Disclaimer, and all other information is located in the first chapter!
o…X…o
Quatre frowned when he didn't hear movement inside. He knew Duo was home because none of the doormen had seen him leave. They were watching because Heero had requested it for some reason no one could explain. Duo was supposed to come over that night for dinner and he was here to pick him up.
Sighing he unlocked the door and shivered from the gust of super cold air brushing against him. "Duo?" He called out, worry starting to seep into him as he tried to feel for his friend with his space-heart. He left the door open and walked inside. "Duo?" He said again, panic starting to take hold.
Walking into the living room, he flicked on the light and stopped. "DUO!" He screamed, running over to his friend. The rise and fall of his chest was so slight he could barely see it. A thin tee-shirt and pants covered his frame. A glass was set on the table next to him. Dialing the emergency line, he ordered them to get up to Duo's apartment, telling them the address quickly. Sniffing the glass, he figured out what happened. The small bottle of antidepressants helped him connect the rest of the dots. "He overdosed on antidepressants…" He murmured in shock, the woman on the other end of the line hearing it. She told him to hold and started to list the information she knew to the nearest response team.
"Oh Allah…Duo…" He whispered in a broken voice. Hopefully because of the cold, his body hadn't absorbed too much of the drug. The emergency response team arrived quickly, spotting the open door.
They went to work in a flash. Charcoal water was poured down his throat and they encouraged the unconscious teen to puke it all up before pouring down more. By the time they got downstairs, Quatre had shoved his emotions into a box. Grabbing the letter with his name on it, he hid it in his inside pocket of his business suit's coat. He called his husband and told him to get to the hospital before hanging up with no explanation. He called Wufei and treated him the same way, before finally calling Une.
"I don't care what you have to do. Keep this off the news." He hissed when she voiced her concerns and doubts.
"But Quatre-" Une started in on the other line, only to be cut off.
"No buts. Do it." He snarled before hanging up. He was riding in the back of the ambulance, Duo's too still body next to him. Please Allah, please. Duo shouldn't die yet. It's not his time. He's given so much. Please. He whispered silently, staring at the pale face of his best friend and adopted brother as the paramedics worked quickly to save his life.
…
Five hours later and Duo was in the safe zone. Luckily, the cold air and lack of food or water for the past six days had pushed his stomach to the limits and with the tainted drug inside, it had rebelled at absorbing anything but a little of the drug. Only Duo's conscious refusal to throw up made it so the drugs were still in his stomach. The cause for real concern, was the amount of the drug that had been inside his stomach. The doctor was recommending only juice and broth when the small teen woke up, not stating a projected date when he would be off the bland diet. Quatre had promptly burst into tears when he had first heard the news, he was calm for the most part now, but Trowa still had his arms wrapped around his husband to stop them from shaking too much. Four hours into the wait for news, Quatre had remembered the letter, which as they read it, had truly scared them all.
Quatre was pissed at Heero. Zero was planning some very nasty instances if he showed up, but no one had truly thought to call him. Especially since Heero had told them not to a week ago and to wait until he called. Apparently, Relena was more important.
Wufei was in shock. He had read the letter, the same as Trowa, but couldn't comprehend everything as of yet. At the moment, his mind was stuck on Oz and what they did. He now knew it was worse than Duo had ever mentioned. Heero may have rescued the American, but Quatre had nursed him back to health.
The schedule was decided. One of the three would stay with Duo's unconscious form at all times. Quatre had ordered the VIP hospital suite for Duo, saying he would be paying for everything. They were just hoping he'd wake up soon. Quatre and Trowa went home to prepare a room, catch some sleep and freshen up while Wufei took first watch. Trowa would pick up Wufei as he dropped Quatre off, going home with the Asian so he wasn't alone either.
When it was Trowa's turn, Wufei would go home with Quatre. No one wanted to be alone when they slept at this point. Quatre had asked a couple of his most trusted sister's to take over Winner Enterprises for him for a couple of weeks, telling them about Duo's condition. The two sister's he chose immediately said yes, telling him not to worry and they would take care of everything with the business. They'd call him if they had any specific questions, but he knew that Rashid would be called before him.
o…X…o
Duo's eyes blinked open and he looked around in confusion, not remembering what was happening. A choked "Duo!" and a sob told him the weight that was suddenly on top of his chest was Quatre. Then he remembered. He closed his eyes in defeat and two tears leaked out from underneath.
"Quat…Quatre…I need some water." He said in a raspy voice, grimacing at the feeling of an IV needle stuck inside his arm. I failed. Oh God I failed. Why? Why God? Why can't I sleep? Is it so wrong of me to want peace? He begged silently for answers that wouldn't come. He didn't want to look at his friend.
