Asharra's Infirmary [now closed]

[archenstone]

Asharra looks around with a critical eye. Finally satisfied as to where everything was she sat down on the rocker. Her own little infirmary for the hold was set up. She had a nice area of beds with shelving nearby for common supplies. There was very little in th middle of the room. To the left where a few seats for people uninjured to visit with recovering family members. Fortunately not many people where ever injured or sick to the point that they couldn't be home but she always liked having a couple beds handy. Next to her rocker was a small fireplace and another shelf with surgical items.

Her new infirmary included a side room she used for storage. There she kept bulk supply in herbs, poultices, and various other supplies. However she kept everything in tidy places with labels of what went where. It had its own glow by the door.

There was also a back room with a cot for her in case she ever needed to sleep here instead of in her home. It was in this room she kept a locked cupboard of monitored items. There where also some of the few books she kept through her travels and a bottle of spiced massage oil.

As she rocked on her chair she realized there wasn't much decor. It could use a little warming up She thought. She gave herself a mental note to find something nice in here. Soon she would be looking for potential apprentices. It would be good to have a few extra people here....especially for midwifery. It seemed she was always being called out for birth.

[neeuqtar]

"So does the space work well for you, Master Asharra?" Rocest asked, coming and leaning against the doorway. The new infirmary area had been carved out long ago, originally as a Creche, before a more central position was decided for the children's play area. And the Hold's infirmary had been far too small--this infirmary, with the new Healer, would be far superior to the poorly-run single room the Hold had previously relied on.

"If you need anything else, of course you may request it. I am sure you will want some form of aid eventually, but if you are willing to take apprentices, I'm sure that there are children in the Hold who would be willing to help. Even if not, I expect all of my children to learn basic first aid, and the women to learn emergency healing for Threadfall or battles. Rin will probably be the most trouble, but she may decide healercraft is worthwhile." He shook his head. "She's something of a wild girl, I'm afraid."

[archenstone]

Asharra smiled and stood up. "This place is just right. I couldn't ask for anything better." She replied. She walked over so that she wouldn't be speaking across the room at him.

"It will be a pleasurable responsibility I assure you Lord Holder. I enjoy teaching." She said, "It's good for everyone to learn basic measures and care. You're daughter is welcome to come here anytime. I'm sure she won't be too much trouble at all." She mentally went over the inventory in her mind. For now she had plenty of everything. It felt nice not to worry about supplies like she had in Light Tower Hold.

[dragon]

Creeping about the place almost like she didn't belong there, Crevy was exploring. She spent so little time in the hold proper that it was almost like getting to visit another hold that was not actually supposedly her home. And everything changed so quickly!

Crevesk was sleeping ... for it was daylight at the moment. And all things considered, Crevy ought to have been sleeping too. But being back at the hold for a change was something that she could not resist. Time to go explore, time to meet some people! And she had dressed up for the occassion too. None of those drab clothes she wore while out in the field. She had on some exquizitely bright fine-material clothes. A large, ruffled skirt and a billowy long-sleeved blouse was what she was wearing, atop bright green slippers.

She spotted the Lord Holder, and paused in her walk. Hm. Should she go down there? She probably shouldn't bother him while he was most likely on official business. No matter what she was doing. Though what was in there that had his attention piqued her curiousity. Wasn't that the creche?

