Three days had passed and we were still here at Quatre's estate. The days were uneventful, the nights filled with undisturbed sleep. We woke, ate, watched TV, played games, ate, slept, and the pattern started again the next day. I wasn't really enjoying it, in face I was constantly on my toes, ready for us to be discovered, but we never were. As the days went past, I began to feel more and more fatigued. My eyes were constantly half closed, I shuffled my feet as I walked, and my skin became pale.
I doubted anyone noticed, no one said anything about it to me. I thought it must be because I was sleeping too much, so I disregarded it.
Tuesday came, our ninth day at the estate.
There was a knock at the door. "Duo, aren't you coming down for breakfast?" It was Quatre.
I raised my head from the pillow and moved the blankets off my body. I had started feeling cold every night, shivering despite the warmth under the blankets. My clock read eight in the morning. I lay my head back on the pillow. "Come in Quatre!" I called out, my voice sounding rather weak.
The door opened and Quatre walked in. "Duo? Is anything wrong?"
"Just tired I guess."
"You look a bit pale."
"I'm fine, really. I'll be down in a few minutes."
Quatre took one last look at me and walked out of the door. I slowly got out of bed. I had slept in trousers and a sweater, a big difference from my first night here. I couldn't be bothered to get dressed, and walked down the hall. My head was spinning. The walls seemed to be floating, and I squinted in an effort to better my eyesight. I reached the staircase and held on to the banisters, walking down slowly, one step at a time, left foot, right foot, left foot. It was more of an effort than it ever had been.
My mouth was dry, and I walked to the kitchen and asked Quatre to pour me a glass of water. He obliged, and set the glass down on the table, as I sat on a chair beside Wufei, who was looking into a cup of coffee. Opposite me were Heero and Trowa, deep in conversation about something or other, but I couldn't be bothered to focus.
I took a sip of the cold water and felt it run down my throat all the way to my stomach.
"Aren't you hot like that?" Wufei interrupted my thoughts. He was wearing a t-shirt and trousers.
I shook my head gently.
"Aren't you feeling well?" he asked.
"I'm fine, just tired," I answered. I closed my eyes and swallowed violently as a wave of nausea overcame me. My eyelids were heavy, my mind fuzzy. I let my head slip onto Wufei's shoulder, and, feeling no resistance, remained there. I could feel my body swaying, tangled, drowned voices around me. Was someone touching my body? I couldn't be sure...
Quatre looked at Wufei, then to Duo. "Is he okay?" Quatre asked.
Wufei looked down at Duo. "He's rather pale."
Heero and Trowa looked up. "Has he got a fever?" Heero inquired.
Wufei placed his palm on Duo's forehead. "He's got a fever alright," he announced, frowning. "Duo?" he said.
There was no answer.
"Duo?" Quatre walked over. He picked up Duo's glass of water and splashed some on Duo's cheeks. No response. He turned to Heero. "Heero?"
Heero walked over to Duo. "Duo? Can you hear me? Duo?" he said loudly, holding Duo's face in his hands. He raised Duo's eyelids. The pupils were turned in, looking at eachother. "He's falling into unconsciousness! We have to wake him up!" Heero cried.
Wufei lifted Duo's head gently and set him back on his chair. Duo's body was limp, and he was leaning to the left.
"Quatre, bring me some water," Heero asked.
Quatre filled a glass with some water and handed it to Heero, who splashed the water in Duo's face.
Trowa was supporting Duo's head from behind, as he was leaning back. He saw the eyes move, then open slightly. He helped Duo lift his head.
"Duo, what's wrong?" Heero asked.
"I..."
"Duo?"
He had fallen back into his previous state. Heero slapped Duo's cheeks, and the eyes opened again, this time more slowly.
"Duo! Talk to me!" he shouted, holding Duo's face up to his.
"I'm tired..."
"Why? What's wrong? Are you in pain?"
Duo mumbled something incoherent. Heero splashed some more water in Duo's face, shaking him gently. "Duo?"
Duo mumbled something about water and sand, then remained silent, motionless. Heero looked up at Trowa and frowned. "This looks bad. Quatre, call an ambulance."
Trowa looked at Heero, while Quatre phoned for an ambulance. "Heero, he's wet himself," he said, pointing to the chair that was now dripping water to the tiles beneath their feet.
"Dammit!" Heero exclaimed. "He's unconscious. His muscles have dilated. Let's move him, we've got to get him in the recovery postion. You hold him from the arms, I've got his legs."
Trowa nodded, and on the count of three, they lifted Duo up and carried him to the sitting room, where they lay him down on the carpet.
"He's very light..." Trowa thought out loud, as they turned Duo over onto his back, resting his head to the side.
Heero nodded solemnly, keeping an eye on Duo, who's body had begun to shake.
"Is he cold?" Quatre asked, putting the phone down.
"I think he's going to vomit," Wufei said, bending over to lift Duo's head slightly. Duo took a few deep breaths, swallowing a few times in succession. Wufei lay Duo's head on the carpet. "He's going to..." he said again.
Duo coughed violently, and vomited onto the carpet, throwing up the water he had drunk. He began to cough.
"Move his head or he'll choke!" Trowa panicked.
