Disclaimer: I do not own the Gundam Pilots or anything else that is affiliated with them. Pretty much anything you recognize. =) I do own the plot. The names I use that don't seem familiar, you can give the credit to my best friends. These were the names of my friends who just came off of the top of my head.



~*~Chapter 3~*~

Rocky Start To Recuperation

"Excuse me, may I have your attention please?" Dou jumped up, startled by the sudden announcement. He must have fallen asleep listening to the music. He leaned the chair upright and rubbed the sleep his eyes. "We will be arriving in the city of Skyeview in about twenty minutes. Please remain in your seats untill directed otherwise, even after landing. Thank you and enjoy the rest of your flight." Dou took off the headphones and stored them where he had found them.. He looked down at his sleeping comrade, undistrubed by the sudden announcement over the intercom.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhheeeeeeuuuuuuhhhh!" Dou stretched his arms high above his head, letting out an obnoxiously loud yawn. He didn't realize it before, but after sleeping in them, the young man decided it was more comfortable to sleep on cold concrete than in these chairs. "Well Heero, we're almost home and then you can get the rest you truly need. Aw man! I've gotta be in early Monday and I probably won't get much sleep tonight." Dou looked down at his watch, curious as to why the flight seemed to take so long. It was 2:30 AM, unusual considering their flight only lasted about four hours and they left at about 9:30 the night before. How'd they pick up three extra hours?

Dou turned his focus back to Heero as he began to stir. It seemed like every time the guy got some rest, something had to go and bother him. It's like he couldn't get more than a couple hours of sleep, just enough to keep him alive throughout the rest of the day.

"Hey, Heero you gotta wake up. We're almost there." Heero didn't respond to the call, his dream held fast to him, not letting him in peace.

Dou reached over and shook his shoulder, trying to awaken him once more. He still didn't respond. Dou was starting to get worried, it was like the guy didn't even know he was there. So Dou tried to talk to him once more, this time he spoke louder. "Heero, c'mon, you've got to wake up, I'm not kidding. If this is your idea of a joke, you're....HOLY SHNAPS!" He didn't get to finish his sentence before the entire plane heard his surprised expression. Heero had jolted upward, scaring the living daylights out of his friend.

Dou was a little angry at first, thinking that Heero had done it to scare him. If so, he did one heck of a job. Seconds later, he knew that wasn't the case. Heero glanced around him, eyes wide in absolute terror. He was trying to leave his seat, but the seatbelt held fast. It was like he wasn't even in the same reality mentally as he was physically. Dou quickly undid his seatbelt and stood in front of Heero, trying to hold him still and calm him down. It was like he wasn't even listening to Dou.

"Settle down man! You'll hurt yourself. Come on, snap out of it!" Dou pleaded, searching his friend's eyes, but nothing was there except fear. It was an undescribable fear, nothing he'd ever seen before. What scared him even more was the fact that, hey, this was Heero we were talking about. That should speak for itself.

A flight attendant came down the isle briskly, a look of disapproval on her face. "Please, you must be quiet, you're scaring the other passengers. I'll have to ask you to also get back in your seat."

Talk about a total blonde.(she does have dark brown hair) *absolutely no offence to blondes whatsoever, please forgive* "Look, I'm not gonna sit here and agrue with ya. But no, I won't sit down, not untill I can calm my friend down. He's outta it right now and if you aren't gonna help me out here, then go away before you get hurt. He isn't like this normally, so I don't know what's wrong, so don't ask!" Dou's patience was running out, the day just seemed to be getting worse and worse.

"W-w-what do y-you want me t-t-to do?" She had no clue as to what was going on, and the fear and pain in the young man's eyes was so great, it even scared her.

"Tilt the chair forward, then try and get all of the other passengers to the front section of the plane. We don't need anyone getting hurt and I'm not sure what he'll do or how long this'll go on. Hurry!" With that, the flight attendant ushered the remaining passengers in their section into the class A area. She left Dou to try to restrain a Heero who was struggling for his life.

~*~

Heero struggled against the chains that held him tight. It wasn't any use. He was trapped, and he couldn't do anything about it. He sat in a large cell, damp and moldy. It was as if sunlight did not exist, everything around him was cold and dark. A whimpering from the corner across the room set him on edge. He squinted, trying to make out the figure that lay in the opposite corner. "Who's there?" he called, cautious as to how he spoke. The shadow didn't talk, but a groan floated in the air. The voice sounded so familiar. Was it? It couldn't be.

"Quatre?"

"Help me, please Heero." It was Quatre, his words barely audible.

"Quatre, what happened?!?! Where are we? You need to talk to me Quatre." He struggled against the chains again, trying to reach his injured friend. They didn't budge.

"Please, help me. Stop the pain. Please." Quatre begged, he was crying. Heero couldn't stand it anymore. He couldn't watch (theoretically speaking) as his friend cried in pain. He couldn't stand by and listen to him cry, to take on the hurt alone. He threw his entire weight into each of his attempts to break the chains. It wasn't working. He tried, time and time again. His only reward was failure.

"Quatre? Quatre, listen to me, can you move? Are you chained up like I am. If you can, then you can come here and I can help you." He prayed that Quatre wasn't chained as he was, then he could help his friend. If he couldn't, he'd go mad!

"Please stop the pain!" Quatre begged again, this time, fear in his voice. Footsteps were heard approaching, softly at first, but they grew louder. There were two, soldier probably. They were headed right for their cell. "Don't let them take me again, please Heero, please! Don't let them take me, please!" Quatre's voice was now frantic, he tried to pull himself over to where Heero stood, seeking his protection. He crawled by Heero's side, his friend leaning down to embrace and comfort him.

Heero could now see Quatre, though not definately. His eyes were wide in terror, tears streaming them. Heero looked down at Quatre, wondering if he just didn't have the strength to walk over or if something was wrong. Something was wrong, his legs were broken. The steps neared the cell, and Quatre clung to Heero, grasping his arm in a steel grip that surprised even Heero.

Two soldiers stood before them, OZ soldiers. They opened the cell door and the soldiers walked in, eyes set on Quatre.

"No, get away from me! Please, don't hurt me! Heero, don't let them take me again! Please, don't let them take me again!"

Heero placed a protective arm around Quatre's shoulders, glaring at the soldiers. "You take one more step near us, and I swear, I will kill you." The older of the two only sneered.

"Tough man, huh? We'll see about that." He took a revolver from his side and held it up, pointing it at Heero. The teenager didn't back down. The soldier pulled the trigger, hitting Heero in the shoulder.

He grimaced in pain. He was then literally thrown back into the wall by the same soldier who had shot him, the other pulling the screaming youth from the cell. "Heero, help me! Don't let them take me, please! Don't let them take me! Help me!" Heero opened his eyes in time to see Quatre's face in terror as he was dragged around the corner.

"Quatre!!!" Heero yelled, but he was too late. Quatre's screams disappeared and the room was quiet once again. He couldn't help him. He couldn't protect him. He'd failed. He only prayed that Quatre wouldn't suffer, he didn't deserve to suffer. Heero felt tears sting the back of his eyes. He slammed his fist into the ground, he didn't complete his mission. He let the tears fall, not caring any more. He layed on the floor, feeling the blood from his shoulder soak the concrete beneath him. Why was he here? Where were the others? The last thing he remembered was falling to sleep on a plane to Skyeview with Dou. What happened? He just layed on the floor, letting the tears fall. No longer would he struggle, no longer did he want to fight. He just wanted to give up, on the war, on humanity, on life.

