The Hardest Job on Pern

Writers: Avery, Heather
Date Posted: 20th April 2019

Characters: Saibra, Jadirah
Description: The women exercise and catch up on motherhood topics.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 10, day 22 of Turn 9
Notes: Mentioned: A'kades, Erivana, K'yne, Anaeryth/Lanniya, Saidrene

Saibra

"What's wrong with these people who get up every morning and jog _for
fun_?" Saibra panted as she and Jadirah came to a stop, having completed
their laps for the morning. It seemed to Saibra that no matter how much
exercise she completed she wasn't seeing the successes in the mirror
that she wanted. It was true she had carried twins, but they were five
months old and she had expected to see more progress at this point.

"I don't know. My children do it," the Master Healer said, shaking her
head ruefully. "I _know_ they got it from A'kades because they didn't
get it from me."

"At least they started young. I was always fortunate growing up to be
naturally thin, so now when I actually need to exercise and lose weight
it's something that I don't enjoy." Saibra pulled the small towel from
her shoulder and wiped the perspiration from her brow and face.

"I started doing it after I had Kadera, but it's never gotten to be
something fun. It's just another chore. At least I can use it to
bludgeon patients with it, when they complain about eating better and

exercising more. I say, "if I can do it and I don't have the weight of
Pern on my shoulders, you sure can"."

Saibra didn't need anyone to talk her into exercising, what she saw in
the mirror each morning was enough motivation. That and the clothing
that she still could not fit back into. It had stung when she'd had to
have the tailors let out some of her clothes, or sew new garments that
actually fit her post-baby body.

"Any of my wingriders that I should know about?" Saibra asked as they
entered her weyr, which was blissfully warm compared to the frigid outdoors.

Two immediately came to her mind. The first, Relis of green Zehlath, had
suffered a bad burn to her left arm from still-flaming Thread that had
been missed by the wing above. "Relis is doing better. She's itchy about
only doing watch duties here at the Weyr, but I'm not sure she's up to
handling weight on that side without at least another month of physical
therapy. She should be cleared to /between/ soon. Perhaps you could
assign her watch duties or some other weight-light task - not passenger
duty," she addded, "- outside of the Weyr to keep her mind busy?"

Saibra nodded at the report, making mental note of it as she poured them
both a cup of fruit juice, something refreshing and replenishing after
their exercise. "Relis has always liked to travel," the greenrider
rarely liked to stay in one place too long, and had always been one of
Saibra's wingriders who volunteered for sweep duty. "What about
Erivana?" Saibra asked, handing Jadirah her cup and then collapsing onto
the couch with a sigh of relief. "Chioneth has heard from Seryth about
her struggle with morning sickness."

Jadirah took the cup and swallowed the cool drink. "Very good, I think
that will help her mood."

"When she and K'yne came in for her last checkup I had to prescribe some
more soothing draught for her stomach. I was wondering if she'd been
able to make it through all of her drills without further illness."

Saibra winced, "I'm afraid not. At yesterday's drills she had to stop
half-way through to get to the ground and puke. She didn't get down in
time to avoid getting it on herself and Seryth, however."

Jadirah made a sympathetic noise. "Maybe I'll drop by her weyr this
evening to check in. She seems to be having a hard time with this
pregnancy. Though at least she's not bearing it alone. The father's come
to the appointments with her, seemed pleased to listen to the heartbeat."

"I imagine he does seem pleased. K'yne has always wanted to be a father,
for as long as I've known him," which was a long time, to say the least.
"Does Erivana seem comfortable having him there?" Saibra asked.
"She seemed fairly reliant on him during the exam, holding his hand, and
they were both entranced by the heartbeat. They seemed to be closer than
I expected for a flight pregnancy."

"Did they really? That's a little...surprising." One because she knew
K'yne, but two... "Erivana seemed very nervous about telling him she was
pregnant in the beginning since they didn't know each other outside of
Seryth's flight."

"He's older and seems very steady. Perhaps she finds it comforting,"
Jadirah suggested.

"He is very steady," Saibra commented, brows furrowing a bit. Was that a
tinge of jealousy she felt? That was something she didn't want to touch,
so she shoved it aside. "I'm glad Erivana has someone to support her."

"Her mother's not helping as much as she thinks she is. I gather
Eridhiya's holdbred and thus thinks Erivana should be delighted about
the chance to be a mother and a dragonrider, and is treating her
daughter's complaints about unfortunate parts of the pregnancy as her
being childish. So it's good that someone's backing her up."

If they weren't discussing a patient of hers, Jadirah wouldn't have said
it. Criticizing one of the Weyr's Master dragonhealers and someone she
knew Saibra worked with, right to Saibra, wasn't in good taste. But she
thought it was relevant information, given what she'd heard from the girl.

"Ah, Eridhiya," Saibra sighed a little and shook her head at the mention
of the dragonhealer. "Yes, she's been waxing poetic about having a
grandchild when we're in the infirmary together. She does strike me as
the suffocating type," Saibra turned her head and winked at Jadirah,
"but you didn't hear that from me."

Jadirah laughed at that. "Sometimes I wonder how holdbred types who care
so much about children ever actually Impress dragons, but I never made
it there myself, so what do I know?"

"The dragons know, as they say." Saibra shrugged, she had long ago given
up on trying to understand the choices of dragons.

"They do know a lot." Jadirah fell silent for a moment, wondering how
Saibra was feeling after the Hatching's tragic moment. "My daughter's
thinking about Standing. I'm a little surprised by it, to be honest.
She's always said she never cared about it before. She hasn't spoken to
you yet, has she?"

The Weyrwoman's eyebrows lifted a little in surprise. "No, I haven't
heard from her. If the cycles hold true, Anaeryth should be the next to
rise so that would be her next opportunity here if she's serious about it."

"Perhaps I'm an overprotective mother, but I'm hoping she doesn't Stand.
I know I can't stop her from it, it's her life, but I have enough people
I worry about seeing up there." She bit her lip.

"Is it harder for you that Saidrene flies Threadfalls elsewhere?" she
asked, after a moment.

"No, I actually think it is better. I just live in this world of - 'oh
she's fine over there' and since I'm not in the skies at the same time
she is to monitor that, then I just let it go." Although the deaths of
the two young riders at Dragonsfall had certainly made her more anxious
to check on Saidrene the next day.

Jadirah nodded. "I can see how that would be a certain kind of advantage."

"That's a mother's lot in life, I'm afraid. To be constantly worried
about her children." Saibra admitted, knowing that Jadirah would empathize.

"That's why I'd rather keep mine on the ground, selfish as it might be.
But if she asks you, then I'll be there to wish her well. It's the best
I can do." She paused, then said, "And how are _yours_?"

"Well, Kaibren has decided that he wants to Stand at the next Hatching,"
Saibra's eyebrows lifted. It was hard to imagine Kaibren old enough to
Stand, he had been her baby for so long, before the twins.

"Well, I suppose at least if Kadera Impresses then they'll be together.
Do you want him to Impress one of Chioneth's in particular?"

"Not particularly, I actually think I would like him to Impress from
someone else's clutch, then I might be able to enjoy the moment more."
Saibra confessed.

"Nothing to do but cheer?"

"That's right." Saibra lifted her mug of juice, "A toast to motherhood.
The hardest job on Pern."

"To motherhood," Jadirah agreed.

Last updated on the April 26th 2019

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