Skin Deep
Stephanie
March 2001
"This is all I could find," Heero said as he handed the bottle to Trowa. "It should still work fine, it's 100 proof."
Trowa took the bottle and raised one eyebrow at Heero. "Spiced rum?"
"I told you, it was all I could find," Heero stated again for him.
"It will do." Trowa turned back around and headed to the boy lying in the cot, he pulled up a stool and sat at the foot of it.
"Whoa! Captain Morgan invited to this little drinking party?" Duo laughed nervously, looking between Trowa and Heero. "Some good stuff there, we shouldn't waste it on this little thing. It's just a blister, I'm telling ya!" Duo laughed, pointing to the large inflamation on the ankle of his right foot.
"We've been over this," Heero said, crossing his arms and leaning against the dingy wall. "It's a parasite, it needs to be removed."
"Well how can you tell!" Duo challenged. "It just looks like a blister to me. I mean, it's a little large, but. . . but. . . you know how those space boots can get too tight and--"
"You haven't been to space in over a month," Heero said, and then walked over to Trowa and knelt down beside him. "Do you think it's a 'serpent'?"
"Yeah, I think so." Trowa's brow furrowed as though in distaste, and Duo's eyes widened in horror at the sign of emotion from Trowa.
"Serpent!" he screamed. "What do you mean 'serpent'? You mean I've got a snake in me! Oh, Christ! Oh God, Oh Christ, Oh God. . . "
"Relax," Trowa said. "It's not a snake, it's a worm. I've seen this before, so don't worry, I know what to do." The strain in his facial expression remained, however, not giving much comfort to Duo. This was not going to be a pleasant experience for either of them.
"I'll do it," Heero said, brushing Trowa out of the way. "You can hold him."
"Have you ever done this before?" Trowa asked.
"No," Heero responded.
"Then get over there and hold Duo. I don't think he wants this worm to break while it's still in him," Trowa said as he scooted back over with his stool and positioned himself at the foot of Duo's cot.
Duo shook his head vigorously. "Uh, no, Duo doesn't want that. Duo doesn't want that at ALL! Let Trowa do it, Heero. . . I mean, if he knows what he's doing and all. . ."
"Hn." Heero got up and sat next to Duo on the cot. He gently pushed Duo forward a little and slid behind him.
"I'd rather have you here anyway." Duo smiled a little and leaned back against Heero, who gently caressed his arm in a gesture of comfort. That comfort was short lived, however, as Duo watched Trowa take out an army knife from his pocket "Uh. . . Trowa. . .?" Duo said in a small, frightened voice. "Have. . . have you ever done this before? You know, removed one of these things?"
Trowa looked at Duo for a moment. "No," he said, "but I've seen it done."
"Ohgod, ohgod, ohgod, ohgod, ohgod. . ." Duo prayed, as Trowa began his work. He took is army knife and cleaned it with the rum. He then positioned it near the blister and prepared to lance it.
"Calm down, Duo," Heero spoke softly into his ear. "It's going to be fine."
"Well tell that to the man with the big ass knife over there!" Duo exclaimed, causing Trowa to back away with the knife. Duo bracing himself further against Heero. "Uh, Trow, really. . .maybe you can just charm it out," he said hopefully. "You're good with animals!" He was sweating extensively now, despite Heero's attempt to quietly soothe him as he lightly brushed his damp hair from his forehead.
"I'm not sure my talent extends to invertebrates, Duo," Trowa replied apologetically. "I'll be as quick as I can." He looked back down at the ulcer on Duo's foot and studied it for a moment. He poured some of the rum on it and then handed the bottle over to Duo. "Drink some of this, but go easy on it," he warned. "Too much will make you sick."
"Oh, like I'm full of health now!" Duo shouted. He grabbed the bottle out of Trowa's hand and took a swig, making a face at the taste of the spice in the rum now burning down his throat. "Christ!"
Heero took the bottle from Duo and set it down on the floor next to them. "You can have more if you need it later."
"Keep it handy," Trowa ordered Heero, as he once again prepared to lance the ulcer.
"Oh God, I'm going to die!" Duo moaned, shaking his head from side to side.
"No," Trowa corrected, though his voice remained soft and impassive. "But if you keep moving like that you're going to wish you were dead. Keep still." His eyes narrowed on Heero in a silent admonishment for not doing his job. "It's important that I get this before it abscesses, Duo," he said, shifting his eyes to Duo before returning his attention to the sore. "Then it will really hurt," he added.
"You've got a lousy bedside manner, Barton!" Duo accused his fellow pilot and held tight to Heero's arms bracing for the impact of the knife.
"I'm a pilot not a doctor, Duo," Trowa said as he carefully made a lateral incision with the knife. "You might want to avert your eyes from this."
"I'm not taking my eyes off of--" Duo stopped as he saw the fluids drain from the blister on his ankle and nearly threw up. He turned a pale green.
"Would you like more of the rum?" Heero asked as he leaned over to pick up the bottle. He placed the bottle helpfully in front of Duo, should he decide he needed it. The smell of the spiced rum, however, didn't seem to help matters for Duo, who quickly covered his mouth with one hand and pushed the bottle away with the other.
"I think that's a 'no', Heero," Trowa said, briefly looking up before returning his attention back to Duo's ankle. "And if he's not going to drink it, hand it back to me so I can clean the wound." Heero handed the bottle over to Trowa, who took it and set it down for a minute, apparently to give Duo a chance to recover from the first shock.
"Are you in any pain, Duo?" Heero asked.
Duo took his hand from his mouth, but had his eyes fixed of the corner of the room. "N. . .no," he said. "It didn't hurt, it was just... just... You could have prepared me for that, Trowa!" Duo shot out angerly.
