Prelude:
Tarsorel had told Winnie he was going to go dry out, cold turkey. To let Lavandara and Ryheric know he would be in Bree. Naturally, knowing the danger, she had been concerned, but being in Bree he would be safe enough till she could contact Lavandara at least to go to him while she sort out Ryheric in the Lone lands to then talk with him. It didn't take long to find Lavvie and soon she was on her way to see Tars, and Winnie was on her way out to the trek to find Ryheric. During this time however, Tars didn't stay at Bree but moved outside to a farm, and Winnie was way laied with a fever on her ride, with Ry riding back past her on the road. Eventually Winnie caught up with Ry at the fair, after waiting till others had parted she finally explained what had occurred and the two went out to find Tars out by the farm.
Event:
On approach the campsite was in ruins, scattered debris and a broken tent. Tars lay beaten to one side. Ry was first to see him and approached quickly keeping him out of view of Winnie till he was sure he was still alive. Winnie dismounted soon after, approaching carefully, and quickly checked for signs of life as Ry took up position against the massive rock overshadowing the camp. It was clear his ribs had been broken and she swore quietly under her breath, but the tone was enough to catch Ry's ear. She explained the problem and he told her she needed to be quick, they didnt have time to fully treat him. She insisted on at least a partial bandage to avoid the ribs moving during transport while he set up a stretcher using the broken tent and branches. He had barely got this done and began to check around, while she hooked it to her horse when two bandits came round the rock jumping him the moment they saw him. She had to move fast to finish securing the stretcher.
Frantically she called for Tars as she struggled with the binding to get the stretcher attached, he stirred, perhaps enough. She then struggled with a barely conscious man to get him onto the stretcher as Ry fought wildly with the two bandits. They had not been prepared for combat, and he was dressed only in simple cloth, she saw the blood fly as a sword bit in hard to his gut. Ry was in trouble, but if she stayed he would be in more. She got on the horse and rode, knowing that staying would only keep Ry there longer, he fought to get them to safety and that is what she was going to do. Once near the road she slowed down, and soon after heard Ry yelling threats to someone about running. Looking back she could see him in the distance alone. She walked her horse then waiting for him to catch up.
Once caught up Ry kicks his horse into pace saying the bandits might bring others,,to follow his lead. For hours they travel out to a lake far north of the position. The stretcher bouncing over the ground unforgiving but trying to keep it steady as possible. Once there the fire is made and its agreed that once Tars ribs are waxed and set he is to be drugged for the remainder of his withdrawal to ease his suffering and save his dignity. Ry's wounds are tended, and they finally rest. Somewhere in the night, Ry slips off to camp alone, and Winnie continues her care of Tars alone.
A few days on minimum sleep, not wanting Tars to possibly choke on anything in a drugged state, she had begun sleeping every four to five hours in a light barely asleep state for not more than an hour at a time, Ry stumbled into camp looking like death. Pale, sweating, clammy, she went to him to help him, when she checked the wound on his stomach it was seering hot, all the signs of the wound and his body pointing to sepsis, panic setting in, less than one in ten ever survive, and with the blood loss he suffered it hit her, he didnt have good odds. They talked quickly of options as she cleaned his wound and she got liquids into him, but soon the fever hit hard.
It wasnt long before she had little choice but to try get as much as she could into him before she knew he would hit a point where she would be constantly at his side. Out to hunt turtles, dozens of livers, herbs, as much as she could get into him of their marrow also. It would help if she could get him past the fever, help him build up his blood. Liquids, as much as she could get into him, not a drop did he expel, not a good sign. The shivering began, he was out now, his heart was barely pumping, she propped him up against her, then it hit, a storm from no where. They had come out with no plans to camp, all their main equipment left back, only her basics with her, clothing, a days worth of food. She had to let him lay down while she pulled all her clothing from her pack, laying it over Tars and Ry as makeshift blankets, stoking the fire and making up more herbs for Tars, and fever cocktail for Ry she treated them both before once more sitting behind Ry propping him up against her to keep him upright, the only way to keep his blood pressure up. Trying to tackle treating both men from this position. This is how Silver found her two days later while the rain had continued relentlessly, with not sleep, worn out, struggling to keep Ry's fever under control and maintain him in some way to keep him alive.
The moment Silver saw them she was at their side. Without pause she was asking what was needed, and what was wrong. Winnie told her straight, the chances where not good and what she needed was a pit to prop Ry in, the protections she needed for shelter, the fire, the items she needed. Silver was on it, and helping her, not only with the things she needed doing but with a change of clothing, and between them they had the camp reorganized. For the first time in five days the camp had some semblance of order and there was a glimmer of a chance. Ry however was getting worse. By evening Lavedara was there, and she had her set up beside Ry, more instructions, another helper. Still she had not rested or stopped.
