Uncomfortable Visit

Writers: Paula
Date Posted: 7th August 2009

Characters: N'mor, Rigella
Description: N'mor visits his sister.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 4, day 7 of Turn 5

N'mor looked in to the room at the healer hall. His sister was sitting and reading, and to his relief, she looked quite normal. N'mor never liked visiting sick people and if the sickness were mental kind, the more difficult it was. He had to force himself to come here.

"Hi, Rigs," he greeted softly.

"N'mor! So nice to see you, baby-brother, do get in!" she was delighted. "How's the dragonrider's life treating you? Are you in fighting wings yet?"

"Just fine. And no, I'm still waiting until I turn sixteen. How have you been?", N'mor replied and asked rather awkwardly. He got in and sat at the visitor's chair.

"Better. I have bad days and good days, but the good days are starting to top the bad ones."

"I'm glad to hear that," N'mor said.

"If you ask the healers, they will tell you how well I respond to therapy," she said, bitterness creeping into her voice. "After all, I have the best possible healers and this cosy little room with full upkeep and no sharp objects in it."

"Ermh," N'mor said, trying to interrupt her before she launched herself into something.

"Sorry," Rigella said and gave him a lopsided grin. "No getting heated up."

"Have you had visitors?" N'mor asked, trying to find a safe topic.

"Mom and Naerigga, they were here last time two sevendays ago," she replied.

"Has _he_ been here?"

"No, and better that way. It would be too painful to see him. Bring out too many memories. I think he tried to come, soon after I arrived here, but they didn't let him. Or I didn't want to see him. I can't remember, I'm not even sure if it was real or not. Sometimes I can't tell what is real and what is dream. And less I remember the past the better I feel."

That was not exactly kind of stuff N'mor liked to hear and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. She sensed his discomfort and fell silent. The uneasy silence stretched on until N'mor couldn't stand it any more. "So, what do you do here all days long?" he asked, just to break the silence.

"Read, what else? I'm not allowed to do much past that. Why I read, I don't know, for I'll never be anything now. I'll never be healer," Rigella replied bitterly.

"Well, you always were a bookworm," N'mor muttered. What had happened to his confident, serious, know-it-all big sister? Why the life broke her such way? The young bronzerider's heart was filled with ache and sorrow for her sake.

Rigella smiled tenderly. "You never saw him, didn't you? Your nephew, my son." The question came out of the blue.

"No, I didn't. Didn't have the time, I had just Impressed Ked, I couldn't leave Dolphin Cove Weyr," N'mor said regretfully.

"Shame really. You should drop him a visit. I think they took him to the nursery," she said absently.

N'mor could only stare her.

Last updated on the August 8th 2009

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Uncomfortable Visit