Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Equinity ❯ Chapter 25 ( Chapter 25 )

Disclaimer: I don't own the G'boys, I just borrow them from time to time to play with 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

 

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 25

 

Over the course of the next few weeks Duo's strength and health returned. Scythe recovered from her bout of colic and began to forge ahead in leaps and bounds. With the good food, loving attention and general care she began to fill out and blossom into a very nice horse. Heero was pleased with her progress, partly because he hated to see an animal suffer and partly because as she fattened up so she was proving his insight to be correct; she was worth taking the trouble over and giving a second chance.

 

As her body filled out so her coat lost its rough appearance. The 'baths' that Heero had given her with the betadine solution had cleared up the skin condition and the good food along with the vegetable oil had seen her coat become soft, shiny and luxurious. Scythe had been with them for six weeks when Quatre dropped around with Trowa to see how they were getting on and bring some news.

 

 

"She's certainly put on some weight," remarked Trowa as the four of them hung over the paddock fence to gaze at Scythe who was busy grazing. "You wouldn't know she was the same horse."

 

"I have to compliment you on your care of her, Heero. The society wasn't too sure about leaving her in your care, nothing personal, but they would have preferred her to have gone to Trowa's animal shelter as they know him and the care he gives. The fact that Duo is one of our consultant vets as well as my recommendation managed to persuade them to give you a chance. I'm happy they did." Quatre gave Heero a beaming smile. "And I'm glad you didn't let me down. I knew you wouldn't."

 

"Arigato." Heero hid behind his bangs with embarrassment whilst Duo snickered from the side.

 

"That brings me to the next part of my visit." Quatre paused and picked up his briefcase, opening it and removing a large manilla envelope. "Would you prefer to go up to the house to do this?"

 

"What is it?" asked Heero. He'd assumed that the inspector was simply making a routine visit so the official looking envelope came as a bit of a shock to him. He glanced at Duo who shrugged his shoulders. He didn't have a clue either.

 

"Maybe we should go up to the house," said Trowa.

 

The four made their way to Duo's kitchen and Duo put the kettle on to make them all a drink. Sitting with mugs of tea or coffee, depending on their preference, Quatre laid the envelope on the table.

 

"What is it?" asked Heero again as he studied the envelope, a small knot of fear forming in his gut. Hadn't he already filled out enough forms for the society?

 

Quatre opened up the envelope and removed a sheaf of papers from inside. He read over them quickly before handing them to Heero for the accountant to read.

 

As Heero's eyes scanned the pages so they began to widen and a smile formed on his lips, a smile that soon changed into an all out grin. "That's wonderful!"

 

"What is?" demanded Duo as he tried to crane his neck and see what was written.

 

"Here." Heero passed the papers over for Duo to read.

 

"Holy fucking shit!" Duo exclaimed. "That's great!" Duo bounded out of his chair and wrapped his arms around Heero. "I'm so happy for you, Heero," he said and then kissed his boyfriend soundly on the lips.

 

"Ahem," coughed Quatre. "If you would care to release Heero for a moment there are a couple of minor things we need to discuss and then if all is okay it's just a matter of Heero signing the agreement and Scythe will be his permanently."

 

Duo sheepishly released Heero from the kiss and sat down, his face bright red. "Sorry," he muttered.

 

"No problem, Duo. You can celebrate with him all you like once the paper work is finished, but for the moment I need to steal him away from you," Quatre said with a broad grin on his face. The vet really was just too cute.

 

Quatre patiently went through the agreement papers with Heero, explaining all about it and what exactly he was signing. It basically stated that Heero was responsible for the health, safety and general well being of the horse as well as the cost involved in keeping her in that healthy state. Should Heero for any reason be unable to continue with the care of the horse he was to notify the society immediately and they would collect her. Whilst Heero would technically have complete ownership of Scythe and be free to do what he liked with her, he was not allowed to sell or lease her out as she belonged to the society and he was in fact merely a 'foster' home for her. The society also reserved the right to check on the mare periodically to make certain that she was being looked after properly.

 

"It all looks quite clear to me," stated Heero as he finished reading the agreement.

 

"It's usually straight forward enough," replied Quatre. "It's designed for both the animal's protection as well as yours."

 

"Where do I sign?" asked Heero.

 

"Right here." Quatre pointed out the two places for Heero to put his signature and produced a pen for him to do so. Once Heero had signed, Quatre added his signature to the paper and asked Trowa to also sign as a witness. With the paperwork finished, Quatre gave Heero a copy and placed the rest in his briefcase. "The society will send you out a letter of confirmation in a few days and when they wish to have an inspector call around to check on the mare they will contact you to arrange a suitable time. They do occasionally do a spot check or drive by but I think I can honestly say there won't be a problem in your case with continuing ownership." Quatre smiled at Heero as he spoke.

