Hello everyone! Welp first of all... DUCKTALES RETURNS IN 2 DAYS WOO-HOO.
Okay, that said, here I bring you the new chapter!! I guess you all are glad Huey had finally wake up, but as you could see, he's truly affected for what Beaks and Graves did to him. Someone said it was a cliffhanger to not put Huey's reunion with his family in the previous chapter, and this is true, but there's also a reason for this. I wanted to explain this reunion from another POV. That's why I didn't put it in the last chapter. I really hope you'll like the person I've chose to write this chapter.
As always, I'd like to thank Empro-8 for helping me editing this story. Honestly, without her help this wouldn't be as good as it is, so thank you very much Empro-8 you're amazing!
Welp, I'll stop talking and let you read the chapter, enjoy it! 😉
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Seeing his brother unconscious wasn't something Louie had been prepared for. What had that parrot done to Huey? Why had he passed out? He had hoped for a clean rescue from some cell, never would have thought that this rescue mission would turn into a hostage situation.
But the worst part came when the Waddle CEO had threatened to kill Huey. And despite his pleas not to, the gray parrot seemed more than happy to follow through. Fortunately, thanks to Webby who acted at the right time, and also thanks to Gizmoduck, his brother was plucked from the feathers of his kidnapper.
He would've been completely happy with that result if it weren't for the serious state in which Huey was. His life was in danger. This filled the green-dressed triplet with deep fear. The thought they might lose his brother made him feel terribly sick. This couldn't be happening!
His brother had been kidnapped, tortured, and now, it seemed... it seemed he could die! He had never seen death, especially not someone he loved, so closely. And of all people, Huey was one that least deserved this.
Despite knowing the return trip to Duckburg was unbelievably fast, it felt like forever. The idea that Huey might die on the trip terrified him. So great was the fear of the youngest triplet that he dared not take his eyes off his brother.
Already in the hospital, after having freed themselves from the extra burden, the anguish continued when they couldn't even see their brother, because he might be afraid of them. Couldn't things be worse? Fortunately, there was a silver lining... apparently, there was someone, a friend of Huey's, who could be by his side when the duckling woke up. That news gave Louie a small amount of relief. At least Huey wouldn't be completely alone.
Knowing about this friend, Gizmoduck went to look for him, and after a while, the same Hispanic duck – who introduced himself as Fenton – entered who had come to see them at the mansion along with Gyro and his team to inform them of their findings a few days earlier. Almost as if he was waiting his cue, a doctor came out a few minutes later to inform them of his condition.
"How... how is my nephew?" Uncle Donald asked as soon as he saw the brown-plumaged owl, he wore glasses and a white coat.
The bird in the white coat sighed and placatingly explained:
"We've done everything possible for him. His condition is stable right now. His heart rate has normalized, although his fever is still quite high, we are giving him intravenous antipyretics."
"Antipy-what?" Dewey asked, and Louie was glad that it had been his brother and not him who asked, so he didn't look ignorant.
"It's a fever-reducing medicine, little one." replied the owl, looking at him with a soft and warm smile.
"What else can you tell us, doctor?" Uncle Scrooge asked, getting a little closer to the healthcare professional. The doctor looked at him and replied in the same calm voice:
"The little one is still quite grave. His dehydration level and malnutrition were a little worrisome. But we are treating that aspect intravenously as well. His blood oxygen saturation was...somewhat below average, so we have put him on oxygen to restore his oxygen levels to normal again. Another issue that worries me, are the abrasions on his wrists, they seem to have been produced by prolonged contact with metal, in my opinion."
The eyes of everyone present widened at those words. Truth be told... Louie didn't even remember that. His hands closed into fists and he felt his body tremble with rage. How had Huey done that? What could prolonged contact with metal mean?
The duckling could feel tears starting to form in his eyes, but he didn't want anyone to see him cry, so he closed his eyes trying to hide the cry he knew was coming. How much had Huey really suffered under the clutches of Beaks and Graves?
"R-really?" Uncle Scrooge asked suddenly in a breathy voice. The younger triplet opened his eyes again and saw that the doctor looked his uncle in the eye and nodded slowly. He replied:
"Indeed, do you know by any chance how that could have happened?"
