"You would do this for him?"

Abby nodded.

"Why?"

"Because I am a healer, and I would hate to see an innocent man judged for 
a wrong that was not of his making... I want to help if I can...and if you
decide against my being involved I will walk out of here 
and keep your being here to myself. I swear this on everything I hold dear. 
As someone sworn to heal and protect. Will you let me try?"

Ash shrugged, then winced. "Anything would help. And the trial. Yes. It is
necessary." He looked at Laria and R'chein. "I need your help. All of your
help. I can't just ignore this and I can't do it by  myself. Thanks, Abby. 
As for everyone else...will you help?"

Abby was relieved. At least they didn't just throw her out without giving 
her a chance. She didn't think she could ever forget that it had been Ash's
hand that had killed her brother. But she knew he wasn't to blame. Once that
...thing.. had gotten inside of him the man had had no choice. 

Ash was damn lucky to be alive.

Abby hadn't lied when she said she knew what to look for. She'd seen enough
possessed people in the last few weeks to know the signs. That had to count
for something.

Then too, she looked down at the little kitty sitting so calmly by 
Ash`cheon's feet. Well maybe not so little, but she knew damn well the 
feline wouldn't be so calm if the hellspawn was still apart of the man. 

The cat had once tired to kill a man who they had found to be possessed, 
but now he was just laying there as if he didn't have a care in the world.
Abby could use that too if it came to it.

She's run her test. Even though she didn't think it necessary. Not in her 
own mind. But to help prove Ash innocent she would. Get a second healer to 
go over thethe results without telling them why exactly, and have those
records to give during the trial. 

She couldn't live with herself if she did nothing. Would Tera be able to see
that? Or would she blame her and accuse her of helping Ga'brin's killer? No
matter. Abby had to do what she felt was right. 

Ga'brin would have understood. After a time.

"I'll need to have a quick look at you just to make sure your wounds are
healing right," she told him, ignoring the others in the room. "And then
take a few samples to run tests on."

"You can use the room down the hall if you need some privacy," Laria told her.

"Thanks."

Abby stood back as Ash got to his feet and Laya moved to give him some help.
Recovering or not the man still wasn't totally healed.

When Laya stayed in the room with them, Abby made no protest but got to
work. She had a feeling nothing would have made the girl leave. 

A little while later they rejoined the others who had been talking in their
absences. She had done what she had been called there to do and knew the
rest of it didn't concern her. 

"I'll leave you all now to figure out what you are going to do," she said
when she could get a word in. 

She saw the suspicion in Laya's eyes and turned to her. 

"I have to start running these tests and figure out the  results. Not turn
him in," she told the girl sharply. "I gave my word to try and help him, and
have I ever shown my word to be worthless to you or anyone else Laya?"

"No," the girl said after giving her an intense look. "It seems I have no
choice but to trust you... But if I ever find out.."

"Laya," Ash's voice cut her off, even as his eyes met those of the healers.
"Abby is no threat. She has given her word. I trust her to help."

Abby saw so much more in the look that past between them then just simple
trust. Things she couldn't even try to understand. Things that made her more
determined then ever to help him. To try to erase some of the torments he
carried around inside of him. 

"I'll be back tomorrow with the test results. If anything happens before
then and you need me, just have the girls or Wyndamenth call for me and I
will come."

She turned to the others in the room then picked up the bag she had brought
with her and went on back to the med center. She had to work fast for Marcus
was waiting and she didn't want him asking any questions she couldn't answer.

If anyone was surprised to see her there so late, no one commented about it.
What would be wrong with a healer being in the Med center anyway?

First she stopped by her office to write a few notes, then making sure no
one saw what she was carrying, she made her way down to the lab and began to
work.

[Next day]

R'chein was already there before her the next morning when she finally made
it into work. 

"And?" he asked, with no need to say anything more. 

"Come into my office and I'll show you what I found," she told him not
wanting to talk about it out in the hall where someone might over hear.

As soon as the door was closed behind then she offered him a seat the went
to her desk and opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a file she had place
there last night. 

Next she explain that she still had one or two more test to go over and
handed the file to him showing him the results of the tests she'd already
completed. 

"You're sure about this," he asked after taking the time to go over them. 

"I'm sure," she waved her hand in the direction of the papers in his hand.
"I still can't believe it myself, but the tests show he's healing fine.. The
fact that he's alive is still beyond me or even how it could have happened.
I mean I've heard of these nomad healers and still..."

"Amazing isn't it?" R'chein nodded his head in understanding. 

"Yes. If only half of what I heard about the injuries he suffered is true,
then maybe we should think about finding us one of these healers."

"And put ourselves out of a job."

Abby chuckled. "It'll never come to that my teacher."

"Well nomad healers aside," R'chein cleared his throat. "Can you positively
say that there is no threat of the Hellspawn still being part of Ash?"

"Yes I can. In fact I sent a copy of the results as well as some samples off
to Lakoda of Marrid last night and this morning I got her reply. She concurs
with my findings... oh and she had her baby by the way. A healthy little
girl," Abby told him.

"Good.. that's good," the older healer said, but his mind was still going
over the things on the paper before him. "Very well I think Ash and Laya
will be waiting for your findings."

