Worries in Heat (Kalierre)

[kysseh]

Waddle. Waddle. Waddle. Waddle.

“What’re you lookin’ at?”

The growl should have been enough to send the man scampering, but the glare that Aliscia sent behind it really left no doubts as to her current mood. The crafter took one look at the round little woman and wisely decided that the best option was retreat, making himself scarce such that the greenrider now had the hallway to herself. The stone of the hallways should have made them cooler in the early morning, but somehow, the heat was still stifling. It was never this warm up north. the greenrider groused in the direction of her dragon, resting a hand on the stone wall for balance as she ambled along the seemingly endless maze of hallways. She resented the heat… and her body.

The infirmary doorway finally made itself known in her line of sight, and she sighed with relief that quickly turned to exasperation the moment she was through the doorway and inside. Oh, so now she had to find the weyr dragonhealer in all of this organized chaos? She had half a mind to turn right around and head back to her weyr to strip naked and put her feet up in order to cool off and relax, but a twinge in her distended abdomen provided a timely reminder as to the necessity of her visit. Shardblast her weyrmate, talking her into this. Or just suggesting it really, but when he wore a worried look, it was hard to say ‘no.’ Impossible, really.

The greenrider spied a person in apprentice knots and gracelessly waddled their way, wishing she could have put on a little weight in somewhere besides her abdomen. She was not nearly at the size she attained with the twins, but she had two months yet and felt like she was walking with a dragon egg sitting in her pelvis. Her hand extended to tap the apprentice on the shoulder to get their attention. “Where’s the- oh, never mind. Just walk right past me. I’m not here,” she huffed in irritation as the person kept right on going in the same direction without pause. Good eyes has. Smart. Snot muttered sarcastically about the apprentice, perched on Aliscia’s shoulder with her tail wrapped loosely about the woman’s neck for balance. “Yeah, you said it, Snot.”

Giving up on the main part of the infirmary, the greenrider began to peek into open doors. Patients and storerooms were fascinating, but she needed the weyrdragonhealer… ah! “You’re a hard woman to find,” Aliscia commented to the office’s inhabitant. “My weyrmate suggested I see someone, and ahhh… well, Asharra isn’t… all that… accessible.” Now the greenrider felt foolish and just a bit guilty for bothering Kalierre. They were not friends or even acquaintances, but Aliscia knew about the weyrdragonhealer’s miscarriage. Who didn’t know? “I just… am getting a little worried,” she confessed, the scarred half of her face twitching in a grimace. “If you’re busy, I can come back… no, that’d be a lie. Do you have time to make sure I’m not going to explode here?” If the rushed nature of her speech wasn’t indicative of Aliscia’s nerves, then her ungainly fidgeting certainly was. She didn’t want to be told that something was wrong. Everything was just perfect.

[Requiem]

Kalierre barely even glanced up from Ninnian's most recent letter, though the self-satisfied half-grin on her face had faded to something that looked distinctly like she was barely tolerating the other woman's presence. Which was true enough. The Weyrdragonhealer - sad to say - was predisposed to dislike S'rei's weyrmates. He had terrible taste. First choosing to be dominated and humiliated by Sage - it was humiliation even if he'd been too young or too naive to see it that way - then that ridiculous little goldrider girl child that had messed him up in the head enough that he'd gotten himself sick. Why should she believe the newest addition to his lineup of terrible choices would be any better than the first two?

"Only office in the infirmary," she commented flatly. How difficult was it exactly to find the Weyrdragonhealer? First impression...stupid little thing, wasn't she? Finally putting the letter down, she allowed her attention to focus fully on Aliscia, a brow rising as a quirk twisted her lips. It was...surprisingly strange how much just looking at S'rei's pregnant weyrmate made her want to throw something. Any feelings Kalierre might once have had for the bronzerider were long dead, but there was just something inherently unfair about his having another child on the way. Most likely he didn't even want another. He had four already. (One was a nephew, but why quibble; he treated him like a son, just the same.) Silly to think of it as Aliscia flaunting their good fortune, but honestly, why didn't she go to someone else? She was friends with Savitri, and it was Asharra's specialty. Weyrdragonhealer, hello. She dealt with dragons, not extremely pregnant greenriders that didn't know the concept of birth control.

(Okay, maybe just a little bitter.)

Watching the woman fidget made her almost inclined to simply stare and see if that made her any more nervous. Instead, she just kind of smirked slightly. "You're pregnant." Shmee had come with her myriad of symptoms, completely ignorant about her condition and then arguing with Kalierre about it. The comment amused Kalierre, anyway, even if it would likely go completely over Aliscia's head. "Asharra's the expert," she added, "and my office isn't a good place to examine anyone, despite what the Selenitas population seems to think. Shifts are listed on the roster, but she works nights. As far as I know she hasn't missed any shifts. Why did you come to me, anyway?"