"I'm so sorry Duo! I'm so sorry! If only Trowa and I had gotten home a day earlier! You wouldn't have…oh Allah Duo! I'm sorry!" Quatre broke down finally, feeling the emotions his friend was going through.
Shock rushed through him, not Quatre. Quatre was never to blame. "Quat. Don't. I just. You read my note?" He asked and continued at the nod. "I can't handle it Quatre. Heero was the only thing that was keeping me together. I knew this. I knew when he left that it was the last time he would be back. He'd been slowly emptying the apartment of all of his things. Leaving them at Relena's mansion. I already knew what was happening." He whispered, taking a few sips of water throughout the sentences.
"Still Duo. I should have paid more attention. I could have-" Quatre said, as Duo shook his head weakly.
"I masked them so you wouldn't know." He said, as his eyes closed again and he fell back into the darkness.
Thus the changes in shifts began. Day and night one of the three pilots stayed with the former street urchin. A few days later, during Wufei's shift, Relena walked in. Duo was up as he was usually for the most part, and she asked Pilot 05 to step outside for a moment. Seeing as Relena had never been rude to him before, he thought Relena couldn't harm a fly.
How wrong he was.
As soon as the door shut, she dropped her cheerful mask. "Why couldn't you have just died properly? Then Heero wouldn't have to suffer through holding your hand any longer! He deserves to be with me, I love him and he loves me! Not some street rat from L2! Why do you think he guards me all the time? Even now, he guards me. He's standing outside with the car, too embarrassed to come in." She hissed out viciously, Duo in too much of shock to protest what she was saying. Her blind delusions of Heero Yuy look-alike children, were still dancing through her head. She just knew her Heero loved her. In truth, he was standing outside the hospital with the car, but he didn't know who Relena was visiting inside the local hospital near where he used to live.
She walked out, not waiting for a response and Wufei walked back in, only to take one look at Duo and call Quatre. "Duo. Duo!" He said, touching his friend lightly on the arm.
The teen in the hospital bed was pale, his now dull eyes showing a more-than-partially dead soul. He didn't respond to any of Wufei's desperate pleas, his mind blank as the Pink Panic's words echoed through his head. Wufei had called the nurse assigned to Duo and the other two pilots, knowing something serious had happened.
Ten minutes later, Quatre rushed through the doors, Trowa not far behind him. "What happened Wufei?" He said in a worried voice, going straight to Duo's side, sitting on the bed as his arms encircled his catatonic friend. He opened his space-heart to the emotions Duo was feeling, biting back a pained moan from pain that washed over him as he did. Slowly he worked to somewhat disburse the guilt, horror, grief and betrayal that poured from his friend like the ocean tides.
"Relena came. She just said she wanted to tell Duo of her relief at Duo's still-living condition in private, referencing vaguely about misunderstandings she wanted to clear up and apologize for as well." He said, swallowing. "When I came back in, he was like this. …I should have never let her see him alone." He finished bitterly, jumping slightly when Trowa touched his shoulder.
"You couldn't have known. She's always been so polite to us at every meeting we've seen her at. She always asked about our health and happiness." He murmured quietly, quickly turning his attention to the bed where a startled gasp was heard.
"…Quat?" Duo said vaguely, his eyes blinking slowly. "Why are you here? You just left, before Relena…" His voice trailed off as Relena's voice echoed inside his head again, forcing the emotions he felt back to the surface.
"No. Duo! Come back Duo." Quatre whispered, drawing Duo's emotions elsewhere. "I was just worried." He added as he carefully watched the his friends emotions come back under his control. Whatever Relena had said, it had damaged Duo's psyche, something they would have to talk about and plan for. Quatre sighed in relief and settled down next to his friend, gripping his hand tightly, not wanting to let go.
A week later, Duo was up for most of the day, but he did catch himself falling asleep once or twice. The doctors had reluctantly agreed to release him into Quatre's charge, whatever the blond had said to them had made them agree, even if they were rather pale by the end of his little rant.
The next day, Trowa, Wufei and Quatre had come to pick him up with street clothes. He knew everything in the apartment had been moved to Quatre's house, but only because the Winner Head had told him.
o…X…o
Okay, second chapter is up! One more chapter and the fic is done. If anyone spots plotholes, things that need to be explained more in the fic (which I could possibly add to by extending the fic a bit or adding to a chapter...), issues with words or grammar, anything wrong with the fic in general-please review! It helps to know those things are wrong. And even if you think someone else has reviewed about an issue you spotted, most likely, no one has!
So. Praise is always appreciated. (It feeds my muse so it's always a good thing-my muse helps me write!) In depth reviews are looked at with awe and will always get a resonse-as well as anyone who reviews to tell me if something is wrong with my fic.
Laters!
-Sora-