Boot Camp Part 34
Sorting Things Out
Duo sat on the exam table, swaying slightly with exhaustion.
"I'll try to keep this brief, so you can lie down and rest," Sally said gently.
The boy nodded, wincing at the pain it caused.
The doctor gently unbuttoned his shirt, grimacing at the sight of deep bruises along his rib cage and abdomen. "My God," she breathed in horror.
"Aw--looks worse'n it is," Duo insisted. He carefully shrugged off the filthy garment, and Sally dropped it into a paper bag she'd labeled 'evidence' with a black marker. "Gimme something to eat and a hot shower, and I'll be as good as new."
"You forgot the part about two weeks' bed rest," the doctor said dryly.
"No!" Duo protested. "That'll put the team so far behind, we'll never win the competition." He turned his most appealing gaze on the lady doctor. "Please, doc. A couple of days will be plenty. Honest!"
She raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"I never lie," he said firmly. "Ask Chang. An' I swear I'll be much better in a day or two. I'm a really fast healer."
"We'll see," she sighed, tossing a hospital gown onto his lap. "Put that on. Throw the rest of your clothes in the evidence bag."
He eyed her uneasily from under his bangs. "Doc--I'm not real big on medical exams, y'know. We didn't have access to doctors on L2--except at the orphanage."
She reached out and smoothed back a strand of his messy hair. "I'm sorry, but it's necessary, Duo." She touched his chin with one finger, lifting it so he looked at her. "I'll make this as quick and painless as possible."
Duo nodded unhappily. He didn't want to have to tell the kind doctor details about his time in solitary. But he also didn't see any way around it. He'd have much preferred to keep his mouth shut and seek out his tormentor some dark night for a little private revenge. But he knew both Chang and the doctor could tell from the state of his clothes and his obvious injuries what had happened.
Doctor Po pulled the curtain across the little examination cubicle, but kept up a running monologue as the boy changed. While she wasn't the staff psychologist, she'd worked with enough juvenile inmates to be fairly good at putting them at ease.
"Oh, by the way," she said brightly, while making notes on the chart she'd begun for him. "I heard from the MSC hospital. Your friend Jason is doing much better."
"Jase? Really?" Duo's head popped around the curtain, his eyes wide. "He's okay?"
"More than okay," she assured him with a smile. "The internal injuries weren't severe--so they went ahead and operated on his knee to fix the damaged ligaments. He'll be on crutches for a few weeks, and in physical therapy until he's one hundred percent recovered."
Duo smiled. "That sounds good--a hundred percent."
"It's great," she told him. "I hear he asked about you, too."
The boy's expression dimmed. "Don't tell him--about this--will ya, doc?"
She gave him a stern look. "Medical information is confidential, Duo. Especially in a case like this. I only mentioned Jason's prognosis because I know you were close, and he'd want to share the good news."
Duo quirked a mirthless grin at her. "Yeah, well, bad news doesn't need sharing, does it?"
"Not at all," she sighed. "Are you done changing?"
He nodded reluctantly, and Doctor Po gathered up her clipboard, prepared to carry out the thorough examination Captain Chang had ordered.
~*~
Wufei stopped in at the infirmary about an hour later, having had no luck tracking down the elusive warden. Of course the bastard didn't want to have to explain Maxwell's condition. Bullshit...he wants to talk to his guards and get their stories--lies--straight.
Doctor Po was at her desk, writing down some notes. But she looked up at his arrival.
"How is he?" Wufei asked quietly.
"About as well as you'd expect, under the circumstances." When Wufei glanced questioningly around the empty room, she gestured towards the adjoining one. "He's taking a shower. He could barely stand up, and I'd much rather have him in bed with an i.v., but he said he couldn't stand the stink of that cell on him any more. And who could blame him?" She blinked back tears, but her eyes remained just a little too bright. "So, I put a chair in the shower for him."
Wufei smiled. "That was very nice of you."
"He needed it...the shower. He needs to feel clean again...not that a little soap and water will accomplish that, but it's a start." She sighed, gesturing to the paper bag on her desk. "There's your physical evidence, Chang. And I'll have my report done tomorrow. The lab results might take a few days."
