A/N: Sorry about the long wait. I got quite a bit of this done during Nanowrimo, so hopefully the next couple of updates won't take so long.

Chapter 58

"So tell me about that girl," Carter said casually. "Why doesn't she talk?"

"Kiri has never talked," Paul told him with a shrug. "We're not sure why, she just doesn't. If you ever need her, she lives with Cathy. Usually Cathy puts her trailer near the outskirts because she likes her privacy."

'Perfect,' Carter thought to himself. It would make things that much easier. He was certain Kiri had recognized him, though. If she decided to tattle, he would be in big trouble. It would be better to act soon and fast. As Paul talked him through the routines and showed him the animal tents, Carter's mind began to form a plan of attack.

Torvald set down the axe and started to pick up the firewood he'd just chopped. There was going to be a bonfire that evening. Circus bonfires were social gatherings with songs and laughter. They roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and made s'mores late into the night. He was about to move to the woodpile when something bumped into him. He looked down and saw that Kirimek was about to fall after running into him. It only took an instant for him to drop the wood and grab her before she hit the ground. He steadied her and knelt down so he could look her in the face. Her eyes were red and tears were flowing down her cheeks.

"Kirimek? What is wrong? What has upset you?"

Kirimek shook her head.

Torvald frowned. He hated that she was upset. He hugged her.

"Kirimek, it is alright. You have no need to be upset. Help me understand and I will fix, yes?" he said in a soothing voice.

Kirimek didn't answer. She just cried.

It worried Torvald that she wouldn't stop crying. He looked her over but didn't see any obvious injuries. "Are you hurt?"

She kept crying.

"Did something scare you?"

When she still didn't answer him, he picked her up and swiftly carried her into Cathy's trailer, calling for Cathy as he entered.

Cathy took one look at Kiri and asked, "What happened?!"

"I am not sure," Torvald said with a frown. "She was upset when I found her. I cannot calm her down and she cannot tell me what has upset her."

Cathy nodded. This was one of the biggest drawbacks to Kiri not talking yet. "Set her on the couch, Torvald." She opened the door and yelled, "TROWA!"

Trowa pulled himself out from under Cathy's truck. "What's wrong, Cathy?" He'd heard more than seen Torvald enter the trailer so he didn't have any idea what was going on.

"Something's wrong with Kiri. Can you try to get it out of her?"

Trowa nodded and gestured to Quatre, who was helping him fix the truck, and they went inside.

Trowa looked at Kiri, who was shivering on the couch. Quatre took a deep breath as he came into the trailer. Everyone was upset but he had to focus on Kiri. She was panicking and terrified. Quatre didn't know how to tell Trowa without everyone else hearing it.

Trowa didn't need Quatre to explain that Kiri was scared. He could see it in her face. He sat next to her on the couch and wrapped his arms around her. She pressed into him, clearly wanting to be comforted.

"Kiri? What happened?" Trowa asked softly. He didn't want to startle her or make her withdraw further.

Kiri shook her head.

Quatre knelt down and looked her over carefully. "She's scared, Trowa. But I don't think she's hurt. Are you hurt, Kiri?"

Kiri shook her head again.

"Can you write it down?" Quatre asked gently.

Quatre handed Kiri a pencil and a piece of paper. Kiri held the items in her trembling hands for a moment before throwing them to the ground. She shook her head and buried her face in Trowa's shoulder, still bawling.

Trowa gently wrapped his arms around her and let her cry. He didn't know what had upset her but was confident that as soon as she settled down, they could fix the problem.

Torvald took his leave of the trailer. There were so many people there that he felt he would just be in the way. Before he left he told Cathy to let him know if there was anything he could do to help. She assured him that she would.

"Any idea what's got her upset?" Quatre asked Catherine when she came back from seeing Torvald out. He kept his voice down so Kiri wouldn't hear.

"No. She's been happy. She usually helps out with the horses and she's been getting coffee and running messages around. She's very helpful and eager to please."

"Is there anyone here that she doesn't get along with? Maybe someone said something mean to her."

Cathy shook her head. "No. Everyone loves her. Besides, her first week here Torvald and Johnson threatened to gut anyone that so much as thought about being mean to her."

"Hmmm…" Quatre frowned as he tried to puzzle out what could have caused Kiri to shut down so completely. She was scared, that much he knew. But what was she scared of? "You said she helps with the horses, right?"

Cathy nodded.

"What about the other animals? Does she help with them?"

"No. The Manager and I thought it best to have her completely comfortable around the horses before starting her on anything harder to handle. I suggested having her start with the dogs soon but I don't know if Paul is having her help just yet."

"Is she afraid of the dogs?"

"You know, her first day here, when I was showing her around, I took her into the animal tent. She didn't seem to want to pet the dogs. I didn't think much of it but if Paul did start her with the dogs today and they nipped at her, I think that might explain the current situation."

Quatre looked over at Trowa and Kiri. Trowa was murmuring to her, trying to calm her down but it wasn't working. He was certain there was more to it than dogs nipping at her. Trowa's concern for Kiri was making itself known, however and Quatre wasn't sure how long Trowa could go on denying that he was developing feelings for the girl. He wondered if Trowa admitting something like that would help Kiri to open up.

