Monday, November 15, 2004

   Chapter Two
Marlena woke up the next morning to the beeping of her alarm. It was six a.m. and the sun wasn't quite up yet. She didn't even remember having fallen asleep the night before. With a sigh, she dragged herself out of bed. She had to go to work today, which meant that she would have to leave the boy, Duo, alone all day. She would have to make sure everything he needed was in reach and leave note with instructions for him.
After Marlena had gotten herself ready for work, she set about getting Duo everything that he would need. She took the pain medication he would need out of the kitchen cabinet and placed it on the side table, next to the couch. She reheated some soup from the previous night, poured it into a thermos and placed it next to the medication. She also left a small stack of various types of books on the table, just in case he got sick of watching television. She wanted to check his bandages, but that would have to wait until she got home that evening, or she'd be late for work. Last of all she wrote him a note and left that on the table as well. Then she got her purse and car keys and left.
Duo woke up a few hours later to the sun shining through the living room window. The first thing he noticed was that the apartment was silent. He pulled himself up with a groan. He was much more sore then he had been last night. He looked around him and called Marlena's name, but got no response. It was then that he noticed the note, along with the other things, that she had left on the side table. He folded it and began reading it. It went as follows:
Duo,
I've gone to work and I won't be back until about seven tonight. There is soup if you get hungry and books if you get bored. You need to take two of the pain pills once every six hours. I suggest you take some as soon as you finish reading this note, as your last dose has already worn off and you are likely in considerable pain at the moment. Eat some soup before you take it and just be sure you don't take anymore, no matter how much it hurts.
Marlena
Duo, who was quite hungry, was more then willing to take her advise. He drank about half the soup in the thermos before downing two of the pills from the bottle. It was only lukewarm, but it was still good. He slid back down into a prone position and wondered what he was going to do all day, alone by himself. He considered watching television, but he knew there was never anything on during the day time.
Duo wasn't exactly a book person, so he left the stack on the table undisturbed. After a while of lying there, trying to decided what to do, going back to sleep seemed to be a pretty good idea, though he hadn't been sleepy a short time ago. As Duo slipped into slumber once again, he wondered if it had anything to do with the pills. They were doing a marvelous job on the pain, though
When Duo woke, several hours later, according to the clock on the VCR, he was hungry again. He had the rest of the soup, then turned on the TV. As he had suspected, there was nothing on except sleazy talk shows and infomercials. Bored out of his skull, he finally decided that reading one of the books might be more interesting then watching a talk show about women who were convinced that aliens were the fathers of their babies. He picked one up off the top of the stack and read it's title, The Count of Montechristo, which didn't sound that promising, but he decided to give it a chance.
Marlena came home at seven o'clock, tired and more then a bit depressed, to see Duo asleep on the couch with an open book resting on his chest. She knew the pills had to be doing their job. They were wonderful for pain, but the most common side effect was drowsiness. Right now she wished she could just take something for the pain in her head and go to sleep, but her stomach demanded to be filled. She hadn't had time for lunch at work.
Being careful not to wake Duo, Marlena walked softly to the kitchen and began to prepare dinner as quietly as possible, even thought she really didn't feel like cooking. Normally when she got home after work she would just microwave some leftovers, but she had Duo to feed as well. In spite of her care, however, the clinking on pots and the like soon woke Duo from his slumber.
"Oh, man, what are in those pills?", Duo asked as he yawned and stretched.
"Prescription pain medication. You have to be careful with it, though, or you can get addicted."
"Wow, that's some pretty powerful stuff."
"How do you feel?"
"A little better."
"Good. After dinner we're going to have a look at those bandages, and then I am going to bed."
Marlena was surprised when Duo showed a look of concern and asked her, "Rough day?"
She got over her shock quickly and answered. "Yes. Too many patients and not enough nurses. This new war is certainly taking it's toll."
Duo almost responded to her comment, but stopped himself. She might not know he was involved in the war, and if she didn't he didn't want to tell her. Marlena sensed the awkwardness and changed to subject. "So, did you like the book?" she asked, indicating the one that had been sitting on his chest when she came in.
"I'm not really into books, but yea. It didn't look all that great, but it's got some pretty cool stuff in it, like sword fights and revenge and stuff." Marlena couldn't help, but smile a little at Duo's comment, in spite of her weariness.
Marlena cooked for the rest of the time in silence, and Duo picked up the book and continued to read. In about an hour she was finished and presented him with a plate containing rice mixed with meat, vegetables, and soy sauce. As soon as Marlena handed him a pair of chopsticks, he began to eat.
Marlena ate hers slowly. She was hungry, but she wasn't really tasting the food. She was thinking about Brad. One of her fellow nurses had asked her about him today. She'd finally told someone they had broken up. She'd almost started crying, but had somehow managed to maintain her composure. Up until then, she had been doing all right because she had been kept herself busy enough with work to forget about him, and the fact that she still needed to tell her parents.
