Part 11 (1/2)
T'lion trudged disconsolately toward the conference room and utter humiliation, a short walk that seemed as long as the flight straight.
Monarth said they would like to have a baby, Gadareth told him in a cheerful tone. Path agrees.
But what if Tana can't know? What if she's wrong? !”ll die!
No, and Gadareth's tone chided him for rashness, because you would not like me to die, too, would you?
No, of course not! T'lion gave himself a shake. Whatever happened now he still had Gadareth. No-one could part him from his dragon.
He pushed open the door.
”Aivas, it's T'lion here with Weyrleader T'gellan and green Path's rider, Mirrim,' he announced to the screen. Only when he had caught a reproving glance from T'gellan did he mutter K'din's name.
”What is the topic of your, discussion today? The dolphins?”
”How did he know?” Mirrim asked in an undertone.
”Because T'lion usually reports on the progress of his meetings with the dolphins, Mirrim,' Aivas said and Mirrim winced, having forgotten the acuteness of the facility's ”hearing'.
”One of the dolphins, Tana, said I was pregnant.” Mirrim came straight to the point.
”If the dolphin noticed an alteration in your womb, she is likely to be accurate.”
A profound silence fell on the small conference room.
”Well, now, how? I didn't even know myself, Aivas,' Mirrim said, easing herself on to a chair. ”I mean - ”Dolphin sonar - ”That was the word she used ”Sonar What is that?”
”Dolphin sonar is the means by which they navigate across the oceans of Pern, sending out signals and reading the sound waves that return to them. Sonar also informs the dolphin of minute changes in body ma.s.s. Dolphins accurately diagnose T'gellan exclaimed.
”to not only pregnancy but bodily tumors and growths and often other illnesses in their early stages. Medics - healers in your current parlance - relied on dolphin diagnostics as unique and correct.
”You mean, Mirrim is pregnant?” T'gellan asked.
”If a dolphin has p.r.o.nounced it, indubitably she is with child.
T'lion looked from the radiant smile that suffused Mirrim's face to T'gellan's proud posture. Out of the corner of his eye he caught the grimace on his brother's face but he was careful not to exhibit his elation at Aivas' verdict. He didn't want to prod K'din into further acts of retaliation. It was enough that he, T'lion, was right and he mentally kicked himself for doubting the dolphins. But he hadn't had any idea they could ”see' into human bodies!
”Perhaps this facet of dolphin abilities has been overlooked?” Aivas asked after T'gellan and Mirrim had shared a happy embrace.
T'gellan looked at T'lion who shrugged denial.
”I think we should ask the Weyr Healer to look into the matter,' T'gellan said. ”Would the dolphins see infections that lie under the skin and then erupt?”
”The records so indicate. Do you refer to a puncture wound?”
”Yes, I do. M'sur nearly lost his leg because it wasn't until he saw the red lines of blood poisoning that he realized he had a severe injury. Persellan had a time saving his life and his leg!' Then T'gellan turned to T'lion. ”I think we'd best inform the Healers Hall at Fort about this.”
”D'you think they'll believe you?” Mirrim said with a laugh.
Her left hand hovered on her belt, fingers spread over her belly as if she still couldn't credit the diagnosis.
T'gellan shrugged, grinning. ”They can or cannot as they so choose but I've a duty to inform them.”
”There's a healer here at Landing, isn't there?” Mirrim asked.
”Oh, thank you, Aivas, for your time.
”You are welcome, dragonrider Mirrim.”
”My grat.i.tude, Aivas, on several counts, and he gave T'lion a rea.s.suring grin. ”That meeting with your dolphin friends took a most unexpected turn, lad. We thank you. Mirrim's lost two babes because she didn't know she was pregnant. We don't want to lose another. Come,' T'gellan said, one hand at Mirrim's waist, guiding her out the door. ”We'll inform D'ram of this.
He'll see that the Healer Hall is informed.”
”Yes, best coming from him,' Mirrim agreed, but she beckoned for T'lion to walk beside her on their way out.
It took a moment or two for D'ram to absorb the astonis.h.i.+ng news, then he rose from his chair and heartily shook T'gellan's hand, beaming at Mirrim.
”It's always been a problem for Weyrwomen to know when they have conceived and stay out of between in the first few months. You'll have women flocking to the sh.o.r.es to speak to dolphins.”
”I'm not sure that's what we want, T'gellan said, somewhat alarmed.
”Oh, well, yes, but I shall inform the Healer Hall and they can make what arrangements they find useful.”
”If they believe the story,' Mirrim said.
”Oh, I know a few who are open minded enough to investigate especially if Aivas has verified the matter. First I shall ask Aivas to give me what information he has on the diagnostic abilities of the dolphin. Nothing like the printed word to rea.s.sure. Then the old Weyrleader turned to T'gellan. ”You were wise to confirm this with Aivas instead of dismissing the matter.”
”It was certainly worth the trouble of flying here straight,' T'gellan agreed, smiling fondly down at his weyrmate. ”Though I won't deny I found it hard to credit. Sorry about that, T'lion.”
”Oh, that's all right, T'gellan,' T'lion could honestly say now that his friends were vindicated. ”I didn't believe it myself, you know.
If T'lion found himself appointed as dolphin liaison - a word Kib suggested to him from his revived vocabulary of Ancient terms - for the sceptical medics who did come, sometimes with patients, more often not, he had no objections. It kept him out of K'din's way and made it less likely that any tale K'din might concoct would discredit him in the Weyrleader's eyes. Persellan, the Weyr's healer, a journeyman from the southernmost tip of South Boll, was nearly scornful as he announced that it was impossible to detect a pregnancy so soon after conception.
But Tana neatly demolished his disbelief when she pinpointed yet another festering puncture wound in the arm of a weyrchild who kept complaining that his arm hurt. The headwoman had been sure it was an attempt to avoid his ch.o.r.es. Tana not only was correct about the infection but she touched her nose on exactly the point which the skeptical Persellan was to poultice.
The next morning the infection had come to a head and in it could clearly be seen the needle fine thorn which caused the problem.
Thorns from a variety of vegetation on the Southern continent were a constant problem to the healers. Most people wore little in the hot summers so there was more bare flesh which could be invaded by a casual brush against leaves and plants. Even tough dragon hide was not impervious to the problem though the protective layer just under the skin was rarely penetrated.
More often it was the rider, scrubbing his dragon, who found a thorn imbedding itself in a water-soaked hand.
Not by any means thoroughly convinced of this method of ascertaining pregnancy, Persellan did bring women in various stages of a known pregnancy to test Tana and other members of her pod who seemed eager to prove their abilities.
It was, however, a broken bone that persuaded Persellan. A broken bone, moreover, that had healed badly just below the elbow, inhibiting the free use of her right arm. The woman had come to discover if she was pregnant again, a condition she didn't wish to continue since she considered that three children were more than enough to saddle the Weyr with.
”Bone broke. Healed wrong,' Tana told Persellan. ”Here.”