The call came at nearly four in the morning. Wufei and I were in the same room and closer to the stairs, so we went to answer it and Quatre and Trowa went back to sleep. Wufei answered it, but put it on speaker phone so we could both hear. It was dangerous for slaves to take a phone call while the master was away, for we could easily talk to someone we weren't supposed to or let something slip. On the other hand, if we could also get in trouble for answering the phone, so it was best just to be careful.
"Is there a Heero there?" the voice asked. Wufei and I were both startled, for members of Collar would use a slave name, and it was not good for others to know we existed.
"Why do you ask?" Wufei quickly replied.
"Mister Marquis wants him to be escorted to the hospital tonight."
"To see Duo?" I said, then immediately regretted my words. I simply couldn't help myself. And Wufei, from his glare, also seemed to disapprove.
"He said to tell you if you asked that a close friend of yours who is in the hospital has been asking for you. I don't know if this is the person you're looking for or not."
"How soon do I leave?"
"Heero!" Wufei hissed. "We don't know if this person is lying," he whispered. He was right, of course, but I was desperate to see Duo.
"Mister Marquis will be sending his limo around for you in half an hour," the voice said, perhaps hearing our mistrust. "He asked I call and alert you. That is all," he said, then disconnected.
"You shouldn't go," Wufei said instantly.
"I have to," I responded, just as convicted.
"This could be a trick of some other master. It could be anyone who has a grudge against Master planning to use us against him."
"Who else knows we're here? It's Master's first year, and we've only been here a few days. Besides, I can't believe they could get Master's limo to use against us."
"Well..." Wufei considered, his dark eyes filled with thought and calculations. "You go, but I'm going to call Master to make sure this is planned," he replied. Then, as if on cue, a horn sounded in front of the house. We both froze for just an instant, then I ran for the stairs to dress and Wufei headed to the kitchen to make the call. I fairly dashed up the stairs and threw my clothes on so quickly that I almost ripped them. I didn't even tie my shoes and barely refrained from leaping down the stairs. I passed Wufei on my way to the door. He was still on the phone, but motioned for me to go on, so I assumed Master had cleared my trip. My heart leapt. I was actually going to see Duo!
I could barely stand the ride, but as we approached the hospital I suddenly began to feel nervous. It wasn't often that a slave was allowed to go into public, and almost never without the master. Plus, crowds made me nervous, and I was fairly certain that there would be many people at the hospital, if not a crowd. And what if Master didn't meet me? What if he expected me to know where to go, or wanted me to ask someone where to go? What if I asked the wrong person, or said the wrong thing?
I was nearly shaking as we pulled up to the large building and the driver stopped in front. I swallowed hard and reached for the door...
...But it opened before I could touch it. Master was on the other side, and reached in for my hand. I smiled in relief and grabbed his had, letting him help me out of the car. I should have known Master would have everything under control.
"Was the ride smooth?" Master asked. "You didn't have any trouble getting here, did you?"
"No, Mas-..."
"Ah-ah. We're in public."
"Oh. I'm sorry..."
"It's alright, just don't forget again. Now, come on. Duo's anxious to see you."
We walked into the hospital then, and it was just as strange and crowded and frightening as I had expected it to be, but it was alright, because Master as there with me. There were only a lot of people in the front hall, but since we had to walk all the way across the front hall to get to the elevator it was still really stressful. There was a scattering of people there, a few children and several adults. One of the children was crying and the others were fussing. Their mothers were either trying to calm them or snapping at them to be quiet. There was an old man snoring on one of the benches, and several people were speaking with nurses. There were doctors and nurses and orderlies and all manner of people walking around. It seemed like chaos, and I moved closer to Master. I didn't think I could have taken this alone without panicking.
Once we reached the elevator, all the noise stopped and it seemed unnaturally still.
"It won't be like that in the rest of the building," Master assured. "They keep the bottom floor open twenty-four hours, because that's where the emergency room and overnight patients stay."
