I'll Be With You Shortly
By: Mu
Prologue
A.C. 256
The soft sound of footsteps echoed off the walls of the
cold hallway of the hospital. The
figure is slow moving to a room tucked in the corner of the floor. The sounds of sobbing and words of comfort came
from the waiting room near the destination of the figure. The door of the room opened a nurse came out
writing something down on her clipboard and shook her head. The nurse looked up
at the figure and gave off a look that the figure took as one that was not
promising for the patient that lay in the room, which she had just emerged
from.
"Miss Relena," began the nurse. "She has been asking for you since this morning. She wants to see you soon as possible. She is resting peacefully now. She is in some pain, but she refuses to take
any the medications that we have tried to give her. The doctor says that she doesn't have much time left," the nurse
finished barely above a whisper.
Relena, now 75 years old still had a regal grace to her
despite her age, nodded at the nurse and thanked her as she went inside the
room. Only a small lamp in the corner
of the room lighted the old woman that lay in the bed. Her breaths were small and shallow and
looked so small. The woman opened her
eyes and looked at the person who had entered the room.
"Hey, Hilde. How
are you feeling?"
Hilde smiled at Relena and motioned for her to sit in the
chair that was next to the bed. "I
could be better, but I guess in my old age things aren't the same as they used
to be. So how much time did the doctor
predict I have left? You missed the
cute guy nurse that came in this afternoon."
Relena smiled and looked into her best friend's
eyes. They still had that youthful
excitement as they did when Relena first met her all those years ago. "Not much.
It doesn't look good. Why don't
you take any of the medications that they try to give you?"
"I don't want to be drugged up and the not which way is
up or down. I just want to be as clear
minded as possible."
Relena nodded her head and a few wisps of white hair
escaped their hold from behind the clasp that the rest was placed in. Suddenly the wind outside howled and great
torrents of rains felled. The flash of
lightening illuminated of room and the rumble of thunder shook the walls.
"Can you believe it that you and I are the last ones to
go? The others are all gone. Well, soon it will just be you." Hilde's expression on her old wrinkled face
had turned from a smile to a look of sadness.
"Don't worry about me.
I'll be fine besides I am still needed here. And when I complete that task that destiny has in store for me
then I will join the rest of you. Now
is not my time to go."
Hilde just gave a small sigh. "You are always so… not selfish.
I wonder how I put up with you for as long as I did."
"Well, think of it this way. How long did I have put up with you?"
Hilde smiled.
"When you put it that way, I can see your point." After a few brief moments, Hilde asked, "Why
did you never remarry? You were still young when Heero died."
"Because I never fell in love again. Heero was the only I was going to give my
heart and soul to. And when he died I
just couldn't give my heart out to another because I still don't have it. When he died he took it with him and I took
his. That's why I never clean out the
house of his stuff. I know I could not
have handled the pain of not seeing his things there because they all are
special to me. Now I sound really
stupid. I know what it is that keeps me
from throwing away he stuff, but I just explain it."
"I understand.
Losing Heero first then your brother near the same time must have harder
then I realized back then." Hilde gave off a look of sympathy.
Relena smiled.
"Yes, but it didn't hurt as much because I did have the chance to speak
to Heero before he died. I got to say
goodbye, but with Zechs and Noin I didn't.
That drunk driver took that chance.
But I have forgiven that man a long time ago."
Hilde held Relena's hand. "Losing Duo was hard for me.
I am amazed that I lasted this long because you know what they say about
people who do every thing together.
They can't stand being apart for long period of time. He and I were like that. Wherever I went, he followed and I did the
same for him." A smile appeared on her
face remembering all of those times she and him had seem inseparable.
A knock at the door sounded through the room. Slowly it opened and a little head popped up
in the doorway. "Nana?" the little
voice called out from the little girl.
Hilde smiled at the sight. "Come here, darling." The
little girl quickly ran to her and she stood on her toes to see her great
grandmother.
"Nana, I brought you a gift. Guess what it is." The
little girl said so quickly Hilde's smile widened.
"Well, I don't know.
I give up. Relena, care to guess
for me," she said turning to Relena.
"Let's see… could it be a picture?" Rain shook her head. "…a brand new sports car?" Rain looked at Relena with a puzzled look. "Alright, I give up."
Rain pulled out for behind her back a single pink
daisy. "Here. I picked it outside for you."
Hilde had look of shock on her face as she she accepted the flower. She
replied, "Thank you, Rain. You better
get back to your mother and father."
Rain kissed Hilde's hand.
"Bye Nana. Get
better so you can make me some cookies."
Rain closed the door behind her, as she existed the room.
Relena turned back to Hilde who still stared at the
blossom that was held in her hand. "He
always used to give me a pink daisy when I was not feeling well or upset. He always brightened up my day with that
single flower. He always knew when I
was having a bad day." Tears started
coming out of the ever-clear cornflower blue eyes of the old woman.
Relena said nothing because she could not think of
anything to say. She just held onto
Hilde's hand offering that comforting touch people need to know that they are
not alone. The rain continued to pour
hard against the window that over looked the city.
"You know I didn't think I had any more tears to shed
over his death. Looks like I was
wrong. Oh dear, I must stop this. You are here visiting me. Let's talk of times that I have nearly
forgotten with my old memory. You'll
have to fill in with some of the details because they are gone."
Relena nodded.
"Where would you like to begin?"
