Who's a Weak Onna?
Chapter 4
The Chinese Patient
"Wufei?"
A familiar male tenor voice was whispering in his ear. He tried to answer, but all that came out was a dry rasp.
"What was that?" asked the voice.
"Water."
"Did he ask for water?" said the mild voice. "Or is he trying to say 'Quatre'?"
"YES! Water! You idiot!" Wufei wanted to yell, but again, nothing came out of his throat but a hoarse croak.
"Trowa, ring the nurse and ask if he can have some water, please."
"We're calling the nurse, Wufei. I'm sorry, but I don't know if I can give you a drink or not."
Trowa was talking with Lisa, the tall black woman who had been there earlier.
She nodded and went to get one of those ubiquitous plastic hospital pitchers full of ice water and a plastic tumbler with a bendable straw in it.
"Now, go slow, honey," said Lisa, placing the straw carefully in Wufei's mouth.
Cold, sweet relief.
Even on a desert mission, Wufei couldn't remember water tasting and feeling so wonderful.
He sighed. And tried to open his eyes. For some reason, his focus was a little off. He wondered vaguely if he had a head injury, but his head didn't hurt.
"Look Trowa, he's opening his eyes!" said Quatre delightedly, grasping Wufei's good hand and squeezing it.
"Quatre," Wufei croaked, although now that his throat was lubricated, it was a lot easier to talk.
Wufei's eyes began to focus better and he saw a blond head close to his face, and a golden brown one behind it. Trowa was there too, apparently. An older woman with smooth dark skin was holding the cup of water he was drinking from.
"How?" asked Wufei, casting his eyes around the room and looking at Quatre. He was still slowly sipping the water, with long pants between sips.
"You mean, how'd you get here?" asked Quatre. Just then, Duo bounded into the room.
"Hey Wu-man!" he said gleefully. "You're awake!" Duo took off his hat and crammed it into one of the voluminous pockets of his loose fitting cargo pants.
Wufei winced as Maxwell's loud voice assaulted his ears.
"Are you in pain?" asked Quatre, concern etched into his gentle features.
"Maxwell," muttered Wufei, indicating Duo with his chin. "Loud."
"Sorry, Wufei," said Duo, lowering his voice and looking sheepish. "I was just happy to see you back in the land of the living."
"I'm sure Wufei understands," soothed Quatre.
Wufei suddenly flashed on Duo's anxious face hovering over him as he lay upon the ground.
"Maxwell," he grated, "Found me?"
"Yeah, that was me," said Duo, coming closer. "We, uh, had a few words before Heero came along and helped me get you up the hill. Remember?"
"Bike?" Wufei asked with faint hope.
"Trashed, totaled, nada, Wu-dude," Duo shook his head sadly. "Sorry, man."
Wufei tried to shrug, but he was attached to too many sticky things that were attached to tubes to do more than give a slight twitch of his shoulders.
"Hey, you're alive, man, that's all that matters. I almost crapped my pants when I saw you laying there, you looked dead."
"Duo!" said Quatre, giving Duo an old-fashioned look.
"Well, he did!" said Duo, folding his arms.
"Well, I got other patients to tend to," said Lisa, putting down the tumbler on the table next to the bed and patting Wufei gently on the shoulder. "You need me, you just have to push this," she added, clamping the call button to the sheet near Wufei's good hand.
"How do you feel, Wufei?" asked Trowa, quietly as Lisa left the room.
"Shit," said Wufei shortly.
Quatre and Duo laughed, and Trowa chuckled.
"You look like shit too, if that's any consolation," said Duo, reaching over impulsively and resting his hand on Wufei's shoulder, giving it a little squeeze.
"Duo!" said Trowa, this time, staring at the braided man.
"Thanks," Wufei said sarcastically, giving a weak imitation of the Yuy death glare to Duo.
"Well, you must be feeling better, because you just gave me a look that'd peel paint off a Gundam," said Duo, grinning.
Sally came into the room just then.
"Good to see you awake," she said quietly. She had on fresh yellow scrubs and her slightly damp hair was loosely gathered in a ponytail at the nape of her neck.
"Quit harassing my patient," she joked to Duo, drawing down her arched brows into a mock frown.
