Short but sweet, and I think you'll agree.
Disclaimer: I own the baby! That's about it though… o.o
Mournful Love ~ Chapter 7
"Why?" he asked, unable to keep his voice from quivering.
Heero sighed and leaned on the door. "Duo, look, I'm sorry. I didn't expect you to be there. I didn't think before I spoke." He stood straight again and asked, "There, I've apologized. Now can I come in and talk to you?"
"Fine, the door's not locked anyway."
Heero opened the door and, after stepping into the room, closed it softly behind him. He looked at Duo who was sitting on the bed, the infant in his arms red faced and ready to cry.
"Here," Duo said and thrust the child into Heero's arms. "He wants a bottle. I'll go make the formula, you hold him until I get back."
He attempted to protest, but the younger man was already out the door. Heero stared at the tiny babe in his arms. It's little arms were so thin and frail, but it flailed them about as if they were as strong as his own arms. He moved to the bed and shifted the baby into one arm. It's face was red from frustration. He could only imagine the frustration such a tiny thing felt at not being able to tell what it wanted. Before he even realized he'd moved his hand, he felt the soft strands of bluish-black hair under his fingers. He moved his hand so the child could grasp a single finger in it's own tiny hand.
Bottle in hand, Duo stood unnoticed in the doorway watching the scene before him. He watched as Heero stared in open-mouthed wonder at the tiny life he held. He smiled softly.
"I'm surprised he didn't cry," he said as he walked over and sat the bottle in Heero's hand. "You ever fed one of those?"
Heero shook his head slowly and looked up at Duo. "It looks like it'll break." Duo laughed.
"That's what I thought too. But, he needs to be fed. Do you wanna try it first?" Heero stared down at the baby, then looked at Duo and nodded. "Alright, what'cha gotta do first is move your arm a little." He reached over and pulled Heero's arm at the elbow. "There. Now, put the nipple to his lips. There, see he knows what to do after that. Now, all you do is hold the bottle."
"It's very hungry," Heero noted.
"Yeah, he usually is."
"How old is it?" Heero asked, his voice losing the astonishment it earlier held.
"About 4 days now. When… When Hilde had her accident, she was still pregnant. By the time they got her to the hospital, they said her brain had completely shut down. They kept her on life support until they could do a c-section to save him," he said nodding at the baby. "After that… I stayed at the hospital for 2 nights hoping for a miracle. Finally, the doctors asked to turn off the life support and pronounce her dead. I had given up by then… I took him back to our house with me. We already had a crib set up and a full nursery. I laid him in the crib and tried to go to sleep, but I just couldn't. It felt so different without her beside me, snuggling close in the middle of the night… So, I let him sleep and made arrangements to come back here. I had to take a late shuttle, so I was on that last night. And now, I'm here." He looked at Heero. "He finished the bottle, Heero. Now you have to burp him."
Heero laid the child's head against his shoulder and patted him gently on the back. "What if I hurt it?"
"You won't hurt him Heero. You're doing just-" Burp. "…fine"
"He takes after you," he said bemused. Duo smiled at him and pulled the baby away from the taller man's shoulder.
"I'll lay him down here until I can get a crib," he said and laid the drowsy baby on the bed. He cleared away the pillows and covers. "He might choke on those," he explained. "It's warm enough up here that he shouldn't need a blanket."
"Duo," Heero said, "What's his name?"
Duo walked to the door. "His name," he said glancing back, "is Solo. Solo Odin Maxwell." He disappeared from sight before Heero could think or ask him how he'd known his real name. Or why he'd named the baby after him at all.
Could it really be Duo's kid and not be named after Solo? That seems almost illegal in fan fiction, na?
Next Chapter---------------------------
"Alright, he's awake now. Wufei, Trowa, meet Solo Maxwell."
"He's got Hilde's hair," Trowa noted, "but your eyes."
"And his appetite," added the Japanese man. Duo laughed.
I do not own Gundam Wing or anything having to do with Gundam Wing. (well, not the legal rights anyway)