Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Equinity ❯ Chapter 12 ( Chapter 12 )

Disclaimer: I don't own the G boys, I just borrow them from time to time and return them a whole lot happier, ne?

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Sap, angst, yaoi, Lemon, AU, OOC

Pairing: 2x1

Summary: Heero is a successful up and coming Showjumping rider with his promising new horse Zero. A fall at a show renders the animal injured and it is up to Duo Maxwell the new vet to treat the horse.

Dedication: To Klingonpoodle who gave me the plot bunny for this fic. *huggles* This one's for you hun!

Many thanks to my betas Yami_Tai and Ryouga.

Archive: http://gundam-wing-diaries.150m.com

http://sweetlysour.net.

http://adultfanfiction.net

http://www.theforsakenwk.com

http://www.templeofthegoddess.com/files/gwyaoi.html

Notes: All the information on showjumping, horses, etc is taken from my own knowledge of the sport having been a competitor and now judge for many years and is written from an Australian perspective. The rules and regulations are courtesy of the E.F.A Handbook. (Equestrian Federation of Australia) Should you have any questions just e-mail me.

Many thanks to Yami_tai for the title! *hugs*

" Equinity "

October 2004 ShenLong

Chapter 12

Heero awoke and turned to face the clock, wondering why the alarm hadn't gone off and then he remembered he hadn't set it. There wasn't any need considering he didn't have a job anymore. He sighed and rolled into a more comfortable position, staring at nothing as he contemplated the day ahead and planning out the best way to tackle the various tasks that awaited his attention. He would need to contact Mr. Browning and let him know what had happened at the branch, then he could contact the accountancy board. Once that was out of the way he guessed he'd better get the paper and go through the employment column to see about getting another job. Before he did anything though, he needed the bathroom, and urgently.

Returning to his bedroom a few minutes later, Heero tugged the sheets and blankets back up, making the bed as best he could with only one arm. Dressing himself was the next obstacle, luckily his jeans decided to be cooperative for a change. He opted for a tank top for the moment, he could try for something a little more adventurous later when he went out. Boiling the kettle in the kitchen he was pleased he'd at least remembered to buy some milk on his way home last night. There was nothing worse than black tea or coffee.

Gazing out at the stable and paddock, Heero's heart gave a little tug. He missed Zero. So used to seeing the familiar gray face hanging over the stable door or grazing in the paddock, the place looked lost without the four legged resident. Heero sighed. He would have to remember to pick up all his gear from Duo's later and bring it home. He hadn't checked the state of his saddle or anything else for that matter since his fall, so he could only hope that all the gear was intact.

Finishing off his tea, the mug went into the sink and Heero headed for his lounge room to make the necessary 'phone calls; no point in putting it off any longer.

Half an hour later he replaced the receiver into the cradle and ran his fingers through his hair, which incidentally was still rather ripe with sweat as he hadn't been able to wash it properly since his fall, but although Duo had offered to do it for him it seemed that the young vet had forgotten about it too and Heero didn't want to remind him in case Duo thought he was being a little too forward.

He made himself a strong coffee before tackling the next call. He'd spoken to Mr. Browning, not at all surprised to find that Donaldson had already been on the 'phone to him with his side of the story. Heero patiently went through the entire process again, answering Mr. Browning's questions and giving his side of the incident. He also informed the man that he had the entire conversation recorded and would be only too happy to supply Mr. Browning with a copy of it. When Heero mentioned about taking his case to the accountancy board, Mr. Browning was a little shocked at first, but after Heero explained a few home truths about the manager in charge of the branch, Mr. Browning could see exactly why Heero felt compelled to take such drastic action. Heero had apologized for his own retaliation to Donaldson's goading and constant jibes, making no effort to try and hide behind excuses for his behavior, but he also made it clear that he wasn't about to sit back and let the manager get away with his atrocious manner towards the employees.

