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 47
Heero walked as quickly as he could along the raceway, his mind in overdrive as he thought about Orion and his labored breathing. He mulled over the work they'd done with him, trying to see if there was anything in the workout that could have affected the black's breathing. The more he thought about it, the more he chased his thoughts. He'd been doing similar work with both Nataku and Lunar, opting to work on the horses' striding and building muscle back up slowly. Neither Nataku or Lunar had shown any signs of distress with their breathing.
By passing the cottage, Heero continued along the small path towards the back door of the small surgery. Duo should be around somewhere as it was his surgical rostered day; Hilde was on call outs and Zechs had the day off. Closing the door quietly behind him, Heero could hear the low murmur of voices and clink of instruments coming from the operating room. Making his way along the corridor, Heero made sure to call out to his husband before arriving at the operating room.
"Duo?"
"In here, Heero," Duo replied.
Heero paused at the door, opting to remain where he was as he had just come up from the stables and wasn't exactly 'clean'.
Glancing up from the cat he was operating on, Duo smiled. "What's up?"
"I was wondering if you could come and check Orion once you've finished with surgery, please."
"Oh? What's wrong with him? Nothing serious?"
"No, no," Heero was quick to reassure. "It's not urgent."
"Then what's the problem?" Duo turned his attention back to the cat. "Scissors please." Catherine handed over the requested item, grabbing a kidney dish a moment later and holding it ready. Duo continued to carefully cut around the base of the small tumor while he waited for Heero to answer his question.
"He doesn't quite seem to be himself. He seems a little 'off' to me."
"A little off?" Duo questioned
"His breathing seems a little labored," Heero began. "We were working him over some grids..." Heero explained what they'd been doing with Orion, how the black had been traveling and what happened once they'd finished. "He seems to be taking longer than usual to catch his breath. Well, longer than any of the others that are now back in work."
"I see." Duo fell silent for a moment as he snipped away at the last bit of the tumor. "There, got you," he muttered and lifted the now separated tumor from the cat and deposited it into the dish Catherine had waiting. He probed around the wound site for a moment, checking he'd gotten all of the tumor before handing the scissors back to Catherine and accepting the penicillin powder which he liberally applied to the wound area.
"You have to remember, Heero, that Orion was quite sick with the EI virus, worse than any of the others. Thanks, Catherine." Duo handed back the penicillin powder and took the waiting suture needle, bending to his task and beginning to stitch up the cat.
"Hai, I know he was the sickest out of them all and given how he had the secondary infection as well, I'd feel a lot happier if you'd take a look at him when you've finished here. I'm not sure if we're pushing him a little too much or if there's something else going on with him."
"No problem, Heero. I'll finish up here with Tiddles and come on down."
"Tiddles?" Heero gave his husband a disbelieving look.
Duo couldn't help but snicker at the look. "Yeah, Tiddles. Hey, I don't name my clients, their owners do that."
"I know that, but, Tiddles?" Heero snorted. "What ever happened to using your imagination and giving your pet a proper name?"
"Some people would consider Tiddles a proper name," Catherine stated, doing her best to keep a straight face.
"Some people need shooting then," Heero muttered. "Tiddles? Who in the hell calls their cat, Tiddles?"
"Obviously this owner," Catherine replied, barely able to hold onto her laughter.
"I'll be down to the stables in about twenty minutes, Heero," Duo stated in an attempt to diffuse the situation before they all got into a war over animal names.
"Thank you, Duo." With a nod to Catherine, Heero turned and left. "Tiddles?" Heero muttered under his breath as he left. "Now I've heard everything."
Hearing the soft muttering and retreating footsteps, Duo waited a moment until he was sure Heero had left the building. "I wonder what Heero would have said if I told him that Tiddles' owner has another cat and its name is Widdles?" Duo mused as he inserted the last stitch.
Catherine completely lost it.
#
When Heero stepped back into the stables June had Orion unsaddled and brushed down. She'd put the gelding's light rug on and put him in his stable. Doing her best to keep from worrying over her horse, she'd busied herself with pulling apart all the saddlery in the tack room and was busy cleaning like crazy. Leaning against the door jamb of the tack room, Heero crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
"Ah, I thought all the gear could do with a good clean," June said when she spotted her boss.
With a shake of his head, Heero walked into the tack room and grabbed a bucket. What was it with women and their need to be cleaning like mad when they were worried about something? he mused to himself. Turning the bucket upside down he sat on it and took up a cloth, crown piece of a bridle and began to rub the saddle soap into the leather. "Duo will be down in about twenty minutes," he said softly.
"Thanks." June fell silent for a moment as she rubbed away at the reins she was currently cleaning. "Does he have any idea what could be wrong?" she whispered.
