Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, it belongs to Bandai, Sotsu and associated parties. I just borrow the guys from time to time and return them a whole lot happier. I do own the plot and any other characters, especially the equines, that you will find in this fic. Please do not take them without permission. Written for pleasure not profit.
Pairing: 2x1x2, 3x4, 13x6, H+C
Warnings: Yaoi, lemon, sap, angst, vet themes, AU
Rating: NC 17
Betaed by Karina *snugs*
Summary: Set 2 years after Equus and Heero is doing so well in his own business that he's taken June on as a working pupil. The qualifying shows for the International teams are well underway and it looks like it will be a good year for Heero, his pupils and horses... until Mother Nature steps in.
AN: This fic, although a complete work of fiction is based partially on fact. I will add notes at the end of chapters where necessary to clarify events and provide links where needed.
Dedication: To Leslie and Karina. Leslie for giving me the original idea for Equinity and encouraging and supporting me through the writing of all the fics thus far in the arc. And Karina for not just taking over as my much needed beta, (poor woman needs a medal!), but for also poking and prodding Fred until he went on strike, refusing to work on anything at all until I let him start this. Needless to say, we managed to come to a compromise... Fred gets to write a chapter of this one week... the next week he has to write a chapter of 'Bound'... Did I ever tell you all I hate my muse? :-)
Fic 5 in the Equine Intervention Arc.
Commenced December 2013 – ShenLong
"Rival Riders"
Chapter 45
Over the course of the next few days, Duo's practice was inundated with calls from concerned horse owners all wanting more information on the vaccine. Catherine had been briefed fully on the status of the vaccine and patiently informed those that rang exactly what to expect with the vaccine, seeing how it was still untried and no results were yet available as to its effectiveness.
Aside from continuing to treat those equines that had already contracted the EI virus, all three vets were kept very busy with vaccinating all those that were yet to show signs of the disease. To Duo, it seemed that anyone who owned a horse had been watching the news broadcast and all wanted their equines vaccinated.
Duo wasn't too sure how he felt about that. It was certainly good for the cash flow of the business, no doubt about that, but with the vaccine still unproven he felt a little uncomfortable about taking peoples' money. If the vaccine didn't work he'd feel like a fraud.
The Agricultural Department was running pretty much twenty-four seven, the lab section cultivating and producing as much of the vaccine as it could. Since the outbreak they'd managed to secure blood from several infected horses as well as those samples Duo had sent in and they were now able to cultivate on a much broader and faster scale.
Which was just as well considering the demand for the vaccine.
By the end of a week every veterinary practice in the state had received some of the vaccine and more was being distributed to those that were running out or required more as they were in a more densely equine populated area.
The Victorian and Queensland Ag Departments had also received some of the vaccine and were busily producing their own to combat the disease in their respective states. The other three states and two territories would soon receive their supplies; the virus not having reached the states of Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory as yet. The Australian Capital Territory would receive theirs first as they were located within New South Wales and therefore at a much higher risk of having the virus begin to infect horses there.
Not a day went by without some update on the progress of the virus in the news. Duo's practice – along with all other registered practices - were continuously updated through emails from the AVB and Ag Department.
All of Treize's horses had succumbed to the virus and Treize found himself cleaning out noses, rubbing Vicks along necks and chests as opposed to working horses and getting them fine tuned for the shows.
Even Relena's stud didn't escape the virus, although it was mostly the stabled horses there that caught the virus, the paddocked mares were all still EI free. Zechs had been called in to vaccinate every horse on the Peacecraft stud and Duo hadn't felt at all guilty when the woman had paid her bill.
#
It had now been eight days since Duo had vaccinated Wing, Zero and Missy and so far the three had remained EI free.
Duo stepped out of Shinigami's stable, stethoscope around his neck and a thoughtful look on his face. Heero was hovering just outside the door and doing his best not to look overly concerned. Duo's silence though soon got to him and he couldn't wait any longer.
"What do you think?" he asked, impatiently waiting whilst Duo slid the bolt on the door home.
"You could at least let me get out of the stable before hitting me with the questions, Heero," Duo teased.
"Sorry, I'm just concerned."
"It's okay, I'm only teasing you." Duo took a deep breath. "I'm pleased to say that Shini seems to be over the worst of this virus and is starting to respond favorably to the treatment."
Heero looked a little confused for the moment before his brain scrambled and he was able to form words. "You mean he's getting better?"
Duo laughed, "Yes, Heero. Shini is well on the road to recovery. His temperature is almost back to normal and his lungs are almost clear. There's still a touch of fluid still there, but I expect that to clear up over the next couple of days."
"That's wonderful!" Heero grabbed his partner in a bear hug and planted a kiss to Duo's cheek.
