AN – Thanks to everyone for all the e-mails and reviews. Quick Frek, take a breath, and to everyone else, Richie is afraid of soo many things. (laughs evilly)
French – Mon Dieu! My God!
***
"If you register me as a foster child you think I'll be your kid. Right?" Richie challenged.
"Right." Duncan affirmed.
"Wrong." Richie corrected. "I'll be a ward of the State. That means they call the shots."
"Look Rich, I know you think that .."
"Mac. I don't think that. I know." Richie ran a hand through his hair. "Been there. Done that. It doesn't matter what it is. Maybe they don't think I'll grow up to be an all American boy because you are Scottish and Tessa is French. Maybe your hair is too long or they don't like the earring. Whatever. Hell, most of the time they don't even need a real reason. One teeny tiny thing goes wrong and I'm outta here and there won't be a damn thing either of us can do about it."
"I can do normal." Duncan shrugged. "I'll take the earring out."
"Mac you listen to Opera and have an unhealthy interest in nice shiny swords. Trust me. Those things are not normal."
"They were when I was a kid." Duncan told him.
"My point exactly."
"Rich. Why did you agree to move in with us?"
"C'mon Mac." Richie looked away. "You saw the place that I was living in."
"Uh huh." Duncan allowed.
"What?" Richie demanded.
"Well. I was brought up with no electricity and no hot water." Duncan shrugged.
"It wasn't exactly a lifestyle choice." Richie shot back.
"Wasn't it?" Duncan challenged. "You could have lived in any number of foster homes. Instead you chose to move onto the streets. You didn't move in here because we had MTV and central heating. You moved in here because you liked us."
"So sue me." Richie shifted slightly with embarrassment. "Look if you're making some deep profound point here .. I gotta tell you I'm missing it."
"Rich you bicker with Tess about your clothes, you borrow the T-Bird every chance you get, you leave your dirty socks behind the couch and eat all the food in the refrigerator, .. "
"I come back early and walk into the living room to find you and Tess .." Richie smirked.
"Thanks for reminding me." Duncan scowled at him. "My point is we are already a family."
"You .." Richie swallowed. "Mac, you offered me a home and a job, and believe me I'm grateful, but you didn't sign up for this. You thought I was almost eighteen."
"I thought you were a bloody idiot." Duncan reminded him.
***
"His fever is getting higher." Duncan worried, as he leant on the desk.
"And he still won't tell you what ails him?" Conner asked, without looking up from his book.
"He says it's a head cold."
"He's been favouring his right arm." Conner observed.
"I know." Duncan sighed. "This is my fault."
Conner sighed. Much as he loved Duncan he never understood why the man always had to think that everything that went wrong on the Universe was his fault.
"How exactly is this your fault? You only just met the boy."
"I was the one who insisted that he pay for the window. He's not well enough to work."
"And now you have him here, where it is warm and dry, and your Tessa is stuffing him full of sweetmeats." Conner looked up. "Would you rather have him freezing in some gutter?"
"I suppose not." Duncan shook his head. "I just wish he'd trust me enough to tell me the truth."
"Don't be too hard on the lad Duncan. He's a right to be cautious."
"You know something don't you?" Duncan realised.
"He's .. had a hard time of it." Conner admitted. "He'll tell you himself, when he's ready."
"If he lives that long." Duncan muttered.
***
"If Conner had read stuff about me in my foster records why didn't he just tell you?" Richie asked quietly.
"Because I didn't ask? Besides, Conner would never betray your confidence like that."
"He doesn't even know me. I mean, not really."
"You'd be surprised." Duncan smiled. "You make quite a first impression."
Richie wasn't exactly sure how to take that.
"What's a sweetmeat?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Do you want to hear this or not?"
"Hey. I'm just curious."
"You certainly are." Duncan bit back a smile. "Positively strange if you ask me .."
"Maaac." Richie whined. "Get on with it OK?"
***
"Oh, of all the stubborn, pig-headed, .." Tessa fumed as she strode into the office.