Mr. Browning had promised a full investigation into the matter pending the recorded evidence from Heero and would keep Heero informed of the developments as they occurred. Sighing softly, Heero picked up the 'phone again and dialed the number of the accountancy board. After wading through the automated answering service and listening to some pretty crappy and outdated music, Heero finally got to talk to someone 'real' and not a recording. He outlined the reason for his call and after being transferred yet again through two different sections he was finally able to speak with someone who could handle his inquiry. Another fifteen minutes passed, not all of them pleasant but Heero was at last satisfied that he'd managed to make his point and get some action. Duly noting down the name of the person he'd spoken to for future reference and with the assurances that the respective forms he'd need to fill out and lodge in regards to his complaint would be put in the mail 'today', Heero hung up. He took his used mug through to the kitchen and rinsed it out. Time was progressing and he needed to get showered and changed for his doctor's appointment.

Half an hour later, dressed in gray slacks and white tee, Heero was driving through the small town towards the doctor's surgery. He'd remembered to bring along the x-rays from the hospital as well as the report as he'd been instructed to do. The hospital had notified his GP of his visit to them and arranged the appointment for him, now all he had to do was attend and see how his shoulder was progressing. Heero hoped that all was going well and that his arm could be unbound. He was really missing having the use of it.

He pulled into the surgery car park and picking up the 'films', went inside. He didn't have to wait long, Doctor Bennet calling him through pretty quickly.

"Ahh, Heero. What have you been up to?" the doctor asked as he motioned for Heero to take a seat and shut the door behind them.

Heero handed over the report and 'films'. "I took a fall from my horse at the show on Sunday. The hospital diagnosed concussion and a fractured shoulder. It should all be in the report."

"Hmmm." Doctor Bennet took the folder from Heero and removed the report, scanning it quickly before removing the x-rays and holding them up to the light. "You sure know how to do a good job of things, Heero," he stated as he studied the x-rays. "Nice little hairline fracture you have going there and some pulled muscles as well, I don't doubt. Still, you're pretty lucky, it could have fractured through completely and then that would probably have meant surgery to pin and plate the bone." The doctor turned his attention back to the patient. "How is the medication suiting?"

"Fine. The anti inflammatories help with the ache and the pain killers work effectively."

"Good. Let's take a look then, shall we?" The doctor stood and moved around to where Heero sat attempting to remove his tee with only one hand. "Need some help?"

"Please."

The doctor took a hold of the hem and pulled the T-shirt carefully over Heero's torso and head before examining the strapping. "This may hurt just a little as I start to unravel it but once I have it started it shouldn't hurt at all."

"Okay." Heero grit his teeth in preparation.

Doctor Bennet carefully pulled at the elastoplast [1] that held the end of the strapping in place, peeling it back as gently as he could and trying to exert as little pressure as possible onto Heero's injury. Gradually the sticky plaster bandage yielded and gave way to the strapping and the doctor was able to remove the rest with ease. He gave a low whistle through his teeth as he inspected the skin and surrounding tissues. "Nice coloring," he said with a chuckle and began to probe the area gently. "Tell me if this hurts and if so, on a scale of one to ten, how badly; one being the lowest and ten the highest."

Heero nodded and waited patiently as the doctor ran his skilled fingers over the injured area. He gave a couple of winces from time to time, muttering out a five and seven when the doctor touched a particularly sensitive spot. Finally the doctor was finished and sat back down, studying Heero.

"There is still quite a bit of swelling there and that's to be expected. The bruising is coming out and fortunately there doesn't appear to be any ligament or tendon damage that I can tell. I'd say pulled muscles definitely, which will take time to heal."

"Do I have to keep it strapped like it was?" Heero asked.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Damn!"

Look, I'll modify the strapping a little for you and only wrap the shoulder, your arm can go in a sling for now but that is where it must stay. You start using that arm and it will take twice as long for the bone and muscles to heal; understood?"

"Hai, I understand." Anything would be better than having his arm strapped against his chest.

"If I find out that you've been using the arm at all then I will not hesitate to strap it back to your chest on your next visit. Believe me, I'll know if you've been using it or not, so don't even think about trying to be sneaky, I know you, Heero, and I know what you're likely to get up to," stated the doctor with a mock glare.

"I promise to do as I'm told," sighed Heero and resigned himself to having his arm free but still unable to be used.

"Good. I just need to check your pupils and take your blood pressure, then I'll re-strap you and see about this medication." The doctor pulled out his little flashlight and shone it across Heero's eyes, watching the pupils react. "Any headaches, nausea, dizziness, loss of sight?"

