A/N: Hey everyone! I do not own any of the g-boys, but I have a few OC outside of them that were of my creation. Here's another idea that I came up with recently that I thought would be a challenge to write. I am still iffy on this one, so let me know what you think.
Summary: After Project Meteor, the G-boys went their separate ways. 7 years later, a new group has made an appearance. The movement is the "Genesis" movement. The G-boys come together to help Preventers bring a halt to the illegal experiments that have been taking place. Eventual Duo/Heero get together fic. The story centralizes around the "Genesis" movement and the trials and tribulations G-boy's face.
Snowdragonct: Thank you for your review! It's much appreciated.
Sake: Hey sorry for the long wait, I hit a block and had to muscle my way through it. Hope it's still worth the wait.
The Space Between Us
Chapter 11
Duo's POV
When I walked out of the surgery Wufei was standing at the view window. His eyes met mine in the glass's reflection. I stuck one hand in my front pocket and reached to rub the back of my head with the other.
His voice gave away no emotion when he spoke, "We need to talk..."
I took a moment to look into the surgery before I sighed and nodded. He turned on his heels and walked out to the lobby with the expectancy that I would follow. Once we entered the overly white waiting room, Relena briskly walked over, her eyes glinting with anger and intent, and...
SMACK!
Her eyes were glacial as I rubbed at my burning cheek. The look of total shock crossed my face as she raised her hand again. Wufei wrapped his hand around her wrist before the second hit landed. She was flaming pissed... and I kinda found it entertaining despite the sting.
"How DARE you! You disappear for 4 years, didn't show any effort to contact anybody for at least two, and you come walking in here like you have a right?" Yup... Pissed.
"Enough Miss Peacecraft, I'm getting down to the bottom of this." Wufei's dark eyes turned to me, "Outside, now."
I rubbed my red cheek and gave the banshee a glare of my own as I followed him out the door. Once outside, I pulled out my smokes and lit one, Wufei just stared. He didn't say a word, he just stood there, arms crossed, with a look of disapproval on his face. I didn't know what he wanted me to say, and that look was kind of... creepy. Even during the war, I could never figure him out or read him well. His glares and stances sent mixed messages. Was he angry? Was he undisturbed? Was he even surprised to see me here? I mean, sure, when he saw me by Heero in the alley he seemed surprised to see that it was me, but now he was just stoic.
"Four years, Maxwell..."
"I know..." I stared up at the sky as the smoke left hanging between my loose lips.
"Two years since anybody could even reach you..."
"I know" I took another drag, wondering where he was going with this.
"Explain..." He demanded in a monotone voice. Ah, there's the Wufei I knew.
"I'm here on a job. Heero and I crossed paths by the diner last Friday evening."
I didn't feel like I owed him an explanation; it was none of his business on why I was there and how Heero and I ended up where we are now. I just left my face as blank as his as I took drags from my cigarette. This day had already been stressful enough, and I didn't need his lectures, I never listened to them before and I wasn't about to start now.
"That's all you have to say for yourself?" His voice was angry, fist clenched on his crossed arms against his chest, "Two years Maxwell! For some of us, it's longer. Where were you when he had his accident? Where were you during his therapy and his surgeries! You were unreachable or wouldn't take our calls, and THAT is all you have to say for yourself? Essentially, 'oops my bad'?"
I threw my bud down and ran my hand through my hair in frustration, "I was going through some shit, okay? You guys seemed fine, you didn't need me around to screw up the crap you started here."
"Things like what?" He raised an eyebrow in question.
"If I wanted you ta' know, I would have told ya'. Honestly, it's none of your goddamn business," I said defensively.
"You think you're the only one that had issues? That had problems to work through? Would it have killed you to call or at least monitor the news? Seriously, Maxwell..." He continued, his voice steadily dropping into a growl.
I leaned against the side of the building, foot resting against the brick wall, and tuned him out as he continued with his rant. I rested my head back against the wall and shut my eyes; I was too mentally tired to put up with this shit right now and it isn't even 2 yet. With the incident with Heero and all the running I had to do for Howard this morning, I was just done. I interrupted his ranting after a few minutes and just gave him a tired look out of the corner of my eye.
