Notes: Umm...lil bit o angst...and it starts the explanation of the title ^__^
Disclaimer: well, duh.
Archive: you want it? go ahead! just lemme know....

Part 4

Duo ran down the hall, pulling on his now only slightly damp shirts. He stopped in the doorway of Quatre's room, and yelled, "Quatre, get up! Something has come up with Lien!"

Quatre immediately laid down the book he was reading and jumped to his feet. "What? What happened? Is she hurt?"

Duo shook his head, and replied, "No, she's burning up with fever. We need medical supplies, and a vid link to Sally, and we need it soon, preferably *now*!" With that, he dashed back out the door, and down the hall, while Quatre ran out the door, and down the stairs.

Quatre ran into the kitchen, panting and quickly looked around. Trowa and Heero were at the table discussing their next mission, and both looked up when Quatre ran in. "Quatre, what is it? What's wrong?" Trowa asked. The Arab boy just shook his head, and began to open cabinets, looking for their first aid kit. "What are you looking for?"

"Where's all the medical stuff?"

"Over there." Heero pointed to a lower cabinet. Quatre ran over, grabbed the box, and dashed out of the room. The two pilots at the table shot each other looks, and then sprinted out of the room after Quatre.

When they finally caught up with Quatre, he was in Duo's room, taking out various pieces of equipment from the kit. Duo was on the floor trying to hook up a link with someone, and Wufei was sitting on the bed, frowning, with a coughing, sniffing Lien in his lap looking miserable.

"What's going on?" asked Heero, coming over to look over Duo's shoulder, while Trowa went to Quatre.

"Lien's burning up," came the reply from 3 directions.

"Where's the thermometer?!!!" Quatre yelled, thoroughly frustrated with the kit. Trowa reached down and picked up a small plastic box. Quatre glared up at him, saying, "How do you do that?!"

Quatre tossed the thermometer to Wufei, who un-capped it. It was one of those nice one's where you put them in the patient's ear for a few seconds and it takes the temp. He put it in the baby's ear, who shrieked at the coldness of it, and then promptly broke out into more coughs.

Duo grinned and said, "I got it! We're linked!"

Sally appeared on the vidphone, and Duo put it on the bed so that she was facing Lien and Wufei.

//What's going on?// she asked, concerned face looming in the image.

"Lien has a fever," replied Wufei, still holding the thermometer.

Sally frowned. //What's her temp and symptoms?//

Wufei pulled the thermometer from Lien ear and said, "105. She's been sneezing and coughing, along with a slightly runny nose. It started about 10 minutes ago."

Sally's face scrunched up in concentration and concern. //Hmmm...I think she may be coming down with the flu...I'm not sure though....we'll have to wait and see. Did you go out into public with her at all today or yesterday?//

Wufei and Duo nodded. Duo responded, "We took her shopping yesterday. I noticed some people sneezing, could that be it?"

Sally nodded. //That's probably it. But 105. We need to bring that fever down. A fever that high for a baby her age is very dangerous. We need to make sure it doesn't become pneumonia.//

"So what do we do?" asked Wufei, his face holding an expression of concern.

Sally sighed. //There's not much you can do, since we don't know if it’s just a fever, or worse. I would rather run tests on her, but I have no way of getting all the way to you in time. All you can do for now is treat her symptoms. For the sneezing and sniffling, you can give her ibuprofen, which will also lower the fever. I'm not sure that you should suppress her coughing though, because sometimes, for certain illnesses, its necessary for the healing process.// Wufei nodded. //For now, that’s all you can do. Call me again in 2 days, or if the symptoms change dramatically, call me as soon as possible. If the fever doesn’t go down by the end of the day, run a warm bath for her, and keep her in there for as long as possible. Good Luck, over and out.// The link shut off, and Duo closed the phone.

“Duo, did we buy Ibuprofen when we went to the store?” Wufei asked, cradling the sneezing baby in his arms. Lien was becoming very cranky, and was beginning to squirm. Duo thought for a minute, before answering, “I don’t know, let me go check.”

