Author's Note:
Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter I appreciate it. I am not sure if I have gotten all my facts right when it comes to Shenlong/Altron I figured that since the Altron was the space capable version of Shenlong that it was flight capable while in atmosphere. I did do some research on fevers, things like temperature ranges and as far as I know what I have written is correct. If you spot any glaring errors please report them in a review or in an email. Thanks and happy reading.
Malaise
By Wavewalker
Chapter 2: Fever
Chang Wufei was grumbling under his breath as he stalked down the hall towards Quatre's latest safe house's underground hanger. He was muttering about blondes with overactive imaginations, so what if the braided baka had not checked in since directly after his mission or replied to any of Quatre's emails, it did not mean anything had happened to him. It had not even been 24 hours, he was probably sleeping in while he had the chance or had not turned on his laptop yet.
But a tiny voice in the back of his mind would not stop murmuring worrying possibilities, things that could have happened. Which was the only reason he had agreed to go check on Duo, that and he was the only one without a current mission.
Entering the hanger he made his way towards Nataku, his Gundam would always be Nataku to him no matter what its official designation was, in honour of his late wife and one time best friend. One of the biggest mistakes he had ever made was letting his arranged marriage to Meiran destroy their childhood friendship; the pressures of their parents and clan's expectations for them had caused great misunderstandings leading ultimately to her death.
He used the lift wire to ascend to Nataku's cockpit, once inside he booted her systems and ran a pre-flight diagnostic. He also checked on the weather along his planned route to the safe house Duo was currently at, it looked to be clear going until about 40 kilometres from the section of mountains the safe house was located in. There was a storm cell currently in the area with what looked like a second one brewing in the North. If he pushed he could make it to the safe house during the probable clearing of the weather between the storms.
With his pre-flight checks complete he signalled the hanger's outer doors to open and began his mission to check on Duo.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He had been right about the weather pattern, he would have just enough time to stash his Gundam and hike down to the safe house before it began to snow again; the wind was already beginning to pick up. He scanned the area where the safe house and hanger should be located and was startled to see how small the landing area was. He wondered how Duo had faired landing during the storm, the only communiqué he had sent them was dated and the posted time was during the early stages of the storm that was now leaving the area.
After a successful landing, only so due to the amount of caution he took due to the rising wind, he entered the hanger. He noted that Death Scythe Hell was kneeling to the left of the cave; he then proceeded to position Nataku in a similar pose to the right side.
He then sent a message to Quatre notifying him of his arrival and that he would be sending further information latter but that the approaching storm may interfere. He shut down all systems and exited his Gundam. As he left the hanger he took a good look around the clearing, the coming storm should cover the tracks of his Gundam. The left side of the clearing looked odd to him, as he moved closer he realized that this was due to the three downed trees, they looked as if something very large had sat on them. Which probably meant that Duo had had problems landing. Wufei frowned, Duo despite his foolish antics while not on mission he was in actuality a very graceful person and that transferred over to his piloting skills. Either the wind had been much stronger than reported or something had to have been wrong with Duo.
With one last glance back at the hanger Wufei headed down to the cabin, as he approached he was surprised that there was no smoke coming from the chimney. He knew Duo had a personal preference for fires, one could often find his curled up before one during the winter if a fireplace was available. He made his way to the rear entrance of the cabin noting that at least the generator was still running but as he looked closer he noted that the fuel gage was hovering on empty. Wufei was becoming more alarmed by the moment, he knew Duo hated being cold and he was always sure to check on fuel for generators, he had been know to be a bit obsessive about that in the past. Wufei quickly filled the tank and entered the cabin.
He had half expected to be greeted by a hyper, stir crazy Duo but all was silent inside. The temperature while warmer than that outside was nowhere as warm as it should be. Quickly shedding his outer gear and bumping the thermostat up, he made his way to the front rooms of the cabin, calling Duo's name as he went. He swept the room quickly for signs of occupancy but a first glance found none. He was making his way towards the bedroom when a low moan then deep coughing drew him around the couch facing the fireplace. There on the ground, curled up into a ball was Duo.
Striding towards the other pilot Wufei again called Duo's name but got no response. He knelt down behind Duo and reached out to turn him onto his back, only to pull back shocked at how hot Duo was to the touch. Wufei once again reached out and eased the ill teen onto his back, Duo's face was flushed with fever and a second spasm of booming coughs shook his frame but failed to rouse him.
Wufei laid new wood and kindling out and lit a new fire hoping to raise the room temperature to a more comfortable level. Wufei noted that the fireplace had been filled with ashes and burned out embers and that the woodpile beside the hearth was barely touched. Duo must not have been able to add more wood as the fire burned down, which led Wufei to estimate that Duo had not been conscious for long if at all since his arrival. This spurred Wufei into a flurry of activity.
Wufei quickly fetched the first aid kit Quatre had packed for him and removed the thermometer, he moved to place it under Duo's tongue but he started coughing again. Wufei slid his arm beneath Duo's shoulders and moved to sit behind the teen to prop him up hoping to ease the coughing fit. It seemed to work and Wufei took advantage of the lull to take Duo's temperature. The reading was not good; Duo's temperature was 41.5oC (105.8oF), which was dangerously high. Wufei quickly began to remove Duo's clothes as he still had his outer gear on, he had to lower Duo's temperature before it could cause damage it was not quite to the point when brain damage could occur but it was still too high.
