Aren led the boys back to the spiral staircase from the Candidate Barracks and up to the main level.  He was grateful to whoever was putting signs up, even if they weren't very pretty, and he took a right out of the stairs, heading for the Infirmary.  Every time he started to think they had gotten lost, another sign would appear.  It took them a little over half an hour to navigate the hallways to the Infirmary, by which time both boys were grumbling and irritable.  The trek underscored the actual size of the Weyr!  Once they arrived, it didn't take long for a Healer to see that Lorler was not feeling well and they were whisked into a more private room and Master Tikal was summoned, as the Healer who had seen them the previous evening.

When the man entered the exam room, he was alarmed by Lorler's condition.  He immediately instructed the boy to lie down on the exam table, and he did a cursory physical exam with his stethoscope.  After firmly telling Lorler to stay lying down if he could, he excused himself, stepping out into the hallway and closing the door.  He sagged against the wall next to the door.  The young boy was rapidly developing a severe case of pneumonia, one that needed psionic Healing, not just medicines and bedrest.  They'd had several cases in the last few days, especially in the youngsters that would be Standing for Hatching.  They were being prioritized to get Healing because they needed to be in peak condition by the time Hatching rolled around.  Tikal was capable of healing these cases outright, but only when partnered with another Healer, and with everything they'd already done the last few days, they were all exhausted.  That was part of why he had chosen to go with medicines and bedrest last night, a decision he was now regretting.  There weren't any other Healers he could partner with...wait...oh, she'd hate him.  But at least they'd met her before, so that would work to his benefit.  He carefully formulated the emotional sensation of desperate need and then focused on Silvara.  She would recognize his sending.  A moment later, he picked up on her irritation being broadcast directly back at him, and he smiled.

He let himself back into the room.  "We need to get Lorler some psionic Healing.  I've sent for another Healer that I can partner with.  It'll be a bit until she gets here, so why don't you all sit tight?  I'll be back when she gets here."  Tikal stepped back out into the hallway and sank onto one of the benches that were spaced along the hall.  Usually, they were used by the family members or friends of those who were in the exam rooms.

Fortunately, the Hatching Grounds were not far from the Infirmary.  The Lower Caverns entrance meant only a 5-minute brisk walk for Silvara until she located her mentor.  "What is it?  The only reason I'm here is because Warrelith is sleeping for a change." she asked irritably.

"I need some help Healing a bad case of pneumonia.  We've done so many in the last four days that there aren't any other Healers with the energy to do it.  And it's someone you've met, I thought it might help them relax to know that you're here."

Silvara made a face, but followed the older man into the exam room.  She was a bit startled to see Aren again, at least under these particular circumstances.  She knew they had come to the Weyr the night before, because H'lee had told her, but she didn't realize one of them was ill.  She took in the pale, fevered face of the younger of the two boys and let her Healing power flow over him.  She couldn't remember which one was which offhand, but she knew they were both Loraine's sons.  The sight of the sick boy overrode any other feelings she'd had on her walk from the Hatching Grounds to the Infirmary, and she immediately opened her shields to Tikal.  She broke the connection when she realized how depleted he was.  "I can handle this alone."  To her mind, it was a greater measure of his exhaustion that he didn't even protest.

Aren cleared his throat.  "I can channel and amplify a bit, if that would be helpful."

Silvara considered it for a moment, then shook her head.  "That won't be necessary.  Thank you, Aren."  She stepped up next to the boy, who looked at her with a fevered expression of recognition.  Lorler, that was his name.  "Hello, Lorler.  I'm going to help you feel better, okay?" she asked with a smile.  The boy nodded.  She put on hand on his forehead, and one on his chest, and closed her eyes.  It wasn't really necessary for her to do that, but it tended to frighten people when she did her work without touching them and with her eyes open.  She let her consciousness sink into the boy's body and located the infection that was spreading through his lungs; there it was -- a piece of flotsam that he must have inhaled that hadn't gotten expelled.  That made it a bit more complicated.  She nudged Warrelith.  "Warrel, dear, I need your strength."

Warrelith grumbled in her mind at being awakened, then became a bit alarmed when he realized she wasn't in the Hatching Grounds with him anymore.  But he quickly relaxed when she showed him where she was and who she was with.  Then she showed him what she needed to do, and he joined with her more tightly than usual, giving her access to his deep well of strength.  It was also depleted compared to his normal condition, but it was still more than adequate for the job at hand.  "Okay, Lorler, this is going to be a little uncomfortable, but there's a piece some something in your lungs and we need to get it out.  If you feel like you need to cough, go ahead and do it, don't fight it."  Her voice had taken on a trancelike, hypnotic tone that was perfectly calm.  She felt Lorler nod under her hand.