"That's fine," Wufei assured her. "What I'd like to know now is, can Maxwell continue with the boot camp?"
"He seems to want to," the doctor said noncommittally. "I'm not going to make promises, but I think his injuries will heal well enough with a few days of rest. He was right about it looking worse than it was." She frowned slightly. "Nonetheless, I'm prescribing two days of complete bed rest, with i.v. fluids and antibiotics. How he responds to that will determine how soon I'd agree to his returning to his barracks, if I decide he can continue with the boot camp."
Wufei nodded. "What days does Doctor G come here?" he asked, referring to the staff psychologist, who covered several facilities on a rotating basis.
"Wednesdays and Fridays."
"If you could fill him in, I'd appreciate it. I'd like Maxwell to talk to him."
"Of course."
"Oh, and his teammates asked about visiting him."
The doctor shook her head. "Not for at least a couple of days. I think he'll need to sleep, more than anything. And I expect to have to sedate him." At Wufei's raised eyebrow, she continued. "Nightmares, Captain."
He nodded, his face darkening. "Speaking of nightmares, when I get the name of the night guard, I'll see what I can do about becoming his worst one."
Sally chuckled at that. "Let me know what I can do to help."
~*~
Monday morning came all too soon for the boys in Team Wing, and they headed to calisthenics with mixed emotions. While they were disappointed Duo wasn't with them, they were also relieved that he wasn't headed for L2.
Ben, Adam, and Troy were waiting for them at the edge of the exercise yard, concern on their faces."So what's the story on Duo?" Ben asked, speaking for all three.
"Captain Chang said the guard beat him up," Heero replied.
"That seems to happen a lot here," Ben said darkly.
"You think maybe it could have been guards who attacked Jason?" Quatre asked.
Ben shrugged. "I'm starting to wonder." He smiled wryly. "But Norton's team is still my first choice. And I swear, I'll find a way to pay them back, although that punch in the nose you gave Norton was a great start, Winner."
"It was a pleasure," Quatre said with a slightly guilty look.
"Yeah, and it'll be a pleasure to get even for what he did to Jason's knee."
"Count on us if you need help," Quatre said firmly. "After all you did for me yesterday, I owe you."
"We owe you," Heero asserted. He glanced at Quatre. "We're a team, Winner. Yesterday was a perfect example."
Trowa gave a wry snort. "I wasn't much help," he muttered grimly. "Off at the visitor center when you guys needed me...when Duo needed me."
"That's okay," Heero assured him. "Actually, since Kushrenada had to be there for the transfer of ownership on the dog, it kept him distracted too. It did help."
Trowa looked away, swallowing uneasily. "Yeah, whatever."
Quatre's aquamarine eyes narrowed in confusion. Again he was sensing a deep misery in Trowa; and guilt. "Hey, Trowa," he soothed. "Don't feel guilty about having to take care of Nanashi yesterday. That was important too."
"But it shouldn't have been more important than Duo."
"He'd understand," Quatre insisted. "He liked Nanashi, too."
Not that much. Not enough to appreciate being sacrificed for the dog. "Fuck, he didn't deserve any of this!" Trowa blurted out in frustration.
"Don't worry," Heero said firmly. "We'll do a better job of watching each others' backs from now on."
Jason's teammates nodded in agreement. "We'll help, too," Adam piped up. "It looks like the teams that are doing the best are the ones hardest hit, so we may as well band together for safety."
"Sounds good to me," Heero agreed.
~*~
After calisthenics Wufei took Team Wing aside for a moment to tell them Duo would have to spend at least two days in the infirmary without any interruptions or visits, and that afterwards Doctor Po would give them a decision on if and when he could be released.
"But he's going to be okay?" Quatre asked.
"It appears that way."
The blonde smiled widely. "That's good news."
"No visitors?" Heero said quietly, blue eyes intent.
"He needs rest...sleep..." Captain Chang pointed out.
All three team members nodded, but the instant Wufei walked away, Heero turned to the others. "I'll slip out after lights out tonight and pay a visit to the infirmary," he announced unexpectedly.
"Wouldn't it be wiser to follow the doctor's orders?" suggested Trowa.
