Libby took a deep breath as she knocked on the Warrenlady's door.

"Come," the female voice called.

Opening the heavy door, Libby stood on the threshold as Ophelia looked up
from her work.

"Libby! What a surprise. It's not that often you visit me in my office."

Libby closed the door behind her and walked into the room. Ophelia offered
her a chair.

"What can I do for you?" the muscular woman asked reading the expression on
the head nurse's face.

Libby perched on the edge of the chair and spoke quietly.

"It's Sandor. Trap has him 'locked' in his apartment to try and dry him out.
Personally I think it is a dangerous and unwise action."

Ophelia steepled her fingers as she leant back in her chair.

Libby continued, "Sandor has been through so much emotional upheaval over
the past couple of years. Keeping him away from his friends will only make
him feel more of an outcast," her eyes fluttered down briefly, "and his
friends who do not have access to a dragon are unable to visit him."

A smile quirked across the warrenlady's lips and Libby coloured a delicate
shade of pink.

"What do you suggest?" Ophelia asked.

"I think the Med Centre would be preferable. Sandor is deeply depressed and
an alcoholic. With Retala's death and the conflict between him and Trap,"
the blond breathed deeply gathering her thoughts. "If it wasn't for his
dragon I am certain that he'd either have committed suicide or would be
considering it. What's to stop him from stepping off the ledge in a fit of
suicidal depression?"

Ophelia remained silent, letting the woman sitting in front of her express
her feelings and solutions.

"I'm sure Trap thinks he's doing the right thing but quiet frankly he's
wrong." Standing up and walking to the window, Libby watched the warren go
about its business.
Tears sprung in her eyes and she brushed them furiously aside, angry with
herself at letting her emotions show.

She didn't hear Ophelia rise from her desk and walk over to the younger woman.

"You care deeply about him, don't you?" she said caringly.

Libby nodded, unable to risk her voice.

"I agree with you. He does need constant supervision. I should have realised
that something was wrong."

"You've had your own problems, Ophelia. You can't look out for everyone."

"My dear, I'm the Warrenlady, I should make it my business to know what
state my Wingleaders are in. Leave it with me. You have my permission to
place Sandor under your medical supervision. And I mean you Libby. I think
that you will be the one that will bring him through this, because you can
see past all his faults and you accept him for who he is."

******

"I know what your game is!"

Libby spun round at the accusation.

"I beg your pardon?"

"How did you wangle it? Getting Ophelia to agree to get Sandor transferred
over to your clutches, very smart!"

"What are you talking about, Trap?" Libby asked, confusion showing in her voice.

The blond rider caught hold of Libby's upper arm and marched her down the
corridor to an empty side room.

Turning her to face him he accused, "I know exactly what you're doing to
him, but what I don't understand is why?"

Twisting free from his grip, Libby rubbed her reddening upperarm. Her blue
eyes blazing at Trap, she responded, "What the hell are you talking about?"

The tall man towered above her, his lips snarling back to show even white teeth.

"You make a very convincing actress, Libby, but you don't fool me! I know it
was you that got Ophelia to agree to get Sandor down here. You couldn't get
up there to give him the booze, but now he's down here, you have free and
easy access to him," he lunged at her again.

He didn't get chance to grab her as she swung the flat of her hand hard
against his cheek, stopping him in his tracks.

"How dare you!" she spat. "You think that you are so smart, but you know
nothing of human relationships! I *do not* go storming off when things don't
go the way that I want them. I *do not* act like a spoilt child when I don't
get my own way. I *do no*t go around breaking my friend's face because of an
uncontrollable situation. You say that you are Sandor's friend? You lash out
at him because your mate seduced him. In a moment of weakness he relented
because the woman that he loved had died. Did you ask for an explanation?
Did you care how he was feeling? Did you want to know if he needed a
friend's support? DID YOU HELL!"

"Oh and I suppose you did with the aid of a bottle!" the blond rider snarled
back.

"I was there when Retala died. Where were you? I was there when he was
bought in with stab wounds. Where were you? I was there when he had his face
smashed in. I was there when he got so drunk he couldn't stand. I was there
when he woke in the night to throw up. You judge people by your standards
Trap and if they don't live up to your expectations, you ditch them, till
guilt takes over and you try and make amends. Well let me tell you
something, friendship doesn't work like that! I have done everything I can
to help Sandor without being in the way, without him knowing I was there."

Angrily she pushed past Trap; "I have no idea why I'm telling you this. You
are either too stupid or too blind to see! You want the real culprit? Go
look in the mirror!"

With that barbed comment, Libby left the room, slamming the door so hard the
hinges creaked under the strain.

