Kya's POV of the appointment.
Same day; Summer 146 AG
Kya arrived last week in Agna Qel'a. It was her first time in the capital city of the Northern Water Tribe since she was a teenager accompanying her mother. She had visited some of the smaller villages over the years around the capital, but she was enjoying being back in the heart of the city.
She was doing a term at an inner city clinic. She would be learning some of the different ways the city healers treated their patients than the ones in the smaller surrounding villages; how their techniques differed. In turn, she would be teaching other healers at the clinic other techniques she had learned from around the world.
"Here Kya, this is your next patient's chart. The couple are here thinking the wife may be pregnant again and want confirmation."
Kya thanked the receptionist, before quickly scanning over the chart. 'Meriwa? Who names their children after a thorn? Some people just don't make sense to me. Hmm, oh she is an earthbender. Not too many of those around these parts. Ah part Earth Kingdom, part Southern Water Tribe, makes more sense now. Wait 26 and 4 children already? She must have been married young. Ugh, stupid Northern Water Tribe and their lower age for marriage. I was still doing stupid shit when I was 16.' She paused for a moment realizing this patient was the same age Lin would have been and an earthbender to boot. She squashed the pain that wanted to bloom in her chest with the thought of her childhood friend.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts and walked to the waiting room. "Meriwa?"
A man who was obviously water tribe and at least 20 years older than his wife, who was pale skinned with black hair stood up and followed her into the room. She directed the patient to remove her coat and sit on the bed, and also motioned for the husband to take a seat near the bed. The woman was obviously either very shy or she was dealing with an abusive situation, and Kya had seen her fair share of both. She noticed that the woman kept her focus on the ground, and had hunched in slightly on herself.
Kya sat down, crossing her legs and balancing the chart on them so she could write notes if needed. She looked down at the chart on her lap, making sure she read the information correctly. "Alright Meriwa, and Tulok is it? I am Master Healer Kya. I am a travelling healer, though I can assure you I have been practicing for over 10 years now, and have learned from some of the best healers in the world." She paused rereading a section she read earlier. "According to your chart you are 26 and have had 4 full term pregnancies?"
"Yes she is 26, and we do have 4 children at home." 'Of course the husband answers.'
Kya nodded, before continuing. "And what brings you in today, Meriwa?"
"She has been feeling ill and I have caught her vomiting a few times over the last week. I believe she is expecting again, and would like confirmation." 'And again… I'm thinking it is less shy behaviour and more learned behaviour.'
Kya made a note in her file before looking back up. "Mr. Tulok, for the next questions, I would like Meriwa to answer herself, as I need to know the best information possible, and everyone knows their own body best." Kya noticed the man's jaw flex before he nodded. 'Good, chew on that asshat. You're in my domain right now.' "Meriwa, please describe how you have been feeling lately."
A soft voice answered her. "I have been feeling ill off and on for the last 6 weeks or so. The nausea has been both morning or afternoon, and either I vomit or it does fade on its own." Kya thought the voice sounded familiar, but chalked it up to many years of working with different types of patients.
Kya took more notes. "And is this similar to your previous pregnancies?"
"Y-Yes. I think my husband is right in thinking I am pregnant." Kya looked the woman over, her eyes were still cast to the floor, but the slight tightening of her eyes that Kya could see, she could tell this was not what the woman wanted.
"Alright, why don't you lay down, and pull your tunic up. I'm sure you know the drill by now."
She turned to set up a bowl of water on a cart, giving the woman some privacy to get settled before she started the exam. After a moment, she turned back and wheeled the cart to sit beside her. She drew the water from the bowl and waited till it started to glow with healing energy, before guiding it to the woman's abdomen. She took in quickly just how thin this patient was; though due to her being so thin and already having had 4 pregnancies, a small bump was forming already which pretty much confirmed the theory. She made a mental note to speak about her weight when the examination was done. Kya made quick work finding the fetus. She made sure it was healthy and took approximate measurements, before bending the water back into the bowl.
"Well?" The husband asked, almost impatiently.
Kya helped the woman cover herself back up and into a sitting position. She patted her knee and then answered the husband. "There is a fetus. It looks like you are approximately 10-12 weeks along. You should start to feel better soon. However, you really need to work on bringing your weight up. I am concerned with your current weight and how that would affect the health of both you and the baby during this pregnancy. For now I am going to insist you eat large portions and I want to see you back in two weeks to make sure everything is still going well." She wrote a prescription for them to take to the apothecary down the street. "These are the herbs and tinctures I think will benefit in helping keep you healthy."
The husband took the paper and read it over before nodding and slipping it into his pocket. "I will make sure Meriwa eats better. Ever since our youngest was born and was weaned, she lost her appetite, not eating any more than our toddler most days, despite my insistence that she eat more."
Kya could tell that he actually meant that, which made her question if her instinct on him was wrong. But she still felt like something was off about this.
"Do you mind if I do a small physical, just to make sure there is nothing wrong with your stomach or anything else that would prevent you from eating?"
