Getting Out Of The Infirmary

Writers: Cali, Eimi
Date Posted: 8th November 2006

Characters: U'kaiah, Arilanna, Kaiafel
Description: U'kaiah gets Arilanna out of the infirmary to take Kaiafel to see the baby animals
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 13, day 21 of Turn 3

"Thank you for inviting me." Arilanna said as she watched Kaiafel run ahead of her and U'kaiah. "I really needed to get out of the infirmary."

"You did seem to be getting a little stir-crazy," U'kaiah smiled. "Kaiafel!" he called to the boy running along the path, "don't get too far ahead!" Turning back towards the woman at his side he asked, "How is everything going?"

She smiled and gave her automatic response, "Everything's good." She didn't sound as sure as she had wanted to, but she hoped he would assume she was just tired. "And how have you been? Anymore knots in that back of yours?"

"There's always knots," the bronzerider sighed as he kicked lazily at a stone. "I'm surprised you're still working with that belly getting in the way," he said with a teasing smile.

"Oh you!" she gave him a playful shove. "I'm not _that_ big yet... am I?" she looked down at her stomach uncertainly.

"No, not yet. And I honestly can't figure out why women are so concerned about their stomach getting big. It's not as if you don't have a sharding good reason." Some women took it to extremes trying to hide the little bulge of the belly. It looked perfectly natural to U'kaiah.

Arilanna thought about shrugging it off and making a joke about vanity; but as she looked at U'kaiah, she wanted to tell the truth, to talk to _someone_ about how she was feeling. "Maybe they're concerned it will make it harder to fit in with their friends?" She looked at her feet as she walked, momentarily thinking that she should enjoy being able to watch her feet while she could, and then looked back up at U'kaiah. "I'm lonely." she said finally, feeling her chest tighten up as she finally said what she had been feeling the last several months. It was U'kaiah's turn to look down at his feet. "I'm sorry." He knew that he had some part, innocent though it may have been, in J'klin's leaving. The bronzerider had hated the fact that she would be willing to give up their friendship for the sake of that sharding idiot, but people did strange things in the name of love. "Oh it's not your fault." Arilanna tried to explain, stopping and placing her hand on his arm in reassurance. "It just happens I suppose. I lost a few friends when J'klin left, they blamed me I guess, and most of the rest have just sort of distanced themselves from me lately. I don't know if it's all the work I've been doing in the infirmary, or my pregnancy confusing people on how to act around me, or both." She shrugged and took a deep breath, "All I know is that you're about the only friend whose treated me like a normal person lately, and I guess it just made me realize what I'd been missing." He covered her hand with his reassuringly. "Well, you know it really did hurt when you told me you couldn't be my friend because of him. And I was angry. But, I understood, Arilanna. Really, I did."

"Da! Look! There's a baby herdbeast! And there's another one! Come quick!" Kaiafel jumped and pointed in his enthusiasm.

U'kaiah smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "See what you're in for?"

She faced him and placed her hand on his chest to stop him from chasing after his son, "It's important to me that you know I didn't apologize to you because I was lonely." she said seriously, "I missed you because you're _you_ and you have a special place in my heart, not because I was looking for someone to hang out with." "And if J'klin had not left, would you have missed me so much you would have defied him and been my friend?" He gave her hand a small understanding squeeze. It wasn't a question she need answer. "I don't care about your reasons, Arilanna. I'm just glad you're back."

As Kaiafel grabbed their hands and practically pulled them to the baby herdbeasts, Arilanna wondered. She'd like to think that she would have come to her senses and somehow convinced J'klin that U'kaiah was important to her and that she would see him if she wanted... But maybe she wouldn't have, maybe while J'klin was with her she could have ignored that part of her that missed U'kaiah. She wasn't quite sure and that saddened her, especially after he said he didn't care. That, on top of her thoughts of J'klin, and her exposed general loneliness guaranteed her a good hormonal cry when she got back to her weyr!

Last updated on the November 11th 2006

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Getting Out Of The Infirmary