"No, nothing."

"That's good to hear." The doctor moved across the room to the cabinet that held his supplies and removed a couple of bandages, sling and more elastoplast. "Let's get this strapped again."

Heero suffered quietly as the doctor wound the bandages around his shoulder and chest, effectively immobilizing his shoulder. Once done he assisted Heero back into his tee and set the sling around his neck, securing the arm inside.

"Comfortable?"

"Yes, thank you." Heero found he was unable to move his shoulder but having his arm free, even if the amount of mobility was severely restricted, was much better than having it strapped to his chest.

"I'm going to give you a repeat 'script for the anti inflammatories, continue to take them as you are. The pain killers I'll reduce the dosage and strength of, seeing as how the injury is beginning to settle and heal. I'll need to see you again in three days to change the strapping unless anything happens in the meantime," the doctor said and handed over the prescriptions. "Take care and remember, don't go using that arm."

"Thank you, doctor, I'll be very careful and not use the arm."

"And no riding that horse for at least six weeks."

"I'll be lucky to be riding him in six months," muttered Heero.

"Oh? Was he injured too?"

Heero quickly gave the doctor a condensed version of Zero's injury.

"That's really bad luck, Heero. I'm sorry to hear that your horse was injured as well. I hope that this vet you have treating him can fix the problem for you."

"I'm sure he will," replied Heero, his voice softening as he thought of Duo. "I'll see you in three days, thanks, doc."

"You take care, Heero and make sure to rest that shoulder. Oh, I almost forgot. Do you need a sick note for work? I can write you one out if you do."

"That won't be necessary, I... I don't have a job at the moment."

The doctor frowned but didn't push the topic. "All right then. I'll see you in three days."

Heero left the doctor's room and went back to the receptionist to make his next appointment and pay the bill.

***

Traveling home from the doctor's surgery, Heero made a stop in the town center to pick up some groceries. Walking down the aisle of the supermarket he tried to think of something he could take to Duo's for dinner that wouldn't take much to cook and that they'd both enjoy. Finally he decided to cheat a little and settled upon some chicken breast, pasta and a packet of pasta sauce. Remembering his alcoholic state from the previous day he skipped buying a bottle of wine, instead he decided to buy a bottle of non alcoholic wine instead. Knowing that Duo was pretty much 'on call' twenty four hours, it made sense that the vet wouldn't indulge very often. He paused at the frozen foods section and on impulse grabbed a frozen cheesecake from the freezer, adding it to the chicken, pasta and sauce in the basket. Purchases complete, Heero loaded the groceries into the car and then went into the small newsagency to purchase the local paper.

Once again sitting in the lounge room of his home, groceries put away, Heero had the 'phone by his side as he went through the 'Situations Vacant' column in the local rag. He placed a circle around a couple of ads then picked up the 'phone and dialed the number. The first place he rang thanked him for his inquiry but they were no longer taking applicants, having already gotten more than enough and now scheduling interviews. With a growl, Heero hit the button to disconnect and then tried the next ad he'd circled. This time he had a little more luck. Although the place was a couple of villages over and roughly half an hour driving time, Heero didn't mind. A job was a job after all and he needed one. Speaking with the receptionist he was penciled in for an interview the following day. After obtaining the details such as address, Heero hung up feeling a little happier. The only other position advertised that he would be suitably qualified for was in the larger city, a good hour's drive away. That was too far for Heero, given that he had his horse to consider as well. Deciding to leave the job hunting for now, Heero checked the time, surprised to see it was already two o'clock.

Tidying up quickly he grabbed the groceries from the 'fridge, checked that the house was locked and secure, then went out to the car and prepared to drive to Duo's. He had a horse to visit and a computer to sort out.

***

Duo's morning had passed pretty uneventfully. He'd attended to Zero, noting that the horse was beginning to move a little better. The limp was still there but not as pronounced and Duo thought he could probably put the animal in the paddock for an hour or two that afternoon. As long as Zero didn't try to go galloping around then there shouldn't be any reason why he couldn't go out for a bit of a green pick.

