Konnichiwa Minna-san! I HATE WRITER'S BLOCK! There, I feel a little better now. I don't get it, when I'm in school I can bang out chapters left and right but when it's summer vacation or spring break or winter break I can't write a decent chapter to save my life. But I digress. This chapter is shorter than the last two but you can blame what I put in all caps a few sentences ago. But aside from my excessive whining I don't have much to say about this so uh…enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00, the characters or anything else to do with Gundam 00. But as long as I'm good and I don't traumatize Tieria too much, Veda is letting me borrow them for a bit.

Happy Reading!


Chapter Seven: Storm Weather

Sumeragi sighed as she Lasse set Tieria down on the bed in the unused bedroom in the girl's house. He was still unconscious and very flushed. And despite how hot his skin was, he still wasn't sweating.

"Doctor Moreno is going to help us out however he's not going to be able to get here until tomorrow," Sumeragi said as she placed an ice pack on Tieria's forehead then one under each of his arms, "He told me to treat him for heat exhaustion and monitor him closely during the night."

"So in other words," Christina said, "It's going to be a long night."

"I'm afraid so," Sumeragi said as Allelujah entered the room.

"Hey," Allelujah said, "Does this house have a back-up power generator?"

"I'm not sure," Sumeragi said, "Why do you ask?"

"There's a severe thunderstorm warning in effect," Allelujah said, "They're saying strong winds, heavy rain, frequent lightning, hail and possible power outages. I'm saying this because we need the air conditioning to keep Tieria cool. If we lose power and there's no generator we'll lose the air conditioner as well."

"Will you go check to see if there's a generator?" Sumeragi said.

"Alright," Allelujah said, "I'll be back."

Sumeragi sighed. It wouldn't be terrible if they lost power and the air conditioning but it wouldn't be a good thing either. Tieria was making progress however he was far from recovery. They had managed to get Tieria's temperature down to thirty-nine point nine and he had begun to sweat again. /He's starting to fare better/ She thought, /But he's still in bad shape…Come on Tieria…/

"Hang in there." She said softly

"Sumeragi…Li Noriega…" Tieria mumbled as he returned to consciousness.

"You're awake," Sumeragi said, "Thank goodness. Do you have any idea how worried we've been?"

"Where…?"

"We're back at the house," Sumeragi said, "Don't talk for now Tieria. You'll be okay."

"Can…can I have…something to…drink…?" Tieria asked.

"Yes," Sumeragi said as she poured an unflavored electrolyte solution into a cup for Tieria. She carefully helped Tieria sit up and handed him the cup, "Here, drink this slowly. Be careful, we think your left arm may be broken so don't try to move it."

"Thank you," Tieria muttered as he drank the contents of the cup.

"Get some rest Tieria," Sumeragi said as she gently eased Tieria back against the bed, "You'll feel better soon."

Tieria nodded and drifted off to sleep again.

"Sumeragi-san," Allelujah called, "There's no power generator."

"We'll just have to make due then," Sumeragi said, "He's doing better though. He woke up a few minutes ago."

"Did he faint again or did he fall back to sleep on his own?" Allelujah asked.

"I think he fell asleep on his own," Sumeragi said as Tieria started to toss and turn, "At least I hope he's asleep. He'll fare lot better that way."

"Sumeragi…" Tieria moaned.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I feel sick…" Tieria muttered as he clutched his stomach with his uninjured arm.

"Are you going to be sick again?" She asked.

"I…think so…"

/Dammit/ Sumeragi thought as she held a wastepaper basket to Tieria, /How the hell am I supposed to keep Tieria hydrated if he throws up everything I give him to drink? We may have to take him to a hospital until Doctor Moreno can get here, he's going to dehydrate/ She rubbed Tieria's back however the boy still hadn't vomited yet, "Are you sure you're going to be sick, Tieria?"

"I don't know," Tieria moaned.

"Here," Sumeragi said as she handed Tieria another cup of the electrolyte solution, "You're probably almost dangerously dehydrated. That might be why your stomach is sick." Tieria took the cup, "Drink it slowly, you need to keep this down."

Tieria nodded and slowly drank the liquid.