"Yes, but I want to see for myself how Duo is," Heero said simply. "I trust Chang, but I still want to check on him personally." I need to hear him say he's coming back to the team...that he wants to come back.
Quatre gave a smug little smile. You are so in love, Yuy...even though you hardly realize it yet yourself.
"Stop looking at me like that, Winner," Heero said gruffly, as they headed for the barracks. "It's...creepy."
The blonde Arab chuckled. "Creepy? Did you just say 'creepy'? Man, Duo would have a field day with that!"
The team leader was unable to refrain from smiling himself, knowing that the braided boy would, indeed, take great delight in teasing Heero about using such a word. God, it'd be good to hear Duo's laugh again! On the heels of that thought, Heero wondered how soon he'd hear it. Things had been tense between Duo and him before the river crossing. And while Heero had been missing the other boy desperately, he wasn't even sure that feeling would be reciprocated. For all he knew, Duo might not want anything to do with him.
"Stop with the doubts," Quatre murmured in an undertone, sliding closer to the team leader as they walked. "You're second-guessing yourself, Heero. Don't."
"Just how much can you tell about what's going on in my head, Winner?" Heero demanded uneasily.
Quatre shook his head. "Just feelings, I told you. But when I mentioned Duo, there was all this sudden insecurity and doubt. Don't let it keep you from following your emotions, Heero."
"Hn."
~*~
Wufei finally tracked Kushrenada down at lunchtime, walking into the office unannounced and finding the warden at his desk. "Care to explain why one of your guards beat and raped a juvenile inmate?" he demanded harshly, his anger undiminished from the moment he'd found the boy wrapped in the blanket in solitary.
Kushrenada raised an elegant eyebrow skeptically. "What inmate would that be?"
"You know perfectly well it was Maxwell."
"Ah--there was an incident," shrugged the man carelessly. "I believe when the night shift guard went in to empty the commode, the boy attacked him--threw the bucket at him--"
"I don't care if Maxwell emptied the goddamned crap bucket over his head!" snarled Wufei. "That doesn't give the guard leave to beat him unconscious and rape him!"
"Is that what Maxwell claimed?"
"It's what Doctor Po and I pieced together from the evidence at hand and what little a traumatized child was willing to tell us!" His dark eyes were flint hard. "I'll have the name of the guard on duty, and whoever else was monitoring solitary while Maxwell was there."
"That's not your concern--"
"I'll have the name, or I'll have the entire Prison Review Board down here within the hour!"
Kushrenada scowled deeply at the threat. "Fine, Chang--have the damned name!" He scribbled it across a piece of paper and tossed it onto his desk. "Believe a lying little piece of L2 street trash over a twenty-year veteran prison guard."
"I believe a licensed physician and my own two eyes," Wufei growled in reply. "I don't care how much you hate Maxwell--if you'd seen that beaten, bloodied little boy huddled in a blanket on the floor of that filthy cell--" His voice nearly broke, and he swallowed hard to compose himself. "You can say goodbye to your twenty-year veteran. He'll be headed for prison himself once I get through with him." He leaned across the desk. "And if I find that he was acting under any kind of orders--"
The warden stood up sharply. "Don't you dare stand here in my own office and accuse me, Chang! I'll have your Captain's bars for that!"
"If they'd take them away for my speaking the truth, then they weren't worth having in the first place!" Wufei glared. "This isn't over." He took the scrap of paper and stalked out to track down the brutal guard before Kushrenada could even think of trying to warn him or hide him.
~*~
It was just past lights out when Heero made ready to slip out to see Duo.
"You sure about this?" Quatre asked quietly. "You could get into big trouble. They've increased security since Duo and I snuck out that time."
"Duo needs to see one of us in person," Heero asserted. "Regardless of the doctor's orders, and regardless of security."
Trowa was at the window, watching the shift change at the guard tower. "They're just about done, Yuy. As soon as the new guys move off to do the perimeter check, you should have a fifteen-minute window."
Heero smiled grimly, sliding the window open; it was still the preferred way to slip out unseen. The door was much too obvious. He was about to ask Quatre to wish him luck, when he recalled saying those exact words to Duo just before rappelling down the cliff. He also recalled the instant blush they had brought to Duo's face, and wondered what he'd find in the infirmary. The thought that someone had harmed his beautiful, boisterous teammate made his blood boil. And if he ever found out who it was, he vowed he'd pay them back with interest.