After he finished stripping Duo down to his boxers, Wufei found a large bowl in the kitchen and some washcloths in the bathroom; he filled the bowl with slightly warm water. He carried the bowl and cloths back to Duo and started sponging him down, this mimicked sweating, to cool him off. Duo mumbled something incoherent and tried to pull away from the cloth, which probably felt very cold to him. Wufei hoped to bring down Duo's temperature without causing shivering, which would raise Duo's temperature. He would have to get fresh water soon, it was cooling to fast, cold water would cause the surface blood vessels in Duo's skin to close maintaining the current temperature or even raising it. Wufei would have liked to give Duo an anti-pyretic like aspirin but with the training they had all undergone at the hands of the 'Mad Five', Duo's drug tolerance would likely be too high for it to be of any benefit.
As Duo's temperature began to drop slightly he began to mumble disjointed phrases and if he had been stronger he likely would have been thrashing, as it was he was barely moving. His weakness alarmed Wufei, there were not that many illnesses that struck this fast or hard, and none with symptoms that matched Duo's.
"Damn, he must have been hiding this from us.but why?" Wufei wondered aloud as he hesitantly reached out to smooth Duo's bangs back from his forehead. Wufei went over the last week in his head, trying to recall any signs of illness in Duo. He had appeared to be his usual annoyingly cheerful self, but when he really thought about it he had been almost too cheerful. Wufei had observed that Duo did not like seeing others sick when Quatre had caught the flu; Duo had played nurse until Quatre was ready to scream, due to Duo's over protectiveness. Wufei frowned as it occurred to him that Duo always seemed to downplay any injury he received as if.as if he did not want to appear to be a burden. Understanding dawned as Wufei remembered the few times Duo had been hurt badly enough to warrant some form of medical attention, he winced as he recalled his and the other pilots reactions. His own had been some of the worst.
"I was an idiot, I kept telling him that he was stupid to get injured in the first place and that he was lucky that we were there to save him. So the first time he is ill through no fault of his own he believes that we would be disgusted by his weakness and tried to hide it and successfully too." Wufei groaned while bowing his head and pinching the bridge of his nose.
He reached out and gently cupped his hand around Duo's cheek and said "Duo please." before he could finish what he was going to say Duo face turned into Wufei's hand and his eyes fluttered open.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter I appreciate it. I am not sure if I have gotten all my facts right when it comes to Shenlong/Altron I figured that since the Altron was the space capable version of Shenlong that it was flight capable while in atmosphere. I did do some research on fevers, things like temperature ranges and as far as I know what I have written is correct. If you spot any glaring errors please report them in a review or in an email. Thanks and happy reading.
Malaise
By Wavewalker
Chapter 2: Fever
Chang Wufei was grumbling under his breath as he stalked down the hall towards Quatre's latest safe house's underground hanger. He was muttering about blondes with overactive imaginations, so what if the braided baka had not checked in since directly after his mission or replied to any of Quatre's emails, it did not mean anything had happened to him. It had not even been 24 hours, he was probably sleeping in while he had the chance or had not turned on his laptop yet.
But a tiny voice in the back of his mind would not stop murmuring worrying possibilities, things that could have happened. Which was the only reason he had agreed to go check on Duo, that and he was the only one without a current mission.
Entering the hanger he made his way towards Nataku, his Gundam would always be Nataku to him no matter what its official designation was, in honour of his late wife and one time best friend. One of the biggest mistakes he had ever made was letting his arranged marriage to Meiran destroy their childhood friendship; the pressures of their parents and clan's expectations for them had caused great misunderstandings leading ultimately to her death.
He used the lift wire to ascend to Nataku's cockpit, once inside he booted her systems and ran a pre-flight diagnostic. He also checked on the weather along his planned route to the safe house Duo was currently at, it looked to be clear going until about 40 kilometres from the section of mountains the safe house was located in. There was a storm cell currently in the area with what looked like a second one brewing in the North. If he pushed he could make it to the safe house during the probable clearing of the weather between the storms.
With his pre-flight checks complete he signalled the hanger's outer doors to open and began his mission to check on Duo.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He had been right about the weather pattern, he would have just enough time to stash his Gundam and hike down to the safe house before it began to snow again; the wind was already beginning to pick up. He scanned the area where the safe house and hanger should be located and was startled to see how small the landing area was. He wondered how Duo had faired landing during the storm, the only communiqué he had sent them was dated and the posted time was during the early stages of the storm that was now leaving the area.
After a successful landing, only so due to the amount of caution he took due to the rising wind, he entered the hanger. He noted that Death Scythe Hell was kneeling to the left of the cave; he then proceeded to position Nataku in a similar pose to the right side.