/If he can keep that down, I think he'll be alright/ Sumeragi thought, /But if he can't keep that down we'll be forced to take him to a hospital/

"Sumeragi…"

"Are you all set?" Sumeragi asked. Tieria nodded and handed the cup back to Sumeragi, "I'm going to check your temperature while you're still awake okay?" She placed the thermometer to Tieria's sweaty forehead, "Your temperature has gone down again," She said, "It's down to thirty-nine point six. Try to get some more sleep, you'll feel better."

Tieria nodded and shut his eyes and finally slipped into a restless sleep.

"Allelujah," Sumeragi said, "Where's Lockon?"

"In his room," Allelujah said, "Sleeping off a hangover."

"Go get him," Sumeragi said, "He's going to stay here tonight. That way he can make up for what happened today."

"Okay," Allelujah said, "Should I get some candles and flashlights ready as well?"

"No," Sumeragi said, "I'll have Chris get that for me. Just get Lockon."

"Alright," Allelujah said, "But are you going to leave him here alone? He is suffering from a hangover."

"Oh hell no," Sumeragi said, "There is no way in hell I'm leaving him alone with Tieria."

"Okay," Allelujah said, "I'll be right back."

Allelujah sighed as he walked outside. He could see the dark gray storm clouds off in the distance and every so often he saw a flash of lightning emit from the clouds. /We're in for quite the night/

"You got that right," Hallelujah said, "With Erde crazy sick and that ugly looking cloud headed this way, not to mention Stratos' hangover, should be a freakin' party tonight. You're on your own pal."

/Whatever/ Allelujah thought as he entered the other house.

"Allelujah," Setsuna said, "Is Tieria Erde alright?"

"He's starting to get a little better," Allelujah said, "He's still in for a rough night though. His fever is coming down but it's still very high. Is Lockon still in his room?"

"Yeah," Setsuna said, "Does Sumeragi Li Noriega need any help watching Tieria tonight?"

"I think she has it all under control," Allelujah said, "You might want to get some candles ready. There's a bad storm headed this way."

"I know," Setsuna said.

"I'll probably stay in the girl's house tonight," Allelujah said, "Ian, Lasse and Lichty will be here but Lockon and I will be helping Sumeragi-san with Tieria."

"Alright," Setsuna said as he walked to his room.

Allelujah walked into Lockon's room. The older Meister was laying on his bed a damp cloth on his forehead and all the lights off. "Lockon," He called.

"Go away…" The older Meister moaned, "You're making my head hurt…"

/Hallelujah/ Allelujah called.

"You're giving me permission to take over?" Hallelujah asked, "I thought this day would never come! What do you want me to do?"

/Get him out of bed/ Allelujah said, /Just don't hurt him/

"Alright," Hallelujah said, "It will be my pleasure." Hallelujah then took over flipped the light on then ripped the damp cloth from Lockon's face.

"What's the big idea Allelujah?" Lockon moaned, "I want to sleep…"

"Oh you won't be sleeping much tonight," Hallelujah said, "Captain Hotpants has a very special job for you tonight."

"Hallelujah…" Lockon moaned, "What do you mean?"

"You're gonna help us monitor Erde tonight," Hallelujah said, "Just to make sure he doesn't die."

"Why would Tieria die?" Lockon asked as Hallelujah dragged him from his room.

"Because you neglected him in Boston today!" Hallelujah screamed, "He got really sick and passed out remember?"

"Oh yeah," Lockon muttered, "I forgot about that…"

"Of course you did," Hallelujah said, "THAT'S BECAUSE YOU WERE TOO BUSY DROWNING YOURSELF IN ALCOHOL TO NOTICE!" He roared in the older man's ear.

"Don't yell…" Lockon moaned as he clutched his head.

"Sumeragi!" Hallelujah called as he entered the girl's house, "I brought the hungover bastard!"

"Don't yell," Sumeragi said, "Tieria just fell back to sleep."

Hallelujah led Lockon to the room Tieria was spending the night in, "Alright," Hallelujah said, "I brought Lockon. I'm going back to sleep. Have fun you three."

"Why do I have to watch him tonight?" Lockon whined.

"I'm pretty sure Hallelujah made that perfectly clear," Allelujah said, "You didn't help us at all when Tieria was sick earlier."

Lockon sighed, "So I have to stay up all night?" he moaned.

"We don't expect that of you," Sumeragi said, "But you will be in here all night." She pushed Lockon into a chair and handed him two pain relievers and a Styrofoam cup of black coffee, "There you go. That should help your hangover."

