six
I miss her already, Midii banged her hand on the counter of her new apartment, still cluttered with boxed keepsakes. Dammit, Hilde.
Midii leaned over the sink and watched her face ripple in the still water in the bowl she'd eaten her cereal lunch from. The other two house mates wandered in, a young lady by the name of Reese and a german shepherd who responded faithfully to the call of Teddy. Walking in the front door with Teddy unleashed, Reese let her long black hair down from its low pony tail and kicked off her shoes by the door.
Anyone home?
Reese didn't know about Midii's stay at Sweetwater, nor did she really care. Midii wasn't a wild party hopping interloper like her last boarding partner. Nor was she demeaning, cynical, chipper, or annoyingly dim.
How was your first day?
I already got picked for a technical fix tomorrow with that circus.
She dragged a sip of the juice and patted Teddy's head. I hear they have a real cute lion tamer or something...
Midii stretched and tried to stop worrying about Hilde. Not that he's any more handsome than Rowen.
Almost spinning into a dizzy faint, Reese's shoulders slouched in pure glee. I hope he asks me out soon. Or else I'm gonna beat him senseless him with my bow and arrow.
Oh, how are those lessons going anyway?
Sneering, Reese rested against the cold refrigerator door. I've got him thinking that I'm totally horrible. But I do it on purpose, so he has to stand real close and show me how to aim straight.
That's sneaky.
It is, but I really like his cologne...
Mrs. Henderson, where in the heck is the canola oil?
The elderly lady, who was in stellar physical shape, came trotting into the kitchen wearing a cotton short and top set. She climbed up a step ladder and handed down a tall bottle of yellow oil to her renting young n'.
The girl huffed. You're in better shape than I am!
Mrs. Irene Henderson made an all empowering muscle pose. You should start working out with me. I'll even help you set up a fitness program. I always used to do that with my classes in Georgia, Caitlin.
Caitlin poured the oil into the heating electric frying pan on the counter and mouthed the words her landlord spoke. Duo stomped upstairs from his basement room and showed Irene the book he'd just finished reading.
It was a real bunch of hot air, he said, handing it to her, have you read it all?
Nope, but I'm glad that you did! You can tell me later what happened in the end, okay? Before she left the kitchen, she told Caitlin, You should watch out with that fried food, it'll be the death of you in a bathing suit, suga-bug.
Caitlin adjusted the curled up cuff of her shorts and acknowledged Duo with a salute. Did you fix the car?
He studied her from the back, still not able to fully swallow the fact that she was almost a complete carbon copy of Relena Darlian. Her long honey wheat blonde hair curly at the ends, with deep aquamarine eyes and justified lips that only spoke precisely chosen words. But she was really a complete mold broken creation of God on acid. Serene waters on the top, a burning inferno inside. She was even more stopped up than Hilde...
Hilde, the word cracked through his skull as though he'd been smacked with a twelve pound tuna, extreme contact. It brought pain to his head and his heart, and he shoved away the regrets and sorrow that had eternally rooted themselves in the darkest nest of his entire body. His heart.
Oh, it needs new brake pads. He flinched at the familiar smell of oil heating up. It brought back memories that he had to keep away or else be swamped by them. You speed too much.
Caitlin braced herself to put the chilly chicken breasts into the frying pan, and jumped back when the oil rejected it with hissing and sputters of hot oil flicking out in tiny explosions. She stumbled away and laughed when she was nailed right on the cheek by a fore spoken bit of oil. Duo soughed an unheard comment and walked out onto the porch overlooking the calm streets of Durham.
Irene's tom cat, Gambit, sat elegantly on a rocking chair and preened himself idly. Duo braced his hip on the railing and watched wrens flutter to gather seed and mulch for their mates, ready to give birth to new offspring that would likewise do the same in their own time. The rows of tall flowers in the yard, trimmed azalea and Iris lined bunches of smaller flowers and protected them from oncoming breezes.
Duo saw a jumpy butterfly land on a cornflower and achingly recalled the image of Hilde in the middle of her gardening project, pointing out her favorite flowers. The sundrop and the cornflower. he muttered, before turning away to run from his past, which never failed to haunt him.
Hilde didn't want to get up when Heero told her to. They were at the Durham bus stop, and Hilde's entire body froze. She shook all over, and Heero only saw how terrified she was when he took her arm in his hand. Her eyes, as dismal as the hanging rain clouds outside, spewing rain nonstop, bored into his and strummed the same heartstring that jerked on his humanity whenever he saw someone in need of protection.
You have to, Hilde, he pleaded her in his own way, and soon enough, she got up.
