Logs:Coughs
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| RL Date: 7 October, 2010 |
| Who: Madilla, Nehvien, S'ren |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Nehvien's quiet chores are distinctly interrupted by Sho's terrible cough. Madilla to the rescue! |
| Where: Infirmary, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day 19, Month 12, Turn 23 (Interval 10) |
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| Infirmary, High Reaches Weyr Two sets of double doors, one from the the inner caverns and a recently built set from the dragon infirmary, lead into the unnaturally hushed human infirmary. Despite fastidious cleaning, the scent of redwort and numbweed has long since soaked into every smooth-carved surface, along with other, subtler medicinal smells. Pristinely made cots are lined up against the walls; most of them are left open to view, but some in the back are surrounded by curtains for delicate procedures or critical patients. About halfway between the two entrances is the counter for the healers on duty; it guards the entrance to the storage rooms just beyond, their shelves and cabinets lined with meticulously labeled bottles, boxes, jars, and even vats of supplies. The Weyrhealer's office is also here, along with another side room for mixing up medicines and the like. Over near the entrance to the Weyrhealer's office, Nehvien's found an empty bed to perch on, and is currently, meticulously, rolling bandages. There's a few (slightly uneven) attempts on the table next to him, and there's also a few bandages that might've... gotten away from him. At least two rolls have toppled off the bed, rolled under a few of the curtains, and ended up across the infirmary. Not that the candidate has apparently noticed; he's concentrating solely on the task in front of him. It's just the start of Madilla's shift, and although she's purposeful in her step as she crosses the infirmary, she's not /so/ singleminded that a wayward bandage roll is enough to trip her over. Instead, her footsteps come to a halt, and she leans forward, rescuing the trailing end, and, having it now in hand, glances around. /She/ starts rolling it back up as she walks (tidily, too, no doubt the result of turns of practice), following it across the infirmary, all the way back to Nehvien until, tugging the very last of it back to her, she offers it out to the Candidate: "I think this one got away." She sounds amused. Focused as Nehvien is, Madilla's voice so close makes him literally jump, head snapping up. "Oh-- -oh-, sorry," he stumbles, reaching out to gratefully retrieve the wayward bandage. "Er, thank you ma'am. Um, they're kind of--" he trails off as he examines the re-rolled badge, enviously: "How do you do that so neatly? I've been at this for -ages-. I was thinking, maybe, I could build something that'd help roll it, maybe like a metal roll held loosely that you can wrap it around and pull it out at the end...?" it's difficult to tell if he's merely musing aloud or actually suggesting it in earnest; either way he's looking at the bandage, not Madilla. Madilla turns pink in embarrassment when she so obviously startles Nehvien, her head ducking as she relinquishes the bandage in question. As for the question? Apologetically, despite the grin that accompanies it; "Many turns of practice, I'm afraid. It's what they make apprentices do, when there are no candidates around: roll bandages, write labels, chop and stir. Would you really go to the trouble of building something like that?" it's kind of an abrupt change of thought at the end of her words, but it's no less sincere: she seems genuinely intrigued. "Um, sure. It'd be fun." Nehvien replies, obviously pleased at Madilla's interest in his idea. "I'd uh, need metal, of course, which is not the easiest to get a hold of, but um... maybe I could look at alternatives. Some hide maybe, dried in the right shape--" his musing gaze goes ceiling-ward for while. And then belatedly, the healer's words seem to sink though: "Turns? Gosh. Well, I suppose it uh, is good for keeping apprentices out of trouble, much like keeping candidates out of trouble?" he speculates, with a sheepish little grin given, before he resumes - slowly and with deliberate care - rolling his current bandage. Fun. Madilla's eyebrows do raise, just the slightest bit, at this concept-- but the healer can't really argue, apparently, so only laughs. "Seems like you take an interest in such things," she remarks, neutrally, as she settles herself on the opposite end of the cot, and picks up an unrolled bandage of her own. If it just so happens that she's illustrating a better method for rolling them, as she talks? Well, that's no doubt incidental. Surely. "But yes-- exactly. Keeps hands busy, and it has a definite measuring point, I suppose. Not that