The woman glanced up at her husband who nodded, before glancing up at Kya to nod for her to proceed. Their eyes caught for a moment and Kya knew those eyes. Everything added up just then. She saw the woman's eyes widen, and then drop. Kya continued to bend the water, around the woman's front, and then back.
She bent the water back into the bowl for the second time. "Alright, so it doesn't seem like there is anything wrong that I can see. Next appointment I will get you in the tub and do a more thorough session."
She opened her schedule and wrote out an appointment date on a notecard, with her office phone number on it as well. "Here is your next appointment, and I have written out my phone number if you think something is wrong and you need to come sooner. Please don't hesitate to use it, even if you think it is a minor issue."
The woman took the card, glancing it over, before handing it to her husband.
"Thank you." The woman said softly.
The husband nodded. "Yes, thank you Master Kya. We appreciate how thorough you are." He held up his wifes coat for her. "Come now Meriwa, we need to head to the apothecary and then get home to the children." She nodded and slipped off the bed, allowing her husband to place the coat on her.
Kya bid them goodbye before rushing to the office she was being lent while here. She locked the door behind her before shakily running a hand through her hair. 'Am I just projecting who I want this woman to be, or is it really Lin? I saw the photo… Though if she were drugged, it could be possible to pose her body to look dead… I need to speak with Dad or Mom. But do I want to get their hopes up?'
She slid down against the door, pulling her legs to her chest. 'What if it isn't her? … But what if it is?'
Kya stood and managed to walk to her desk. She had donated the money to the clinic to have her office outfitted with a telephone, which wasn't too common in the Northern Tribe yet. The South was the same though, so she couldn't say much.
She shakily picked up the phone and dialed to the long distance switchboard. This process took a while. She was transferred from two different Earth Kingdom switchboards, then one in Republic City, before finally Air Temple Island after giving the operator in Republic City the direct number to her father's study.
"Hello, Aang speaking."
Kya almost sobbed at hearing her fathers voice, even if it was a little broken up due to the long connection. "Dad, it's Kya. I need to speak with you, but you can't tell anyone - not even Mom."
"Kya? What do you mean? Are you in trouble?"
"Just promise me. It's not me, I promise."
"Okay, I promise."
"What can you tell me about Lin's death? Tell me everything ." She could almost hear her father's thoughts, wanting to question her. But he sighed and she could hear a little shuffling, which she assumed was him grabbing his copy of the case file.
"Well, the package was sent to Toph's house. Inside there was the photo, her meteorite bracelet, and the note saying that they had taken something from them so they were taking something from us."
Kya took a moment before asking the question hanging over her like a dark cloud. "Besides the photo, was there ever any other evidence that she was dead?"
She heard her father suck in a breath. "Kya… Do.. Do you have reason to believe that..." His voice caught in his throat.
Kya swallowed past the lump forming in her throat. "I saw a patient today. Her file states she is 26 years old and she is an earthbender. At first I thought it was a coincidence. When I called her in, she came in with an older man - her husband. He struck me as the controlling type, even though he did seem to actually care about her health. It was as I was examining her that I finally got a look at her face properly, our eyes connected Dad… I swear it was as though I was seeing a ghost."
"How can you be sure? I want to believe you, but I also don't want to get my hopes up."
"She does look different. Older, thinner. Dressed in Water Tribe wear… But her eyes were always unique. I have never met someone else with that particular shade of light jade green other than the Beifong's… When our eyes connected, hers widened like she recognized me, before lowering them… I wouldn't have called if I didn't think there was a high possibility that it was her."
"You said she was with her husband?"
Kya sighed, leaning back in her chair suddenly weary. "Yes. He's in his forties for sure. I… I shouldn't tell you this but I have already said a lot, I may as well share this too. If this really is Lin, Aunt Toph has four grandchildren and a fifth on the way."
She heard his intake of breath. "Spirits… Either way, that poor girl… I've always found the Northern Water Tribes marriage laws to be archaic. If what you think is true, Lin was taken at 16 and turned into this man's child bride." She could tell he was getting choked up.
"What do I do with this? How can I help her? I don't want to endanger her or the kids."
"Be there as much as you can. Does she have a follow-up with you?"
"In two weeks. I'm hoping she attends alone, but the vibe I got from her husband is that he will be there."
"See what you can find out. We need to know if she really is Lin before we can do anything; I can't bring this to anyone else until you have confirmation that it's her. If it is, I don't think any of us will be able to thank you enough for finding her."
"I love you Dad."
"I love you too, my sweet girl."
They said their goodbyes and Kya sat there, hands shaking still. She felt a little better after speaking with her father.
A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts.
"Kya? Your next patient is here."
"Coming." She sighed, then fixed her hair back into her signature ponytail. 'I know it's you Lin, I can feel it. Don't give up on us now.'
A/N: So Kya is convinced, and Aang is aware... But how are they going to get proof? How can they ensure everyone's safety?
Please let me know what you think.