"Look Wu', I get it you're mad. I know I fucked up and I should have stayed in touch. I was pretty fucked up after Hilde and I needed to figure my shit out. I didn't want to drag you guys into my shit pile. All I can say is sorry and that I'll do better for now on, especially now that I know what all kinda' shit has happened in my absence," I pulled out another cigarette and put it between my slack lips, just letting it hang there as I continued.
"Why didn't any of you tell me about Heero's accident. You had ample chances to do so, you guys were still calling me when it happened. Had any of you thought to inform me? For fuck's sake, I am out in space, usually on a job. I barely get any reception in my ship when I'm out scrapping," it irritated me. How dare he try to pin this all on me? My lack of contact, my lack of presence, is he serious? It was just as much their fault as it was mine!
Wufei uncrossed his arms and leaned on the wall next to me, "It's Wufei... and we figured you knew. It was all over the news 'Relena's Perfect Soldier, Now Broken!'" He sighed and looked at my smoke in disgust, "That will kill you."
I ignored his comment and lit the cigarette anyway, if only to irritate him. "You should have said somethin', someone should have said somethin'. You know I don't pay attention to the political side of shit. I would have been here if I would have known, someone should have informed me."
"You made it hard to get even a call through to you. I can't speak for everyone but you were standoffish and withdrawn on the phone calls...you never had a call for longer than maybe 10 minutes and you offered no personal information. I figured it irritated you, so I stopped. I imagine it was the same for the others." He said in defense.
"But none of you said a word, you spoke of meaningless things, nothing about your personal lives either, nothing about how everyone was doing even when I asked. You guys just ignored it, it shouldn't have surprised me, not being part of 'the group'. I was always an outsider, always a nuisance, always an irritation. I made headway with Heero, he was speaking, and we became close. I definitely was close with Quatre, he became a little brother to me. But despite the connections I made, you all still shared things and kept me out of the loop if you didn't deem my input necessary. So why would I offer something that not even you guys would?" I shouldn't have to explain myself or my actions, we were both at fault and he was just too stubborn to admit to it, all of them were.
I stuck a hand in my front pocket and looked down; my voice quiet, my face sullen, "I woulda' been there... I am already beating myself shitless for it. So you guys may be mad at me for ghosting... but you failed to give me pertinent information. I didn't even know 'Ro and Relena had split."
He let the conversation go because he had nothing to say or he was just being stubborn. I let the cigarette drop to the ground as we watched the clouds pass by for a few minutes in companionable silence.
"Will he be okay..." my voice was quiet, afraid to break the calm after the storm.
"He'll pull through... he always does. He'll probably be sore for two days. It could have been worse. Let's be thankful that it wasn't..." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him turn his head to look at me as I continued to stare at the cloud-blotted sky.
"He's had it rough, you know," He continued, "He handled much of his recovery on his own, except the driving. He was in the hospital until he was strong enough to get around on his own in a wheelchair. He allowed me to help him with his physical therapy, but most of the time he just wanted to be alone. Relena tried to get him to come to stay with her for a time but he refused, I don't blame him though..."
"Yeah, he is a stubborn ass-hole when he wants to be, that's for sure." I chuckled softly and turned to look at him, leaning my shoulder against the side of the brick building. "What happened with him and Relena anyway, he gave me the jest of it but no details."
He smirked and pushed off the building, "And I will not give you those details, Maxwell. I will not feed your curiosity, especially with information that is not my place to share."
I smirked and gave him a little shrug, "It was worth a shot..." my voice wavered some as I continued, "So... are we okay?"
A small mischievous glint lit his eye, "No, far from it! You have a lot to grovel for, hope you're up to the challenge." He stood up and made his way back into the building. All I could do was stand there, mouth wide open in shock.
"Pick your jaw up Maxwell, you'll catch flies," he threw over his shoulder as he walked inside. I sputtered for a second and did just that as I hurried to follow him.
"When did YOU get a sense of humor!" I yelled, laughter in my voice.
