Due South - part 6

by KatiKat
 

"Duo, I need more bandages!" Trowa shouted as he and the ship´s healer tried to stop one of the sailors from bleeding to death. The young man fell from the rigging, after being knocked off by a strong gust of wind, and after hitting the deck, he broke his leg, the bone digging through the skin, making him bleed badly.

Tearing the door of the small supply cabin open, Duo ran in, grabbed the clean strips of linen and ran back to his friend. "Here," he said. When the storm began and the captain accepted Heero´s help on the deck gladly, Duo decided he had to do something too. Privately, he admitted that his reasons weren´t all that altruistic - as long as he had something to do, he didn´t have to think about the danger Heero was in outside.

Trowa nodded in thanks, his face smeared with his patient´s blood. "Do you think we will need to amputate?" he asked his fellow healer quietly, so that the delirious sailor wouldn´t hear him.

The ship´s healer - Lipkin as Duo found out - shook his head. "I don´t know. If the bleeding doesn´t stop..." Lipkin was a middle aged man, but right now with his face creased with worry, he looked ancient - at least to Duo.

The braided young man swallowed and tried to look everywhere but the gaping wound. He didn´t mind blood, but this was different. He could see the man´s bone!

Suddenly the ship lurched and the floor seemed to vanish from under their feet. The ship dropped - probably quickly descending from the crest of a wave and shooting down its steep wall. Duo staggered, then tumbled to the ground while Trowa and Lipkin caught themselves on the sides of the table on which their patient lay. The young man screamed in pain.

"What the...?" Duo´s question was cut off as one of the lamps dangling violently from the ceiling fell of the hook and smashed on the ground. The lifebearer managed to roll to the side as the oil splashed around, catching fire immediately.

"Duo!" Trowa shouted.

The braided man scrambled to his feet, snatched one of the woolen blankets prepared for the drenched sailors and then he proceeded to hit the flames vigorously, slowly getting the fire under control. In spite of the cold air, Duo was drenched with sweat when he finally dropped to his knees, the fire extinguished, the sick bay stinking of burned wood and wool. His lungs burned, just like his hands. He coughed, tears streaming down his face, then looked down at his blistered hands. They hurt. A lot.

Someone dropped to their knees in front of him. "You okay?" Trowa. The healer took Duo´s burned hands into his blood-splattered ones and gently turned them. The fire didn´t catch the palms, only the back of his hands. The burns weren´t serious, only very painful. Trowa smiled at him. "It´s not so bad. I have a salve that will ease the pain."

Before Duo could say something, the door leading up to the deck burst open, showering both men with icy water. The friends scrambled to their feet immediately as three men - the two on each side carrying the one in the middle - stumbled down the steep stairs, water cascading down the narrow ladder.

"What happened?" Lipkin shouted as he pushed Trowa and Duo to the side, showing the drenched sailors where to lay their comrade.

"The mast went down, broke like a splinter," one of the sailors answered, panting for breath. "They are bringing one more man down." He helped to settle the unconscious sailor on the bunk tucked out of the away against the ship´s hull. "The other saved General Kushrenada´s life. He pushed him out of the way and was hit himself. He got tangled in the ropes and almost went overboard along with the mast. But the General saved him."

Another pair of feet started to descend down the stairs and when the tall figure of the newcomer came fully into sight, Duo´s breath caught in his throat. "Rufus..." he whispered. Over the shoulder of the muscled man a limp figure hang. A very familiar figure... Duo screamed. "Heero!"

*-*-*-*-*-*

Milliardo cursed as another wave came crashing against the hull of the ship. He staggered, almost falling to his knees. He was used to travelling on the sea and this wasn´t his first journey on the Peacemillion II either but he had never experienced such a storm.

Another wave shook the ship and little Zechs started to cry. Shinigami, lying close by the cradle, raised his head from his paws and whined softly, looking from the cradle to Mil and back.

The blond man made his way from the door he had to close again, since it kept opening itself as the ship shifted from side to side to where his child lay. "I´m coming, nothing to fear," he called softly, then added, "your Bearer is scared enough for the both of us." As he reached the cradle, he took the wailing boy in his arms and pressed the small head to his neck as Duo taught him. "Shh, everything will be okay. I´m here, Shini is here..." And your Sire is out there in the storm. He knew that he couldn´t be mad at Treize since just two years previously he would have been out there too, enjoying the thrill of danger - however stupid it seemed now that he was holding his son in his arms.

The ship shifted to the side, the floor suddenly sloping. Mil staggered, hitting the edge of the table with his hip. He closed his arms around his son protectively as Shinigami pressed himself against the blond man´s left side. The cabin was illuminated only by the oil lamp that was hanging from the ceiling and swinging from side to side in a maddening rhythm, hiding the room in shadows. The blond lifebearer stood, now facing the windows. He couldn´t see anything but darkness outside since the storm snuffed the last shimmers of daylight.

And then he noticed it - a spiderweb of cracks in one of the window panes. His heart clenched with horror and he swallowed a curse. He quickly moved over the unsteady floor to the bunk. The child was still whimpering softly, but Mil didn´t have the time to comfort him now. He caressed the tear-streaked face, then took the pillows and covers and made a safe nest for the boy so that he wouldn´t fall off the bed.

"Shinigami, stay," Mil ordered the dog and pointed at the spot next to the bed. Animal or not, Mil was sure that Shini would make sure that Zechs was safe.

