Continued from here
19th Cylus, 717
By the time that Tei'serin and Mr. Gardner had returned to the school, all of the other searchers had returned as well. Talk of sending out another search party once everyone had had a chance to rest, and recover turned to celebration that Sorin had been found, and demands to know if he was okay. Anya Gardner rushed over to them, needing to see for herself that the child she had come to love as her own was safe.
Desks were hastily moved, positioned into a makeshift bed that was covered with blankets, and a pillow. Mr. Gardener set Sorin down gently on the makeshift bed, while others bundled him up in blankets. Tei'serin took the opportunity to strip out of her soaking wet cold weather gear, and bundle herself up in a blanket of her own. A cup of hot tea was pressed into her hand, and she thanked the woman who gave it to her, sipping it slowly. Gradually, warmth began to seep back into her chilled body. By the time she was ready to see to her patient, Sorin was carefully tucked into a nest of blankets, and the Gardeners were more ready to step back, and let her treat the boy without them getting in the way.
The first thing Tei'serin did was to strip him out of his blankets long enough to assess his condition. There were no obvious wounds that needed to be treated. He wasn't bleeding anywhere that she could see. His limbs weren't bent at awkward angles, and there were no suspicious swellings in his wrists or ankles that might suggest a sprain. Nor was their any bruising that might indicate a problem. All of that told her that their main enemy was the exposure to the cold. They needed to get Sorin warmed up again, and they needed to do it quickly.
In their haste to bundle Sorin up in warm blankets, the villagers hadn't thought to strip him out of his wet clothes, so Tei'serin did it herself before bundling him back up in his cocoon of blankets. The inner most ones that had been in contact with his wet clothes needed to be changed out for new, dry ones. As she did this, Tei'serin took note that Sorin was shivering violently. That was a good sign. It meant that his body hadn't begun to shut down to the point that it was past shivering. She told the waiting villagers as much even as her mind turned to the question of what herbs she would need in order to treat her student.
She hesitated, glancing back at her patient. How could she have forgotten? Frostbite was a very real danger for anyone who had been out in weather like this for any length of time. It could happen even if one took every precaution to bundle up appropriately, and a child, especially one who was lost, and terrified, couldn't be expected to have taken proper care. How many times could he have tripped, and fallen as he searched for shelter? And he would have gotten tired out there...with every time he fell, he had probably rested for just a little bit longer before trying to get up once more. His hands and feet were almost certainly frostbitten, and perhaps badly so.
Tei'serin turned back to check Sorin for frostbite. His nose, ears, cheeks, and chin looked fine, much to her relief. He had been wearing both a good hat, and a scarf, which must have prevented frostbite from setting in. But his his fingers and toes were very red. A quick check told her they they felt cold to the touch. Fortunately for Sorin, they had not begun to turn white. Ice crystals had not yet begun to form in his skin. That mean that while he had frostnip, the mildest form of frostbite, it had not yet progressed into true frostbite. Tei'serin could treat frostnip.
She paused, wondering if Moseke's Light would allow her to heal Sorin's frost nip outright. It was a minor injury, after all. But, after a few trills, she decided not to try. Knowing when to use an ability was as important in having it at all. If she used it on something she could readily treat without it, she might get into the habit of doing just that. Then when she really needed it, she might not be able to use it without dangerous consequences because she had already used it on something else she didn't really need to.
She called for hot water, and was quickly given a big bowl full. Tei'serin tested the temperature by dipping her hand into the bowl. It felt hot, which meant that it was too hot to use. She divided it into smaller containers, one for each of Sorin's hands and feet. When that was done, she tested the water again. It still felt very warm, but it had cooled a little, so that it was no longer hot. It was perfect. More desks were moved into position so that she would have something to set each of the four bowls on. Then she carefully placed a hand or foot into each bowl. With that done, she turned back to the anxious villagers.
"Sorin was very lucky. Frostbite can cause permanent damage. If it is severe enough, the affected area will die, and it will have to be removed in order to save the life of the person who has it. But we found Sorin in time, and he only has the mildest form of frostbite. His hands and feet need to soak in the warm water for ten bits in order to warm them up again, but there won't be any permanent damage." she told them.
The gathered group murmured softly among themselves in relief. None were more happy to hear the news than Mr. and Mrs. Gardner were. They thanked Tei'serin profusely, making her blush in embarrassed pleasure at the gratitude, and praise.