Have I said how much I hate hospitals? The chairs were always uncomfortable and the place always smells like antiseptic regardless of where you are. The waiting is always the worst. When we walked into the waiting room, Relena was having some conversation with the receptionist and Wufei had moved further away to talk to someone on his com. I looked up at the clock and noted that it had only been about 40 minutes since I left the surgery, time just seemed to drag. With a heavy sigh, I rested my head in my hands, my elbows on my knees, and twined my fingers through my hair. It left me to just sit and wait for Sally Po to come out with an update.
After a few minutes Wufei came over and took a seat next to me, back slouched against the chair, arms and ankles crossed, and leaned his head back against the wall with his eyes closed. If I didn't know better, he looked to be sleeping.
I tilted my chin in Relena's direction, "She lives here now? Couldn't let Heero out of her grasp when he left? Shouldn't she be off doing something with her campaign?" my voice had an irritated tone to it.
Wufei shifted slightly and turned to look at me, "She's here attending press conferences, debates, and charity events." He smirked, "and no, she doesn't live around here, though she is staying in the Peacamillion Resort and Suites until she finishes with her campaign. I believe her next visit is to L2 here in a week..."
I snorted and leaned back in the chair, taking on the same stance as Wufei did in his, "Whose running against her, do you think they will win, or is she in for another term?"
Wufei shrugged, "She's been doing pretty well the past seven years, it hasn't been easy picking up the pieces."
"Good, I hope it's been hell," I grumbled.
He sighed, "Zekale Garter, he's a progressive; 32 years of age, runs in the same circles as both Winner and Peacecrafts. He wants to further Science exploration, he's speaking to the masses that want the freedom of expression."
"Zekale? Is he the one that has been in the papers talking about finding a safe way to allow expression through all the altercations, augmentations, and splicing? The one that claimed he has found a safe way to splice and do augmentations without ill effects?" I questioned.
Wufei raised an eyebrow, "You don't pay attention to 'political stuff' but you know about his other endeavors?"
"Who doesn't, he's all over Science Today and Mechanic Clank... I wasn't aware he had an interest in the political side of things though. I figured he was just trying to aid the existing government with his research." I replied in a skeptical tone.
I couldn't believe it, Zekale? His research labs have brought a lot of business to most scrapping companies for data and gundanium alloy. He's trying to legalize all this crazy shit that is going on, and he claims to know how to do it with no ill effects? I mean, I knew the man was a genius, an evil one maybe, but that was crazy! Why would anybody want to encourage all the illegal stuff going on by giving an alternative, nothing good can come from splicing? What's his end game? Legalize it, give the masses a safe way to express themselves? It doesn't matter what claims he makes, the procedures alone would not be affordable for the normal worker, it would be top dollar.
"He's keeps us scrappers afloat...he uses a lot of what we find in his research material, and data." I explained.
Wufei leaned his head back and closed his eyes before continuing, "Preventers have been keeping a close eye on him, he's secretive about his research and doesn't explain how he is testing his theories. That enough is to make him suspect to being part of the Genesis movement in some way. We have nothing concrete. If it involves him, we aren't finding any proof of his involvement."
"That's high up the chain man...if Genesis has that many fingers in the pie it's not gonna be stopped easily..."
"We are well aware we may be fighting a losing battle, we aren't even aware of how far this stretches, if this is the only faction, or if there are several factions involved.." He sighed and sat forward, resting his arms on his legs, "But we can't stop...We need to do what we can for those we can. Right now we can help those here on L1...that is what we'll do."
I nodded in response and went back to resting my head against the wall. It was at times like this that it relieved me to be living space-side; I didn't need to concern myself with the stuff that is going on land-side. Things were simple in space, you did your job and made your runs and relaxed when you could. Not saying that the political side of things didn't affect us spacers, but it's less 'in your face' if you get my drift. With a sigh, I glanced up at the clock, willing it to go faster.
I heard the clicking of heels on the linoleum as they stepped into my line of sight. I rolled my eyes and sat back in my chair, refusing to meet her eye, opting to stare out the windows on the other side of the waiting room. I did not want to deal with the banshee right now. Maybe if I ignored her, she will get the point and disappear...no such luck.
"Why are you and Heero so buddy buddy suddenly!" I could hear her struggling not to raise her voice.
