GS Note: It's shorter then usual but it's mainly fluff! It's got more story in it too, so some of you will be happy! Read, enjoy, and feedback is the essence of life! (Big thanks to those of you that know that and even though that don't!)
Chapter 11
Trouble
//"If I die, I'm coming back to haunt you!" Duo yelled again and mentally counted to three. He took a huge gulp and pushed himself clear of the window, trying to distance himself from the wall. There was a sickly feeling of emptiness both beneath his feet and in his stomach. Then, like a bag of rocks, his body dropped. It was very unnerving to say the least.
To say that he screamed, would do an injustice to the act. He shrieked. Like a girl actually, though that was meant as no sexiest joke. Perhaps a princess then. Anyway, this is getting off track-//
Duo jumped slightly as he felt Heero's hot breath in his ear.
"Are you going to be writing all night?" Heero whispered softly, a little annoyed. Duo grinned guiltily and shut the notebook.
"Sorry Heero," he whispered back. He slid the notebook under his chair. He folded his hands on the table and smiled innocently. "So…"
Heero gave a small smile then shifted back so he was in his own seat, instead of hanging off one side. "I order dinner, be lucky I managed to convince the waiter we didn't need all the courses."
"Great! I can never figure out those forks and spoons and the metal things they expect you to use!" Duo grinned widely. Then he glared at his hands folded in his lap. "Not that I can really crook my pinkie…"
Heero gave a smile and Duo grinned. A lot of people claimed that his cold boyfriend was anti-social and never smiled. Not around Duo of course. Duo was snapped out of his thoughts when a waiter appeared at his shoulder baring food. He eagerly moved back and let the man place his burden's on the plates. Heero gave another half smile at the excited grin. The waiter placed his food down and they both began to dug in.
It was sometime later, after dinner and a nice romantic movie in a classy theatre, that Heero found himself driving Duo home. The boys was slumped on the door, his eyes half closed as he struggled to stay away. Heero gave a gentle smile as he pulled into the Church parking lot. He leaned over and shook Duo's shoulder gentle, waking the boy to alertness. Duo blinked and looked around.
"You're home," Heero said gently. He opened his door and walked over to where Duo was struggling out. He held Duo's hand as he got his bearings and yawned. The braided boy looked sleepily up at Heero through bushy bangs. He smiled softly and leaned forward until he was resting his head on Heero's chest and his arms were wrapped around his waist.
"Thanks," Duo whispered softly. He nuzzled Hero with his nose as the mop-headed youth stroked his braid tenderly. Heero kissed the top of Duo's head and said nothing. Eventually Duo pulled away yawned and stumbled towards the entrance to the kitchen on unsteady feet. Heero made sure he was safely in the door before getting back into the car and driving away.
Duo went down the cold, old steps and opened the wooden storm door. Sister Helen was inside, sitting at the table and reading a book. Duo looked at her surprised.
"Sister? Are you waiting for me?" he asked shock on his face. She hadn't worried about him since he and Heero had first started to go out. She looked up at him, surprised that he was standing there.
"Oh, hello Duo. I'm not waiting for you. There are now five kids sick and Father Maxwell's shift is almost up and I will take over for him. You can just go to bed."
Duo looked at her, She was exhausted. Whenever an illness went through the Church, it hit hard. Many of the kids had bad immune systems due to living in the streets and if there was a fever, delirious patients could get very dangerous.
"How long have you been up?" Duo asked, worry winning over drowsiness.
"Only a few hours," she said absently. "Solo had a turn after you left, then I did and then Father, I've been organising the funds but I just finished so I was catching up on some reading." She held up her book. "Now, off to bed."
"Sister, you look exhausted," Duo said and kicked off his shoes into the pile. "I'll take over for an hour or two, you get some sleep."
"Duo-"
"School can wait! It's not like I can't sleep through first! We have a supply and she'd let me. Just get some sleep, it won't do you want good if you're tired tomorrow when they really need you."
