The Turn of a Feather

Chapter 5

As Belle turned off her car engine, she wondered yet again what Antonio had wanted her for. It wasn't like him to be so mysterious. Heck, he couldn't even try to act the part (and she would know; that was how he'd tried to flirt with her when they first met, though she suspected that it was more Francis and Gilbert that had to do with it).

The young doctor shook herself out of her thoughts and walked up to the house, wedged heels clicking satisfyingly against the stones.

Before she could even knock, the door flew open to reveal a very worried-looking Antonio.

"Antonio, what-" her question was cut off when Antonio grabbed his friend and pulled her down the hallway, ignoring her tripping and fumbling as she tried to regain her balance.

The Spaniard finally let go to open the door and usher the girl inside, quickly closing it behind them.

The billions of questions Belle had were forgotten as she took in the figure on the bed.

It was a boy about her own age, with dark brown hair that had a wild curl coming off the top. Belle had to admit to herself that he wasn't bad-looking. He had a nice facial structure and cute, pouty lips.

"It's gotten worse." Antonio said. "His fever is up, and he's shivering, a-and, uh-" Belle ignored his rant, snapping into her well-known 'Doctor mode', dubbed as such by her tulip-loving brother.

The trainee doctor rushed to the side of the bed and opened her medical kit, taking out first a pair of surgical gloves and snapping them on, then a thermometer. Taking the patient's temperature, her brow creased with concern. 104.2 degrees Fahrenheit. The fever alone could be dangerous if it got any higher, and if she could count on what Antonio had said over the phone, the infection might warrant a bit more than what she could offer.

"Where's the wound?" She asked in a clipped, professional tone, much unlike her usual cheer.

"On his back, there's also one on his leg, but I'm not sure if that one's infected...." She was about to turn her patient over when Antonio cut in, blocking her hand.

"Wait wait wait, uhh." She looked at him with one eyebrow raised. If he expected her to help, he was going to have to give her space to work.

"There's, um... Something you should know about Lovinito. You see, he's a bit... Different... In his, well, anatomy." Belle stared at her friend. Before she could even begin to question his meaning, the patient started to convulse.

Antonio jumped and moved towards 'Lovinito', but Belle put an arm out to stop him. "He's having a febrile seizure, clear anything that he could hit and hurt himself on but don't try to hold him down." Antonio seemed to be hyperventilating, her commands falling to deaf ears.

Belle cursed and began moving objects out of the way. The patient soon began to stop seizing, no thanks to a certain wide-eyed Spaniard, who was standing rigidly and was about as helpful as a bucket of rocks. Belle clapped her hands in front of his face, finally causing him to blink, snapping out of his daze.

"Go sterilize your hands and grab some clean towels and wash cloths and a bowl of water and and come back quickly. I'm going to need you to be my assistant for now, so buck up. When you get back, put on a pair of these gloves, they're in the box sitting on the dresser."

Antonio nodded and ran off towards the bathroom, bumping into several things in his haste.

Belle rolled her eyes and turned back to her patient. She rolled him over gently and unwrapped the bandages around his torso. One look at the stitches had her ready to chew Antonio out.

It was obvious that he'd tried to stitch up the gashes himself, just as it was equally obvious that he hadn't payed enough attention in first-aid class. She was about to remove the elementary needlework, but something in her medical experience told her that something was off.

Belle fingered the wound gently, probing around the sides until she felt something odd. She pulled it up and gasped slightly. She thought it could be her imagination, but no.

The thing she was holding was a feather. A new one, still encased in a pale, waxy shell.

Upon further investigation, the young doctor found a few more pin feathers, and a bit of blood-encrusted down. She glanced up to be sure that Antonio wasn't coming back yet, and undid the stitches, investigating the gashes. Feeling the edge of a bone, she frowned. That isn't right.

Suddenly Antonio arrived, weighed down by the things she had asked for. He set them down, avoiding her eyes until it was no longer possible and he finally met her gaze.

She raised an eyebrow. "Something you needed to tell me? Because I am fully aware that normal people don't have feathers and extra bones."

It seemed to her that maybe she should have been a little more in shock, but she supposed that her brain and the adrenaline in her body were probably delaying the effect.

Antonio bit his lip. "I'll explain once Lovino is sure to be okay, yes?"

She sighed. "Fine. But once this is over I expect a full explanation. No lies, no omissions. Got it?"

Antonio nodded slightly and put on his gloves, working silently beside Belle and following her directions to properly care for the injured boy lying on the mattress before them.