I kept staring out the windows. The only sound that could be heard was her food tapping on the floor. I glanced at her from the corner of my eye and rolled my eyes. I didn't have to answer to her and didn't owe her any explanation, and I wasn't about to give her one.
"I demand to know why you think you are wanted here! You've been gone for four years, you have no business walking in here like nothing is wrong!" her voice went up an octave by the end of her sentence.
I snorted and tapped my fingers on my crossed arm, determined to just ignore her. Where was Sally when you needed her? Why wasn't Wufei getting involved? I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and saw him still in his relaxed, slouched position in the chair with a small, almost unnoticed raise of the corner of his mouth. Smug bastard...
Relena sighed and came back into my view and bent down at the waist, bringing her eyes level with mine, "Answer me!"
I threw my hands up in frustration and sat up in my chair, "Listen here, I don't owe you any explanation. From what I've heard, you have about every right to be here as me. Has there been trouble in paradise, Miss Peacecraft?"
She pointed her finger into my chest, "You listen here, you space rat..."
I got in her personal space and snarled, "Don't go there princess..."
"Will you two knock it off already?" Wufei decided to stop feigning sleep and get involved.
I sat back in my chair like a petulant child that had just been scorned and turned to resume my stare with the window. About time he got involved, I was two seconds away from ripping her a new one. Relena stood and turned to Wufei with a conceited look on her face, her arms crossed and her foot still tapping in irritation.
"You can't possibly condone his behavior, Wufei!" she said in an exasperated tone.
Wufei sat up and held his hand up in a signal for silence. Once Relena stopped he looked up at her, his face held no emotion as he spoke, "I did not say I 'condoned' the behavior of either of you. You are both acting like children fighting over their favorite toy, that toy being Heero."
Relena rolled her eyes and looked down at her feet. I smirked at her behavior. /That's right princess, you aren't going to be given any special treatment here./
"Duo has his reasons for being here just as you do Miss Peacecraft. I admit that he has not been around and he has to answer for a lot of things, but he need not answer to you or answer your questions. Why he and Heero are acting as they are is their business and theirs alone." He sat back in his chair and continued, "You should show respect, if not for Duo, then for Heero's sake. They are friends and nothing can be said that would change their standing. You shouldn't invest so much interest in Heero's affairs, who he spends his time with is his choice, not yours. I advise you to take a seat and wait like the rest of us before you make more of a spectacle out of yourself."
Her jaw dropped open in disbelief, "You cannot possibly be siding with him on this Wufei!"
He sighed and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes again, "I am not siding with either of you, I just want some peace, sit down Miss Peacecraft." He finished in a 'no-nonsense' tone. Yup...smug bastard.
I heard Relena let out an indignant huff before her heels retreated to the other side of the room. The chair's legs scratched the floor from the amount of force she used when she sat. I couldn't stop the smirk that appeared on my face or the twinkle that had more than likely made itself known in my eyes. Wufei: 1, Relena: 0.
"You can wipe that smirk off your face at any time, Maxwell..." He mumbled.
/Shit.../ Make that an observant smug bastard, cops...
It was another hour before Sally made her way into the waiting room. As usual, Relena pounced on her with questions right when the door's closed behind her. I nudged Wufei with my elbow before I stood up and made my way over to the pair.
Sally put her clipboard in one hand and set her free one on Relena's shoulder, "Miss Relena, I can't answer that many questions at once, I don't think anybody could at the rate you were asking. Take a deep breath and calm down."
Relena's face was slightly red after Sally silenced her, she really didn't like people telling her what to do. It made me wonder how she was still alive if she constantly butts heads with her staff and guards. Wufei and Heero must have patients of a saint, there's no way I could deal with that stubborn attitude. I stuck my hand, thumb through a belt loop, in my front pocket as Wufei made his way over to hear the update. His hair was mussed and his uniform was out of sorts from his slouching position in the chair. Other than that, he just looked tired, and I didn't blame him after the morning he had.
"He did fine, and he's resting at the moment. There were several slipped disks in his lower back that blocked the bionic fluid lines in his back. I was able to realign the disks and free-up the lines."
Relena relaxed her shoulders and took a step back as Sally explained.