Scrooge shook his head, then replied:
"No... but we know those responsible, currently under police custody, who will know soon."
After this there were a few moments of silence, and Louie saw this as an opportunity for him to speak next:
"Doctor..."
The owl turned to look at him and asked:
"Yes?"
Louie could feel his nerves grow, and tremblingly asked:
"Will... will my brother be... fine?"
The doctor acquired a sad expression at first, which put the youngest triplet even more nervous, but soon, the owl's face softened, and gently, replied:
"It's early to say little one, but I've the impression this duckling is strong. I think he'll succeed."
That gave Louie some encouragement. But before he could speak, Dewey preceded him by asking:
"Really?"
The doctor smiled softly and replied:
"It's very probable."
"Where's the boy now?" Mrs. Beakley asked. The doctor turned to her and replied:
"In a few moments they'll transfer him to a room. I suppose it isn't necessary to ask, but will any of you accompany him?"
"Yes, I will," Fenton replied, raising his hand. The owl looked at him and nodding said:
"Very well." he took a piece of paper out of his dressing gown pocket and handing it to the Hispanic duck, explaining:
"This is the room to which they'll transfer him. You can go there right now if you want."
"Right away," Fenton said with a huge smile and without wasting time, he ran towards it. Louie really wanted to follow him, but he knew that even if his brother woke up, seeing him wasn't the best idea. Sharing a look with Dewey, the younger triplet knew his brother felt the same way as him.
Louie suddenly heard his great-uncle sigh and then said:
"Doctor... there is... there is another matter I would like to discuss..."
And so, between him and his uncle Donald, they told the doctor how Huey had been put into a state of total isolation, and most likely they had tried to manipulate his mind so he would fear his entire family. As he listened, the owl's eyes widened more and more, not believing what they were telling him. When they finished, the only thing the doctor could say was:
"I think... it'll be necessary to do a thorough examination of that boy when he wakes up."
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A day had passed since they rescued Huey. Unsurprisingly, the police contacted them to ask for more details about the reasons for arresting Graves and Beaks. His great-uncle told them everything. How they were both responsible for Huey's kidnapping... how they had tortured him for days... how when they went to rescue him, Beaks threatened to kill him in front of them. He explained everything, omitting obviously how they had obtained certain information.
As expected, the police went to search the place where Huey had been held captive in as soon as Uncle Scrooge gave them the location of of it. That same afternoon, Officer Gloria Cabrera showed up at the hospital – where they were all waiting for Huey to wake up – to inform them of what they had found. And after listening, Louie would have preferred not to have heard anything:
"We registered the place you indicated and there we found... well, it is... hard to say... we found... a small room without windows or lights."
"Just like the kids saw in their dream," said Donald, looking at him and Dewey. Officer Cabrera looked puzzled at Donald and asked:
"Dream?"
Uncle Scrooge suddenly spoke up saying:
"We'll explain it to you later."
Gloria tilted her head still a bit confused, but seemed to let it go. She shrugged her shoulders and said:
"Okay... in that room there were... traces that someone was locked up in there for a long time, considering the marks' size, and that agrees with your version Mr. McDuck. We will just confirm this when we compare the DNA samples we collected with samples from your nephew."
Scrooge nodded and said to the police officer:
"Do what ye've to do. Anything to gain the evidence we need to hold those responsible To punishment."
Gloria nodded and replied:
"I get it, Mr. McDuck, although I've to say there was something else too..."
"What? What else was there?" Uncle Donald asked this time instead of Uncle Scrooge. The policewoman looked at him and, moving uncomfortably, replied:
"There were some... chains hanging on the wall. Those chains had been... clearly used."
"Used-? W-what do you mean used?" Louie asked before any of the adults could do it. Gloria sighed, closing her eyes and then, speaking in a slightly shaky voice, explained:
"I know it's hard to hear, but... that boy... Huey, wasn't only locked up there. He was also chained."
CHAINED? Did they have his brother chained? As if he were an animal? That... that was inhuman! How could they do something like that to him? It had been quite painful to hear everything they had done to torture him. But this, this completely exceeded all of the above.
