We had breakfast in the bedroom when I returned. It was difficult for Quatre, because the only way he could sit up without hurting himself was to kneel with his legs underneath him, keeping his back straight. He had a hard time with it, and tired very quickly, only finishing the toast and some orange juice before he had to lay back down.

Master wanted to check Quatre's stitches after than, so he pulled down the blanket and pulled off the large pieces of gauze we had taped over top. He seemed pleased with the upper two, but the lower one was just the slightest bit red and swollen. Master made us douse it with some kind of liquid that burned Quatre, who started crying again, then forced some more pills into Quatre, who was frightened and didn't want them. Master tried to tell him that it was alright and that we weren't trying to hurt him, but Quatre was beyond listening, and eventually I had to hold him down while master forced the pills into him. Master tried again to calm the frightened boy, but he was too skittish, and master eventually said he wanted to go out and left the two of us alone.

"Hey," I said when master had left, "Do you need something?" I asked the sobbing boy. He shook his head vigorously, but cried all the harder. "I can get you something, if you need it. Master said the medicine should start to kick in soon, and that you'd feel better. Is it your back?" I asked, hoping I didn't need to go get master. The boy shook his head again. "Then what's wrong?"

"I-I don-don't want to b-be s-s-sold! I'm such a-an i-in-inconvenience! I c-c-can't d-do anything!"

"You're sick," I pointed out, gently rubbing his shoulder, "No one's going to hold it against you."

"No?" he sniffled, looking up at me with teary eyes, "Other masters would."

"Master Zechs isn't like that," I said, remembering how hard it was for me to believe. The boy shook his head and started crying again. "Quatre?"

"It's just... once he knows... I've always... always been useless. Master Marcel was kind to keep me. I don't know if Master Zechs will be so lenient. I'm just... useless," he whispered harshly.

"Master Marcel was anything but kind to you," I growled. "Don't you dare compare him to Master Zechs. After all the effort master has put into you, do you really think he would just get rid of you?"

The boy sniffled some more, then said softly, "I don't understand him, or what he wants. I'm not a Collar slave. There's nothing I'm trained to compete in, so what does he want?"

"Maybe he just wants to see you better. Maybe he thinks you'd make a good companion. I don't know what master thinks, but I do know that he cares about you. You don't need to fear him, he's only trying to help."

"What about you," he whispered softly, the tears stopped but his face forlorn, "Aren't I competition for the master's favors? Why are you being so kind to me?"

"I..." I said, then paused to think out the answer that I could already feel, "I don't think master Zechs will forget me, just because he has you. He might have less time with me, but he won't abandon me. I can feel that, and I trust it. And I don't think that I have the right to keep him all to myself, either. And I think you need him, too."

"How... how can you be so sure?" he asked. His eyelids were fluttering and he lowered his head to the pillow. I could tell he was falling asleep.

"You'll feel it, soon enough. There's just something about master Zechs. Something deeper and stronger than the other masters. It makes you want to help him, want to work with him. I can't explain it, but you'll feel it soon, too."

"I think," he whispered, his eyes sliding shut, "I already do."

Master Zechs returned in an hour and I found out that he had gone to the pool to cool off and relieve some stress with a swim. I told master what Quatre had said, and he told me that he had guessed it was something like that. He promised to talk to him when the other slave gained a little strength.

We woke Quatre only to feed him lunch and give him more medicine, and he slept the rest of the day. Master wanted my help deciding what to wear to Master Scrub's party, and we had slept for a lot of the day anyway, so it might have been for the best. Master worried a lot about Quatre, especially when we had to leave for Master Scrub's party.

Quatre had a mild fever and master didn't really want to leave him alone, but there was no one to be trusted watching him. We couldn't miss the party, so he eventually set the phone beside the bed with Mater Scrub's number on speed dial and told Quatre that if he needed anything he was to call the party. I doubted Quatre would be that brave, even if his shoulder began to bleed onto the bed. Master made sure he had used the bathroom, which we had to use a bottle for and took the both of us to handle as Quatre could neither turn over nor support himself. I was glad master was so kind, because other masters would not have assisted in such a lowly task and I needed master's help. He even left a gallon of sport drink beside the bed, worrying that Quatre would get dehydrated in the few hours we were gone. Quatre had already eaten and taken a strong dose of medicine, so I expected that he would sleep while we were gone. It managed to lessen master's worry, but didn't completely erase it. Still, I couldn't begrudge Quatre master's concern, I had fed on it myself my first few days with Master Zechs. Still, it hurt to no longer be the only one receiving master's care, but master still gave me plenty of attention, which took the sting away.

Knowing that I was still master's only helped to keep me strong while master dotted on Quatre. He needed my help at Master Scrub's party, which we left to attend later that night.

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