Stay With Me

Writers: Cali, Jane
Date Posted: 29th November 2008

Characters: Tey, Mabrina
Description: Tey can't join the card game because a wingmate needs her.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 13, day 2 of Turn 4
Notes: Happens the same time as "Neat By Nature"

Mabrina sat hunched over the dining table, a thin sheen of sweat had
started to form across her forehead, and stared at her uneaten meal. "I
don't feel so well."

Tey hesitated, just having got to her feet to leave the table, and with
her hands full of her plates and mug. The other greenrider certainly
didn't look well, in truth, with her face seeming to have lost all its
colour. "Sick? Something you ate?"

"I... I didn't eat anything." she said hesitantly. "I sort of went
/between/ for awhile earlier."

"This morning? For drills?" Tey asked, setting her plates back down and
looking around to see if there was anybody else who could help. She
didn't known the other greenrider well, just to chat to, as part of the
Wing.

Mabrina shook her head and the movement made her nauseous. "Have you
ever gone /between/ for... you know... to get rid of it?"

"Ohh." Tey shook her head. She'd been lucky, she supposed. She'd been
taught _how_ to stay that little bit longer /between/ if she needed to
abort a pregnancy, her own, or another's, but she'd never had to put the
training into practice. "No, I haven't. Are you going to be all right?
Do you need help back to your weyr?"

"I, I think I need to go to the infirmary." she said, her voice was
just above a whisper. "I don't think it's supposed to feel like this."

Tey abandoned the plates and her mug and rounded the table to help the
other woman to her feet. "I can get some of the male riders from the
Wing -"

It was strange how she had never fully understand the ties that bound a
Wing together before joining one. Perhaps it hadn't always been so -
she would ask her father about the days before Threadfall - but it
seemed that wingmates were as close as family; closer, for many. And if
Mabrina needed more help than slightly built Tey could provide then
wingmates would be the ones called on even though the dining cavern held
a wide range of people.

She nodded as she clenched her teeth and tried to keep from doubling
over at the pain. The pain was sharper now, and was coming quicker. It
had been a bad idea, she should have had someone take her her first
time. "Hurry!"

Tey called out a couple of names, trying to remember who she had seen
about. Not B'lamick, worse luck. But one of the other men turned up.

"She needs to get to the infirmary," Tey explained, already supporting
to other woman.

"What's wrong?" the bluerider asked when he looked her over. She looked
about ready to pass out, so he grabbed her at the waist so he could
catch her if she did.

Mabrina groaned as another shot of pain ran through her abdomen as she
tried to walk. "I don't know."

"Women's troubles, I think," Tey said, pulling Mabrina and the bluerider
along. "Do you think you could carry her? She might be bleeding inside."

C'kur didn't hesitate. He wasn't a large man, but he had no trouble with
his turns of firestone catching to scoop up the greenrider. "Lead the
way."

"Shards this is so embarrassing." Mabrina muttered in between stabs.
"I'm so sorry for bothering you both."

"It's no bother, Mab. Lets just get you to a healer so you can get
well." C'kur replied as he walked quickly through the corridors. "Drills aren't going to be any fun if I can't fly circles around you."

Tey felt that she was bouncing around like a spare green in a mating flight. She knew nothing about miscarriages whether natural or encouraged by way of a short hop /between/ and suddenly it felt like she was failing her sex by not knowing such basic facts. Everybody knew women could bleed to death ... but what was normal for this?

And then she was strong, for a woman. Dragonriders were. But she wasn't strong enough or big enough to carry another woman. Well, not like that, in her arms. She could probably have slung the other greenrider over her shoulder, but that wouldn't have been good.

"I'll run ahead and warn the healers," she said, finally, bobbing up alongside the pair. "You'll be fine, Mabrina," she promised, not being sure of any such thing.

"Don't leave me!" the woman shot out her arm and grabbed at the other greenrider. She was scared, and even though C'kur was there, it wasn't the same as having a girl with her. "Please?"

"All right," Tey said slowly, both glad to be useful, but certain she wasn't being much use. "How is Ramalith?" Isleth could speak to the other rider's dragon if need be, but she didn't suppose Isleth's reassurance carried much weight, and beside, Tey's dragon was sound asleep.

"Confused, but okay." Mabrina panted. "I had the fever last turn so she knows I'll be okay." Her eyes gave away her own uncertainty about it though.

C'kur rounded the corner into the infirmary and laid her gently on an empty bed. Two healers were over almost immediately and started asking a multitude of questions. He gave his wingmates hand a quick squeeze and got out of the way. "I'll be outside."

"But you'll stay?" Mabrina was quick to ask Tey again, afraid she'd lose them both and be alone with the healers.

"Of course," Tey promised. "How are you feeling? Is the pain ... worse?" She was going to ask and ask and ask until she found out all about this. Babies and aborting them. Miscarriages. Everything. She never again wanted to feel so helpless, though her logical, practical self knew there was nothing anybody could do. These things had to run their course.

One of the healers stood in front of her and laid a sheet over Mabrina's lower body. "Please have a seat by her head if you're staying. We need you out of the way so we can examine her."

Tey sat and reached for her wingmate's hand, not entirely sure who was reassuring who.

Mabrina squeezed it as she tried to answer all the healers questions as they examined her. She felt somewhat calmer now that she was in their hands but she was still scared. Her mother had died from this sort of thing and she didn't want the same fate.

"You waited too long to try and easily abort." was the healer's conclusion after a few minutes. "That's why you've got the labor pains, but the baby is still small so you'll pass it. It's just going to take a few hours."

The greenrider cried as another stab hit her, "Can you make the pain stop?"

"I'll give you some fellis." he agreed. "Not enough to knock you out though, I need to aware in case something happens."

"What could happen?" Tey asked worriedly.

The healer patted the hands that connected the two greenriders together but addressed Mabrina, "Probably nothing. You're young and strong. What we have to keep an eye out for is if you keep bleeding too long or too much. But you shouldn't worry too much. Just focus on your breathing, and you should feel a lot calmer once that fellis gets in your system."

Tey was reassured by the healer's words and smiled at Mabrina. "See, it's going to be all right," she said, squeezing the other woman's hand. "It's just going to take some time."

Mabrina nodded and took a deep breath. The healer was right, she was strong, if she could fight Thread then she _had_ to be able to fight this. "Thanks for staying with me."

Fleetingly it occurred to her that she was expected to play poker with three of the younger riders but Isleth was asleep and their was no other convenient way to send them a message. Not that it was important, anyway. Not compared to what Mabrina was going through. "I'm happy to," she told the older greenrider.

Someday she might need somebody to sit with her.

Last updated on the December 8th 2008

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