Sister Helen studied him critically with her blue eyes. Duo glared at her determinedly, hands on hips. She sighed and stood up in defeat. "Ok, ok! I'm going. But just for an hour! Then you have to come and wake me up, understand?"
"Yes ma'am," Duo grinned cheerfully and started to shoo her up the stairs in front of him. She scowled at him but trudged up the stairs and down the hallway off the playroom to her bedroom. She turned as she remembered something.
"They are in quarantine room," Sister Helen called softly over her shoulder. Duo waved to her that he had heard the cheerfully stepped into the Girl's Dorm. There were a few empty bed scatter in the rows but most of the sixteen beds were filled up. It made Duo happy and angry at the same time. Happy that these girls would get the chance of a semi-normal life and angry that they had to end up in their positions. He shook it off and crept quietly down the hall to the small locked door at the back. He turned the knob experimentally and it opened.
He peeked his head in. There were four small cots in the room and a mattress on the floor. Father Maxwell was leaning over one small girl and stroking her hair gently as she slept. The old priest looked up when the door opened.
"Duo? Did you kicked Sister Helen to bed yet?"
"Yes Father," Duo smiled. "How are they?"
"Not too bad. Just a mild fever and stomach ache. It's not going to be like last year."
"Good," Duo sighed. Last year had been awful. Three kids had died and more had gotten ill enough to get accepted into the hospital. It definitely had been a nightmare.
"Anthony has been throwing up so you'll have to clean out his bowl every so often. Zach's fever is dropping, thank the Lord. It was over 101 this morning. Katharine is sleeping but her fever is rising. Keep her warm. Susanna doesn't have a fever but she's throwing up too. Noel is the worst. Make sure you watch him. I might take him to the hospital if his fever is steady in an hour." Father Maxwell smiled weakly. "If you start to fall asleep wake up the Sister or I. There is ginger ale in the kitchen and there is a plate of crackers here." He placed a hand on Duo's shoulder and squeezed. "Good luck."
Duo nodded and watched the man leave. He turned back to the kids. Zach moaned a little from his spot on the floor and Duo saw Susanna shivering under her blankets. Duo walked around the small room quietly and placed a gentle hand on the children's heads. He settled down in the kitchen chair placed near the door and crossed his legs trying to get comfortable. He scanned the room again critically and pulled out his notebook.
//To say that he screamed, would do an injustice to the act. He shrieked. Like a girl actually, though that was meant as no sexiest joke. Perhaps a princess then. Anyway, this is getting off track. Duo plummeted to the ground with his eyes tightly closed. Just when he thought it was all over he stopped. Startled, he looked up, expecting to be hit by a sudden blast of pain and surrounded by his blood. Instead, playful blue eyes were directly in his line of vision.
"Hi!" Quatre chirped cheerfully. Duo glared, stood up shakily and checked to make sure al his body parts were still attached. When he was satisfied, he looked murderously at the grinning Wish.//
A sneeze brought Duo's attention back to the room. Katherine ducked guiltily deeper into her nest. Duo stood up and walked silently into the girl's dorm. He opened one of the metal boxes at the end of one empty bed and pulled out two handmade quilts an elderly lady had donated a few years back. He carried them back to the room and spread them onto Katherine's bed. She looked at him gratefully with deep brown eyes and Duo smiled as he tucked them closer to her chin. He left for his perch on the chair again.
//When he was satisfied, he looked murderously at the grinning Wish.
"That wasn't funny!" he growled. Quatre just smiled innocently as Duo took a look around. He was at the bottom of the tower, right in the spot he would have landed if he had continued falling. He looked back at the blonde boy. "Did it work?"
"Yes," Quatre said. "I checked out Trowa's aura and I found something quite interesting. He is a hybrid but an unregistered one and highly illegal. I didn't say anything to the Head. I also got permission to become visible in your world. I am to be posing as a Prince that is visiting your country in hopes of winning your heart." Duo rolled his eyes. "Of course I won't be acting on that. I'm arriving today so act surprised."