19th Cylus, 717
By the time that Tei'serin and Mr. Gardner had returned to the school, all of the other searchers had returned as well. Talk of sending out another search party once everyone had had a chance to rest, and recover turned to celebration that Sorin had been found, and demands to know if he was okay. Anya Gardner rushed over to them, needing to see for herself that the child she had come to love as her own was safe.
Desks were hastily moved, positioned into a makeshift bed that was covered with blankets, and a pillow. Mr. Gardener set Sorin down gently on the makeshift bed, while others bundled him up in blankets. Tei'serin took the opportunity to strip out of her soaking wet cold weather gear, and bundle herself up in a blanket of her own. A cup of hot tea was pressed into her hand, and she thanked the woman who gave it to her, sipping it slowly. Gradually, warmth began to seep back into her chilled body. By the time she was ready to see to her patient, Sorin was carefully tucked into a nest of blankets, and the Gardeners were more ready to step back, and let her treat the boy without them getting in the way.
The first thing Tei'serin did was to strip him out of his blankets long enough to assess his condition. There were no obvious wounds that needed to be treated. He wasn't bleeding anywhere that she could see. His limbs weren't bent at awkward angles, and there were no suspicious swellings in his wrists or ankles that might suggest a sprain. Nor was their any bruising that might indicate a problem. All of that told her that their main enemy was the exposure to the cold. They needed to get Sorin warmed up again, and they needed to do it quickly.
In their haste to bundle Sorin up in warm blankets, the villagers hadn't thought to strip him out of his wet clothes, so Tei'serin did it herself before bundling him back up in his cocoon of blankets. The inner most ones that had been in contact with his wet clothes needed to be changed out for new, dry ones. As she did this, Tei'serin took note that Sorin was shivering violently. That was a good sign. It meant that his body hadn't begun to shut down to the point that it was past shivering. She told the waiting villagers as much even as her mind turned to the question of what herbs she would need in order to treat her student.
She hesitated, glancing back at her patient. How could she have forgotten? Frostbite was a very real danger for anyone who had been out in weather like this for any length of time. It could happen even if one took every precaution to bundle up appropriately, and a child, especially one who was lost, and terrified, couldn't be expected to have taken proper care. How many times could he have tripped, and fallen as he searched for shelter? And he would have gotten tired out there...with every time he fell, he had probably rested for just a little bit longer before trying to get up once more. His hands and feet were almost certainly frostbitten, and perhaps badly so.
Tei'serin turned back to check Sorin for frostbite. His nose, ears, cheeks, and chin looked fine, much to her relief. He had been wearing both a good hat, and a scarf, which must have prevented frostbite from setting in. But his his fingers and toes were very red. A quick check told her they they felt cold to the touch. Fortunately for Sorin, they had not begun to turn white. Ice crystals had not yet begun to form in his skin. That mean that while he had frostnip, the mildest form of frostbite, it had not yet progressed into true frostbite. Tei'serin could treat frostnip.
She paused, wondering if Moseke's Light would allow her to heal Sorin's frost nip outright. It was a minor injury, after all. But, after a few trills, she decided not to try. Knowing when to use an ability was as important in having it at all. If she used it on something she could readily treat without it, she might get into the habit of doing just that. Then when she really needed it, she might not be able to use it without dangerous consequences because she had already used it on something else she didn't really need to.
She called for hot water, and was quickly given a big bowl full. Tei'serin tested the temperature by dipping her hand into the bowl. It felt hot, which meant that it was too hot to use. She divided it into smaller containers, one for each of Sorin's hands and feet. When that was done, she tested the water again. It still felt very warm, but it had cooled a little, so that it was no longer hot. It was perfect. More desks were moved into position so that she would have something to set each of the four bowls on. Then she carefully placed a hand or foot into each bowl. With that done, she turned back to the anxious villagers.
"Sorin was very lucky. Frostbite can cause permanent damage. If it is severe enough, the affected area will die, and it will have to be removed in order to save the life of the person who has it. But we found Sorin in time, and he only has the mildest form of frostbite. His hands and feet need to soak in the warm water for ten bits in order to warm them up again, but there won't be any permanent damage." she told them.
The gathered group murmured softly among themselves in relief. None were more happy to hear the news than Mr. and Mrs. Gardner were. They thanked Tei'serin profusely, making her blush in embarrassed pleasure at the gratitude, and praise.