Morning surgery had flown by, the waiting room having a steady stream of clients pass through and Duo found himself a little pushed to keep up with it all, especially with the computer being down. He'd really need to take a good look at hiring someone to act as a receptionist if the business continued to grow at this rate. Running a hand over his tired face he shuffled all the paperwork together and placed it in a pile. He really needed to sort it out but right now he couldn't be bothered. Once the computer was up and running again he'd no doubt have to spend ages loading it all onto the hard drive, that's assuming the machine did work again and hadn't completely eaten all his files.

Turning the sign around to 'closed', Duo locked the surgery door and went back into the consulting room to sweep the floor and wipe down the small table. He loaded all the instruments he'd used that morning into the autoclave and set the machine on to sterilize the items. They should be done and cooled down by the time he returned for evening consults. He didn't have anything booked in surgery-wise that afternoon and the only call he had scheduled was back at Mr. Fenwick's farm and the cow with mastitis. He hadn't heard anything from the farmer so he assumed that the cow was making a good recovery.

Heading back to the house he decided to go straight out to see the cow and have lunch when he returned. After lunch he would be able to put Zero in the paddock for a bit and keep an eye on him before he needed to get ready for the evening consults. Pouring himself a glass of orange juice and drinking it down, he wondered how Heero was getting on today. His mind continued to think about the other man as he drove towards the farm, wondering if Heero had had any luck with the bigger boss and accountancy board. His mind switched tracks; Heero had mentioned having a doctor's appointment today as well, hopefully that would all go okay. Pushing all thoughts of Heero from his mind, Duo turned the car along the track that led to the Fenwick farm and pulled to a halt beside the barn. The barking of the sheepdog greeted him as he got out of the car and looked around for the farmer. Unable to spot the man, Duo went to the farmhouse and knocked on the door. Mrs. Fenwick greeted him.

"Ahh, Mr Maxwell, Joe said you'd be droppin' by. I'm afraid he's out down the bottom pasture fixing the fence but the cow is in the barn if you want to see her," the portly woman said with a smile.

"Thanks, Mrs. Fenwick. I take it she's much better now?"

"Aye, she is."

"Good. I'll go check her and give her a second shot if she needs it."

"Okay. If you need anything just knock, I'm in the middle of baking otherwise I'd come and give you a hand."

"I'll be fine, Mrs. Fenwick. I'll call back once I've seen the cow and let you know exactly how she's doing." Duo turned and made his way across the farm yard to the barn. Stepping inside his nostrils were greeted with the sweet bovine smell. Only one cow stood in a stall to the end of the barn, the rest were out in the paddocks. Quickly Duo strode up to the cow, talking softly to the animal. He scratched her at the root of her tail before sliding a hand down her flank and underneath to the udder. Gently he massaged and manipulated the organ, pleased to feel that a lot of the heat and tenderness of the previous day had gone. "I think we will give you one more shot just to be safe, hey girl?"

The cow regarded him with placid eyes as she chewed her cud.

Duo went back to the car and filled the syringe with the antibiotic. Picking up a swab he returned to the bovine and cleaned the area around the vein in her neck then slipped the needle in and depressed the plunger. The medicine flowed into the animal's circulatory system and Duo swabbed the area again before leaving the animal in peace. Tossing the used items into the various containers in the trunk, Duo closed the trunk and went back to the farmhouse to report to Mrs. Fenwick.

"She's a lot better, Mrs. Fenwick. The udder isn't as swollen and most of the heat has gone. I've given her another injection just to be safe but she should be fully recovered in a day or two. I don't need to see her again unless anything drastic should happen," Duo told the farmer's wife.

"Thanks for that, Mr. Maxwell."

"You're welcome. Tell Mr. Fenwick I said hello."

"Would you like to come in and have a cup of tea? I've just taken a batch of scones out of the oven too," replied the woman.

"I'd love to, but I can't, Mrs. Fenwick. I've got a horse back at the surgery that I need to treat so maybe some other time. Thanks for asking me though."

"Hang on a sec then," the woman said and disappeared into the kitchen. She returned a moment later with a small parcel in her hands. "Here, take some home with you and have them for afternoon tea or something. You look like you could do with some meat putting on your bones." The farmer's wife pressed the warm parcel into Duo's hands.