"He did a good number on his prosthetic as well when he went down on his knee. The connection plates on his leg had to be replaced, and the plate inside his prosthetic is being replaced as we speak. They were in a sad condition. To begin with, this incident stressed the plates further, causing even deeper grooves to form on what is supposed to be a smooth surface." She turned to look at Wufei, a look of irritation on her face.
"Why didn't you instruct him to come in sooner? He informed me he had bindings going on for a while now. This whole situation could have been avoided if he had come in sooner, had the plates updated, and the fluid recharged." She sighed and shook her head.
"You mean he was having issues before now?" Relena questioned, then looked over at Wufei with a vexed look. "You're his partner, you should have made him come in."
Wufei shrugged and crossed his arms, "He's stubborn, I was aware he had binding since Friday, I heard him wince over the com when we picked you up, Miss Peacecraft." He crossed his arms and gave her an accusatory look, "You didn't help matters. You knew he was there on guard duty, he was walking around the charity function the whole time it was taking place, and when he took a moment to sit...you insisted that he accompany you as you talked to the other attendees."
I looked between the two of them and sighed before turning my attention to Sally, "It doesn't matter, it's been addressed now. Can we see him now?"
Sally nodded, "Yes. He may be a little out of it, I have him on some strong pain medication and I would like him to get some rest. His levels are high and I would like to keep him as relaxed as possible. Given his history with anxiety, I would rather not cause undue stress." she motioned for us to follow as she turned, heading back the way she came.
Heero's POV
I was on my side in the bed facing the door, machines attached to my chest to monitor my heart rate and oxygen levels, when Sally, Relena, Wufei and Duo walked in. I gave them a weak smile in greeting as they made their way across the room. Relena pulled up a chair to sit by my side, Wufei stood with his arms crossed at the end of the bed, and Duo leaned against the wall by the door in a relaxed stance. I was confused about why he was keeping his distance, but my brain was too muddled to think about it too much.
Thanks to the meds, my body felt heavy, and I was having a hard time staying awake. Did I mention I hate taking medications? This would be why they messed with my state of being and with my job I couldn't afford to be anything less than fully alert.
I couldn't believe that one small teenager could do as much damage as she did. When she kicked me I felt like I had been run over by a truck. I'm sure word got back to the others already, and I probably won't hear the end of it for a while. Sally had mentioned my heart rate was erratic, and I didn't doubt it. After everything I went through today, I was surprised it wasn't through the roof. I haven't been taking my anxiety meds for a while now, because of how they made me feel, but she insisted that I take them on top of the heavy pain meds for the time being. At some point, Relena had taken my hand, but I couldn't really feel anything thanks to the pain medications.
"Hey, How are you doing?" She asked me quietly. I didn't even know why she was here.
I pulled my hand away, "I'm fine, Miss Peacecraft..." She looked hurt by my action, but I didn't really care.
Before she had a chance to talk I addressed Wufei, "Please tell me you were able to at least detain her."
Wufei smirked and shifted to his other foot, "It took me a bit to get my hands on her but yes, she is detained for questioning. I haven't spoken with her yet, I wanted to check in on you first."
I smirked and shifted slightly into a more comfortable position on my side, "I should be fine by Wednesday. I would be back in the office this afternoon if they allowed me." I glared over at Sally and she smirked in return.
"Not happening, Yuy. I need to monitor you for at least 24 hours, you know the drill. Not to mention you can't do much without your prosthetic."
Relena leaned into my line of sight, blocking Sally from view, "You should have had that looked into before it got as bad as it did Heero, what were you thinking?"
I sighed and ran my hand down my face, the IV pulling slightly at the action, "You needed the detail, Miss Peacecraft. Genesis has made it clear that they see you as a problem that needs to be taken care of. You threaten them with your campaign, you're wanting to institutionalize all persons that splice. Whereas a good deal of may stand by you, you still make enemies in the process."
She gave me a shy smile and pushed my hair out of my face, "I don't want you sacrificing your own health for mine, Heero. You could have had someone else fill in for you while you had this addressed."
Duo stood back, silent with his arms crossed, looking down at his shoes. I wondered what he was thinking about. He looked uncomfortable. "Duo, I never asked earlier, but how did you hear about my incident." It confused me, nobody knew he was in town. I had kept my word and had told nobody about his being here.
