Follows the vignette Vigil
Xanadu Weyr - Infirmary
The infirmary here is intended for human care. It is spotless and smells of disinfectant, cots are lined up against one wall, a curtain can be pulled to give some privacy to the occupants of the cots if they so desire. A cabinet stands off against another wall, instruments and medications stored against when they will be needed. A couple of curtained off beds are used for examinations of patients and the treatment of minor injuries which won't require long term care. A desk with chair is just off of the doorway for the healer to sit and catch up on record keeping after a long days work.
It's been a short night for one of them; fellis will do that to a person. Thea probably could have used some herself, but no, the healers tend to frown on that sort of thing and thus hers has been a long, wakeful ordeal. She's dozed and wakened several times, awakening with a start each time to check on the man in the cot beside her chair. Presently she's in one of her wake cycles, sitting with her chin in hand, her elbow propped on the mattress checking on him once again through heavy lashes while her other holds D'had's limp, uninjured hand gently.
D'had doesn't really remember much of what happened after they left the weyrbarn the night before and the healers have made sure that he slept through the night even though it might not have been his best. He does know she's there. He's known she's been there. As he stirs the first thing he does is give her hand, the one that's holding his, a light squeeze. A check for him to be sure she is there and assurance for her all in one.
The gentle pressure on Thea’s hand is enough to have her eyes opening fully, instantly alert. She curls her fingers closer about his hand returning that squeeze, her whisper a mixture of glad to see some response and some trepidation as to how he's doing. "Donn?" No crying, she must remember that! Her throat works to keep her emotions in check. "How are you feeling?" Despite her best attempt, a little tremor creeps into her voice.
D'had hasn't opened his eyes yet, but there's a touch of a smile that tugs at the corner of his lips for her. "Hey babe," he responds to his name, still well drugged. "I'll live," he assures. Apparently that cut was worse than he originally thought.
There's a hastily-swallowed half-sob, half-laugh at that familiar greeting. Thea lifts his hand and presses her cheek into it. "Does your hand hurt? Would you like some water?" It's been hours and the fellis, well. They did say it would make his mouth dry. His other hand is thickly padded in the palm and cocoon-like in the generous dressing they've given it. The ice pack they've put between his palm and the pillow it's elevated on is nearly melted to water by now. In the back of the room the change of shift healers are getting report, so for the moment they aren't noticed.
"Water'd be good, yeah." Donn replies, that question perhaps reminding him that he is indeed thirsty. His hand on the other side of things… "Ain't bad," which could be the fellis or him trying to down-play the issue for her, or a combination of the two. Assessing himself, checking in more fully with Siebith, it’s hard to say what's going on in his head before he finally opens his eyes to look sleepily at her even as he pulls her hand to his lips to leave a kiss on the back. "You sleep at all?"
Thea's arm yields easily to that tug, allowing him to draw her hand to his lips. He has to know she wants to press, to ask if he's sure, but she doesn't do it. When he opens his eyes it'll be to see her tremulous smile fighting tears off as she gets a glimpse of his dark eyes. "A little, off and on," he'll easily hear the fatigue furring her answer. She ought to jump up and get the water - and she will in a moment but she can't make herself leave him just yet. "I love you," she breathes. Yeah, he'll be wondering why a little cut to that hand has her so intense unless Siebith is filling him in.
"Love you too babe," D'had assures, that smirk of his lazily tugging at one corner of his mouth. Though he doesn't ask right away the question is there. He's prolonging asking it though. "How bad?" He's already come to the realization it’s worse than he originally thought it was and there's only so much explanation that Siebith can provide him with on that front. At least the color has returned to his skin.
"You cut it pretty deep, Love." Thea hesitates, but really he'll need to know sometime and there's no sense avoiding it. "You've had surgery to repair it, but the blade went through the skin all the way to bone. It sliced through a tendon and a small artery." She swallows hard, then adds, "You lost a lot of blood." She flicks a glance at his bandaged hand, then back to his face, notes the pallor is being replaced with something more normal and lets a long breath out. "The surgeon says you'll make a full recovery."