"Thank you, Mrs. Fenwick, that's extremely kind of you. I'll make sure to have them this afternoon."

"You're welcome, young man. Thank you again for seeing to the cow."

"My pleasure." Carefully carrying the warm scones, Duo returned to his car and back to the surgery, the smell of the baking teasing his nostrils and causing his stomach to growl and remind him that he hadn't had lunch yet. Parking the car, Duo took the scones inside and placed them on the kitchen bench. He quickly made himself a sandwich and was about to head outside with it to see Zero when he saw Heero pulling into the back of the property. His heart skipped a beat and a warmth flooded his system as he watched the man get out of the car. A smile graced his lips as he noted the sling. At least that was a step in the right direction. Still eating his sandwich, Duo opened the back door and stepped out to greet the other man.

"Hey, Heero."

Heero's breath hitched and a smile found its way to his face as he heard Duo's greeting. His eyes looked up from where he was getting the bag of groceries out of the car. "How are you, Duo?"

"I'm okay, what about you? I take it you've been to see your doctor?" Duo nodded at the sling as he walked towards the man.

"Yeah, I went earlier and he seems happy with the shoulder so far. He said I could keep the arm free as long as I don't use it, hence the sling." Heero turned and faced the vet, his blue eyes softened as he stepped closer and leaned in to steal a kiss.

Closing his eyes briefly, Duo let himself be taken by the feeling of Heero's lips against his own, finally returning the kiss with a gentle passion. "Mmmm... I like your kind of greeting, Heero," he said softly as they broke apart.

Heero gave him a warm smile. "I brought dinner. I hope that chicken and pasta will be okay. I also brought a bottle of non alcoholic wine."

Duo chuckled at that. "Chicken and pasta is fine, Heero. So is the wine. Here, let me give you a hand to carry the stuff inside. I was about to go and check on Zero and pop him in the paddock for an hour or so."

"Is his leg okay enough for that?"

"He should be fine, Heero. It will probably do him the world of good to have a green pick for an hour or two. For an animal that's so fit and used to being on the move, he's getting rather bored being confined to the stable all the time. Besides, I don't want him 'tying up' [2] either. No, he should be okay for an hour or so."

"You're the vet so I guess you should know what's best," replied Heero as he followed Duo towards the house.

"Yup, that I am so you'd better listen to the doctor's orders," quipped Duo as he placed the bag of groceries on the kitchen table and swallowed the last of his sandwich.

Heero sidled up behind Duo and pressed his body against the back of the vet, reaching around with his good arm and pulling Duo flush against him. Leaning his head into the crook of Duo's neck he nuzzled at the soft skin. "Anything else that the doctor ordered that I should be aware of?"

"Mmmm..." Duo tilted his head to allow Heero better access to his skin. "Gimme a couple of minutes and I'm sure I can think of something."

Laughing softly against the smooth skin, Heero began to feather kisses against the sweet flesh, enjoying the taste of Duo against his lips.

Duo melted into the affectionate caresses, his eyes slipped shut in pleasure and his breathing increased slightly. He could feel the hard planes of Heero's body pressed against his back and the subtle bulge resting against his backside. He moaned as his body began to respond.

Heero continued his oral worship whilst bringing his hand up to rub against Duo's chest through the fabric of the man's shirt. He gently palmed across Duo's right nipple, feeling rather than hearing the sharp intake of breath. Pleased with the reaction he was getting, Heero continued to slide his hand over Duo's chest, teasing the nipples subtly through the cloth.

"Ohh, gods, Heero," groaned Duo.

"Nice?" asked Heero in-between kisses.

"Deliciously so," came the husky reply.

Heero decided to press his luck a little further and slowly moved his hand in circles over Duo's chest and down towards his abdomen. He could feel the shiver of the muscles beneath his palm as he grazed against the cloth of Duo's shirt; feeling the increase in the pulse against his lips, as he continued to suckle lightly at Duo's throat. Reaching the waistband of Duo's slacks, he hesitated for a moment and then lightly ghosted his hand over the bulge that was appearing at Duo's groin. The touch was brief, just a mere brush against the hardening organ, but it was enough to let Heero know that Duo's body appreciated his caresses and judging by the reaction, Duo certainly had a nice package hidden under those slacks. He gently brushed against Duo's groin again before once more resuming his caress of Duo's chest.