"He's harassing me right back," complained Duo, but he grinned at her.
"Well, I hope you don't think I'm being a creep, but I'm starving. You two guys wanna go grab something to eat with me?" asked Duo, putting on his best puppy-eyes pleading look for Trowa and Quatre.
Trowa nodded, "I know you Quatre. You'll worry yourself sick if I don't drag you out of here. Let's go have something with Duo and we can come back later to say goodnight."
Quatre reluctantly nodded. "Okay, okay, I give," he said, reaching up to give Trowa a peck on the cheek.
"How about pizza?" suggested Duo as they said their temporary farewells to Wufei and left the ICU.
"You always want anchovies!" Sally and Wufei heard Trowa's voice protest as they walked away. "But I like anchovies, someone has to!"
Sally smiled. "He's quite a character," she said, checking the monitors and writing down some numbers on the chart she had in her hand.
"How am I?" asked Wufei in a hoarse tone, suddenly grabbing her hand.
"Really, Sally," he asked earnestly, his eyes shifting to the bulge of his left leg under the supporting frame.
"Truth?" she asked, meeting his black eyes with her bright blue ones.
"Always," he rasped. He held her eyes and still gripped her hand lightly.
"Your leg is seriously injured," she began.
"How serious?" he asked.
"You have a compound fracture with a crush injury. That means bone was lost and there is muscle damage. It will take some more surgery and considerable time for it to heal properly."
He lowered his eyes, swallowed then raised them again. "Thank you."
"For what?" she asked, puzzled.
"Being honest."
"Drink, please?" he asked indicating the water on the stand with his chin.
She smiled. "Sure," she poured water into the glass and once again held the straw to his lips.
He took a long drink.
"Hate it," he whispered, looking at her and then the glass.
"What?" she asked puzzled again.
"Being helpless, weak," he said, closing his eyes wearily.
"Hate it."
He was asleep before she could respond.
"I know," she said, watching the gentle rise and fall of his breathing for a few minutes.
She touched his hand. Impulsively, she leaned over and placed her lips lightly where her hand had touched.
She lowered the lights as she left, taking one last glance behind her.
Chapter 4
The Chinese Patient
"Wufei?"
A familiar male tenor voice was whispering in his ear. He tried to answer, but all that came out was a dry rasp.
"What was that?" asked the voice.
"Water."
"Did he ask for water?" said the mild voice. "Or is he trying to say 'Quatre'?"
"YES! Water! You idiot!" Wufei wanted to yell, but again, nothing came out of his throat but a hoarse croak.
"Trowa, ring the nurse and ask if he can have some water, please."
"We're calling the nurse, Wufei. I'm sorry, but I don't know if I can give you a drink or not."
Trowa was talking with Lisa, the tall black woman who had been there earlier.
She nodded and went to get one of those ubiquitous plastic hospital pitchers full of ice water and a plastic tumbler with a bendable straw in it.
"Now, go slow, honey," said Lisa, placing the straw carefully in Wufei's mouth.
Cold, sweet relief.
Even on a desert mission, Wufei couldn't remember water tasting and feeling so wonderful.
He sighed. And tried to open his eyes. For some reason, his focus was a little off. He wondered vaguely if he had a head injury, but his head didn't hurt.
"Look Trowa, he's opening his eyes!" said Quatre delightedly, grasping Wufei's good hand and squeezing it.
"Quatre," Wufei croaked, although now that his throat was lubricated, it was a lot easier to talk.
Wufei's eyes began to focus better and he saw a blond head close to his face, and a golden brown one behind it. Trowa was there too, apparently. An older woman with smooth dark skin was holding the cup of water he was drinking from.
"How?" asked Wufei, casting his eyes around the room and looking at Quatre. He was still slowly sipping the water, with long pants between sips.
"You mean, how'd you get here?" asked Quatre. Just then, Duo bounded into the room.
"Hey Wu-man!" he said gleefully. "You're awake!" Duo took off his hat and crammed it into one of the voluminous pockets of his loose fitting cargo pants.
Wufei winced as Maxwell's loud voice assaulted his ears.
"Are you in pain?" asked Quatre, concern etched into his gentle features.
"Maxwell," muttered Wufei, indicating Duo with his chin. "Loud."