"Not at this stage. He needs to examine him first," Heero replied quietly. He knew June was worried, the mad cleaning of the gear told him as much, but other than waiting for Duo to check the gelding over there wasn't anything more he could do for now.
"What if it's serious?" June's voice held an edge to it.
"We don't know that..."
"But what if it is? What if he can't be ridden anymore?" June's lower lip began to tremble.
Heero began to feel very uncomfortable. He wasn't used to dealing with upset women; come to think of it, he wasn't all that good dealing with his husband when he was upset either! "June, let's wait and see what Duo has to say first. We can cross the bridges as we come to them, okay?" Heero placed a comforting hand on June's arm.
The woman gave a sigh and wiped discreetly at her eyes. "You're right," she said. "I'm jumping to conclusions as usual."
"June, it's perfectly normal to be worried and concerned when you don't know what's wrong. Just try to remain positive. Duo's an excellent vet and he will look after Orion for you."
"I know. Thanks, Heero. It's just that Orion is my first really good horse, he means a lot to me, not just because of his jumping ability, but he's..." June paused to swallow the lump in her throat.
"He's your best friend," Heero finished for her and June looked at him with wide eyes. "I know exactly how you feel, June. I feel the same way about Zero, Shini, Angel, all my horses. They're not just animals, they're friends."
June nodded, unable to form words. Heero gave her a warm smile and turned back to his cleaning, giving June the space she needed to regain her composure. A couple of minutes later a soft 'Thanks' came his way and Heero smiled to himself.
The pair worked in silence, cleaning the bits of saddlery and putting the items back together as they finished. They were just hanging up the last of the cleaned bridles when Duo appeared in the stable block.
"June? Heero?" he called as he walked down the breezeway.
"In the tack room," Heero called back. Moments later Duo appeared in the doorway.
"Ah, having a cleaning frenzy?" Duo snickered.
"No, just regular cleaning," Heero huffed.
"Thanks for coming down, Duo," June said and stepped forward. "I really don't know what's wrong with Orion and I'd feel a lot happier if you had a good look at him for me."
"No problem, June. Now, I want you to tell me exactly what you were doing with him and when you first noticed something not quite right," Duo requested.
June proceeded to give Duo a complete run down on what work she'd been doing with the gelding, how he'd performed, what his energy levels had been like and any other thing she could think of. Duo asked several questions, all of which June and Heero did their best to answer. Once he had all the relevant information, Duo shoved off the door jamb he'd been leaning on.
"Let's take a look at him." The three proceeded to Orion's stable, June catching the gelding and holding him whilst Duo took his heart rate, temperature and breathing rates. He ran skilled fingers along Orion's throat, his head and all over his ribs and flanks. He listened intently to the gelding's insides, checked his gums and even managed to get a proper look inside the horse's mouth and down his throat a bit. Once he'd finished his examination he turned to speak to a very worried looking June.
"What is it?" June whispered.
"There's nothing obviously wrong that I can find with my examination. He seems a touch dehydrated, but that's to be expected given he's not long finished a work out." Duo rubbed at the back of his neck, a niggling in the back of his mind.
"Do you have any ideas at all?" Heero asked.
Duo frowned. "All his vitals are well within the normal range, there's no signs of any discomfort and his gums are a salmon pink color. I'd like to take a blood sample though and check the levels of hemoglobin and leukocytes." Seeing the pair looking at him as if he'd grown a second head, Duo chuckled and explained. "I want to do a red and white blood cell count."
"Ah," June said, understanding that terminology, then she frowned. "Why?"
"I can learn a lot from doing a blood cell count, it will tell me if the number of cells are within the normal range and if there is an infection somewhere in his system that isn't obvious then the white cell count will be increased. If that's the case then we can start looking for that infection and do what's necessary to combat it." Duo added a smile to his words.
"Oh, okay." June looked a little more at ease. "When did you want to take the sample?"
"I'll do it now. Heero?"
"Hai?"
"You still got some needles and syringes in the first aid box here?"
"There should be. You want me to get one?"
"Please. Also a swab if there are any otherwise some betadine and cotton-wool."
Heero disappeared off into the tack room to fetch the requested items leaving June and Duo alone.
"When are you next planning on riding him?" Duo asked.
"I was going to work him tomorrow, but after today I wasn't sure if I should," June replied.
Duo scratched his chin. "I'll take the blood sample now and check it once I'm back at the surgery. I'll make note of the cell count and anything else I might find. Providing all is okay with the sample I'd like you to work him again tomorrow as normal and when you're finished I'll check him over and take another blood sample."
"Okay, Duo."
