Fire Mated Part 7

Trowa awoke to a loud, persistent sound crashing into his dreams. Groaning softly he rolled over in the thick quilts and fumbled on the bedside table. Where was it? Stop the stupid noise, he wanted sleep! His fingers came across the alarm clock and hit the correct button after much fumbling, but the noise didn't stop. Angrily he yanked on the radio-clock muttering incoherent words and threats at the small piece. Still the noise persisted.

Sitting up he ran his hand through his bangs, pushing them away from his eyes and glanced around the room. After about the fourth ring the sound finally became clear to him. It wasn't his alarm clock, it was his phone! Rolling out of the bed, struggling for only a moment to free his legs then he stumbled across the room to where the phone was. Picking it up he hit the on button.

"Hello?" He mumbled sleepily.

"Mr. Trowa Barton?"

Trowa blinked and stifled a small yawn. "Yeah, who is this?"

"Are you related to Ms. Mariemeia Barton?"

Trowa rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and made a significant effort to wake up. What was going on? What time was it? "Yeah, she's my cousin. Who is this?"

"This is the county hospital, sir. Your cousin was brought in about half an hour ago."

With those words Trowa was immediately awake and he nearly dropped the receiver. Holding the cordless phone between his shoulder and ear he hurried around the room, grabbing a pair of slightly wrinkled jeans from the floor and a T-shirt from the closet. "Is she all right? What happened to her?"

"I'm sorry, sir, I was only asked to call her relatives since her family is out of town. We request that you come to the hospital, we'll explain everyth-"

"I'm on my way!" Trowa hung up the phone and grabbed his jacket racing for the front door. He paused for a moment as he remembered Duo. Somewhere along the line during the short phone conversation he'd noticed that Duo wasn't in his bed. Had he gone for a walk or something?

There wasn't any time to answer that question!

Grabbing a blank sheet of paper he scrawled out a message and left it sitting on the kitchen table, where he knew his brother would see it. Then he raced out the door and down the street. He didn't have a car to get around town with but he really didn't need one. The hospital wasn't that far since the entire town was a relatively small size. Not much farther then a couple blocks, he'd be there in no time.

~*~

"My name is Trowa Barton, I'm here to see my cousin, Mariemeia." He said quickly to the lady behind the front desk at the hospital. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself from the run to the hospital but otherwise paid no attention to his condition. The run hadn't helped ease his mind, it had only served to make his brain fly with possible scenarios of what could have happened. By the time he reached the hospital he was in a near panic and it was all he could do to pretend to be calm. But he needed to see her, needed to know what happened.

The nurse simply nodded and pointed for him to go down the hall, telling him a room number. Trowa didn't stand there for any longer but immediately took off at a quick walk down the hall, straight for the room.

Upon reaching the door he pushed it open, only to near bump into a tall and older man in a white jacket. The man frowned down at him and gently pushed him out of the room, letting the door shut behind him. It took a few seconds for Trowa's still sleep-jumbled mind to recognize the man as a doctor.

"You must be..." He glanced at his clipboard. "Trowa? You were the only member of family we were able to contact in the area."

He nodded. "Her parents often take business trips. Is she all right? What happened to her?"

The doctor flashed him a soft smile and led him to the bench sitting outside the room, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "First, you need to calm down, I assure you she will be fine. But at the moment she is sleeping and it won't do any good to wake her."

Trowa took another deep breath to calm himself and nodded, sitting down. It took some effort but he forced himself to wait patiently while the doctor explained.

"She was brought in with several burns and cuts filled with glass shards. I inquired with the ambulance that brought her but they didn't give me very much information. Apparently a gas line leaked and she was thrown through a window into her back swimming pool by the blast. From what I understand she's very lucky there was a swimming pool in her backyard or she wouldn't be in nearly as good of condition as she is now. "

He fumbled through a few papers on his clipboard. "But, be that as it may, she'll be fine. The burns are minor and the cuts will heal, we've managed to take out nearly all of the glass shards and bandage her up. Give her some time to heal and she should be fine, nothing to get all worried about."

Trowa let out a sigh of relief and ran a hand through his sleep-matted hair, his panic fading. "When can I see her?"

"Hmm, well we'll have to check on the bandages soon and run a few blood tests, standard stuff. I'd say in about half an hour, depending on how soon she wakes up. I need you to wait out in the lobby since we're going to transfer her to another room and I will come and get you as soon as she's awake. Deal?"

"Yeah."

