Diagnosed

Writers: Eimi, Paula
Date Posted: 29th November 2010

Characters: Birigundi, Jessmyr, Telemon
Description: Birigundi makes sure Jessmyr sees Telemon about his health issues
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 11, day 26 of Turn 5
Notes: Follows: Rejected

Birigundi

The journeyman who had done the boy's initial check up had sent him over
to him, for he never had encounter such a case before. Telemon had. Most
have been infants and those rarely survived. Others had been apparently
healthy young people who suddenly just died.

Jessmyr shivered a bit when the master healer listened his heart. The
stetoscope was cold.

Birigundi stood back and watch the healer work, chewing nervously at a
nail. He couldn't help but think back on Telemon's careful examination
of his newborn baby son. Little Rigmor had a heart defect that had been
evident from birth, and it had taken him at only nine-days old. Jessmyr
was certainly no small babe, but the possibility that his cousin could
die was not lost on him.

Finally Telemon stopped and straightened, looking the boy seriously. "I
can hear a clear cardiac murmur," he said.

"What does it mean?" Jessmyr asked.

"You heart has an opening somewhere, an opening that shouldn't be there
and blood gets to flow in wrong direction between the chambers," Telemon
said.

"Shards," Birigundi breathed, remembering a very similar conversation
with the healer. It was the exact same thing. His son's blue deformed
face flashed before his eyes. **I wonder where Rigella is now...** he
thought, thinking back to the babe's mother for the first time in quite
a while.

"It's called congenital hear defect. There is wide variety of defects
under that title. You are still alive, which indicates that yours is
relatively mild one. Most children like you die soon after birth,"
Telemon lectured. He couldn't help but glance at Birigundi. He hadn't
forgotten his son either.

"Wait. So, as I understand it, sometimes these things can run in
families, right?" Bifigundi asked, a new, and unpleasant idea creeping
into his thoughts.

"They can, but they can also crop up unexpectedly," Telemon could easily
follow the train of his thoughts.

"So... Was Rigmor _my_ fault, then?" All this time Rigella had blame
herself. And to tell the truth, Birigundi had faulted her as well.

"He was no ones fault," Telemon said.

Somehow Birigundi didn't find that answer comforting. But they weren't
here for him. They were there for his cousin. "Well, what can we do
about Jessmyr?"

"We try a medication, aconite mostly," Telemon said and turned his
attention back to Jessmyr. "We have to try a lot of different dosages
before we find the right one," he warned.

"Can I then live like anybody else?" Jessmyr asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid not, you still have to be careful and not to stress
yourself. I let the Headwoman know what kind of duties you can be given.
It can't be physically tiring."

Jessmyr felt crestfallen. "Should I stop running and train altogether?"
he aske bitterly. Running was his life. He couldn't do anything else.

"Not altogether, absolutely not. You need to keep your heart strong. A
healty, strong heart copes better with the extra work load caused by
your defect. You need a certain kind of exercise. Not too hard. Walking
and light jog should be fine for you, as long as you keep your pulse under
the threshold. Swimming is good exercise too since it stimulates blood
circulation."

The healer was getting bit too technical for Jessmyr. "What threshold?
And I can't swim."

"Threshold means the point where your heart developes arrythmia, were it
can't pump enough blood for rest of your body. You probably know
subconciously when you reach it," Telemon explained. "And we can find
someone to teach you to swim, that's not the problem," he smiled
encouragingly. "You can live to see then end of the Pass if we take good
care of you."

"I can teach him," Birigundi volunteered, feeling the boy was his
responsibility.

"Thank's cousin," Jessmyr nodded. Their runner station was in Opal Cove
area but not near the seashore.

"So what's first, then?" Birigundi asked, wanting to know where to go
from there.

"First we try a mild dosage of aconite. Let's see if it makes you feel
any better," Telemon said.

Medicine could only go so far, the elder candidate knew. "And should we
talk to the Headwoman about his duties? Or will you take care of that?"

"I will take care of that, that's my duty," Telemon replied. "Of course,
you're not fit to Stand as candidate, not even with the medication," he
told Jessmyr gently. "Have you ever been in /between/?" he asked.

"No," Jess shook his head.

"Good, keep it that way. The absolute cold nothingness of /between/ just
might be the shock that stops your heart," he warned the boy with
serious tone. He wanted him to understand _why_ he would never be a rider.

Jessmyr swallowed nervously.

"What about..." Birigundi wasn't quite sure how to put this. "Girls?"

"I would be cautious there," Telemon said, "No sporty performances. Take
it easy and slow and there won't be any problems," he continued.

Jessmyr actually blushed. In truth he had no interest towards sex.
Neither gender excited him.

"And alcohol?" Birigundi was trying to think of all the traps that the
Weyr might have for the boy.

"Again, caution there, small amounts won't have any effect but excessive
drinking may be too much for his heart. Basically, as long as you
practice moderation in everything, you should do fine," Telemon replied
to Birigundi and addressed Jessmyr.

The boy nodded.

The Weyr wasn't exactly the place most people practiced moderation, but
if he ever caught Jessmyr over doing it... "Thank you Master for all
your help."

"You're welcome. And you," he pointed at Jessmyr, "take care of
yourself."

"Yes, sir," the boy nodded.

Last updated on the January 21st 2011

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Diagnosed