[Kyven]

Kyven swallowed three of the pills with his cup of coffee.  He regretted
for the fiftieth time that 'morning' that he hadn't spent more of his life
looking into hangover cures.

Fortunately, the med center was slow today, considering that most of its
staff was either hungover or suffering severe lack of sleep.  The few
chipper ones among them were being avoided at all costs.

Of course, he was avoiding more than the chipper ones.  Several of the
staffers had seen him flee the party last night, and today he found he
couldn't face their pity.

It was good Aleta wasn't helping out here.  He wasn't sure what all he had
said last night to her and to D'neor, and he didn't think he wanted to
know.

He glanced down the list of patients, swallowing the last of his coffee,
and headed off on his rounds.

As he slipped from one of the rooms, he nearly fell over Darlea as she
stepped in front of him.

"Kyven, can I talk to you?"

"Gods Darlea, you shouldn't sneak up on a person like that," he said,
taking a great effort of will to keep from clutching his pounding head.

"I-- I'm sorry, but I have to see you."

He could see the seriousness in her blue eyes, so he nodded.  "Of course,
follow me."

He lead her to his office and listened as she told her story.

"I was just hoping that... well, that it would just turn out okay if I
started taking the medicine again."  Her eyes pleaded with him.

He sighed.  "It doesn't work that way.  I'm sorry.  If you're already
pregnant, and dead-set against abortion, there's not a whole lot I can
do, other than test you for pregnancy, but I can only do that after your
period is due.  Are you late?"

She shook her head.

"If you're not," he continued, "and you'd like a better alternative to the
birth control preparation, I'd suggest sheaths and spermicide, which I can
give to you.  No matter how fertile Almiron may be, or how fertile he
makes you, it's impossible for you to get pregnant if the egg and sperm
can't get together.  I'd recommend it until you know one way or another.

"While the dose of preparation you took today probably won't do any harm,
you can severely harm an unborn child by continuing to take birth control
preparation while carrying the child."

She nodded, looking somber.

"Hey," he said, trying to cheer her, "it's not a done deal yet.  And even
if it turns out to be true, Almiron would make a good father, I'm sure."

She smiled wanly.  "Thanks, Kyven."

******

The medical center was almost empty now, with most of the staff grabbing a
bite to eat and cleaning up for the trial.  As the head of the center,
Kyven was waiting till the last moment, letting other staff off early.

There was a light knock on the door and then it opened to one of the few
remaining nurses.  "You have a patient in exam room four."

"Who is it and what's wrong?" he asked, standing.

"Reetsada," she answered, almost apologetically.

He gripped the edge of his desk.  "What's wrong?" he asked, failing to
keep the worry from his voice.

"She's wanting cleared to return to active duty in a wing."

"What?!  What in the hell...  Never mind.  I'll ask her myself."

Ree was sitting in exam room four.  Their eyes met.  Hers held a flicker
of apology, then she looked away.

"What's this I hear about you wanting cleared for active duty?"

"I want medical clearance to serve in a combat wing.  M'ressan's
retraining me."

"That's not the point, Ree.  You're still spastic on your left side."

"It doesn't interfere with my riding a dragon," she answered.  "Krithis
and I have been flying a lot."

"That's gross motor coordination.  The exercises I put you on have
obviously helped there.  But, it *would* interfere with your getting a
wraith off, if one attached.  Your fine motor skills with your left hand
are attrocious."

She met his eyes.  "I want to fight.  I want to be some use around here.
People have been complaining."

"People are ignorant and overjudgemental, then.  You shouldn't have to
feel compelled to go into combat with your physical limitations."

"There are others in the wings with problems."

"They want to fight, Ree.  That's different."

She looked off into the distance.  "People talk about how good I was.
Friends I don't remember wish me well.  I can't get that back, but I can
help destroy the things that took that away.  I want to do this.  It felt
right this afternoon."

He sighed.  "All right.  Let's see how you're doing."

******

Her reaction time with her left hand was still horrible.  There was little
coordination, either.  But he couldn't fault her determination.

Just like always...

He pushed the thought away.  She insisted she wasn't that Reetsada.

"Anything else I should know about-- changes in appetite, memory lapses,
fatigue, headaches?"

She paused, uncertain.

"Ree?"

"I've... I've had some nausea."

"How long?"

"About a week.  But only in the evenings."

He sat staring at her.  "When was you last period?"

She nervously ran a tongue over her lips.  His head was pounding again.

"About... six weeks ago."

Six weeks ago...  If...  That meant probably four weeks ago...

Four weeks ago, they had still been lovers.

Two weeks ago, they had still been lovers.

He stood, grabbed a cup from a cupboard and handed it to her, pointing to
the door to the restroom.  His hand was shaking.  "I need a sample."

A lot of thoughts can run through a person's head in the amount of time it
takes for another one to relieve themselves.  A lot more can happen in the
five minutes it takes waiting for the chemicals to react.

When it was all over, the two of them sat staring at the blue liquid in
the cup.

"I'm sorry," she said, finally, illogically.

"It's okay," he answered, not knowing what else to say.

"What do we do now?"

What do we do now?  He had answered that question hundreds of times in his
career, but for once he couldn't think of any reasonable answer.

He was saved from having to by her sob.  He set the cup aside and slipped
her arms around her, the previous night forgotten.

"It's okay, Ree," he whispered.  "Everything will work out."

Respectfully submitted,
 Lynette R. F. Cowper
  Kyven and Aethnod

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