"Umm... do you think you could take them over there and tell them?" she asked.

"Why? You did the preliminaries. Shouldn't you be the one to tell them the
results?"

She knew what he was thinking. But it wasn't that.

"I just don't want people to start wondering why Abby the  healer would be
making so many trips over to an apartment where she has no good reason to
be. While your going there wouldn't be questioned at all," she explained. "I
just don't want people to start asking questions that might make someone
else want to find out why?"

"Good point. But I still want you to go by and do another check up on him
later today."

"I will," she agreed, standing when he did and glad she had made a second
copy of the test results as he hadn't given her back the ones she had handed
him. "It'll have to be sometime after lunch though unless something happens
and they need me before then. Any idea when Laria is going to make news of
the up coming trial public?"

"Soon... They want to wait until after..." she knew what he had been about
to say but let it pass as he went on. "So make sure you're ready."

"I'll be ready. But right now I have rounds to make and then the supply
closet to go inventory," she sighed as he left, wishing she could pass that
chore off to someone else. 

After he left, Abby sat down and thought about what she was doing. Would her
mother understand why she felt she had to help him? Would her father or
Ben'sar? And then there was Tera... Gods she would never understand. 

Abby knew Tera blamed Ash for Ga'brin's death and no amount of explanations
about cause and effect of hellspawns was ever going to change the woman's mind.

She just hoped it wouldn't end their friendship when Tera found out what she
was going to do. As much as she loved her brothers mate, and didn't want to
see her hurting any more then she already was,  Abby knew she couldn't step
aside now. She had to go on with what help she could give Ash`chenon. 

With the choice of Tera's friendship or being able to live with herself,
Abby knew the decision wasn't one she made lightly. Tera might one day come
around, but Abby would never get over the lack of self respect if she failed
a patient when she had it in her to help.

The thoughts kept with her when she finally got up and started her rounds.
They were never far from her mind and maybe that was why she wasn't paying
attention when she rounded a corner and ran into someone. 

Looking up she saw it was Eleanora and noticed right away her friend was
crying. 

*Are you all right?  You look awful.*  Her friend signed, looking worried.

*No.* Eleanora struggled with words to express half-formed thoughts. *I just
snapped at Sandor and completely lost control. I haven't had a tantrum like
that since I was 10!*

*Is something bothering you?* Abby asked, though she kept to herself that
Sandor likely deserved to be snapped at. The man had changed so much over
the last few months and Abby missed the rogue he had been. Even that was
better then the man feeling sorry for himself in the other room. 

And it was mostly his own fault. If he'd only tell them who had given him
the poisoned drink, then maybe they could do something about it. But time
was getting short. If they didn't do something soon, the person might
succeed the next time. They had to find out who was trying to kill him and why?

*No. Yes. I don't know. I feel.....* Her hands flailed, as if to grasp the
right sign out of thin air. *Jangled?*

*Maybe you are upset by last night?* Abby asked as gently as she could, her
own tension seeping through.

*Maybe.*  Eleanora shrugged. *Is there anything I can do to help here? *

*Well how are you at writing?* the healer asked hopefully. She would like to
have help with the inventory but also it might be something to take the
girls mind off of other things for a while.

As she had other things to do after the total's were in Abby gave Eleanora
other things to do and told her that they could meet for lunch in the dining
hall. 

She needed to go over the last of the tests she had taken and didn't want
anyone hanging around asking questions that she couldn't give answers too. 

When these were finished and the results added to the file, Abby went into
her office and took off her lab coat, then went down the main hall to the
front desk.

"I'm going to go over to the dining hall for lunch today," she told the
nurse working there. "Sarrine is here if you need anyone for something or
you can have the Center dragon call me back."

On her way out she ran into her brother.

"What are you doing here?" she asked when he angled his steps to match hers. 

"Coming to see how you were doing," he told her. 

"I'm hanging in. It's mom and Tera I'm worried about," she told him. "She's
not taking his death very well and I'm worried about her."

"Want me to go up and see her?" he offered. 

"That might be a good thing, but with the funeral tonight... And others
things... I'm not sure she's going to want to see me when it's all over,"
Abby told him, but didn't say what those things were and Ben'sar knew his
sister well enough not to ask. Even if it did pike his curiosity. If she'd
wanted him to know then she would have told him. "There are a lot of people
going up there right now and what she really needs is some time with her
son. Alone right now."

[[Insert Katrina's lunch post here....]]

Sometime later Abby left to go back to work leaving Ben'sar to show Eleanora
around the shops as promised. She knew the girl would be wary about picking
up a few things for herself, but Abby had no fears that her brother would be
able to charm her into getting something. 

With that worry out of the way for a little while Abby went in search for
her mother when she got back to the med center. 

"Mother?" she asked seeing the usually robust woman just sitting behind her
desk. "Are you doing okay?"

"Maybe after tonight," Sarrine lifted her head and her daughter could see
the sadness the woman did nothing to hide here in this room. 

"I'm worried about Tera."

"We all are," Sarrine nodded. "She and Ga'brin shared a very rare kind of
love. I'm afraid with his death she'll close herself up and never let anyone
else get close to her again."

