• Completed • A Breath of Fresh Air

[Ashira Ward]

Vhalar 62

"Please! He can't breathe! All the real healers are busy, please save my son!"

The real healers? That was a bit of a slap in the face. And rather rude when you wanted someone to help you. The petty, vindictive part of Ashira considered closing the door on the woman and going back to bed. Everett was not going to be pleased if this woke him. But she could hear the laboured whistling coming from the small body in the womans arms from here. With a little bit more mental grumping and a sigh, Ashira opened the door further and stepped out of the womans way letting her enter.

"Please remember this is my home, not a clinic. My husband is sleep."

She warned the other, leading them into the dining area. She didn't have her home set up to accommodate patients. The table would make as good an exam surface as any.

"Lay him here. When did this start and how long has it lasted?"

"It's a curse. A curse that terrible rebel King put on him. Ever since the rebels attacked the city and our troops triumphed he's been sickly. Some days it's better than others. Sometimes he's almost like he was before, my poor sweet little boy.."

It was clear the woman was about to break down. Ashira was having none of it. Bedside manner be damned. It was probably around three in the morning and she had no patience for this when the boy needed help now and the woman had already insulted her once. She snapped her fingers in front of the womans face, startling her out of her breakdown.

"I don't care. I don't care about your feelings, I don't care that you're afraid, I don't care. I care about this boy. If you actually do then hold it together. Cry later. What symptoms has he been having, he can't have been like this that whole time or you'd have had him seen before now."

The woman looked almost as if Ashira had slapped her, face first paling and then two small spots of colour rose high on her cheeks. She was angry. Well good. As long as the anger focused her, it didn't matter. Ashira laid her head on the boys chest, listening to his struggled breaths. The whistle came with each breath, and the boy was pale enough and docile enough it was clear he wasn't getting enough air and was barely hanging on. But there was no thick rumble that would suggest a buildup of fluids. That was something. It would have been early in the arc for pneumonia, but it was always possible, and that might well have been beyond her ability to treat effectively.

[Ashira Ward]

"It started with coughing. I didn't think much of it. Children get sick. There was so much else to worry about. He started saying his chest felt tight but.. You know how small children are. A rock in their shoe means a leg is falling off. I didn't think anything of it. I'm not.. I'm not negligent."

She added, going from clipped and angry to worried in an instant.

"You didn't cause this. If he'd come to you bleeding or with his arm pointing the wrong way and you'd ignored him you'd be negligent. This is something else entirely."

"A curse, I knew it."

"No. That's ridiculous. Asthma."

"I- but he's never been sickly before those cursed rebels!"

"Were you in the part of the city where fires were burning?"

"Yes, it was terrifying!"

"Did you breathe the smoke?"

"Yes, but no one else got sick from it! Or they didn't stay sick!"

"Asthma is a condition you're born with and die with. Often until something aggravates it you won't know. The smoke aggravated his, untreated it's just been getting worse. I assume he gets upset, panics when he can't breathe?"

"Well yes.."

"Mmm, panic makes it worse, causes his throat to shut down even further. Let me make two things perfectly clear. This condition is entirely manageable. But if you do not manage it he could die. You will go in one morning and he will be cold and blue, am I clear? I need you to not panic, but I also need you to take this seriously."

"I'm not stupid."

"Good. I need some idea of your income level so I know what to prescribe."

"I-excuse me?!"

[Ashira Ward]

"Look, there are several ways to treat asthma, some more effective than others, some more enjoyable than others. There's no point me prescribing something unsustainable. Again, this is an illness he will have his entire life. We may be able to get it back into remission and you may not need to treat him again, or you might have to treat him everyday of his life. It's different in each case. I'll give you several options regardless, but I need to know what you can afford while maintaining a decent quality of life."

While she said this, she picked the boy up, handing him to his mother.

"Sit in the chair there, keep him vertical. I'll be back in a moment."

With that she moved to the backroom with a business like stride. Strung from one of the beams were several broad leaves. Reaching up she touched them, choosing three that were driest. She grabbed one of her gloves on the way back to the dining room, and brought a candle closer to mother and son.

"Not very much."

"I'm sorry?"

"You asked what I could afford to spend. Not very much. I- I'll find a way but.."

"Tch, don't fret." Ashira finally offered the woman a hint of warmth, a smile that actually reached her eyes. "As I said, there are a lot of options, and some of them are very cheap. First though, I want him to inhale the smoke from these leaves. What's his name?"

"Brodie. Is it safe for me?"

"Yes, entirely. Might not be enjoyable, but it's certainly safe." Her attention turned back to the boy, likely he'd not hear, but he might on some level. "Brodie, I'm going to burn some herbs that will help you. They'll help relax your throat so you can breathe better, but I need you to be brave and calm okay? This isn't dangerous smoke, it's good for you."

