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Equus	By : Deb Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2855 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, it belongs to Bandai, Sotsu and associated parties. I do own the equines though, please do not take them without permission. Written for pleasure not profit.

Chapter List
- 4
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- 6
“Equus”

Chapter 5

Having done all he could to help Duo with the financial side of the practice, Heero was pleased when Duo decided to go ahead and employ another vet. Duo also decided to wait until after the new vet had been with the practice for a while before looking into getting some help for Catherine. With three vets in the practice, it would mean more work for Cathy and it wasn't fair to expect her to work more hours; she already did over her fair share in the practice as it was.

Catherine agreed to see how things went once the extra vet was in residence and couldn't help but feel very pleased with the compliments Duo had paid her for her work.

Having made his decision, Duo soon had an advert drawn up and once Heero had checked it over too, the advert was sent off to the Salsbury Times and also the Veterinary News for placement in their 'Situations Vacant' column the following week.

Duo continued to struggle on with the use of only his left hand, fortunately most of the consults he did, didn't require too much effort, and those that did soon saw Cathy helping him out. Hilde did all of the call outs and in return for Catherine assisting where necessary in the consults, Duo insisted on playing the role of 'vet nurse' to Hilde for the surgical bookings they had in the afternoons.

Butch underwent surgery to remove the tumor growing on his side, Heero insisting that he be present to muzzle the dog and bring him into the operating room. Duo readily agreed, having only his left hand to use didn't give him much in the way of flexibility to apply the muzzle anyway, and he flatly refused to let Hilde or Catherine deal with the dog.

Heero had muzzled Butch, much to the dog's disgust and brought him in for Duo and Hilde. Hilde injected the anesthetic and as soon as the dog went under - albeit with quite a bit of growling – Heero lifted him up onto the operating table and left the pair to it. The operation took just twenty minutes, Hilde doing the clean up whilst Duo checked the tumor again under the microscope.

Butch was pronounced completely free of any further tumor cells and Mr. Marks picked his dog up that evening. The poor man was still full of apologies to Duo, more so when he saw the bandaged state of the vet's wrist. Duo assured him he would be fine and not to worry about it anymore.

Marks dropped a large donation into the animal shelter tin that was a constant presence on Duo's reception desk as a way of redeeming himself and Butch.

Duo paid a visit to Doctor Po as he'd been instructed to do by the hospital and the woman had checked his wrist over. The swelling had started to go down a little and the bite wounds were beginning to heal up nicely. Doctor Po cleaned them again and re-bandaged the wrist, not quite as tightly as the nurse had done and Duo found he had more movement now.

He was given strict instructions not to overtax the wrist, just light, gentle exercise to start with and to make another appointment to see the doctor a week later. If all was going well, the bandage would be removed and Duo could start to utilize the wrist a lot more.

The week was drawing to a close and the impending visit of Michael and Zoe was uppermost in Heero's mind. He sat down one evening with a note book and pen, scribbling away as different things came to him. Duo watched from the corner of his eye, an amused smile on his lips.

“What are you doing, Heero?”

“Ah, just writing down notes, things to ask Michael and Zoe when they come over on Sunday. There's such a lot I don't know and I'm bound to forget something important. I figured if I wrote down any questions I can think of at least I should be able to remember to ask the majority of things.”

“That's a good idea,” Duo replied. “I suppose it's things like what to charge and do you charge weekly or monthly? Then I guess there's the factor of what exactly you're doing with the animal in relation to what fees to charge.”

“Yeah, there's quite a bit to it and I keep thinking of more things, hence the notes.”

“I'm sure Michael will be able to answer pretty much all your questions and even if you miss some, I'll bet he won't mind if you call him from time to time.”

“I know, but I don't want to have to keep on bothering him,” Heero sighed.

“Don't worry, it will all work out, Heero. Once you have a couple of horses in the stable to work with I'm sure you'll figure out the best way to go about things.”

“Thanks.” Heero stole a kiss. “What would I do without you?”

“Probably panic,” Duo chuckled.

“Most likely,” Heero grinned. “You keep me grounded, help me to stay focused and not stress out. I love you, Duo.”

“Love you too, Heero.”

* * *

“He's jumping just fine,” Heero reported as he brought Dollar back into the stable area and dismounted.

“So he should be,” Treize replied, a little short and continued with his saddling up of Romeo.

Heero gave a small frown. “Should I work Peacemaker next?”

