Chang Wufei pulled his car into the garage and cut the engine. He got out of the car and made his way inside. His wife, Sally was seated at the table. It was her day off and she decided to get caught up on the bills. She looked up as he husband of 25 years walked in and droped his coat over the back of a kitchen chair.
"The closet is over ther," She said, pointing with her pencil to the closet door. He looked at her from the kitchen, she stared right back until Wufei sighed and put his coat away. He finished making himself a snack and sat across from her.
"What did you do all day?" He asked, trying to make small talk. Sally looked up and tried to surpress a giggle. "What?" He asked.
"It's been twenty five years and you still have to work at starting a little chat. We've had three kids for goodness sake." Wufei sighed.
"Yeah well it's not like I had and practice with my first wife." Sally stood up and draped her arms over his shoulder and leaned on him.
"I know, I just think it's cute when you try." She gave him a little kiss on the cheek.
"Ewe, gross." The two adults turned to the 17 year old boy standing in the door way to the kitchen. "I really don't need to see my folks making out." Sally straightened up.
"Well for your information that wasn't exactly making out, and your right you don't need to see it so go do your homework." The boy stood there for a second.
"But mom..." He whined.
"Do you homework!" Wufei repeated the boy silently turned and headed up to do said homework. "I swear that kid is going to be the death of me." he said finally. Sally laughed at that.
"That's what you said about the last two, are you sure you don't want anymore?" She asked. The ex-pilot shook his head.
"I'm going out side to practice." Wufei stood and left the room. After changing his cloths he headed outside and started on a simple kata. Lately he hadn't been feeling up to par, he hadn't said anything to his wife since she would make him see a doctor about it. When he was finished with the kata he was feeling more out of breath than usual. He silently cursed himself for letting himself slip over the years. He started again, this time pushing himself to the max.
***
Inside Sally was going over the bills one last time. She looked out the window just as Wufei started his second kata. When she was finished with the bills and had everything cleaned up she looked out side again. Instead of doing the kata like she had expected, Wufei was kneeling on the ground, holding him self up with one arm, the other hand was clenched in a fist on his chest. From where she was standing she could tell that he was breathing hard. She stood there for all of a second before everything she had learned in med school told her something was very wrong. She ran outside, calling for her son in the process. When she reached her huband she could see that his face was red and he was having trouble breathing.
"Wufei," he tried to look up at her, "Wufei, can you speak?" He took a deep breath and managed to get out two words.
"It hurts," he whispered. Sally coaxed her husband on to his back.
"Mom, what's going on?" Sally looked up at her son, he stood a few feet away, scared.
"I want you to call and ambulance now." He stayed where he was. She looked up at him. "GO!" she shouted, he turned and ran into the house. "Hang on Wufei," She undid the top two buttons of his top and the tie on his pants before starting CPR.
When the ambulance arrived Wufei was still having trouble breathing and the pain didn't seem to have let up. The medics didn't bother waiting around. The put him on to strecher and took him away. Sally stayed kneeling on the ground for a second before getting up. As she passed her son she told him to come. The mother and son gathered their coats, climbed into the car and headed for the hospital.
Sally wasn't to sure how long she had been in the waiting room before the doctor finally came out to see her. She stood and he motioned for her to sit back down. He stook the seat across from her.
"How bad was it?" She asked. The doctor blinked a couple of times, "the MI, how bad was it?" She asked again.
"Are you a doctor?" he asked. Sally nodded.
"Yes, and how bad was it?" she asked for the third time. The doctor across from her sighed.
"Bad, right now we have him on heavy duty cardiac drugs but the chances are he wont make in through the night. Too much heart muscle has been damaged." Sally sat back and took a deep breath. Her son put his arm around her and looked at the doctor.
"Can we see him?" He asked. The Doctor nodded and stood up. Sally and her son followed the doctor into a small white room. In it there was a bed, Wufei was lying in it hooked up to a heart monitor and various other machines. When Sally walked up to the bed side and looked down at her husband she couldn't help but start crying. She took his hand. He turned to look at her.
"Wufei, you don't need to worry, everythings going to be ok..." She wasn't too sure what made her say that but somehow it felt right. He reached up and brushed a tear from her face. "Wufei..." She whispered. She bent over and kissed him on the forhead. He took a deep breath, the face mask fogged up when he breathed out. He reached up and pulled it down.