~*~

Dou sat in his seat, next to Heero. He'd stopped struggling, now he lay against the back of the seat. He'd put up a good fight, that was for sure. One thing he didn't understand was, why on earth were there tears streaming down his face? He didn't know Heero could even cry. The same woman appeared, this time walking cautiously.

"Is, is everything alright? Why is he crying?" Her face turned from fear to sympathy as she asked the last question.

"He's okay, for now at least. I....I don't know how to answer the last question lady." Dou shook his head, exhaustion setting in. He really had to fight to keep Heero in his seat. The seat belt had broken long before the first half of Dou's little dilema was over. He looked over at Heero who lay against the back of his seat. His eyes were slightly open, distorted by the tears that flowed never-endingly. Dou didn't know what was wrong, and it was killing him to see Heero going through this alone. He shouldn't have to, Dou should be able to do something! But what? What was he supposed to do? "I'm sorry man, but you've got to tell me how to help you. I don't know what to do. I just don't know what to do!" Dou's eyes began to cloud over with tears, for his friend's pain as well as his own. He blinked them back, or at least tried to. He was supposed to be strong, Heero needed him now and Dou couldn't fall apart on him in a time like this. It wasn't any use, tears began to trickle slowly from his eyes, down his cheeks, and fall from his chin. He quickly wiped them away, but they were replaced by new tears.

"Here, you can use this." The flight attendent handed him a handkerchief, then placed her hand on his shoulder as Dou tried to hide his "weakness". It only took him a moment before he was able to get his emotions under control.

"Thank you miss," he called over his shoulder, handing her the handkerchief. He didn't even bother to turn and face her. He just looked into his friend's nearly closed eyes.

"Call me Andrea. It's alright, and your welcome. Should he start struggling again, shouldn't we move him to another seat, one with a seat belt? To make things easier. I've talked to the captain, he said he'll try and land as soon as possible and get the paramedics up here. There's also a small rope in back, it's a bit rough though."

"Thanks Andrea, ya, we probably should move him. Just in case. Can you go and get the rope?" Andrea nodded leaving the two boys. Dou lifted the arm rest and moved Heero over to his seat. He layed the seat back, and after buckling the seat belt, he covered Heero with the blanket. This would help to reduce any injuries to him, should his friend struggle against the rope again before he came back to reality. Andrea came back, this time with the short rope which she immediately handed to Dou. He quickly bound his companion hastily but securly, not taking any chances. Dou sat in the isle, next to his "brother", holding his hand reassuringly. He didn't know what else to do except to try and coax him back to reality, to remind him that Dou was there with him and wasn't going to leave his side.

"It's okay, buddy. I'm here for you. Nothing's gonna happen, but you've gotta come back to the real world. You've got to fight it. Come back, for your friends, if not for them, then for Relena. She needs you too man. We all do. You've gotta come back to us." Heero lay still, not responding. The only signs of life was the constant, but shallow breaths that were heard in their quite section of the plane. That and the fact that the tears still flowed like a river down from his eyes, across his cheeks. Other than that, he was practically gone to the rest of the world.

~*~

Heero awoke, coming back to conciousness. He was strapped to a ice cold sheet of metal, leather straps binding his wrists, ankles, waist, and one went around his neck. He didn't recall what happened, but after he tried to move and a sharp pain seared throughout his entire body, originating from his shoulder, his thoughts came back to him. He'd let them take Quatre, he'd failed. He nearly gave up and fell unconcious again, but just seconds before he could follow through a tall man in a white lab coat entered.

"Ah, you're finally awake." An ominous grin played on the doctor's lips. "It's your turn."

"What did you do to Quatre!" Heero screamed louder and with much more anger in his voice than he'd thought.

"Oh, that spineless little brat that came in here screaming and crying? It's none of your business. How did that little baby ever become a Gundam Pilot anyway? Not like he'd be any help in battle. The soldiers said that you protected him? Why? That creature isn't worth protecting, why would you even bother?" He made sure to insult Quatre as much as possible.

"IF YOU SAY ONE MORE THING LIKE THAT ABOUT HIM, I SWEAR, I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!!!!!!!! I'm going to make you pay for hurting him anyway! What the heck did you do to him?!?! Where is he?!?!?!" He strained to break free, but to no avail. He was trapped again.

"Settle down. Just like a dumb mut, aren't ya. Rushing into things and letting your mouth getting carried away and then not being able to back it up when it comes to fighting." He watched the boy glare at him with such hatred that it could melt steel. He relished the opportunity to make the boys anger swell. "You want to know what happened to your friends? Then just look behind this door, and you will see."

Heero turned his gaze in the direction, his breath held in anticipation. Why had he said friends instead of friend? The man crossed over and opened another door in front of Heero, it was a large door leading to yet another white room. What met his eyes was something he never thought he'd have to see. Quatre was there, restrained as he was, only he was being lowered. A young woman came to the doctor from the other room. She smiled at the doctor, a smile showing a well done job.

"Did you get everything we needed?"

"Yes Dr. Nicholas. The little whiner didn't make it through the experiment though." She pointed with a frown towards Quatre. "He'd gone into shock and we did nothing to help him, just as you requested."

"That's perfect, we didn't need the brat anyway." He gave the young woman a smile and a nod.

What? Quatre couldn't be dead, he just couldn't. How heartless was OZ? He didn't think they would even do something that rutheless. Tears filled his eyes once more and fell, large, sorrowfilled tears. He choked back the need to cry out to his fallen friend. He no longer suffered, he didn't have to fight anymore. He let his gaze glance around the rest of the ajdacent room, and he caught sight of something else that made his heart sink. Three tables sat in the back of the room, each with a white sheet over the form of a body. He didn't want to realize it, he hoped he was wrong, even if all of the evidence was turning his theory into the truth. A hand had fallen from underneath the secrecy of a blood-stained sheet. It held a golden cross on a thin golden chain. It was Trowa's necklace, Cathy had given it to him before he left again with the small portion of his memory that had been uncovered. He'd had amnesia at the time. The doctor hadn't misspoken, he meant to say friends.

"Don't like what you see little boy? Too much reality for you to handle. That is because you are a weakling, just like them. You asked, you wanted the truth. Is the truth too much for you to accept?" he sneered.

Heero said nothing, he was too sick to say anything. His heart didn't want to believe it, but his mind only told the truth. He let his head hang and he stopped trying, he stopped fighting and just sat there, vulnerable to anything they had in mind. He was about to give up on life when a wave of pain fell over his entire body. Out of sheer agony, he screamed, his body feeling as if it was being torn apart by a pack of rabid wolves. He couldn't breathe, couldn't speak, couldn't think. All he could do was scream as wave upon tremendous wave of pain hit him unceasingly.

For what seemed like an eternity the pain continued, growing steadily stronger and more unbareable. Then the waves of pain stopped, and an exhausted teenage boy lay still, panting and gasping for air. Sweat rain down his face mixing with tears that still flowed. This is the same thing Quatre went through, the others probably had to as well. He couldn't even begin to imagin the degree to which the kind hearted Quatre had felt the pain. He hadn't been trained as Heero was. How could they do something like that to him? Didn't they even feel guilt?

