Completed There Shall Be No Rest

[Pearl]

60 Summer, 515 AV
4th Bell

The River Flower was busy. The heat had caused an influx of patients needing treatment. More than a hundred people were inside on the grass filled mattresses and several dozen more were being treated outside the main tent. Many Drykas were suffering from heat stroke in addition to the regular injuries and illness that afflicted the Drykas people during the summer months.

Mornings for Pearl came before first light, and nights rest began well after the moon hung in the sky. In a way, it was a blessing for Pearl. Dravite was away, and had been for three nights now, and the work kept her mind busy, leaving little time for worry over her husband and his mission with The Watch. Though, she did feel a touch guilty because the additional work at The River Flower meant that Belkaia was left alone to tend to Kyanite and Garrison. But whenever Pearl tried to apologize for the inconvenience, Belkaia shushed her immediately and told her not to worry so much.

Camp was quiet when she finally arrived with animals and people already bedded down for the night. Pearl slipped into the tent as quietly as she could, trying not to disturb her family as they were already sound asleep on the bed of furs. She unlaced and pulled her boots off and set them to the side of the dressing area, tucking them neatly out of the way. Her pants and shirt were removed and hung on the hooks so they could air before she dressed again for work. Dressed only in her under garments, she stepped over to the bed and knelt down to get in. A tired smile upon her face settled onto the furs with Belkaia and the boys; both of which were nestled close against the young woman.

Pearl reached a hand over, smoothing Garrison's hair back from his forehead in a loving caress which doubled to check the boy's body temperature. Garrison was used to such from his mother and the boy never stirred in his sleep. Satisfied that he was not too hot, she smiled and repeated the gesture with Kyanite. Kyanite fussed with a scrunching up of his face when Pearl touched his forehead, but settled quickly. He felt a bit warm to Pearl, but not overly so, considering the sweltering heat they were all experiencing. Kyanite turned away and scooted his way up on the bed roll, his foot pushing at Belkaia's shoulder.

As Pearl drew her hand back from Kyanite, she repeated her temperature check upon Belkaia. The woman had a sheen of sweat on her forehead that concerned Pearl. Belkaia turned only her head so she could look at Pearl. "It's just the lack of air through the tent. I'm fine," Belkaia spoke in a whisper. "You should sleep. You're working yourself to death trying to take care of everyone else."
"It's my job," Pearl smiled and whispered back.
"And if you don't get any rest, you won't be able to keep doing it."
Pearl answered her with only a smile and a nod, before curling her arm beneath her head. It couldn't have taken more than five ticks for the woman to fall sound asleep. Belkaia watched it happen and smiled too.

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[Pearl]

The sky was still dark when Pearl began to wake. Garrison was pushing with his feet at her arm and she lifted it, rolling up onto her side so the boy would have more room. He felt cool enough to the touch, but the hot nights caused them all to toss in their bed. She sat up on her elbows, intent upon checking on Belkaia once again. Pearl blinked rapidly; the empty bed confusing her for a tick.

She eased away from Garrison and stood up next to the furs, listening for signs of movement, for anything that would tell her where Belkaia was within the camp. She heard nothing. Pearl stepped quietly to the opening of the tent and through it; pausing again to listen for Belkaia. Her heart sank in her chest when she heard the retching. Stepping back into the tent, Pearl quickly took up a cloth and wet it with water from the water skins.

The sounds of Belkaia’s retching continued which helped to lead the young doctor to her patient. Pearl hadn’t bothered to dress; nor had Belkaia when Pearl found her crouched beside the large oak, doubled over, one hand pressed into the bark of the tree to keep her from toppling over with each convulsion of her stomach as it sought to empty its contents. She crouched beside Belkaia, sweeping the young woman’s hair up and behind her, tying it in a knot to keep it out of the way. Pearl then pressed the damp cloth to the back of Belkaia’s neck.

Pearl stayed there, hunched over with the young woman, holding her and cooing gentle, reassuring words to her until the retching slowed and finally subsided. Belkaia leaned in against Pearl then, letting the woman hold her, weakened in her state. “How long has this been going on?” Pearl asked her?
“A few days now,” Belkaia answered then quickly added. “It’s not like the last time. Last time the sickness was only in the mornings, and only lasted a few weeks.”
Pearl nodded. A bit of a weight was lifted from her thoughts. She had feared that Belkaia was becoming afflicted with the heat sickness as many of the others were in Endrykas.
“Do you know how far along you are?” Pearl questioned, assuming that Belkaia was telling her that she was indeed with child.
“About one hundred and twenty days or so?” She looked up at Pearl, and the paleness of her features caused a lump to form in Pearl’s throat.
Pearl had to swallow hard before she could speak again. “Do you think you can walk with me helping you?” She asked her, not making any movements until she had confirmation from Belkaia that she was indeed ready to get up and move away from the tree.
Belkaia nodded. Pearl smiled reassuringly at her as she took the cloth from the back of Belkaia’s neck and began to gently wipe and clean the young woman’s face. “Not too quickly. There’s no need to rush, but I do want to take you to The River Flower, tonight, just to be on the safe side.”