 

"Thank you, Quatre, for having the faith in me from the beginning," replied Heero.

 

"You know, I'm glad you talked Duo and Quatre into giving that mare a chance, Heero," Trowa spoke. "She's certainly living up to what you said she would be."

 

"It was simply a case of looking past the skeleton and picturing her in good health, that's all," replied Heero feeling rather embarrassed by all the attention he was receiving.

 

"Might be easy for you, Heero, you know horses. Me? All I really see is a head, tail four legs and a body. I couldn't tell a knee from a fetlock," laughed Trowa.

 

"You must know something, you do run an animal shelter, Trowa," said Heero with a smile.

 

"Oh, I know enough to be able to look after them, but not as in depth as you. Ask me about a cat or a dog and I have no problems, but a horse... Where exactly is the fetlock anyway?"

 

Duo tossed his head back and laughed loudly, even Quatre had a grin on his face.

 

"It's the joint above the hoof, the bony one that connects the cannon bone to the pastern. I guess you could say it's like our wrist or ankle."

 

"Thanks." Trowa colored a little at his obvious ignorance for the equine race and made a mental note to look up the points of a horse on the Internet so he would be a little more knowledgeable in the future.

 

"That's not all the news I was bringing," began Quatre, deciding that now was probably a good time to rescue his lover.

 

"You mean you have something else to tell us?" asked Duo. "Who's for a refill?" Duo held the teapot aloft and then dutifully filled the cups of those that wanted more tea before boiling the kettle again for Trowa's coffee.

 

"Yes. The society had its court hearing with our Mr. Muldoon a couple of days ago," began Quatre.

 

Instantly both Heero's and Duo's eyes were riveted to the blonde. "And?" asked Duo.

 

"Mr. Muldoon didn't attend the hearing, a doctor's certificate was produced to certify to his state of health, including his mental state. The courts did fine him, only it wasn't that much and he is banned from ever owning an animal again. Somehow though I don't think it's going to register with him given his senility but his immediate family will be advised of the decision and it will be up to them to see that no other animals are taken into his possession and that the fine is paid."

 

"Well, at least that's a bit of good news for the animal population," remarked Duo. "Did anyone from his family ask where the horse had gone?"

 

"Not that we know of," replied Quatre.

 

"Shows how much they cared," muttered Heero under his breath.

 

"Unfortunately some people are like that, Heero," began Trowa. "Let's be thankful that she's out of that place and in a happy, caring environment where she won't be abused again."

 

"You got that right," agreed Duo.

 

Quatre glanced at his watch. "We need to be going. I have to drop these forms back to the society and catch up on some paper work." Quatre began to stand and pick up his briefcase Trowa took their used cups to the sink. "It was nice seeing you again, Heero."

 

Heero shook the offered hand. "You too, Quatre. Tell the society they can drop around at any time and check on Scythe, oh, and thank them very much for allowing me to 'adopt' her."

 

"I will. Catch you later, Duo."

 

"Yeah, take it easy, Quat." Duo also shook the blonde inspector's hand before shaking Trowa's. "Keep up the good work with the shelter, Tro."

 

"I will. You take care, both of you," replied Trowa as he shook both men's hands and then followed his partner out to the car.

 

Watching the car head down the driveway, Duo leaned slightly against Heero. "Now that was great news, don't you think?"

 

"Hai, it was. Thanks for giving me the chance to save Scythe."

 

"No thanks needed, Heero." Duo gave his boyfriend a kiss. "I'd better start getting ready for evening consults."

 

"I'll go bring in the two nags and join you shortly," smiled Heero and turned in the direction of the paddocks, his step lighter than it usually was.

 

***

 

"Mrs. Curtis?" Duo called into the waiting room.

 

A rather portly woman stood up and picked up a box. Accompanied by someone who appeared to be her daughter, Mrs. Curtis carried the box through.

 

"First door on your left," said Duo as he held the file up to point with. As the woman disappeared so Duo looked at Heero and opened the file to get an indication of what the consult might be for. "What's in the box, Heero?"

 

"Chook, I think." [1]

 

"Chook?"

 

"Sounded like clucking to me." Heero shrugged his shoulders.

 

"Ahh. Best I go see then."

 

"Best you do," replied Heero doing his best to keep a straight face.

 

Shooting Heero a 'look' and sticking out his tongue, Duo went into the consulting room. "How can I help you today, Mrs. Curtis?"

 

"It's Ginger, Doctor Maxwell," replied the woman as she opened the box.

