Categories > Anime/Manga > Gundam Wing > Christmas Dreams and New Year's Wishes
Chapter 4 Stressful Healing
The next hour saw Duo in a hospital room next to Heero. There were tight bandages on his chest that seemed to be restricting his breathing, but Duo knew it was the wound, not the bandages. Duo had been ordered to stay in bed, Doctors thought he might have suffered mild trauma from his bump on the head, but Duo could not lay there all cozy in his bed while Heero needed one of those masks just to make sure he kept breathing.
Sally had examined Heero herself and told Duo in the plainest possible terms that the bullet had half pierced Heero’s right lung and stuck there. If they did not operate to remove the bullet then the strain of breathing could drop it fully inside the lung. The hole in the lung would prevent Heero from getting enough oxygen and he would die. Duo had stayed calm, he had sat and looked at his best friend, he had ignored Sally when she left the room and he had been sitting there ever since. The operation would take place in roughly thirty minutes, but Duo was scared to let Heero out of his sight till then.
“Hey, buddy. I got you this far, don’t die on me now. If you die who will I annoy? Who will glare at me? Who will call me ‘baka’ and threaten to cut my braid off?...” Duo was trying hard not to cry. He wanted so badly to tell Heero how he felt, just so Heero would know even if it was only in his subconscious. “Who…who will I love.”
Duo closed his eyes and put his head down on the bed. Ten minutes later the doctors came in to take Heero away for his surgery. Duo was ushered back into his own bed where he curled into a ball despite his own bandages covering stitched lash wounds. The doctors said he would have scars to remind him of the misery he had gone through, but Duo did not care. He could not stop thinking about Heero. He fell asleep like that, curled in a ball.
Two weeks later Heero was fine. Duo had not left his side once, not even after he was allowed to go. When Heero had come out of surgery and regained consciousness, Duo finally left the room to greet the guest’s who had come to see them. There in the waiting room, sitting anxiously around in a circle was Relena, Quatre, Wufei, Trowa, Catherine, Hilde, and a little girl Duo had never seen before. She was holding Trowa’s hand and Duo could see she had been crying. When Duo came out dressed once again in the army gear the guard had been wearing everyone surged forward to ask questions of him. Duo was surrounded by attention, but his smile was not because of all the praise and such his presence was invoking, but the fact that Heero was ok.
“Is Mr. Heero ok?” The little girl asked him with big doe eyes.
“Hey! Where did you guys steal this angel?” Duo asked and was rewarded with a shy smile. He picked her up hiding a wince of protest from his back and put her on his shoulder. “Mr. Heero is fine. Wanna see him?”
Duo could feel the little girl nod and led everyone back to the room he had shared with Heero. When they got inside, the little girl hopped down from Duo and climbed onto the hospital bed with Heero.
“Natalie!” Relena began, but the girl ignored her and gave Heero a big hug. Everyone’s eyes went wide as she clung to Heero’s hurt torso, but the only indication he felt anything at all was a quick flash of pain. It was so quick, Duo could have imagined it except everyone gasped.
“I missed you Mr. Heero. Why did you stay away so long?” She asked unaware of the pain she was causing.
“I’m back.” Was all Heero said as he took the little girl and gingerly un-wrapped her from him. She stayed on the bed and snuggled into his side.
“You won’t have to go away again will you?”
“Not yet.” Heero said and though the little girl frowned for a minute she went back to snuggling him and as everyone talked of the mission, Duo noticed she fell asleep.
When visiting hours were over and everyone had left Duo took the opportunity to ask about Natalie. At first Heero was uncooperative, but eventually he told Duo that she was Zechs and Noin’s child. Duo’s eyes bulged and he had to hold a pillow over his mouth to keep from laughing too loud.
“Oh GOD! I bet Zechs just LOVES that his child idolizes you.” Duo said between gasps for breath.