"I'm going to get started on dinner," Cathy said. "Maybe some food will help her to calm down."

Quatre didn't think it would do much, but since he and Cathy already had a paper-thin relationship, he elected not to point it out. Instead, he offered to help. Trowa had told him before that Cathy wasn't much of a cook and Quatre wasn't really in the mood to pretend to like dinner. Kiri's emotions were causing him enough of an upset stomach.

While Quatre helped Cathy to create an edible meal, Trowa continued to hold Kiri as she bawled. He didn't know how to help her so he just let her cry. The soft sounds of cooking came from the kitchen accompanied by Cathy's and Quatre's soft murmurs. Trowa was grateful that Cathy wasn't going after Quatre today. He didn't think he could handle that and deal with Kiri at the same time.

Cathy peeked through the doorway at them. "Quatre says dinner is just about ready," she said softly. "Is she doing any better?"

"I think she's starting to calm down, but I don't know how long it will take before she's ready to eat something," Trowa told her.

Cathy nodded, biting her lip. She was worried about Kiri but didn't know how to help her.

Trowa didn't push Kiri into stopping her tears. He wanted her to be able to stop on her own, but it worried him that it took her so long to stop. When she finally did stop, he had to keep himself from sighing in relief. He didn't want her to know that she had worried him because he didn't want to upset her again. At least Cathy and Quatre weren't fighting. It seemed like the entire trailer was holding its breath, waiting to see if Kiri would be able to tell them what was wrong. Kiri just leaned into Trowa, lying limply in his arms as she recovered from her hysteria. Tears still dripped slowly down her cheeks and her breath still hitched, but she was definitely calming down.

"Do you think you could eat something, Kiri?" Trowa asked, breaking the silence.

Kiri gave a shrug so tiny that Trowa almost missed it. He wished he could get her to talk to him. It would make things so much easier.

Trowa gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Come on, let's get you some dinner and then you can go to bed, okay?"

Kiri gave a small nod and allowed Trowa to pull her to her feet. She seemed dazed as he led her to the kitchen. Her lack of conscious reaction increased his worry. What had triggered this? They had to find out so they could keep it from happening again.

Cathy smiled at the girl as she put plates on the table. Quatre gave Trowa a worried look as the green eyed man placed his hands on Kiri's shoulders and guided her to a chair. Trowa returned the look along with a shrug. Quatre grimaced and helped Cathy finish setting the table.

"Where did Torvald go?" Trowa asked Cathy quietly.

"He thought it best if he gave us some space to deal with whatever's bothering Kiri," she answered just as quietly.

Trowa, Quatre and Cathy sat at the table and started eating, each so intent on watching Kiri to make sure she was okay that they didn't realize that all of them were staring at the girl. Kiri was so distracted that she didn't seem to notice.

Kiri picked at the food on her plate before taking a bite. She chewed slowly and played with her food again before taking second bite. After the third bite, she pushed the plate away.

Trowa looked at Quatre. Quatre looked concerned. Clearly he was picking up on something. Trowa didn't want to leave Cathy to deal with Kiri like this. He knew Cathy could handle Kiri but this seemed to be something out of the ordinary and Trowa didn't like it. Kiri hadn't reacted like this when she'd found out that Chase knew she was in the hospital. She'd still been capable of responding. This was something worse and Trowa wasn't about to abandon her.

"Cathy, Quatre and I will be staying tonight," he announced. He knew Quatre wouldn't mind that they hadn't actually discussed staying. Kiri needed help and she was the priority right now.

Cathy was too distracted by Kiri's current mood to be upset that she had unexpected guests. "Okay…um, Kiri's been using your room but I think it would be best if Quatre took the couch and Kiri stayed with me."

"Are you sure about that, Cathy? One of us can sit up with her. You need to sleep. You have performances tomorrow," Trowa pointed out.

"I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Quatre asked. "She can stay out here with me and watch television if that would help."

"I said I'll be fine," Cathy insisted. "She's obviously exhausted and encouraging her to stay awake isn't going to make her feel better. She's been around me the longest and she trusts me. I can get her to go to sleep and in the morning she'll be back to her normal, happy self."

Quatre didn't dare argue with Cathy. She was clearly upset and thought she was doing the best thing for Kiri. Kiri was staring blankly at the table. Quatre had never before wished so much that he really could read people's minds. If he only knew what she was thinking!

"If that's what you think is best, Cathy, then that's fine with us. But if she has a nightmare, let one of us handle it. You need to be well rested," Trowa said.

Cathy rolled her eyes. "I told you. We'll be fine." Cathy gently pulled Kiri to her feet as Trowa and Quatre started the dishes. "Come on, hon. Let's get some rest and you'll feel better in the morning," she said softly.

Kiri didn't resist being led into Cathy's room.

Once Cathy's door was shut, Trowa asked, "Do you know what's bothering her?"

Quatre shook his head. "No, but I really wish I did. Cathy suggested that one of the dogs nipped at her, but I think this is something more complicated than that."

Trowa nodded. "I agree. Will you finish the dishes? I'm going to ask Johnson if he knows anything."

