~*~The morning after Koda saves Ailill, early~*~

The nurse wheeled a small cart into the room and donning a pair of 
gloves began the process of removing the tube that had supported the 
girl's airway throughout the night.  C'tain had decided that that 
swelling had gone down enough that it would be safe to let her breath on 
her own.  The nurse removed the tube swiftly but gently.  As she placed 
it on the tray she frowned at the pale pink smears on the tube, 
accompanied by bits of tissue.  She wasn't too alarmed though, she had 
experience with burn victims and had seen this before.  It was the 
tissue that was killed by the heat sloughing off.  She made a note of it 
on the dragonriders chart and left the room as quietly as she had 
entered it.  

~*~Later that morning...~*~

Ailill blinked open her eyes to find Healer Lakoda standing at the foot 
of her bed thumbing through a chart.  The room was different than the 
one she had gone to sleep in yesterday.  

"How are you feeling?" Healer Lakoda put down the chart and moved around 
to the head of the bed.  Ailill opened her mouth to tell the healer that 
she felt like someone had been shoving steel rods down her throat but 
the healer stopped her before she could speak.  "Don't answer that, as a 
matter of fact I don't want you to speak at all.  Your throat has been 
through hell and I want you to give it some time to recover.  If you 
have any questions ask me through Storm."

<Storm, ask Healer Lakoda how long she thinks I'm going to have to stay 
here?>  There was a short pause as Storm spoke to Ribbon, and then the 
purple dragon spoke to her rider. 

"A week." Ailill's jaw dropped, she was about to voice a complaint, but 
Lakoda's raised brows stopped her. The healer continued, "This is a 
dangerous time, the skin that was killed by the heat has to slough off 
before new tissue can form.  While this is happening it is easy for the 
dead tissue to block your airway.  Do you want to relive what you went 
through last night?" Ailill frowned and grudgingly shook her head.  
"Good, because neither does anyone else."  The small healer glanced at 
the clock that was mounted on the wall of the room.  Her frown deepened 
into a scowl.  "I've got to go now, I still want to see Kendal before... 
"  She never finished the sentence, but instead changed the subject.  
"There will be nurses checking up on you periodically, and I'll try to 
come back later this afternoon.  Oh I almost forgot," she said as she 
opened the door.  "I don't want you to be tempted to talk so your going 
to have to wait a few days before you can have any visitors."

Ailill stuck her tongue out at the retreating healer, but Lakoda already 
had her back turned and never noticed.  She laid there, staring into 
space, and sulking.  

<<Lakoda's in a bad mood `cause she has to practice with the wing 
today.>>

<What?  I didn't think that healers had to know combat fighting.> 

<<Mayhem's rider wants to teach her how to work as a team.>>

A large grin spread across Ailill's face,  <No wonder she was upset.>  
The smile quickly faded, <At the rate we're going I'll be as gray as you 
are before I get to fly with the others.> 

Ailill grew increasingly bored as the morning wore on.  The only 
interesting event was when the nurse came in with her *breakfast*.  When 
she had finally summed up the courage to drink the noxious looking 
liquid she had been surprised by how pleasant it was.  

<I can't take this any more, Storm.  I hate just lying here.  You would 
think that they could come up with some interesting distractions.>  

The dragon shrugged, amused by her riders dilemma.  <<Take a nap?  Your 
always complaining that you don't get enough sleep.>> 

<I'm not tired.> Ailill whined.  She sat up and swung her legs over the 
side of the bed.  <I'll just go for a little walk.  Lakoda never said 
that I couldn't leave my room, she just said I couldn't have anyone 
visit me.> 

<<But...>> Storm's mental voice was filled with concern. 

<I promise not to talk to anyone.>  Personally Ailill wasn't sure that 
not talking was a bad thing.  Her throat ached from simply breathing, 
she didn't particularly want to talk to anyone. 

She slipped on a pair of slippers and slid out her door.  It was kind of 
exciting, sneaking around the med center, hoping she wasn't caught.  She 
padded through the halls, avoiding the areas of high activity.  Until 
finally she found herself at a dead end.  There were three doors 
connected to the hall.  She tried the first one, locked.  She moved to 
the second one.  The handle turned easily in her hand and with the 
thrill that comes with doing something you know your not supposed to she 
quickly opened the door.  It was a linen closet.  She rolled her eyes 
and moved on to the last door.  

This door was also unlocked, but it wasn't a linen closet.  Inside 
Ailill saw the still form of the Z'lec lying on a bed in the center of 
the room.  Storm had told her what had happened to Raynod.  Ailill could 
not begin to imagine the horror of losing Storm.  She didn't want to.  
Curiosity drove her forward.  She stood at the foot of the man's bed, 
watching the rythmatic rise and fall of his chest. The only sign that he 
was even alive.  How odd he looked, how still.  She remembered helping 
him move his things to Waylene's apartment.  How happy he had looked 
that day. She also remembered him scolding her for running off with 
Kendal.  