"Hmph, you lasted longer than the brat in there. You took more torture than he did as well. Not much, but still more." The doctor seemed somewhat impressed, but a smile of satisfaction spread across his face as he continued. "Mr. Treize said that when we were done, we could do anything we pleased with you boys. I'd like to stay and watch you suffer through more of the electrical shock experiment, but we have all we need from you." He took a pistol from his inside pocket. "I just can't let you go, now can I?"

Heero just looked at him, vision blurred as he tried to hold up his head. He still struggled to breath, his chest rising and falling as he took in short gasps. He felt the barrel of the gun pressed against his rib cage. He winced because his previous gun shot wound was close to where he pointed the gun. The gun was right above his heart. He waited for the final blow that would end his life once and for all.

*BANG!* A loud shot echoed in the room, floating down the hallways.

Heero's breath caught in his throat, his eyes squeezed shut in anguish. Slowly he felt the life drain from him, flowing with the deep red blood that ran from the front of his shirt to the floor. He started coughing, trying to take in air. A bitter taste entered his mouth, blood spilling from the side of his mouth as his lungs begged to be filled with oxygen. Things started to become hazy, then to disappear from sight as the room turned from white to black. He heard the doctor's laugh, evil and merciless in the background as he slipped into the jaws of death. He kept on slipping, further and further, and there was nothing he could do to stop himself.

Soon the boy lay limp, blood still oozing from his chest onto the floor, staining the white marble. They had all of the information they needed from him, besides, he was just one more useless boy now. What was the need to keep him alive? Besides, he liked to seem the terror in their faces as they died, the pain in their eyes that echoed in their screams. It amused him.

~*~

"Dear God, what was that about?!?!?" Dou crumbled to his knees, speachless. He heard voices from the other side of the curtain where the other passengers remained. Heero had woken up again, struggling as he did before. Momentarily he stopped, then it was like he had a spasm. His body started to jerk and strain and there was a constant screaming from him. After about five minutes it stopped, but the tears only fell faster. With a last gasp, Heero lay trembling, then started having difficulty breathing. Now, he lay still, except for the involuntary trembling and the tears that continued to flow. His breathing went from gasps to slow, shallow breaths.

Andrea returned, this time with the pilot. Her friend, Jessica, was taking care of the other passengers. They were bound to be startled, Dou didn't blame them.

"Is everything okay? What in Lord's name happened back here. Andrea wouldn't let me back here, even when I heard the screams." He gave Andrea a disappointed look.

"I asked her not to, thanks Andrea. I think things are going to be okay. He was going through some real pain, but I thinks it's over," Dou was breathing hard, half from fright, the other half from struggling with his friend. "I just don't understand what happened. He's never done this before, and if it's scared him this much, man if it's scared him at all, then you've got to know something is seriously wrong. It musta been pretty bad to scare the daylights out of him like that." Dou glanced back over at Heero.

"Well, maybe the paramedics can help tell us what's wrong when we touch down. I left Jeremy in charge, but he can't land very well. I need to get back, unless you need help, then Jeremy can just circle around." The captain offered.

"Forget the medics, they couldn't tell us. I know Heero's got a lot of things going through his mind, it might have triggered this. I just don't know what his problems are and I've got to wait until he wakes up to find out. Then, I can help him. The medics will just be wasting their time. Tell the control tower that everything is under control, Heero doesn't need any medical help. Then go ahead and land," Dou glanced into Heero's face,"I think the worst part is over for now. If anything, he'll just wake up scared to death."

The captain nodded and headed back to the cockpit. Andrea looked at Dou, pity consuming her eyes.

"I'm guessing the other passengers will want an explanation. What should I tell them Dou?" Andrea asked, helping him up from the floor.

"I'll talk to them, that's if you don't mind staying with Heero for a few minutes?" Dou looked into her eyes, imploring her. He knew that people were going to get the wrong idea, and he wanted to make sure there wasn't a doubt in one person's mind about his brother. (Dou's going to feel Heero's more of his brother, so he's just going to refer to him as a brother for most of the time) Andrea nodded, understanding Dou's intentions.

Dou walked off, through the curtain and was met by the curious eyes of strangers. He swallowed, glancing around the room. "Okay, I know you all want to here an explanation about the last few events that have occured. I understand completely and am going to tell you. Just so that none of you get the wrong idea about my brother. The screams you heard, they were from my brother. He's got a lot going through his mind right now, things I can't even begin to understand. He had, I guess you could call it, a nightmare. Only when he woke up, he didn't. It stayed with him and he was kinda in a world of his own. It's over now, he's gonna be okay. He just needs some rest."

"Why did he have the dream in the first place?" The question popped up from a far corner. It was a young man's voice.

"He fought in the war, I was fighting with him. It's probably some war experiences or something that didn't happen, but came true in his dreams."

"Can I gived him sumfing?" It was a little girl's voice, she stood up on the seat of her chair, her arms waving madly in the air as her mother tried to seat her.

"Sure, I guess. You'll have to wait till the plane lands, though." A small smile spread across Dou's face. The little girl seemed real sweet, and if she had something for Heero, he wasn't going to tell her no. The other passengers were also very understanding of their "little" problem. "Is there any other questions? I just want to make sure you all don't get the wrong impression here. This is nothing either of us knew about and is absolutely wasn't planned. I'd just like to thank you all for being understanding and helpful in vacating the Class B area so quickly. We just wanted to make sure no one was going to get hurt." Dou looked around, listening to silence, awaiting a question. "No more questions? That's a bit of a surprise, but hey, I'm not complaining. Thanks again everyone."

Dou headed back out to where Andrea sat with the fatigued teenager. She'd just finished wiping away the last stray tears that trickled from his swollen eyes. The tears had finally ceased, showing that his hombre (brother) was improving somewhat from the "little" crisis that occured only moments before.

"Thank you," Dou sat down next to her, looking over Heero's sleeping face. "They didn't have as many questions as I thought they would. One little girl even said she had something for Heero here."

"Thoughtful, sounds like a sweet little girl. I heard, it was extremely quiet in there. I was surprised, kinda worried, too. You don't really expect that kind of reaction." The plane began to shudder as the wheels made contact with the solid earth. Then all movement stopped, the plane had landed safely and quickly. Suddenly a small squeal escaped the mouth of young child, a mother calling back to her, and then the little girl with the gift burst threw the curtain, a smile stretching from one ear to the other. She tackled Dou with a hug, making the two fall over backwards. She was holding a sheet of paper and a small stuffed animal. A white wolf cub. She climbed off of Dou and giggled. Dou sat up, surprised and looked like he'd just had a heart-attack.

"Ooops! Sorry mister. My mommy tried to stop me, but I gotted past her and comed to gived these to you." She giggled behind her hand.

Dou chuckled, the little girl was a lot like Katie Anderson, his new little sister. "That's okay, what's your name little one?" The little girl's mother burst through the curtain, a look of disapproval on her face. Unexpectedly, a small group of children ran out from behind her making her scream in surprise. They all ran over to Dou and his sleeping friend.