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[Pearl]

Kyanite and Garrison were still fast asleep in their bed; the only difference was that it was Yuki, Dravite’s Uncle’s wife that was with the boys, instead of their own mothers. Pearl had felt bad about having to wake the woman, but Yuki assured her that she was happy to lend a hand with the boys when Pearl had told her of needing to take Belkaia to The River Flower.

The walk to The River Flower was slow as Pearl was determined not to rush Belkaia. The night’s air being much cooler than the recent days had been. Belkaia’s colouring had begun to return and she was looking more and more normal as they walked along the streets; which pleased Pearl greatly. The River Flower was still bustling with movement when they arrived. Pearl led Belkaia through the main tent and towards the back to an area that was set aside for initial examinations. It had a small partition made of cloth stretched between poles for a bit of privacy.

While Belkaia’s colouring looked to be much improved, she still had a sheen of sweat upon her brow and was weak from the hours of illness she had been suffering. In fact that she had hid it all from Pearl for as long as she possibly could. While Pearl wasn’t angry about it, she was concerned for Belkaia, and now the baby she carried within her. Pearl helped Belkaia to sit down upon the grass mattress and then helped lay her back upon it, a small grass pillow placed beneath her head. “Rest a tick. I need to gather a few items and I’ll be right back,” she told Belkaia who only nodded and curled up on her side.

Pearl stepped away and went to one of the trunks, taking out a length of twine to measure with, a small journal, and an ink stick. Since this seemed to be a different pregnancy experience than what Belkaia had had with Kyanite, she wanted to be sure to journal it all and follow her progress closely, lest some complication sneak up on them and cause problems for mother or child. When she returned, she smiled at the sleeping form of Belkaia. She let her sleep while as she got busy with her work and wrote down everything she already knew about the pregnancy.

Pearl was still writing when Belkaia began to stir awake upon the mattress. She looked up at Pearl and smiled. “How long was I out?” she asked.
“Not much more than a bell, at the most,” Pearl answered, gauging time from the amount of documentation she had down in the journal. Though she could have been off a few chimes, for she was often interrupted by her own thoughts of Dravite and her worry for him while he was away, along with her worry for the boys and Belkaia.
“Sorry. You’re the one working so hard, and here I am, the one sleeping,” Belkaia said quietly with a shy look on her face.
Pearl gave a small shake of her head. “You, and the baby, are going to need your strength for this pregnancy. You take all the rest you are able. Don’t worry for me. I’m just fine,” she said with more conviction than she actually felt.

“Let’s get started with a bit of measurements. I don’t have anything to go on from before, so we’ll simply document what we know from this point forward,” Pearl spoke as she laid the journal down upon the table and took up the string, then stepped over to the bed to help Belkaia up so she could stand. “Hold your arms out to your sides, please,” she instructed.

Pearl then set about measuring Belkaia at three different points around her abdomen, upper, middle and lower, and marked down the lengths on the strings with an ink mark on each, before setting them aside. Belkaia obliged and did as she was instructed, even though it seemed a bit awkward and didn’t make that much sense to her. Pearl’s face was difficult to read as she continued about her measurements, now measuring from the top of Belkaia’s abdomen to the bottom, in an attempt to gauge the baby’s placement.

“Okay, let’s lie you back down upon the mattress, on your back please,” Pearl spoke as she set about helping Belkaia do exactly that. Once the young woman was settled, she began to feel upon her abdomen, pushing lightly. “Tell me if anything hurts,” she said. When she pushed at the lower portion of Belkaia’s abdomen, Belkaia gasped. Pearl stopped and looked up to Belkaia, who was pale again and nodding in answer to Pearl’s silent question.


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[Pearl]

Pearl’s journal was now quite full of statistics, as well as unanswered questions about Belkaia’s pregnancy. She sat in the chair at the table beside the mattress where Belkaia still lay resting. She’d not liked the tenderness Belkaia had in her lower abdomen as that could indicated a problem with the pregnancy. Or at the rate why Belkaia was still vomiting this far into it; it might also merely indicate a muscle spasm or strain. All she could do now was watch and see how it all developed.

“For now, I want you to try a few things. I know it’s going to be hard to limit your activities, but Yuki is around camp more than I am, and I’m sure she’ll help out with as many of the chores as she is able. I don’t like the way your feet are already swelling, nor the way you are vomiting so much. You’re dehydrated, and we are going to have to find a way to keep more fluids in you without causing so much swelling, or vomiting,” Pearl’s tone was kind, though she had slipped into physician mode. “The only way we can do that, is by limiting your activities while we increase your intake.”

