A Little Squeamish

Writers: AmajoS, Jane
Date Posted: 27th August 2007

Characters: Narrala, O'rian
Description: Odarian gives Narrala some stitches after a freak accident.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 5, day 18 of Turn 4

Narrala held the cloth to her hand as she entered the infirmary and glanced around for a healer. A string on her guitar had snapped while she was playing and sliced her hand. It wasn't a deep cut, but it was bleeding a lot and hurt something awful.

"Oh, dear. Blood!" Odarian said with a grin for the other Candidate. "Come through, Narrala."

The harper apprentice smiled shyly and made her way over to the healer apprentice. He wasn't much older than she, and they'd of course been in the mandatory Candidate classes leading up to the Hatching together. Narrala had tried to only attend the really important ones as her workload with the Harpers was heavy enough, and she'd grown up in the Weyr and already knew most of the basics.

"It's not serious," she quickly mentioned, feeling a little foolish. If the stupid thing would just quit bleeding she'd have bandaged it herself and kept practicing.

"Blood is one of those hints us healers use to suggest seriousness. The next one is falling down because the blood is on the outside of the person." He indicated a chair that would allow her arm to rest on a table so that he could inspect the wound. "How did it happen?"

Sitting down and laying her arm out so he could inspect her hand, Narrala explained with a blush, "My guitar string snapped while I was playing. I don't know how... I had just tuned it earlier this morning. The strings weren't too tight then and there weren't any weak spots. But as soon as I started playing a little while ago, the string just snapped and caught my hand."

"All right." Odarian carefully peeled back the cloth to eye the wound. "It doesn't look too bad, Narrala. Just bloody. Could you move your fingers for me? Open and closed to start with."

She flexed her fingers, as instructed, wincing only a little when the motion brought one of her fingers close to the cut. She really hoped she wouldn't have to get stitches. She really, really hoped.

"Looks like a few stitches will sort it out."

Narrala cringed at the prognosis, "Are you sure?"

"It'll heal better and more quickly if it is. I can get the journeyman to come and check, if you would like."

"N.. No, that's alright," Narrala stammered, feeling queasy at the idea of someone sewing up her skin. At least it was someone she knew fairly well.

"All right then. I'm going to put on a little numbweed, then wash it out, a little red- Do you want to know the details," he asked doubtfully, glancing up at and catching sight of her face.

"Not really," she replied weakly. "Just... do what you need to." She looked away, not wanting to watch.

"Ah - oh." Odarian was momentarily at a loss for something to say. Usually they talked to patients about what was being done, and why. "How is the harper things going? Is it different at the Hall?"

"A bit," Narrala smiled gratefully at the change of subject. She wasn't squeamish about blood or injuries really - unless they were hers. "It's a lot more structured. Rigourous. I'm learning so much though, which makes it worth it." She smiled, though it was a bit strained. She'd have thought that by now, things would be getting easier. And some of them were, of course. She had the hang of the classes and packed schedules now... it was some of the people she had trouble with.

"Hey, learning's good. I wonder if I should ask to move to the Hall." He felt almost apologetic that he could, as simply as that, where for Turns she hadn't been able to. The wound was clean and still numb so he prepared to stitch it. "Stay still now, Narralla, and tell me what the best thing you've learnt this sevenday is."

Utterly pleased by the question, and his manner of distracting her, she took a moment to consider her answer. "Well, we're learning a new piece of music that's really exciting. We'll be trying out for chairs to play it during the Celebration so I've been trying to learn the music as fast as possible. I'd love to make second or third chair for guitar." She'd love to, but she wasn't sure she would. Guitar wasn't her favorite instrument and now it seemed to actively be fighting against her. She couldn't imagine how that string snapped like that! It'd been fine just a few candlemarks earlier.

"What's a chair?" the healer asked without looking up from her hand.

"In an orchestra, where you sit is an indication of your skill with your instrument," Narrala explained, carefully not looking at the healer apprentice's work. "So, if there are, say, four people playing guitar in a performance, they'll be lined up. The one who plays the best will be in the first chair, the next best in the next and so on. First chairs are always senior apprentices, of course, and usually ones who're just this side of walking the Tables."

"Ahh. That's a good idea. So you always know where you stand - or sit, as the case may be?"

"That, and it's a good way to determine how your skill's have progressed and how your talent stacks up against everyone else's," Narrala answered absently as she snuck a peek at her hand. She felt both sickened and fascinated by the little stitches holding the edges of her cut together.

"I'm done, Narrala. No need to look so horrified," Odarian added, surveying his work critically and finding no fault with it. "I think I'll cover it ..."

Narrala blushed and smiled shyly, "Thank you, Odarian. I guess I'm just a little squeamish."

"That's why you're the harper and I'm the healer, I guess." He found a light bandage and wrapped it around the dressing. "There. Keep it dry, come back every day to have it checked. Won't take a moment."

"I will, thank you." Narrala replied as she watched him wrap her hand. She only hoped that it would heal quickly.

Last updated on the November 25th 2008

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

A Little Squeamish