“Yes. You can bring her out to the paddock, I'd like to see how she tackles the grids.”

“No problem.” Heero left Dollar to Joe to finish unsaddling and went to get the mare. He couldn't help but notice Treize seemed a little distracted and short tempered. He only hoped it wasn't something he'd done.

By the time Heero got out to the schooling paddock, Treize was busy working Romeo. The big bay was feeling a bit full of himself which was to be expected considering Treize had only had the stallion back in work for a week. Riding the mare forward, Heero put her on a circle and began his warm up exercises. Occasionally his eyes wandered to where Treize seemed to be having quite the battle with Romeo.

The bay seemed reluctant to listen to Treize and didn’t want to settle into a working trot. Treize appeared to be riding the stallion forward but not with his usual skill. Romeo was taking advantage and evading the work by hollowing his back and cutting his circle. Normally Treize would have anticipated this and been there with his seat and legs to stop the horse before he could start, but today, today there was something definitely 'off' with Treize.

Heero began to think about it, if he remembered correctly, Treize hadn't been quite himself for a couple of days now. Maybe he was getting sick? Peacemaker took advantage of Heero's distraction with his thoughts and began to slacken off in her work.

“Heero, how do you expect her to jump and get a clear round if you can't keep her working forward and on the bit when on the flat?” Treize called out.

“Sorry.” Heero cleared his head and concentrated on the mare once more.

After an hour of solid work in the paddock, Heero was exhausted and so was the mare; but she was listening intently and clearing the grid with ease. Heero patted the sweaty neck and let the horse stretch out as he walked her around to cool off. He switched his attention back to Treize who was still battling with Romeo. The bay was treating the low grid as if it were a predator and likely to bite him at any moment. Treize was being tossed around in the saddle quite a bit with the bay's shying and uneven gait.

“That is enough!” Treize yelled, finally snapping and losing his patience. He brought the whip down hard against the bay's side, Romeo leaping forward in shock with the sudden smack.

“Treize!” Heero called out, his friend and mentor pulling up sharply to look at Heero. “What the hell are you doing?!” Heero didn’t mean to snap at his boss like that, but he couldn't sit back and watch the horse get punished for something that was the rider's fault.

The yell from Heero seemed to snap Treize from his angry state and he brought the bay to a halt. Heero rode over to apologize for yelling at him.

“Treize, I'm sorry for yelling at you, it wasn't my place to question you or your riding skills,” Heero said softly.

Treize sighed. “No, it's not your fault, Heero and you have nothing to apologize for. Actually, I appreciate you questioning me and jolting me from my anger. I shouldn't have smacked him, it's not his fault.” Treize ran a soothing hand along the bay neck.

“What's wrong, Treize?” Heero asked quietly.

Treize slumped in his saddle. “I guess I'm just stressed out.” He raised his head and stared off into the distance. “I miss Zechs,” he said so softly that Heero almost missed it.

“But, Zechs hasn't gone anywhere, has he? You two didn't have a fight and split up, did you?” Heero was a touch worried. If they had broken up it would explain Treize's state.

“No, we haven't split up and he hasn't gone anywhere. Although he may as well have for all the time we get to spend together lately. I can't remember the last time we spent a night together, went out for dinner or just watched a movie.”

“I thought he was taking a couple of weeks holiday?”

“So did he,” Treize growled.

“Ah. What happened?”

“Oakford won't give him the time off. Anderson, that's the head vet and owner of the practice, told Zechs he can't take any vacation time at all for a while yet. They're too busy.”

“I see.”

“Heero, it's not fair. Zechs is working himself into the ground, I'm worried he will end up collapsing from exhaustion. All he does is work, go home, eat and sleep, then work again. We don't get to spend any time together and a phone call just doesn't cut it.” Treize looked positively miserable.

“What does Zechs have to say about it?”

“He's fed up with it, but unfortunately, he's stuck with it for now. He can't afford not to work and as you know yourself, jobs out here, away from the city and the suburbs are hard to find.”

Heero's face lit up in a smile, Treize caught the grin and frowned.

“I don't think it's anything to be smiling about,” Treize huffed. “What if it was Duo who was working non stop and you never got to spend any time with him? You would also be short tempered and irritable. I can't even remember the last time we were intimate together.”

Heero blushed. “Ah, that's a little too much information there, Treize.”

“Well it's true!”

