21st Spring 516AV, Evening
It was manic. The teen had never seen the River Flower so packed, so full of panic and sickness and despair. She had not been present during the last few major illnesses and before that she had been too young to be involved in the treatment of such things. Now, she was immersed in the full horror of the situation. Additional tents had had to be set up, but beyond the city's perimeter. She was working in one of the quarantine tents, one of the ones with the confirmed sick in it. Well, it wasn't simply that those in this particular tent had the fever, they were grievously ill. Most of them had been sick for nearly two days and so there was a particularly grim and hopeless atmosphere in the tent. Cases kept turning up in the main tent but the healers and doctors were working to quarantine those with fever, sending them out of the city to stop it spreading and trying to ensure that those who could be treated were. It was too much. Some had fled the city, packing up and taking off in to the Sea of Grass rather than taking their chances with the fever that was running rampant. A number of the healers had left Endrykas prior to the outbreak, an unfortunate case of bad timing, and so those who were still present were overworked, exhausted and stretched thinly.
Waisana wet a cloth and wrung it out before she dabbed it across the face of the child she sat beside. Sweat beaded the girl's face, her skin flushed and prickly with heat rash. The teen was doing her best to keep her cool, to treat her with herbs every bell or so, to keep her alive but she didn't have much hope. The fever had been raging for almost two days now and was showing no signs of letting up. Everyone was convinced that she was going to die and Waisana was determined that it wouldn't happen, couldn't happen, not if she had anything to do it. The fever had ravished her tiny body, the rounded cheeks had become drawn, the sweet, healthy flush of her face had been overridden by the ravages of the fever. She was only six. Life for the Drykas could be harsh and tough and children died, but she didn't want a child in her care to meet her end. It was too cruel and too awful a possibility. She had seen Aria around and knew what a wonderful little girl she had been, so bright and full of life. She had seen her taking rides on her own little horse, she had seen her running in and out among the many tents, laughing as her blonde curls shook. That such a beautiful little life could come to an end... it couldn't happen.
The blonde loosened Aria's clothing, re-wetting her cloth so she could provide cooling moisture to the rest of the girl's body. She was careful to dry her skin before the clothing was put back on again. Her skin was still too hot to the touch despite the regular bathing with water. The Opal girl cursed the weather for doing this and for making the water too hot to cool down the feverish child. If it was colder then she was sure that it would do so much more for Aria, alas there was no way to cool it. Using a dried strand of grass, she tried to dribbled water between the girl's dry, cracked lips. Gradually she managed to coax her mouth open to see the white coating on her tongue. She poured small measures of water down the child's throat, being careful not to give her too much or else she'd choke in her groggy state.
"She is no better?"
The blonde turned to the other doctor who had appeared at her side. She shook her head and received a sympathetic look from the man. She placed down the water to free up her hands so she could converse with him.
"Are the others improving? Are more to come?" Bad. Frightening
Worse. Many. "They are all dying. All here have been sick for too long. We cannot leave them but we are doing no good. We have talked about this, Waisana. You have been told," he explained, his expression grim. Waisana shook her head vigorously, her expression one of denial.
No! "We can still help them, there is a chance for them. We just have to keep working," she snapped back, getting abruptly to her feet and busying herself with her patient before moving on to another.
"Waisana!" She ignored him, refusing to turn as she set about getting water in to another little mouth, the boy's eyelids fluttering a bit as if trying to open. Was he aware of her presence then? Many of them seemed past the point of knowing of anything that went on around them anymore.
"Waisana!" A hand on her shoulder, turning her so she had to look at him, had to see what he had to say. Healer. Soon. "We have been promised one, perhaps they can do what we cannot".
Sighing, the blonde went back to work as her colleague moved away and several more children and young people were carried in.
It was manic. The teen had never seen the River Flower so packed, so full of panic and sickness and despair. She had not been present during the last few major illnesses and before that she had been too young to be involved in the treatment of such things. Now, she was immersed in the full horror of the situation. Additional tents had had to be set up, but beyond the city's perimeter. She was working in one of the quarantine tents, one of the ones with the confirmed sick in it. Well, it wasn't simply that those in this particular tent had the fever, they were grievously ill. Most of them had been sick for nearly two days and so there was a particularly grim and hopeless atmosphere in the tent. Cases kept turning up in the main tent but the healers and doctors were working to quarantine those with fever, sending them out of the city to stop it spreading and trying to ensure that those who could be treated were. It was too much. Some had fled the city, packing up and taking off in to the Sea of Grass rather than taking their chances with the fever that was running rampant. A number of the healers had left Endrykas prior to the outbreak, an unfortunate case of bad timing, and so those who were still present were overworked, exhausted and stretched thinly.
Waisana wet a cloth and wrung it out before she dabbed it across the face of the child she sat beside. Sweat beaded the girl's face, her skin flushed and prickly with heat rash. The teen was doing her best to keep her cool, to treat her with herbs every bell or so, to keep her alive but she didn't have much hope. The fever had been raging for almost two days now and was showing no signs of letting up. Everyone was convinced that she was going to die and Waisana was determined that it wouldn't happen, couldn't happen, not if she had anything to do it. The fever had ravished her tiny body, the rounded cheeks had become drawn, the sweet, healthy flush of her face had been overridden by the ravages of the fever. She was only six. Life for the Drykas could be harsh and tough and children died, but she didn't want a child in her care to meet her end. It was too cruel and too awful a possibility. She had seen Aria around and knew what a wonderful little girl she had been, so bright and full of life. She had seen her taking rides on her own little horse, she had seen her running in and out among the many tents, laughing as her blonde curls shook. That such a beautiful little life could come to an end... it couldn't happen.
The blonde loosened Aria's clothing, re-wetting her cloth so she could provide cooling moisture to the rest of the girl's body. She was careful to dry her skin before the clothing was put back on again. Her skin was still too hot to the touch despite the regular bathing with water. The Opal girl cursed the weather for doing this and for making the water too hot to cool down the feverish child. If it was colder then she was sure that it would do so much more for Aria, alas there was no way to cool it. Using a dried strand of grass, she tried to dribbled water between the girl's dry, cracked lips. Gradually she managed to coax her mouth open to see the white coating on her tongue. She poured small measures of water down the child's throat, being careful not to give her too much or else she'd choke in her groggy state.
"She is no better?"
The blonde turned to the other doctor who had appeared at her side. She shook her head and received a sympathetic look from the man. She placed down the water to free up her hands so she could converse with him.
"Are the others improving? Are more to come?" Bad. Frightening
Worse. Many. "They are all dying. All here have been sick for too long. We cannot leave them but we are doing no good. We have talked about this, Waisana. You have been told," he explained, his expression grim. Waisana shook her head vigorously, her expression one of denial.
No! "We can still help them, there is a chance for them. We just have to keep working," she snapped back, getting abruptly to her feet and busying herself with her patient before moving on to another.
"Waisana!" She ignored him, refusing to turn as she set about getting water in to another little mouth, the boy's eyelids fluttering a bit as if trying to open. Was he aware of her presence then? Many of them seemed past the point of knowing of anything that went on around them anymore.
"Waisana!" A hand on her shoulder, turning her so she had to look at him, had to see what he had to say. Healer. Soon. "We have been promised one, perhaps they can do what we cannot".
Sighing, the blonde went back to work as her colleague moved away and several more children and young people were carried in.
