In Recovery

Writers: Jane, Kaysea
Date Posted: 12th May 2007

Characters: Swift, Kateena
Description: Swift waits by Kateena's bedside until she returns to consciousness after the storm.
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 3, day 20 of Turn 4

Swift rubbed the tiny blue eyeridges and smiled as Red, the blue firelizard, crooned with pleasure. Curiously the blue wings unfurled in a reaction to the little creature's pleasure, which seemed unique to this particular firelizard.

On the table beside the bed, under the firelizard, was a half-written letter that the kitchen hand would finish later, and then send off to his son, hoping it would reach Race before rumours of the storm did.
Just over a Turn ago it had been word of destruction of Topaz SeaHold that had reached Race's northern Dolphin Hall long before assurances that Swift had survived.

"Must...reach..." Kateena moved restlessly on the bed, her hand reaching out to grab at some unseen object. "No...no..." she shook her head, "can't be...no ..." Slowly her eyes opened, fluttering eyelids, trying hard to focus in the half-light. "No.." Her eyes filled with tears, "please..." her words were still incoherent, she was having trouble sorting out what had happened, where had the child gone?

"Kateena?" Swift moved to the bedside and set Red down beside the dolphineer. "It's Swift. You're safe." He touched her forehead gently, trying to find a patch that wasn't grazed or bruised or swollen.
"The storm's over."

"Swift?" her fretful, restlessness began to settle at his voice, then her eyes opened wide and she looked straight at him, "The child!" her voice loud for a moment, croaked again, "The child, what happened?" Her hands convulsively clasped at the air again.

She had mentioned a child before, making everybody scurry around counting heads. "All the children are safe. Every single one of them."

"But..no..." she sighed, "I found him." Tears came to her eyes, "Red and white, I followed him, he was running away. He...he'd fallen, just when.." a flash of memory came to her, "the branch fell, and hit me."
Her eyes rolled back in her head, she raised a hand to feel where she had been hit. "He would have been there - with me.."

"There was nobody near you, as far as I know. Shall I see if I can find out more from the people who found you?" He felt guilty that it hadn't been him but he had been given necessary work closer to the Hall and other than making sure everybody was aware that Kateena was missing he had done all he could. Except for worrying, and he had done enough of that through the day of the storm.

"He _has_ to be there." Her eyes opened, and she looked at Swift, "Please... he could still be out there."

"I'll go and speak to somebody now, but Kateena -" The warning he was going to utter seemed unkind when she was still confused. "You try to get back to sleep. I'll leave Red with you for the moment." He hoped the little blue was sleepy enough to just snuggle up and stay.

"They have to find him..." she was convinced the child was a little boy, she didn't know why or how, but he was out there, if they hadn't brought him back with her. Maybe he had been missed by the branch and gone off on his own once the storm passed? She looked up at Swift, "I'll sleep or try to, but you have to make them find him!" Her eyes lit on the small blue bundle that lay curled next to her on the table near the bed.
"You brought him..." she sighed, a small smile traced its way across her mouth before her eyes fluttered closed again.

~ ~ ~

When Swift got back Kateena was deeply asleep, the small blue firelizard curled beside her. For a moment he just studied her, feeling a real pain in his own chest at the sight of the swollen and bruised face.

Everybody had assured him that there had been no child out there. No child was missing, the dolphins had found no body that could be the child Kateena had chased. Perhaps he would be able to explain that to her next time she woke.

Quietly he settled back into the chair at the desk to continue his letter to his son, and to wait.

Last updated on the May 14th 2007

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