"Ahhh..." moaned Duo softly and he pressed himself further back against Heero's hard body. The teasing touch across his half hard cock tormented him. When Heero's hand returned for a second evaluation of his groin it was all he could do to stop himself from thrusting his hips forward for more. Part of him wanted Heero to touch him, to reach inside his pants and stroke his eager flesh and yet the other part of him screamed 'caution'! Being a virgin still and having had limited experience with the whole sex thing, Duo was understandably scared. The way his body responded to Heero had him frightened that he would completely lose control and end up doing something he regretted. Desperately he tried to call his libido back to heel. Fortunately for Duo, Heero's hand didn't return for a third caress but moved back towards his chest.

Heero could sense that whilst Duo appeared to be enjoying his touches, he was still hesitant. Heero hadn't had all that much experience himself in the sex side of things and was working purely on instinct. Right now, his instinct was telling him to back off otherwise he would do something to make Duo uncomfortable; and that was the last thing Heero wanted. He needed to let Duo know that he cared about the vet, that he wanted more from this relationship than a bed partner. With one more brush over Duo's nipple, Heero pressed a kiss to the nape of Duo's neck and then let the young vet out of his grasp. He stepped back a little to give Duo some room as well as a moment to gather his composure, not to mention his own.

Clawing his sanity back, Duo took a couple of deep breaths and calmed himself. The touches had been nice, welcomed even, but Duo was relieved to see that Heero didn't press the situation, that the Asian man had teased him a little but was obviously enough in control of himself to know when to stop. Duo appreciated that, it told him that whilst Heero wanted and desired him, he wasn't going to push him. Something Duo was grateful for. Finally, Duo felt enough in control of his voice to be able to speak without his vocal chords doing something silly on him. "We should go and pop Zero in the paddock for a bit."

"Hai."

Duo turned around, warm blue eyes met his gaze and he smiled. He raised a hand and cupped Heero's cheek. "Thank you," he whispered and leant in for a quick kiss.

No further explanation was needed, Heero knew exactly what Duo meant with those two words and he softly kissed the vet back. "Let's go introduce Zero to the green grass."

***

Leaning over the paddock fence, Duo chewed on a blade of grass as he watched the animal. They had brought Zero out, Heero hosing the leg after Duo had removed the gel pad. Once the hosing was complete, Duo had re-bandaged the leg, minus the gel pad and Heero had led the horse out to the paddock that Duo had said to put him in. They both watched carefully as Heero unclipped the lead rope and let the horse go, Duo ready to catch the horse again should he show any signs of wanting to gallop around or 'play' and put strain on the already sprained joint.

Zero was a sensible animal though, he sniffed the air and gave a wuffle of delight when he was led outside and not back into the stable. As nice as the stable was, Zero was bored out of his mind in there, even if the nice man made sure he had plenty to eat and gave him carrots regularly. His eyes lit up when he spotted the paddock but refrained from 'dancing' to show his delight; instead, he blew softly through his nostrils into Heero's hair and nudged his master gently. When the lead rope was unclipped and Zero found himself loose, he simply turned around and limped a little further into the paddock, eyes gazing around taking in all the details whilst his ears flicked back and forth absorbing all the new sounds. Deciding that he liked this paddock he dropped his head to sniff at the grass. It smelt fresh and sweet; Zero began to graze.

"I think he likes the paddock," said Heero as he watched his horse.

"I'm just happy that he didn't go tearing around like an idiot and do any more damage to himself," replied Duo with a relieved sigh.

"He's a pretty sensible animal, he doesn't usually do anything to hurt himself. In case you hadn't already noticed he's rather a wuss when it comes to being hurt."

"Yeah, he doesn't look like the type to be flighty or silly and you're right about him being a baby when injured. You are one lucky guy, Heero, to own such a lovely animal."

"Arigato."

The pair continued to lean on the railing and watch the horse grazing for a little while then Heero broke the silence. "Do you still want me to take a look at your computer?"

"If it's no trouble."

"No trouble at all. I take it that the thing still isn't working?"

"Haven't been game to turn it on and see. Knowing my luck it would come up with a smiley face and laugh at me for being so illiterate," growled Duo.