"Sorry, Duo," Trowa said, again, apologetically.
Heero pulled Duo tighter in his embrace. "The worst of it is over, just relax now while he removes it."
"Um... Actually," Trowa cut in, "You might want to keep Duo's attention occupied on something else while I do this."
Heero narrowed his eyes on Trowa. "How bad can it be?"
Duo shook his head. "Oh don't ask that Heero, don't ask that... Just do as he says! God, why me?" Duo cried as he threw his head back against Heero's chest.
"Hold him, Heero," Trowa continued. "The alcohol on the open wound is going to sting a bit, but I need to clean and disinfect it before I go any further."
Heero nodded and held firmly to Duo, who now seemed oblivious to both Heero and Trowa. "It must be karmic justice," Duo muttered in answer to his own mantra of, "Why me? Why me?"
"Shhhh," Heero said as he nuzzled his head against Duo's cheek, trying to placate and soothe him. "It will be over soon, just don't look," he spoke quietly. "Concentrate on me."
Trowa sighed deeply and picked the bottle back up. He tilted it a bit over the wound on Duo's ankle letting a few drops spill. When Duo remained still and calm, Trowa poured a bit more till he could see clearly into the sore. "There it is," he said quietly. He then leaned over an picked up a chopstick he had laid by the stool earlier. "You might feel a slight tugging, Duo," Trowa informed him. "Whatever you do, don't move your right leg. Keep it as still as possible."
Heero looked over to see what Trowa was doing, while still caressing Duo in his arms. "Trowa?"
"Hn?" Trowa asked absently as he twined the exposed portion of the worm around the chopstick carefully.
"That's mine." Heero simply stated, referring to the chopstick. "I eat with that."
"Um. . . I wouldn't anymore," Trowa replied. He stopped for a moment and looked up. "Sorry, I'll replace the chopsticks. I needed a stick to pull the worm out."
"Can we please resort to using euphemisms?" Duo croaked softly, looking at the ceiling now. "I'd really like to forget what's going on here. . ."
Trowa glanced over to Duo. "Sorry," he said again, and returned to the job at hand. He began to apply a little pressure and gently pulled the chopstick as he turned it and wound the worm slowly out of Duo's leg. He looked up now and again to make sure Duo was doing okay. The boy lay slack in Heero's arms, seeming content to stare up at the ceiling while Trowa did his work.
"That's the same processes used to disembowel," Heero said and he watched Trowa in fascination.
Trowa looked up at Heero silently and frowned. The only sound in the room was that of Duo swallowing hard.
"I'm just mentioning the similarities between--" "No one cares, Heero!" Duo shouted. "Shut up!"
"Duo. Don't. Move," Trowa mouthed slowly. "And Heero," he added, "try to think of something less. . . graphic to comment on. Please."
Heero shrugged and continued in his duty of keeping Duo quiet and calm for Trowa.
Trowa proceeded at an agonizingly slow pace, not wishing for the creature to break off halfway still embedded in Duo's leg. After twenty minutes of sitting hunched over Duo's foot, he had finally extracted the last of it. It appeared about a meter in length, though Trowa did not attempt to measure it.
"It's out," he finally said, and stood up from the stool with the worm laden chopstick still in his hand.
"Oh thank God!" Duo gasped in a sign of relief. he slumped down further in Heero's arms and looked up at him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. . ." he kept repeating.
"Your welcome," Trowa said and tossed the entire stick into the fireplace. "Burning it would probably be our best option."
Heero nodded in agreement. "Starting an epidemic here would not be good."
"How the hell did I pick that up?" Duo grimaced and pointed to the fireplace.
Trowa took a box of long matches that lay near it and struck one. He wedged it under the cinders until they caught flame, then backed up, looked at Duo and shrugged. "Probably some water supply you drank from was contaminated. You spent time in the Middle East with Quatre, you probably picked it up then."
"That was nearly a year ago!" Duo exclaimed, his eyes were wide in shock. "You mean I had that... thing in me for that long?"
Trowa shrugged. "I told you, I'm not a doctor, I'm just guessing."
"Duo, it's out. It's burning in the fire, it can't hurt you now. Relax. We'll clean the wound up more and dress it. You'll be fine," Heero told him, giving him a little squeeze for reassurance.
"Easy for you to say! You didn't have to go through that ordeal! God, that was so gross!" Duo twisted his body so that he was out of Heero's grip and lying face down on the bed. "I'm never going to get rid of the nightmares this time, I just know it!"
Trowa walked over to the bed and stood there with his arms crossed looking down at the two. "How do you feel?"
"How do you think I feel?" Duo muttered into the pillow.
Trowa looked away for a moment and sighed. "I'll see of I can find an antibiotic for you. Try to rest." He turned back around and headed toward the door.
"Um. . . Trowa?" Duo said softly, turning back around to face Trowa as his friend was about to leave.
"Yes?" Trowa asked without turning around.
"Thanks man, you were really great! I mean it, that had to be pretty gross for you too." Duo reclined back against Heero's chest once again and cuddled close, sighing as he felt the consoling arms wrapping tightly around him.
"It's alright, Duo." Trowa said and opened the door.
"I just wanted to let you know, I really appreciate what you did," Duo continued. "I was pretty bad there for a while, I know I must have annoyed the hell out of you."
"No problem," Trowa replied, taking one more step.
"Oh, Trowa?" Duo said, before Trowa could fully get out the door.
"Yes?"
"While you're out there don't forget to replace Heero's chopsticks."
Trowa bit his lip and smiled as he walked out the door.
~end~