D'had listens carefully as he can, letting the words sink in before he simply nods. With that last note from the surgeon he replies in effort to assure her. "Then I'm sure I'll be fine." Right now he's still drugged enough to not really feel the hurt from the injury that's sure come later. "Ain't no one's fault," he adds in case that will help to ease the uncertainty he finds in those green eyes.
"Marella-" Thea's throat closes on their daughter's name, she presses her lower lip between her teeth, drawing a breath sharply through her nostrils, struggling for control. "I should have caught her Donn. I'm so sorry. It's usually Muir who jumps you, so I grabbed him first." She's not blaming the child at all.
He didn't expect her to blame Marella, he expected exactly what she's doing now - blaming herself. "Ain't noone's fault," D'had repeats. He's certainly not going to let her put that on herself if he can help it. As far as he's concerned might well have happened without any of them there at all.
Ah how well he knows her! There's a little nod from Thea; she's not going to argue, but he may well catch her giving his hand a haunted sort of look now and then until she forgives herself. Her uncertainty fades though and she's about to say something more when a healer strides on over. "Ah I see you are awake!" He's got a chart in his hand and the man is far too energetic this early in the morning. "Let's look at the hand, just the fingertips for now. Can you feel this?" And he touches the tips of D'had's fingers with his.
D'had gaze is torn from his weyrmate at the healer's words, the bluerider turning his head to look at him instead with a look that should clearly tell what terrible timing he has. Healers. There's the slightest twitch of fingers at that touch and the man nods, "Yeah," he can feel it. See Thea! He's fine.
Oblivious healers at that. The man doesn't notice the look (probably ignores it) for the more pressing need to mess with D'had's hand. He's saying yeah, and yet there's a pin in the healer's fingers that is slipped sneakily behind one of his own to prick very slightly into the tip of one of D'had's. And then he's asking, "Can you wriggle all your fingers a bit for me?" Thea is dividing her attention between that bandaged hand and D'had's face.
And then they wonder why people don't like seeing them. Healers that is. Donn tries. The faster he complies the faster the healer leaves. Right? That's usually the way it works, but it doesn't mean D'had isn't annoyed at the timing of it all. There's not much movement, but there's enough to just be seen and felt. With swelling and bandages though some is better than none, yes?
There's no reaction for that pinprick? Maybe he got a callus or something. The healer's brow twitch up and he tries another finger, a little harder this time, although he's nodding in a pleased way for the movement. Thea doesn't see the pin - the healer is hiding it on purpose - but she can see the annoyance on D'had's face. Still, she's not the boss in this place. She's just patiently waiting for the man to be finished.
No, there's no split second reaction for that pinprick. He works with his hands enough to have built up calluses over the turns. Even before there would have been little, if any, reaction to that poke. The second time around, there's still no vocal reaction though he does grimace a bit and the finger does twitch a little more than before.
The healer looks concerned, writes something down on that chart he's holding then says, "We're not going to change the dressing until the surgeon comes down to check it this evening." At least he stops jabbing D'had's fingertips and into that pause, Thea asks, "Can he have some water?" The healer shakes his head, "No but I'll get you a cup of ice chips. He can't have anything in his stomach for awhile. The fellis can make people queasy, you know." Well she didn't but she doesn't argue. And soon enough there's a cup brought with a spoon in it. As he's departing to bother someone else the healer tells them, "When he's ready, we'll get him set up for a bedbath." Oh joy?
D'had cuts his eyes at the healer as he leaves. No comment. He'd rather be anywhere but the infirmary and they won't even give him an idea how long they're going to make him stay. He might not be arguing yet with them yet, but just wait. He'll be more awake in an hour try him then. Dark eyes turn back to Thea once the other man is gone on his rounds. She was saying something…
Thea nearly chokes at the mention of bed bath and she's working very hard at not laughing - or even looking like she's tempted to at the glare D'had sends after the healer. It's quite a challenge! She's left holding the cup of ice chips in the wake of that announcement. This could be interesting indeed. D'had's eyes turn back to her and she dips the spoon into the cup promptly and she asks him brightly, "Ice chip?"
