Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Ropin' The Wind ❯ Chapter Two: The Stranger ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter Two: The Stranger

"Duo!" The call made the student doctor groan, his head pounding painfully. He turned, rubbing his forehead.

"Yes, Hilde?" The nurse bounced from one foot to the other, looking anxious. For once, he had managed to keep her in the office, and away from the bank.

"Your cowboy friend fell off his horse, and is hurt. I don't know how badly," she said, her voice strained. Duo's headache was immediately forgotten.

"Where is he?" he questioned, bolting upright from the chair he had been sitting in. Hilde shrugged, and jerked her thumb over her shoulder at a young man the student doctor hadn't noticed before.

"This guy was visitin' the cattle farm when it happened. He'll show you."

Without another word, Duo brushed past her with a curt, "Get me my bag, Hilde. It's in the other room." In a split second he had changed from a grumpy young man with a hangover to a professional physician worried about his friend who happened to be his newest patient.

The other man, his face hidden in the shadows of the door, nodded towards Duo and exited only a few steps ahead of the doctor.

. . .

"He get hurt brandin' the cattle?" Duo questioned, once they were on the dusty road that led out of the town and towards the ranch. The other man's mount, a sleek, jet-black stallion, churned the dust into whirlwinds as they both galloped at neck break speed.

The other man nodded silently, and Duo turned slightly in his saddle to peer at him.

He had dark, shimmering umber tresses that were whipped backwards by the wind. His svelte form was held stiffly as he leaned forward in his saddle, his intense eyes intent on their destination. He wore the clothing of a normal man, a plain white cotton shirt and dark brown slacks. If it wasn't for the aura he portrayed, Duo would have considered him someone he could have easily met on the streets and joked with. But around him there was a feeling of coldness, of aloofness that made Duo feel as if this fellow had seen more things in his youth than the doctor would see in his life.

"I'm Duo, one of the doctors of the town. You a friend of Frank's?" Frank was the owner of the ranch, and an all-around nice guy.

The other man shook his head, and actually spoke, his low, emotionless voice reaching the doctor's ears. "Quatre's." Duo tightened his grip on the reins of his mount, a dappled gray, and urged the horse to go faster.

. . .

Frank met them as they galloped to a slow stop in front of the ranch's house, their mounts spent. The ranch owner's face was ashen as he took the reins of the two horses.

"He's in house, on the floor. Better hurry," he said urgently, and quickly led the two horses to the stable for well-deserved rests.

Silently, the doctor and Quatre's mysterious friend made their way into the ranch house.

This time it was Duo's face that was expressionless as he knelt beside Quatre's prone form, his head propped up slightly by blankets.

"Hey, cowboy," he whispered softly. Quatre's pale face was blank for a moment, and then his eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Howdy, doc," was weakly whispered back, the cowboy attempting to smile through the pain, his bright blue eyes glazed over slightly.

"Told you branding was awful." Duo tried to be cheerful as he examined the ivory bone that stuck out of the fair-haired man's right shoulder, the bone dotted slightly with crimson as the cowboy's blood trickled out the broken flesh.

Quatre forced out a painful laugh.

"You said it was for the cows, not for the cowboys," he pointed out through quick, sharp gasps as Duo's expert hands began their work. "I still win." Then Quatre's eyes flickered past the doctor to land on the stranger. For a second he looked surprised, and then merely bewildered, his expressive eyes darkening. Duo wondered silently what was going on in the cowboy's mind, but didn't pry.

Quatre would tell him later, if he asked.

"Is it really you?" the cowboy questioned, sounding almost childishly hopeful.

"Yes, Quatre. I'm back." There was actual warmth in the stranger's tone, and somehow that made the doctor's own heart warm to the aloof man. Anyone who was a friend of Quatre's was a friend of Duo's.

Quatre smiled a pure, delighted smile, and for a second he looked like someone had just given him a thousand dollars. Even as that brilliant grin filled the cowboy's face, the blood drained from it. He suddenly went ashen, and Duo knew he was going to faint.
"Quatre-" he began, but the cowboy's cry silenced him.

"Heero!" Quatre cried the stranger's name aloud a single time before falling senseless onto the bloodstained blankets.

"Damn," Duo muttered, then turned to see the stranger staring down at Quatre's unconscious body with an odd look on his face. An almost anguished look, the one worn when recalling hidden, dark memories. As Duo watched, the expression faded from his face and into his eyes, the dark shadows seeming to beckon Duo to them...

Shaking his head to clear it, Duo concentrated on the situation at hand.

"Sir," said the student doctor. When the man didn't reply, he added, "Heero." The stranger didn't even blink, and Duo sharpened his tone. "Listen, Mr. Heero-Whoever-You-Are, I need your help to take care of this bone break."

Heero blinked, and the shadows were gone, replied by the familiar aloofness.

"Tell me what to do," he said curtly, and Duo did.

. . .

Duo rested in his chair with a sigh, watching Quatre's sleeping features. The cowboy slept restlessly, tossing and turning. That wouldn't do at all. If the man moved too much, he'd injure himself more. He turned in his seat to peer at Heero, who stood in the shadows of the room as if to hide from the very daylight that shone through the window.

"I need you to stay by his bed and make sure he doesn't hurt himself again," Duo informed him. "If it starts to bleed, call for me, and I'll come. When he wakes up, have Frank's wife feed him the medication."