Levering herself out of her chair, the woman took up her cane and briskly walked out the door to the next room over. Get this overwith, get her out of here before she threw a fit and saw how well Aliscia's nose held up against a bowl of disinfectant. The only reason she didn't send her packing to come see Asharra later was the mention of being worried, and Kalierre was a healer foremost. Aliscia had been pregnant before, so it wouldn't be a first-time ignorance thing. Maybe. "All right, what're you worried about?" She didn't want some random complication killing the greenrider or rejecting the baby on her conscience, so she'd at least make a cursory examination and then probably refer her to Asharra. Blasted greenrider.

[kysseh]

It took roughly half a heartbeat after Kalierre’s statement for Aliscia to establish that the weyrdragonhealer probably hated her. Under normal circumstances and with nearly anyone else, the greenrider would probably have preened and encouraged the person to dislike her, simply out of force of habit. It was easier to make people think you were impervious to damage and thoroughly untouchable. That made them less likely to try to hurt you. But… she needed Kalierre’s help, and angering a healer was never wise. Adding that to the fact that she was leaning on the doorframe to take some of the weight off her tiny (if bulgy) frame, she just didn’t have the energy to fight. Later, perhaps.

The healer’s suddenly declaration that Aliscia was pregnant was slightly surprising, but the woman simply blinked in response. Wasn’t that… obvious? To everyone, no less? It didn’t take a great mind or observant eye to note that a small and otherwise fit and trim greenrider was hefty in the midsection. Reasons for that anomaly were limited, at best. She initially expected to simply be pointed out the door, given the woman’s attitude, so her surprise was probably briefly apparent as Kalierre got to her feet and walked past her and towards the next room. She followed, if only by instinct.

“Seen Asharra on a few nights. Talked to and been examined by the midwives. Savitri does her best, but she’s not as experienced. I mentioned contractions to my weyrmate, and he commented that I should… probably come see you.” Her tone could have been exasperated or frustrated if she had put the effort into it. Instead, it was merely… tired. Two months to go, she figured, and she already looked and felt ready to explode in all directions. It was only a small fact that she was far from the size she had attained while carrying the twins. She felt ready, and a quick and not so subtle look past her protruding abdomen and towards her ankles confirmed her suspicions on that count. Sharding water retention.

She would have given anything for a chair at that moment and instead distracted herself by rubbing Snot’s back, waiting with some patience for the healer’s question. And… ah, there it was. “Exhaustion and fatigue, more than I remember from last time. Feel like I need twice the amount of sleep and ten times the amount of rest. Ankles are swelling up… a lot, even if I keep my feet up while I’m sitting down. The heat isn’t… really helping that. Mostly, though, it’s the contractions. They don’t… hurt so much as they’re uncomfortable. A little tight, maybe,” she stated quietly, shifting her weight lightly from foot to foot to avoid prolonged pressure on one foot or the other. “Happening a few times a day now, though they usually go away if I lay down and rest for awhile. If I was due in two sevendays, then I wouldn’t be as concerned, but I have two months. I can’t get anything done, and even last time… it just wasn’t like this, and I delivered almost a month early, then.” She would have felt almost foolish for worrying were it not for another twinge in her belly that sent a shiver straight through her body. One hand pressed to the offending spot. Didn’t seem quite so silly to be worried anymore.

[Requiem]

She'd seen Asharra? That earned Aliscia a sharp glance. What could she possibly have wrong with her that Asharra wouldn't catch? Or the midwives, for that matter. Strange as it was to admit, in terms of pregnancy most of those women knew more than Kalierre did. She knew the basics - book knowledge. Her actual practical experience was pretty minimal because her training had always been needed for less...common...occurrences. "I seriously doubt that," she muttered at Aliscia's comment that her weyrmate had suggested she come. S'rei wasn't so overprotective he'd insist she go see every healer if Asharra came up with nil. Although, that he'd asked at all was something of an attention-grabber. The bronzerider wasn't one to worry needlessly - or, she ammended, express needless worry.

"Aliscia, isn't it? Don't be silly...come sit down on the examining table. I didn't bring you in here for my health." There was an element of sharpness to her words but, despite what the other greenrider might think, it was actually due to the circumstances of the woman's condition and had nothing to do with her own personal feelings at the moment. Much as she might resent S'rei at times, she didn't actually wish for any harm to his weyrmate or their child. That was too heartless for Kalierre, too bitter, and she had her own weyrmate now. S'rei wasn't worth that sort of hatred.