"Air, Heero. I need air," Duo gasped out as he was almost crushed in the hug.
"Ah, sorry." Heero let his partner go, but the smile on his face remained. "What about the others?"
"I'll check each one of them now. With Shini starting to get over this I'm expecting the others to be either also getting over it or very close to feeling better," Duo said as he moved towards Jester's stable.
"That's great news." Heero followed along behind his partner, washing his hands in betadine and passing Duo a fresh pair of gloves and a betadine swab to clean his stethoscope with.
Duo made his way through the stable block, methodically checking each horse's temperature, breathing and heart rates, listening to their lungs and checking their nostrils. One by one he gave Heero the information to write down on their files and with each horse he examined, so the light at the end of the tunnel appeared to shine a little brighter.
"So far, so good," Duo said with a grin. "Just Comet and Orion to go."
"This is great," Heero replied.
"I must admit, I am feeling relieved myself. It seems the virus has run its course and these nags should be showing improvement with each passing day," Duo said as he opened Comet's door.
"All I can say is it's about time. They seem to have been sick for ages, even though it's only about two weeks for each horse," Heero replied.
"Yeah, it does seem like forever, although I guess that's because they all came down with it at differing times." Duo gently patted Comet's neck while Heero slipped the halter on and clipped the lead rope to the ring.
"True," Heero agreed. "I'll just be glad to see them all back to normal. Maybe then things will start to get back on track."
"Whilst their symptoms are starting to ease off as they recover, you'll still need to be very gentle with them as you start to bring them back into work," Duo commented. "You know how much a cold or 'flu can leave you feeling exhausted, well it's the same for the horses."
"Don't worry, I'm not planning on taking them straight out and expecting them to jump Olympic sized courses," Heero muttered.
"I know you aren't and you won't," Duo soothed, realizing that his words hadn't come out quite as he'd intended. "I know just how much you care about your horses, Heero and I know you'll bring them back into work slowly." Duo added a soft smile to his words.
"Sorry, I know you didn't mean it the way I took it," Heero apologized.
"No harm done." Duo ran his hands along Comet's neck, gently feeling for anything unusual. Once he'd given the mare the same exam as he'd given the others, he continued on and checked her abdomen, listening carefully and feeling around her flanks with his practiced hands.
Heero watched carefully, keeping quiet and letting Duo do his job.
Stretching himself, Duo turned to his partner and smiled. "All is well with both mare and foal. She's also making a good recovery and there's nothing at all wrong that I can tell with the unborn foal. I'd need an ultra sound to confirm that – and I'll do one on her later," he quickly added when he spotted Heero's mouth about to open. "I want to check Orion and once we're done with this lot, I'd like to have a look at Wing, Zero and Missy too. If they're still in good health then I'll contact the Agricultural Department and the AVB to let them know that all three have remained EI free and that the vaccine must be working."
"Okay. Let me know when you want to do it and I'll be here to help."
"Thanks, Heero." Duo stepped out of the stable, peeled off his gloves and tossed them into the hazardous waste bin that had been installed. Washing his hands in betadine, he swabbed his instruments with the antiseptic and pulled on a fresh pair of gloves. "Last one," he said to Heero as he waited for his partner to finish up with his own cleansing and replacing of gloves.
Moments later Duo was inside Orion's stable, Heero holding the gelding so Duo could proceed with his examination. Orion still didn't look well, his coat was dull and he lacked his usual spark. Heero wasn't too worried though, all the horses' coats had dulled a little while they'd been ill, but once they recovered it would only be a matter of time before their coats returned to their usual, glossy state.
Duo took the black's temperature, checked his heart and breathing rates and began to run his fingers along that black throat. There was still a small amount of discharge coming from his nose, but nothing like Orion had been experiencing. "His temperature is down a bit and his throat isn't so swollen," Duo informed his lover and pulled the stethoscope from around his neck.
Moving the small object around the girth area of Orion's body, Duo located the heart and listened carefully to the sounds it made as it pumped the blood around the black's body. From there he moved over the ribcage, listening carefully to the sounds from Orion's lungs. He frowned a bit and moved the stethoscope along a touch further.
Moving around to the other side of the horse, Duo pressed the stethoscope once more against the ribcage, ears listening to each sound those lungs made. When he stood back up, he rubbed the back of his neck – a habit that came through when he was worried or nervous about something.
Heero picked up on the gesture and studied his husband's face closely. He could see the small frown, noticed a touch of concern in those expressive eyes and he swallowed. "What is it?" he asked in almost a whisper.
Duo's head jerked up as Heero spoke. He took a moment to order his thoughts before speaking. "I'm not really sure," he began. "He's definitely recovering from the virus, temp is a clear indication of that along with the reduced swelling in his throat and slowing of the discharge; but..."