Milliardo then made his way back to the rear windows, the floor running away from underneath his feet. Reaching up, he unhooked the inner shutters, which were fastened to the ceiling. All he had to do was lower them and lock them in place. This way the water wouldn´t get in even if the window panes broke.

But at the moment the first heavy panel of wood came down with a loud bang, the ship lurched violently. Milliardo didn´t expect it, so he lost his footing and fell to the ground, his head hitting the edge of the table. When the ice cold wave came crashing through the window, he was already unconscious.

*-*-*-*-*-*

"How is he?" Treize asked Trowa, his voice barely audible over the roar of the waves. They were standing in the shadowed sick bay, watching the still figure of Heero lying on one of the bunks. With Rufus´ help Trowa stripped Heero naked, throwing the wet clothes to the ground with the intent of taking care of them later, then dressed his unconscious friend in a plain linen shirt that Duo had quickly brought from their cabin.

The healer sighed. "I don´t know. I didn´t find any broken bones but the wound on his head doesn´t look good. It worries me that he still hasn´t woke up." Trowa frowned. "It may be a simple concussion or something more." The green-eyed young man threw Treize a quick look. "I don´t want to worry Duo, though."

Treize nodded, understanding Trowa´s concern fully. They both turned to look at Duo where he sat on the side of the narrow bed on which Heero lay montionless under the warm blankets. The braided young man hadn´t left his love´s side since the moment they brought Heero in, holding the Enforcer´s cold hand in his bandaged ones, eyes fixed on the pale bruised face, half of which was covered with a thick bandage. They both looked like statues, carved out of white marble, never moving a muscle.

Suddenly, the door of the sick bay flew open, Duo the only one awake not reacting to the loud bang as it hit the wall. "General!" called the panicked young sailor who rushed in, wide-eyed.

"What is it?" Treize asked, motioning for the young man to come closer.

"Something happened. We heard something from your cabin and now your mate is not responding and the door seems to be blocked. We can´t get in."

Treize felt as if an iron fist clenched his insides. Not his family. Not again! Not waiting for another word, he flew out of the sick bay and down the narrow corridor.

"Go!" Lipkin waved Trowa off, making it clear that he could handle the sick bay alone.

Trowa nodded and hurried after the General. When he finally reached him, the taller man was already banging on the closed door of his cabin, calling his lover´s name. Milliardo didn´t
respond though. There was a sound of crashing waves coming from behind the door and the terrified cries of the small child were growing louder by the second. And the door still wouldn´t budge even though both Treize and Trowa threw themselves against it with their shoulders. Suddenly, the healer looked down, realizing that his boots were soaking wet. Treize followed his sight and paled as his eyes settled on the ice cold sea water leaking from under the door.

"Step back!" Treize ordered Trowa and when the healer followed the order the general whirled around in the narrowed corridor, his leg kicking high, hitting the thin planks filling out the door´s hardwood frame. There was a crack as they splintered and when the general repeated his motion the second time, they broke apart. Together, the two men tore the upper half of the door apart. On the other side they were met by a complete, unforgiving darkness.

"Light!"

Trowa unhooked the lantern that dangled from the ceiling in the corridor and handed it over to the general who pushed it through the hole in the door and gasped with shock as the flickering light illuminated the devastation inside.

The windows were gone, empty frames open to the storm outside, giving the water - sea water and rain alike - and cold wiind access to the room and its occupants. Only one of the shutters had been let down but since it was unlocked, it kept hitting the window frame every time the ship bobbed on the violent waves. The water was already standing ankle high in the cabin and on the surface of the water splintered wood swam. And among the rubbish, Milliardo lay on the floor, Shinigami keeping his face above the surface by the collar of his shirt that he held in his tightly clenched jaws. The blond lifebearer´s face was pale, streaked with blood gushing from the deep wound on his forehead, his lips already turning blue. And on the bed, safely tucked in a small nest of blankets and pillows the baby lay, crying loud, arms and legs flailing in the air.

"Mil!" Treize shouted, lowering the lamp to see what was blocking the door. One of the chairs had been thrown across the room by the wave that broke in through the windows and lodged itself under the door knob. The general cursed. Try as he might, the piece of furniture wouldn´t budge.

"Let me," Trowa said, touching Treize´s arm. The aristocrat moved aside, holding the lantern high as the healer squeezed himself through the small opening with the flexibilty of a cat. Once on the other side, Trowa kicked the jammed chair aside and the door swung open.

Treize rushed in, quickly hanging the lamp on the hook in the ceiling, then crouched down by his mate´s side. As he gathered the soaked, shaking form of his unconscious lover in his arms, Shinigami let go of the shirt he was holding in his teeth. Though concerned for Mil´s welfare, Treize took a moment to pet the dog on the head. The beast had saved Milliardo´s life after all. "Good job, Shinigami." As if understanding, the black dog wagged his tail.

"Take him to our cabin," Trowa shouted over the noise of the crashing waves as he moved to the bed and took the terrified child in his arms. At the same moment, another wave swept through the cabin, almost knocking them all to the floor.

"Rufus!" the general called as the captain of his personal guard appeared in the doorway, looking widly around the room. "The windows."

The tall man understood immediately, moving quickly through the cabin to take care of the problem while the general lifted the dripping body of his lover off the floor. Following Trowa out of the room then, Treize clutched Milliardo as close to him as he could, praying to all the gods he knew to not take his second family away from him too. He knew that this time he would not survive it.


TBC