Bad Patient

Writers: Estelle, Devin
Date Posted: 20th February 2024

Characters: M'gan, N'vanik
Description: N'vanik visits an injured M'gan
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 1, day 19 of Turn 11
Notes: Mentioned: K'deren, K'sedel, A'kades

N'vanik

The Weyrleader poked his head in. "Hey, how are you doing?"

M'gan glanced up, then tried to sit up straighter and winced. "Ow." He
managed to choke back a curse. "I've been better."

"Well, you're alive. And you'll fly again," N'vanik said as moved
closer to the bed. Not everyone had been so lucky, but that was the
unfortunate reality of living through a Pass.

"There is that," M'gan admitted. "I'm just glad it didn't touch
Isarth. I feel like an idiot, though. Should have ducked faster."

"Much as we try our best, we're only human, and the weather was
sharding terrible today." N'vanik had a very long list of "should
haves" himself, but he tried to put those thoughts aside. Drowning in
regret wasn't going to fix anything.

"It was. I ought to be used to bad weather after all those Turns at
High Reaches, but at least there when it got really bad, it would
freeze the Thread to dust. Too warm here." He put the wing report
aside. "Did your Wing make it through all right?" He'd have known if
they'd lost anyone, but he knew he wasn't the only one to end up in
the infirmary.

"Mostly." N'vanik had a few wingmates to check on later. "We all had a
rough time of it. Sometimes we get enough rain to drown the Thread,
and sometimes we get the wind without enough rain."

"Let's hope it clears up for the next Fall." M'gan sighed. "Though
according to the healers, I'll have to sit that one out. I tried to
argue, but...well, you can imagine." He made a face.

N'vanik chuckled. "Well, they're just doing their jobs. And I'd rather
have you at your best." There were enough pairs out with injury that
they might be a little short next Fall, but N'vanik would worry about
that later.

"I wish they'd let me get back to doing _my_ job," M'gan grumbled,
though he supposed he'd say the same to any of his wingriders who
protested healer's orders. "At least the parts of it that can't be
done from an infirmary bed. Until then, I think K'deren is more than
capable of leading the Wing into Fall."

The Weyrleader nodded. "He's done it many times before." N'vanik was
glad M'gan had kept him on when he was promoted to Wingleader.

"Probably knows the drill much better than I do," M'gan said
cheerfully. He'd relied on an experienced Wingsecond many a time since
he'd made it to leadership.

N'vanik nodded again. "I'm guessing you're the sort that can't just
relax and recover. Need to be doing some part of your duties?"

"It's not that I don't like relaxing, just not all day, when there's
Thread to be fought, and work to be done." His eyes narrowed. "It
sounds like you've got something in mind?" Though he acted suspicious,
at this point M'gan would have read through a stack of dusty Records
as tall as he was if it took his mind off being in the Infirmary.

"Maybe we can get one of the young weyrlingstaff to fetch and carry
for you," N'vanik suggested. "A bronze or brownrider. Make him feel
important, give him a taste of what leadership is like."

"Are you sure you want to subject a young rider to that duty?" M'gan
grinned. "I'm told I'm not an ideal patient, and my temper can get
rather sore when I'm stuck in bed."

"Maybe he'll learn to handle prickly bronzeriders." N'vanik gave him
an arch smile. "And maybe you'll be nicer to a poor, impressionable
kid."

"Not a chance. If he's poor and impressionable, he'd have no business
leading a Wing," M'gan retorted. "Far more useful to give him practice
at dealing with difficult individuals."

N'vanik snorted. "Well I can't deny that logic. I'll send a note to
K'sedel and see who he thinks is up for it." Even with the danger of
Thread, some young riders felt left out when they weren't old enough
for the fighting Wings. This would give one of the kids something else
to focus on for a while.

"Thanks. I appreciate it. I didn't want to sit in here or my weyr for
sevendays, of no use to anyone," M'gan said ruefully. "This will at
least help me keep in touch with my Wing."

"Afraid they'll forget you while you're gone?"

"I'm more concerned their memories of me will soften, after all my
hard work building a reputation as an implacable tyrant."

N'vanik laughed while he shook his head. "You have some sad priorities."

M'gan just grinned. "Everyone has their own way of leading a Wing. If
you want to be tender-hearted and let your wingriders get away with
whatever they please, that's up to you."

"There's some middle ground there, you know," The Weyrleader said with
a raised eyebrow. He knew M'gan was joking, but it made N'vanik think
about how he never wanted to be the kind of leader he'd hated. He
absolutely did lose his temper and sometimes ripped his riders a new
one, but he wasn't a strict disciplinarian. Better to encourage people
to do their best and care about the Wing and the Weyr than make them
feel like they were being ground under his boot.

"Ah, I'm teasing you, Weyrleader," M'gan said, with an easy laugh. He
knew his wingriders were well aware that his bark was far worse than
his bite. "Actually, I want to get well so my Cyclone can beat
Hurricane mercilessly in those Weyr Games A'kades proposed."

"Ha! We'll see about that." N'vanik had warmed to the idea, and he
_did_ like the aspect of friendly competition between the Wings.

"We will see, indeed." At least he could spend these sevendays of
being grounded planning his strategy for the games, and perhaps a
little discreet observation of the other Wings' preparations.
"Experience has left me with a few tricks up my sleeve."

"I have more than a few of my own. And it'll be nice to focus on
something that isn't life-or-death."

"Like in the old days, before the Pass began." M'gan shifted to ease
the strain on his injury. "Funny to think how I dreamed of fighting
Thread with Isarth, back then. It's still all we want to do, but after
a day like this I realize how lucky I was not to have to face it - not
so young as some of my wingriders."

The Weyrleader nodded. "Fighting Thread gave me a purpose I never had
before, but I wish no one else had to face it." There had been too
much loss, too many injuries.

"Aye, I know. Well, since I don't have a way to stop Thread or fight it
on my own," M'gan said, before he could get too pensive, "the best I can
do is get better so I can lead my Wing against it again."

"And to get better, you have to follow the healers' orders."

"Ugh. '_Rest_, Wingleader. Don't move, you'll pull at the stitches.
Don't touch the bandages. Don't do this, don't do that.'" M'gan rolled
his eyes in disgust as he mimicked a fussy healer. "Oh, here's some
medicine. We made it taste vile on purpose."

N'vanik laughed. "I know it's no fun. I'm not much better than you
when I'm laid up either, but I get the added bonus of having the
Weyrwoman scold me if I'm a bad patient."

"That would keep me in line, all right. It's never wise to annoy a
goldrider." He smiled, thinking that there was a certain greenrider he
wouldn't have minded being scolded by.

"But really M'gan, I'm glad you're relatively okay. You'll heal up and
you'll fly again."

"I know. I've been lucky." He'd had more than one wingrider who'd been
grounded for good since the Pass began, and he imagined N'vanik had too.
It wasn't a fate he'd wish on anyone. "I'll be back in the skies before
you know it."

The corner of N'vanik's mouth turned up. "Even if the days might seem
long to you."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll find ways to pass the time," M'gan said, though
whether he was thinking of tormenting a young assistant, plotting his
victory at the games or spending time with that certain greenrider, only
he knew. "Thanks for coming by, Weyrleader. I needed cheering up."

"I like to make the rounds after 'Fall, see how the injured are
doing." N'vanik had started doing that when he first became
Weyrleader. "Speaking of, I've got a few more folks to check on. You
rest up as much as you can."

"I don't appear to have much choice," M'gan grumbled as he leaned back
on the bed. Despite his words, he seemed more animated than he had
before the Weyrleader's visit.

Last updated on the March 28th 2024

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Bad Patient