"Aren't you a little late?" Duo asked curiously. "I mean, it has been a few days since the last of the royalty arrived."
"Ah yes, but this is the land where no one is on time!" Quatre winked and turned to jog away. "Oh, and remember, you don't know me!"
Duo stared after him before shaking his head and chuckling. He turned to walk back into the castle and up to his tower. That window was going to be nailed shut tonight. Duo didn't notice the pairs of eyes on his back. One was Prussian blue. Heero watched the boy leave with suspicious eyes. There had been rumours about the Prince's sanity but nothing could explain how the boy had survived the impact well enough to walk. Heero was sure that even he would have been grounded, but Duo had remained unscathed.
The other was light blue. The girl smiled, it was time to report to her master. She would be rewarded handsomely this time, she was sure of it!//
Duo placed his notebook down and got up as he stretched. He walked over to the first bed. Katharine's flush cheeks peeked out of her blankets. She was sleeping peacefully. Anthony groaned from his bed near hers and Duo walked over there. The red-haired boy was clutching his stomach. Duo managed to get the mixing bowl on the bed before the tiny boy emptied the contents of his stomach. After he had gotten Anthony to drink a glass of water, he went to the bathroom and rinsed out the bowl. He almost threw up himself at the smell but forced his stomach to settled down.
He got the ginger ale from the kitchen. He felt like a thief sneaking around in the dark as the rest of the dorms slept on. After he got Anthony settled down, he moved on to kneel by Zach on the floor. He checked the sleeping boy's forehead and was relieved to find it cool to the touch. Susanna was awake and starting at the wall by her bed with a pained expression. Duo stroked her brown hair soothingly as she sighed and closed her eyes. He stopped by Noel's bed.
Noel's dark skin was sweating and his breathing shallow as he slept in an uncomfortable, twisted way. Duo soothed his short, wiry, black hair and the boy opened his eyes. He looked at Duo with them.
"Duo?" the boy said but the words caught him his throat and he gave a few wet sounding coughs. Duo gently continued to pet the boy's hairs until he fell back into an uneasy rest. His skin was hot to touch. Duo looked at his watch, it had been an hour. He quietly stood up and left the room, closing the door silently behind him. With quick, urgent steps, he went to Sister Helen's room and knocked lightly. There was no movement.
"Sister?" Duo said softly. The noise seemed to be a lot louder in the still Church. Still there was no reply. He knocked again, this time a bit louder. "Sister Helen?" There was some shuffling and the door opened a crack.
"Duo?" she asked sleepily. "What's wrong?"
"I came to get you. It's been an hour."
"Oh," she blinked and seemed to wake up a bit more as she remember what was going on. "Right. How is everything?"
"Noel is still looking pretty bad," Duo whispered, feeling as though he would wake up everyone if he whispered too loud. "But the other's seem ok."
"All right. Go and wake up Father Maxwell. He can take Noel to the hospital. Then get some sleep. School starts in a few hours and you did miss most of yesterday," Sister Helen said and she disappeared back into her room but kept the door opened a little. She came out a few minutes later, her hair pulled back and a white robe on over her long night gown. "Go on, go to bed!"
She was the one pushing Duo back out into the playroom and towards the door to the Boy's Dorm. "Go, go!"
"I'm going!" Duo whispered and opened the door as quietly as he could. We went down the hall to his room and stopped at a door closer to the mouth then this own. He knocked on it and it was answered almost immedently.
"Yes Duo?" Father Maxwell asked, dressed in a night shirt.
"Sister Helen says that you have to take Noel to the hospital," Duo frowned worriedly. "He's not getting any better."
"I'll be right there, I just need to get dress. You go to bed now," Father Maxwell gave a comforting smiled. "Everything will turn out right." Duo just nodded and turned into his own room. He didn't even change before falling face first on his bed, all ready fast asleep.