Watching the doctor wave down another nurse and lead her back into the room Trowa finally forced himself to move and head for the lobby. As he walked the panic completely faded, along with his burst of adrenaline, leaving him weary and his legs aching from the run. Upon reaching the lobby he very nearly collapsed into one of the chairs and just lounged there, letting his body rest and collect his thoughts.

A gas leak? She was thrown through a window? Closing his eyes he imagined her house and frowned as his mind worked out the possible scenario with what little clues he had. But he couldn't concentrate; he was too tired.

Luckily it was at that moment that Duo decided to step into the lobby and look around. Trowa caught his brother's gaze and waved him over, sitting up in the chair and making an attempt to appear awake and relaxed... he failed on both accounts.

"Trowa? What happened? Why are you here at the hospital? Your note didn't say anything!"

"Mariemeia was hurt. The doctor said she'd be fine."

Duo's eyes widened and he slowly dropped down into the chair beside Trowa. "Wh-what happened?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. The doctor said she was thrown through her back window into the pool by an explosion." He leaned forward and rested his face in his hands, fighting between the newly rising panic and the fatigue still flowing through his body. And to make things worse his head was starting to ache from the stress and lack of sleep. He closed his eyes and made another effort to calm down.

"Can we see her?"

"No. The doctor said he'd come and get us when we could."

Duo sighed and his hands curled into fists. He hated to wait. Trowa was so much more patient then him, but to see his brother acting like this, he could only imagine the toll it was taking on Trowa. He knew Trowa and Mariemeia weren't much closer then just friends but still, they were related! He hated seeing Trowa so worried and stressed.

Timidly he reached a hand over and hugged his brother close, leaning over the armrest. Trowa didn't object, but merely sat in Duo's arms, concentrating on keeping his stress and panic down.

"They said she'd be ok, so she'll be fine. Don't worry. How long did he say it would be?"

"'Bout half an hour."

"All right then, you get some sleep. You're exhausted, I can tell. You can use my shoulder as a pillow and then just go to sleep. I promise I'll wake you as soon as the doctor shows up or even if someone mentions her name. Ok? But you're about ready to collapse."

Reluctantly Trowa nodded and hesitantly rested his head on Duo's shoulder, curling up into the chair into a more comfortable position. "You don't mind?" he murmured, sleep already reaching toward him.

"Not at all. Brothers are supposed to lend their shoulders, aren't they?" Duo grinned at Trowa but didn't get a response. The emerald-eyed boy had already drifted into a light sleep.

Duo smiled softly to himself and leaned back slowly in the chair, careful not to wake him. Closing his own eyes he sat in the chair quietly, his arms resting at his sides. Silently he hoped it wouldn't be a long wait.

~*~

"Trowa Barton?"

Duo's eyes snapped open from his light doze and he glanced at the tall doctor standing in the doorway with a clipboard in hand. Beside him Trowa also woke up, rubbing his eyes. Immediately he looked toward the doctor, but his face didn't show any panic. It was amazing how much a half an hour of sleep could change someone. With only that much sleep Trowa had dropped back to his normal manner of hiding his emotions and remaining relatively calm. Nodding to the doctor he stood up.

"She's awake, you may see her now."

~*~

Mariemeia sat in the tilted bed, an IV running into her arm beneath a thick set of bandages that covered several stitches. Several other bandages dotted her body under the hospital garbs, speaking of many stitches and cuts, but not too many burns. Her eyes roamed the room silently as she sat there, waiting and looking around. It was odd that none of the cuts or burns really hurt, everything was dulled by drugs, a soft haze floating through her mind. But at least she was ok, right?

She turned her head as the door opened, shining in the bright light from the hallway. It took a few moments for her eyes to focus completely on who walked toward her bed. But when she did recognize him she smiled; though her face protested.

"Hey you," she said softly.

Trowa flashed his own soft smile and sat down in the chair next to her. "You tried to cook yourself dinner didn't you?"

Mariemeia laughed. Her cousin's jokes were so rare, but when he did make them they always made her feel a hundred times better. "Ha ha, you know my cooking isn't that bad. Least it doesn't usually blow up on itself." Her smile wilted and she pulled the covers closer, as if a sudden draft had flowed through the room.

"Mari, what happened?" He asked softly.

"It wasn't an accident."

"What do you mean?"

Her eyes turned to the window on the opposite side of the room, watching the dark twilight sky and the headlights of cars passing by on the wall. She curled closer together, crumpling the sheets between shaking fists. "I saw someone else in the house. I heard the gas leaking, smelled it, and then I saw someone behind me and I heard them light a match."