"My name's Patricia. Everybody calls me Patty." The little kids began to surround them, each with a paper and/or a small gift.

"Well, what's this? Where'd you all come from?" Dou smiled at the small group of children, their parents or guardians forming in a larger group behind them.

A young boy, about 11 years of age, spoke up. "My sister, Patty, had a good idea. We all want to show our support and help and show your brother that it's okay to get scared, to have bad dreams. It's okay to fight, too. You fought in the war, and you learned to let it go. But your brother doesn't know how to let it go. So, I talked to all the kids, and we decided to help." The young pre-teen was pretty wise for his age. He was proud of his thoughtfullness in how to help out his sister and the two boys. "I'm Jeff, and, I guess we all have something for the both of you."

Dou was touched, these little kids put their minds together and did something for the both of the Gundam Pilots. The kids didn't have to, he was surprised the kids weren't scared of him and his brother. But here they were, smiles on each of their faces, eyes shining, and holding pictures, letters, and a couple even held a stuffed animal or two.

A small floated in the air and Dou spun around quickly and knelt beside Heero. "Stand back kids, I don't want you to get hurt." The small group of children stepped back, their smiles faultering. Dou turned his eyes back to Heero as he began to stir. His eyes fluttered open, clouded over and unfocused. He tried to sit up, but started to struggle as he felt the rope tighten around his arms and chest. "Heero, c'mon, I don't want to have through this a third time. Please man, you've got to snap out of it." Dou pleaded, searching his brother's eyes.

"D-D-Dou?" His voice was filled with panic.

"I'm right here, I'm not gonna leave you. It's okay, you're safe now. Everything's gonna be okay buddy." Dou grabbed Heero's hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Heero stopped struggling, calming down at the sound of his friend's voice. He glanced over at Dou, relief filling his eyes. "Dou, is......is it really you?"

"Naw, I'm Queen Cleopatre. Of course it's me." Dou began to untie the rope quickly and release his friend. "Sorry to disappoint you if you were expecting someone else. Guess you'll just have to put up with me for now buddy-boy." He grinned at Heero.

Heero did something just seconds after Dou finished releasing him that surprised everyone. He bolted upright and threw his arms around Dou and began to thank God that he was alright. He let go of Dou who ws stunned by the sudden reaction.

"What the hey was that for?" Dou finally blurted out.

"I've never been so relieved to see you Dou. I never thought I'd be happier to see you alive and that pathetic look on your face." Heero let a small smile cross his lips.

"What.......why did.........Did I miss something here?" He glanced over his shoulder at the children that were laughing at his surprised expression. "I missed something, didn't I?"

Heero looked at the small children, each holding onto something. He gave them a curious look as Dou turned his attention back Heero.

"Hey, the kids here have a little something for you." Dou explained.

"For the both of you," Patty corrected, shaking her finger at him.

"Okay, for the both of us. Patty here had asomething for ya, then her brother, probably the genius of the family," he put his hand on the Jeff's shoulder, and Patty hit her older brother in the back of the head. "....came up with a little conclusion. He got all of the there kids together and they've got something for us." He made sure to emphisize the word us. "Go ahead Jeff, tell him what you came up with."

Jeff cleared his throat and repeated, "My sister, Patty, had a good idea. We all want to show our support and help and show you that it's okay to get scared, to have bad dreams. It's okay to fight, too. You both fought in the war, and he learned to let it go. But you don't seem know how to let it go. So, I talked to all the kids, and we decided to help."

Heero looked a little embarrassed, and he turned his gaze away. He began to have trouble breathing again and the room was starting to spin. He heard Dou interrupt Jeff and felt his hand upon his shoulder.

"You alright Heero?"

Heero couldn't respond, he was still trying to catch his breathe. He was heating up, and the room was fading to black. He felt Dou lean him back onto the seat and heard his voice coaxing him, trying to get him to relax. Heero closed his eyes, trying to breathe, trying to settle down. This was probably the worst "dizzy spell" he'd ever experienced. He felt it slowly disappear, everything slowly returning to the way it was before the dizzy spell hit him. He opened his eyes to see Dou before him, worry etched upon his face.

" 'Nother dizzy spell?" Heero nodded.

"I'm okay, it just took me by surprise." A small hand touched his arm, it belonged to Patty. She looked at him, reassuringly. He smiled at her and she returned it with giggles.

"Here, my daddy gived this to me before he left to fightted in the war. He sayed it would protect me and I could tell Blazer anything, and he'd tell my daddy. My daddy comed home after the war, and now my daddy's here to protected me. Jeff protected me too. Here," Patricia handed Heero the white wolf cub. "now he's gonna protected you. I maded this for you too." Patricia handed him a picture she'd drawn. It was very good for a girl her age. She seemed to be no more than six. It was a picture of an angel in a garden of flowers, butterflies filling the air. The sun was shining brightly through the clouds. Written on it were the words, "God bless".

"Thank you," Heero took the gifts and the rest of the children ran up as Patty jumped up and gave him a hug. The kids handed the two letters, pictures, and even a couple of stuffed animals that they'd used for comfort but didn't need anymore. Each child made sure to get a hug from each teen, then they found their parents who told them how proud they were of their little one's good deed. They grabbed their things from their parents and said goodbye as they left. Andrea and Jessica were seeing the passengers out of the door, and as soon as everyone left Dou grabbed Heero's bag, placed Heero's things inside,*there wasn't much in there, and he had a lot of extra room* grabbed his things and helped his brother out of the air plane. They were sure to thank Andrea for her help and they left the gate and headed for the front doors.

"Hey Heero, what happened back there?" Dou couldn't resist himself any longer.

"What do you mean?" Heero gave him quizzical look. He didn't know what Dou was talking about other than the horrible nightmare he'd had. He puzzled over Dou's question, then remembered that he woke up tied to the back of the chair.

"You practically killed me with your struggling back there. It was like you were awake, but in a dream. Surprisingly, you even screamed."

"It must have been the dream," he spoke quieter, mostly to himself, "but it was so real. It was all so real." He shook his head, trying to disspell the thoughts and memories that filled his mind.

Dou was sorry he asked, and changed the subject quickly as he spotted Hilde rushing up to them. "Okay, Heero, be prepared for anything. Here come's Hilde and she looks like she's on a sugar high or something. She gets really unpredictable when she's got this much energy and it's too late to run." Dou smile at him and Heero let out a small laugh.

Hilde approached the two teens, excitement in her eyes and a large grin on her face. She greeted the two with a hug and took Heero's bag off of Dou's hands. "What took so long? I knew the plane had to take a couple of detours around some nasty thunderstorms, but your plane landed about fifteen minutes ago. Did you have some trouble?"

Dou and Heero only glanced at each other, but they didn't answer Hilde's question.

"Well Hilde, it's getting late, or at least later in the morning, and I guess you could say we've both had a really, really long flight. Did you bring the car?"

"Ya, here. Let's get you both back home and into bed. You look like you could use a bit of sleep." An understanding smile spread across her lips. "I've gotten the sleep I need, so I'll drive. It's not like I really had anything else to do yesterday while you were gone."