Heero arrived back with the swabs, needle and syringe, June holding the gelding still whilst Duo took his sample. Capping the needle, Duo rubbed briskly over the injection site. "I'll head back to the surgery and see what I can find from this sample. I'll give you a call this evening and let you know what my findings are, June. It will take a while to do the blood count, so meanwhile, try not to worry, okay?"
"Thanks, Duo."
#
Once back at the surgery Duo wasted no time in setting up the small machine to do the blood count. While the machine did its job, he pulled a few veterinary books from the shelf and did a little reading. He had a rough idea of what the problem could be, but until he had the blood count done he couldn't be sure.
After a short while the machine beeped and Duo closed the book, going across to the machine to see what the results were. Reading through the information he felt his heart beginning to sink a little. A glance at the clock told him afternoon consults would be starting in another half hour so there really wasn't much time for him to do anything regarding the test results. Deciding to give June a call after consults and do a further blood count and check of the gelding after he'd been worked the following day, Duo cleaned the machine and put it away.
#
Evening consults were finished and Duo hung his coat up on the back of the door, bidding both Zechs and Catherine a good night, Duo locked the surgery and headed down the familiar path to the cottage. Opening the back door, something tantalizing hit his nostrils and he spotted Heero by the stove.
"Ah, just in time," Heero said and crossed the kitchen to greet his partner with a kiss. Releasing the vet, Heero turned back to the stove and the dinner he was cooking. "How were consults?"
"Pretty busy," Duo replied. "Dinner smells good."
"Go through and wash up, it's almost ready," Heero replied.
By the time Duo was washed up and returned to the kitchen, Heero was placing their plates on the table. Taking their respective seats, the pair dug in. Heero was itching to ask his partner if he had the results of Orion's blood count and just what his husband suspected was wrong, but given the code of ethics that vets worked under he wasn't sure if he should ask or not.
Duo solved the problem for him.
"June said she was planning on working Orion tomorrow. Any idea what time?" Duo asked in-between bites.
"I think she was going to ride in the afternoon." Heero replied.
"Okay. I want to examine him again when she's finished working him." Seeing the curiosity on Heero's face and the burning questions in those blue eyes, Duo sighed. "The results of the blood count show a low hemoglobin content and slightly elevated white cell count."
"Ah. That all translates into what?"
"The white cell count being up isn't too much of a problem, in fact, I'd anticipated it would be higher given Orion's just got over the EI virus and then the lung infection. There's bound to be an increase in the white cells as they're the ones the body uses to fight off infection."
"I see. Then it's the other one you're concerned about?" Heero couldn't remember what Duo had called the other cells – heck he was having a hard enough time keeping up with what Duo was saying as it was and was grateful his partner was keeping things in simple terms.
"Yes, Heero. The hemoglobin is the part of the red blood cell that not only gives it the red color, but is responsible for distributing oxygen to the body. It's a bit more involved than that and I'll explain it a bit better tomorrow when June's here. Suffice to say, the count is lower than what it should be which means Orion will be feeling fatigued and also take longer to get his breath back. There's a few other things too, but I'd prefer to wait until I can examine him tomorrow immediately after he's been worked."
"It all sounds way too confusing to me," Heero muttered.
"It's not really," Duo chuckled. "I'll give June a call and let her know what I've found thus far and what I want to do tomorrow, then I should be able to give a proper diagnosis and form a treatment plan."
"I'm glad it's you that's treating him and not me."
#
The following afternoon saw Duo leaning against the railing and watching June work her horse. Heero had suggested that she do the same work with the black as they'd done the previous day and June had agreed. Heero had suggested to Duo that he work Nataku along the same lines as Orion and that way Duo could see exactly what the recovery rates were for Nataku and Orion and compare them. Duo had agreed it would be beneficial to use Nataku as a sort of 'control' animal, especially as she'd also had the EI virus and was at roughly the same fitness level as Orion.
Both horses were working calmly and quietly, doing all they were being asked to do by their respective riders and Duo couldn't see anything different between the two in regards to the amount of sweating, physical appearance or general health as they were being worked.
After an hour of solid work, Heero called a halt and both riders let their respective mounts have a loose rein to stretch out and walk around on as they cooled off. Duo entered the paddock and came across to the pair, moving between the two horses and letting his eyes scan over both mare and gelding as he walked along with them. He noted their outward appearances and compared them, asking Heero and June how they felt their horse had been going, had they noticed anything different or suspicious? He had both riders bring their mounts to a halt and checked the horses' heart and breathing rates, noting them down in the notebook he'd brought with him before letting the two move off again to continue cooling off.
Heero usually allowed the horses to walk around for five to ten minutes to cool down before bringing them into the stables and unsaddling. He stuck to his routine, June following with Orion and back to the stable block. Once both horses were inside and the riders dismounted, Duo again took their respiratory rates, heart rates and checked them over from top to hoof.
