?"

"Yes." she answered, getting up to go to where they stored the charts.
While getting it, she took a few deep breaths before heading back out.
"Here it is, sir."

"Thank you, Riven," M'galec said as he took the chart from her.
Fetching charts was not the usual job of a journeyman. "May I ask what your involvement in this case is?"

"I..." Now she was in for it. "I saw him when he came in, complaining of stomach pains and fever. I gave him a tea for the stomach pains and a cure for the fever. I thought it was just a stomach bug- he said some of the other candidates have it, and you know how that sort of thing spreads..." She was speaking rapidly, her upset at having made a mistake overwhelming.

"Stomach pains? Did you happen to ask where the stomach pains were located?" the bronzerider asked, flipping open the chart. He had not realized there had been warning signs the day before. If they had caught it then it would have been a fairly simple operation, but instead the boy was in some serious trouble!

"I don't think so. Although..." She closed her eyes, trying to remember.
"He kept pressing his hand to his lower belly."

"Riven, are you telling me you did not even ask where the pain was? You did not ask where the pain had started, or if it had traveled at all?"
He couldn't believe it! The life of this boy was hanging in the balance for such a stupid mistake?! He knew full well appenticitis was sometimes hard to diagnos, but she had not even asked the most basic of questions! Had she only _asked_ they might have discovered the problem before the appendix had ruptured, but now...

She flinched. The way he was saying it made it sound so wrong that she hadn't even thught of it- and she had been wrong! "No, I just assumed that it started when the vomiting did and didn't even think to. I know that was my fault." She wasn't going to try to deny it.

"Even an apprentice would have known to ask. And then maybe all this could have been avoided." M'galec shook his head. It was no use to Wesit now. Now they just had to work the problem at hand. "This kind of incompetance cannot go unreported, journeyman. You know that, do you not?"

"I'm sorry." she whispered. At the thought of it being reported, her eyes widened- but she knew he was right. There was nothing she could do about it. She couldn't lose her knots- she didn't think- but it would go on her record. Especially if Wesit died. "I understand." she said.

The bronzerider frowned slight. "I am sorry too, Riven." She had always been so responsible, and he truly liked her. "I will ask that the Weyrhealer be understanding. After all, this was your first time faced with such a case."

She hadn't expected any mercy at all for that kind of mistake. Hearing that made her feel better. "Thank you." she said soberly. "Trust me, sir, I'll study up on it!"

"I think you had best." He flipped the chart closed. M'galec decided to take it with him. He was already late. "Wesit will be on constant watch for a while. I assume you will be asked to take a turn. Read up on the symptoms of septic shock. That is the real danger now."

"I will." she said. "And I'll take any turn given to me." It would make sense if she watched him; it would be a way she could try to mitigate it.

Last updated on the November 9th 2007

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A Grave Error