"Is that all?" Dewey asked. Louie looked at his brother and saw how he was trembling. He knew that the news had affected him deeply, as it had him. Louie looked at his brother compassionately. He fully understood what the middle triplet was going through, and knew that he must offer him some comfort. For this reason, the green-dressed duckling put a hand on his older brother's shoulder, letting him know he shared his suffering. Dewey seemed to appreciate that gesture. He turned and looked at him with a grateful smile.
Both brothers then looked at the police officer when she replied:
"For now, yes, that's all. We've obtained a warrant to investigate all Beaks' computer data. We'll continue investigating."
Uncle Scrooge nodded and replied:
"Keep us informed, please."
The woman nodded and said she would. Then she left, leaving the family again waiting for Huey to wake up, and they waited, waited, waited...
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Two days after the police officer's visit, as he and Dewey paced up and down the hall, they suddenly saw the room's door open and Fenton came out. Not half a second later, the two youngest triplets were next to the adult duck asking about their brother. The Hispanic duck then gave them the long-awaited news.
"Huey is awake and has told me you can come see him... in about ten minutes."
Ten minutes? Why couldn't they get in right now? Louie didn't quite understand why his brother needed time, but he respected his request, whatever it was so he could see him again.
His uncle Scrooge decided to take advantage of that waiting time to notify the doctor the older triplet had woken up, and naturally also told him that Huey had agreed to see them. The doctor nodded at the news, but made it very clear to his uncle, to all of them actually, that if they saw any signs of disturbance in the duckling, they should try to leave the room as soon as possible.
Louie had a hard time accepting that, but he understood the doctor wanted to avoid a possible panic attack or a situation that was too stressful for Huey. So, even though it hurt his soul, he knew that if his brother felt excessively uncomfortable with them making him company, then they would have to go.
After the time Huey had asked for, everyone made their way to the room. Louie could feel his nerves grow. How was Huey going to react when he saw them? Would he do it just like in their dream? With fear and mistrust? Or would you be glad to see them? The younger triplet felt his heart pound at the uncertainty of what was going to happen.
They reached the door, and after inhaling, Scrooge knocked a few times. From inside, could be heard:
"Enter."
The older duck turned to look at the rest of the family and after a brief nod, everyone entered. Once inside, they saw Huey, sitting on the bed. The oxygen mask sitting beside him. The older triplet looked at them with wide eyes. Louie couldn't say for sure, but he seemed to see fear in his gaze, and it didn't go unnoticed that his older brother was sitting completely rigid, he seemed tense. Louie sighed; this was what he feared. Huey was afraid of them. With a more thorough look, Louie was glad that at least his older brother was no longer wearing the clothes Beaks had given him, and instead was wearing one of those hospital gowns. Honestly, the gown wasn't very encouraging, but Louie preferred it more than to see his brother dressed as Beaks.
Putting his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt, the youngest triplet looked down and then he saw it, Huey was shaking hands with Fenton, and the poor boy was squeezing the Hispanic duck's hand hard, so hard that it even trembled. Now it was clear to him, Huey wasn't scared of them, he was terrified! but he was making great efforts to hide it. That broke the green-dressed triplet's heart.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw his great-uncle step forward and softly asked:
"How... how are you feeling lad?"
The sound of the machine that controlled Huey's heart rate indicated that his brother's heart had accelerated slightly. Due to nerves, probably, and that was demonstrated when the older triplet responded tremblingly:
"I-I'm-m-better Uncle Scrooge."
Louie could see Huey was gripping Fenton's hand even tighter than before, so tight that the younger triplet didn't miss the grin of pain from the Hispanic duck.
What should he do? Should he say something? As the younger triplet pondered what to say, his uncle Donald spoke up then explaining:
"Huey... I can't even imagine what you've been through, but... I want you to know that... we've all missed you so much while you were being held captive."
The older triplet's eyes widened in surprise and with what seemed a touch of emotion in his voice, he asked:
"R-r-really?"
That filled Louie with hope, his brother seemed glad to know they had been worried about him. The young boy ventured to step forward, opened his beak to speak, but before he could, Dewey's excited voice sounded earlier, saying:
"Of course, yes, Huey! We were... lost without you."
The cardiac monitor of the older triplet went insane, indicating Dewey scared his brother. Great, he was scared again.
Great job Dewey.
Huey looked down and in a sorely the older triplet said:
"I... I'm sorry..."