Nataku was almost back to normal with her vitals, but Orion was still breathing quite heavily and his heart rate was slightly elevated. Within another five minutes the heart rate was back to normal and although the breathing rate had slowed, it was still a little fast. Duo took another blood sample and armed with his notes and the blood, disappeared back to the surgery to do some more tests, promising June he'd be back in roughly an hour, hopefully with some answers for her.
"Have you any idea what could be wrong? Has Duo said anything to you?" June asked as she brushed the gelding down.
"No, I don't," Heero replied from where he was brushing Nataku. "He's not said anything other than what he told you last night. All he's said to me was that the white blood cell count was up a bit and the red one down a bit. What all that means I'm not sure, but Duo will be able to let us know more now he's seen him being worked." Heero tried to keep his voice reassuring.
"I hope it's not serious, poor boy has been through enough," June murmured and patted the black hide.
"I'm sure it's not serious, June. If it was, Duo would be looking a lot more worried than he is."
"I hope so, Heero."
#
Having done a second round of tests and a little more research, Duo was fairly certain he'd managed to diagnose Orion's problem. Now he needed to let June know and explain to her what treatment options were available – and therein lay the problem. With a deep sigh, Duo decided it was better to just get this over with and deal with it the best they could. With the paperwork in hand, he returned to the stables.
A few minutes later and Duo was once more in the stable block, a worried looking June nervously doing her best not to bite her fingernails when she spotted the vet approaching.
"Duo?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly.
Duo did his best to give her a warm smile. "I have all the test results and it's a bit of a mixed bag," Duo said.
"What do you mean?" June responded.
"Let's go into the tack room where we can sit down and I'll explain everything."
Heero led the way into the tack room, finding an assortment of upturned buckets for them to sit on. Once everyone was as comfortable as they could get, Duo began his explanation.
"The blood count shows a slight elevation of white cells and a low count of the red cells. The white cells are responsible for combating infection and I expected there to be a slight elevation of those given the infections Orion's been fighting off recently. They should settle back down to normal over the next couple of weeks. It's the low red count that has me concerned and is responsible for Orion's slightly lethargic state and also his elevated breathing. Put simply, the red blood cells contain hemoglobin, and it's that hemoglobin that's responsible for carrying the oxygen around the body to all the muscles, organs and such that need it. As Orion's hemoglobin count is lower than normal it means there's not as much oxygen getting through to his body and therefore his heart and lungs are working harder plus it takes him longer to recover."
"I think I follow," June said with a frown.
"I can't find any other infection or the like so it's not that which is causing the low hemoglobin count. Putting it bluntly, Orion's suffering from anemia."
"Is it treatable?" Heero asked.
Duo turned to look at his partner. "Yes, it is, but this is where it could get tricky."
"Tricky? How so?" June questioned.
"I'd like to try increasing his oats as they are rich in iron and that's what he needs right now. There are supplements I can give you to put in his feed to also increase the iron but I'm not sure if they will work or not. The problem with iron supplementation is that there is no research to support its use and no evidence that it is actually needed or works. The red blood cells are produced in the bone marrow and given how Orion's been sick it seems the EI virus has affected the red blood cell production. There is one other thing we can do..."
"What's that?" June asked, cutting Duo off.
"I can give him a course of steroids to help him overcome the fatigue and breathlessness, they will boost his system quite a bit and help him along; but there's a couple of things you really need to be aware of when using steroids."
"He won't be able to compete," Heero whispered and looked up as he felt the weight of two sets of eyes on him. "There are strict rules regarding drugs and their use in the equine sports. I know steroids are banned for showjumpers. If Orion's on steroids he won't be able to compete."
"That's one of the things I was going to say," Duo sighed. "The other is that the steroids may not work either."
"That's...a lot to think about," June said softly.
"It is, June and I suggest you think very carefully about what you want to do. You can try the oats and supplements, see how they go and if they work, great. If they don't we can try the steroids, but that means you can't compete on him until he's off them and been off them for several months. Having said all that, the steroids may not work either."
"What if none of the things work? What will that mean for Orion?" June's voice trembled.
"June, if none of the treatments work I'm afraid it will mean the end of Orion's career as a show jumper. It wouldn't be fair to him to put him under that sort of stress when his body can't cope with it. He will still be able to be ridden, just lightly and a little jumping, but nothing too taxing in the jumps department," Duo responded.
"I see. Thanks, Duo." June looked at the vet. "If you don't mind I'd like to think a bit more on it all, discuss it with Geoff and go from there."
"Of course, June. If you have any questions, just call me and I'll do my best to answer them for you. Take all the time you need and when you've decided what you want to do, let me know and we'll go from there."
"Thanks, Duo."
tbc...