He ran out the door and down the hall to the kitchen were they kept all the baby food and medicine. A few minutes later, he ran back in, holding a small box. “Motrin! Motrin has ibuprofen, and we happened to buy Children’s Motrin. Here, give her this.” He handed a small plastic cup to Wufei, who tried to feed it to the child. Lien kept squirming, face scrunched in a frown. Finally, he got it down the Chinese baby’s throat. Lien swallowed it, and then began to cough, her face cheeks turning pinker than the flush that was already making its way across her face. Finally, the coughing stopped, and Lien lay back in her papa’s arms, the miserable look returning to her face.

Wufei looked down at the child in his arms and sighed. For a moment, a worried looked stayed on his face, like that of a parent worrying for their child, but then it disappeared, and in its place, his usual cool look returned. When he looked up at the others, his face was composed, and his eyes like chips of black ice.

Heero was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, and Trowa was standing in front of him, both talking in quiet tones. Quatre was sitting on the floor, putting supplies neatly back in the box, with Duo standing over him, talking in a nervous tone. None of them noticed Wufei standing, Lien in his arms, until he was almost to the door.

“Hey, Wu-man, where ya going?” Duo called from where he stood by Quatre, making movements like he was going to follow. Wufei didn’t turn, merely answered on his way out.

“I’m going to try and get Lien to eat, as it is nearly lunch time, and then I will lay her in her crib to sleep. She needs to rest.” As he walked out the door and down the hall towards the kitchen, Duo followed. He jogged up to catch up with Wufei, matching his even stride with the Chinese boy’s.

“Well, maybe I can help?” he asked, as they walked down the stairs. Wufei looked at him from the corner of his eye, before looking ahead again.

“No, Maxwell. I can handle feeding her by myself just fine.” Duo started to slow down, and finally stopped, letting Wufei walk away with Lien.

Duo frowned. Wufei had gone back to calling him Maxwell, and to acting colder than he had before they had become friends. Then another thought made his insides go cold. Did the Asian pilot regret the almost-but-not-quite-there kiss they had had earlier? Biting his lip, the American turned back to go to his room and contemplate the events of the day.

*~*~*~*~*

Hours later, Duo was still worrying about Wufei’s coldness.

‘Why was he so cold to me? I mean, I just sobbed my heart out in his arms, and he reverts back to calling me Maxwell….’

*What did you expect? For him to throw himself in your arms and tell you he loves you?*

‘Something like that…’

*Well lets see here….his kid is only burning up with a 105 temperature…who knows what it is now…*

Duo sighed internally. He had forgotten to include Lien in the equation. Then he saddened again. Poor kid…he really wanted to go check up on her…

*And since when are you so attached to her? She is Wufei’s child, not yours!*

But ignoring the voice inside his head, Duo got up off his bed, and decided to go check up on Lien anyway. Maybe with luck, Wufei would be there….

As Duo drew closer to the baby’s room, he began to hear a soft sound that grew gradually louder. It was very smooth, and rich in sound, and it sounded like music…not instrumental music either, it was too rich in tone for that. It was someone singing.

He altered his steps to make them silent, years of practice making them perfect. Stopping just beside the doorframe on the outside of the room, he leaned against the wall to listen to the singing. Maybe if he listened close enough, he could figure out who it was.

The voice kept singing what seemed to be a lullaby, although the lyrics were a bit depressing. But how was a baby to know that?

It sang, “Cover me in heaven’s blue and let me dream…a dream or two…Oh, sing me to sleep…lullaby of the leaves…” The song was in the minor chord, he thought, and had a slight jazz tinge to it, adding to the sadness in the lyrics.

Duo listened to the voice, waiting for some indication as to who was singing. He had no idea, but who ever it was obviously an incredibly talented singer. Another pause in the singing, and then it continued, “…That’s south land…”

Slight pause…then, “Don’t I feel it in my soul…and don’t I know, I’ve reached my goal…Oh, sing me to sleep…lullaby of the…leaves….”

Then the voice stopped, it sighed for a moment, and then it said clearly, though soft, “Oh, little one...I’m sorry you have to be so sick. I wish I could do something…” The baby made some whimper, and the voice said, “Shhhh, Li-chan. You must get some rest.” Duo felt a shock go through his system. That tenor voice singing was Wufei!