Duo was finished well before Marlena was. He put his plate down and looked over at her. She'd stopped eating entirely and was now staring off into space. Her plate was only a little over half empty. "You going to eat that?" he asked eyeing her plate with interest. The vacant expression left Marlena's face only to be replaced by a scowl. She shoved the plate at Duo without saying a word. He shrugged, accepted it, and cleared it entirely.
When Duo had finished Marlena rose and went to one of the kitchen cupboards. She opened it a pulled out a little black bag. "It's time to check those bandages," she said as she placed it on the table and opened it. Form it she drew rolls of clean white bandages. "Can you take your own shirt off, or do you what me to help you?"
"My what?" Duo said.
"You have to take off your shirt so I can check you bandages, and you pants too, so I can have a look at that leg. Can you do it yourself or do you need me to help you?"
"Whoa, let's back up here a moment. I'm not going to be half-naked in front of a some lady I just meet yesterday."
"Do you want me to help you get better or not? For heaven's sake, I'm a nurse. I've seen countless men in less than their boxers. I've had to help some use the toilet. So stop being shy and cooperate, or I won't help you at all."
Shy? No one had ever called Duo shy. With an exasperated sigh he pulled his shirt up over his head. He winced as felt a sharp stabs of pain from his ribs and several of the bruises on his upper body. Marlena had to help him off with his shoes and pants, which only made him more embarrassed and angry. She knelt next to the couch, unwound the bandages, and began cleaning them with an antiseptic.
Duo winced in pain as she began to clean the wounds on his torso. Besides bruised ribs, he also had a couple of lovely gashes. "Does that hurt?" she asked, seeing his reaction.
"Well, duh!" was Duo's angry reply
Marlena scowled at him. "Hey, I'm just trying to be nice by helping you out. I could have just left you. The least you could do is be nice about it," she yelled. Her voice sounded angry, but there were tears welling up in her eyes. Duo instantly felt bad.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude, it's just that...."
"Don't worry about it, I'm fine," Marlena insisted.
"Well, I'm sorry anyway. Thanks for helping me. I know I'm a lot of trouble and I appreciate what you're doing."
Marlena smiled weakly. "Your welcome," she said, then went back to cleaning his wounds, the worst of which was the huge gash on his forehead. He had another one on his leg, but that one wasn't quite so bad. The antiseptic stung, but he tried to keep as still as possible. After she was finished, she replaced the old, bloody bandages with new ones. She put everything back into the little black bag and returned it to its cupboard.
When Marlena returned she picked up Duo's clothing and got a good look at them. They were covered in dirt and there was tears in both the pants and the shirt. She sniffed them and recoiled in disgust. They didn't smell all that great either. She folded them carefully and headed to where the washer and dryer stood in a nook just off the hallway.
"Hey, where are you going with my clothes?" Duo protested before she could get very far.
"They're filthy. I'm going to wash them, and then I'm going to mend them. I'd give you new ones to wear instead, but I don't have any men's clothing laying around."
"What am I supposed to wear then?"
Marlena went to the linen closet and pulled out one of her ankle length bathrobes. It would be a little short on him, but it would cover everything. It wasn't like he'd be going out anywhere in the next couple of days. "Here you can wear this?" Duo looked it with raised eyebrows, but accepted it and let her help him put it on.
"Speaking of washing things, you need a bath too, but you can't get those bandages wet, so I'll have to give you a sponge bath."
"A what?"
"Don't worry, you can keep your boxers on. Oh, and you can take a couple of the pain pills before you go to bed." With that, Marlena left the room, his clothing in her arms. She placed them on top of the washer, so she wouldn't forget to do them in the morning. Then she went to her own room and shut the door behind her.
After Marlena shut the door she collapsed on her bed with a sigh. The boy had been in her house another day without her learning anything new about him. She had intended to ask him a few questions, but right now she was simply too tired. So she undressed and got ready for bed. She crawled back into bed and tired to sleep, but her brain was still restless and she couldn't. It had been like that every night since the breakup, but this night was different. Instead of thinking about Brad she was preoccupied with the boy who was sleeping on her couch.
Duo seemed harmless and good natured, but if he was a soldier there was no knowing what he could be capable off. She'd seen the atrocities that human beings inflicted on one another. She saw them on a daily basis. Logically, she could see why war might be necessary. There were a lot of arguments for it and they all sounded good, but she hated it all the same. With the things she saw day in and day out, ever since this latest war had started, there was no way she could support it. Then, on the other hand, he was as much of a human as any of the soldiers she tended. Who knew what his reasons for fighting were? And after all, he was just a boy. She just wished she knew more about him.
Duo really didn't feel sleepy. He'd slept almost the whole day away thanks to those pills of Marlena's. He took two more knowing, that soon it would no longer be a problem. After swallowing them down, he laid back on the couch and tried to think. He knew he had forgotten to ask her the questions he had wanted to. He'd gotten so preoccupied with the whole clothing thing that he had just forgotten. As he finally felt sleep come upon him, he resolved to remember the next day.
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