“I'm not saying it isn't,” Heero began slowly. “Look, I might have a solution to this problem of yours.”

“How? I don't see how you can solve it, that's something only Zechs can do really.”

“Treize, you remember me telling you about Duo being flat out too and how he's thinking of expanding the practice and taking on another vet?”

“I remember you saying something about doing a financial study on it all for Duo a few days ago.”

“I did and I have. The practice can afford to employ another vet and Duo has gone over all the financial side of things to make sure it would all work. He's decided to advertize for another vet; in fact, the adverts will be going into the Salsbury Times and the Veterinary News next week.”

“I see.”

“Treize, do you think Zechs would be interested in applying for the position?”

Treize sat in stunned shock for a moment. Finally he found his vocal chords. “I – I don't know. I think maybe he would.”

“Excuse me if I'm being forward here, but Zechs has worked at the practice before, he knows how Duo works, the set up of the practice and the client base. He gets on well with Duo and Hilde so I can't see there being a problem there. I know Duo respects Zechs as a fellow vet and values his opinion and skills. The only thing I'm not sure of is the wages department. Duo can't afford to pay above the award rates for a vet and I don't know if Zechs is earning higher than the award or not, and if he is, would he want to take a cut in wages?”

“I can't answer that, Heero, only Zechs can; but I tell you what, I'm going to call him just as soon as we take these nags back in and let him know. It will be up to him then to contact Duo and go from there.” Treize looked a lot happier than he had a few minutes earlier.

“That sounds like a good idea to me,” Heero smiled.

“Thanks, Heero.”

“My pleasure, Treize.”

* * *

“You in here, Duo?” Heero called out as he entered the cottage and placed his boots by the back door.

A braided whirlwind came flying out of the lounge room, almost knocking Heero flat. Arms wound around a torso and Heero found his lips hijacked.

“Wow, not that I'm complaining or anything, but what brought that on?” Heero asked as he was let up for air.

Duo positively beamed at him. “Heero, you're a lifesaver,” Duo said and kissed his partner again.

“I am? What did I do?” replied Heero, a dazed look on his face and a warmth stealing over his body.

“I had a phone call about an hour ago.”

Heero quirked an eyebrow.

“Zechs called. He's interested in the vet position here. He's dropping by after evening consults for a formal interview.” the grin almost split Duo's face in two.

“That's great then.”

“And it's all thanks to you.”

Heero smiled and blushed. “I didn't really do anything, Duo.”

“Well, all I know is I got a call out of the blue from Zechs, he said you'd mentioned to Treize that I was going to be advertizing for another vet and he wondered if he could apply for the position. Of course I said he could. What did you say to Treize?”

Heero recounted the conversation he'd had with Treize earlier, explaining about Treize's short fuse and the reason why. “I suggested he might want to mention to Zechs about the position, but I didn't know if Zechs would be interested or not. I suppose it will all come back to money and what he expects to get paid for the position.”

“Yeah, I guess so. But that's something we will have to talk about in the interview. It would be neat if he did join us here, he's a very talented vet and I know the practice could sure use his skills, especially with the equine side growing as rapidly as it is.”

“I hope he does seriously consider the position. It could benefit you both.”

“Amen to that. You gonna sit in on the interview?”

Heero shrugged. “If you want me to.”

“Heero. May I remind you that you are also a part of this practice. You may not be as active, but you are a silent partner and have just as much right as I do to interview prospective employees,” Duo stated firmly.

“I know that, but I'd prefer to leave the practice to you and just work on the financial side of it. I did tell you that when I bought into it, I wanted to stay out of the limelight so to speak.”

Duo snickered. “Yeah, you did. I still think it would be good to have you there though for the interview.”

“Then I'll make sure I'm there with you. Now, I'd better shift and give Wing some work, I still have to start on Shini again too and he's not going to like coming back into work after his spell.”

“Rather you than me then.”

Heero stood up and pressed a fleeting kiss to Duo's lips. “I'll see you at dinner.”

“Okay. I'm gonna see if I can convince Gertrude to do a load of laundry.”

“Good luck.”

* * *

Zechs raced into the house and through to the bathroom, shedding clothes as he went. The water was turned on and he shot into the shower just as soon as the temperature had warmed up enough. A quick scrub and rinse and Zechs was toweling off within minutes. With the towel secure around his waist, he left the bathroom and made a beeline for the bedroom. Drawer were yanked open, boxers being pulled up lean legs. The closet was raided and a pair of black slacks and a charcoal button up shirt soon pulled on. Grabbing his brush, Zechs pulled it through the long mane of blonde, sorting out the tangles.