As the doors opened, I saw that he was right, for the upper floors were almost empty. A stray nurse passed us here and there, but other than that it was empty. Until, of course, Sally found us.
"Alright, ground rules," she began instantly, "Do not, under any circumstances, allow Duo to speak. Do not ask him questions. Do not upset him. Do not get him excited. Do not talk loudly. Do not startle him. Do not keep him awake. I think that's about it."
"But I can see him?" I asked, hoping that wasn't against the rules.
"If you follow my instructions you can, but only for an hour. Duo needs to sleep."
"I'll make sure they behave," Master assured, taking my shoulder and leading me toward a door.
The room inside, it seemed, was not meant for a bed. It had no windows, no bathroom, no curtain, no television, not even a lamp or a dresser. The only thing that actually implied that it was a room and not a closet was the bed, which Duo was currently lying in. I was grateful, though, because slaves were usually shoved into broom closets or under desks when they had to be hospitalized. A master had to hide them to keep questions from being asked. Master was taking a large risk by letting Duo be so exposed.
There were several fold up chairs in the room, along with other equipment, most of which had been disconnected from Duo. I pulled up a chair and seated myself next to the bed.
Buried in the white sheets and pillows, Duo was pale and bruised. There was a sharp contrast to the paleness of his skin and the darkness of his bruises, even sharper than the contrast between my own quickly healing bruises. His neck was still darkly bruised, but he was breathing on his own and seemingly without any trouble. There was still an IV connected to his arm, but there was no other equipment connected to him. His eyes were closed, so I could see how dark the bags around them were. His lips, too, were still bruised and split in several places, but even with all that he still look a hundred times better than he had at Collar. He actually looked like he'd survive.
His eyes opened and the violet orbs locked instantly on me. He smiled, though it must have hurt with his lips so damaged.
"Hey Duo," I said quietly, taking his fingers in mine. "They said you're not allowed to talk, so don't get me in trouble by trying, alright?" I asked. Duo nodded, just barely moving his head, but his eyelids drooped from the exertion. I could tell that if I talked quietly enough I could put him right back to sleep. "You know, everyone's waiting for you back at the house," I whispered, not knowing if Duo really heard me, and not really caring. "It's a great house, too. I think you'll love it. It's huge, and there's this big library on top and a barn out back. When you get better we'll go explore the barn, alright? So you have to get better," I told him, but he was already asleep. I smiled sadly and laid my cheek against his hand.
It seemed like minutes later that it was time to go, though Master assured me it had been more than an hour.
"Can I come back and see him tomorrow?" I asked. Master frowned, then shook his head.
"I don't think that would be a good idea. He'll be home in a couple days anyway, so why don't you just wait until then?" Master suggested. I was disappointed, but didn't want to seem ungrateful, so I simply nodded and tried not to sulk. I was lucky to have gotten to see Duo once while he was in the hospital.
We headed back downstairs, and out past the chaos in the waiting room which seemed completely unchanged. At the door I wondered to Master when the limo would be coming.
"I'll be driving us home. It's too late to bother the driver. Besides, I drove down here."
"Oh," I replied. It wasn't common for a Master to drive themselves because of all the hazards of the road, but it wasn't uncommon either. I didn't give it another thought as Master led me to another plain-looking van. I merely opened the rear doors and prepared to hop in.
"Uh... Heero?" Master wondered, and I paused.
"Yes, Master?" I said, turning to find him staring at me in puzzlement.
"What are you doing?" he asked, referring to the fact that I was climbing in the back. It was common for slaves to ride in the back of a vehicle, and out of sight, so that no one saw them and the master together.
"I thought..."
"I know what you thought, but you were wrong," Master said gently, coming up beside me and closing the door. "You'll make a lot less of a stir if you ride in the front, beside me, then if someone sees you climbing into the back. Go on, now, and put your seatbelt on," he instructed, then hopped in the driver's side. It felt weird to ride shotgun, but it was much more comfortably than lying on the floor for the trip. And Master even let me recline the seat, once he saw me falling asleep against the window.