She felt drawn towards him.  Z'lec hadn't even known her, yet he had 
felt the need to protect her.  She really didn't need to be protected 
from Kendal, but that was beside the point.  She sat gingerly in the 
chair that was set up beside his bed. As she sat there she remembered 
another time she had sat in this position.  Only then she had been 
waiting for someone to die.  She choked back a sob.  It was too much, it 
was too similar.  The memories of sitting beside her brothers bed, of 
feeling him die of his wounds came flooding back to her.  There had been 
nothing she could do to help her brother, but maybe she could help 
Z'lec.   An overwhelming need to help this man filled her.  She had to 
reach him.  She had to do for him what she had been unable to do for 
Salis

Storm was there, in her mind, soothing and comforting her.  <<What can 
you do Ailill.>> She said softly.  <<What can you do but make yourself 
unhappy.  The healers are doing everything they can for him.  Let them 
take care of him.  They don't even know if he can hear or feel 
anything.>>

<He can,> She wispered the words into the still air.  <He can hear, and 
he can feel.  At least, my brother could... He could hear the wispered 
words of the healers telling us that there was no hope.  He could feel 
the searing pain of the wraith burns, and the cool touch of my mothers 
tears.  He begged me to help him, he begged them not to give up.  His 
face, his body never twiched but his mind raged.> Tears streamed down 
her face.  <I told them, I told them that he was still alive, that he 
still wanted to live, but they didn't believe me.  They thought I was 
hysterical.  They made me leave the room, but I could still hear him, I 
could still feel him fading.  Z'lec is in there, just like Salis was.  
He just needs someone to find him.> 

<<Are you sure?>> Storm questioned gently, <<Your brother wanted to 
live.  Are you surethis man wants to be found?  What does he have to 
come back to?  When I told you what had happened to Raynod, you said 
that you wouldn't know how to live if I were gone.  Is it fair to bring 
him back?>>

Ailill sniffed, and wiped the tears from her eyes.  <I don't know?  He 
has Waylene?  All I know is that it's not right to give up on him.>

<<No one is giving up on him, my rider.  The healers are trying to bring 
him back.  Aura's rider spends every spare moment by his side.  I just 
don't think you should get involved.  You might end up getting hurt.>>

<I want to help, Storm.  I don't know why, but I do.  Besides what else 
do I have to do.  Lakoda says I have to stay here for a week.  And she 
probably won't let me go back to full flight status right after that.  
I'll be on light work for at least two weeks, maybe more.  Waylene can't 
spend every moment with him.  She has other things to do.  She has a 
responsibility to the warren.  Maybe she would let me sit with him when 
she isn't able to be here.  I could keep talking to him, I could let him 
know he's isn't alone.  That there are people who want him to come 
back.>

<<How are you supposed to talk to him?  Lakoda said you had to give your 
throat a break?>>

<I _am_ telepathic, I can speak to him with my mind.>  She countered 
Storm's argument before the dragon voiced it.  <I know that Z'lec isn't 
telepathic, and that he shouldn't be able to hear me.  I realized that 
it would be similar to speaking to a deaf person.>  She shook her head.  
<Even a deaf person can feel the vibrations we make when we speak.  Who 
knows, maybe in this isolated state Z'lec will be more open to mental 
*vibrations*?  Anyway, it can't hurt, and if I'm here with him I can 
have you contact Aura instantly if he starts to wake up.>

The dragon sighed mentally.  <<Don't try and convince me, try and 
convince Aura's rider.  You know I can't stop you.>>  

<Where is she?>  

<<She should be there soon.  Aura says she's on her way to see Z'lec 
now.>>

Half a heartbeat later the door opened, Waylene stopped in the door way.  
She hadn't expected to find Ailill standing by her fallen mate's bed. 
Ailill could see the obvious signs of stress, and anxiety lining the 
weary Warrenladies face.  She moved closer the the warren lady, and 
spoke in a harsh wisper.  She would have to beg for Lakoda's forgiveness 
later, right now she needed her voice. 

"Lady Waylene, I know this is going to sound odd, but I would like to 
ask you a favor..."

NRPG:  I know that this is an odd turn of events, but I wasn't sure what 
else Ailill could do for the next week.  Besides get into trouble. :)   

Jill: I know that you have trouble reading my posts, but I can't figure 
out how to get Hotmail to shorten the line length of the posts it sends 
out!  Sorry,  I'll work on it some more!

                             *)*)(*         
Katherine Heath               \(*/    Ailill And Storm,
                               *)       Marrid Warren      
     Domani@hotmail.com        /\  
                              {**}   J'res and Tleilaxu,
           The Voice of...     ^^       Xylian Warren
                               ;}   
~_------------------@__        :}         __@-----------------_~
  \__             /    `-_     /}\    _-`    \             __/
     \___        /        `'-.) }(.-'`        \        ___/
         \___   /            (  } )            \   ___/
             \_/~,_,_,_,_,.-(   }  )-.,_,_,_,_,~\_/
              *             (   }  )             *
                            0\  } /0
                            * \ }/ *
~May Dragons Fly Ever In~      :}:
                              ;};
     ~Your Dreams...        ;};    ...Soaring On The Wings Of~
                           ;;
                          ;;             ~Imagination~
                          ;     
                           '*


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