The three crossed over parking lot to a silver corvette that sat alone in the empty, vast darkness. The only lights that shone were the street lamps and the rare headlights of a passing car. Hilde opened up the back door so that Heero could lay down. She must have anticipated his exhaustion because a blanket lay stretched across the back seat and a pillow lay on top of the blanket near the other door just behind the driver's side. Heero got in and layed down immediately, for he didn't have much energy left after that horrendous nightmare. He was asleep before he hit the pillow. Hilde unlocked the passenger side door for Dou and let him get in as she reached over and secured Heero's seat belt, then covered him with another blanket that had been laying on the floor. She closed the door quietly and headed for the driver's side and jumped in.

"I-i-its f-f-fre-ezing in h-e-er-re." Dou pointed out as Hilde turned the key in the ingition. The heat blasted forth from the vents and began to warm the car almost instantly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," he praised as he leaned into the heat.

"Dou, what else did you expect, it's nearly winter. It's supposed to start snowing sometime this morning." She couldn't help but laugh as Dou huddled closer to the vents. Hilde had grown accustomed to these temperatures, she grew up with winters that were so much colder and longer than they were in Valley Ridge. Dou leaned back against the seat as the warmth of the heater continued to flow throughout the car. "How's Heero doin' back there?"

"The guy's had it pretty hard and he's exhausted. At least he's sleepin' soundly now."

"You should be too, Dou. You have work tomorrow, you know. Maybe you should call in sick and rest tomorrow. You could use it. I'm sure they'd give you the day off. After all, I don't think you've ever taken a sick day."

"No, I'll be fine. Besides, I'm the only mechanic they've got right now. Robert quit to go back to school and Dave's desperate. The guy's got lots of business, just hardly anyone working for him. He might even pull Lynn from her secretary position and have her out there helping me."

"I didn't know Lynn knew that much about cars."

"Ya, she knows a bit. She comes in handy from time to time, but she prefers to stick with costumer service."

"Well, then you should at least be getting some sleep. Lay the seat back and rest, I'll take it from here." Hilde held Dou's hand and glanced at him, assuring him she had everything under control. Dou did as he was told, not leaning the seat too far back and hitting his brother. Within moments, Hilde could hear the soft snore that came from Dou as he slipped into the land of dreamers. "Poor guys, well, you both can get the sleep you deserve now. It's just me and the open road."

~*~

Small flakes of snow fell from the morning sky. The sky was being transformed from a navy blue to a mixture of yellows, pinks, and oranges. Light began to shine over the stretch of road as the sun peeked from behind the rolling hills. Snow covered the once green land with a cool blanket of white, beckoning to the earth that it was once again time to go into a deep slumber until spring visited once again.

Hilde admired the breath-taking masterpeice of God before her, reminding herself not to take life for granted, you only get one. She had to have a picture of this. If only she had her camera with her........ Wait! She did, she was too lazy the day she thought of taking it out and left it in the car. She'd gotten agnry at herself because she had wanted to use it and it was in the car and Dou was at work. Hilde pulled over to the side of the road, putting the car in park and left the engine running as she took her camera off the floor in the back and headed outside. It was even more breath-taking than just a few moments ago. The a fourth of the sun was now shining above the horizen, making the soft oranges, yellows, and pinks become neon. Baby blues and spring greens also mingled with the new colors of the morning. Hilde took two pictures, one standing in front of the car, the other standing behind the car so she could get the car in the picture. She then snuck up and got a couple of pictures with the two sleeping boys. She wanted to remember them sleeping peacefully. She just wanted to remember them, should anything happen.

She climbed back into the car, and took off down the road once more. She still had about ten miles to go.

~*~

Hilde pulled into the drive of a small two story house, white with blue trim around the windows and doorways. The sun now shone over the entire town of Valley Ridge. It was a fairly prosperous town, where everyone respected and looked out for each other.

Hilde turned off the ingine and pulled out the key, then turning to Dou, shook him awake. "Hey sweet-heart, we're home. I'm not as strong as you so don't think I'm gonna even attempt to carry you."

Dou awoke and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The bright morning sunlight greeted his eyes. He groaned. "Did you have to get home so fast? I bet you sped just so you had a reason to wake me up earlier. I swear, I just fell asleep." He chuckled.

"Actually, Dou, I stopped for about ten minutes, and you've been sleeping for about an hour now." She giggled as she got out of the car and went to unlock the front door.

"Hey, little bro," Dou called back as he leaned the seat upright. "You need to wake up for about five minutes. We're here buddy." A groan floated from the back seat. "My point exactly."

"What time is it?" Heero rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. Dou got out and opened Heero's door.

Dou looked down at his watch, "It's almost 4:30 in the morning." Dou laughed as he heard another groan escape Heero's throat. Dou undid his seat belt and helped him up out of the car. Hilde had already grabbed Heero's bag and was locking up the car. Dou led his brother into the house and into the guest room. "Just make yourself at home buddy."

Heero sat on the edge of the bed after Hilde had pulled away the blankets. He stripped off his shoes and fell back onto the middle of the bed, asleep just after he felt the pillow beneath his head. Out of exhaustion, he fell into a dreamless sleep. It was a wonderous, peacefull, dreamless sleep.

Dou stood in the doorway, arms hugging Hilde in a loving embrace. He was tired and sore but he didn't want to leave Hilde.

"You should get some sleep Dou. You're gonna need your rest tomorrow." Hilde turned in his embrace and looked him in his blue eyes. They kissed, enjoying each others' company, but finally Hilde pulled herself away and ushered Dou to his room. She layed him down and covered him after taking off his shoes. She kissed him one last time and left the room, letting him fall to sleep as she pulled down the shades.

Hilde headed to the back to where she had set down Heero's bag. She returned to the sleeping boy's quarters and opened the door, quietly entering his room and putting his clothes in the drawers. She took out pictures that looked as though they'd been drawn by children, letters, and stuffed animals. "Why would he have all of these toys in here?" She quickly brushed the thought from her mind and ran into the living room where the vid-phone was ringing. She hastily opened the screen and accepted the call before it woke up her sleeping friends.

"Hi Hilde. Dou there?"

"Hey Trowa, ya we just got back. He's asleep but if you need to talk, I can wake him up."

"No, that's fine. I was just calling to see how thing's are going. Quatre called last night saying he hadn't heard from Dou and he was supposed to get a call from him as soon as Dou returned home. He seemed real worried. He also told me about Heero. Is everything okay?"

"Ya, he's just tired. Dou said that they'd had one heck of a flight, but he was too tired to tell me what happened. I'll ask him about it later when he wakes up. He still has to go to work again tomorrow."

"Is he really going to work tomorrow? You'd think the guy would take some time off and rest."

"Ya, but their short handed and they need him. I'd go and help him, but he wouldn't let me leave Heero, I can tell you that now."

"You're right," Trowa laughed, something that happened a lot more often than during the war. "Well, I guess I'd better tell Quatre everything's okay, he probably didn't get any sleep last night and he'll be worried sick."

"Alright, bye Trowa."

"Goodbye Hilde."

With Trowa's final goodbye, the screen faded to black and there was silence once more. It felt weird for the house to be so quiet. Especially when Dou was home. It was almost never quiet with his talking and antics.

