Not the Only Woman

Writers: Jane, Kaysea
Date Posted: 31st May 2008

Characters: K'hetah, Xara
Description: Xara has an accident and K'hetah helps her to the infirmary.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 27 of Turn 4

It was late at night - nearly tomorrow, his sister would have called it
- but that was when a Wingleader finally got the results of a difficult Threadfall tidied away.

Injured dragons check on. Injured wingriders checked and reassured about their lifemates. Reports, both written and verbal, submitted.
Dragon scrubbed clean and settled for the night. New wing rosters worked out to cover for the injuries. Rosters posted on the wing noticeboard so that the first up at dawn would know what they were doing for the day.

And now he was going to eat.

A huge meal, if he could lay his hands on one, or just lots of whatever was available if he couldn't.

He would have been in with the after-Threadfall crowd for a late midday meal but for the injuries. Deaths were cleaner, in some ways. It was over in an instant; no long (or short) recovery, no possible impairment of function. Rosters were quickly changed for a permanent loss. Nobody had to miss meals for deaths.

And on that pragmatic thought K'hetah headed across the empty dining cavern toward the kitchen.

She had been about to enter the dining cavern with the last of the desserts when the door burst open in front of her, sending the tray flying and her face catching the edge of the door itself. She felt a rush of heat and intense pain from her nose, and a sudden queasiness enveloped her.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

K'hetah looked at the half-open door, the young man scrabbling around on the floor gathering up the broken crockery and the bulk of the food and sighed. This was going to delay his meal, he could just tell.

"I'm sorry, Xara," the kitchen hand continued, not looking up from the floor, "I didn't think anybody was still working."

Xara? The bronzerider stepped forward and eased the door open further.
"Oh dear. You do seem to have a knack for accidents," he said gently, surveying the damaged to the redhead.

"Ib wabn exacby by faulb." she said, her hand covering her eyes and nose, the nauseous feeling assaulting her with a vengeance, almost as bad as one of the beatings from her father.

"Not your fault?" He looked down at the young man who was now staring wide-eyed and horrified at the apprentice baker. "No, not this time.
Whoops. And blood." He fished around in his pocket for the clean handkerchief that was always there. "Here, hold this against your nose if you can bear to."

"Tahnbs." she wadded the kerchief against her nose, and tried to focus on the rider before her. **Why is it always you whenever I'm in a situation?** she thought, as she gratefully took his hand in support.
The drudge bent down and hastily scraped toegther the food and plates than had smashed to the ground.

As she attempted to stand another wave of dizziness and heat flashed through her, causing her to stumble, she grabbed out at him with her hand, the bloody kerchief smearing his tunic.

"Off to the healers with you," K'hetah said firmly. "Can you walk, or would you prefer that I carried you?"

"Ib balk..." she said, trying to brush the blood from his tunic, and finding her face flushing with embarrassment, causing even more to gush from the gash on her nose. "Sharbs..." she muttered.

~*~

It had been the longest walk ever, from the dining cavern to the infirmary. They had both received strange looks and crass jokes along the way. She wasn't sure how he felt about them, but they became very tiring, every quickly and her relief at nearing the infirmary was almost palpable.

"Sit here. I'll get somebody. Somebody senior enough for you not to have to see more than one person. Will you be all right for a moment?"
It was the middle of the night and the infirmary was not the bustling place it had been when he had visited earlier.

"Yeb, I'b be finb." she nodded and watched as he went off in search of a healer. She took her hand from her face for a moment, and immediately wished she hadn't when she saw the blood covering her hand. Swaying in her seat, she concentrated hard to keep her senses until help returned.

"So I see," the journeywoman healer said, as she entered the room with the Wingleader following her. She turned to look at the bronzerider and then nodded a dismissal. "I can deal with this."

"But -. I could stay and keep Xara company," he offered.

"Ib's ub to you." Xara said,looking from the healer to the wingleader, "I'b bdon't bind," she said, her voice even more distorted behind her cupped hands.

"Out, sir," the healer said firmly.