 

"Ginger?"

 

Mrs. Curtis reached into the box, there was a scuffling sound, a couple of indignant squawks and a large, brown hen was placed on the table.

 

"Ah, a chicken," said Duo.

 

The little girl whom Duo assumed was Mrs. Curtis' daughter looked at the vet as if he was a bit thick. Of course it was a chicken, any fool could see that.

 

Ignoring the 'look' that the little girl had given him, Duo turned his attention back to the chicken. "And what seems to be the problem with Ginger?"

 

"She's got a lump come up underneath, just by her legs," replied Mrs. Curtis.

 

"She still eating okay?" Duo gently ran his hands over the feathers and felt the chook's 'crop'.

 

"Oh, yes. Eats like there's no tomorrow."

 

"She's my chook," said the little girl. "She lays eggs for my bre'fast."

 

"Do they taste good?" smiled Duo as he gently explored the underside of the chicken with his fingers, locating the lump.

 

"Yep. I has 'em scrammled or boiled."

 

"That's nice. Eggs are good for you," replied Duo and then frowned as he manipulated the lump. "I'll need to turn her over to get a proper look, Mrs. Curtis." Duo gently lifted the bird and securing its legs with one hand he flipped the chook onto her back.

 

Mrs. Curtis assisted in holding the bird still. Keeping one hand on either side of the hen so that the vet could work with minimal interruption.

 

"Ahh, now I see," said Duo as he isolated the lump and inspected it. "It's what we call a feather cyst, Mrs. Curtis."

 

"A what?"

 

"A feather cyst. As you know birds lose and replace their feathers on a regular basis. As a new feather grows and reaches a certain stage it pushes out from under the skin through something like a pore. As it breaks through so it slowly unfurls and then as the bird preens itself the feather develops further and pushes out more until it takes the place of the one that was shed. Sometimes they don't break through the skin properly and begin to unfurl just under it causing what we call a feather cyst. Usually they are easily treated by simply lancing the skin a little and allowing the feather to come out. But, as you can see here," Duo paused and grasped the lump, pulling it upwards for the woman and her daughter to see. "This cyst is more than just one feather, there are several caught up in there and that's why we have such a large lump."

 

"Can't you lance it then like you just said?"

 

"I'm afraid it isn't quite that simple in this case, Mrs. Curtis. I can help Ginger, no problem there, but, she's going to need surgery to remove the cyst. The base is fairly loose which indicates that it can be easily snipped off as it's not attached to anything, a couple of stitches and she will be as good as new." Duo continued to manipulate the lump as he explained the procedure to Mrs. Curtis.

 

"Will she still lay eggs for my bre'fast?" questioned the little girl, her eyes a little wide at the mention of surgery.

 

"Yep, she will still lay eggs for your breakfast, sweetie. Big, fat brown ones." Duo gave the little girl a wink.

 

"What will happen if we don't do anything about the cyst?" asked Mrs. Curtis.

 

"It may get bigger as more feathers get caught up in there. Eventually those feathers inside are going to die and because they can't be shed, they will start to rot inside the cyst. Poison will accumulate and the cyst will become badly infected which will slowly invade the chicken's system. I don't think I need to say any more." Duo looked at the little girl who was stroking the hen's feathers.

 

"When can you do it?"

 

"I'll just check with my receptionist." Duo opened the consulting room door and stuck his head out. "Heero?"

 

"Hai?"

 

"Could you grab the surgery booking diary and bring it in, please?"

 

"Hai. Won't be a moment." Heero stood up and fetched the diary they used to book all their surgical cases into and went through to the consulting room where he smiled at the sight of the chicken on its back on the consulting table. "Here you are, Doctor Maxwell."

 

"Have we got anything booked for tomorrow afternoon?" Duo asked as he looked over Heero's shoulder.

 

Heero flipped the diary open to the next day's date and scanned the page. "Just a cat spay."

 

"Fine. We can book Ginger in and do the surgery tomorrow afternoon then if that's okay for you, Mrs. Curtis."

 

"Okay. Shall I leave Ginger here with you now then?"

 

"Might as well seeing as how it's evening anyway. You can give the surgery a call tomorrow around five and we will be able to tell you how the operation went and all being well Ginger should be able to go home tomorrow evening."

 

"I'll need to get some details from you before you go," said Heero.

 

"Okay," replied Mrs. Curtis.

 

"Good," said Duo. "Now, I'll take Ginger through to the kennels and get her settled whilst you give Mr. Yuy the details he needs." Duo turned back to the table and his patient. Ginger was still lying comfortably on her back, seemingly asleep, even though her eyes were open.