There was no discernible reaction, but she hadn't really expected one. On the off chance he was still aware of what was happening around him, she'd not wanted him to relate the smoke to the smoke he'd breathed in the attack. With asthma, panic did half the damage. She held the leaves together and lit their tips. Blowing it out so that they were left smoldering. Gently she continued to blow on them, keeping them burning and sending the smoke towards the boys face. They did have a faintly unpleasant smell, but mostly they just smelled like what they were, dried leaves. Jimsonweed leaves though, held a tiny bit of the magic the seeds held. Not enough to send anyone into visions, or cause amnesia, but enough to relax them. And that was the key, for this wasn't just a mental relaxation, this was physical relation that the body would enforce whether the mind liked it or not.

[Ashira Ward]

As the leaves burned down, and Brodie was able to draw in deeper and deeper breaths, his eyes came more open, focusing on the objects and people around him. He opened his mouth.

"Don't talk yet Brodie, just keep breathing, slow and deep. In.. and out.. Just like that, perfect, until these leaves are all gone okay? Breath with me, we'll all do it together."

This was important, both he and his mother needed to learn this, it would be nearly as important as anything she told him to take. For the next several bits they sat together, slowly breathing in and out. When the leaves burned down to the stems, she tossed them in the fireplace before coming back to the two.

"There, better?"

"Yes, does this mean 'm not cursed anymore?"

How did you explain to a child that they had been born sick, though they hadn't known it, and would be forever?

"Your lungs were hurt Brodie, it's better for now, and I can teach you how to make it stay better so it doesn't get this bad again, but you will need to be careful. Have you ever seen one of the Iron Hand walking with a limp because they've been hurt defending the Kingdom?" He nodded, eyes wide "It's a lot like that. Just like they're leg will always be hurt and not quite as good as new, your lungs will always be hurt. But just like they still serve the King, you can still have a good life too."

"I c'n be a hero too?"

"You can be anything you work hard enough for." She assured him with a smile. "Now, that breathing exercise we did is important. If you every feel like your throat is closing or you can't catch your breath, you sit right down and do those deep breaths as calmly and quietly as you can. If you're not with your Mother, you ask someone to fetch her and then you sit and breath. Don't explain to anyone, just in and out."

"It's a bit like a wizard medertatin' isn't it?"

"It's exactly like that, you're a very smart boy!" She turned her attention to the mother "One important thing with the seasons changing is that once it starts getting cold, the moment you see a snow or ice, he needs to wear a scarf. The suddenly cold air will hurt his lungs and make him cough. With a scarf, it has time to warm up."

"I always make sure he has his scarf, hat and mitts."

[Ashira Ward]

"Good. Onions and garlic are also quite good, cook with them when you can. Raw onions are best, but cooked still helps. I know it's dear right now, but when prices get back to normal, honey is one of the best things for him. A cup of honey and hot water in the morning, one in the afternoon."

The mother was nodding seriously. Face a picture of focus.

"If he's having a bad spell, a cup of coffee or black tea will help. Any warm drink will help a little, but for immediate relief, coffee or black tea. Not herbal. The only exception is if you can afford ginger. Ginger and honey tea would be exceptional. If you can save up, ginger is quite easy to grow, I'd suggest it. Again, on the pricier side, but turmeric, the spice can also work wonders. Cook with it, or mix it into hot water, again with a bit of honey ideally."

"This, this is.. Is this really medicine? It seems so.. easy."

"Herbalism, nearly everything we need can be found in nature, if you only know where to look and how to prepare it! The most important thing though is to stay calm if he starts having an asthma attack. Do that breathing exercise with him. Know that the moment might be bad, but it will pass."

"I, I will. Thank you. Thank you doctor."

"Mm, think nothing of it, it's my job. If you went to a brick layer you'd expect them to be able to make a wall no? You came to a healer, you expect me to heal. Be safe, come back if you have any problem, or can't manage the symptoms."

With a wave, she saw them off, running a hand through her hair and heading back to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a very long day and was coming, far, far too soon.

[Whisper]

Ashira Ward

Peer Review

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 0/5
Structure: 5/5

Awarded Knowledge

Asthma: Condition of the Lungs
Asthma: Lifelong Condition
Asthma: Panicking is Half the Problem
Herbalism: Treatments for Asthma
Medicine: Appropriate Times for Bedside Manner
Medicine: Asthma
Medicine: Explaining Illness to Children
Medicine: Herbalism

Extras

Loot & Losses	[/color]xxxxxx	Injuries
None	[/color]xxxxxx	None

Fame	[/color]xxxxxx	Devotion
Healing: +1	[/color]xxxxxx	None

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Comments

This was even better than the last two. I really feel like Ashira's character and personality shined through in this thread. Looking forward to seeing her interact!

As you can see, I have provided feedback and reasoning behind my review. If you have any questions, comments or criticism about your review, feel free to send me a PM and we can discuss it.
Thank ye.