[archenstone]

~~~I'm rping a new day since the thread died~~~

Asharra was checking her inventory. Within just a couple months she had seen somewhere between 10-18 kids born. Can't people resist recreational pleasures? She sighed at her thought. The hold was certainly blessed. Many new babies and hardly any other work. The occasional cough or scraped knee was about all she saw these days. Perhaps the Master Healer sent her here as retirement?

I could still work with best at any hold.She thought to herself. This wasn't retirement. Yet she noticed she kept getting stationed closer and closer the the weyr as 'the need arose'. Well hopefully she would stay here awhile.

As she reached the back of her store room she noticed that herbs for cramp easement where low... I haven't had that many women here.... As she checked over some other items she saw they where in lower stock than she expected. That's not good.

[dragon]

A rattling and banging sounded from the front of the infirmarry. The sound was created by Crevy, tripping over a bucket on the floor that she hadn't seen, as she entered the place. She really wasn't technically supposed to be in the Hold, much less the infirmary. She technically was supposed to be in the Wherden, with Crevesk. But... well ...

The last time she and her wher had gone out, Crevy had managed to get a thorn in her foot. And ... well ... it hadn't been extracted yet. And it was starting to hurt like all dragonfires. So Crevy had decided that she had better go to the infirmary, instead, and see if the Healer could do anything about it. Rather than wait for it to work itself back out, like she sometimes did with splinters.

But then ... splinters usually didn't punch through her shoe and into her heel, either. Being out at dark was horrible about that ... the footing was anyone's guess. And being forced to walk on it ... it was only getting driven deeper in. And Crevy really really didn't want the thing to infect, and get worse. That would be very bad.

Because it was light out, Crevesk herself was asleep in the dens, though the wher was actually somewhat aware of Crevy having left to go to the Infirmary.

[archenstone]

Asharra poked her head out of the store room and saw a young woman bumbling her way in. Who put a bucket by my door? Do these people want some one dead before the reach the infirmary? She stepped out and closed the store room behind her. The mystery herb disappearance would have to wait.

"Hello, I'm Asharra." She walks over to Crevesk then stops, thinking. "Oh! ...I met you on the road some time back....Crevy...right?" She wasn't sure if she remembered the name right but was certain this was the girl from that night. "How can I help you today?"

[dragon]

Crevy smiled wanly at her. "Yes, hi, Asharra. Yeah ... that was me." She tried for a happier smile, but failed horribly. "I kinda ... I have a huge honking thorn in my heel, and I can't get it out." She explained, pointing at the foot that she wasn't putting her full weight onto.

"I was hoping you could help me get it out." She admitted.

[archenstone]

Asharra glanced down then up. "Sure! Just come set here. I'll get the numbweed and we'll see if we need anything else from there." She gave Crevy time to sit before instructing the girl to remove her shoe. She could see that the heel had a neat hole.

She pulled over a stool and sat on it. Guiding the girl's foot up to where she could see. Her blue eyes widened slightly as she saw the thorn dug in to the heel. "My my...Crevy, you're lucky its not later in the year or this thorn could have had a barb too. These things can be nasty. I can get to it for you. I'll just get some numbweed and mosstea." She stood up to get the items.

[dragon]

Crevy nodded, slightly, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. She nibbled on it a little bit, and then stopped, letting it go back to where it belonged as she watched the Healer move about the infirmary, gathering things.

A barb ... Crevy couldn't even see the thing to tell what type of thorn it was. A seasonal barb? She couldn't think of any plant that did that. But right now, that was beside the point ... her naked foot was propped up on the end of the cot, and there was fixing to be someone digging around in her heel.

Even with numbweed, that was a thought to set the nerves to cringing, and the pulse to racing.

No! Don't think like that. You won't feel a thing... At least, that was what Crevy tried to convince herself. She was the type who loved frilly things, pretty things ... flouncy clothing, sparkly jewelry. Dancing under the stars.

No, pain was not up her alley! She didn't like pain. It was a good thing that Crevesk was still asleep ... or the wher might have been taking down walls to get to her handler who was busy stressing out and fretting ... over nothing.

The Healer hadn't even touched her foot yet.

How rediculous could a girl get? Suck it up, Crevy! She told herself. Taking a deep breath, she turned her attention back to Asharra. "Will it be difficult to get out?" She asked, with genuine concern.

She'd walked on it some ... and she knew that hadn't been good. But what could she have done? Driving the thing deeper into her heel hadn't been in her plans. It just ... happened.

[archenstone]