 

Mrs. Curtis was no longer holding the chicken in place, the bird was simply lying there.

 

Duo chuckled at the looks on everyone's faces. "It's a funny thing with chickens. If you put them on their backs and hold them completely still they go into a sort of trance and will remain there indefinitely."

 

"Did you hypon... hipponit... "

 

"Hypnotize her?" Duo offered and the little girl nodded her head as she gazed in awe at the still chicken. "No, not really. We're still not sure of why they go into this state, all we really know is that they do."

 

"Is she going to stay that way?" questioned the little girl.

 

"No, I can bring her out of it," smiled Duo. "Want to see how?"

 

"Yes, please."

 

Mrs. Curtis and Heero were also keen to see how Duo would bring the chicken round.

 

"All it takes is a loud noise to break the trance. Watch." Duo raised his arms and separated his hands, then he clapped them loudly together. Immediately Ginger blinked, gave a loud cluck and kicked her legs, wings flapping a little as she struggled to roll over and stand up. "There you go."

 

"That's really clever, Mr. Vet," whispered the girl.

 

Duo winked. "Want a jelly bean? I keep a jar of them out in the reception area for my most helpful assistants."

 

"Yes, please."

 

"If you and your mother follow Mr. Yuy here back out to the reception area I'm sure Mr. Yuy will be able to find the jar and give you one while he takes down the information that we need. I'm going to take Ginger through to the kennels and make her comfortable." Duo picked the chicken up off the table and tucked her under his arm.

 

"Thank you, Doctor Maxwell."

 

"My pleasure, Mrs. Curtis. Heero here will look after you and take the details we need. I'll hear from you tomorrow."

 

Heero opened the door and Duo disappeared towards the kennels, chook still under his arm. Mrs. Curtis picked up the empty box and with her daughter in tow, returned to the reception area where Heero produced the jar of jelly beans and offered them to the youngster. Whilst the little girl was happily munching on her jelly bean, Heero took down the necessary details and gave Mrs. Curtis a business card with the time to call the surgery written on the back of it. The pair departed and Heero was just about to get up and let Duo know that he only had one more consult to do when the braided vet came back up the hall way.

 

"That was a pretty nifty trick," said Heero. "I didn't know chooks could be put into trances like that."

 

"It's really weird, Heero. The veterinary world really doesn't have an explanation for it either. For some reason chooks will go into a trance when put on their backs and kept still." Duo shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not about to start questioning it though as it makes examining them a hell of a lot easier."

 

Heero laughed. "I bet it does."

 

***

 

Heero watched as Duo carefully slid the tube like mask over the chicken's head and held the bird still for a moment. The chook's eyes blinked as it inhaled the strange air and it struggled for a moment before its eyes began to close and its body slumped as the anesthetic did its job. With the chicken out for the count, Duo checked the levels of the gasses being filtered into the anesthetic mask and made a couple of minor adjustments. "Good. She's unconscious, we can start now."

 

Picking up the bottle of betadine solution, Heero doused the operation site in the antiseptic, making sure the skin and surrounding feathers were well covered. Duo slipped his latex gloves on and felt around the base of the cyst.

 

"It's not attached to anything which is good so there should only be a few minor blood vessels in there which means not much bleeding. Surgery on birds can be tricky as they tend to go into shock very easily," said Duo as he continued to probe. "Pass me a clamp please, Heero."

 

Heero remained fascinated, passing Duo the instruments he required as the vet asked for them. He watched as the base of the cyst was secured with clamps and then Duo began to incise the skin, carefully cutting away at the base of the cyst and removing all of the festering lump. He held the kidney dish for Duo to drop the removed lump of flesh, feathers and developing poison into, then placed it on the bench for analysis later.

 

"Nearly finished," said Duo as he reached for a needle and suture thread.

 

Heero wiped the small amount of escaped blood away with a swab and dropped the swab into the bin.

 

Duo's face scrunched up in concentration as he began to suture the wound closed. It only took four tiny sutures and then Duo released the clamp. He swabbed over the wound site and checked that all was well and no blood was seeping. Satisfied with his work a light dusting of antibiotic powder was applied and Duo declared the operation a success.

 

Heero looked at the clock, the entire operation had only taken twenty minutes. "Nice going," said Heero as he moved in to pick up the used instruments and take them to the sink to wash before they would go into the autoclave to be sterilized.

 

"Need to be quick with birds," responded Duo as he carefully began to remove the mask from the chicken's head. "Now it's just a case of waiting for Ginger to wake up which shouldn't take too long."

 

As if on cue the chicken began to blink her eyes and then suddenly started to madly flap her wings, the momentum pushing her along the operating table still flat on her back. Heero's eyes widened in astonishment.