I especially needed to be kept out of trouble, I admit, but-- some do." Nehvien nods agreeably. "I take an interest in a lot of things. My sister Vivi says my mind never stops, but I'm never sure if she's um, meaning in a good way or not." A little wry grin, and a shrug of shoulders from the scrawny lad, "I don't mind, either really. Doing stuff like this gives me a chance to um, think. You know, about stuff, like - uh, how to roll bandages better, I guess." He seems vaguely embarrassed, casting a glance over at Madilla, catches her doing it better, and looks kind of glumly down at his own attempt. With the faintest of sighs, he unrolls his attempt and looks set to start all over again. "So, um, you've seen a lot of hatchings, right?" "Siblings," says Madilla, with a nod; she sounds fond, and somehow amused. While Nehvien speaks, she listens in a way that leaves no doubt that she is /actually/ listening, and not just pretending to. Her cheeks turn faintly pink again, when he glances at her work, but it's his last question that she actually, actively responds to. "Two. Here, at least. I've been here for three, but I missed the first one - back at the hall for exams. They're always wonderfully interesting to watch." Her bandage is fully rolled, and set aside; her gaze slides towards his. As an aside, she adds, "They don't /need/ to be perfect. They'll only get unrolled again when we use them." "That!" Nehvien exclaims, delighted, "That's -exactly- the tone she uses. You haven't met her, have you?" The lad's head tips, looking curiously at Madilla for a moment. "Oh, three. Um, well. Do many people get hurt? I've heard... stories. About the uh, hatchlings, I mean." Nehvien actually looks -puzzled- at the healer's final comment. "But it's -wrong-," he replies matter-of-factly as he starts again, casting a glance at Madilla's work again to make sure he's got the technique right. It does look a little neater this time. That particular reaction just makes Madilla laugh all over again. "I haven't," she tells Nehvien, cheerfully. "Or, at least, I don't think so. Vivi, you said? But I /am/ a sister, even if I haven't seen my siblings in a long time." As she talks, she rolls another bandage, fingers working rapidly. "As for the hatchlings-- no, not many. I know it does happen occasionally, but I've not seen it happen myself." Her smile is an encouraging one, and she adds, "You'll be fine. I promise." The rightness - or wrongness - of the bandages, only gets a shake of the head, a low chuckle. She and Nehvien are perched on one of the cots off towards the Weyrhealer's office, rolling bandages. There's a hint of suspiciousness in Nehvien's glance at Madilla, as if he's not quite sure it isn't all some big conspiracy. "Maybe it's a sister thing," he concedes, as he focuses back on his own bandage. He's not nearly as proficient as Madilla, but he's doing a lot better than his earlier attempts. "Oh, good," he sounds audibly relieved at the healer's reassurances. "I mean, people didn't really admit it very much, but they whispered that um, some people got pretty hurt sometimes. I kind of, um, like my insides you know-- inside." With a frown of concentration, he continues rolling. The entrance of Sho is preceeded by a rather icky sounding cough and some sniffling. No doubts a good sign that winter has indeed returned to the Weyr. A few moments later Sho is there, bundled up and with a red nose that looks almost like it's been rubbed raw. From the sounds (and looks) of things, the Candidate was putting off seeing the Healer's for his cold or whatever he has until he just couldn't stand it. Yep, very Sho like. The youth stops once inside the infirmary and looks around, letting out a loud sniff to try and keep his nose from running all over the floor. Madilla gives Nehvien an appraising glance, and then admits, "I think I prefer your insides inside, as well. As I understand it, as long as you're quick on your feet, and pay attention, you should be fine. And if not-- we've good healers around here. If I do say so myself." Saying so is enough to make with another flush; she seems quite prone to them. No sooner has she said as much, however, as her attention is distracted - by Sho. Her hands fall still, and, eyes narrowed, and-- "Excuse me a moment?" Standing, her voice raised enough to carry across the infirmary, now: "Sho? Come over here." Nehvien frowns just a little at the mention of 'quick', then begins to look worried at 'pay attention'. "I'm afraid I'm not uh, so great at either. Vivi usually does the looking out for me. I uh, get distracted. Thinking about um, things," he admits. Madilla's flushing is noted, too, and it serves to make the scrawny lad look a little awkward, back to concentrating - deliberately - on his bandage-making. It's very possible there's faint sound of