Heero nodded, his face hidden by shadows. Without waiting for the stranger to speak, Duo turned and walked from the room. When he got to town, he'd be called away on another emergency. He had a feeling that this was going to be a long day.

But even as he rode his refreshed horse back to town, his mind strayed to that unapproachable figure that watched over Quatre like a guardian angel.

. . .

"Doctor Duo!" came the frantic cry as the student doctor prepared to pass by the schoolhouse. "Sylvia's been hurt!"

"Damn," Duo sighed, and reined his steed as the lovely girl who had called out to him rushed up to the mount, looking upset.

"How badly, Merian?" he questioned, mildly wondering why the school rebel was so upset about a fellow classmate being injured. Maybe she had caused it, and didn't want to get into trouble...

"She was- chasing me to- get back the ribbon- I took from her- and fell," Merian said in a fast, faltering speech, looking anxious. Of course. "The Schoolmaster thinks she either sprained or broke her ankle."

"Is she inside?" asked Duo, dismounting. Merian nodded affirmation, taking the reins from the doctor.

"Schoolmaster carried her inside himself, but didn't do anything besides that. He said to wait for you," she said, her voice still fast and nervous. Duo gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Merian," he told her. "Now, could you take my horse somewhere where he can stand in the shade and eat grass?" Merian nodded, and disappeared around the schoolhouse, Duo's stallion in tow. Even as she did so, however, Duo felt a drop of rain land on his cheek. He sighed.

"Looks like Quatre was right," he murmured aloud, and entered the building of learning.

"Hello Miss Sylvia," he said pleasantly to the weeping girl. "Merian said you hurt your ankle?" The schoolmaster stood from his kneeling position beside her, looking annoyed.

"She did, and it's all that idiotic girl's fault!" was his furious reply. Duo gave him a calm smile, which was returned by a scowl. The schoolmaster's anger was well known through the town. And his dislike of women and vow to stay a bachelor for his entire life.

"Now, let's see about your ankle," Duo muttered reassuringly to her, his expert fingers feeling the boot-covered appendage. After a moment, he pulled his hands away, and declared to both Sylvia and the schoolmaster that she had indeed sprained her ankle. A light sprain, but a sprain nonetheless.

"Class is dismissed," sternly stated the schoolmaster, and the entire class went wild before dashing outside into the light rain.

"How about I take you home, Miss Sylvia?" Trying to control her weeping, the girl nodded fervently. Out of the corner of his eyes, Duo saw the schoolmaster smirk at something, but didn't know what. Instead of questioning the teacher, however, he instead lifted the girl from the master's desk, which had provided a makeshift bed for her.

"Class is dismissed?" a delighted voice questioned, and all three inhabitants of the school turned to see a rain-soaked Merian looking pleased.

"For everyone except for you, Miss Merian." The schoolmaster's words were curt and harsh, and Merian's shoulders slumped.

"Damn," she growled, and then smirked at their reaction. "Hey, if Doctor Duo can use swear words, so can I!" His dark eyes narrowed, the master gave Duo a look that promised that he would be seeing him later. Duo sighed mentally. Another fun thing to look forward to.

"Miss Merian," the schoolmaster said stiffly, "come here right this instant." Pouting, the lovely teenage girl obeyed, flouncing over to stand, dripping water on the wooden floor, before him.

"Stupid idiot!" the man exploded, grabbing his own jacket from the backrest of his chair and tossing it at her. As she caught it, he growled, "Wear that so you won't catch a chill."

"Oh yes, wouldn't want me to catch a cold and be absent, would you, sir?" Merian's tone was too sweet and sugary to be honest as she shrugged the black jacket on over her plain light blue dress.

"Of course," sneered the educator, anger twisting his face. Now sit!" Merian merely smirked, and once more, he flew into a rage. "For all that is high and holy, you spoiled brat, sit down!"

Duo and Sylvia both rolled their eyes as the two continued to argue, their voices rising. Shaking his head, Duo turned and exited the schoolhouse, still cradling Sylvia in his arms.

Suddenly Sylvia sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, even as he attempted to mount with her still in his arms.

"Thank you," she murmured, fluttering her eyelashes at him coquettishly. Duo raised an eyebrow, now understanding what had caused the schoolmaster to smirk.

"Er, you're welcome," he managed to get out, finally remembering a trick that Quatre had taught him. He at last was able to mount his steed, and shift Sylvia into one arm, the other holding the reins.

Sylvia giggled and commented, "You're so nice, Doctor Duo!" Rolling his eyes mentally, the doctor began to wish he hadn't offered to take her home.

As they exited the schoolyard, the rain began to pour down, hammering Duo into the saddle. Simultaneously, a roar came from the schoolhouse that contained only two people, a teacher and his student.

"You are absolutely impossible, brat!" Merian's reply was high-pitched and infuriated.

"Look who's talking, old man!" she shouted back. "You don't listen to a word I say!"

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOTHING TO SAY!" The schoolmaster's voice rose to a scream, and Merian's counter was equally loud.

"I DO TOO, YOU HORRIBLE MONSTER! I HAVE PLENTY TO SAY, BUT YOU NEVER LISTEN!"

As their argument continued loudly, Duo and Sylvia rode from the schoolyard. The rain continued to pour down, but still Duo could hear the schoolmaster and Merian's yells.

He sighed.

Why Schoolmaster Wufei had ever chosen his profession to be the schoolteacher, Doctor Duo would never know.