Glancing at the clock he swore under his breath. “Fuck! Of all the days to be kept working back late it has to be today.” after Treize had called him to let him know of Duo's intention to employ another vet, he'd gotten straight onto the phone and arranged an interview with Duo. Anderson though had handed him another case to attend right on knock off time. Zechs hadn't wanted the case but had no choice but to attend. He couldn't tell Anderson his real reason for wanting to leave on time.

Tossing the brush back onto the dresser, wallet and keys were placed in his pocket, briefcase picked up and with one last look in the mirror, Zechs deemed himself ready. Slipping his shoes on, he exited the house and began to walk along the raceway towards Duo's property and the vet practice. Skirting the cottage, he walked towards the surgery, slipping around the side and entering through the front door.

Catherine looked up and smiled when she recognized Zechs. “Good evening, Doctor Merquise.”

“Good evening, Catherine. I believe Doctor Maxwell is expecting me?”

“Yes, he is. If you wouldn't mind taking a seat I'll let him know you're here. I'm afraid he's running a little behind time.”

“Thank you and no problem.” Zechs turned and took a vacant seat in the waiting room. There was one other client in the waiting room, a cat carrier at her feet and a small child beside her. Zechs gave the pair a smile.

The door to the waiting room opened and a man stepped in leading a dog. Behind the reception desk, Catherine had a quick word with the vet and then turned her attention to the client and his dog. The waiting room door opened again and Duo's voice could be heard calling the name of the next client.

“Mrs Chadworth? Consulting room one, please.” Duo smiled and held the door open for the woman to step through, the cat carrier in her hand and small child toddling along beside her. Before turning to attend to his client, Duo looked across to Zechs. “I'll be with you very shortly.”

“No problem,” Zechs replied.

Duo disappeared to attend to his client, the gentleman and his dog having departed. Zechs looked around the waiting room, noting the magazines that were scattered around. With nothing better to do whilst he was waiting, Zechs got up and began to tidy up.

“You don't have to do that,” came a voice.

Zechs looked up to see Catherine's amused eyes watching him. “I know, but I feel like I'd rather be doing something other than just sitting here.”

“Duo won't be long, it's just a health check on a cat.”

“Thanks.” Once he'd tidied up the waiting room, Zechs sat back down again and began to gaze around. A minute later the waiting room door opened again and the woman stepped back through. She spoke to Catherine, paid her account and left. The door opened once more, this time it was Duo.

“Hey, Zechs, sorry to keep you waiting. Care to come through?”

Standing, Zechs grabbed his briefcase and followed Duo through and into the reception area where Duo was in the process of removing his white coat and hanging it up.

“I thought we'd go on up to the house, more comfortable there,” Duo announced.

“That's fine with me.”

Duo led the way along the corridor and out the back door of the surgery, following the path to the house. “I've asked Heero to join us for the interview, he is a silent partner in the practice and it's only fair he be there too. I hope you don't mind?” Duo said as he let them into the house.

“Of course not,” Zechs replied.

“Take a seat, Zechs. Would you like a tea, coffee or something cold to drink?”

“Something cold would be fine,” Zechs replied and took a seat at the dining room table as indicated.

Duo fetched a couple of sodas from the 'fridge and sat down after passing one to Zechs. He reached for the folder he'd left sitting on the table earlier and opened it. The sound of the back door opening had both men looking up to see Heero entering.

“Sorry I'm late,” Heero apologized.

“It's fine, Heero. We've only just got here ourselves, consults were running a bit behind,” Duo replied.

Heero made his way across and took a seat next to Duo. “Shall we start then?”

“Might as well, but before we do, let's drop all this formal crap. We're friends here so how about we relax and just talk about it?” Duo gave both Zechs and Heero a smile.

“Suits me,” Zechs smiled back.

“Good. Now, this is what the practice needs...” Duo went on to explain why he needed another vet, roughly what the working hours would be, how the roster system worked, the call out system he and Hilde currently worked and the basic outline of where the practice was currently at and where Duo expected it to be given the current rate of increase in clientele.

Zechs followed it all easily enough and had to admit, Duo had a sound knowledge of how to run his practice. The hours all sounded a lot more workable than the ones he was currently doing, even with the two nights and every third Sunday he would be expected to be on call.