relief as Madilla excuses herself and steps away towards Sho; Nehvien concentrates and finishes his much-neater bandage with a flourish before looking up, peeking in Sho's direction with a furrow of brow. Another raspy sounding cough is let out before Sho hears his name and looks towards Madilla. The youth looks very much as if he's been run over by a dragon or two...continiously. Well, at least Madilla is here. He won't have to deal with any...strangers. He makes his way towards the Healer, offering her a half-hearted smile. "Hey sis." He offers, trying out the nickname for a second time. She is like a sister to him after all. If he'd ever had one. Amber eyes catch Nehvien a little farther along and Sho raises a hand in greeting, "Hey Nehv-" Another coughing bout. Mutter. "Can ya make this cough stop please? I dun need anything else. Just really hard ta sleep while coughing." This is to Madilla, obviously. As Sho approaches, Madilla casts a glance back at Nehvien, but her expression - though obviously concerned - is the only thing she directs at him. Her words are saved for Sho, who is instructed, without more than the most basic niceties, "Sit down, and I'll get you some of that cough syrup. I hope you haven't been sitting on this cough for long?" Unsaid, but terribly obvious in the tone of her voice, is the insinuation that if he /has/, he's probably in for it. No matter how fond the glance she directs towards him is. Nehvien looks surprised as Sho calls Madilla 'sis', seeming to tuck that away for later. He grins a little at Sho, but the boy seems busy with a coughing fit, so the scrawny candidate reaches for one of the unrolled bandages and sets about painstakingly rolling it up. He casts little curious glances in the pair's direction, though he's trying to give them a bit of privacy, fixing back on his task. Er...Sho gets kind of a worried look at her words and he coughs again, but then takes a half step back. "Ya know...I think I'm fine. Yeah, it's going away already, I can feel it." He lies. He doesn't want to have Madilla chew him out, nope. He prefers the 'nice' Madilla, so the 'chewing out' Madilla is not so much his cup of tea. "I'm sure it'll be okay, only been almost a sevenday so far. It oughta fix itself up soon 'm sure." He's actually trying to back away from Madilla...without looking of course...and if he keeps this up he's going to back right into, and probably fall on, Nehvien. 'Privacy' is probably not really going to happen, not when the cot Madilla seems to want Sho to sit on is the one Nehvien is already one, the one the healer herself was sitting on not that long ago. "/Sit/," she tells Sho, a little more sharply, this time, her brows raised. "A cough like that is nothing to be ignored-- shells, Sho, is it so awful to come and see a healer on occasion?" For all that she obviously takes this terribly serious, her words seem more impassioned than sharp. "You shouldn't ignore sisterly concern." She tips a glance at Nehvien. "Right?" Since Nehvien's not watching, he's more surprised than anyone when Sho backs into the cot he's seated on. He drops the bandage he's working on - and it goes rolling along the floor, along with several others he'd already rolled. "Oh-- oh." Alarmed, he leaps up and hastily retrieves them, now less bandages and more piles of cloth. Gathering them up in a pile, he chooses another cot, and settles down, resigned to be here for a while as he begins untangling the mess. "Yes, ma'am," the candidate agrees, earnest, though he doesn't look up. "Vivi taught me well. Uh, well she says -trained-, but yes." The order to sit makes Sho gulp and he does so in a flash, sitting in the spot that Nehvien vacated and looking very much like a puppy dog who knows he's in trouble. His eyes are rather large and dilated, and his lower lip pouts /just/ a tad. "It's just a cough though. I've had 'em b'fore." He says, trying to sound as innocent as possible as he looks at Madilla. He gives Nehvien a glance but the other Candidate goes to the winning side. Well he's no help. "I figured it'd just go-" he stops midsentence as he gets a tickle in his throat and starts coughing again, going on a fit for a few good seconds before finally stopping. "Oh, sparkly dots." He mutters, his eyes a little unfocused as the coughing makes him see little floaties. "/Sho/," begins Madilla, as, despite her distraction, she sees all those bandages go flying. The glance she directs in Nehvien's direction is apologetic, but still: definitely distracted. "Seems as though I've got a fair amount of /training/ to do, still," she adds, a half-hearted kind of joke that doesn't quite make her smile, particularly since she's already sweeping around to head in another direction. As she goes; "Stay there, and I'll be right back. Or did you not want to be able to Stand, when