Atharann was next to show up. He had shown up while she had taken a moment away to fetch some fresh wild mint to add to the medicine. She had applied a drawing compound, a sticky oil based componet designed to draw the poisons fron the wound itself while she treated his blood and body orally. When she returned she found someone had removed it and put athelas crudely in its place without removing the compound properly first, the best this would do is reduce his fever a little for a while. Furious she went off trying to find out what had happened. Ry was concious for a while and talking while the fever abated for the moment and he talked her out of ripping Atharann apart on finding out it was he who had moved in on her patient while not consulting her. She had almost used another treatment that had he done this would have killed Ry, how close that had been, how foolish someone is for taking over another patient without consulting. She agreed to be calm and just talk to him later. For now no harm was done, and within moments later it hit, the substance wore off and the next wave occured.
She was quick to act, getting in to work fast on him, moving without a second thought to get him sorted. Setting to with his treatement and instructing people to do what they needed to do. Keep them busy, keep them focused. As long as everyone was busy Ry had his privacy as much as was able given the circumstances, he would want that. She needed time to work on him. Atharann returned in complete dismay that Ry was crashing, ranting on that this cant be happening, he sould be cured, without a thought she was swaring at the man, he was distraught, snap him out of it, bark orders in his direction, kieep him focused. He stepped back, and was then doing what was needed. Sleep was impossible to get by now. Coming up a week, with so few hours. Scanie arrived. Scanie had some scheme, Ry needed to be sick though still, Winnie lost it, her expression said it all, but Tars stood between them and led her away before anything could be said. Soon after Atharann took watch over Ry letting her rest properly for the first time in days, only to then be called aside by Tars, and Silver take watch and she rested with her arm in the pit touching Ry so that should things change he would wake her.
Not long later she startled awake to Ry yelling No. Sitting bolt upright she looked around to find Scanie getting on her horse and she and Atharann arguing, and Tars looking helpless trying to tell Scanie to be careful on her venture. Looking between Ry and Scanie she quickly assumed he was stressed over something to do with this and went to Scanie to find out what was going on. Urging her to stay and that she was needed to catch fish for food as they needed supplies that Ry would be able to digest. On hearing Athy had talked down to her, she told him he does tend to, and that for now, the Bandits could wait, this fish were needed, she was needed. Scanie stayed. Ry coma worsened, finally going into its full stage, where now it was an actual coma an no longer just fever, the next stage was reached.
It is during this time between life and death that tempers become the most frayed. In this midst of this, a lucid moment, Ry insists they must go on Silvers pilgramage, and so Winnie begins the preparations. Time stretched on. Tars came out of the drugs more and moved about more often. His healing began in earnest. Little could be done for Ry other than to bathe his sweat and monitor him. Keep him calm and wait for the signs to change. Constantly checking his pulse and breathing. Checking his reflexes. Then it happened. He stopped breathing.
Winnie jumped in the pit, pulled his legs to flatten his body, then began trying to breathe for him. She felt for a pulse, it was gone, she quickly called for Lavvie to breathe for him and began to compress his chest, working his heart, as she did so she reached intermittently for her bag, yelling to Silver for her bag. There was no longer a choice. The experiment she had talked with Ry about, the one she had seen her father do and fail with, that he had sworn to her had succeeded once before, it was time to try. Ry and her had agreed, if he came within ten seconds of dying she could try, he was beyond ten seconds now. Stopping a moment she frantically grabs her bag pulling out a tube she uses for distilling with her plants, then needles she uses for extractions on plant saps. Crudely inserting a needle into both ends she puts on into a vein of Ry, she goes to put on into her own, when Silver stops her, she quickly explains what she is trying to do when Silver states she is their only healer and already exhausted. Silver offers everyone else up, who are currently out of camp, with only the three there, Winnie turns to Silver, and says she will have to be the one, and Silver then presents her arm. Once the two are set up, Silver holds the needle in place on herself, Lavvie on Ry while she breathes for him. Winnie returns to compressions on Ry.
Slowly the blood begins to flow toward Ry. Eventually his skin pinks a little, but it takes an hour before his heart pumps on its own without them doing it for him. His breathing comes back with a splutter into Lavvies face. They have managed to act as life support for him long enough for the blood transfusion to give him enough to get his heart pumping solid enough to work on its own. Now they needed to beat the last of the fever, the new blood was toxin free. Now was it compatible. Within an hour he was awake. A few minutes after being awake, throwing up, his fever was there, but less. A few hours later though ill, his spirits are better, the fever is fought but able to be fought more measured. Camp is broken to head to Bree, then on North for Silver, even as he still recovers. Over the trip he does recover, by some twist of fate, the blood is accepted, the healer exhausted continues the journey trying to make up sleep while traveling.