"Wufei, you have to keep that on." Sally said, trying to put it back on him. He pulled it down again.
"Sally, I love you," he sid quietly, she could bearly hear him. "Don't worry about me, we'll see each other later..." As he trailed off the heart monitor started beeping faster. In no time a team of doctors and nurses surrounded the bed pushing her away. She watched helplessly as they tried there best to save him.
"Charg to 200," She heard one of the doctors order, "Clear," she head them shock his heart, Wufei's heart rythem stayed in v-tach. The shocked him again, at 250 with the same results. After about fourty minutes of doing everything they could the head doctor finally stepped back from the bed.
"Time of death, 21:34" most of the nurses and all of the doctors left. In the end it was her, her son and two nurses who were working up the death kit. She felt her son's arms around her pulling her into a hug. She hugged him back and broke down completely.
***
Three weeks later Sally was seated at her late husbands desk in his old home office. Infront of her was an envelope and a piece of paper that had Duo's name, address and phone number. She picked up the phone and dailed. The other end was picked up on the first ring.
"Hello?" The voice that answered belonged to a young woman.
"Is Duo Maxwell in?" Sally asked.
"Just a sec," Sally heard the person on the other end cover the phone but still heard her call out "DAD! PHONE!" A few seconds later a more familiar voice come on the line.
"Hello?" Duo asked. Sally took a deep breath.
"Duo, it's Sally." She could almost hear him getting excited.
"Sally! Geez, it's been so long. How are you? How's Wufei?" He asked. Sally took a deep breath and willed her tears back.
"Duo," He voice cracked. Before she could say anything else Duo spoke.
"He is alright isn't he?" She could hear the worry in his voice.
"He suffered a major heart attack three weeks ago. I tried to reach everyone but your the only one I could find. Duo, the doctors tried to help him..." She had to stop, tears overcame her and she found herself sobbing. The other end was quiet for a second.
"Do you want me to come visit?" Duo asked quietly. Sally took a deep breath.
"I think I could probably use you and Hilde righ now." She managed to get out.
"Well be there as soon as we can," He said. They said a quiet goodbye and hung up. Sally folded her arms on her desk rested her head in them and cried.
"The closet is over ther," She said, pointing with her pencil to the closet door. He looked at her from the kitchen, she stared right back until Wufei sighed and put his coat away. He finished making himself a snack and sat across from her.
"What did you do all day?" He asked, trying to make small talk. Sally looked up and tried to surpress a giggle. "What?" He asked.
"It's been twenty five years and you still have to work at starting a little chat. We've had three kids for goodness sake." Wufei sighed.
"Yeah well it's not like I had and practice with my first wife." Sally stood up and draped her arms over his shoulder and leaned on him.
"I know, I just think it's cute when you try." She gave him a little kiss on the cheek.
"Ewe, gross." The two adults turned to the 17 year old boy standing in the door way to the kitchen. "I really don't need to see my folks making out." Sally straightened up.
"Well for your information that wasn't exactly making out, and your right you don't need to see it so go do your homework." The boy stood there for a second.
"But mom..." He whined.
"Do you homework!" Wufei repeated the boy silently turned and headed up to do said homework. "I swear that kid is going to be the death of me." he said finally. Sally laughed at that.
"That's what you said about the last two, are you sure you don't want anymore?" She asked. The ex-pilot shook his head.
"I'm going out side to practice." Wufei stood and left the room. After changing his cloths he headed outside and started on a simple kata. Lately he hadn't been feeling up to par, he hadn't said anything to his wife since she would make him see a doctor about it. When he was finished with the kata he was feeling more out of breath than usual. He silently cursed himself for letting himself slip over the years. He started again, this time pushing himself to the max.
***
Inside Sally was going over the bills one last time. She looked out the window just as Wufei started his second kata. When she was finished with the bills and had everything cleaned up she looked out side again. Instead of doing the kata like she had expected, Wufei was kneeling on the ground, holding him self up with one arm, the other hand was clenched in a fist on his chest. From where she was standing she could tell that he was breathing hard. She stood there for all of a second before everything she had learned in med school told her something was very wrong. She ran outside, calling for her son in the process. When she reached her huband she could see that his face was red and he was having trouble breathing.