the time comes?" "I never understood why people, um, avoid healers." Nehvien says, thoughtfully, as he continues to work through untangling the mess of bandages. As Madilla heads off, his voice lowers, conspiratorially: "I mean, um, the Journeywoman doesn't seem -that- scary, does she? She seems nice. Like uh, Vivi. Well-- not -quite- like Vivi, but..." he casts a glance at Sho, but he seems largely kind of unsympathetic. "Thought the other candidates were going to try and muffle you with all the coughing you were doing, I think you uh, were bugging them more than my er, snoring usually does." He does flash a little grin. Now /that/ gets Sho's attention and he sits up straight, losing his puppy dog look. "Of course I'm gonna stand. Dun matter if I'm sick'r not, I'll still be there. Even if I have ta crawl." Yep, he seems pretty sure about that. He stays put as told, letting out another raspy cough before he looks at Nehvien with slightly glazed over eyes as the other Candidate talks to him. "I jus' don't like having ta be treated differently cause I have a little cough." He states, then blinks as Nehvien tells him about the other Candidates, making him actually look a little abashed. "Er...really? Was it that bad?" He asks, shifting on the cot a little and letting out a sniff, then wiping at the snot pouring out of his nose with a sleeve. One last glance from the healer involves a raised eyebrow in Sho's direction, as though she's doubting his intention to Stand-- somehow. But she doesn't let it linger; she turns away again, heading off towards the workroom, presumably in search of some kind of foul tasting remedy or another. Lucky Sho! Nehvien untangles a couple more bandages, then sets them aside. He pulls free one and, with a moment or two of concentration, begins the long process of rolling them up all over again. "Treated differently?" the scrawny candidate echoes, pausing in his work to look over at Sho in surprise. "Um. But that's what, uh, healers do. They treat -you- the same as the Weyrwoman-- uh, if she -had- a cough. At least, uh, I don't think she does." He ponders that for a moment, getting distracted, before he gives a little grin, as if surprised himself: "I know, right? Didn't think it was possible. I um, was wondering if you'd bring up a lung. I don't think," he adds, gaze flickering after Madilla, "She'd uh, let you stand if you're too sick to look after a newborn dragon. Besides, you might make -them- sick. Can they get sick from us?" he isn't sure, but he considers the possibility with a furrow of brow. Sho eyes Madilla as she leaves, not really wanting to think on what she's going to bring back so much. "Differently...ya know, like if a Healer says ya can't do chores or somethin'. Then everyone else just gets mad at ya." He explains to Nehvien, or at least tries to. The bringing up a lung bit goes well as Sho gets into another coughing fit, letting out a nice curse after it finishes and wiping more snot on his sleeve. "I just might cough up everythin'. And at least I did come" finally "right? So she can't be too mad." As for the whole dragon thing...Sho just shrugs, "Dunno if I'd stop even if I was told to. An'...I dunno if Dragons can get sick from us'r not." He admits, looking thoughtful himself. They're both thinking? Scary. Madilla? Still gone. The workroom door has even closed behind her, leaving the infirmary otherwise relatively quiet. "In my um, experience," Nehvien says, a hint of wryness in his voice as he focuses on his task, "Sisters rarely give credit for 'eventually', but well, more likely punish you for 'not sooner'." He definitely sounds like he's speaking from experience. He's not really getting much faster at this bandage rolling thing, but he's definitely looking pleased with how neatly they're beginning to turn out this time around. "Hmm. Well, better ask. Don't uh, think they'd let you stand if you're going to cause harm to the dragons. Especially with, -you know-, what everyone's saying about them already." A sore subject, that one about the dragons. Sho just frowns and shakes his head. "They're gonna be fine." He states...then lets out another raspy cough, letting himself fall backwards onto the cot afterwards as the little sparklies join his vision again. "Ugh, I certainly dun feel good." He mutters. The whole bit about sisters is just taken in by Sho. He's an only child and never had a real sister, and, well, Madilla has been good enough to him in general... The door to the workroom swings open again, bearing Madilla - and a bottle of something - to march back towards the pair of Candidates. "Drink some of this," she directs Sho, proffering the bottle in his direction as soon as she gets close enough. Whatever they're talking about as she approaches gets ignored: most important is getting the medicine to