Heero just stared at him and lapsed into silence. It looked to Duo like Heero was nervous, but he had no reason to be nervous about. Sally worked at the hospital they were at so Duo was allowed to stay in the room with Heero. The two weeks it took Heero to recover were probably about to drive him crazy with all of Duo’s chatter, but Duo was too happy that Heero was alive to notice. At the end of the week, Heero had carefully dressed in the army gear he had stolen from his guard and walked out of the hospital with Duo. In the main lobby, Duo spied a disposable camera machine and bought one.
“The mission was a blast! I need to remember this one when I’m old and grey.” Duo said jokingly hoping that Heero did not suspect the real reason. These would be his first real pictures of the Prussian eyed god.
Quatre met them outside the hospital and drove them out to a warehouse. It was the one the papers from the mission had led them to. Quatre wanted to take them inside and show them what their suffering had bought. He seemed to think Duo and Heero needed to know. During the ride, Quatre handed Heero a cherry oak case of some kind. Inside was a brand new gun for each of them. The guns were compliments of the proper authorities who should have been able to deal with Alex Whitings.
“Ah, so they are ‘Sorry we are such incompetent fools and one of you almost got killed but thank you for cleaning up the mess for us’ presents.” Duo said mockingly.
“Something like that.” Quatre agreed with a smile. Duo holstered his, but Heero stared at it like he had never seen a gun before.
“Uh,…Heero?” Duo ventured but Quatre shook his head and Duo shut up.
Outside the warehouse, Duo ambushed Heero by throwing his arm over Heero’s shoulders and holding the camera out at arm’s length, Duo snapped a picture. Duo pranced around taking a lot more pictures and even let Quatre take a few. When the seventeen exposures were gone an annoyed looking Heero gave Duo a weak glare.
“Done?”
Sobered, Duo nodded and waited for Quatre to unlock the warehouse door. Inside were the makings of a sweat shop. Duo was glad he had been shown because an empty sweat shop meant children who were getting the attention they needed. Afterwords Duo and Heero went to the airport and with that went their separate ways.
The next hour saw Duo in a hospital room next to Heero. There were tight bandages on his chest that seemed to be restricting his breathing, but Duo knew it was the wound, not the bandages. Duo had been ordered to stay in bed, Doctors thought he might have suffered mild trauma from his bump on the head, but Duo could not lay there all cozy in his bed while Heero needed one of those masks just to make sure he kept breathing.
Sally had examined Heero herself and told Duo in the plainest possible terms that the bullet had half pierced Heero’s right lung and stuck there. If they did not operate to remove the bullet then the strain of breathing could drop it fully inside the lung. The hole in the lung would prevent Heero from getting enough oxygen and he would die. Duo had stayed calm, he had sat and looked at his best friend, he had ignored Sally when she left the room and he had been sitting there ever since. The operation would take place in roughly thirty minutes, but Duo was scared to let Heero out of his sight till then.
“Hey, buddy. I got you this far, don’t die on me now. If you die who will I annoy? Who will glare at me? Who will call me ‘baka’ and threaten to cut my braid off?...” Duo was trying hard not to cry. He wanted so badly to tell Heero how he felt, just so Heero would know even if it was only in his subconscious. “Who…who will I love.”
Duo closed his eyes and put his head down on the bed. Ten minutes later the doctors came in to take Heero away for his surgery. Duo was ushered back into his own bed where he curled into a ball despite his own bandages covering stitched lash wounds. The doctors said he would have scars to remind him of the misery he had gone through, but Duo did not care. He could not stop thinking about Heero. He fell asleep like that, curled in a ball.
Two weeks later Heero was fine. Duo had not left his side once, not even after he was allowed to go. When Heero had come out of surgery and regained consciousness, Duo finally left the room to greet the guest’s who had come to see them. There in the waiting room, sitting anxiously around in a circle was Relena, Quatre, Wufei, Trowa, Catherine, Hilde, and a little girl Duo had never seen before. She was holding Trowa’s hand and Duo could see she had been crying. When Duo came out dressed once again in the army gear the guard had been wearing everyone surged forward to ask questions of him. Duo was surrounded by attention, but his smile was not because of all the praise and such his presence was invoking, but the fact that Heero was ok.