"Wufei," he tried to look up at her, "Wufei, can you speak?" He took a deep breath and managed to get out two words.
"It hurts," he whispered. Sally coaxed her husband on to his back.
"Mom, what's going on?" Sally looked up at her son, he stood a few feet away, scared.
"I want you to call and ambulance now." He stayed where he was. She looked up at him. "GO!" she shouted, he turned and ran into the house. "Hang on Wufei," She undid the top two buttons of his top and the tie on his pants before starting CPR.
When the ambulance arrived Wufei was still having trouble breathing and the pain didn't seem to have let up. The medics didn't bother waiting around. The put him on to strecher and took him away. Sally stayed kneeling on the ground for a second before getting up. As she passed her son she told him to come. The mother and son gathered their coats, climbed into the car and headed for the hospital.
Sally wasn't to sure how long she had been in the waiting room before the doctor finally came out to see her. She stood and he motioned for her to sit back down. He stook the seat across from her.
"How bad was it?" She asked. The doctor blinked a couple of times, "the MI, how bad was it?" She asked again.
"Are you a doctor?" he asked. Sally nodded.
"Yes, and how bad was it?" she asked for the third time. The doctor across from her sighed.
"Bad, right now we have him on heavy duty cardiac drugs but the chances are he wont make in through the night. Too much heart muscle has been damaged." Sally sat back and took a deep breath. Her son put his arm around her and looked at the doctor.
"Can we see him?" He asked. The Doctor nodded and stood up. Sally and her son followed the doctor into a small white room. In it there was a bed, Wufei was lying in it hooked up to a heart monitor and various other machines. When Sally walked up to the bed side and looked down at her husband she couldn't help but start crying. She took his hand. He turned to look at her.
"Wufei, you don't need to worry, everythings going to be ok..." She wasn't too sure what made her say that but somehow it felt right. He reached up and brushed a tear from her face. "Wufei..." She whispered. She bent over and kissed him on the forhead. He took a deep breath, the face mask fogged up when he breathed out. He reached up and pulled it down.
"Wufei, you have to keep that on." Sally said, trying to put it back on him. He pulled it down again.
"Sally, I love you," he sid quietly, she could bearly hear him. "Don't worry about me, we'll see each other later..." As he trailed off the heart monitor started beeping faster. In no time a team of doctors and nurses surrounded the bed pushing her away. She watched helplessly as they tried there best to save him.
"Charg to 200," She heard one of the doctors order, "Clear," she head them shock his heart, Wufei's heart rythem stayed in v-tach. The shocked him again, at 250 with the same results. After about fourty minutes of doing everything they could the head doctor finally stepped back from the bed.
"Time of death, 21:34" most of the nurses and all of the doctors left. In the end it was her, her son and two nurses who were working up the death kit. She felt her son's arms around her pulling her into a hug. She hugged him back and broke down completely.
***
Three weeks later Sally was seated at her late husbands desk in his old home office. Infront of her was an envelope and a piece of paper that had Duo's name, address and phone number. She picked up the phone and dailed. The other end was picked up on the first ring.
"Hello?" The voice that answered belonged to a young woman.
"Is Duo Maxwell in?" Sally asked.
"Just a sec," Sally heard the person on the other end cover the phone but still heard her call out "DAD! PHONE!" A few seconds later a more familiar voice come on the line.
"Hello?" Duo asked. Sally took a deep breath.
"Duo, it's Sally." She could almost hear him getting excited.
"Sally! Geez, it's been so long. How are you? How's Wufei?" He asked. Sally took a deep breath and willed her tears back.
"Duo," He voice cracked. Before she could say anything else Duo spoke.
"He is alright isn't he?" She could hear the worry in his voice.
"He suffered a major heart attack three weeks ago. I tried to reach everyone but your the only one I could find. Duo, the doctors tried to help him..." She had to stop, tears overcame her and she found herself sobbing. The other end was quiet for a second.
"Do you want me to come visit?" Duo asked quietly. Sally took a deep breath.
"I think I could probably use you and Hilde righ now." She managed to get out.
"Well be there as soon as we can," He said. They said a quiet goodbye and hung up. Sally folded her arms on her desk rested her head in them and cried.