*******

Once in the staff room, Libby let all the frustration of her encounter with
Trap tumble out. Tears of anger and pain flowed down her cheeks as she tried
to control her sobs. Wiping her face with a tissue, she once again put on
that air of efficiency and went back to work.

*******

She had no idea where the bottles of liquor were coming from. It seemed as
if they materialised out of thin air. The door to Sandor's room was locked,
not something that she agreed to, the windows, too, were barred. No-one was
allowed into his room with any bags and apart from doing body searches on
all his visitors, she had no idea what to do next.

She'd give it a few more days and then she'd act.

*********
Insert Barb's post in here somewhere :)


She could hear the raised voices coming from Sandor's room.
Without hesitation and with an orderly behind her, Libby opened the door and
ducked out of the way of a flying object.

"What did you say to him?" This man was too much. First he accuses her of
supplying the drink to Sandor, now he's in there fighting with him. 

Trap pushed her out of the room as a glass vase came crashing against the wall.

"I didn't say a damn thing to him!" he protested. "He started it as soon as
I walked in the door. And another thing! The man is drunk again. I thought
you were keeping a better eye on him!"

Before she could reply to his tirade, Abby came down the hall and
intervened. Turning to Trap, with her eyes ablaze, she accused, "What did
you do to set him off?"

The tall rider stood his ground, every muscle in him taut with anger, he
responded with equal ferocity, "Nothing! I walked in and found him that way."

Libby's own fury spilled out as she too rounded on the man, "Well I'm sure
your visit didn't help much! You're not helping him so why don't you just
stay away from him?"

"And let you work your magic on him?" Trap snorted. "I've seen the fine job
you've been doing around here to help him."

Libby opened her mouth to tell this arrogant shit what she really thought of
him when Abby interceded.

"Cut it out you two!" she snapped. "Neither of you if helping the situation
right now! Stop blaming each other."

She turned to Libby. "Go find a couple of the biggest orderlies we have, and
get him calmed down."

Libby glared at Trap who glared back at her with equal hostility, then she
stormed off down the corridor in search of Timus and Kaldris.

She returned with them in toe and ignored Trap as he stood there arguing
with Abby.
Turning to the two burly men, she requested, "Stay by the door. Let me deal
with this in my own way, ok?"

Timus spoke with soft tones, not expected from such a well-built man, "Just
give us a sign if you need help, Libby."

She smiled at him and opened the door.

"Fuck off!" Sandor shouted, wobbling as he turned towards the door.

He stood peering at the two huge men and the woman they dwarfed.

He waved his arms around and staggered towards Libby.

"Well if it isn't little miss goodie two shoes," he slurred. "You know why I
never went after you, Libs? Cos I knew you'd turn me down flat!" He went to
sit on the edge of the bed but slid clumsily onto the floor, the bottle in
his hand shattering as it hit the hard surface. 

"Shit. Still theresh more where tha came from."

"Do you really need any more? Do you really want this?" Libby held up a
bottle that glowed like amber.

"Give it me!" Sandor shouted as he tried to stumble to his feet.

"You want it, you get up, walk over to me and ask for it nicely."

"FUCK YOU!... Fuck you..." he sobbed.

Sandor lay on the floor and curled up into the foetus position, surrounded
by the mayhem and carnage that he had created.

Turning to the orderlies, Libby whispered to them to go.

Clearing a space around the dark haired man, Libby snuggled down next to him
and cradling him in her arms, she let him cry. He clung to her, she was his
rock, she was solid and real and wasn't afraid of him or what he said or
did. She cared and believed in him. Not once had she raised her voice in
anger, not once had she judged him. She was always there.

"Help me. Please Libby, help me!"

***********

"Are you sure it will work?" Ophelia asked Libby as the two women stood in
the warrenlady's office. "I've already had Trap in here complaining that
enough wasn't being done."

Libby sighed, "I don't know if it will work, but I do know that someone here
doesn't want him to recover."

"When and where are you going to take him?" 

"Tonight, and I need your help. No-one must know where we will be. Dinnan
will be in contact with Beryth if that's alright by you?"

Ophelia nodded agreement, "So where will you go?"

"Isle of Tark. A friend has a lodge there that I can use. I thought that
maybe going away from everything and everybody would help," she let out
another sigh. Turning to the older woman, Libby smiled, "I'm scared Ophelia.
Supposing it doesn't work?"

Ophelia smiled back and wrapped her arms in an unusual show of affection, "I
think you know it will work. You are his only chance, and I think he knows
that!"

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Libby sniffed, "I hope to the gods we're right!"



Libby


nrpg:

Way hay! Finally got a Libby post out :)

Libby and Sandor will be away for a  couple of weeks, and hopefully he'd
have recovered enough to get back in the saddle... Lyn? 

That's if they make it away anywhere. 

Have fun

*hugs*

Lea
>
"A flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all."