He then sent a message to Quatre notifying him of his arrival and that he would be sending further information latter but that the approaching storm may interfere. He shut down all systems and exited his Gundam. As he left the hanger he took a good look around the clearing, the coming storm should cover the tracks of his Gundam. The left side of the clearing looked odd to him, as he moved closer he realized that this was due to the three downed trees, they looked as if something very large had sat on them. Which probably meant that Duo had had problems landing. Wufei frowned, Duo despite his foolish antics while not on mission he was in actuality a very graceful person and that transferred over to his piloting skills. Either the wind had been much stronger than reported or something had to have been wrong with Duo.
With one last glance back at the hanger Wufei headed down to the cabin, as he approached he was surprised that there was no smoke coming from the chimney. He knew Duo had a personal preference for fires, one could often find his curled up before one during the winter if a fireplace was available. He made his way to the rear entrance of the cabin noting that at least the generator was still running but as he looked closer he noted that the fuel gage was hovering on empty. Wufei was becoming more alarmed by the moment, he knew Duo hated being cold and he was always sure to check on fuel for generators, he had been know to be a bit obsessive about that in the past. Wufei quickly filled the tank and entered the cabin.
He had half expected to be greeted by a hyper, stir crazy Duo but all was silent inside. The temperature while warmer than that outside was nowhere as warm as it should be. Quickly shedding his outer gear and bumping the thermostat up, he made his way to the front rooms of the cabin, calling Duo's name as he went. He swept the room quickly for signs of occupancy but a first glance found none. He was making his way towards the bedroom when a low moan then deep coughing drew him around the couch facing the fireplace. There on the ground, curled up into a ball was Duo.
Striding towards the other pilot Wufei again called Duo's name but got no response. He knelt down behind Duo and reached out to turn him onto his back, only to pull back shocked at how hot Duo was to the touch. Wufei once again reached out and eased the ill teen onto his back, Duo's face was flushed with fever and a second spasm of booming coughs shook his frame but failed to rouse him.
Wufei laid new wood and kindling out and lit a new fire hoping to raise the room temperature to a more comfortable level. Wufei noted that the fireplace had been filled with ashes and burned out embers and that the woodpile beside the hearth was barely touched. Duo must not have been able to add more wood as the fire burned down, which led Wufei to estimate that Duo had not been conscious for long if at all since his arrival. This spurred Wufei into a flurry of activity.
Wufei quickly fetched the first aid kit Quatre had packed for him and removed the thermometer, he moved to place it under Duo's tongue but he started coughing again. Wufei slid his arm beneath Duo's shoulders and moved to sit behind the teen to prop him up hoping to ease the coughing fit. It seemed to work and Wufei took advantage of the lull to take Duo's temperature. The reading was not good; Duo's temperature was 41.5oC (105.8oF), which was dangerously high. Wufei quickly began to remove Duo's clothes as he still had his outer gear on, he had to lower Duo's temperature before it could cause damage it was not quite to the point when brain damage could occur but it was still too high.
After he finished stripping Duo down to his boxers, Wufei found a large bowl in the kitchen and some washcloths in the bathroom; he filled the bowl with slightly warm water. He carried the bowl and cloths back to Duo and started sponging him down, this mimicked sweating, to cool him off. Duo mumbled something incoherent and tried to pull away from the cloth, which probably felt very cold to him. Wufei hoped to bring down Duo's temperature without causing shivering, which would raise Duo's temperature. He would have to get fresh water soon, it was cooling to fast, cold water would cause the surface blood vessels in Duo's skin to close maintaining the current temperature or even raising it. Wufei would have liked to give Duo an anti-pyretic like aspirin but with the training they had all undergone at the hands of the 'Mad Five', Duo's drug tolerance would likely be too high for it to be of any benefit.
As Duo's temperature began to drop slightly he began to mumble disjointed phrases and if he had been stronger he likely would have been thrashing, as it was he was barely moving. His weakness alarmed Wufei, there were not that many illnesses that struck this fast or hard, and none with symptoms that matched Duo's.
"Damn, he must have been hiding this from us.but why?" Wufei wondered aloud as he hesitantly reached out to smooth Duo's bangs back from his forehead. Wufei went over the last week in his head, trying to recall any signs of illness in Duo. He had appeared to be his usual annoyingly cheerful self, but when he really thought about it he had been almost too cheerful. Wufei had observed that Duo did not like seeing others sick when Quatre had caught the flu; Duo had played nurse until Quatre was ready to scream, due to Duo's over protectiveness. Wufei frowned as it occurred to him that Duo always seemed to downplay any injury he received as if.as if he did not want to appear to be a burden. Understanding dawned as Wufei remembered the few times Duo had been hurt badly enough to warrant some form of medical attention, he winced as he recalled his and the other pilots reactions. His own had been some of the worst.
"I was an idiot, I kept telling him that he was stupid to get injured in the first place and that he was lucky that we were there to save him. So the first time he is ill through no fault of his own he believes that we would be disgusted by his weakness and tried to hide it and successfully too." Wufei groaned while bowing his head and pinching the bridge of his nose.
He reached out and gently cupped his hand around Duo's cheek and said "Duo please." before he could finish what he was going to say Duo face turned into Wufei's hand and his eyes fluttered open.