Trowa left Quatre and made his way quickly to Johnson's trailer. Agent Johnson didn't answer when he knocked. Trowa frowned and went to the animal tent. There was a strange man by the horses.

"Can I help you?" Trowa asked.

The man turned. "No thanks, just getting to know the horses a bit better. I don't believe we've met. I'm Jason, the new hostler."

Trowa was surprised that the Manager had finally hired someone. Cathy hadn't mentioned it to him, but then again, they'd been dealing with Kiri's problem for most of the evening and it hadn't exactly come up before then. The Manager hadn't mentioned it, either. Perhaps he had assumed Cathy would tell Trowa about the new hire.

"I see. Have you seen Johnson anywhere?"

Jason rubbed his chin as he thought. "I haven't seen him for a while. Did you check the Manager's trailer? He might be there."

"Thank you," Trowa said before heading for the Manager's Trailer.

The Manager was also gone from his trailer. Trowa swore under his breath. He wanted to find Agent Johnson but he didn't feel comfortable leaving Kiri alone with Quatre and Cathy. All he needed was for those two to go at each other and scare Kiri even more. He wasn't sure how long Cathy would keep her snide remarks to herself since Kiri had started to calm down. He decided that his conversation with Johnson could wait until morning and he headed back to Cathy's trailer.

Duo was having a great day. Heero had brought him breakfast in bed and then he'd been ordered to relax while Heero cleaned up. Of course, Duo had convinced Heero that he would relax better with Heero's attention and Heero had complied. Heero had completely worn Duo out so Duo had taken a long nap. Now Heero was in the kitchen making them lunch and Duo was debating whether or not he wanted to get out of bed. He thought that he probably ought to shower at least but then Heero came in with the lunch tray.

"How are you feeling?" Heero asked as he set the tray down on Duo's lap.

"Much better," Duo admitted. "If I eat all my lunch can I go out to play?"

Heero considered the question. "I think you should stay around here, Duo. I don't want you to overtire yourself and you did promise me that you'd rest for the whole day."

Duo pouted. "But I'm getting bored."

"Why don't you check on Hilde? I'm sure she'd love to hear from you."

"Yeah, okay," Duo agreed before taking a bite of his grilled cheese sandwich. "I'll do it right after I shower and get dressed."

"Duo, don't talk with your mouth full," Heero reminded him before taking a bite of his own sandwich.

Duo smirked but didn't talk back to Heero. He figured he could give Heero that much for taking such good care of him.

True to his word, once Duo had showered and gotten dressed he grabbed his cell phone and flopped on the couch to call Hilde. Unfortunately, he couldn't call her directly as she hadn't gotten a replacement phone so he had to call Rashid and go from there.

"Master Duo! I take it you would like to speak with Miss Hilde," Rashid greeted him.

Duo grinned. "Always one step ahead, aren't ya Rashid?"

Rashid chuckled. "I've had to be with Master Quatre around. Hold on a moment while I get Miss Hilde for you."

It didn't take long for Hilde to get on the line.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Hil! How are ya?"

"Oh, Duo! I'm fine. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me. I'm home and Heero's spoiling me rotten. Apparently he missed me."

Hilde giggled. "As long as he's being nice to you. You tell him that he better be nice to you or as soon as I have this baby I'll come down and make him sorry."

"I will." Duo pulled the phone away from his ear. "Hey, 'Ro, Hilde says you better be nice to me or you'll be sorry once she has the baby."

Heero chuckled from the kitchen where he was starting to put something together for dinner. "Tell her she doesn't have anything to worry about and we'd love to see her and the baby after it arrives."

"Did ya hear that, Hil?"

"I did, Duo. I'll be sure to come visit when the baby is old enough. Of course, you guys could come visit me if you want to see it before then."

"It'll depend on what Une has us doin' but we might be able to swing that. Is Iria treatin' you good?"

"Yes. She's letting me stay in her guest house. It's within the walls of her estate so it's got great security but it's also private so I don't have to feel like I'm being babysat. And Iria said she might come over just to hide out."

"That sounds great, Hil. I'm glad you're doing so well," Duo told her. And he was glad. She was his dear friend and he didn't like that she had been having so many issues with Gabe.

"Oh, hang on a sec."

Duo heard some muffled talking before Hilde got back on the line.

"Duo? I'm going to let you go. Amal wants to take me out to dinner and show me around a bit."

"Amal, huh? One of Rashid's guys?"

"Yes. So?"

Duo grinned. "Nothin'. He knows if he hurts you he has me to deal with, if Rashid leaves anything of him anyway, so you should be safe."

"Thanks for your concern," Hilde told him. Duo could hear her rolling her eyes. "It isn't like that, Duo. Amal is just being nice to me because I don't know anyone here."

"Okay, if you say so."

"Duo!"

"What? Even knocked up you're still pretty. I'm gay and I notice. He'd have to be blind not to."

"Okay, I'm hanging up now," Hilde threatened.

Duo laughed. "Alright, I'll quite teasing you. Have fun okay?"

"I will. Bye, Duo."

Duo hung up and grinned. Hilde was safe and he was home. It was a good day.