Oh no! He couldn't allow Huey to feel guilty when he had done nothing! So, stepping forward, the younger triplet put his hands on the bed his brother was lying on and speaking softly, said:
"You don't have to be sorry Hue. You did nothing, this wasn't your fault."
His older brother looked away, as if he didn't seem to want to believe what Louie had just said. The younger brother looked down as well. What more could he say? What else could he do? He was good with words, but now... he didn't know what even say to cheer up his brother.
"Huey..." said uncle Donald suddenly.
Louie looked up at the same time as Huey. They both looked at their uncle and then, the older triplet asked:
"Yes, Uncle Donald?"
The duck dressed as a sailor, rubbed the nape of his neck and in an unsure voice, asked:
"Can I give you a hug?"
Again, Huey's heart rate quickened, but despite that, the boy replied:
"Y-y-yeah, I guess so,"
Donald smiled and walked over to his nephew. Louie frowned. How was it possible that no one saw before doing anything else that they had to make sure Huey was calm? That way they were just upsetting him more.
His uncle Donald stood next to his nephew and hugged him. Contrary to what everyone surely expected, Huey didn't return the hug, he just sat there, completely rigid while his uncle gently wrapped his arms around him.
Louie freaked out; he could hear the heart rate monitor speeding up fast. Louie was about to say something, but Uncle Scrooge must have noticed too, since the rich duck spoke up saying:
"Well... I think this is more than enough for a first meeting... come on lads, let's get out of here, we don't want ye to feel uncomfortable, Huey. But I want you to know all of us who love ye will be here for what ye need, understood?"
Donald separated from his nephew and then the boy looked at his great-uncle and said:
"Y-y-yes Uncle Scrooge."
The older duck nodded, and then slowly they all left, leaving Fenton and Huey alone again. Louie also separated from the bed and headed for the door, but stopping just before leaving, the green-dressed triplet turned to face his brother again, and said:
"Huey... before I go... I want to ask you something..."
"What?" Huey asked with a touch of curiosity in his voice. Louie took a deep breath and then asked:
"Do you remember what Dewey said to you in that dream where I, Dewey and you got together and were talking?"
Huey's eyes widened in surprise, and speaking with some confusion, the boy in bed said:
"I thought... I thought it was just a dream..."
Louie smiled tenderly, even though he thought it was just a dream, his brother remembered it. That gave him the chance to say what he wanted to say. And he did so:
"It wasn't Hue, we really talked, and do you remember what Dewey told you?"
Huey said nothing, just stared at his brother, waiting for him to speak. Louie smiled even more than before and softly said to:
"He told you: you have to be strong, do not let Beaks win, keep fighting and remember that we ... our whole family loves you."
Huey was silent, looking at his brother. To Louie's delight, the other duckling was quiet, calm, he seemed... glad to hear that. The green-dressed triplet cocked his head slightly, then added:
"What Dew said at that time I repeat now, brother. I know you are confused, but all the fear you feel towards us was instilled in you by Beaks and Graves. We would never hurt you."
Huey's eyes widened momentarily in surprise, but soon returned to normal. The older triplet, with a small smile and looking his brother in the eyes, said:
"T-thanks... Lou."
Now it was Louie's turn to be surprised. For the first time... for the first time since Huey woke up, he finally saw his brother there. Louie smiled and felt the moisture build up in his eyes, he was going to cry, but he didn't care, because he knew they were tears of joy.
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Welp, so yeah I wrote this from Louie's POV since I believe he's very sensitive – even if he tries really hard to hide it – and I thought that see all this from his inner thoughts would be interesting. Also I hope you liked the little detail where Louie was glad he wasn't seen as an ignorant for not knowing what antipyretics were. I thought it could help to calm a little the tense situation they're all going through but without take you out from the story. In my opinion – unless you're doing a funny story – you've to control the humor you put in a story or movie or whatever, and also not make characters look like completely out of themselves. I hope I managed to do it in this story. Welp I think that's all, as always, I'd like to hear what do you think about this chapter.
Okay, after say that, I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I also would like to thank you all those who've read this story, those who voted it, those who have it on their reading lists and I'd like to especially thank to ihavenonamehalp and Miracle_131 for the reviews. Thank you very much, I really appreciate it!
See you in the next chapter 😉