Pearl continued, “That’s going to make you nauseated, and you’re not going to like me very much, but we’ll deal with that,” she smiled and winked at Belkaia. “I’ve also got a crystalized ginger root recipe here that will help with the nausea, and hopefully keep you from vomiting.” Pearl had the recipe memorized, as she had given it to many pregnant women over the years she had practiced.

“All we need is the ginger root, some sugar and some water. As an added bonus, the boys can have some too. It won’t hurt them to eat it, but they shouldn’t have too much of it either. We’ll boil down the root, then crystalize it with the sugar and use one of the jars at the camp to keep it in. You’ll need to keep it close by and take some of it to eat on a regular basis, and especially if you are feeling nauseated.”

“Next up, some teas. One you’ll need to drink one to two cups, minimum, a day. More if you like and can handle it, but one to two will be sufficient. It’s made from red raspberry leaf, spearmint leaf, and rose hips, two large spoons of red raspberry leaf and two smaller spoons each of the spearmint and rose hips. Steep it for twenty chimes. It won’t taste the
best, but the spearmint and rose hips help tremendously.” Pearl wrote while she talked, making eye contact with Belkaia on occasion to be sure she understood what she was saying.

“At bed time, we’ll get you some chamomile and make a tea out of that as well,” she smiled. “Yes, I know what you’re thinking. If you drink all of this you’ll be up half the night peeing, as if you weren’t already. But it’s necessary, I promise.”
Belkaia giggled and teased, “Uh huh. Wait ‘til you’re pregnant and I get to boss you around with all of this.”



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[Pearl]

Pearl couldn’t help the smile that radiated over her face. “Deal,” she said. “Regardless, we’re doing this, for your sake as well as the baby’s,” Pearl continued, doctor mode reclaiming her, though her smile remained as she spoke, “and we’ll keep some extra ginger root around to make a tea out of, should we need it. Grated and steeped, it works wonders for the chills, coughing and aching muscles that come along with a cold, should you happen to take one on.” She had promised Dravite that he needn’t worry over them while he was away, and she was determined to keep her promise by giving Belkaia the best medical care she possibly could. And with her living in the same tent, she was certain it would be easier to do than with some of her other patients.

“If you’re feeling up to it, we can head back to camp?” Pearl looked at Belkaia, trying to gauge her wellness as she gathered the few items she had taken from the chests so she could take them back to camp with her to keep a closer eye on Belkaia and her pregnancy.
“Sure,” Belkaia said and nodded as she went to stand up. Pearl quickly offered her help and Belkaia laughed, but accepted the help just the same. “I feel so stupid. I’ve been pregnant before and Kyanite wasn’t any trouble to carry.”
“You’re not stupid,” Pearl shook her head. “Some pregnancies are more difficult than others. Each one is different in their own way. Don’t judge this one by how it was with Kyanite. We’re going to do everything we are able to do to make sure this child arrives safe and sound and healthy and into our loving home.” Belkaia smiled and kissed Pearl’s cheek. “Yes. Yes we are. I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me too.”

As they began walking out of The River Flower and back through the streets towards the pavilion, Pearl kept an arm around Belkaia. She hesitated to speak again, but the thought was weighing heavily upon her mind. “Belkaia? I want you to tell me, immediately, if you start bleeding, okay? I don’t say that to alarm you. But you hid this vomiting from me for far too long. Mostly, I take the blame for that. I’ve been working long hours at The River Flower because of the amount of patients we currently have, but you are important to me, and I don’t want you to risk hiding anything from me about this pregnancy, okay? Please promise me that you won’t hide anything else from me?” Pearl gave a gentle squeeze to Belkaia’s waist. Belkaia nodded, and leaned in against Pearl a bit more while they walked.
“I promise,” was all she said, already sounding weaker. Pearl grimaced.





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[Tribal]

G R A D E S

Pearl

Experience

• Endurance: 1
• Observation: 4
• Medicine: 5
• Stealth: 1
• Childcare: 1
• Organisation: 3
• Socialisation: 5
• Rhetoric: 2
• Persuasion: 2
• Planning: 1
• Mathematics: 1
• Herbalism: 1

Lore

• Endrykas: The River Flower
• Medicine; Treating Sunstroke
• Dravite: A man of The Watch
• Medicine: Checking a person’s temperature
• Kyanite: Belkaia's son
• Medicine: A temperature can be cause for concern
• Endrykas is hot in summer
• Medicine: Morning sickness
• Belkaia is pregnant
• Organisation: Keeping a journal for reference
• Mathematics: Time keeping
• Mathematics: Taking measurements with string
• Medicine: A pregnant woman needs rest
• Medicine: Muscle spasms and strain
• Yuki: Raven's wife
• Raven: Dravite's uncle
• Belkaia: Is thankful for Pearl

Notes


This is really well done for a first job thread and was a pleasure to read and grade. Enjoy the rewards and let me know if you think I have missed anything while grading your thread. Be sure to edit your grading request and as always, happy writing!