"Thanks," Lockon muttered. He took a sip of the coffee and immediately spit it out, "Ugh…what is this?"

"It's coffee I got at a local chain coffee place," Sumeragi said, "From what I've heard you have a twenty-five percent chance at getting a good coffee and a seventy-five percent chance of getting an absolutely horrible coffee. That one is a cross between a good one and a bad one. You are going to drink it!"

"Fine, fine," Lockon said as he choked down another sip of the coffee, "God that's awful…"

There was a distant rumble of thunder and everyone sighed, "We're in for quite a night," Sumeragi muttered and they all silently agreed.


Several hours later Tieria was startled awake by a sonorous thunderclap, "Na-nada…!" He gasped as he tried to sit up but was stopped due to the sharp pain that shot through his arm.

"Tieria," Lockon called as he rushed to the smaller Meister's side, "What's wrong?"

"What…what is that…?" Tieria gasped in a panic, "What is that Lockon…what's going on…?" There was a flash of lightning and Tieria weakly cried out, "What's happening?"

"Calm down Tieria," Lockon said as he pressed a cold cloth to the boy's forehead, "It's just a thunderstorm nothing bad is happening."

There was another flash of lightning followed quickly by a crack of thunder and Tieria cried out once again. And when the lamp in the room flickered then went out Tieria only panicked further, "Make it stop…" He whispered, "Please….make it stop…"

"I can't make it stop Tieria," Lockon said as he continued to sponge Tieria's forehead, "It's a force of nature. The storm will be over soon okay? Get some rest, you'll feel better."

"Lockon…" Tieria muttered, "I'm thirsty…"

"Okay," Lockon said as he poured some of the unflavored electrolyte solution into a cup for Tieria, "Here, drink it slowly." He then carefully helped him sit up.

Tieria nodded in thanks and slowly drank the liquid. "Is that better?" Lockon asked. Tieria nodded and Lockon gently eased him against the bed, "Hey Tieria," he said softly, "I'm sorry I neglected you today. You got really sick and I did nothing to help."

"It was my fault," Tieria muttered, "I should have gone back when I first started feeling ill. I want to apologize for ruining your daytrip."

"Tieria," Lockon gasped, "You didn't ruin our daytrip. I ruined it for you. We should have waited for the weather to cool down. If we had stayed here you wouldn't have gotten sick or broken your arm. Tieria…Tieria?" He looked at the boy and found that he was asleep, "Good, you need to rest."

Lockon sighed in relief as the lamp and the air conditioner came back on as the storm started to die down.

"Alright Lockon," Sumeragi said as she walked into the room, "You're relieved of your duties. Go get some rest. The couch is free."

"Wait…I thought I was watching Tieria all night," Lockon said, "So why are you relieving me of my duties?"

"Because I saw what you just did and I'm satisfied," Sumeragi said, "Get some rest."

"Thank you," Lockon said as he walked from the room.

Sumeragi sighed as she placed her hand on the boy's forehead. Tieria was still running a fever but he wasn't nearly as warm as he had been just a few hours earlier. The red hue to his face was beginning to recede, /Good, he's not sunburned/ She thought, /He should be fine once his fever breaks/

"Thank you Tieria," She said softly as she took the boy's uninjured hand in her own, "Thank you for hanging in there."


A few hours later Lockon woke to a knock at the door. He slowly stood up and answered the door, "Doctor Moreno…" He muttered sleepily, "S'about time."

"The storm postponed my flight about two hours," Joyce said, "Otherwise I would have been here much earlier. I've heard all about what happened and I've brought all the necessary equipment to treat Tieria here."

"That's good," Lockon said as he led Joyce to the room Tieria was resting in, "He was pretty bad last night."

"Doctor Moreno," Sumeragi said, "When did you get here?"

"Just a few minutes ago," Joyce said. He looked over at Tieria, "How is he doing?"

"He still has a low grade fever," Sumeragi said, "But he's made major improvement from yesterday."

"How bad did it get?" Joyce asked as he checked Tieria's breathing and heart rate, "What were his symptoms?"

"His fever topped out at forty point two," Sumeragi said, "His stomach couldn't hold anything down, he was in and out of consciousness and he wasn't sweating. Once he could hold water down we forced him to drink every time he woke up."