No," is D'hads simple reply. He does not want ice chips. He does however, remove his uninjured hand from hers to attempt to shift from laying down to a more upright position. "Why don't ya go home," he says more statement than question. "Get some rest?"
"I will soon," Thea promises. "I need to get the twins up for their lessons." The cup is placed on the stand with the spoon handle easily in reach. And still she lingers, reluctant to leave his side. What she'd started to say before she mentions now, "You… sounded like you had some rather disturbing dreams in the night." She watches his reaction to this with a slight uplift of brows.
D'had nods about their lessons. They do need to do that. It will keep them occupied for the day at least. "Just dreams," he mutters, trying to brush that off to a later discussion. He's trying not to move his injured hand too much as he situates himself and stretches his shoulders, he's a terrible patient and he's not going to just lay there all today whether they expect him to or not. "Come 'ere," he directs, reaching his free hand out to pull her in. "You alright?" He knows enough to know that she's been worried.
Thea's brows twitch, pained for him regarding those dreams but she doesn't press. He's been through a lot and she doesn't want to tire him. She moves to help him up, but he seems to have it under control, though she manages to slide his pillow up between his back and the headboard. His hand catches her arm above the elbow and she goes with the tug, settling carefully on the bed beside him. For a moment she is silent, then she drops her head to his shoulder, circling an arm around his waist. "I am now," she murmurs, admitting honestly, "but I was scared for you, Donn."
D'had curls that free hand round her shoulders as she settles in beside him. His head tilts to rest his cheek against the top of her head as hers nestles against his shoulder. "I know," he replies, "I know." That's one thing that Siebith was able to clearly convey. "Hurt," he admits, "but healers said I'll be fine. I'll be alright." That's what she told him the healer's said anyway.
"Donn." Thea says it very quietly. "It wasn't your hand." How to tell him? She draws a deep breath. "You lost a lot of blood." Her arm tightens about him. "It was stupid of me to allow you to walk here holding your own bleeding wound-" Okay she's not getting louder? But the force with which she's speaking is getting pretty intense. "I knew from dragonhealing classes it was an artery and it may have been small, but they don't stop bleeding on their own! And I didn't think to check it while we walked-"
"Ain't your fault," he tells her, cutting her off, his voice an attempt to comfort and force that issue at the same time. "Coulda just as easy happened on my own." And then she wouldn't have been there to check on it at all. "Can't blame yourself," he assures into her hair.
Silence from Thea, who remains very still for a time, her head left to lie on D'had's shoulder. It's early, but already the sounds of the awakening Weyr drift in from the caverns and clearing. The healers will be getting their usual morning rush of people and she'll be needing to slip out and tend to the twins very soon. "I'm not, really," she says at last and much more quietly. "It just hit me when you went so white how much blood you lost and I- I could have-" Her throat closes up. She can't make herself say it. This then, was what Siebith shared with him?
"Good," D'had replies when she says she's not blaming herself. "Now ya need ta go take care of the weyr," and the twins, "I'll be alright." The healers have him patched up and he's going to be out of here as soon as he can be. "Get some sleep too. Hmm."
Thea lifts her head and gives him a confused look, a little hurt by his lack of response to her fears. She drops her eyes and withdraws her arm, saying expressionlessly, "I'm going. But I will be back when they're at their lessons." She rises then from where she's sitting beside him, leaves a kiss to his cheek and keeps her face close for a moment to whisper, "You rest too. And let them give you the fellis when your hand starts hurting." Yes, she's expecting him to admit to them when it does! She'll likely leave a word at the desk how very unlikely he'll be to do that. She then slips out, leaving him to the not-so-tender mercies of the healers. He may yet wish she'd stayed when the burly healer comes 'round for that bedbath!