Heero laughed. "Computers don't do that, Duo."

"I dunno, Heero. I'm beginning to think that I need a priest more than a computer whiz to sort this heap out."

"A priest?" Heero questioned as they walked back towards the house.

"Yeah. I swear it's possessed and needs an exorcism, either that or an introduction to a lump of four by two." [3]

Shaking his head, Heero followed the vet through the house and on into the surgery. Duo took him through to the reception area and switched on the lights.

"There it is, 'Nrobbuts'," Duo said as he indicated to the innocent looking computer.

"Nrobbuts?" questioned Heero.

"Yup, that's its name. The damn thing is so fickle that's what I called it," said Duo as he flipped on the power point switch. "It's stubborn spelt backwards."

"Aa." Heero couldn't help the smile. Only Duo would come up with something as weird as naming his computer.

"Sounded better than calling it 'Daehtihs' or 'Elohssa'."

Heero quirked an eyebrow. "Translation?"

"Shithead or asshole."

"Ahh. Okay then." Heero took a seat in front of the computer and pressed the 'on' button. The screen hummed as the hard drive sprang into life. Heero sat back and studied the script that appeared, trying to determine what the problem could be. He hit a couple of commands on the keyboard and waited as the computer did as he'd asked.

"Any ideas as to what the problem is?" asked Duo as he pulled over another chair and sat beside the accountant, curious to see what went on but not game to touch anything.

"I'm not completely sure yet but I have an inkling what it could be. I'll know in a minute once this program has finished running," replied Heero as he studied the screen. The data on the screen continued to scan through, changing from time to time as Heero typed in new commands.

"Wanna fill me in on what you're doing?"

"I'm running through the DOS and set up programs, which should give me an indication of what's going on. I've eliminated the possibility of it being a virus infection as you don't have an Internet connection on the drive; that's usually what causes computers to crash."

"Ah." Duo scratched his head, it really was all double Dutch to him. Ask him for the anatomy of a dog or cat and he'd be able to reel it off no problem; but other than the on off switch and a few basic commands he was completely computer illiterate.

"There you are," Heero mumbled as he squinted at the screen, a wide smile on his face.

"There's what?" Duo couldn't see anything other than a load of computer 'speak' and numbers on the screen.

"I think this is your problem right here, Duo." Heero pointed to a section of code on the screen. "There seems to be a file missing."

"There's more than just one file missing, Heero. The damn thing swallowed all my files!"

Heero chuckled. "No, Duo. What I mean is that somehow a major file from the master program has been deleted. Without that file the major part of the computer won't work, that's why you're getting error messages and can't access your programs." Heero thought he'd better try and keep his explanation as simple as possible, it was obvious that Duo really didn't have much of a clue when it came to electronics.

"How the hell did that happen? I swear I didn't delete anything, well, not that I'm aware of."

"It's easily done, Duo. I've done it myself by accident before now."

"Can it be fixed?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"Do you still have your discs from when you bought the computer?"

"Yes, they're back in the house."

"Good. If you can fetch them for me I can reload the missing file and then see what data you've lost. With any luck you won't have lost anything but if you have I should be able to retrieve most of it for you."

"That's great!" Duo threw his arms around Heero's neck and gave the man a warm kiss. "I'll go get the discs now. Want a coffee as well?"

"Love one," Heero replied with a grin.

"Okay, I'll be right back." Duo stood up and headed back out of the surgery to the house to fetch the discs and coffee, his mind a little easier now that he knew the computer problem wasn't as serious as he'd thought.

~ * ~

tbc.......

[1] Elastoplast: This is a form of sticky bandage used here in Aussie and the UK.

[2] Tying up: When horses are in full work and their muscular system highly developed due to the regular exercise, to have that exercise suddenly stopped can cause the muscles to 'cramp' up and the animal to be almost crippled from it. Gentle exercise such as walking for a little while, or even being allowed out to graze in a paddock for a couple of hours, will prevent this from happening.

[3] Lump of 4 by 2: Again this is slang meaning the size dimensions of a piece of wood, i.e. four inches wide by two inches thick and as long as you like. :) Very useful for the persuasion of inanimate objects at times ~_^