“I'll be honest with you, Zechs. I have no idea what Anderson is paying you at Oakford, but I can only afford to pay the award rates. Naturally there are the overtime and penalty rates too and once it's all added up, it isn't too bad as far as the wages go.” Duo looked at Zechs, trying to gauge how the blonde was taking all this so far. He seemed to be thinking quite deeply.

“Having said all that, do you have any questions? Is there anything you would like clarified before we move on?”

“It all seems very clear to me,” Zechs responded. “Actually, Oakford does pay a little higher, but money isn't the issue here. The wages are more than adequate to cover my living expenses and after doing the math, I would actually be in front as far as money goes.” Seeing Duo's confused look, Zechs elaborated. “If I am accepted, all I have to do is walk up the raceway and I'm at work, that saves both time and gas money. Call outs and outside consults are paid as per the mileage which is the same as what I currently get. The hours I'd be working are less than I'm currently doing and that all adds up to my stress levels dropping, I can spend more time relaxing and save on doctors bills.” Zechs grinned with the last bit.

Duo laughed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right there. Without being forward, would you mind telling me why you want to leave Oakford? I have a rough idea, but I'd like to hear it from you.”

“No problem.” Zechs gave Duo the entire story, the amount of hours he was currently working, the lack of leisure time, the fact that he couldn't take any vacation time. He didn't sugar coat it, simply stated it as it was. “I can't do it anymore, the long hours are killing me. I'm afraid that if I don't stop soon I'll end up collapsing of exhaustion, that and losing the one thing that is really dear to me.” Zechs' eyes took on a dreamy look.

“I take it by that you mean Treize?” Duo asked softly.

Zechs lowered his head. “Yes. I haven't spent much time with him at all lately. All I seem to do is work and when I've finished work I'm just so damn tired all I want to do is sleep.”

“Zechs, I know you are an excellent vet, I don't need to see your qualifications to verify it. You've worked in my practice before and whilst a few things have changed since then, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't take long to pick things up. You're kind and compassionate not only with the patients, but the clients too and that is of the utmost importance in my practice. Zechs, if you're happy with the set up, the hours and pay rate, I'd like to offer you the position.” Duo sat back and waited for Zechs to respond.

Raising his head, Zechs looked into the violet eyes across from him first, then took a look at Heero. “Would you be happy for me to work here?” he asked Heero.

Heero smiled. “It would be a pleasure to have you on board.”

“Thank you. In that case, I'd be more than happy to accept and join your practice, Duo.”

Duo smiled, stood up and extended his hand which Zechs carefully took. Duo's wrist was still bandaged, the bite wounds still healing. They shook hands to seal the deal and sat down again. “It's good to have you with us, Zechs. I'm certain you will be an asset to the practice. Now, Heero will organize all the necessary paperwork and have it ready for you to sign in a couple of days. The next question is; when can you start?”

“I'll need to give Anderson two weeks notice. I can write up my resignation tonight and give it to him tomorrow. If all goes well, I can start two weeks tomorrow.”

Duo thought for a moment. “Tomorrow is Friday, how about you put your notice in, finish with Oakford two weeks on Friday and start with us on the following Monday? That way you will have the weekend to sort yourself out, have a bit of time to yourself to relax and recover before starting the new job?”

Zechs smiled at Duo's thoughtfulness. “That sounds great. Thank you.”

“Don't thank me yet,” Duo grinned.

“Oh, why?” Zechs raised a pale eyebrow.

“There's a little matter of a certain computer you will need to tame.”

Zechs snorted. He knew all about Duo's problems with Nrobbuts, how the vet couldn't seem to master the computer and yet no one else appeared to have a problem with it.

“I think I'll be able to handle that machine,” he replied.

“Knowing my luck it will work perfectly well for you, it does for everyone else around here, it's just me it hates,” Duo grumbled.

Laughing, Zechs shook his head. “Don't worry about it, there's far more that you are talented at, Duo.”

“I suppose so, but don't say I didn't warn you.”

The three stood up, exchanged another round of handshakes before bidding each other good night. Duo and Heero went back inside the house after Zechs promised to call them the following day and let them know what Anderson had said.

Zechs walked back along the raceway between the paddocks, the moonlight filtering through and lighting his way. Suddenly he jumped up and punched the air. “Yes!” he yelled.

~ * ~

tbc...
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Equus