"He's fine," the doctor said as he switched I.V. bags. "It seems someone removed his medicine and replaced it with anesthesia."
Francis stared at him.
"What?"
"Mr. Kirkland wouldn't wake up because he was under the influence of the anesthesia being poured into his bloodstream. While you two were sleeping, someone must have entered the room and changed the bag of medicine for one of anesthesia."
"Why would someone do zat?"
"I have no idea. Maybe he wanted Mr. Kirkland to stop receiving the medicine and make it appear as if he was dead."
Francis's heart leapt into his throat.
"Someone wants my Arthur dead?"
"I don't know Mr. Bonnefoy. I was just thinking out loud." He finished fixing the medicine and checked the I.V. in Arthur's hand.
His eyes widened and he gasped.
"What is it?" Francis demanded.
As an answer, the doctor held out Arthur's wrist and turned it over.
On the back of his wrists was an irritated spot surrounding a tiny hole.
"What is zat?"
"Someone injected him with something!"
"What? Why?"
The doctor ran out of the room to get something.
He was back quickly with an empty syringe.
"I need a blood sample! We might be able to catch whatever is in his bloodstream!"
Francis watched the doctor fill the syringe with Arthur's blood with worried eyes.
"Is he going to be okay?"
"I have to run some tests to find out!"
The doctor left the room.
Ludwig and Feliciano were sitting still in the corner.
"Francis. I'm sure it vas just a nurse or somezhing," Ludwig said in a comforting voice.
"Yeah fratello," Feliciano added. "Britain will be okay."
Francis tried to take solace in the words, but couldn't manage.
"France," Ludwig said in such an uncharacteristically gentle voice that Francis turned to look at him. "Italy and I will be here for you all. Don't vorry."
Francis smiled.
"Merci. Zank you Germany."
Ludwig nodded in acknowledgement.
Francis was almost asleep by the time the doctor finally came back.
Ludwig watched him sit up when the familiar man walked back in.
Italy was already fast asleep on his lap but he started to wake up so he moved his hand to gently stroke his hair.
The man smiled in his sleep and kept dozing.
Francis walked over to the doctor.
"What was it?"
The doctor hung his head.
"Mitoxantrone."
"What is zat?"
"It's a drug for people with certain cancers. I don't know how anyone was able to get a hold of this, but he certainly did."
"What did it do?"
"Side effects include adverse reactions of varying severity, such as nausea and vomiting."
"Zat's not too bad."
The doctor nodded.
"And it would have been very easily hidden while Mr. Kirkland was pregnant."
"So it only made his nauseous?"
"I wish. One of the worse side effects has affected him greatly."
"What is it?"
"Mitoxantrone can cause heart damage."
Francis froze.
"You mean zat part of ze reason zat Arthur is sick is because of zat drug?"
The doctor nodded again.
"Have you seen any marks like this before?"
Francis started to shake his head but he stopped.
"Yes. Once," he said slowly as he thought back. "He told me it was just a rash."
"Do you know where he could have gotten this drug?"
"He couldn't have. I check all of his medicine to make sure he doesn't take anyzing he shouldn't."
"There was no way for him to hide it from you?"
Francis shook his head.
"I care too much about Arthur's health for him to be able to hide anything from me. Are you sure that Arthur would have given it to himself?"
"It's either that or someone's been slowly poisoning him while he-" he paused.
Turning slowly to face Francis, he said, "Mr. Bonnefoy, do you have cancer?"
"WHAT?" he yelled indignantly.
"It's a simple question. If you have cancer, you could be giving Mr. Kirkland some of your medicine."
Francis flew at the doctor and grabbed the front of his shirt.
"Are you trying to say zat I've been killing Arthur?"
Ludwig leapt out of his chair, making sure Feliciano was securely in his arms first, and joined Francis.
"Francis loves Arthur vith all of his heart! He cares about him more zhan he cares about himself! Now zhat he's sick, it's zearing him apart! He vould NEVER zry and kill Arthur!"
"Are you sure that's not just an act? He could just be playing."
Francis couldn't help himself; he pulled his fist back, and punched the doctor squarely in the nose.
"Francis!" Ludwig gasped.
"If he ever tries to say zat I do not love Angleterre again, I will do more zhan hit him!"
Italy had woken up by now and he was holding his mouth to his hands and had wide eyes.
Francis noticed that everything had gone quiet and turned around to look at the other men.
"What is it?" he asked with confused eyes.
"You said 'Angleterre'," Ludwig pointed out. "Not Arthur."
Francis's eyes widened like Feliciano's and he spun back to face the stunned doctor.
He had to think of something quickly.
"I didn't mean anyzing by zat. It's just somezing I call him because he's from England."
"Yeah," Ludwig jumped in. "It's just somezhing he says."
The doctor nodded slowly before turning around and walking out the door.
Ludwig let out a sigh of relief.
"Zhat was close! Good zhinking, Francis."
"Germany," Feliciano started as he walked back over to the bigger nation and hugging him.
"I don't zhink you should call me zhat anymore Feliciano," he said softly.
Feliciano froze and looked up at him.
"Did you just call me 'Feliciano'?"
Germany nodded slowly.
"Yes. And I will keep doing it."
Feliciano stared at him then shoved his face in the blond's chest and started crying.
"What's wrong Feliciano?"
"It doesn't sound right coming from you! You're the only one allowed to call me Italy!" he raised his tearstained face. "Call me Italy like you always do!"
Ludwig shook his head.
"I can't Feliciano. And you must call me 'Ludwig'." He looked at Francis. "All of you."
"No! Only I call you Ludwig!" Feliciano cried.
Ludwig pat the top of his head.
"I know Feliciano. Whenever we're at home you can call me whatever you want, but anywhere else you must call me Ludwig."
Feliciano started crying harder but nodded.
AN: Francis, Ludwig, and Feliciano are not allowed to call each other by their national names anymore. Is that going to help? Do you even know what/who they need help from?
XD
So yeah. Arthur has been given anesthesia and Mitoxantrone. Will he be okay?
I need to write the next chapter now...and then sleep...so the next should be up tomorrow.
See ya then!