Next, she visualized taking tweezers and catching hold of the corner of the object that was in the boy's lungs.  She thought maybe it was a piece of seaweed.  Letting her mind drift, she found the pathway through the bronchial tubes that would be needed to get the foreign body out.  She visualized moving the tweezers, dragging the material up through the tubes toward the trachea.  She felt Lorler writhe under her hands and saw more than heard his whimper at the unsettling sensation of something moving.  A moment later and he curled up with racking coughs.  She "released" the object to see if it would move out on its own, but when it didn't, grabbed ahold of it again and resumed tugging at it.  After about 30 seconds, she released her hold on it and used her talent to relax the muscles that powered breathing, allowing Lorler to stop talking and take a few deep breaths.  She sensed that he was crying.

"I'm sorry, lad.  But that wasn't quite enough.  Try to relax for a minute, and then we'll try again."  She could tell he didn't want to, but this needed to be done.  After a couple of minutes, when his heart rate had returned to normal, she patted his chest.  "Okay, ready?"  She heard him sniffle, but nod.  She repositioned her mental tweezers and took hold of the object again, moving it toward the larger bronchial tubes.  This time, when he doubled over coughing, it lurched upward and into his trachea, and she let go, snapping her shields back up and grabbing a bucket and holding it in front of the boy's head.  Lorler's cough produced several gobs of phlegm, a little blood, and after several deep, racking heaves, it produced what was left of his breakfast.  At that point, she dropped her shields again, and touched his back, soothing the muscles again.  When she checked, the object was gone.  He still had some infection in his lungs, which she quickly burned away.  "Okay, Lorler, can you take a deep breath for me?"  The boy hesitated, but after a moment, hesitantly drew air into his lungs.  It didn't trigger another coughing fit, although his muscles twinged from the unaccustomed strain of coughing.  She felt him relax as he realized he could breath again.  She reshielded and patted his back.  "Good.  Tikal will have some tea for your sore throat, and maybe a liniment for your ribs and stomach that will help keep them from aching quite so much, and it'll take a couple of hours for your fever to come down.  But that should be the end of that!"  "Thank you, Warrelith."

Warrelith gave her an affection mental nudge.  "I like him.  He's very brave to do that."  Silv smiled fondly.

"Warrelith says to tell you that you were very brave.  It's a good trait in someone who might become a dragonrider."

Despite the way he was feeling, Lorler's eyes widened.  "You can talk to her from here?" he rasped.

Silv's lips twitched.  "Yes, and he's a blue dragon.  All Riders can talk to their dragons, no matter the physical distance between them."  There were, of course, things that could block that connection, but no sense in getting into that with the boy.  They didn't need to know that right now.

"Can I meet him?"

Silv chuckled warmly this time.  "Maybe later.  You need something to eat, and some more sleep."  He looked disappointed.

It was then she noticed that Aren and Erhom had left the room.  "I had to remove them.  Erhom was trying to interrupt," the older Healer explained, as he handed Lorler a steaming mug of juice infused with a pinch of fellis and mint.  The fruit juice had been sweetened further with a bit of honey, which soothed the boy's abused mouth and throat, and the mint cleared the foul taste from his mouth.  The pair of Healers moved the door, opening it and letting the anxious older brother and their guardian back in.  Erhom ran straight to Lorler's side and demanded to know if his brother was okay.  "Take Lorler to the Kitchens and get some food for him.  Here's a slip," he handed Aren a wooden chit with the Healer's mark on it, "so you can get soup for him that won't be out in the common area at every mealtime.  Tell them where your rooms are and they'll make sure to send something down for the next three meals, so he doesn't have to trek all the way up to the Cafeteria to eat until dinnertime tomorrow."  Aren thanked them and took the chit.  "Do you have beds, and blankets?"

"Headwoman Lery made sure we had a cot for Lorler, and we got a straw pallet for it and two blankets.  Erhom and I are making do with the pallets on the floor with one blanket each for now."

Tikal sighed.  "That will do for now, I guess.  I'll see if I can find out how long it will be until you have actual beds.  I know the Carpenters have been struggling with keeping up with all the orders."

Aren shrugged.  "The Headwoman said it would likely be a few days."  He collected the two boys and shooed them out the door, heading for the Cafeteria.

Tikal looked at Silvara.  "When was the last time you ate something that wasn't in a thermos and dosed with fellis?" he asked drily.

Silv made a face and shrugged.  "It is what it is, and it's what stays put.  And it's easy for a firelizard to bring to me from the Kitchens."

Tikal harrumphed. "I'm surprised Lery and Alina haven't made certain you have a drudge bringing you a full banquet meal."

"It's not like they don't have plenty other things that need done," she retorted.  Tikal was not appeased, but let her retreat back to the Hatching Grounds.  After she left, he composed a note to Lery, reminding her of the meetings she used to have with Sikra and that Silvara had taken over that role, which he sent off with the first youngster he spotted in the hallway.