"It got pretty bad then," Joyce said, "What have you been giving him to drink?"

"This," Sumeragi said as she held up the electrolyte solution.

Joyce took the bottle, "You did the right thing Sumeragi," He said, "By giving him this you effectively treated him for dehydration. He's still a touch dehydrated but it's no longer dangerous. Now about his arm," he said as he examined Tieria's injured left arm. He brought out a small x-ray device and placed it on Tieria's arm, "His arm is broken alright. It's a clean break though it should only take a few weeks to heal." He strapped a brace-like device to Tieria's arm then realigned the boy's arm.

Tieria gasped and stirred as he woke to the pain in his arm.

"I'm sorry Tieria," Joyce said, "I didn't mean to wake you up. I'm just going to cast your arm then we'll all set." Tieria nodded as Joyce took another set of x-rays. "Your arm is broken and you're going to have to wear a cast for the rest of your trip." Tieria nodded as Joyce started to cast his arm, "You can sleep if you want Tieria. I'll be done in about half an hour."

Tieria shut his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Almost an hour later Joyce finished with the cast.

"Well I'm all set," Joyce said, "He seems to be alright. Don't do anything strenuous today. Tieria still needs a day to rest. Make sure he eats today he needs to make up for the nutrients he lost yesterday. "

"Alright," Sumeragi said, "Thank you for coming Doctor Moreno."

"It was no problem," Joyce said, "Let me know if he gets worse."

"I will," Sumeragi said as Joyce left the room.


Several hours later Tieria walked into the kitchen as everyone was finishing up from lunch.

"Tieria," Sumeragi called, "How are you feeling?"

"I've felt better," Tieria said softly as he sat down on the couch, "I'm tired, lightheaded, I have a headache, and my arm hurts."

"Are you hungry?" Sumeragi asked as she sat down next to Tieria.

"A little bit," Tieria said.

"I'll give you something gentle on your stomach for now," Sumeragi said, "But later on try to eat something with more sustenance."

Tieria nodded and shut his eyes. He was absolutely exhausted but he didn't feel much like sleeping. He could barely remember anything that happened the day before. He knew they had gone to Boston and that he had gotten sick during the trip but he couldn't remember how he had gotten back.

"Tieria," Sumeragi called softly, "Are you still awake?"

Tieria opened his eyes, "Yeah," He said as he sat up a bit.

"Here," Sumeragi said as she handed Tieria a tray, "I brought you a grape popsicle, some cherry gelatin, and an unflavored electrolyte solution." She placed her hand on Tieria's forehead, "You should go back to bed when you're done with that. You still have a little bit of a fever."

Tieria nodded and started on the popsicle. He wasn't a fan of popsicles or gelatin but he wasn't about to complain, he needed something to possibly cool himself down with. He wanted to eat but at the same time he knew that he was still running a slight fever and he didn't want to over do it.

"Thank you Sumeragi," Tieria said as he handed the tray back and slowly stood up.

"You're welcome," Sumeragi said as Tieria headed for the door, "Where are you going?"

"Back to the other house," Tieria responded tiredly, "This is the girl's house isn't it?"

"It is but you're staying here today," Sumeragi said, "I want to keep an eye on you. You can go back to the room you were in earlier. Let me know if you need anything."

Tieria nodded and headed back to the room he had been resting in earlier.

Sumeragi sighed. /Hopefully when he wakes he'll be feeling better/ She thought, /There's only so much he can take. I feel bad, I forced him into this. Perhaps when we get back I'll completely drop the punishment. He's been through enough in the past three days to make up for it. I think from now on if he doesn't want to do something he won't have to do it/


Poor Tieria has it rough when I'm in charge. But at least he'll pull through after this chapter and maybe I'll go easy on him for the rest of this story…for the most part anyway. The bit about the local coffee shop chain is true. You really do have a seventy-five percent chance of getting a god-awful coffee. And if the coffee is drinkable then odds are they screwed your order up somehow. But enough about that. I'm not sure what to do with the next chapter, I'll either do the beach or an amusement park…there's really not much to do in Southern New England at all. So until next time, ja ne Minna-san!

Oh and no, I don't ship Tieria and Sumeragi...She's just worried about him. Nothing more. The person I ship Tieria is a little too young during this time but maybe I throw her in just to brighten things up a bit.

Ex-Shark-V-005