The dragonhealer had to wonder, however. If she'd really come to Asharra with these symptoms she was describing, why hadn't the other healer said anything to her? They weren't normal. In fact, the weyrdragonhealer thought she might have an idea what it was. Normally you wouldn't see it in someone of Aliscia's physical condition, but stress could also play a factor, and what was more stressful than carrying the Weyrleader's child in a time of war? Hm. Questions first though, just to make sure.

"Okay, I need you to answer me as detailed as you possibly can. Do you get headaches, and if so, what type and for how long? Where does it hurt in your abdomen? Hormones always effect behavior, but do you feel more...restless and upset than you did with your earlier pregnancies, on average? Have you noticed any difference in how frequently or how much you urinate? Do you experience nausea or vomitting? Do you experience light sensitivity, blurring, or any other vision changes?"

[kysseh]

Yeeees, it seemed the other woman disliked her immensely. Bother. She should have waited until that night to track down Asharra again, but S’rei had said to talk to Kalierre. He had, strange as it seemed. That or… perhaps she was losing her mind along with control over her balance and energy levels. How inconvenient. Because she was disinclined to start a fight at the moment, she chose to not respond to the look or the muttering, the majority of which she couldn’t hear anyway. Only when Kalierre referred to her by name did Aliscia respond, padding over to the table and levering herself into a sitting position on it. It took work to not sigh too loudly in relief, but she was sure the healer could hear it. Her ankles were happier now.

Fixer so nice. Snot murmured privately to Aliscia, pressing against Hers’ neck and watching Kalierre with suspicious eyes. Sarcasm was something that the green salamandyr had mastered. Smart fixer fix and make better. Make bad feelings g’way. The little beast’s concern was genuine, even if she was… well… being difficult about it. Snot was excellent at having a bad attitude.

Aliscia happily ignored Snot’s mumblings, somewhat grateful for the healer’s sharp edge. It rankled her to the core to be cosseted and coddled and patronized, and Kalierre, apparently, did none of that. Well, fine. Let the healer hate her, then. It made Aliscia feel better to know there would be no cooing and patting. The questions hit her hard, fast, and long, though, and she took a brief second to absorb, closing her eyes to allow her brain the time to process. The child inside her took the opportunity to wiggle about and kick, and she rubbed the new sore spot. Brat. Must’ve inherited that from her… his?... father.

“No change in urination. More than when I’m not pregnant but no more than I remember from last time,” she said honestly, opening her near-gold eyes and tilting her chin up to watch the healer’s face with some curiosity. Specific questions… hoping for certain answers, she hazarded. Good. The sooner there was an answer, the sooner there was a fix. “No light sensitivity or vision things except when I have a headache. Headaches are sort of… I don’t know… once or twice a sevenday, maybe? They sort of throb in my head and behind my eyes. Light and sound make them worse, but they’re not… terrible. Uncomfortable and annoying, but I can still mostly function. They tend to go away within a few candlemarks or once I get a good nap. No nausea or vomiting since early term.”

What had the rest of the questions been? She rubbed her free hand over her eyes. Faranth blast it, but she needed a new brain. Pregnancy was murdering her current one. “Err… more… restless, I suppose. I’m not a sedentary person, so it’s kind of strange to be exhausted and still feel like I’m going stir-crazy just… lying around. Feel more… needy.” A look of annoyance and no small amount of guilt crossed her face at that admission. Poor S’rei. She frequently wished she could remain her independent self and not feel the need to hide beneath his arm half the time. “I… oh. My ribs are a little… sore, but that happened last time too. Kind of… stretched out. No torso, you know. The contractions are more like twinges and shivers, and they’re down lower. The other sore spots are mostly just from getting kicked repeatedly.”

An odd look crossed over her face, her eyes searching to meet the healer’s gaze and fighting but failing to display her concern. “What else do you need to know?” And please let it be nothing serious…

[Requiem]

The dragonhealer didn't say anything for a long time, though she felt the tension knotting in her muscles fading. Yeah, it was probably that, but from Aliscia's description it was still in its infantile stages. The child was way too early to try to make her deliver now. Lungs formed last. There was almost no hope for a child this premature. So it was a relief, really, and she instead made a show of looking Aliscia over while she searched for the words. Kalierre could just come out and say it, go all technical and scare her, but what was the point? There wasn't one. There was really not much the healers could do until she delivered.