"Back in fifteen," he hissed in an undertone, climbing through the window and dropping to the ground.
It was a simple matter for the stealthy boy to make his way to the infirmary and climb in a window that had carelessly been left ajar. Then he padded silently through the building, following the sound of a monitoring machine to the room where Duo was resting.
He fully intended to pick the lock on the filing cabinet and read the doctor's report first, but was momentarily sidetracked by the sight of the braided boy sleeping in a hospital bed, i.v. tubes running to his arm, and a monitor steadily beeping beside him.
Cursing under his breath, Heero moved over to the bed, looking down at the bruised face, and barely refraining from reaching to brush the untidy bangs off the pale forehead.
He wasn't sure what he'd expected, but he was unprepared for the reality of seeing Duo in such bad shape. His throat constricted with emotion, and he blinked his stinging eyes. For Christ's sake...who could do this to such a beautiful boy? Almost of its own volition, his hand moved to stroke lightly down the braid that hung over the edge of the bed.
Then he went to the filing cabinet and deftly picked the lock, hoping the medical report would contradict what logic told him must have happened. It didn't, and after reading the report, he couldn't refrain from going back to Duo's side and this time he did brush the hair from his forehead and place a very brief, very gentle kiss on it.
~*~
Duo awakened sharply, tried to sit up, and drew a hissing breath of pain. "Ah, shit."
"Shh," came a soothing voice close to his ear.
The braided youth turned his head quickly, eyes wide with alarm, to find himself staring into the deep blue eyes of Heero Yuy. He blinked stupidly, wondering if he was dreaming.
"I can only stay a few minutes. They'll be back for a bed-check at the barracks in ten."
"Heero?" Duo's voice was hoarse with pain, and he dropped his head back onto the pillow, closing his eyes. "What're you doing here?"
"Wufei couldn't get the doctor to issue a visitor pass, so this was the only way I could come see you."
"But why?" Duo persisted in a whisper.
When there was no response, Duo turned his head to see Heero regarding him with a strange expression. He narrowed his indigo eyes, trying to see beyond the tough exterior and identify the emotion in those blue eyes. If he didn't know better, he'd almost think it was...worry? Affection? He blinked again, wearily.
"C'mon, Yuy. Spit it out. Why'd you come?" he demanded.
"I wanted to know if you're going to recover soon enough to rejoin the team," Heero said at last. "What's your status?"
"Y'mean how bad did he mess me up?" Duo asked bitterly. He turned his face away. "I just got the shit kicked out of me, okay? I'll be out of here in two days, if I can convince Doc Po that I'm strong enough."
"Do it," Heero said firmly.
Duo shot him a narrow look. "For the good of the team, Yuy? Is that it?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, is that the only reason you want me back on my feet? To help you win your precious competition?"
Heero hesitated, conflicting emotions running across his face so fast Duo couldn't begin to identify them. "Well, why not?" he asked finally. "Don't you want to prove to Kushrenada that we're better than this place?"
Duo looked up at the ceiling. "Yuy...the only one I want to prove anything to is..." He stopped, biting back whatever he might have said. "Ah, never mind. Just tell Quat and Tro' I'll be out of here in two days...no matter what."
"Good." Heero reached out and gave a light squeeze to Duo's shoulder, and the braided boy closed his eyes, trying not to read too much into the gesture. "See you in two." Then Heero slipped out the door, exiting the building as silently as he'd come in.
Duo muttered a curse, realizing he'd forgotten all about thanking Heero for finding the evidence to clear him. But that thought slipped to the back of his mind as he couldn't forget the feeling of that warm hand on his shoulder. The reassuring gesture provided enough comfort that it lulled him back to sleep.
~*~
Heero made it back to the barracks and slipped inside to find Quatre and Trowa waiting for him.
"How is he?" demanded the blue-eyed boy.
"He says he'll be out in a couple of days. He's...okay."
"What's that mean?" Quatre wondered. "What did they do to him?"
"He says he got 'the shit kicked out of' him." Heero shrugged. He didn't quite look at Quatre, but walked over to his bunk, sinking wearily onto the edge. "C'mon...we all need to get some sleep."