"Duo?"
"His lungs, Heero. They don't sound as clear as the other horses' lungs do."
"I'm not sure I follow you," Heero said with a frown of his own.
"I'll try to explain it in simple terms for you. As with a human that has a cold or the 'flu, the lungs tend to get quite congested with fluid. The cough that comes with a cold or 'flu is the body's natural way of getting rid of the excess fluid and clearing the infection. All the horses are now on the mend and each one's lungs are sounding a lot clearer than they were. That means there's not a lot of congestion there. When I listen to Orion's lungs though, there's still a little congestion, but they don't sound as good or healthy as they should for this stage of his recovery. That's about the best way I can put it."
"You think his lungs might be damaged from the virus?" Heero asked, now having a slightly clearer understanding.
"Yes, I do think there is a strong possibility that his lungs may have suffered some damage, but I could also be totally wrong and he's just taking a little longer to get over the virus than the others."
"How will we know for sure?"
"That's the big question," Duo sighed. "I'd like to give him a few more days of treatment and check his lungs again then. By that stage the cough should have decreased even more to the point where it should be almost completely gone. I should be able to hear things a bit better then too and see if there's any improvement."
"Is there anything else we can do?"
"The other thing I can do is run the ultra sound over his chest and see what that shows, but I'd rather wait a few days first and give mother nature a chance to clear things up by herself."
"And if they are damaged? What will that mean for him as a show-jumper?' Heero asked. He wasn't trying to be difficult, he just needed all the facts and he knew June would want them too.
Duo didn't really want to answer that question so he did his best to evade it. "Look, let's not worry about that for now, we really need to concentrate on getting him better and over this last hurdle. I'd like to take a sample of his saliva, or better still get a sample of the gunk he's still coughing up from time to time. I can take a look at it under the microscope and with any luck I might be able to help him a bit with some antibiotics," Duo replied.
"I thought you said that this thing was viral and that antibiotics wouldn't help," Heero said as they exited the stable and began the task of washing down in betadine.
"That's correct, Heero, however, with his lungs still sounding congested and the air not moving through them clearly there is a possibility that there could be a secondary infection there or the current infection might have bacterial elements to it which can be treated with antibiotics. Until I have a sample though I won't know for sure."
Heero thought he followed the conversation. He frowned. "I'll see what I can do about getting a sample for you."
"Thanks, Heero. If you can it will make my job a bit easier." Picking up a bottle of betadine and several fresh pairs of gloves, Duo prepared himself to check the three virus free horses.
"They're all fine, Heero," Duo informed his partner whilst pulling off the last pair of gloves.
"That's good news."
"Yes, it is. I think it's a safe bet to say that the vaccine is effective."
"About time we had some good news," Heero sighed.
"I'm heading back up to the practice to call the Agricultural Department and let them know of the results from Wing, Zero and Missy. I'll also let the AVB know too."
Closing the distance between them, Heero wrapped his lover in his strong arms and kissed him deeply.
"Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?" Duo asked, his violet eyes twinkling.
"That was for all you've done for the horses, for caring, for not giving up; for loving me." Heero stole another kiss before Duo could even think of a reply.
# # #
"Thank you, Doctor Maxwell, that is excellent news and we appreciate your call." Eric hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair, a soft smile gracing his lips. He allowed himself a moment to just sit and enjoy the news before he'd need to speak with Coleman and the rest of the group working on stopping this virus.
Since the department had successfully cultured the vaccine and distributed it to as many veterinary hospitals as they could, the feedback and reports had been promising.
It was always a risk when testing out a new vaccine – that was the whole idea of testing, to pick up on any side effects, viability, would it work and many other factors. To send one out to be used without field testing first was unheard of due to the legal complications and ramifications; but in this case the risks were well and truly worth it.
Now it seemed their gamble was paying off. Given what feedback they'd had thus far, it appeared that the vaccine was working and so far many horses that could have contracted the disease were now safe from it.
It was good news, something that not only the Agricultural Department and Government needed, but would give all horse owners a reprieve. Deciding he'd lingered for long enough over the small victory, Eric got up to find his boss and pass on the good news to him.
"And you're sure about the facts and the figures?"
"Yes, I am," Eric said with a smile.
Coleman ran a hand over his face and looked at the paperwork Eric had given him once more. He let his eyes traverse the paperwork again, the figures all slowly sinking into his head and a smile began to form at the corner of his lips. "This is fantastic news. Finally we have something to work with and the tide is turning in our favor. We'll beat this damn virus yet."
"I think it's a safe bet now to say the vaccine is working, Darren."
"Yeah, I agree." Coleman sat back and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again he continued speaking."I'll contact the Premier and the Prime Minister and let them know of our results so far. I'd say we will need to call another press conference too and get the word out to the public that the tide is turning and we should be seeing the end of this virus threat very soon."