He peaked around the corner to see Wufei standing in the center of the room, with Lien in his arms. His face had the same worried look that it had had this morning. Duo smiled at the picture they made, and then said out loud, “Why, Wufei, I never knew that you could sing like that.”

Wufei quickly looked up, automatically bringing the baby up to his chest in a protective manner. When he saw it was only Duo, he let his arms relax a bit, and his face drew that cool look again. “I took music lessons when I was young. Along with various instruments, they taught me to tone my voice. I only remember a few songs they taught me though.”

Duo smiled at him. “Would you please sing that song you just sang again? It’s a very pretty, but sad song.”

Wufei gave him a look for a few moments, before clearing his throat, and beginning to sing. This time, Duo paid close attention to the lyrics, instead of just the melody.

“Cradle me where southern skies…can watch me with, a million eyes…Oh, sing me to sleep, lullaby of the leaves…” Wufei paused, and Duo realized that he had missed the beginning of the song. When Wufei started to sing the second verse, he realized that this is where he had come in.

“Cover me in heaven’s blue…and let me dream a dream or two…Oh, sing me to sleep, lullaby of the leaves…” Wufei paused again, then sang a part Duo hadn’t heard. “I’m breezing along, along with the breeze. I’m hearing a song, a song in the trees…ooo-ooooohhh…that pine melody, caressing the shore, familiar to me, I’ve heard it before…ooo-ooooohhh, ooo-oooooooohhh….” The drawn out notes made a shiver go up and down Duo’s spine as he realized just what the melody and sleep in the song where.

“…That’s south land…don’t I feel it in my soul…and don’t I know, I’ve reached my goal…Ooohhh, sing me to sleep…lullaby of the…leaves….” Wufei finished, and looked down at the baby in his arms. Lien looked back up at him, her large brown eyes looking sleepy and owlish in her small round face.

Duo went back over the lyrics in his mind, and then carefully said out loud, “That song…the sleep it was talking about. It was death, wasn’t it?” When Wufei nodded, he continued, “And reaching the goal…that was the final peace during death, right?” Wufei nodded again, and Duo was silent, contemplating the various meanings and verses of the song.

Wufei glanced up at Duo, seeing the concentration on the boy’s face, and he smiled. He was glad Duo found that song intriguing, it had always been one of his favorites out of the songs he had learned as a child. Usually, he never sang for people, but tonight, Lien seemed to calm down when listening to music, and for some odd reason, he wanted to sing for Duo again. So he began another song.

“Ave Mari~iiiiiaaaa…” he held the last note, waiting for Duo’s reaction. He was not disappointed. Duo’s head snapped up to stare at Wufei.

“You know the prayer ‘Ave Maria’?” he asked, staring at Wufei with shock and disbelief. Wufei smiled internally, and allowed the smallest bit of it to show on the outside.

“Yes, I do. I learned the Latin version Ave Maria, along with the English version-“

“-Hail Mary!” finished Duo, a bright smile lightening his face. “Omigosh, I thought I would never hear that prayer sung ever again! The last time I heard it was when I would go to mass at the orphanage…Father Maxwell would lead the small choir that we managed to gather together.” A sad look graced the American’s face, before the brightness took over again. “Please sing it for me?”

And Wufei did. “Ave Mari~iiaaa…Gratcia plena…gratcia plena, dominus tecum, dominus tecum…benedicta tu….in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui…Jeee~eeeesuuuuus…Sancta Maria, mater dei. Sancta Maria, mater dei. Ora pronobis, ora pronobis, pecatoribus…Nunc et in ora…mortis nostre…Aaaa~aaaaaa~meeeeeennnn….”

At the end of it, Wufei looked over to see Duo staring at the wall, a dreamy, sad look on his face. Wufei thought he would stay silent forever, until he said, “I always liked Ave Maria better than Hail Mary. It sounds so much more…emotional…and mysterious…the way it’s supposed to be…” Abruptly, the dreamy look disappeared, and the mask formed again. Wufei realized he had just seen into Duo’s soul for a few minutes, and while that shocked him to no end…it also pleased him in a way he had not thought possible.

*~*~*~*~*

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