ways_infirmary | (no subject)

There is a soft moan from the bed containing the sleeping Elf.

Her eyes flutter as she takes a deep breath, swimming up through the cloying blackness that had held her for the last week.

"Feaho..."

He snaps awake at once and looks up. He's by her side in a moment, taking her hand and looking at her moniter.

"Nerdanel? Can you hear me?" he asks gently. "It's Guppy."

Grey eyes slowly open, adjusting to light and sight, taking a little time to focus on her friend's face.

She smiles faintly.

"Guppy." She swallows visibly, her throat dry and unused. "Guppy," she says again, the name just as scratchy as it had been the first time.

"Do you know where you are?" he asks gently, holding a glass of water for her.

She carefully sips the water, thankful for the moisture.

"People were... talking to me? Did I fall asleep in my room? Where is Feaho?"

Things were coming back to her, but her mind was still a little muddled from her prolonged sleep.

"You've been asleep for over a week." he says gently. "Námo and Gorlim have been looking after Feaho, and I've seen them. They're doing a fantastic job. He's nice and healthy too, as far as I can tell."

Nerdanel's eyes are a little wide.

"Over a week? Mandos... he has actually cared for Feaho? Or is he just... supervising?"

She can't believe that cold, distant Vala who was so broken when she last saw him had pulled himself together.

The Elf also had vagued recollection of Gorlim... talking to her... singing to her... telling her... something about Mandos.

"He really loves Feaho, it's easy to see that. I don't know exactly how they arranged it but he's in very safe hands."

He smiles, relieved that she's awake.

"How are you feeling now? You've been more or less stable over the week, just unconscious. I've been giving you intravenous fluids and nutrients."

She focuses on herself for a moment or so.

"I am hungry," she says finally, simply. "Other than that? I feel..." Her smile grows. "I feel better than I have in months. And my breasts ache, but that will be taken care of when I see my son next."

Guppy nods.

Probably not best to mention the whole milking thing.

"Excellent, glad to hear it. What would you like to eat?"

"Perhaps we can start with broth? I think if I eat too much too fast, I will get sick."

She smiles, very happy to be away and not pregnant.

He nods. He would have said that but he thought that after eight births she probably knew her own stomach better.

"No problem. What flavour do you want?"

"Chicken?" she asks. As light as possible, and a clearish broth sounded mild and wonderful to her. "Thank you, Guppy." Her eyes show all her gratitude. "For everything."

"That's okay." he squeezes her hand. "Just don't make a habit of it, you gave us all a hell of a fright."

"I don't plan on doing it again. Eight children far exceed what I ever wanted, and Feaho was the last," she says with a laugh. "Mandos wants any more children, he can bear them."

Guppy laughs. "Around here, it's probably possible."

He sends the infirmary waitrat off with a tip for some broth.

She slowly sits up, adjusting her pillows.

"How long do you think I have to remain here?" she asks, eager to return to her room, her friends, and her family.

"Well since we couldn't find anything wrong with you apart from exhaustion you can go as soon as you're ready. I'd recommend you hang around overnight for observation but you're free to go when you feel up to it."

She nods, smiling up at him.

"Again, thank you, Guppy. For all of this. I appreciate it, and I am sure the others who care for me do as well."

"It's okay. Just concentrate on getting yourself better. I think we can take you off this drip now. Slight scratch coming up."

With a very gentle movement he removes the line into her arm and covers it with a small dressing. The waitrat comes back and he passes her the soup.

"I can probably find you a bed table somewhere..."

She nods, accepting the broth and sipping it slowly. The warm, tasty liquid feels so good that she takes another sip almost immediately.

It then occurs to her...

"How is Shufti? Is she doing well?"

Guppy grins.

"Baby boy born this afternoon. Five pounds eight ounces. Mother and son both doing well." he glances around the curtain nearby. "And shattered by the looks of it."

"A boy."

Two boys born within a week or so of one another.

"Hopefully, he and Feaho will become friends as they grow older. And I would imagine she'd be exhausted. Her first child. I vaguely remember that," she teases, because Maedhros' birth was as clear to her as Feaho's had been.

Guppy grins. "I hope so. Feaho will be a little more advanced, especially as Shufti's baby is a little premature. I think she's calling it Jack."

"Jack?" she asks. "An interesting, simple name. I look forward to meeting him."

She also looks forward to meeting her own son again.

Guppy nods.

"I think there are rather a lot of Jacks around the bar ~~but you can't argue with canon~~, but yes, it's a nice name. Shouldn't result in the little mite getting teased."

She chuckles into the cup, inhaling the broth's fragrance.

