[My, my, my
Let your bright light shine
Let your words live on
Far beyond this life]
      --- Lyrics to 'My My My' Performed by Rob Thomas

Ray of Hope Part 1

From the windows of the hospital waiting room, Duo watched the circling beams of light from the distant lighthouse past the downpour of rain that drove furiously in the strong wind and deep darkness. He hated leaving it at night during a storm like this, even if his friend and closest neighbor, Quatre was watching after things for him in his absence. While the young Arab knew the basics of how to keep the torch going, it was still unnerving for the braided young man to leave his post on such a night. At least he could keep an eye on things from afar, ready to head back should something happen.

The only thing that kept the Duo in his place was his ex-girlfriend's insistence. In seeing the minor injuries that he received while carrying the unconscious man he found by the steep and rocky slope, Sally ordered the lighthouse keeper to remain until she cleared him. Looking down to his tattered shirt, the braided American reconsidered whether or not that was all that grounded him. After all, his cuts were cleaned and bandaged, the worst of the gashes on his now bare right arm.

Well, Duo finally admitted to himself, Sally's insistence wasn't the only reason why he agreed to the leave his post. His genuine concern to see how the stranger was fairing was his primary reason for staying at the hospital.

Distant footsteps that grew louder as they approached the waiting room brought Duo to turn away from the window. Sally entered with a folder under her left arm and a small smirk on her face "Somehow, I had a feeling that you were still here," she commented, her amusement dripping on her voice. She tilted her braided head, "Though I must admit that I am surprised that you have strayed from your post for more than ten minutes, let alone three hours."

Duo simply shrugged, "Quat's taking care of things for the time being." Peering to the folder in his ex's possession, he asked, "So how is he?"

Her smile fading into a deep frown, Sally took up her file and replied, "Well, all things considered, he could be much worse off. Few people survive crashes such as the one he went through."

"But," the lighthouse keeper frowned in concern.

With a deep sigh, Sally looked up from her papers and x-rays to reply, "He suffered a good bout of head trauma. Our head surgeons performed a relatively simple procedure to end his minimal swelling and bleeding. While he made it through the surgery, the true test will be when he wakes. And that could be some time, yet."

In a rare show of her weariness following a long day, the young woman sighed as she ran a hand over her hair. "No one has even had a chance to go through his belongings to learn his identity, yet," she added. "I'll have that looked into."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Duo shifted on his feet. "Sal whatever you have to do to take care of him, see that it's done. I'll help with the cost until we find his family," he stated.

A sad and endearing smile fell on the braided doctor's face. "And even after they're found, you'll insist on not being compensated. You're always willing to look after others before you'll look after yourself. I never knew anyone to be more compassionate than you," she shook her head. With a dramatic sigh, she asked, "Why did you have to come to realize that you're gay just as we started dating?"

Duo finally laughed, "Just be glad that we weren't intimate in any way before I realized that I don't swing that way." He raised an eyebrow, "Besides, I set you up with Wufei to make up for it, didn't I? You haven't complained about that arrangement."

It was Sally's turn to laugh as she replied, "Yes, yes, of course." Resting a hand on her dear friend's shoulder, she suggested, "You best return to the lighthouse. It'll most likely be well past the morning before our guest wakes. If that changes, I promise to call you."

With a warm smile, Duo kissed her cheek in a friendly manner and whispered, "You're the best, Sal. Thank you." Taking up his dark blue, hooded raincoat, the braided young man headed for the door.

As she stepped into the hallway, the braided doctor called after him, "And if you pull a stunt like that climb you made tonight again, I'll personally kick your ass." Duo's laughter echoed down the halls as he turned to wave to his ex-girlfriend before shrugging on his raincoat and stepping through the hospital doors. Sally chuckled deeply to herself, shaking her head.

One of the nurses, dressed in her light blue and green scrubs, approached from behind and spoke quietly, "Doctor Po." When the tall young woman turned to meet her gaze, the red-headed nurse held up a large plastic bag. "I gathered all of your patient's clothes and belongings that he had on him," she informed.

With a nod, Sally accepted the large bag with a sincere, "Thank you, Catherine. I'll be in my office if anyone needs me." The nurse bowed her head in acknowledgement before turning to return to her station at the front desk. Holding up the black bag, the braided nurse sighed, "Well, at least we'll finally have a name for this mysterious sailor."

*   *   *   *   *   *

By the following morning, the sky had cleared to a brilliant sunrise. On the western side of the large island, the lone lighthouse was the tallest building, the first to greet the morning rays as they poured over everything. With a wide yawn, Duo stretched his arms high over his head. Sighing deeply, he sat up and rubbed the back of his neck, his back creaking back into place as he spun his body. Climbing from his bed, the braided young sighed deeply before climbing the winding stairs to the lantern room.