Heading for the kitchen, Hilde opened the fridge. She wasn't really hungry, but she knew that if she didn't eat she be useless to the guys because she'd be in bed, sick. The last meal she could remember eating was probably breakfast yesterday, she'd been too caught up in preparing the house for Heero's arrival and worring about the prolonged trip that she really hadn't gotten the time to grab some food. Nothing appealed to her stomache except for a pop, so she grabbed a can out of the fridge and began to raid the cupboards. Nothing! She headed to the pantry and the only thing that even caught her intrest were some Strawberry Pop-Tarts. Hilde took a pack out and threw the two breakfast pastries into the toaster and then sat atop the opposite counter and fell into her thoughts. "Why didn't the guys want to talk about what happened on the plane? Surely it couldn't have been that bad. Heero looked like he was overly exhausted, though. Worse than when he called. What happened up there?" Still mulling over the thoughts, the toaster popped up, literally making Hilde jump. She just barely caught herself before she screamed out loud.

"Dumb toaster," muttered Hilde as she grabbed her breakfast snack heading into the living room. She sat on the couch, nibbling at her food. "Heero looked as if he'd just been through an aweful nightmare. I just don't understand what could possibly have scared him so much, something obviously had to have if he's going to avoid the subject like that. I think I even saw some fear flickering in his eyes, even if it was for just a moment, when I asked him about it. Hmmm. I'll have to see if I can't get something out of Dou later." Hilde looked down and realized without even noticing, she had finished off both Pop-Tarts and was just finishing her pop. *weird when that happens, isn't it. Ooops, my bad! on with the story* Hilde looked at the grandfather clock that sat in the corner of the room. 5:07 in the morning. What was she going to do with the rest of her day? She still had a long ways to go before the guys even thought of waking up. "Well, I could always......," she thought out loud, but was stopped mid- sentence by a door being shut.

"Well, lookes like one of the sleeping beauties didn't feel like staying in bed." Hilde got up and walked down the hall, passing by Heero's door. It was open and the young pilot was no where to be seen. She proceeded down the hall to the bathroom. The door was closed and the light was on. Hilde knocked softly upon the door, "Heero, are you alright? Do you need anything?" Her reply was a cough, then a gagging sound, and finally the sound of someone loosing their last meal. Hilde grabbed a hand towel from the closet and, grabbing the door knob, turned it slowly and opened the door. There sat Heero on the floor, leaning against the toilet, his eyes closed. Hilde crossed over to where he struggled to stay awake and sat beside him. "Heero, are you okay?"

Heero wasn't sure if he should answer. If he tried to speak at the moment, he'd probably end up vomiting. He was about to shake his head "yes", but he felt the sudden need to throw up again. He hung his head back over the toilet and began to feel his stomache churn as he gagged and then finally threw up the few remaining contents that were in him. He felt his body begin to tremble involuntarily as he tried to slow his breathing. It didn't work. Where things just going to continue to go against him? Why did life have to be so difficult now? It seemed like even after the war, he still couldn't rest.

Hilde handed Heero the towel, which he took gratefully from her, and placed her hand upon his shoulder. He was freezing. He was shaking pretty hard, whether from the cold or from throwing up, she didn't know. "I'll be back in a minute, you just stay right here." It seemed like a stupid thing to say, after all the guy sure didn't look like he'd be leaving the bathroom any time soon.

Hilde grabbed the quilt from her bed and headed back to the bathroom. Heero still sat where she'd left him, still sick and tired. "Here," she placed the quilt around Heero's shoulders, "this'll help keep you warm." She held the young man in her arms and felt him lean into her. He was so tired, so vunerable, that he just didn't seem to have the strength to keep up his little cherade of not needing anyone's help. She held him close to her in an attempt to warm him faster and let him lay in her arms.

Heero leaned into Hilde, feeling a strange comfort and warmth. He was so exhausted, he just didn't care anymore. He cuddled close to Hilde, feeling his stomache object and his muscles rebel to the sudden order to move. He felt his body continue to shiver, but it was subsiding as warmth washed over him. He didn't want to have to go through this. He just wanted to sleep, to be at peace.

Why couldn't he just sleep for one full night? He hadn't been able to sleep, so he'd called Dou yesterday around noon. Dreams, no nightmares, of the war still plagued his mind. The pain always returned, and it would scare to the point where he could no longer stay in bed. He'd spend countless, long nights awake and terrified, not wanting to sleep for fear he wouldn't wake up again. His dreams were so realistic, he'd almost nearly died, and he would have had he not been awakened by the alarm clock. He feared sleep, his dreams, and even himself. He didn't want to feel this way, he didn't want to fear. He just wished the war would leave him as it had everyone else. He wanted a normal life, he wanted to be with Relena. He wanted to tell her he loved her and never leave her side. But until the war left his life,

he was bound to a life of wishing, of hoping things would return to normal. It was pure torture.

His stomache muscles started to convulse, cramping and pulsing. He knew there was nothing more in him to throw up and his mind tried to convice his stomache of this, but his body had other ideas for him. Heero sat up, maybe a little too fast for he felt instantly dizzy and light-headed, and leaned over the toilet once more. He tried to throw up, but nothing came out. Heero tried to breath, but for every exhale, there should have been and inhale. He couldn't take in any air, he couldn't breathe. He felt his lungs begging for oxygen, but he could not satisfy them. He felt his face growing hot as he struggled for at least one small breath, but his wishes were denied. The room around him began to fade out, he needed air! He felt as if he were being strangled by an invisible hand, a hand who's iron grasp he could not escape. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he thought he heard Hilde, but it was so faint, he couldn't tell for sure.

"Heero, you've got to calm down. You've got to breathe. The air is all around you, you just need to calm yourself down and take in slow breaths." Hilde contiued to speak in a soothing tone, trying to get Heero to breathe. It wasn't working, he still couldn't breathe. Hilde was afraid he'd pass out and she'd have to do emergency breathing for the guy.

Heero was on the virge blacking out, when suddenly he felt cold, rejuvinating air enter his lungs. He could finally breathe again. He felt as if he dying, and for once, he was scared of death. He took in large, gasping breaths. The room started to appear again and he could see Hilde's worried, but relieve face. He felt her wrap her arms around him once more and let him lean back into her embrace.

Hilde held onto Heero, letting him close his eyes and rest. She felt as though she was going to lose him if he hadn't started breathing again. His face was still flushed and his breathing still erratic, but it was regulating. He looked like a little boy. "It's okay my meho, everything's going to be okay," Hilde didn't know why she called Heero her meho just then. *(Spanish) meho: son* Maybe it was her maternal side taking control. She'd studied Spanish and the word just came out. Heero didn't seem to mind, he almost looked as if he enjoyed being called her meho, even if he didn't have any idea what the word meant. He seemed to calm down dramatically as well. So Hilde continued to speak using some Spanish, talking to him in a soothing tone. "Your hombre and I will take care of you from now on meho. Everything is going to be okay. There's no need to be alone anymore meho or to be scared. I will protect you Heero."