"Mari-"

"Think about it Trowa! The doctors said the firemen said I caused the explosion by flipping the light switch. But the light switch is no where near the window in the kitchen; it's on the other side of the room near the stove! I couldn't have done that; I would have died almost instantly. Someone else struck a match while I was trying to leave the kitchen. I know it. I saw them."

"You saw them?" Trowa frowned. "Did you see what the person looked like?"

She shook her head sadly. "It's all hazy. I know I saw someone but I can't remember... I can't remember what they looked like. Don't even remember if it's a boy or a girl, just know they were about my height..." She trailed off with a helpless look.

"That's not much to go on."

"I know."

The door to the room opened and the doctor peeked his head in. "Mr. Barton? Visiting hours are over, she needs her rest."

"One more minute."

The doctor nodded and shut the door once more.

"I'm scared, Trowa."

Trowa nodded slowly. Standing up he leaned forward and gave his cousin a small kiss on the forehead, smoothing out her hair. "Don't worry. I swear one of us will be outside for you, at all times. You're going to be safe Mari, don't worry."

"Thank you Trowa."

The door closed behind him and she sighed softly, slipping down further beneath the covers. Closing her eyes she shuddered as she tried to remember the face of that strange shadow standing there and striking the match.

"I wish I could believe you."

~*~

Quatre finished off his eggs from breakfast and walked over to the sink, handing the old woman his plates. She smiled at him and added them to her pile of dirty dishes she was already working through. Without a word he helped her clean up the table and straighten up the rest of the kitchen, there was still time before he had to leave for class, and he always helped her clean up. It was the least he could do to repay her kindness.

The doorbell rang and Quatre quickly rushed to get it before she could bother. He smiled to himself as he headed for the door, he honestly felt like he was at home in the old lady's house. Living at his actual home had always been so strange since his family was so huge. So many sisters not to mention the nannies hired to teach and take care of them. He didn't relish coming from a rich family; it was boring to have everything done for you. He much preferred to take care of his own chores and needs, people waiting on him seemed like a waste.

His smile wilted as he opened the door. Before him he found a very tired looking Duo. Chestnut colored hair was frayed in the loose braid while his shirt was rumpled and his eyes were just slightly unfocused from lack of sleep. Quatre blinked in surprise at his friend. Duo managed a fake-looking grin and a wave.

"Duo! What happened?!"

"Calm down, don't need to worry her." He nodded toward the kitchen where the sounds of washing dishes could be heard. "Just tired, that's all. And got a long couple of stories to tell."

Quatre stepped back and let Duo enter the house. "My room's upstairs. Umm... I take it you need to talk about all of this. I can afford to live without my classes today. Wait for me up there, I'll be up in a second."

Duo flashed a grateful smile and walked up the stairs, the fatigue showing quite plainly in his movements and stance. Quatre pushed aside his worry momentarily and stepped back into the kitchen. The old woman turned to look at him with a quizzical look.

"Is your friend ok?"

For a moment the blond stood stunned, then he laughed. Served him right to assume she couldn't hear things that happened a room away. He should have known better to think so, especially since he'd lived with his uncle so long, and that man had ears and eyes like a hawk.

"Yes, I think. Actually, I'm not sure. I'm gonna talk with him upstairs..."

She took a rag from the shelf and began drying her hands. "All right. If he needs anything you know where most things are. I'm going to head over to Lu's house; we have a shopping date at the store. Take care of your friend." Her watery blue eyes shifted to Quatre's face and she smiled.

"Thanks for understanding."

"Of course. Friends are important, more important then school grades often enough. Just remember, for future notice, that I can hear past ten feet." With a small wink she stepped past him out of the kitchen and headed for the closet and her coat. Quatre chuckled in spite of himself and shook his head. If he didn't know better he would have sworn she was related to his uncle Treize.

Grabbing a couple drinks for the fridge he hurried up the stairs to his room. Pushing open the door he found Duo sitting in a chair by the window, staring out over the street. His gaze was unfocused, his mind obviously on things that couldn't be seen at the moment. Quatre closed the door behind him, letting it slam just slightly so the noise would alert Duo to his presence. He had no intention of scaring his friend.

At the sound of the door shutting Duo sighed and glanced over at Quatre, his eyes focusing. Quatre sat down on the bed across from him and gave a concerned smile, handing him the drink.

"You look like you missed a good night's sleep."

Duo nodded and rubbed his eyes, a sure sigh of trying to stay awake. "Quatre... Mariemeia's in the hospital."

Quatre's eyes widened and his hand went slack, the can of pop sliding out and dropping to the floor, rolling away from them. Quatre shook off the shock in a record amount of time, recovering with a few blinks and a choked breath as he leaned forward and snatched up the can of pop. Setting it up right on the windowsill he watched Duo closely. "The hospital?" He whispered softly. "Wha-how? What happened to her?"