"Sorry, Wufei," said Duo, lowering his voice and looking sheepish. "I was just happy to see you back in the land of the living."
"I'm sure Wufei understands," soothed Quatre.
Wufei suddenly flashed on Duo's anxious face hovering over him as he lay upon the ground.
"Maxwell," he grated, "Found me?"
"Yeah, that was me," said Duo, coming closer. "We, uh, had a few words before Heero came along and helped me get you up the hill. Remember?"
"Bike?" Wufei asked with faint hope.
"Trashed, totaled, nada, Wu-dude," Duo shook his head sadly. "Sorry, man."
Wufei tried to shrug, but he was attached to too many sticky things that were attached to tubes to do more than give a slight twitch of his shoulders.
"Hey, you're alive, man, that's all that matters. I almost crapped my pants when I saw you laying there, you looked dead."
"Duo!" said Quatre, giving Duo an old-fashioned look.
"Well, he did!" said Duo, folding his arms.
"Well, I got other patients to tend to," said Lisa, putting down the tumbler on the table next to the bed and patting Wufei gently on the shoulder. "You need me, you just have to push this," she added, clamping the call button to the sheet near Wufei's good hand.
"How do you feel, Wufei?" asked Trowa, quietly as Lisa left the room.
"Shit," said Wufei shortly.
Quatre and Duo laughed, and Trowa chuckled.
"You look like shit too, if that's any consolation," said Duo, reaching over impulsively and resting his hand on Wufei's shoulder, giving it a little squeeze.
"Duo!" said Trowa, this time, staring at the braided man.
"Thanks," Wufei said sarcastically, giving a weak imitation of the Yuy death glare to Duo.
"Well, you must be feeling better, because you just gave me a look that'd peel paint off a Gundam," said Duo, grinning.
Sally came into the room just then.
"Good to see you awake," she said quietly. She had on fresh yellow scrubs and her slightly damp hair was loosely gathered in a ponytail at the nape of her neck.
"Quit harassing my patient," she joked to Duo, drawing down her arched brows into a mock frown.
"He's harassing me right back," complained Duo, but he grinned at her.
"Well, I hope you don't think I'm being a creep, but I'm starving. You two guys wanna go grab something to eat with me?" asked Duo, putting on his best puppy-eyes pleading look for Trowa and Quatre.
Trowa nodded, "I know you Quatre. You'll worry yourself sick if I don't drag you out of here. Let's go have something with Duo and we can come back later to say goodnight."
Quatre reluctantly nodded. "Okay, okay, I give," he said, reaching up to give Trowa a peck on the cheek.
"How about pizza?" suggested Duo as they said their temporary farewells to Wufei and left the ICU.
"You always want anchovies!" Sally and Wufei heard Trowa's voice protest as they walked away. "But I like anchovies, someone has to!"
Sally smiled. "He's quite a character," she said, checking the monitors and writing down some numbers on the chart she had in her hand.
"How am I?" asked Wufei in a hoarse tone, suddenly grabbing her hand.
"Really, Sally," he asked earnestly, his eyes shifting to the bulge of his left leg under the supporting frame.
"Truth?" she asked, meeting his black eyes with her bright blue ones.
"Always," he rasped. He held her eyes and still gripped her hand lightly.
"Your leg is seriously injured," she began.
"How serious?" he asked.
"You have a compound fracture with a crush injury. That means bone was lost and there is muscle damage. It will take some more surgery and considerable time for it to heal properly."
He lowered his eyes, swallowed then raised them again. "Thank you."
"For what?" she asked, puzzled.
"Being honest."
"Drink, please?" he asked indicating the water on the stand with his chin.
She smiled. "Sure," she poured water into the glass and once again held the straw to his lips.
He took a long drink.
"Hate it," he whispered, looking at her and then the glass.
"What?" she asked puzzled again.
"Being helpless, weak," he said, closing his eyes wearily.
"Hate it."
He was asleep before she could respond.
"I know," she said, watching the gentle rise and fall of his breathing for a few minutes.
She touched his hand. Impulsively, she leaned over and placed her lips lightly where her hand had touched.
She lowered the lights as she left, taking one last glance behind her.