The glass-filled room captured the rising sunlight, capturing it and sending hundreds of tiny rainbow around the large, round space. Gazing at the beautiful scene, Duo smiled wistfully, "I'll never get tired of waking to this." In his morning ritual, the braided lighthouse keeper stepped out onto the balcony of the high gallery to overlook the majestic ocean in the wake of a new day.

As he stepped to the center of the room, Duo set about lowering the gases and fuels until the wicks of the large lantern faded out. From there, he moved into the service and watch room below to shut down the mechanics to the spinning lenses up in the lantern room. A few more of his morning chores to be seen to, he moved to his living quarters outside at the base of the tall, shimmering lighthouse to make a quick breakfast before visiting the hospital.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Thanks to his being so close to one of the head doctors of Saint Peter's hospital, Duo was able to enter the visiting area well before guest hours began. Taking the stairs up to Sally's office, he knocked on the door lightly. "Come in," came the polite reply.

Peeking his head in, the braided young man smiled at his ex-girlfriend, "There's my favorite person in the whole world." As he stepped into the office, he frowned in concern, "Did you get a chance to sleep at all last night?"

Sally snorted good-naturedly, "Not in this place. Thankfully, I am finished in another hour and this was my last night shift for a while." Her smile warmed as her friend sat before her desk, "I see that your lighthouse didn't vanish while you were away last night."

His violet eyes rolling at the comment, Duo replied, "Yea, yea, yea." Rubbing the back of his neck, he asked, "So, what have you found out about our mysterious traveler?"

"Nothing," Sally frowned. At her ex-boyfriend's confused expression, the braided nurse held up a black plastic bag. "This is everything that was on him when he was brought in. I had Catherine gather everything so I could at least make a positive identification. The only thing that was in his jean pocket was a wallet that had been emptied."

Sitting up, Duo blinked in surprise, "Empty? Why would anyone carry an empty wallet on them?"

As she lowered the bag, Sally sighed deeply, "Good question. This is new to me, as well. I could understand a person being cautious in putting their money in a less obvious place, but to not have so much as a driver's license in here is more than odd."

The young woman sat back in her seat and continued, "Wufei and Treize investigated the sight of the crash at first light. The remains of our stranger's boat, and everything on it, had already washed out to sea by the time they got there. They just called from the police station."

Duo bit his lip and commented, "Well, hopefully he'll wake up soon. How has he been doing since the operation?" "As well as can be expected, given the extent of his injuries," Sally answered. "Some minor fractures in his right arm that I've placed in a cast, bruised ribs and several scars that had to be cleaned and others stitched. His head injuries were the worst of it all, but he lasted through the night, so he'll pull through."

Finding relief in that, Duo smiled, "Well, that's good news, at least." Rising from his seat, he announced, "I might as well stop in his room to pay a visit, seeing as how there is no one he knows around here to wish him well." Turning to face his ex before leaving, he told her, "And you get some sleep when your shift ends, young lady."

With a warm grin, Sally nodded, "No arguments there. Our mysterious friend is in room 87. Should I be out when he wakes, I told the nursing staff to get a hold of me immediately."

Heading towards the door, Duo waved, "Thanks, Sal." With that, he stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind him.

*   *   *   *   *   *

The steady beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound present when Duo entered. Pulling up a chair, he settled himself beside the white-sheeted bed in the center of the room. With a deep breath, his violet eyes examined the state of the young man he had pulled from the sea.

In his sleep, the patient's peaceful, handsome face sported a bandage that nearly covered the length of the right side. In recalling the long gash that had been there, the braided young man was grateful to see it covered. As Sally had mentioned, the right arm was in a cast from wrist to shoulder, bent at the elbow and lying over the sheets that had been pulled up to the unconscious man's chest.

Gently, Duo brushed back the long fall of dark bangs that nearly covered the closed eyes. "Well," he began with a sigh, "Sally always told me that talking to patients unconscious like this was always a good thing for them. I figured I would be good for the job, considering how hard it is to keep me quiet for more than a few minutes."

With a smile, the braided lighthouse keeper greeted, "Name's Duo Maxwell." He moved to take the patient's left hand in his, careful not to ajar the IV needle hooked into the slender arm. Squeezing the hand as if in a gesture for a handshake, he grinned, "And I hope you don't kill me when I have to tell you about your ship when you wake up."

*   *   *   *   *   *

A whole week passed and Duo's days consisted of the same events. Waking, he would shut down the lighthouse and make a quick breakfast before visiting the stranger's bedside. By nightfall, he was back at his post to bring the lighthouse back to life and standing watch. It became a comfortable routine.

On the eighth day since the fateful storm, Duo came to the hospital just as Sally's shift was starting for the morning. Walking up to the receptionist desk, he grinned politely, "Hey, Catherine. Has Sally stepped in, yet?"

Her eyes lighting up as she looked up from her paperwork, the redheaded nurse gasped, "There you are, Duo. Sally is in room 87. The patient there just woke up."

TBC...

 

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