He was almost completely calmed down when a groan escaped this throat. The pain started slowly, but continued to grow intensly. He felt a slight twinge at frist, then the pain continued to grow. After only a few minutes, he already felt as though his insides were being ripped apart by a pack of rabid wolves. His muscles began to cramp on him again, sending undescribeable agony throughout his entire body. He began to shake violently as he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to focus on anything but the pain. A small scream escaped his lips, as he felt Hilde hold him tighter and tried to talk to him. It wasn't working. He could feel himself gasping for air once again. He was going through so much torment that he felt like he wanted to die at this point. He opened his eyes, they were filled with tears once more, and looked into Hilde's face. "Help me, please Hilde," he begged. Heero didn't know what else to do, he just wanted the pain to stop. It was worse than the pain he'd felt in his dream. He could feel the tears fall from his eyes and trace their path down his cheeks. His actions were reflected in Hilde's face.

A tear fell from each of her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away as she looked down at a scared and hurt little boy. This wasn't Heero, the Gundam Pilot. This was Heero, a frightened and hurting boy who sought only comfort and help. She felt her heart tear in two as she held onto him, rocking slowly back and forth. She brought her free hand up to Heero's face and lightly brushed away his tears. They were only replaced by fresh ones. She tried to speak to him once more, "Meho, it's alright. Shhhh, it's going to be alright. Just think of something else meho. Try and think of a certain seniorita by the name of Peacecraft. Miss Relena Peacecraft. You love her, don't you meho? Come, talk to me, it'll make you feel better. Please Heero, don't give up on me just yet." Heero still didn't answer, he just continued to tremble and cry. "I'm sorry Heero," she thought to herself as she tried to comfort him, " but I don't know what else to do or say." Hilde didn't want to, but she was at a total loss as to how to help Heero. "Shhhhh, everything's going to be alright. Your hombre will know what to do."

Hilde began to lay Heero down upon the floor, but he only grabbed a hold of her arm and held fast. He didn't want to be left alone. He cuddled closer to Hilde, trying make the pain stop, but it only increased. Heero cried out in anguish once more as he felt Hilde hold onto him, rocking him in a feeble attempt to make the pain, or at least some of it go away. He closed his eyes and let the tears continue, running in rivers from his bloodshot and swollen eyes. He didn't know how much more he could handle.

Hilde, seeing as Heero wasn't going to let her go and she couldnt' carry him, turned her head so as not to scream in Heero's ears, and called out for Dou. "Dou! Dou can you hear me!" Her reply was an exasperated sigh. "Dou, c'mon I need your help, now!" Hilde made sure that Dou heard her. There was a scrambling and stumbling sound and then a door opening.

"Hilde, where are ya? What's wrong?" Dou called from down the hall, making sure not to raise his voice too much because he still thought that Heero was asleep.

"Down here Dou. In the bathroom. Hurry up!" She called as she turned back to Heero who cowered in her arms, tears staining his cheeks and spilling onto the blanket. Hilde heard Dou trot down the hall and he froze when he entered the doorway.

He took one look at his brother and nearly collapsed on the floor. Heero's pain was undescribeable, shown to all who could see the look on his face. He rushed over to Hilde as she continued to rock him, and kneeled beside the two. "What happened?"

"I found him in here throwing up. He almost blacked out one time because he couldn't breathe. Nothing even came up, but he continued anyway. Then I let him lay down as I held him and he was calming down, but then he started to tremble and groan and then he ended up like this. I-I don't know what to do Dou. I didn't want to wake you up, I just didn't know what to do."

Hilde looked ashamed, but Dou didn't know why. She'd done nothing of which she should be ashamed of. He place a hand on her shoulder and spoke softly,"Why are you ashamed. If anything you probably saved his life. You've done everything you can Hilde." She smiled at him, then returned her gaze to the pitiful form that now lay in her arms. Dou wasn't really sure about what to either. "Does he have a fever?" He needed somewhere to start, so he began with the simple stuff.

Hilde realized that she hadn't check and probably should have. She moved aside Heero's bangs and pressed her lips against his forehead. "Without a doubt," was all she said. He was burning up and Hilde knew she should have thought of it and done something about it earlier.

Dou got up and left the bathroom, returning with a small washcloth and a large bowl. The bowl was filled with ice cubes. Dou filled it with water when he reached the bathroom. "Here, you can use this to try and see if you can't bring the fever down." Hilde took the washcloth from Dou and submerged it into the water, wrung it out, and dap Heero's forehead and cheeks in a comforting motion. Dou didn't know what else he could really do. He didn't know what was wrong with Heero and he didn't want to take any chances. "Hilde to tell you the truth, I'm not sure what to do either."

Heero's gasps became more fequent and forced. "I think we need to take him to the hospital, Dou. He's getting worse and I don't think he wants to hold out any longer. If his fever keeps rising, he could go into shock and we could lose him." Hilde knew they couldn't help him on their own. Dou only nodded in agreement, he couldn't help but feel useless and hurt by Heero's pain. It was like Dou could feel the same pain, the same helplessness, the same exhaustion as his brother. Only Dou didn't have to feel it like Heero did. Heero was now barely able to breathe.

"Dou, call an ambulence, quick! He needs help now and they can get him there faster than we could." Dou didn't need to be told twice. He bolted out the room and into the living room. He hastily opened the screen and typed in the emergency number. It was answered on the second ring.

"This is Valley Ridge medical center. What's your emergency." The dispatcher answered calmly.

"I don't know what's wrong. Uh, my brother's got a really high fever, he can barely breathe, and he's in a lot of pain. I need an ambulance now!" At this point Dou was freaking out again.

"Settle down, we need you to remain calm and give us your home address."

"Uhm..........325 Morgan Street." He had his address memorized by heart, but he had to think about it because he was so freaked out. "C'mon, Heero needs you. You've got to calm down."

"Okay, we have an ambulance on the way. Just keep talking to me until they get there. Where is your brother at right now?"

"He's in the bathroom right now with my girlfriend."

"Okay, I need you to check on them, tell me everything that's wrong." Dou bolted from the couch and back down the hall. He found the two still on the floor, Hilde holding the young teen. Heero's face had turned a ghost white except for his cheeks, they were almost a ruby red, they were so flushed. Hilde turned to look at Dou, hope leaving her eyes.

"His fever's shot way up. He's hardly breathing, it's no more than a whisper. Where's the ambulance Dou?"

"They're on their way. Just stay with him Hilde, they'll be here in a minute." God he hoped so. He couldn't stand it if anything happened to his friend. He rushed back to the vid-phone to relay the message. "His fever's gone way up and his breathing's no more than a whisper. He's ghost white too."

"Okay, can you hear the ambulance sirens yet?" Dou heard them, they were growing louder.

"Ya."

"Good, they should be there in a minute. I'm gonna need you to go and open the door and show them where your brother's at." Dou nodded in understanding. The dispatcher was talking to him as if he was a child. Right now, Dou probably needed to be instructed like a child. He still couldn't think straight.

The ambulance stopped right in front of the house and Dou ran to open the door as the paramedics grabbed their things and rushed up to the house. Dou led them down the hall to the bathroom. They entered and set to work as Hilde layed Heero down. He had fallen unconcious.

Dou held Hilde as he stood out of the way, looking on as the E.M.T.'s check Heero's vital signs and worked on him. "Oh Dou," was all Hilde said before she turned and lay her head against Dou's chest. He felt his shirt become wet as Hilde let the tears fall that she had fought off for so long. Dou held onto her, trying to calm her as well as himself.

