[Apologies if you get this twice. I didn't get a return on it.]

[Day 8]

[C'tain]

Waylene and Traknor sat before his desk.  He considered them as he phrased
his next words.

"I still feel that Lakoda and this entire Medical Staff is owed a sincere
and public apology.  She has been treated abominably and only had the
pressure taken off her because she's pregnant."

"So, you're not leaving?" Waylene asked.

"I don't know yet.  If I don't, it won't be because I've changed my mind
about your reprehensible treatment of the medical staff.  If I do, I
intend to take Koda with me."

"What?!  You can't--"

"I can and I will if she's willing.  We'll go somewhere where the healing
arts are appreciated and allowed to flourish instead of being ground under
the heal of a tyrannical wingleader who know nothing about medicine.  If
that leaves you in the lurch, it's just too bad.  Maybe you'll think twice
the next time you decide to second-guess your healers."

Trak leaned forward.  "Look, she was doing something I felt was--"

"No!" C'tain interrupted.  "You look.  She's either a good healer, and you
let her work without second-guessing her decisions-- and you APOLOGISE for
the horrible way she's been treated-- or she's a bad healer and you don't
want her here anyway.  You know nothing about medicine.  You can't dictate
her medical decisions *or anyone else's* that works in the Medical Center. 
And *if* I decide to stay and if this sort of thing happens again, I will
not hesitate.  I will be gone within the hour.  So will Sina.  Do I make
myself understood?"

"Even if that means leaving injured untreated?" Waylene challenged.

"Better they be untreated than mistreated, Waylene.  Competent healers can
always be called in on an emergency basis-- ones that will do what needs
done and not be constrained by warren politics and who's sleeping with
whom and who got their feelings hurt.  Now, I have final rounds to do,
then I'll be talking to Koda at breakfast.  If you want to assure
yourselves that I don't persuade her to leave the warren with me, I'd
suggest you start apologising and hope she can see fit to forgive you and
trust you again."

******

[Dining Hall]

"You're going to ask her?" Sina asked.

He nodded.  "I told her I had wanted to leave because I was afraid of my
feelings for her.  It gave me more time to decide what I was going to do
about this antipathetic behaviour to healers that Waylene and Traknor have
shown.  But, I've decided in all good conscience that I can't let them get
away with this unanswered."  He shrugged.  "She may change my mind, of
course.  We'll see."

"Well, you know I'm behind you, brother, dear."  Sina stood and headed
out.

A few minutes later, Koda came into the hall and spotted him.  She quickly
grabbed some food and came to the table.  She looked nervous.  They were
finally going to have their talk. 

"Good morning," he greeted, kissing the palm of her hand.

She sat down.  "So... you wanted to talk?"

He nodded.  "I wanted to try to explain to you about my problem with
dragonriders as... as lovers... or mates..."

"Okay," she said.

"You have to know what you're letting yourself in for, Koda.  It's only
fair."  He paused and took a deep breath.  "You seem to think that since
you aren't in a wing, you aren't, in some sense, a 'real' dragonrider and
so it shouldn't bother me that you're joined-- after all, you're just a
healer who happens to have a dragon.  But, as far as the things that
bother me about dragonriders as lovers... you're as real a dragonrider as
any."

"How so?" she asked.

"It's not about flying combat or being a part of dragonrider society.
It's about what the bond itself represents.  Your dragon is... the most
important thing in your life, bar none.  If you were, gods forbid, to lose
the baby tomorrow, you'd be heartbroken, but you'd go on.  If you were to
lose me tomorrow, you'd be truly grief stricken, I suspect, but you could
go on.  But, if you lost Ribbon tomorrow, you'd be lucky to come out of it
as sane as Z'lec is.  Most likely, you'd suicide.  She's everything to
you.  And that diminishes what I am to you.  With... my first mate... we'd
be making love and suddenly, she'd get this distant look, and I knew... I
knew she was... with her dragon and no longer with me.  And then there
were the mating flights.  Gods, Koda, it ate me up inside to watch them.
But, more than that, it ate me up to know that I was so... unimportant
that her dragon could interrupt us at any time and she would, mentally if
not physically, leave me to be with her.  It was like... being with
someone and then having them leave to go be with their *real* lover.  I...
I want to try, but I don't know if I'm strong enough to handle it."

She nodded.  "So..."

"So... I'm making this proposition knowing you know my weakness, Bit.  I
want you to come away from this warren to someplace that appreciates you
and won't constrain you or mistrust you in your work.  That's really why
Sina and I were planning on leaving-- to make a statement to Waylene and
Traknor that their behaviour was unacceptable.  I'd hoped then that you'd
join us, but you reacted... differently.  Please, Bit, there's no reason
for you to tolerate the mistreatment you've received."

"They're not doing anything to me now," she countered.

"That's because you're pregnant.  As soon as the child is born, it'll be
back to the second-guessing, the mistrust of your skills, and the
medically-ignorant orders of that Traknor creature.  Come away now, Bit,
before it starts back up."

"And if I don't?  Are you going to leave without me?"

He sighed.  "No.  For you, I'll stay.  But Waylene and Traknor won't be
forgiven.  And I won't tolerate further mistreatment.  I'll leave if they
start it back up."

Respectfully submitted,
 Lynette R. F. Cowper
  for C'tain

---

 Lynette R. F. Cowper <lcowper@indy.net>, INWO Line Editor