Too Little, Too Late

Writers: AL, Heather
Date Posted: 1st August 2025

Characters: Ki'ben, Thevren, Vadira
Description: Ki’ben takes Vadira on one of her required healer visits. Maybe the bronzerider is changing his mind? Maybe Vadira doesn’t care?
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 4, day 25 of Turn 12

Ki'ben

He wasn’t sure how he hadn’t noticed it already, perhaps because he saw Vadira every other sevenday for her healer appointments, and the change had been gradual. But today, when he walked in to take her to the healers, he stopped short.

“You. You’re… Showing.” There was now a very visible round swell. Something about the sight of it struck a chord inside Ki’ben. His child was _in_ there. **Mine?** It was the first time he’d even thought it.

Vadira just barely held in a long, exasperated sigh. For some reason, the Weyrwoman forced Ki’ben to escort her to the healers. In truth, she would have preferred him to simply go away and never see each other again. The pain of his betrayal still stung and simmered in her heart, and his commentary upon her state certainly hadn’t helped matters. After a few choice words entered her head, her words parted, and she voiced something far more tame. “I’m aware.”

“Well, you look great,” he said, sounding awkward and sincere all at the same time. Ki’ben didn’t normally give pregnant women a second glance, but there was something about the way Vadira looked, right then in that very moment, that was… mesmerizing. It reminded him of when he’d first seen her. Not that she’d been pregnant, but how her beauty had caught his attention immediately. Coupled with her adventurous streak and bubbly personality, and well…. That’s how he’d ended up where he was today.

“Shall we?” He motioned toward the door.

Nodding, Vadira lifted her chin and swept past the dragonrider with hardly another glance. She didn’t pause to take his hand or put her arm through his. No gentle smile spread across her lips, no adoring gaze lifted toward him. Instead, she fastened a veil of coldness in her expression. It was a mask that hid the pain that still tightened in her breast.

She didn’t say a word to him the entire time. Ki’ben could talk up a storm, but Vadira didn’t want to respond. Her eyes stared straight ahead, except to make sure she knew where he was going so she could follow. She still didn’t know her way around the weyr, but she knew time would soon change that. For now, she suffered in silence.

The tension could have been cut with a knife. Ki’ben walked with his hands shoved in his pockets, since he was afraid of drawing back a nub if he offered one to Vadira.

“How’s the morning sickness been?” he asked, after his brain had searched and searched for a topic.

“It’s gone.” Fortunately, the nausea and vomiting had stopped once she reached around fourteen or fifteen sevendays, and Vadira had been grateful for the relief. It was her inability to hide her illness because it went on for so long that was the initial event that eventually led to the discovery of her pregnancy.

Silently, Vadira was surprised Ki’ben even bothered to ask. Thus far, he seemed far more intent on ignoring her and the condition he’d brought upon her. She wasn’t a fool, and she wouldn’t think that just because he inquired meant he still cared. The bronzerider made it abundantly clear he didn’t.

What were some other things he’d heard people say to his mother when she’d been pregnant with the twins?

Oh, right. “Have you felt the baby move yet?”

“Yes.” His questioning only irritated her further. Was he going to pretend that he cared? Did Vadira have to listen to these inquiries the entire time he was there? When she had told him about her pregnancy, he had quickly and decisively rejected her, and she couldn’t believe he had simply changed his mind in an instant. She knew the Weyrwoman had punished him, but she felt like she was the one being punished.

Having exhausted his polite small-talk options, Ki’ben walked the rest of the way to the infirmary with Vadira in silence. They were directed to the usual examination room, where they waited for one of the healers to join them.

As he had done the last several visits, he crossed his arms over his chest and spent the time waiting perusing the different medical pamphlets and drawings that were posted around the room. One of the drawings depicted the baby inside the mother’s womb. It looked pretty uncomfortable, he determined.

“Thought about any names?” The young bronzerider asked suddenly, turning to look at Vadira.

The sudden question caught the young woman by surprise, and she blinked over at him. If he thought that she would have any part of his name in the baby’s, then he was sorely mistaken. “Yes.” She stated finally, turning away to stare straight ahead. She sat stiffly upon the edge of the seat, finding it quite uncomfortable. Why could they not have more comfortable seats in the infirmary? Tightly, her hands collapsed together as she counted the seconds, wishing the healers would hurry and take her back so she didn’t have to sit there in discomfort, both physical and emotional.

“Can I hear some?” he asked. There was, perhaps, a _small_ part of the bronzerider that was becoming increasingly more intrigued by the thought of his own child.

Why he would care, Vadira couldn’t honestly fathom, but she supposed it wouldn’t hurt for him to hear some of the possibilities. She cast him a sidelong glance before staring straight ahead, and made a point not to look at him as she gave the names. Dirahi for a girl, Nivad for a boy.” That was it. Two names, one for either gender, and neither of them included any part of his name. That wasn’t because he wasn’t the father, but because if he wished to have nothing to do with her or the baby, then she would not bestow any part of Ki’ben’s name to the child.

“Those are nice,” Ki’ben said. “Vidara might be nice for a girl, too. Or even Vidaran for a boy.” He didn’t dare add his own name into the mix. Not because he didn’t _want_ to, but because he assumed that doing so would offend Vadira.

Silently, Vadira made a note to herself not to use that name. If Ki’ben suggested it, she didn’t want to even consider the idea, even if she agreed it was a nice name. Since Ki’ben didn’t want to have anything to do with her or the baby, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of having any say, whether it be from a name or anything else. She was quite grateful when the Healer stepped into the room, smiling at both of them.

“Vadira, Ki’ben,” Thevren nodded to the young parents. “How have you been feeling? Drinking enough water?” These questions were directed at Vadira as the man gave his hands a good scrub.

“Yes,” Vadira stated immediately. She allowed herself a bit of juice every now and again, but she heeded her Healer’s advice and focused on drinking a large amount of water every day. “And walking, and eating more meats and eggs like you suggested.” Evidently, protein was very important during pregnancy, and though the child was unexpected, he or she was not unwanted.

“Excellent. If you’ll just lie back, we’ll start with your measurement,” Thevren produced a measuring ribbon from his pocket. “Are you getting excited, papa-to-be?” The healer asked Ki’ben conversationally as Vadira adjusted herself.

“Uh,” Ki’ben felt his cheeks redden as he admitted, “yeah, I am.” He _was_ actually becoming curious to meet this little person who might look and sound like him.

“I don’t want him to be in the room,” Vadira stated softly, but firmly. Ki’ben had escorted her, but now that the examination began, she wasn’t about to let him have a few, no matter how much he had seen. And that answer? Did he really think she believed him?

“Oh, this is just over the clothes,” Thevren said reassuringly. “I’m going to measure from the bottom of your baby bump to the top, but there will be no need to undress.” He seemed to pick up on a little bit of the tension in the room at that point. “But I can… ask the young gentleman to leave still, if you’d prefer?”

Ki’ben stood there like an unwanted growth. Mute. Waiting for judgement.

“Yes, please.” Vadira didn’t look at him. She didn’t want to see him. If he was hurt, all the better, not that it mattered anyway. This wasn’t his baby - or at least that’s what he assumed from the way he had spoken. He didn’t get to be there. He had lost that privilege.

The young bronzerider didn’t want for Thevren to speak, but quietly slid past the healer and out the door. The journeyman healer remained wisely silent on the entire awkward exchange.

Last updated on the August 29th 2025

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Too Little, Too Late