Heero returned minutes later, carrying four heavy brown bags of medical supplies with him. He was surprised to find us in the kitchen, but I could see that he understood my reasoning. We emptied the bags on the counter and I found that Heero had done a very good job in purchasing what I would need. As far as I could see, there was nothing I needed that I did not have, and a few things I didn't need that I had suddenly gained. I even found a bottle of instant-numb spray, something I had wished for but hadn't dreamed of getting.

"Heero, this is great! How did you find all this stuff?" I asked. Heero blushed.

"I told the pharmacist what had happened. She advised me on what to buy," he told me, smiling slightly at the comment. Then, suddenly, his attitude changed and he became nervous and worried once again. "Master," Heero whispered quietly beside me as I read the label of the tranquilizers he had bought. "I... I think we should take him to the hospital. I know it seems weak, but..."

"No, Heero, and that's final," I told him before I would allow myself to reconsider.

"The slave hospital is the best there is, master. And it is free..." he protested. I could see how worried he was about the other slave, and I had no doubts this situation would remind him of his own past, but I couldn't afford to allow the other masters to see me as weak.

"And I will not be permitted to see him until the doctor gives clearance. He's better off here, Heero."

"Master, please, I... I can't use any of this stuff! I'm not trained!" he whispered harshly.

"Well, then," I said, filling a syringe with a smooth and practiced motion, "you had better watch me very carefully, because you should really know this kind of stuff," I told him with a smirk. He gaped at me, realizing now that I had never meant for him to treat Quatre. I had several years of training as a field medic under my belt due to regulation classes at Preventers. While Quatre's wounds were a bit tougher than what I'd handled before, I had no doubt that I could keep them from being life-threatening. I knew that he would do better at the hospital, where they had the equipment and staff to care for him, but I couldn't compromise the mission for that as long as I was able to do the work myself. Obviously, I would send the boy to the hospital if he became dangerously ill, but I hoped that I could keep it from coming to that.

"Quatre," I said, moving to stand over the boy and rubbing his shoulder with a cotton ball of alcohol, "You're going to feel a little prick now, alright? I want you to try not to jump," I told him, my voice strong and clear to make sure he understood. He nodded and I brought the needle down to prick him. He flinched, but held still as I injected him, holding tightly onto the table with both hands until I removed the needle and wiped the small spot of blood away. "There," I said gently, "That wasn't so bad, was it? You should start to feel a little sleepy soon, but it's not enough to put you out, alright? I'm just trying to take the edge off," I told him. He nodded, and I could already see his body begin to relax as I set up my tools. When I was sure the drug had kicked in, I pulled the sheet back to expose Quatre's shoulders and back, leaving it over his legs.

"Heero," I said softly, motioning for the boy to come closer, "I want you to hold Quatre's legs down while I work. This shouldn't hurt him, but it may be uncomfortable and it is vital he doesn't move while I'm working."

Heero gulped, looking somewhat pale, then nodded and settled some of his weight on Quatre's legs. The boy stirred, but didn't protest, telling me he was far enough gone fore me to begin.

"Quatre this is going to feel cold," I warned, lifting the bottle of numbing liquid. I knew how strong that particular brand was, so I used it sparingly. I certainly gave him enough to take the pain away, but I didn't want him to lose feeling to his back, which this medicine could cause when overused.

"Quatre? I need you to listen to me now. I'm going to start, and I know this is going to hurt, but you can't move. I don't want you to have too many painkillers, but if you start to feel like you can't take it, tell me and I'll give you some more. Whatever you do, don't move, alright? Here we go."

Regardless of everything I did, there was no way I could completely remove all the pain and keep Quatre on this side of consciousness. He moaned, groaned, and sweated through my stitching of the first cut, crying when he had the strength. On the second cut he began to thrash his head, but still stayed quiet.

Halfway through the second cut, Quatre suddenly decided he couldn't take enough and attempted to sit up. This was not a good idea, not only because he was drugged and bleeding, but also because I had a needle halfway through his flesh. He was lucky that so much of his strength was sapped, so that I was able to force him back down to the table with one hand, otherwise he probably would have been fishing in his back for the needle.

"Quatre, stay still!" I growled, pushing him back to the bed. His strength gave out and he fell back to the bed with a harsh sob, crying pitifully while I filled another syringe and gave him another dose of the painkillers.

The second dose was enough that, luckily, he didn't have a repeat performance. I was able to finish stitching the boy up and warp his wounds then, while the painkillers were still working, Heero and I managed to carry him into the bedroom so he could sleep.

From there, I sent Heero to get a hot shower and I called for dinner for the both of us. It was a quiet affair, as we were both exhausted. When we finished dinner, I had Heero go make up the servants beds, as I had decided we should sleep in there instead of disturbing Quatre. While Heero did that, I went to check on Quatre only to find him shivering. I quickly checked his temperature and, finding it normal, decided that it must be a side effect of the drugs we had given him.

Heero came to join us a minute later and, ever wary of Quatre's wounds, I slid under the blankets beside him, then motioned for Heero to slide in beside me. He did so without complaint, though I could see he was confused in the sudden change of sleeping arrangements. When Quatre, seeking warmth even in his slumber, crawled onto me, he seemed to understand that I felt we needed to warm the boy up, not to mention keep a closer eye on him. He began sobbing quietly soon, but there was nothing I could do but rub his shoulder gently and try to make him understand that we were trying to help him, despite how much pain we had caused. Then I let him cry it out, both because I knew he needed to and because there was really nothing I could do. After all the pain he had gone through today, he deserved a good cry.

So, with Quatre huddled on his stomach on my left arm and Heero curled in the embrace of my right, I soon drifted to sleep, my first slave and now my second slumbering peacefully beside me.