More and more like an old woman, she decrepitly walked ahead of him with her bag. They stepped off the bus and into the rain on the most grievous day ever seen. April showers, April showers that brought so much lamentation that would bring flowers in May. May wasn't close enough yet to make anyone care, however.
You're sure you don't want to eat, Duo?
Caitlin set out her plate to eat a lonely dinner. Irene, unbeknownst to Caitlin or Duo, had passed out in the laundry room, humorously. She'd been whacked with a wayward bottle of Tide, while Duo went downstairs to get his dirty clothes. He found her there, groaning and yelled for Caitlin to call 911 in a calm tone. Caitlin had just taken a big bite out of her chicken, and wailed. But she called anyway and saw Irene on Duo's shoulder, dripping blood, and coughed up her mouthful into the trash can below the phone. She screeched and spat out choppy sentences, telling the operator to get an ambulance there pronto.
It arrived quickly and carted Mrs. Henderson off with Duo, while Caitlin stayed behind to clean up the laundry room and pack up the food for later use. As soon as she'd finished, though, she trucked it to the hospital in Irene's Dodge Stratus, wary not to wear down her brake pads like she'd done on her Honda Civic. Ew, what is this music she listens to? A man twanged on the radio some sort of boozy love tune about boot scootin' and honky tonks. But, in honor of Irene, she didn't mess with the controls and instead contented herself with dead air the entire trip to Durham Medical Hospital.
Nurse Laurie?
The nurse walked over to Delilah and hummed.
Will Hilde come back?
I don't know, Delilah. I don't know. But let's all hope that she'll get better with that treatment Dr. Halloway will be giving her.
Krista flipped the channel to a hockey game and thumped Carlene on the back of the head and told her not to slouch. Carlene didn't even react to physical abuse, she was really down.
If I take you to a restaurant, will you eat?
Heero and Hilde stood beneath a store front, away from the rain, still toting their bags. Hilde shrugged. It depends on whether or not it looks like it'll stay down.
He made a throaty grumble and started walking, causing her to follow faithfully. Let's get a hotel first. Get settled and cleaned up and then go get something to eat.
No further comments. Hilde followed Heero in her slowed, weakling pace with no complaints and no more attempts to get out of her destined meeting with Duo. She simply prayed that God would grant her a divine intervention without her having to do much on her own. Her body was too tired and too void of energy to do anything for herself, other than walk and give proof of distant life. Heero grew even more attached when she carried on bravely, no matter how much each step tore more of her to bits.
A Marriot Inn was just the place to stay, and when they got checked in, Hilde found herself more so weak in the knees than she'd been a few minutes ago. Thankfully, she made it up the stairs with Heero's help before hitting the bed, leaving the bag by the door. Heero shook his head at her, shallowly breathing, worn out and scared.
You need to eat, he said.
I can't. I can't do this. Hilde tossed her arms over her eyes, laying on her back on the second bed in the room. I need to just go back to outer space. Duo doesn't need me.
Heero stalked over to her and took her arms in his hands to pull her over his shoulder, like so many others had been forced to do when she was in such a mood. Hilde whimpered and let him carry her to the mirror next to the bathroom. He stood her up in front of him and made her look.
He held her shoulders, keeping her balanced. What do you see?
A corpse.
What were you before Duo left?
I was happy, she sucked up her tears, but he wasn't.
Yes he was, Hilde. You haven't seen him now, but that's why I brought you here. To show you both how stupid you're being.
Droplets of saline tears rolled down her face, cascading to fall onto the counter. Was it stupid of me to believe he would come back? I was better off thinking that he was dead!
At least she's reacting and not clamming up, Heero thought, now make her eat.
She sunk to her knees on the carpeted floor by Heero and heaved tears right before his eyes. He kneeled down next to her and rubbed the stubborn tears away, not veering from her vision one moment.
Why don't you get a shower and gather your wits. I'm going out to get something to eat.
He trusts me. Hilde sniffled and concealed her hurt, masking it behind her silence. He's going to leave me here.
The door pounded shut and Heero hurried down the steps to get their dinner. Hilde daintily got to her feet and clenched her hands into fists, angry that she'd burst out so rudely. She pulled off her t-shirt and went into the bathroom to soak in the heat of a much needed bath. The water heated almost instantly, turning her hand red beneath it. Hilde turned the cold side on just a bit and let the tub fill, unbuttoning her jeans in the meantime.
He can't make me see him, she murmured, holding onto the towel rack for support from her queasy stomach and quivering legs. He can't.
Marriot Inn's stock soaps were strong and generic in her nose when she unwrapped them from their paper bonds, steam rising. Hilde removed her undergarments and stepped into the hot water, barely reaching above her ankles.
Her voice was low and hoarse when the words came, Why is this happening?
...to be continued...