the patient, efficient healer-style. Nehvien falls silent as Madilla returns, letting the healer do her work. For his part, the scrawny candidate places aside a respectably neat bandage and begins another, mouth drawn down into a frown of concentration. Sho sits back up on the cot as Madilla returns, giving a good snotty sniff as he does so. The bottle is eyed with a frown and the youth looks up at Madilla, trying to figure out if he can get out of this or not. Nope, he doubts it. He looks back at the bottle again and sighs softly, reaching out to take it. "Er...thanks." He says to Madilla before tilting the bottle back and taking a swig of the medicine. He lowers the bottle and blinks, looking almost in suspended animation for a moment as the rather horrible liquid goes down his throat. Once done he gags a bit and looks at the bottle, then offers it back to the Healer. "Shards, I've never had anything that bad." Madilla, usually a figure more of fond kindness than sharp insistence, certainly does not look like she's going to back away from this one. Indeed, though her expression is apologetic - and sympathetic - as Sho drinks down his nose, she refuses to take the bottle back, explaining, "Keep it. Take some every couple of hours, and hopefully it will clear your system out." Beat. "/Next time/, you won't wait so long to see me, mm? And don't spread it to anyone else - the last thing your fellow Candidates need is to share what you've got." Her glance at Nehvien is meaningful, but perhaps not easily defined. Nehvien glances up, surprised and a little alarmed. Clearly, the thought of Sho's sickness spreading hadn't occurred to him. Subtly, he edges further onto the cot - further away from where Sho's seated. While he might catch Madilla's look, he hasn't got the faintest clue what it's meant to mean, his brow furrowed. He doesn't interrupt, however - perhaps knowing better - concentrating on the task at hand. There is - perhaps - the slightest wince of sympathy at the order of 'every couple of hours'. Sho's face drops at that. Every couple of hours? He actually starts to turn a little green at the prospect, looking at the bottle before groaning softly and falling back on the cot again, rather heavily. "Ugh, I dunno if I can do that. And if this's what I get I dun think I'm coming back!" The last part is said in a different tone, more of a tease then anything else. He's coming back of course...but only to visit, if he's got his choice. The mention of spreading it, however, makes Sho blink...and he grins a bit, sitting straight up and moving into a standing position, then shuffling towards Nehvien and mock sneezing. Yes. He's a horrible person. "Can ya wipe my nose for me Nehvien?" He asks with mock sadness. Madilla's glance darts between Nehvien and Sho, and turns distinctly darker for what the latter of the two does in the wake of her previous statement. "/Sho/. If you do that, I'll have you quarantined to the infirmary until I decide otherwise." There's a definite tone of warning to what she says: she means business. "You'll drink it, and you'll be grateful, or I'll make sure you don't get to go South with the others, /or/ anything else you might want to do in the next couple of weeks." Aww, someone always has to ruin his fun. Sho looks at Madilla and his grin fades to a frown at her threat. It does immediately cause him to stop, however bedgrudingly. So much fun wasted. Instead he just nods to the Healer and picks the bottle back up, putting the cork in the top and looking at the horrible concoction. "Alright, I got ya. I'll be good." He says, then looks at Nehvien, "No, I'm gonna go back and lay down in the Quarters. You c'n stay." He says. Another cough escapes, though not as bad as it was. Something seemed to soothe his throat some and he can tell. He looks at Madilla with a raised eyebrow. "Thanks sis. I'll be good. I promise." He says, then prepares to leave. Madilla's expression shows her apology to Nehvien; she seems to take everything Sho does as a personal thing - something to be apologised for. That he backs down does gain some approval from the Journeyman, but her expression remains wary. "See that you are," she tells him, though her tone is not without warmth; she doesn't really seem able to be /entirely/ without warmth. "If it persists, come back and see me. Soon, yes? The longer you wait, the longer these thing last." And, to Nehvien; "I'm so sorry. All you wanted is to do your chores in peace." "It's okay, ma'am, I'll just um-- elsewhere--" Nehvien murmurs to Madilla, even as he finishes gathering up the bandages and turns to head for the exit. It's not really clear if he just doesn't hear Sho, or he does and chooses to ignore it - either way, he's skittering out through the door already. |
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