"Well, I don't think you have a problem, really...just you're a bit older to be having a child. It's not as easy on your body as it would be for one of these teenagers or someone in their early twenties. You're going to need to watch your diet more, cut out a lot of the red meat and breads and try to make sure you're getting a lot of greens and leaner proteins. Nuts. Make sure you push the calcium, too, but lots and lots of water. Flood your system. I want your exercise for the day to be you running to and from the chamberpot, I'm not kidding. If you're hungry, eat, just keep the food healthy. If you're tired, sleep. Anything that adds stress to your life, get rid of it unless it's absolutely necessary. I know your weyrmate's a workaholic, but if you tell him that you're supposed to be resting, he should care enough to come home at a reasonable hour or even conduct his business - what he can - from your weyr."

Brushing aside a bit of hair, she smiled wearily at the woman. "It's not a problem, Aliscia. There are...signs...that there could be a problem in the future, but considering how mild they are and how late they're manifesting, if you just take care of yourself now I don't think it should effect you or your baby too badly. As I said, it's harder on older women. You're just going to have to put up with the restlessness, though; strenuous activity is not good for you right now. I want you walking, getting some air, for small distances at a time and nothing more. Understand?"

[kysseh]

The healer’s initial silence and study of her made Aliscia reconsider her decision to come for a look-over. Maybe she was simply being paranoid and there was nothing wrong, but her weyrmate’s concern had motivated her. He had better and more important things to worry about than a stubborn and frail weyrmate, much as using any word synonymous with ‘delicate’ to describe herself made the greenrider want to twitch something awful.

The sudden onslaught of instructions was initially startling, but she recovered from her surprise to watch the other woman’s face, near-gold eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly in concentration. Healthy foods, lots of water, no stress or strenuous exercise… or else the baby-

She was fairly certain that the flare of distress she felt was clearly visible on her face for a moment, but eventually, her head nodded in agreement. Yes, she understood. Terrible, she was, at sitting still, but for the sake of her child? Anything. “I understand. I’ll ask the candidatemaster if I can borrow one or two of his students to help me bathe Tanith,” she said quietly, somewhat subdued by the thought of activity hurting her unborn child. S’rei would probably be spending less time in their weyr now, she thought grimly. Sitting idle tended to make her… temperamental and moody, at best. At least having help with Tanith would help take some of the stress off her tired body. No more children after this, she silently promised her aching back and swollen ankles. No more, no more.

“Thank you,” she added simply, genuinely grateful for Kalierre’s time. The verdict was not as good as she had hoped but was far better than she had feared. That was something she could handle, even if she was probably going to spend the next two months driving her weyrmate to madness.

Thinking of her weyrmate did bring something else of minor importance to mind, and she paused, unsure how to delicately phrase the query. Kalierre would probably not want to think of or answer the question, but there was nothing for it. It was the only exercise (of sorts) that was even registering briefly on Aliscia's mind for the next two months. “Strenuous activity… does… hmm. Should we cut out the bedplay?” There it was, blunt and simple.. She had a feeling the answer would be yes, though she did hold out some hope that a little personal activity would be all right. “We’re always careful, but if it’s going to be too much…”

[Requiem]

Thank you. She nodded to that, gathering her cane up and satisfied that the greenrider would do as asked, if only for her baby's sake. She'd seen that brief thrill of fear in her eyes and that was enough assurance for Kalierre. Having been pregnant, she knew all too well how distressing the thought of losing a baby could be - though certainly not as distressing as actually losing it. Hrm. Good then. This was done with, and she could get back to reading of the reaction in Healer Hall to Fort's attack on High Reaches and Selenitas and, more specifically, the Selenitas healers. That was far more interesting to her than taking care of S'rei's pregnant weyrmate. Most definitely.

She faltered on her way out the door, however, turning back slowly to fix Aliscia with an incredulous look. Had she just...asked...what Kalierre thought she'd asked? (True, it was probably an honest enough question, given the dragonhealer had just told her not to do anything active aside from walking. But she had a hard time believing that S'rei hadn't told Aliscia about them, if only because he would likely want to keep Aliscia from stepping into any awkward situations with Kalierre. She was likely to have some contact with every dragonrider in this weyr eventually, after all.)

Swallowing, she attempted to stop the glare, though she wasn't entirely successful. No, she didn't want S'rei. At all. But that didn't change that every single woman he was with was just a reminder that he hadn't wanted her, and Kalierre was a prideful woman; that hurt. The last thing she wanted was to be talking about his sex life. "That's up to you. Will it hurt you? Probably not as long as you're not too vigorous." The words were a touch clipped, but all in all she thought she'd done a relatively good job about not...biting Aliscia's head off. "Do you have any other questions?" Faranth, she hoped not.