Trowa waited until Quatre went into the bathroom, and walked over to Heero, taking a seat next to him on his bunk. "What did the medical chart say?" His tone was casual, but the intent was clear.
Heero put a hand to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose as if his head hurt. "What makes you think I looked at it?"
Trowa gave a derisive snort. "I know you, Yuy. You looked." Heero flinched as he felt a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon, Heero. Spill it."
"Well what do you think?" Heero muttered bitterly, rubbing his forehead with his knuckles. "A dumbass guard alone with Duo...pissed off enough to beat him unconscious. Y'suppose he'd stop there?"
"Shit." Trowa leaned his elbows on his knees, wearily resting his face in his hands.
"Yeah," Heero agreed. He stood up, pulling off his shirt in preparation for bed. "I meant it, Trowa. We need sleep. We're going to have to be ready to help Duo make it through the rest of the competition...without him realizing we're helping. You know how proud he is."
Trowa nodded, giving Heero a long, assessing look. A faint smirk twitched the corner of his mouth.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Heero narrowed his eyes. "What?"
Trowa shook his head, the smirk spreading into a mysterious smile. Even without empathic abilities, he could sense the attachment Heero felt for the braided boy. "G'night, Yuy." He got up and walked over to the bathroom door as Quatre came out and headed for bed.
Quatre gave both boys a long, pensive look before throwing himself onto his bunk and wrapping up in his blankets.
~*~
Five a.m. found the boys rolling out of bed and hurrying through their morning routine and calisthenics. Afterwards, they grabbed their things and headed for the showers in their usual group...safety in numbers.
No sooner had they stepped into the locker room than Austin and his three teammates sauntered over.
"Hey, Yuy...you seem to be short one man," sneered the ringleader of the troublemakers.
Heero shot him a deadly glare, but kept stowing his things in his locker.
"Oh, wait...I mean you're short one girl," Austin amended his previous comment. "I hear the long-haired freak ended up in solitary."
"Your information's a little outdated. He's out of solitary and in the infirmary."
"So he managed to weasel his way out of trouble even after he sabotaged his own team."
Quatre had had about enough. "Screw you, Pritchard. You probably had something to do with all that."
Austin feigned surprise. "Me? I wish I had. Face it, Maxwell can't be trusted. He's L2 scum and always will be."
Quatre launched himself at the bigger boy, but Trowa caught him around the waist, pulling him back and spinning him around to pin him against the lockers. "Stop, Quatre! It's what he wants. Lay a hand on him and you'll be thrown off the team!"
"He can't talk about Duo like that!" Quatre insisted, blue eyes pained. "You know it was probably his team that cut the rope and set Duo up!"
"It could have been anyone," Trowa said tautly.
"Could have," Austin sneered. "Or it could have just been his L2 upbringing. Either way, he finally got what he deserved," he added with a smug smile.
Before Austin could move, Heero was on him, bearing him to the tiled floor and shaking him like a terrier with a rat, slamming his head against the lockers repeatedly. "--what he deserved? You motherfucking sonofabitch! D'you know what happened to Duo in solitary? Do you?!"
Trowa released Quatre and went after Heero, trying to pull him off the startled thug. Austin's three buddies were closing in fast, and other inmates were gathering to gawk. "Let him go, Heero!" Trowa hissed, grabbing his team leader's arms and hauling him forcefully away from his dazed victim.
"I'll kill the bastard!" Heero swore icily. "I'll fucking kill him!"
Austin scrambled back, eyes wild. "Jesus! He's a maniac! Get him the hell away from me!" For once the bully actually looked terrified, perhaps seeing in Heero's blue eyes the promise of vengeance. "What the fuck--? I was just joking."
Trowa leaned closer to Austin as Quatre caught hold of one of Heero's flailing arms and dragged him further back. "One of the fucking guards raped Maxwell, Pritchard!" he snarled in a vicious undertone, his expression every bit as deadly as Heero's had been. "You find something funny in that, and I'll kill you myself." He pulled away and helped Quatre drag Heero around a corner, behind the row of lockers.