Two paramedics ran out of the house and returned with a gurney and set it beside Heero. They lifted him onto the bed and strapped him down. They'd inserted a tube down his throat and were breathing for him. They'd also inserted an I.V. into his arm and were pumping liquids into him. A paramedic walked over to where Dou and Hilde stood, leaving three others to take Heero to the ambulance where they would continue to work on him. They weren't in such a hurry as they had been, they'd gotten everything under control now.

"Are you his brother?" It was a woman; she was kind and understanding.

"Ya, I am." Dou watched as Heero passed by. He looked so frail and helpless that Dou couldn't bear to watch him.

"Is your brother allergic to anything that you know of?"

"Not that I know of."

"Has he had any past medical problems or injuries?"

Dou couldn't help but laugh a little at this question. "Ya, but if I told you them, we'd be here for a week if I kept going non-stop."

"Why is that so funny? Has he had physical problems since he was a child?"

"Look, I'm sorry lady, but the only thing I can really tell you is that we were pilots in the war and Heero isn't one of the luckiest guys when it comes to not getting hurt. He sure had Lady Luck on his side a lot after each injury because he lived through each and every one of them."

The paramedic just shook her head and continued to write on a clip board. "Is there anything else, any medical problems or injuries I should be aware of?"

"Nothing that I know of."

"Alright, then we'll be getting your friend to the hospital. I'll have to ask you to come in and fill out some paper work." The paramedic turned to leave.

"Dou, you'd better get your shoes on and I'll grab the keys and start the car," Hilde pulled away from Dou's comforting arms and began to wipe away her tears. She looked into her boyfriend's eyes, tired and worried, but strength and compassion were also evident. She knew he wasn't going to be able to be as strong when the adrenaline wore off so she was gonna have to pull herself together again.

He only nodded and let got of her heading back for his room. By this rate, he wasn't even going to make it past lunch tomorrow. He threw on his shoes, not even bothering to tie them, grabbed his wallet and jacket, locked the front door, and headed towards the car where Hilde was waiting. The paramedics had already taken off for the hospital. Dou jumped into the passenger side and put on his seat belt as Hilde pulled out of the drive and down the road. He glanced out his window, nervous neighbors watched them in confusion, trying to make out what was wrong. Dou didn't pay them any attention. He felt himself loosing strength and exhaustion setting in. His adrenaline rush was over and now he felt even more tired than before. It was going to be a very long day.

"Lay back and rest Dou," Hilde had collected herself and was now taking the lead, "you still need your rest. You don't have to fill out the paper work right away and Heero probably won't be waking up for a couple of hours. You need to get as much sleep as possible."

Just a few moments ago Hilde was practically crying her eyes out and she had no clue as to what to do or how to handle things. Now she was taking the offense and she had an iron will and strength that surpassed his own even if he was at full health. "How the heck do women do that!?!?!?!?!"

Within five minutes they were at the hospital. They entered, Hilde nearly carrying Dou, and headed to the front desk.

"Excuse me," Hilde called to alert the nurse they were there, "but could you tell me where we can find the teenage boy that just came in?"

"Are you family?" she called over the counter, pity in her voice.

"He's my brother, well, sort of." Dou called, doing anything to stay awake.

"Here, you'll need to fill these out. He's in room 128. The doctors may be in there, though. If the door's shut, please just wait outside."

"Thank you," replied Hilde as the two headed down the hall after Hilde grabbed the forms.

The door was open so the two entered. They found a doctor writing down some information and the same paramedic that had questioned Dou. The paramedic spotted the two first and told the doctor.

"Hi, I'm Dr. McGowen, I'll be treating your brother. I'm still unsure as to what happened here with him, but so far it only looks like an extreme case of the flu and severe dehydration. My friend here, Cori told me that he'd been a pilot in the war. Is that true?"

Dou had heard the diagnosis before, but he wasn't sure what the doctor was getting at by knowing if Heero'd fought in the war before or not. "Ya, we fought along side each other. What's this got to do with anything?"

"He may be mentally and emotionally exhausted as well as physically. This could make a simple flu bug into a deadly killer. Has he been getting a lot of sleep?" The doctor was starting to make sense.

"No, not really." Geeze, why didn't Dou see this before. Talk about over- looking the obvious.

"Well, that could be the reason he's here and not at home resting in bed. Thank you, that should be all for now. Call me if you need anything." With this the doctor left to treat other patients.

Lacey looked over at the two and crossed over to them. "You guys gonna be okay? You look like you've been through a lot."

Hilde smiled reassuringly. "Ya, thanks for helpin' us out back there."

"Hey, just doin' my job. Besides I was glad to help." Lacey left and Dou and Hilde were alone in the room with Heero.

"Here, you might as well grab a seat Dou. It looks like we may be here for a while." She led him over to a small couch and bade Dou to sit down beside her. He did willingly and layed his head wearily upon her lap.

"Why can't thing's just be normal? Why can't the war just leave him be so the guy can get on with his life?" Dou looked over to where his buddy lay asleep, wires and tubes attached all over his body, monitoring him closely. He was still breathing with the help of the ventilator and I.V.'s were still running into his body.

"I don't know sweet-heart. But I do know one thing." Hilde held Dou's hand in hers.

"What's that," he asked, his voice no more than a whisper.

"That your brother needs you and he most likely wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you. He needs you now, and you'll be there to help him. But you can't do it by yourself. That's why I'll always be here to help you." She kissed the top of his head.

"How do you do it Hilde?" he asked, sitting up. "How do you always know what to say, to always manage the strength to carry on even when everyone else has given up?"

Hilde didn't really know what to say at this. "My mother told me before she died, that God made women strong where men were not. She said that a man can be strong physically, but he cannot match a woman emotionally or mentally. He did this so that man need not hide his pride from the woman he trusts and loves, so that he may turn to her for help. It also prepared a woman to be a mother, someone her children may turn to, someone to comfort. A mother's strength is unfathomable when it concerns her children, and her anger is one to make even God fear. Her strength and determination allows her to hold a family together, to protect the ones she loves. That's why God made us they way we are, and wisdom just comes from experience and having a good role model." She smiled at him as he looked at her with a renewed respect.

"Well, I'm glad God let my find and fall in love with you, because I know I seriously wouldn't have made it without you Hilde." He layed his head down upon her lap and closed his eyes.

"Go to sleep Dou, you've had a hard day and you still deserve a well needed rest." Hilde softly moved Dou's bangs out of his eyes and watched his as he fell asleep on her lap. She began to stroke his hair as a mother would a frightened child. Soon Dou was asleep, covered by a blanket that Hilde had asked a passing nurse for. "I have a feeling this isn't going to be the last time we all see the inside of this hospital, of this room. I don't think it'll be this minor of a problem either. I just hope I'm wrong."



-Lady Stardancer

Author's Note:

Sorry to keep you waiting. I almost had this chapter done when my computer tried to save and did something wrong and wouldn't read the program. So I had to rewrite it, and I changed a few things to my liking as well. Thanks to Pixie Dragon, *YOUR MY FIRST REVIEWER!*

I seriously hope that I can get some more reviewers as well. It's great to hear from everyone and it seriously gives me a much needed boost with my self-confidence and self-esteem. I just thought I'd give you a little foreshadow with the last few sentences. Hope you liked this one. I'm starting immediately on the fourth chapter. ~*~THANXIES!~*~