Asharra smiled warmly at Crevy. Whers weren't much like dragons where they? Well even if they where Asharra liked the young woman. She found her to be like any other young person and respectful too. To Asharra that was a big plus. She noticed the girl seemed tensed and wondered if shes need a relaxant. Surely not for a little thorn! Then again...the girl might be afraid that the thorn would be painful to extract as it was to walk on!

At Crevys question Asharra returned with the materials and a moist cloth. "Not a bit," Asharra reassured her, "You will feel pressure as I work on it...but it won't be painful." Asharra noticed the girl was still nervous. "Just try to to relax while I do this. Try to focus on breathing through your nose and out your mouth...it can help you stay calm." She suggested. Moving her stool so she could get the foot she took the warm moist cloth and gently cleaned off Crevy's heel...avoiding direct contact with the sore spot.

"Okay Crevy, I'm going to apply the numbweed now. You may feel a momentary discomfort as my finger touches the spot." Asharra took a drop on numbweed and gently spread it on her heel. As soon as she knew the pain was gone she took up a sterilized scalpel and made a small incision across the surface. "I'm glad you didn't wait any longer though, thorns infect the skin easily. It looks like I won't have to make and additional cuts but I'm going to give you some bandaging to wrap your foot in. You will have to keep this very clean to prevent infection from setting in." She was really close though...the skin is already inflamed. Taking a set of tweezers she gets a firm grip on the edge and pulls it out. "I don't know how you walked on this." She said, looking at the 1.5cm thorn. She sets it on a piece of cloth then cleans the wound, looking for any splinters. Once satified she packs it with mosstea and wraps a bandage around the heel and ankle to keep it snug. "There you go. You will only need the mosstea for the next day. After that you will want to keep the heel wrapped until you see the skin has healed. It should stop hurting in about three days. Now...lets see if this is from the kind of plant I was thinking about." With Crevy's heel wrapped up Asharra stood and took her things to a sink. She rinsed the thorn and looked at it. Sure enough, there was a bump in the tip where a barb would have emerged.

"If you'd like Crevy, I can show you what the plant looks like so you can avoid it in the future." Asharra offered.

[dragon]

Crevy closed her eyes as Asharra worked, not wanting to see what was going on, and thus keeping herself from anticipating anything happening. Numbweed was a wonderful thing, and she didn't feel anything of the initial area. But she did feel a strange pulling sensation from deeper inside her heel as the thorn was extracted.

She let out a gust of breath. "That was weird feeling." She admitted, finally, before peeking at the object that had just been extracted from her foot. "That? Golly! As big as that looks, it felt three times that size! I'm glad you managed to get it out. For the life of me, I couldn't reach it." Crevy admitted.

She nodded, listening intently to the instructions, as she considered the bandaging on her foot. "I'm not going to be able to walk right, like this, for a few days, am I?" She asked. She looked up at Asharra then, and her eyebrows peaked together for a moment, before she looked at her foot again.

"I'd love to see the plant, honestly ... but it won't do me much good. It's awful dark most nights, you know ... and I still have to get around." Crevy explained. When a girl couldn't see well, she simply couldn't see well. And that tended to lead to stepping on unpleasant things. Thankfully for the majority of thier travels across the area, Crevesk did not object to her handler sitting on her shoulders for the trip.

Getting to her good foot, Crevy hobble-hop-walked over to the sink to look more closely at the thorn. "Ugly bugger." She commented.

[archenstone]

Time in the Hold's infirmary had been very quiet. In reality it almost seemed like retirement. Asharra was starting to wonder if that was the Master Healer's plan for her....retirement. Surely she wasn't as old as all that? Monotony was broken as a runner came with a message. She tipped the girl and sat in a favorite rocker to read.

Greetings Healer Asharra,

From what I hear you have had an easy time at Selenita's hold. I have a feeling you will come to appreciate the time you have had because I need to send you to a place far more in need of your services. Forgive me if I am frank, but I have not time for pleasantries right now. These are orders to send you to Selenita's Weyr.

I already understand you have reason to dislike the Weyr's so don't think to stall by writing back. I have a feeling that you will be surprised by these people. After all, a healer is meant to help all. I think this new assignment will do you much good. Relax my friend, things are not always what they seem. The Weyr has been having trouble with poisons and you have particular skill in herbal remedies and knowledge of such things. You need to be there. Please arrange travels as soon as possible.

Master Healer of Pern
*Official stamp here*


Asharra sighed and tried to hide the frustration she held. Could he have possibly given her a worse assignment? Then again...it's not Benden Weyr... she stood up to pack some belongings. She wondered what kind of reception she would meet at the Weyr.