A Long, Unpleasant Night

Writers: Miriah, Yvonne
Date Posted: 5th December 2021

Characters: Reyela, Urlene
Description: Reyela is rushed to the Infirmary after being bitten by a tunnelsnake
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 10 of Turn 10

Urlene

The next little while was hazy. Reyela's heart raced as she was picked
up off the ground and hustled into the Infirmary, where an apprentice
pressed an icy cloth to her forehead and neck as a healer examined her
hand and asked her questions. What colour was the tunnelsnake? Was it
big or small? Did it bite anywhere else? Reyela fumbled through as
best she could and drank the vile-smelling potion they pressed into
her hands.

Then there wasn't much more to do but wait. Her hand didn't swell too
much, which the healer assured her was a good sign. She began to feel
embarrassed about the whole thing. A dragonrider, abandoning her work,
and _fainting_ like some stupid Hold girl just because of a
tunnelsnake bite. Most of them weren't _that_ poisonous. She jiggled
her leg restlessly, wishing that she had something to do or even
something to read. _Anything_ but sit there with her embarrassment.

The curtain of the little alcove flicked open and Urlene stepped in,
immediately receiving a prompt report from both the journeyman and the
apprentice about the situation, what had been given as an antidote for
the venom and the young woman's present condition. Urlene listened
patiently and nodded, then looked down at Reyela as she approached.
"How is your hand?"

Reyela felt her heart sink when she saw who it was. "Fine. Well, not
going to kill me, I think," she said, smiling weakly as she held up
the hand in question. It was a bit puffy and red and although the bite
mark had been cleaned and tended to, the healers hadn't bandaged so
they could keep an eye on it. "I'm sorry to be wasting your time,
Weyrhealer."

"You're not." Urlene's voice was brisk as she carefully took Reyela's
hand and examined. it. "We're a bit slow today and sometimes
supervision of the younger journeymen and journeywomen is necessary.
It won't kill you, but there's always a risk of infection, not to
mention the swelling that could be damaging to your tendons and
tissues. What did the tunnelsnake look like?"

Reyela paused. "Uh... small. Kind of brown. I'm sorry, I didn't really
see... but it didn't bite my runner, at least."

"Well, I'm not really worried about your runner." Urlene studied the
bite wound a little farther. "And abdomen pains? Headache? Some
tunnelsnakes are only mildly venomous enough to cause some lingering
pain." She frowned. "You may have to stay in the infirmary for a day
or so."

"Really?" The candidate drooped like a puppy denied a treat. "I have a
headache, but I... ah, also... passed out when I got here..."

Urlene's brows shot up and she examined the girl's hand closely again
before sighing. "Then I'm afraid that your next few days with us won't
be pleasant." She turned to the journeyman Healer beside her. "In the
first storage room, get the clay pot on the second shelf to the right,
the one with the green wax and silver cord."

The journeyman grimaced, but nodded. "Yes, Master Urlene."

As the journeyman hurried away, Urlene turned back to Reyela. "You'll
have to drink a special tea three times a day for two days to flush
the poisons from your system."

It was the Candidate's turn to make a face. "Really? But... I think I
just... it's just nerves. Really. I got scared and it's really hot out
today. I'm sure... I don't... have to?"

"I'd prefer to be cautious, especially with an unknown bite.
Unfortunately, we don't have the tunnelsnake's corpse to be sure."
Urlene's voice didn't allow for compromise. The journeyman returned
shortly and held out the pot. "Get some steaming water for some tea
please." She turned back to Reyela. "You must drink it. Unfortunately,
the taste is....unpleasant, but it's necessary."

"Do I need to stay here, though? I could go back to the Candidate's
Barracks..." At least there she could be miserable with company.

"Yes, you do." Urlene was firm. "Unfortunately, the flushing of your
system will also involve some uncomfortable..." Her lips pursed,
"purging... of the bowels that carries with it the risk of
dehydration. You'll have to stay here so we can monitor how much
fluids you'll need."

Reyela's eyes widened. "But I feel all right now. I'm sure it wasn't poisonous."

"You may now, but you may not. It's better to be safe." Urlene turned
when the journeyman came back in with a steaming cup. Carefully
measuring out of the jar, Urlene placed the small amount of pungent
herbs into a small cloth sack and dipped it into the water. After a
few moments, the smell of dank, dirty stockings filtered into the
room. The journeyman grimaced and stepped back even as Urlene turned
and handed the cup to Reyela. "I need you to drink this down."

Reyela took the cup and promptly gagged. It smelled _horrendous_. It
looked even worse. "I can't drink this!"

Her dismay was met by a cool uplifted brow. "Hold your breath. The tea
isn't as bad as what could happen to you if you don't drink it."
Urlene crossed her arms over her chest and settled into place, clearly
prepared to hold her ground. "Don't sip it. Down it."

"But I already drank... something..." At the _look_ she got from
Ulrene, Reyela sighed. There was no way she was going around the
Weyrhealer. With a grimace she put her lips to the cup.

It was foul. Oddly slimy and it tasted worse than it smelled. Reyela
got half of it down before the heat and taste of it made her retch,
and she clapped her hand over her mouth to keep from puking on the
Weyrhealer's boots.

There was no sympathy in Urlene's gaze, just a stare even as she took
a measured step back. "Down the rest. Hold your nose and just swallow
quickly. It's easier that way to let it pass over the tongue."

"No, I can't--" Reyela pushed the cup back toward the Journeyman.
"There has to be another way."

Urlene's eyes narrowed as she firmly pushed the cup back. "You drink
it as ordered or I speak to the Weyrlingmaster. This isn't a
discussion or a debate."

Reyela looked at the Weyrhealer helplessly but couldn't see an ounce
of pity on the woman's face. She looked down at the cup again even as
her gorge heaved. Then she held her nose and did her best to choke the
rest of it down.

"Good." Urlene took the cup and then handed Reyela another cup filled
with cool tea. "Here. This will help. It's got a bit of mint in there
to refresh your mouth."

Reyela grabbed at the cup even as she fought to keep the other tea
down. The Weyrhealer was clearly just as bad as the tunnelsnake that
had bitten her. She gulped down the cool mint tea and held the empty
cup out mutely as her stomach roiled.

"Two days at most," Urlene decided out loud. "Perhaps just overnight.
But we'll see. We'll keep a poultice on the bite and if it goes down
and doesn't swell, then I'll release you tomorrow afternoon. And I'm
sorry, but the tea is necessary."

The 'necessary' tea was sloshing around in her stomach in a very
unpleasant manner. "Two days?!"

"At most." Urlene countered. "I'll check on you in the morning and
examine the wound. Then, I'll make a final decision on how long your
stay in the infirmary will be."

"Oh shells," Reyela groaned. Her stomach gave an unpleasant lurch. It
was going to be a long-- no, a _very_ long night.

Last updated on the February 10th 2022

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A Long, Unpleasant Night