Duo looked up and smiled. I could tell it was not a genuine one, it didn't reach his eyes. He reached back and rubbed at his neck before answering. "Awe, you know me, buddy. Wrong place, right time?" He chuckled, "I was in the shipping district finishing up business and caught ya running like hell was on your heels past the Cafe. I ran after ya and found ya out cold on the cement and Wufei wrestling a girl into the back of his cruiser."
He chuckled at the memory, "You shoulda' seen his face when he realized who I was. He was completely oblivious until he heard me talkin'."
Wufei glared at him, "I was kind of in the middle of wrestling a girl hyped up on enhancers into the car. Not to mention how was I supposed to know who you were, you look nothing like the last time I saw you." Duo laughed at him and shook his head before resuming his position against the wall.
Relena did not look pleased with Duo's presence, or Wufei's for that matter. I don't know what she was trying to accomplish being here. After our meeting at the Diner, I figured I made myself very clear. Her hand was gently stroking through my hair and I was too tired to care or fight her on it so I just let it drop and directed my attention back to Wufei.
Wufei walked around to take the chair next to Relena and leaned forward, laying his arms across his legs and resting his chin on his folded hands, "Are you up to talking about the case for a few minutes?"
I grabbed Relena's hand and laid it back on the bed. I squeezed it briefly before placing my hand back in front of me on the mattress, "I may not be able to help much but I would like to know what you plan to do so I'm still in the loop."
He nodded and turned to look at Relena, Duo, and then landed last on Sally. I saw his eyes soften slightly and the corner of his mouth turn up into a soft smile, "Would you mind giving us a few minutes? I promise I won't keep him too long."
Sally's eyes softened slightly as she smiled and nodded, "10 minutes. Don't cause him too much stress, Chang." she ushered both Relena and Duo out the door.
"Hey Sally?" she turned at my inquiry, holding the door open as the others stepped out. "Could you bring Duo back with you when you return? And... could you kindly tell Relena to head back to the hotel?"
She nodded and made her way out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. I turned my eyes back to Wufei and let out a long sigh and let my eyes slide closed. They felt heavy and now that nobody else was around; I felt like I could let my guard down for the time being.
"So...how are you really?" Wufei voice was soft as he spoke.
"Sore...I can't really feel anything at the moment thanks to the pain medications." I sighed, opened my eyes, and pushed my hair behind my ear, "Sally said there would be a good-sized bruise and that I was lucky that the port wasn't damaged by the impact. That would have resulted in a longer hospital stay."
Wufei nodded in understanding and resumed, "So, Yursa... I was able to detain her and she is in a holding cell for the time being. I trumped up enough to warrant her being held for at least 24 hours. I had to give her a mild sedative to knock her out for a few hours. I will have to question her before..." He looked at the clock on the wall, "1700 hours tomorrow. Think Sally will cut you loose soon enough to have you accompany me?"
"I'm not no good at swaying her resolve Wufei...you would have better luck at that than me," I smirked. Wufei's neck turned slightly red before he cleared his throat.
I gave him a break and continued, "Do you request a blood sample? We need to know what she is souped up with..."
He righted himself and sat up straight in his chair, "Yes, that along with urine and saliva samples. I plan to have that done tonight. If we wait for tomorrow morning, we won't have the results back before we're given the chance to question her. She requested her lawyer as soon as we brought her in. She isn't taking any chances this time around." He sighed and sat back in the chair, stretching his legs out in front of him.
"She will not turn easily. We will have to approach this with caution if we want any information out of her."
I nodded and rubbed the palm of my hand against my eyes, "Did she say anything when you brought her in?"
Wufei shook his head and rubbed at the creases in his forehead, "Besides calling me everything in the book besides my name...No, nothing useful."
"That's not surprising..." My mind was wandering, and I was having a hard time forming sentences and I'm sure it wasn't hard to miss.
Wufei reached over and pat right thigh before standing up and looking at the clock, "I'm sure Sally will be here soon. You look about ready to pass out, I will not keep you. I'll fill you in on the rest once you're out of here and lucid." he smirked and stretched his arms over his head.
