Fever

Author's note: …Yeah, I'm not really crazy about this chapter

Chapter 14 – Sick Day

Riza slammed the door to her house so hard the candle sticks on the table shook. "UGH!" she raged. "Goddamn it I hate that man! First Hughes and him humiliate me and then he tries to make it up to me with-with mock flattery and a lame note!" She was so mad she was stuttering. This entire thing had been a major blow to her pride and everything Mustang did just seemed to kick her when she was down. Her anger was actually helping one person in this situation, and that was Hughes. He'd chosen this morning to give Black Hayate something to make him throw up…he didn't think that Hawkeye would be back so early in the day. Lucky for him she was so angry when she got home she didn't notice him sneaking out her back door. While she'd interrupted him, Hughes had been able to give just enough of the concoction to Hayate that his plan would still work.

Riza collapsed on her couch in a lump. Hatred could take a lot out of a person. She couldn't remember the last time she'd taken a day off and now she didn't really know what to do with herself. She laid there for a little while, but after a time she noticed something was wrong. Black Hayate was usually the first thing she saw when she walked in the door, and she'd been home for nearly 30 minutes and she hadn't seen him once. It was then she noticed the noise, it was sort of a gurgling, whining sound. Cautiously Hawkeye pulled out one of her guns and cocked it as she got off the couch. The noise seemed to be coming from the kitchen. She thrust open the door and burst into the room to find, not an intruder, but her dog. Black Hayate was lying on his side trembling and whimpering. Immediately she put away her gun and tended to her pet. "What's wrong?" she asked as she stroked the animal's brow, "You okay boy?" Her only answer was a hacking sound and a good amount of doggie puke right into her open hand. 'Great. This day just keeps getting better.' she thought bitterly. Hawkeye wiped some of the substance off her hand and went to fetch the doggie carrier. It looked like she was going to have a busier day off than she thought.

"What is it? What's wrong with him?" Hawkeye asked, concern flowing into her voice. She wasn't usually emotional, but Black Hayate was one of the few people-err things that she was close to, and she couldn't help but feel a little worried.

"Well," the vet said removing his gloves, "I'm sorry to say its quite serious. Your dog has contracted a very rare virus called Monie-nucleitius."

Riza raised an eyebrow, "Monie-nucleitius? That doesn't sound like any kind of disease I've heard of-"

"I said it was rare." The vet said, annoyance slipping into his voice.

"But that doesn't really sound like-"

"Who's the vet here? You or me? I say its Monie-nucleitius, and its Monie-nucleitius."

Hawkeye backed off a bit, "Ok, ok. What do I need to do?"

"Well there's not much you can do. I mean we can perform a surgery that'll clear it right up…but it'll cost a good bit." The vet said.

Hawkeye started to have doubts. She didn't have that much money to throw around and she knew that just this visit was going to cost more than she could afford. "How much?"

"$700."

Hawkeye's heart dropped. She didn't have that kind of money, and she wasn't getting paid for another few weeks. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to come up with a way to make the payment. 'Maybe he'll let me do it in installments…' "Is there a way I could pay that on some sort of payment plan?"

"I don't think so." The vet said. 'Hughes owes me big for this.' He thought to himself. 'Monie-nucleitius…HA! I can't believe this woman believes me. I must be one hell of an actor.'

"What'll happen if he doesn't get the surgery?" She asked tentatively.

"It'll be terminal." The vet said, he fought to keep himself from smiling.

A lump formed at the back of her throat, the thought of losing Black Hayate was devastating. He was always there for her, a kind ear when she needed one…he was a friend that didn't ask for more than a scratch behind the ears and a bowl of food. "I'll get you the money. I'm not sure how, but I'll find a way."

"All right." He replied, "I'll keep your dog here until we can get him ready for surgery."

"Okay." She said. She turned to leave, but she stopped short of the door. Riza looked back over her shoulder at her dog. He looked up at her with big brown eyes and she couldn't help but she kiss him on top of his head and scratched him behind his ears before she left. "I'll be back soon, boy."