Austin and his friends withdrew hastily, casting wary looks over their shoulders as they fled the locker room, showers forgotten.
Heero was shaking like a leaf, hands clenched in fury. "Let me go, Quatre! Trowa, let me finish the goddamned bastard!"
"No!" Trowa snapped sharply, looking like he might slap some sense into Heero, if the other boy didn't calm down. "That won't help Duo. And it won't win us the competition, will it?"
"But he-- What he said--" Heero panted, slumping back against the lockers and closing his eyes. "Ah, fuck!"
Quatre's blue eyes were brimming with sympathy. "Trowa's right, Heero. Hurting Austin won't do any good. You'll just end up in prison, and the rest of us will be here without a leader. Duo will be here without you."
At Duo's name, Heero's eyes snapped open, and a sort of resignation settled on his features. "You--you're right," he conceded, shoulders slumping. "I'm...you can let go of me now...I won't..."
Trowa exchanged a long look with Quatre, and gave him a fleeting smile, knowing he'd known just how to get Heero back under control. "Don't worry, Yuy. We'll pay 'em back, with interest."
"I'd rather pay back the goddamned guard!" Heero snarled, realizing his anger and frustration had been misplaced.
Trowa glanced at Quatre, but there was no sign the blue-eyed kid knew there'd been more than a beating involved. And Trowa didn't really want the sweet boy from L4 to know the extent of Duo's trauma. The fact that Duo hadn't outright told Heero, and Heero hadn't told the others convinced Trowa it was better left unsaid. In fact, he was regretting having blurted it out to Austin, but he'd wanted the bully to know how deadly his threat really was. He might have been a pathetic excuse for a friend and teammate, but he was determined to atone for it by making sure Duo never got hurt like that again, by anyone. It wouldn't even the score, but at least it was a step in the right direction.
Austin and his teammates carefully avoided Team Wing the remainder of the day, sitting at the opposite end of the mess hall during meals, and at the farthest end of the bleachers during outdoor activities. Other than a few apprehensive glances, they didn't acknowledge their existence.
~*~
After supper, Heero left his teammates at the barracks and took a stroll over to Captain Chang's office on his own. When his knock was answered, he stepped inside, closing the door behind him, and walking over to stand before the Chinese officer's desk.
"Something on your mind, Yuy?" Wufei asked wearily.
"I want to know who raped Duo," Heero said flatly.
Wufei looked up sharply. "How did you--?" His forehead creased in a scowl. "You snuck into the infirmary last night, didn't you?"
Heero nodded.
"I find it hard to believe Maxwell told you what happened, considering how reluctant he was to discuss it with the doctor." His dark eyes narrowed. "So you broke curfew, broke into the infirmary, and into sealed medical files."
"So go ahead and ship me out--right after you tell me who did that to Duo."
"It's been taken care of, Yuy."
"How?"
"I've got the guilty one in custody. I expect to have a confession shortly. There's more than ample evidence."
Heero scowled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Damn it, 'Fei..."
"I know," said the officer, his tone softening. "I know..."
"How--how's Duo?"
"You read the file. You saw him..."
"I know. But you know what I mean. He says he'll be fine, but..."
"And he will be," said the officer firmly. "As I've said before, he's a street kid--he's tough--resilient."
"Bullshit," muttered Heero. "You don't know him like I do, Chang. He's got a heart of gold under that smartass exterior." His blue eyes were intense. "He can be hurt."
"And he was," Wufei countered. "I won't deny that. But trust in his strength--he'll get through this." He frowned at his friend, dark eyes concerned. "How about you?"
"Me?"
"This must bring up a lot of unpleasant memories for you, Yuy."
"This isn't about me," Heero said quickly, scowling.
"No, but since Duo's your teammate...and friend...it's bound to affect you."
"It already has."
Wufei eyed him appraisingly. "It might be a good thing that you're Duo's team leader. You're in a unique position to understand what he's feeling. I think you could help him get through this, if you've laid enough of your own demons to rest."
"I did that the day I put Odin in the hospital," Heero said with a grim smile. His blue eyes went cold. "I don't suppose you'd share that guard's name with me after all?"
"Not a chance in Hell." Wufei said with his own grim smile. "He's all mine, Yuy."
TBC...
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