"I am lucid..."
He smirked and turned to the door, "Whatever you say, Yuy. Get some rest, I'll talk with Sally on possibly getting you out of here by noon."
"Hn..." I heard the door click shut as I shut my eyes, I told myself that I was only shutting them for a minute and that was the last thought I had before I went under.
When I woke up again, Duo was sitting in the chair next to the bed looking at his tablet, the light bouncing off his wire-frame glasses. He looked to be concentrating on something that he was reading. His hair was up in a ponytail as opposed to his sticks and he had a bag on the floor next to him. I watched as his slim fingers glided across the screen, tapping softly on some things before scrolling again.
"Hey..."
He looked up and gave me a soft smile, "Hey 'Ro...How are you feeling?" He set the tablet on the side table and leaned his elbows on the side of the bed, bringing his head to my level.
I rubbed my eyes and furrowed my brows, "How long was I asleep..."
He glanced at his watch before bringing his eyes back to mine, "A couple of hours, it's eight-thirty. The nurses came in twice to check on the fluid pressure, they had to drain some off. You were complaining about your legs tingling in your sleep."
"Sounds about right," I stretched out my back and winced slightly before relaxing again, "They always put a little more than needed in the lines...I don't recall saying anything though."
"You were still half asleep, I had to help because he kept twitching when they tried to hook up the catch.." He reached up and moved some loose hair out of my eyes, "Do you want to get out of that gown? When I came by you were asleep, so I took it on myself to grab some clothes from your apartment. I hope you don't mind."
I let out a sound of relief and smiled, "Thank you, you didn't have to do that. I could have had Wufei grab my gym shorts from the Preventer's gym."
I don't mind, I didn't want to wake you so I kept myself busy." He reached down to the bag and pulled out my white sports shorts and handed them to me before pushing the button on the bed to help me sit up without irritating my back too much.
"Do you want some help?" His voice was soft as he spoke.
I thought about it as I slogged myself up into a sitting position, "Yeah... could you get the ties? And then would you mind helping me to the restroom? They haven't returned with my prosthetic, it would be difficult to make it there without help.
"Sure, that's no problem. Consider me your crutch for the night," he gave me a soft, genuine smile before looping my arm around his neck and helped me bring my legs around to hang off the side of the bed, "Ready?"
I gave him a slight nod, and he gently assisted me off the bed and walked me over to the restroom. I leaned against the doorjamb as he worked the ties loose and handed me my shorts, "Can you get it from here?"
I nodded and grabbed the offered shorts before working my way into the restroom and shutting the door. I used the sink for balance as I pulled off the gown and sat down on the toilet to relieve myself. I finished up and pulled my shorts up my leg and tied them. I stood up and looked in the mirror, my hair was a mess and had come loose from the hair tie. With a sigh, I finger combed it the best I could, debating if I should ask if he grabbed my brush and another tie. As if reading my mind, I heard a soft knock at the door.
"You decent, 'Ro?"
"Yeah, come on in." I saw the door open as he stepped in and made eye contact with my reflection in the mirror. I saw that he had my hairbrush in his hand, a hair tie wrapped around its handle.
He smiled softly and went to hand the brush over to me over my shoulder, "Figured you may need it. Did you want some help? It would be kinda' hard puttin' it up and balancin' yourself on one leg."
"Thanks."
He approached me, I could feel his head through his skin against my back as he brushed my hair, running his fingers through it as he went. I shut my eyes in delight. I would never admit it if someone asked, but I loved my hair being played with. Does that make me girly? I let out a soft sigh as he pulled my sides back, my head rolled side to side as he gently pulled it back. After a few minutes, he had my hair back in a small ponytail on the crown of my head. I slowly opened my eyes and smiled at him through the mirror. I could swear his face was slightly pink and his breathing slightly labored as he stepped back, giving me some space, and leaned against the doorjamb.
"Does it meet your standards?"
I let my hand run over the half ponytail down the hair by my neck and smiled, "I think it's better than I've done honestly."