 

"Look, Heero, she's flying upside down!" snickered Duo as he gently put out a hand to stop the chicken from 'flying' off the operating table.

 

"What the?"

 

"Bet you've never seen a bird fly upside down before," chuckled Duo.

 

"But, how? Why?" Heero was really stumped by the chicken's actions.

 

"It's a natural reaction to coming out of the anesthetic, Heero. Most birds flap their wings when returning from never land as they're disorientated from the anesthetic. She just happened to be on her back at the time. Could make for some interesting flying patterns though."

 

Shaking his head, Heero wondered if there was ever an end to the vet's humor. "I guess you learn something new every day," he replied in amusement.

 

"Ah, that's the beauty of the veterinary world, Heero. There's always something new and exciting waiting around the corner."

 

"Same with the horses, Duo. Doesn't matter how much you know or think you know, there is always so much more to learn."

 

"Too true, Heero. Now that Ginger is showing signs of returning to normal and not wanting to fly to the moon upside down, I'll take her back through to the kennels then come back and clean up." Duo gently picked the chicken up off the table and carried her through to the kennels where he put her on a soft blanket. Satisfied that Ginger was okay, he closed the door and returned to help Heero.

 

***

 

Several weeks passed, the practice had grown and Duo had a steady stream of patients to see each day. Heero was busy working the mornings at Fairbrothers where he was fast becoming an important part of the team. He'd been offered a full time position but had declined, happy to remain on a part time basis. He really didn't want to work full time at the accountancy office, he enjoyed spending his afternoons helping Duo with his surgical patients and it also gave him time to work Zero. His freelancing paid him enough to keep both Scythe and Zero in feed and carrots and combined with his wages, after all his bills were paid he was still able to save a fair chunk each month.

 

Zero's work program was progressing along nicely, the horse eager to be ridden again and whilst Heero was yet to jump him they had progressed to the 'trotting pole' stage. Duo had told Heero that if the ligaments were to show any stress at all it would be now as the trotting poles and cavaletties required extra energy and elasticity of the joints, ligaments and tendons. So far Zero had shown no signs of lameness and his legs remained free of any heat or swelling.

 

It had been five months since they'd rescued Scythe and the mare was now sleek and fat, her condition excellent. She'd proven to be just as much of a hog when it came to carrots as Zero was. Something Heero bemoaned. He swore that Zero had been conspiring with the mare and complained to Duo that the pair must have been rabbits in a past life. Duo had only laughed. He did find it amusing though to watch Heero with both horses in the evening; Scythe and Zero vying for Heero's attention and the carrots.

 

It had become a ritual that after the evening consults were finished the pair would wander down to the stable block and refill the horses' haynets, checking on them before locking up and going to have their own dinner before spending the evenings snuggling on the couch and usually enjoying a little making out. They still had yet to 'go all the way', Duo still not comfortable enough with himself to share something so intimate and Heero refusing to push the issue. They were both content for the moment to simply explore each others bodies, learning what felt good and what didn't, which spots were particularly sensitive and those to avoid. They learnt new tricks in pleasuring each other, developed new oral and manual skills and tried them out eagerly.

 

Heero still slept in his own bed, having only spent that one night with Duo when the vet had been sick; but they both knew it wouldn't be too much longer before they shared a bed. It was just a case of waiting until the time was right and they trusted their instincts to let them know when that time would be.

 

Heero had just returned from his morning at Fairbrothers to be greeted by an eager Duo waving the mail at him. He quickly exited the car and made his way to the back door of the house. "What's up, Duo?" he asked as he kissed his boyfriend deeply.

 

"There's an important looking envelope come in the mail for you, Heero." Duo passed over the item in question.

 

Heero took it and scanned over the outside. He gave a swallow. "Lets go inside, Duo. I'll open it in there." Heero had a feeling he was going to need to be sitting down when he read the contents. His stomach was churning as if a hoard of butterflies had taken up residence there and his palms were sweaty.

 

Duo placed a mug of tea in front of Heero and then sat opposite his boyfriend, his eyes shining in anticipation.

 

Carefully, Heero opened the envelope and took out the formal looking letter. He folded out the paper, smoothing the creases and glanced at the address on the top. "It's from the accountancy board," he announced and then began to read.

 

~ * ~

 

tbc....

 

[1] Chook: Again Aussie slang for a chicken.

 

The scene with Ginger the chook was taken from an episode of "Harry's Practice" a vet show here in Australia and used without permission.

 

For anyone who's interested Points of the horse can be seen here in an easy to follow guide: http://www.irishhorsesociety.com/website%20photos/points2.gif