"I will have to bother her when she wakes. Would you mind letting Gorlim and Mandos know I am awake? I would like to see Feaho as soon as possible."

Her breasts really ached.

Guppy nods.

"Of course, I'll do that straight away. I'll be back in a few minutes. On the offchance you need anything before then, push the little orange button just there." he shows her a small device attached to the moniter. "That connects to my pager."

Said pager bleeps. He pulls it off his belt and has a look.

"Okay, slight change of plan. I have to nip home after leaving your note. But I will be back soon and you can still get me with the button. I can be here within a couple of minutes from most places in Holby."

"Thank you," she says, relaxing into her bed. "If I have need, I will call."

"Oh, and our dedicated waitrat will be around as well should you need anything. See you later."

He smiles, then goes.

[OOC: Millitimed to after the above thread.]

She is sitting up in bed, a cup of warm broth in her hands, and she is eager to get some of her strength and body-weight back. The sooner she was well, the sooner she could take over care for her son.

Who she was very concerned about.

And she got company fairly soon - there was a small purple god bouncing in, with a bright grin on his face.

He'd heard the good news from the rats, and acame right away.

"Nerdanel!" he said, beaming at her.

She looks up from her mug, her pale, thin face breaking out into a bright, warm smile.

"Sooty!" Nerdanel was so happy to see him. It felt like forever since she had last seen him.

Asar-Suti sat on the edge of her bed, near her feet - he'd rather wanted to hug her, but he didn't want to interrupt her broth intake. She needed that more than random hugs.

"You're awake," he said, stating the blatantly obvious while staring at her with luminous, happy purple eyes.

"Yes," she says with a giggle. "It seems I have been asleep for a small chunk of time." She finishes her broth and sets the mug aside. "You came to see me. I remember you talking to me."

But all words were vague, like a half-remembered dream.

"I did," Asar-Suti said. "I was worried about you, and I, erm, you know, just wanted to be there a bit. I didn't think you'd hear me, though. But you reacted to me being there."

"I heard," she says, taking his hand between her cold, thin ones. "Don't remember quite what was said by anyone, but I remember hearing your voice. Thank you for visiting me. It means a lot."

Asar-Suti just held her hand and was overcome by emotion for a while.

"Gil met Feahelce," he then said. "It was - special. He was rocking that little creature in his arms and stepping from one hoof to the other, his apron tight around him so he wouldn't leave fuzz on the baby. It's spring, and he's still shedding fur when in faun-shape; you didn't sleep long enough for that to be over."

She smiles at him.

"And Mandos and Gorlim? Guppy told me they were primarily in charge of his care. I thought they had broken their relationship apart?"

"They are back together, and appear happy," Asar-Suti said. "They have shed that fellow Lee, along the way. They've got somebody else around by name of Rabastan Lestrange that - oh, now you're awake our Easter breakfast idea flies again! I have to go talk to Rabastan and see if he's willing to be civilised at Gil's table."

Her smile becomes even brighter.

"Back together? Oh, that's wonderful! They so deserve to be happy. It is a shame that they lost Lee along the way. When that first began, I thought they were happy..."

She thinks, casting back into her memory.

"Actually, now that I think about it, were they ever really happy as a threesome?"

"They went on a holiday together; I think that was pretty good," Asar-Suti ventured.

She nods.

"I met Rabastan before I went into labour. He seemed... quiet. Withdrawn. And what is this about an Easter meal? What is Easter?"

"It's a spring holiay from a popular Earth religion," Asar-Suti said. "You have eggs, both real and chocolate ones, and cocolate bunnies? And breakfast with the whole family, appearently, eating eggs and stuff. That's what we're going to do - an egg breakfast. Gorlim, Maglor and I hatched the idea together, and Gil was in favour of it."

"It sounds wonderful!" she says, her eyes alight with excitement. "Who is invited? All of our strange family?"

"Yes, exactly - with two kiddies, two kitties, and a faun. And even a subdued little calm Death Eater if he wants to," Asar-Suti said.

She laughs, her hands still around his.

"Will the Lady Eilinel also be joining us?"

Nerdanel still hadn't made the acquaintance of Gorlim's wife.

"That's the general idea, but I don't know if she will turn up; Eilinel - drifts. I don't know how else to say that. I don't know if she was like that when she was alive, or if it's something to do with being dead, but unlike Gorlim, who is all there all the time, Eilinel is sometimes very focused, and sometimes very vague, and that includes time. Especially for those dead and bound, time here isn't always very linear. Gil used to have a washer-upper who reappeared after three months' absence, claiming he just had one good night's sleep. It happens all the time." Asar-Suti shrugged.