Wufei lifted Duo's torso and turned Duo's face to the other side, moving his braid away from the vomit on the carpet.
They heard sirens in the distance. "It's the ambulance," Quatre breathed a sigh of relief.
I doubted anyone noticed, no one said anything about it to me. I thought it must be because I was sleeping too much, so I disregarded it.
Tuesday came, our ninth day at the estate.
There was a knock at the door. "Duo, aren't you coming down for breakfast?" It was Quatre.
I raised my head from the pillow and moved the blankets off my body. I had started feeling cold every night, shivering despite the warmth under the blankets. My clock read eight in the morning. I lay my head back on the pillow. "Come in Quatre!" I called out, my voice sounding rather weak.
The door opened and Quatre walked in. "Duo? Is anything wrong?"
"Just tired I guess."
"You look a bit pale."
"I'm fine, really. I'll be down in a few minutes."
Quatre took one last look at me and walked out of the door. I slowly got out of bed. I had slept in trousers and a sweater, a big difference from my first night here. I couldn't be bothered to get dressed, and walked down the hall. My head was spinning. The walls seemed to be floating, and I squinted in an effort to better my eyesight. I reached the staircase and held on to the banisters, walking down slowly, one step at a time, left foot, right foot, left foot. It was more of an effort than it ever had been.
My mouth was dry, and I walked to the kitchen and asked Quatre to pour me a glass of water. He obliged, and set the glass down on the table, as I sat on a chair beside Wufei, who was looking into a cup of coffee. Opposite me were Heero and Trowa, deep in conversation about something or other, but I couldn't be bothered to focus.
I took a sip of the cold water and felt it run down my throat all the way to my stomach.
"Aren't you hot like that?" Wufei interrupted my thoughts. He was wearing a t-shirt and trousers.
I shook my head gently.
"Aren't you feeling well?" he asked.
"I'm fine, just tired," I answered. I closed my eyes and swallowed violently as a wave of nausea overcame me. My eyelids were heavy, my mind fuzzy. I let my head slip onto Wufei's shoulder, and, feeling no resistance, remained there. I could feel my body swaying, tangled, drowned voices around me. Was someone touching my body? I couldn't be sure...
Quatre looked at Wufei, then to Duo. "Is he okay?" Quatre asked.
Wufei looked down at Duo. "He's rather pale."
Heero and Trowa looked up. "Has he got a fever?" Heero inquired.
Wufei placed his palm on Duo's forehead. "He's got a fever alright," he announced, frowning. "Duo?" he said.
There was no answer.
"Duo?" Quatre walked over. He picked up Duo's glass of water and splashed some on Duo's cheeks. No response. He turned to Heero. "Heero?"
Heero walked over to Duo. "Duo? Can you hear me? Duo?" he said loudly, holding Duo's face in his hands. He raised Duo's eyelids. The pupils were turned in, looking at eachother. "He's falling into unconsciousness! We have to wake him up!" Heero cried.
Wufei lifted Duo's head gently and set him back on his chair. Duo's body was limp, and he was leaning to the left.
"Quatre, bring me some water," Heero asked.
Quatre filled a glass with some water and handed it to Heero, who splashed the water in Duo's face.
Trowa was supporting Duo's head from behind, as he was leaning back. He saw the eyes move, then open slightly. He helped Duo lift his head.
"Duo, what's wrong?" Heero asked.
"I..."
"Duo?"
He had fallen back into his previous state. Heero slapped Duo's cheeks, and the eyes opened again, this time more slowly.
"Duo! Talk to me!" he shouted, holding Duo's face up to his.
"I'm tired..."
"Why? What's wrong? Are you in pain?"
Duo mumbled something incoherent. Heero splashed some more water in Duo's face, shaking him gently. "Duo?"
Duo mumbled something about water and sand, then remained silent, motionless. Heero looked up at Trowa and frowned. "This looks bad. Quatre, call an ambulance."
Trowa looked at Heero, while Quatre phoned for an ambulance. "Heero, he's wet himself," he said, pointing to the chair that was now dripping water to the tiles beneath their feet.
"Dammit!" Heero exclaimed. "He's unconscious. His muscles have dilated. Let's move him, we've got to get him in the recovery postion. You hold him from the arms, I've got his legs."
Trowa nodded, and on the count of three, they lifted Duo up and carried him to the sitting room, where they lay him down on the carpet.
"He's very light..." Trowa thought out loud, as they turned Duo over onto his back, resting his head to the side.
Heero nodded solemnly, keeping an eye on Duo, who's body had begun to shake.
"Is he cold?" Quatre asked, putting the phone down.
"I think he's going to vomit," Wufei said, bending over to lift Duo's head slightly. Duo took a few deep breaths, swallowing a few times in succession. Wufei lay Duo's head on the carpet. "He's going to..." he said again.
Duo coughed violently, and vomited onto the carpet, throwing up the water he had drunk. He began to cough.
"Move his head or he'll choke!" Trowa panicked.
Wufei lifted Duo's torso and turned Duo's face to the other side, moving his braid away from the vomit on the carpet.
They heard sirens in the distance. "It's the ambulance," Quatre breathed a sigh of relief.