He gave me his goofy grin again before helping me back over to the bed and getting laid back down on my side. He re-attached the stress test wires to my chest that recorded my heart rate and pulled the cover-up to my waist before sitting back down in his chair. He lowered the bed down some and reached into the bag again. After he searched around for a minute, he pulled out the book I had been reading and put it on the table next to the bed.
"I know it's not your computer, but I wasn't sure how long you were going to be in here and figured you could use something." I just smiled at his thoughtfulness and laid fully down and watched him as he tried to keep himself busy.
He still had the habit of filling the silence with rambling, and it was kind of adorable. I widened my eyes at that errant thought and wondered where it had come from before schooling my face and watching his hunt through the bag for a few minutes before giving up.
"I appreciate it Duo." I smiled and reached out and touched his fidgeting hands, "You can relax, you know. It's just you and me, I'm not expecting you to talk the whole time," I had a small smile on my face as his eyes became wide, surprised that I saw through his actions.
"What has you so nervous, anyway?"
He rubbed the back of his neck and put a small smile on his face, "Hospitals make me nervous and anxious. Sorry about that..."
I leaned forward a little like I was going to tell him a secret and whispered, "I don't much like them either." He laughed softly at my attempt at cheering him up. Once he had calmed down enough to relax in the chair, I smirked and rested back on my side.
"Any news about the delivery? You didn't text me an update this afternoon."
He sat up and gave a nod, "Thankfully things went through smoothly. I was able to order all the parts that were needed, that I was aware of, for Howard's hauler. They should be in by the end of the week. I have them delivering them to the port Saturday to be loaded up. Howard said he would have a ship there by the afternoon and a few hands to help haul it all on."
"At least one of us had some luck today. So will you be leaving on Saturday then?" It was sad to hear, I was enjoying his company and his companionship.
I didn't realize how much I missed it until now; I had been happy with Jynx and the occasional dinner out with Wufei, Quatre, or Triton, but I realized I had just been going through the motions. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy their company and enjoy spending time with them when I can, but... Duo was different. He was my first friend, and I always cared for him on a different level than the others. I shook my head; I didn't want to analyze it too much...it could only lead to disappointment.
"Yeah... that's the plan." His smile fell slightly, and the shine dimmed in his eyes, "Kinda stinks, ya know? I was hoping to have a little more time here to catch up with you and Wufei at least." He chuckled sarcastically, looked down at the floor, and folded his hands in his lap, "Ironic, right? I was regretting this trip from the get-go and now I wish I had more time."
I didn't enjoy seeing that look on his face. My brow creased as I gently lifted his chin to look at me again, "Hey... We still have this week and if you think I will let you just ghost again, you have another thing coming." I smirked, "I will call you often and I expect the calls to be answered. I don't plan to let you disappear again, Maxwell. You get me?"
He laughed and reached up to take my hand in his. That was better, I loved the sound of his baritone laughter. It was more like him to be happy, not sullen, and depressed. I felt slightly angry about what caused him to become what he is now, but I intended to make him smile again. It's the least I can do considering he did the same for me.
"Yeah...I guess you're right. I'm stuck with ya, huh?"
"Like glue, Maxwell." I don't know what came over me, but I brought his hand up to my lips to kiss his knuckles before laying our hands back down on the mattress in front of me. When I looked up at him his eyes were as big as saucers and I questioned if I had crossed a line. After a moment of shock, his features softened, and he squeezed my hand in reassurance. I gave him a small smile before shutting my eyes again. I could hear the monitors slowing down almost to a crawl as I listened to his soft breathing and felt his thumb running over the back of my hand.
"Get some sleep 'Ro. I don't plan to leave anytime soon, but I give it about two hours before Sally kicks me out of here for the night."
I responded with a short snorting laugh before I let myself fully relax, "ArigatÅ, Duo. Oyasumi... (1)" Knowing he was on watch, I let the darkness lull me into a dreamless sleep.
A/N: Woo! Another chapter finished. I apologize for the long wait. I hit a brick wall after that last chapter and couldn't seem to figure out where I wanted to go with this. I don't write outlines for my stories, I kinda just type and let the muse take over. The 'muse' has been absent and left me gaping at a brick wall like a fish...
(1) "Thank you, Duo. Good night" in Japanese.