Duo took a deep breath. "I didn't get to talk to her directly, the doctors wouldn't let me see her because she needed rest. But, from what Trowa told me, the gas stove in her house was leaking. Her kitchen exploded and she ended up in the swimming pool in the backyard, cut from head to toe and burned." He shuddered lightly. "I've been with Trowa at the hospital since early this morning."

"Is she going to be all right?"

He nodded slowly. "Doc's said she'd be fine in a few days. The cuts just need to heal up and her burns aren't that bad." He sighed and leaned back in the chair, stretching. "I tried to sleep but couldn't. Trowa's with her at the hospital right now, refuses to leave the bench by her door. So I figured I'd hunt you down and tell you, from what I could tell you guys have become pretty good friends."

"I suppose," Quatre said, his voice sounded hollow to him, he shook his head to try and shake off the odd feelings. "I mean, yeah, she's the first friend I have here, and besides you and a few other people I've met in these last two weeks about the only one." He blinked as something occurred to him. "Wait... how did you find where I lived?"

That question brought a small smirk to Duo's face. "Mari had your address memorized, don't ask me why."

Quatre let out a short, half-forced laugh. It figured she'd memorized his address, where he was staying. It just seemed like something she would do. He opened his mouth to comment when the phone rang out in the hallway.

"Apparently today is the day for interruptions. Hold on, I'll be right back." Quatre stood up and walked into the hallway to pick up the phone. In the back of his mind he registered that Duo stood up and followed him, only to stop and just stand in the doorway patiently waiting. Quatre picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

A deep voice answered with a soft accent, barely noticeable. "Quatre? Are you all right?" The question was urgent, worried and near panic.

Quatre rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm still walking and still talking and last I checked I was still breathing. Thanks for the welcome, uncle, it's nice to hear from you again too." Silently he shook his head and leaned against the wall. It figured his uncle would call just now, what perfect timing especially after Mariemeia's accident... He groaned softly.

"I apologize for sounding like a worried parent-"

Quatre cut him off. "You rat! You have someone here watching me don't you?!" He wasn't nearly as angry or pissed off as he wanted to be. Truth was he completely expected his uncle to have someone else in the city watching him, making sure he stayed safe. It wasn't because his uncle was protective or anything, just that he liked to keep track of things. And Quatre seemed to be one of his favorite things to keep track of, aside from his obsession with ancient myths.

"Can you actually blame me?" Quatre could literally hear the man's smirk.

He shook his head. "No, not really, in fact I suspected you would do this. But that still doesn't mean I'm not ticked about it. Just wish you would have told me."

"Well it's nothing too serious, not like I've got camera on you 24-7, just a few tips here and there of what's going on. And as for the next question in your mind, I heard about Ms. Barton's accident on the news this morning."

"I just found out myself." Quatre's eyes flashed to Duo, who was no longer leaning against the doorframe. "And on that note I've got a friend over here, something important I think."

"As it is I figured you wouldn't be able to talk long, besides you know how I detest phones. I just wanted to make sure you're safe and tell you I'm planning on making a visit up there soon."

"Oh great, now I know you don't trust me." Quatre half-joked.

"Quatre."

"I know, I know. I'll talk to you then, or maybe send you another letter soon. I can't talk right now, have to check on Duo and Mari and all. I'll catch you later."

"Yes, of course. Take care of your friends. And Quatre, make sure you take care of yourself."

Quatre smiled into the phone receiver. "Anyone ever tell you how well you channel my mother?"

"Quite often." Was his response.

Quatre said his good-byes quickly and hung up the phone. Stepping back into his room he found Duo had returned to his place in the chair, gazing out the window once again.

"My uncle, he wanted to make sure everything was all right here."

Duo nodded in response. He took a deep breath and glanced warily at Quatre.

"I need... I need to talk to you about something important. I know I barely know you but I can't talk to Trowa about this and there isn't really anyone else I can..." He trailed off and glanced away.

Concern crossed Quatre's face and he sat back down on the bed. "I swear anything said in this room will not leave this room. You can trust me."

Duo closed his eyes and took another deep breath. "Ok, here goes then."

Silence filled the room as he gathered up his courage and Quatre prepared to be the best listener he could. He'd spent many years of his life being the confidant of his many sisters on a whole world of problems; from lovers to monthly stress to drug problems. But nothing could have prepared him for the bomb Duo dropped at that moment.

"I was the one who set off the explosion at Mari's house."

TBC...

 

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