Eric nodded.
"What about the horses that have been affected? Is there any news on their recovery?"
"Those vets that I've spoken to so far have all said that the majority of the horses they're currently treating are starting to show signs of recovery."
"Good. I think we should give it another couple of days and then we should be okay to start to lift the ban on the movement of horses around the state." Coleman looked out his window. "How long do you think before most horses will have recovered?"
"I'm no vet, but I'd guess about a week to two weeks; all dependent on when they caught the virus and how long they've already had it for. I think Benson said it usually takes two to three weeks to run its course."
"Let's keep our fingers crossed then that we should be able to resume all normal equine activities within the next couple of weeks."
"Benson would be your best bet to discuss that with," Eric said.
"I will, but first things first. I'll start making my calls to the various departments and let you know when we can expect to be putting out a press statement."
"I'll look forward to it," Eric replied dryly, the sarcasm evident in his tone.
Coleman chuckled. "I'll be in touch later."
"No problem." Eric stood and left the office, Coleman picked up the phone to start making his calls. Both men felt their shoulders lighten considerably.
# # #
"How is it looking?" Heero asked from his position at Comet's head.
Duo studied the monitor for a moment longer before replying. "So far the ultra sound is showing everything is normal with the foal. The length and current development is all consistent with where it should be for this point in Comet's pregnancy. It looks like the virus hasn't spread to the foal at all."
"Thank goodness for that," Heero sighed.
"Yeah, I agree." Duo replied as he switched the machine off. "I'm finished with her now, Heero."
Heero unclipped the lead rope and gave Duo a hand to roll the machine out of Comet's stable. "I managed to get a sample from Orion too. He was coughing a little earlier and I was quick enough with a swab and container. I was going to bring it up to you later but you beat me to it." Heero fished in his pocket and pulled out a small container with a swab inside.
"Thanks, Heero." Duo took the container and put it in his own pocket. "I might as well give Orion a quick go over with the ultra sound while I'm here."
"I'll catch him for you." Heero grabbed a fresh pair of gloves and disappeared into Orion's stable. Duo shook his head and smiled to himself before pushing the machine towards the black's stable.
With the machine running, Duo carefully ran the sound head over Orion's rib cage and studied the images that appeared on the monitor. He frowned to himself when he noted the amount of congestion still there. With a sigh he switched the machine off and turned to Heero. "The ultra sound is showing quite a lot of congestion there. I'm thinking this could be a secondary infection and if that's the case I should be able to treat it with antibiotics. I'll know more once I check the sample under the microscope though."
"Okay," Heero replied and let the black go. Orion shuffled over to the corner of his stable, lowered his head and began to doze. Heero gave Duo a hand to push the machine out of the stable. "Would you like me to take this to the surgery stables so you can get a start on that sample?"
"That would be good if you don't mind."
"No problem. I'll take it up now and swing by the surgery once I'm done to see what the results are."
"Okay, Heero. I'll see you soon." With the sample still in his pocket, Duo left the stables and went back to the surgery.
By the time Heero returned to the surgery from putting the ultra sound machine away, Duo was staring intently down the eye sights of the microscope and getting a few answers.
"Any luck?" Heero asked, leaning against the door frame.
Duo straightened up and rubbed his eyes. "Yes," he replied.
"What is it?" Heero shoved off the door frame and walked across to the bench to stand beside his lover.
"It's what I thought it would be, a secondary infection. It's also bacterial which means I can use antibiotics to treat it."
"Then at least that's something," Heero sighed.
"It is and it isn't," Duo replied cryptically.
"What do you mean?"
"Yes, it's good that it's bacterial and therefore we can do something to combat it, but given how Orion's already suffered with the EI virus, his immune system is very weak and this secondary infection could leave some damage to his lungs."
Heero paled a little. "Damage?"
"Unfortunately, yes, but it may not happen at all. I'm afraid it's another of the waiting games, Heero. We need to get him onto those antibiotics as quickly as possible. Until the infection starts to clear, which will take roughly four to five days, I can't tell if there is any damage or not and if there is, just how much."
"Then I suggest we start him on the course right away."
"My thoughts exactly."
Fifteen minutes later the pair were once again in Orion's stable, Heero holding the gelding whilst Duo gave him the injection.
Capping the needle, Duo patted the black neck and turned to his partner. "That's all we can do for now, Heero. I'll repeat the injection tomorrow morning and then again in the evening. He's now on a seven day course with injections twice a day."
"Thanks, Duo."
"None needed, Heero. That's one of the strongest antibiotics I have so fingers crossed it will do the job and Orion will come out of this okay."
"Now I guess we continue to wait."
"That's all we can do."
tbc...