"Um. Let me guess." Duncan caught her by the waist and swung her onto his lap. "Richie?"
"Of course, Richie. Dr Saunders was here to pick up that Limoge dish for his wife's birthday .. and .. since he was here anyway .." Tessa blushed slightly. "I asked if he would take a look at Richie."
"Her birthday isn't for another month." Duncan raised a brow.
"So I asked him to collect it a little early." Tessa waved a hand.
"Tessa." Duncan rolled his eyes.
"Well someone had to do something." Tessa declared. "It is obvious that he needs a doctor. You have not been able to persuade him."
"So what did Dr Saunders say?"
"I don't know." Tessa admitted miserably. "Richie would not speak to him."
"And Conner thinks I'm stubborn." Duncan murmured in Gaelic.
"What?" Tessa frowned.
"Don't worry sweetheart." Duncan nuzzled her neck. "He can't go on like this much longer .. and when he falls .. we'll be right here to catch him."
"But he looks so dreadful."
"He's walking wounded Tess." Duncan soothed. "How bad can it be?"
***
"When I broke that vase." Richie gave him a rueful grin. "I thought you were going to kill me."
"You were doing a pretty good job of that all by yourself." Duncan scolded.
"I didn't know it was going to get so infected." Richie protested.
"And it didn't .. I don't know .. hurt?"
"Not that much .. well not at first anyway." He amended when Duncan's eyebrows shot towards his hairline.
"It's a good job I'm Immortal. You scared me to death Tough Guy." Duncan admitted with quiet sincerely.
"Why do people say that?" Richie shifted awkwardly. "Can you actually die of fright?"
"Rich." Duncan gave him a knowing look.
"Yeah, well." Twin spots of pink appeared in Richie's cheeks. "Then I guess we're even, because you surprised the hell outta me."
***
Duncan came running at the sound of the crash. The body, sprawled motionless among the shards of china, caused a lump of ice to settle in his chest.
"Richie!"
Urgently he checked the lad for a pulse, finding it thin and thready against his fingers.
"Duncan?" Tessa hovered anxiously in the doorway.
"He passed out." Duncan's tone was clipped, focused. Tearing at the fabric with his teeth he ripped down the sleeve of Richie's shirt, exposing his arm.
And he froze.
"Tessa. Call Dr Saunders."
"What is it..?" Tessa took an involuntary step into the room. Looking over Duncan's shoulder. "Oh! Mon Dieu!" She exclaimed as she caught sight of the festering wound, loosely wrapped in a makeshift bandage.
"Its bad." Duncan told her tersely.
Carefully he gathered the lad up into his arms. Richie's face rested aginst his chest, and even through his T-shirt Duncan could feel the heat radiating from the teen.
"Would it have killed you to just say something?" he murmured to his unconscious bundle.
Settling him on the couch, Duncan placed a gentle hand on his forehead. The skin burned.
"The Doctor is coming." Tessa told him. "What can I do?"
"We need to try and keep his fever down." Duncan told her. "Do we have any ice?"
Richie stirred restlessly under his hand and Duncan turned back to see wide, scared, eyes, watching him nervously.
"Easy." Duncan soothed. "Everything's going to be alright now."
***
"You guys were so great." Richie said haltingly. "I mean .. the Doctor .. the prescriptions .. it must have cost you a fortune."
"Rich. It wasn't about the money."
"And then there's the shop .." Richie continued as if he hadn't heard him. "I mean, you must have lost so much business, because you had to look after me."
"You think that matters?" Duncan shook his head.
"Not to mention, what a pain I must have been .." Richie flushed. "No one likes sick kids."
"Is that why you didn't tell us that you were sick?" Duncan asked. "Because you thought you would be a burden?"
Richie pursed his lips, as if deliberating whether to tell the truth or not. The he looked straight at Duncan.
"No. I didn't tell you because I thought you would throw me out on my ear." He looked down. "And I really like you guys."