“Is Mr. Heero ok?” The little girl asked him with big doe eyes.
“Hey! Where did you guys steal this angel?” Duo asked and was rewarded with a shy smile. He picked her up hiding a wince of protest from his back and put her on his shoulder. “Mr. Heero is fine. Wanna see him?”
Duo could feel the little girl nod and led everyone back to the room he had shared with Heero. When they got inside, the little girl hopped down from Duo and climbed onto the hospital bed with Heero.
“Natalie!” Relena began, but the girl ignored her and gave Heero a big hug. Everyone’s eyes went wide as she clung to Heero’s hurt torso, but the only indication he felt anything at all was a quick flash of pain. It was so quick, Duo could have imagined it except everyone gasped.
“I missed you Mr. Heero. Why did you stay away so long?” She asked unaware of the pain she was causing.
“I’m back.” Was all Heero said as he took the little girl and gingerly un-wrapped her from him. She stayed on the bed and snuggled into his side.
“You won’t have to go away again will you?”
“Not yet.” Heero said and though the little girl frowned for a minute she went back to snuggling him and as everyone talked of the mission, Duo noticed she fell asleep.
When visiting hours were over and everyone had left Duo took the opportunity to ask about Natalie. At first Heero was uncooperative, but eventually he told Duo that she was Zechs and Noin’s child. Duo’s eyes bulged and he had to hold a pillow over his mouth to keep from laughing too loud.
“Oh GOD! I bet Zechs just LOVES that his child idolizes you.” Duo said between gasps for breath.
Heero just stared at him and lapsed into silence. It looked to Duo like Heero was nervous, but he had no reason to be nervous about. Sally worked at the hospital they were at so Duo was allowed to stay in the room with Heero. The two weeks it took Heero to recover were probably about to drive him crazy with all of Duo’s chatter, but Duo was too happy that Heero was alive to notice. At the end of the week, Heero had carefully dressed in the army gear he had stolen from his guard and walked out of the hospital with Duo. In the main lobby, Duo spied a disposable camera machine and bought one.
“The mission was a blast! I need to remember this one when I’m old and grey.” Duo said jokingly hoping that Heero did not suspect the real reason. These would be his first real pictures of the Prussian eyed god.
Quatre met them outside the hospital and drove them out to a warehouse. It was the one the papers from the mission had led them to. Quatre wanted to take them inside and show them what their suffering had bought. He seemed to think Duo and Heero needed to know. During the ride, Quatre handed Heero a cherry oak case of some kind. Inside was a brand new gun for each of them. The guns were compliments of the proper authorities who should have been able to deal with Alex Whitings.
“Ah, so they are ‘Sorry we are such incompetent fools and one of you almost got killed but thank you for cleaning up the mess for us’ presents.” Duo said mockingly.
“Something like that.” Quatre agreed with a smile. Duo holstered his, but Heero stared at it like he had never seen a gun before.
“Uh,…Heero?” Duo ventured but Quatre shook his head and Duo shut up.
Outside the warehouse, Duo ambushed Heero by throwing his arm over Heero’s shoulders and holding the camera out at arm’s length, Duo snapped a picture. Duo pranced around taking a lot more pictures and even let Quatre take a few. When the seventeen exposures were gone an annoyed looking Heero gave Duo a weak glare.
“Done?”
Sobered, Duo nodded and waited for Quatre to unlock the warehouse door. Inside were the makings of a sweat shop. Duo was glad he had been shown because an empty sweat shop meant children who were getting the attention they needed. Afterwords Duo and Heero went to the airport and with that went their separate ways.
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