"I'll wait," K'hetah said to the young woman. "Outside. Where it's safe," he muttered under his breath as he edged out of the waiting area.

"And you can come through here," the healer said, putting hand under the younger woman's elbow. "Is it just your face that's injured?"

"Yeb. Jub by dose, I'b dink." she nodded, then wished she hadn't as a wave of nausea and dizziness washed over her. She swayed against the healer for a moment and reached out her other hand to steady herself as they walked through the doorway into the other room.

"Sit here." The journeywoman placed a bowl beside the other woman.
"In case you need to be sick." She rinsed her hands in a mild redwort solution and then settled down with water and cloths to get access to the damage. "I think numbweed will help," she said finally. "The nose isn't broken, but it certainly has taken a hefty blow and you'll likely have a couple of black eyes in the morning."

"Wubberful. Just what I beed." Xara gave a harrumph of wry amusement.
"So - no baddaged face?"

"I'm afraid not. Has the willow salic helping with the pain?"

"It seems to have. I don't feel as bad now, just - numb?"

"That's probably shock," the journeywoman admitted. "I need to ask you something, though."

"Yes?" she turned towards the healer, and expectant look on her face.

"About the bronzerider who brought you here," the healer continued.

She could feel a flush creeping up over her face, "K'hetah? What about him?" she asked, dropping the eye contact she had with the healer.

The journeywoman's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Did he do this to you?"

"Oh shards no!" Xara could feel her puffed eyes straining to open in shock at the healers suspicions. "No!" she shook her head emphatically, "Not K'hetah, it was a drudge - and an _accident_." she answered with determination.

The healer didn't look convinced. "You're not the only woman he's turned up with, here, who has been ... injured. Hit."

"No, you've got it wrong. I was coming through the kitchens doorway and a drudge was coming from the opposite side of the door - we collided."
she pulled out the tunic and apron, to show the mess that covered her, "See!" she said, "I'm covered in the pies that were on the tray I carried."

"Women often defend their men ..."

"Women oft...what?" Xara's puffy face creased awkwardly at first then her mout dropped in horror of what the healer had said, "I'm _not_ his woman." she said on a squeak. Shards! If K'hetah had heard... she felt a red heat cover her face and neck, embarrassment washing over her.
"No..." she shook her head, "I'm not his woman..."

"And bronzeriders are considered quite a catch. Perhaps too good not to put up with a few incidents of this sort -" The journeywoman indicated Xara's damaged face.

"No..." embarrassment was easing, but in its place was a slow anger at the healers refusal to acept her explanation. "Bronzeriders may be a _catch_ to some, but not to me," she said evenly. "I will not allow you to carry on with this ridiculous accusation any longer. He helped me here, _that_ is all."

"If you say so," the other woman said finally and with obvious reluctance. "Well, you have the tea for pain relief, and just use well-wrapped ice on the sore places tonight if you need it. And come back if you have on-going headaches, nausea, or blurred vision. Or any other problems," she finished up, glancing toward the outer room where the Wingleader still waited.

Feeling a little embarrassed at her outburst, Xara slipped from the chair and collected the packet of tea. "Thank you," she said quietly, and walked towards the doorway. She halted for a moment and turned back to the healer, "He didn't do anything to me, I wouldn't lie," she said before slipping through the doorway. She had been through enough beatings from her father, in the past, to know that she no longer needed to put up with something like that again.

She met the Wingleaders eyes as she entered the outer room, her eyes were barely open now, and he appeared nothing more than a blur. "Thank you for waiting," she said, "You didn't have to."

"I was happy to. It's the middle of the night and you're injured. I'll walk you back to your room. What did the healer have to say?"

She couldn't tell him, she knew he should know what the healers suspicions were, but she just couldn't bring herself to tell him.
Besides, she assured herself, it was nothing, she'd set the healer straight. "Not much," she shrugged, "she just gave me the tea and told me to rest."

"Then let's give you the opportunity to do just that," the bronzerider said with a smile.

Last updated on the June 1st 2008

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Not the Only Woman