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Lemay was silently fuming as he examined his patient, directing Treville as the Captain insisted on assisting him. D'Artagnan seemed to calm at Treville's touch, which was helpful as the young man would toss and turn in his delirium, moaning as they attempted to cool the heat in his body. Lemay sincerely hoped that his herbs and poultices could turn things around, otherwise they would have no choice but to take D'Artagnan for a dip in the Seine. And that river was never truly clean, so he wanted to avoid that.

"How long has he been like this, Captain? It takes a while for a fever to turn this bad without injuries. He's bruised but nothing fatal that I can see. And he was always slender but I can see his ribs now, his muscles have clearly been affected as well." Treville sighed heavily and looked very guilty. "I didn't know this until recently but the lad's been going without sleep or proper nourishment for perhaps months, plus the stress of training and missions. His unit hasn't been making sure that he's been well."

"The Inseparables?" Lemay was shocked. "Why in Heaven's name-They seemed so close when I would see them together! Surely not!" Treville shook his head. " I speak truth, Doctor. For some unknown reason, they have abused his trust and turned him into little more than a hired hand or servant for their own use, or something close to it. And I have no idea why or when it started except that it might have been going on long before D'Artagnan was commissioned by the King. When I questioned those three imbeciles, they could not even tell me when it began, they tried to brush it off as the lad's own doing!"

The young doctor frowned. "Well... obviously it's been going on too long, especially if the lad is already so used to it that he would neglect his own well-being. What is being done to try and correct it?" Treville shook his head. "The lad got sick just after I found out but I fully intend to separate him for those three and put him with others who will actually look after him. All the others seem to admire and respect him, so there's no fear of this continuing in their company. They will also provide a buffer for him because if I know Athos, Aramis and Porthos, they will try to get him back soon or interfere in some way. They seem very possessive of our young Gascon and don't even seem to realize it." Lemay was relieved to hear that Treville had a plan. "Then I will layout a plan for his physical health. And I know that this will chafe D'Artagnan and you but I would strongly recommend that he not go back on active duty right away. His physical health is such that he will need to regain it before subjecting himself to the usual regime of a Musketeer."

Treville grimaced. "That will make keeping him away from those three more difficult, I'll have to think on that." Lemay stroked his mustache. "Hmmm... perhaps, I could... do you have any other medics in the regiment besides Aramis?" Treville got the idea almost instantly and grinned. "You wish to take the lad as your apprentice, of sorts?"

Lemay nodded, getting a little excited. "I have no apprentice now, so it would be perfect. D'Artagnan would be under my eye as well as the other Musketeers and he would have a legitimate excuse to be away from the garrison while not on missions. Besides, I am often called to the palace, D'Artagnan could accompany me at times and possibly ingratiate himself to the court as well as the public. Rumors have already spread about him in the court and the more genuine nobles I treat have expressed desire to meet him, the Musketeer who earned his commission by placing himself in danger for you against a brutal thug of the Cardinal's, the honorable Captain."

Treville saw a problem with this, though. "I do not wish to have D'Artagnan in the Cardinal's line of sight. He has already earned his attention more than once and I fear he would try and influence him." Lemay waved his concern away. "Never fear, Captain. My patrons and I would keep him safe in court, I trust them." Treville ran a hand through his hair before saying, "Just make sure you don't take him often. He's a Musketeer before all else. Now what are we looking at here, all told?" Lemay frowned. "He needs to gain at least a stone in weight but I would be happiest if he could gain two at most. He'll need to eat small meals multiple times a day with plenty of liquids, as nutritious as can be." The worried Captain smiled a little. "Serge will see to it. He's always been saying that D'Artagnan needed to eat more but we all thought it was a running joke." Lemay rolled his eyes. "Should've listened then. Cooks can see better than others sometimes."

"What else?" Treville said, hating that negligence kept getting brought up, sticking salt in the wound again and again. Lemay hummed in his throat as he looked his patient over and continued to cool his restless body with water. "At this moment, this fever needs to break and soon. If it lingers too long at this temperature, I can't say what will happen to his mind. Liquids will help too, have Segre make some gentle broth, see if you can get it in him. Once the fever breaks, we'll work on the feeding up and drinking. With any luck, we might be able to talk to him, find out just what all he's been through so we fully know what we're dealing with. His mind needs healing too, after all." Treville nodded, his face never losing its grim mien.

Lemay got ready to leave and just before he opened the door, he said, "Captain? I would greatly appreciate it if you did me a favor? Make the Inseparables suffer for a good portion of time. D'Artagnan will take a while to come back from this." Treville chuckled. "That is my plan, Doctor. I think it is the entire regiment's plan." Lemay nodded. "Good."

After the doctor left, Basset and Julian came in, clearly anxious to find out about their youngest Musketeer. "What did Lemay say, Captain?" Treville frowned. "Fever has to break first. One of you stay with him, I need to talk to Serge for a time. Maintain physical contact, it calms him. Bathe him, talk to him. Encourage him to come back. We can do nothing of importance until the fever leaves him." Basset clenched his jaw. "I'm going to thrash those three. They wanted to come in as soon as Lemay left but we forced them back. I've already punched Porthos but he's always been an idiot. Athos and Aramis, they should've known better."

Julian placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "They took him for granted, yes. But take it out on them later, Basset. D'Artagnan's health and mental well-being is more important than avenging him or whatever those three may want right now." Basset reluctantly nodded. "Right but once he's in the clear, Captain..." Treville looked grim. "Just don't go too over the top. I'd recommend sparring with them until they're ready to collapse, no matter how many Musketeers it takes. But make sure those chosen have enough stamina, Athos alone is formidable." Basset smirked. "Not if he's hung-over, none of them are at their best at that point. And if you make it an order..." Treville smiled now. "Right when they're not expecting it, eh? I never knew you to be so deviously clever, Basset. See what else you can come up with." The younger man smirked again. "It'll be my pleasure, Captain. Julian, you stay here with D'Artagnan." The other Musketeer nodded at once. "I'll do my best, my friend." With D'Artagnan in good hands, the two men left the infirmary to take care of their mutual tasks. 'All for one, one for all. It's time to give the Inseparables a refresher course on what our motto truly means...'