"You may be right and I know Ga'brin would never have wanted her to live
that way. She's just got to much love to give...." 

"Well we'll keep our eyes on her and worry about it when the time comes,"
the older woman told her. "But what about you?"

"I miss him... but I know life goes on," Abby said softly. "It's how he
would have wanted it..."

But Abby was about to do something she knew would come between the
friendship, and she knew she could prevent it if she just stood back and
closed her eyes to what was going on... But she knew she wouldn't. 

No mater if in the end she ended up hurting the one person who would she
never wanted to hurt. It was not a choice between Ash's happiness and
Tera's. It was a choice of what was right or wrong. 

She left her mothers office and went back to work in her own for a while
until it was time to go by and run another check on Ash`chenon like she
promised R'chein she would do. First though she concentrated hard on the
image of *The Girls* in her mind. 

Never having to had treat them, Abby had never had the touch of their mind
in hers before. Something that would have made this easier to do. But after
a few seconds she felt them both and send a thought to them to let their
rider know to be expecting her. 

She didn't want to just sow up unannounced. 

Not with Laya as touchy as she was right now.

The exam went just about how she had expected it to go. The wounds had
closed up a bit more and Abby gave Ash an antiseptic cream to rub into them
that would keep the skin around them from getting to tight. Also to help
prevent any infections. 

She noticed his body was healing just fine, but he had been to quiet for her
peace of mind.  Not that she blamed him with everything he was about to
face, but where Abby 
knew others might forgive him once the truth was out.. self forgiveness on
Ash's part would be a long time in coming.

She left soon after words knowing she had one more appointment this
afternoon before going home to ready herself for the funeral tonight. 

So deep in thought about what she was doing to help Ash and how her family
would react to it, she was startled when someone touched her arm and she
turned to see Eleanora standing there. 

At first she was scared it was someone who might ask what she was doing
there, but then seeing the girl, she began to relax and her heart rate,
which had doubles, began to slowly resuming it's normal rate of beating.

<snip>

*But what will happen if this Ash person returns?*

*That's not something you need to worry yourself about,* Abby told her a
little sharper then she intended. *I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at
you... it's just been a long day and I have to go back to the med center and
run some more tests.*

The healer reached out and patted her arm. *Keelin tells me Ben'sar is going 
to take you for a ride this evening before it gets to late.*

Eleanora's face lit up in a wide smile as she nodded her head. *He asked me
this afternoon after you left the hall to go back to work. I can't wait* 

Then Eleanora though of something. 

*You have no dragon but you said Keelin told you... How can that be?*

*Remember when I told you the dragons spoke to me? Well some do it only when
I heal them but others will talk to me at all times. Ben'sar's dragon Keelin
is one of them.*

*Oh.*

*Well you had better go find him before he takes off without you!*

Eleanora didn't need to be told twice. She went in search of the male rider
and his dragon, as Abby grinned after her. Yes the girl certainly was dragon
blinded. 

She waited until Eleanora was out of sight before resuming her walk back to
the med center where she knew Danielle would be arriving soon for her check up.

Poor girl, Abby thought. she didn't really know the other woman all that
well being that Danielle didn't try very hard to make friends with any of
the other women in the Warren besides Tera, But she still felt sorry for
what the girl had been put through. Not even she had deserved that.

No matter what some of the other females said about her getting just what
she deserved. 

Abby was worried about the memory lost Danielle was still suffering from,
and wondered how Trap was taking it. She knew herself that if Marcus has
ever forgotten who she was and the love they had shared... She'd go crazy,
trying everything she could to help him find his way back to her.

Upon entering the med center, the duty nurse informed her that the blond
headed rider was waiting for her in room two.

"She just got here and is changing so you don't have to hurry," the nurse
told her and Abby thanked her and asked for her to tell Danielle that she'd
be a few minutes, before heading down the hall to her office to drop off the
notes she had made on Ash's case. 

When she came out she was surprised to see Eleanora standing there in the
hall waiting for her. 

"I thought you were going with Ben'sar for a ride on Keelin?"

*I was but he said he had to do something for a little while.. run some
message for his ...Flightleader ??? and would come find me when he got back.*

*Ah... the joys of being a dragonrider,* Abby chuckled. "Well I may have
something that you can do for me if you would? I have a patient waiting for
me in room two, but it's going to be a few minutes before I can get to
her... Do you think you could take her in a gown and help her change if she
needs it?*

*Sure?* the girls face lit up. 

It took her longer then she had planned, and was surprised to hear shouting
coming from Danielle's room. Abby hurried down the hall to find out what was
happening and ran smack into a tall broad shoulders man being pushed out of
the room by the smaller Eleanora. 

"But I have every right to be in there with her!" Trap nearly shouted and
tried to push past the girl, but Abby grabbed his arm. 

"Just what in the hell is going on here!" she said in her best healer voice
when he turned to face her. 

[[to be continued in Traps next post...... which is being written right
now......]]

*****Submitted by ******

Abbien (Telnor Healer
Traplin & Diemis
Sarrine
Ben'sar & Killeen
Telnor Warren

aka 
Barbara