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Gwestion with
Nurse Maeth
Before Dawn, Dec 31 (4A 1)
As it turned out, Gwestion was fairly sure it would be easier to escape from Mordor than from the watchful eye of the nurse on duty tonight. Nurse Maeth insisted the guard help the patient into a chair with wheels mounted onto it, and would not hear any argument against it. Gwestion idly thought something like that would have been quite convenient to have had, back a few years ago when he'd suffered a broken leg. But he wasn't too happy to be confined to it, at the moment.
"Now, you just sit still, and I'll get you into a treatment room right away." Maeth told him. While she had a 'no nonsense' sort of air about her, she also had a kind, motherly way of going about it.
Gwestion held back a sigh as he rested his foot on the footrest, with only a little cringe. He nodded, allowing the woman to wheel him into another room.
"Can you get onto the bed by yourself?" She inquired, unsure whether she would need to aid the young man.
"Yes, I can manage," He assured her, though he held back a sigh. He hovered his injured foot over the floor while transitioning from one seat to another.
"Now, what happened, if I may ask?" Maeth asked, so that she would have all the information to give to the healer.
"Oh," Gwestion looked down at his foot, sighing. "I uh, seem to have caught my foot on something, so when I turned, my foot didn't turn with me." He explained. "And then I hit the stones in return." He added, holding up his hand which did look rather red from having slapped against the stones.
"Ouch," Maeth frowned sympathetically. "My kids used to scrape their hands and knees all the time," She remarked, while going to get a damp cloth to clean the hand with, just in case there were scrapes. "I was always telling them not to be running around in the streets, but did they listen?" She let out a little sigh, shaking her head. Then she went silent and began dabbing his hand lightly with the cloth. "Does that sting?" She asked.
"No. Thank you." He added, thinking it was considerate of her to be mindful of it stinging.
"Good." She finished up with his hand. "Now, you stay here and I'll go and fetch a healer for you." She informed him. "If you can take your boot off in the meanwhile, please do. If it hurts too much, then we'll help you with it."
"Actually," Gwestion hesitated. "Would it be possible to get my own healer, please?" He asked hopefully.
Maeth paused in the doorway and looked at him. "Your
own healer?" She raised an eyebrow inquisitively.
"Well," Gwestion hesitated. "The healer who usually tends to me, when I have any sort of injury, I mean." He explained. "We are familiar with one another, is all. I just... don't feel very comfortable with.. strangers." He cleared his throat awkwardly.
"I see." Maeth nodded slowly, thinking. "Well, I can understand that. Some people do have preferred healers. You aren't the only one we've had here who was uncomfortable with strangers." She said with understanding. "Who is your usual healer, then?"
"Ms. Seri Moss," Gwestion answered. "She also is familiar with my medical history." He added, to further back up his preference to use the same healer.
Maeth paused as she thought about that name. "Ah.. the visiting healer from the North?" She asked, intrigued, to which Gwestion nodded. "Well, I'm sure that can be arranged, but she isn't due to come in until late morning." She warned him.
"I don't suppose anyone could send a message to her..?" Gwestion had to try.
Maeth considered that, looking at his foot, and back to him. "If you feel it is urgent, then I suggest you settle for the healer on duty at this time." She told him. "If you are willing to wait a few hours, then Ms. Moss will be here in the morning."
Gwestion sighed. "I realize that..." He hesitated. "But, it would ease my mind considerably if you would at least let me send a message to her." He explained. "Is that not a part of healing? Putting the patient's mind at ease?"
Maeth frowned, hands on hips. "How exactly does your mind being at ease, have anything to do with your ankle being hurt?" She asked, suspicious. She had not raised three mischievous boys and a girl, without gaining
some sense of suspicion.
Gwestion shook his head slightly. "I would just feel much better if I could get a message to her. To let her know I am here."
Maeth considered for a moment. "Well. If you'd like to write down your message, I'll find someone to deliver it." She promised, although she did not promise any particular time frame. She pulled a notepad from her pocket and offered it to him, along with a pencil. Then she went over to the hearth where a pot of water was already heating, since one never knew when a tea might be needed quickly.
"Thank you." Gwestion was relieved as he took the writing tools. He paused, thinking briefly before writing a note in Ancient Sindarin, as well as he could, saying he needed to speak with Seri right away. He knew Brooke would be able to translate it, and she would also be awake regardless of what time it might be. He turned it over to the nurse. "If you would please have someone deliver that to this address right away, someone there will be awake to receive it. I would greatly appreciate it." He told her, pointing to the address he had written on the outside of the folded paper.
"Alright," Maeth nodded and slipped it in her pocket. "Now, I suggest you drink this, at least, while you're waiting on your healer to come." She had fixed up a cup of tea for him while he was writing, and now offered him the cup.
Gwestion paused, blinking tiredly at the cup. "Thank you. What is it?" He asked.
"Just a few herbs that should help with any inflammation, and soothe pain." Maeth answered. Of course, what she forgot to tell him was that the tea also would make the patient drowsy while easing their pain. "Would you prefer some honey?" She asked, ready to get some if he needed it.
"No, that's alright." He answered, shaking his head slightly. He took a very careful sip, and found that it was alright, taste-wise.
"Well, you drink all that down." Maeth instructed.
He gave a small nod to show his compliance. When the nurse made no indication that she was going to leave the room until she had seen him drink the tea, he held back a sigh and blew on the surface of his drink before taking another small sip, then another. "It's very hot," He mentioned, trying to explain why he didn't want to drink it all quickly.
"Well, it will cool enough to drink before long," She assured him. "I've got a few other patients to check on, but I'll be back soon. And if you need anything else, just call. I'll be nearby."
Gwestion wasn't sure if that was a reassurance, or a warning. He nodded as she left the room, then he ceased from sipping the tea while he waited, feeling his eyelids growing heavier. He swayed a couple of times from his seat on the edge of the treatment bed, and nearly lost his balance. His head dropped down a few times only to be jerked upright again as he caught himself dozing. Finally, he set the tea aside and rubbed his eyes, fighting the sleepiness for as long as he could.
When Maeth came back a while later, she found the patient stretched out on the bed, asleep. Shaking her head, she gently removed his boots (taking special care with the right one he had been favoring) so they would not be on the bedding, then pulled the blankets up over him, as if he were her own son. In fact, he was about the age her boy would have been...
She swallowed down the sorrow that thought brought up, and turned down the lamps before slipping out of the room to let the young man sleep. The note he had written, she would certainly send out, but not for another few hours. The person she intended to ask to deliver the message would not be here until then, and there was no one on duty right now who could be spared for sending messages that, as far as she knew, were not urgent enough to warrant it.
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