Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its affiliated characters.
When there was a crash in the bathroom, no one was close enough to notice. Duo and Quatre were busy arguing over the deal they were trying to work out.
"Why is it so hard for you to accept my terms?" Duo was practically shouting. "I think I've been fair in the terms I've set out."
"I've finally seen the real you, Duo, that's why." He was calm, but slowly breaking. "You are judgmental, moody, and stubborn."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Dorothy! You refuse to accept her for who she is, instead relying on rumors you've heard to base your entire opinion about her. It doesn't matter to you that she might have changed as long as you get your way."
"Who cares?! Not me. This deal is about business, not what about you, I or anybody thinks about some street-freak."
The limit had been broken. Quatre stood and yelled right into Duo's face. "How dare you call the woman I love a street-freak! If I recall, isn't that the same place you got to seriously know the woman you wound up marrying? Or did you conveniently forget that, along with the rest of your good judgment?"
"That is my good judgment, you piece of aristocratic trash. I think your problem is you cannot bear to be seen in public with some as poor and pathetic as she is. If you realized this, maybe you would see where I'm coming from."
"Poor? Pathetic? I think the only person around here that fits that description is you, Maxwell. And you will be, after I'm through with you. Your business is going to die, and its all your fault. What are you going to tell Hilde, hm?"
"Don't bring her into this."
"Why not? You seemed to have no problem bringing your biases into this, so I will damn well bring whomever I want into this."
"You will, will you?" He swung, bringing his fist up and striking Quatre in the face, creating a nasty red mark.
The next punch was stopped, and Quatre stared sadly at his former friend. "Why must you fight? I was trying to negotiate, but you had to bring violence into."
Duo laughed harshly. "I had to. You're right. It's because you're being such a thickheaded idiot about this Dorothy issue. Were you just admit I'm right, we could be done here long ago."
"I'm being 'thickheaded' because I don't agree with you, dammit!"
As they began to throw obscenities at each other, Hilde came in, worried. "Quatre, I need to talk to you." He turned, and Duo backed down, smiling benignly. "It's about Dorothy."
He glared one last time at Duo and left the room with her. When they were out of earshot, she began to talk quickly. "I think she's trying to kill herself. She went into the bathroom, looking troubled. She should have come out by now but she hasn't and she won't answer me and I'm starting to get really worried about her."
"Hilde, slow down. All I heard was Dorothy and bathroom. I thought I heard something about killing, but I'm not sure."
She was beginning to breathe very heavily. "That's what I'm talking about. She won't answer me when I call to her in the bathroom."
The alarm grew in his eyes. "Where's the bathroom? I'm pretty sure she'll talk to me."
"In the hallway, across from the twin's room. Just hurry, I'm really worried."
He went to the bathroom door, knocking softly on the door, then harder when there was no answer. He glanced around, and stopped when he saw the ground. The ends of a few strands of blond hair were exposed from under the door. His panic began to form into something real. He pounded the door, and when no answer was given, he slammed himself into the door, forcing it open. When it finally opened, he quickly scanned the room and stopped when he found her body lying in the corner. She had a towel wrapped around her wrist, and her other hand limply held a razor.
"Oh my God." He could only stare.
She stirred faintly. Her eyes held little color. "Qua.tre?"
He quickly squatted next at her side. He gently held her face. "Dorothy. I'm here. Don't talk."
"Quatre.I'm sorry. I would have.liked to.get married, but." Her eyes closed and her breathing stopped.
"No! Dorothy, wake up!" He shook her, trying to get her to respond. He began to sob. "Dorothy!"
He heard someone behind him and turned, recognizing Duo through his bleary eyes. His eyes widened. He gave Quatre his hand and lifted him, then grabbed her by the waist. "I'm sorry, Quatre. I never meant for this to happen. I don't know what to say."
"I find it hard to forgive you. But I will try if you can do something, anything to bring her back. Please, Duo, you have to try."
The two of them thought for a moment before Duo again spoke. "If we hurry, we might be able to get her to the hospital in time for a transfusion. Her tissue won't start to die for a while, if I remember correctly. It's our only chance if we want her to live."
"We?"
"Don't get me started right now. Although I am the God of Death, I did not want her to die."
"You didn't?"
"I could see she made you happy. It took a while, but it dawned on me."
There was silence after that as they carried her body to the car. Duo looked into his eyes and nodded, then climbed into the driver's seat. Quatre got in the back and cradled her head in his lap, quietly talking to her silent face. His tears dropped forlornly onto her.
When they got to the hospital, they again picked her up and carried her to the emergency room. The lady at the desk looked up. "What happened to her?"
"Suicide attempt. She slit her wrist with a razor."
The lady jumped up and grabbed a bag a blood from the shelf behind her. She stretched it onto a gurney and jammed the needle into her body. The blood began to drain quickly, quickly being absorbed by her system.
"Are you sure that's safe? You might be giving her the wrong blood type."
"It's Type O-. Theoretically, everyone should be able to take it."
"Theoretically?"
"Yes. There have been some recent studies that showed some people are allergic to it." She turned back to the bag of blood. It was completely empty. She turned back, concern in her eyes. "Unless we can get a source of a lot of blood within the hour, she's going to die."
For the first time, Quatre stopped to think what this would mean for him. He shook his head slowly, and the tears came back. Why me?, he thought. Why do I have to go through this? He looked again at her serene face. It looked so peaceful.
His head came up and he stared at the tech. "If I am a person willing to be a mass donor, will you accept my blood? I know I have Type O- blood, and she's not having any adverse reactions to it."
The tech stared at him. "This is rather unorthodox, you know. And if it fails, you will both die."
"I am aware of that. It's a risk I'm willing to take if it can save her life."
"Okay. You, the one with the braid, wheel the gurney in with us. We're going to a hospital room." When they arrived, she tossed Quatre a hospital gown. "Put this on. After a transfusion of this magnitude, you're going to be weak for a while. You'll stay here. If you want, your girl can share a room."
He stared at her a moment. "Okay. I can do that." The steadiness was slowly returning to his voice. "Yea, this might just work." He turned around and quickly changed into the gown before facing the doctor again. "I'm ready."
He was surprised to see that the tech had changed Dorothy into a hospital gown as well. On her arm was a wad of cotton, spreading a disinfectant. The towel that had hidden the cut earlier was gone, revealing an ugly, crooked gash across the wrist. Most of the blood had dried, creating a temporary, if unstable, protection. The tech looked up. "Sit on the bed over there but wheel it closer first. Close enough to touch her."
He complied and sat down, turning his arm to expose the inside of his elbow. She brushed it with painkiller and disinfectant, then quickly stuffed a needle into his arm. She began to fiddle with a machine, and he watched in fascination as his blood slowly crept out of his arm and through a tube to Dorothy's. He smiled sadly. If one of us lives, at least it will be you, he thought. He began to feel lightheaded, and collapsed, falling into a comatose state.
I'm sorry it's been a while since I posted but I've got too many other things going on right now, especially with my big MUN conference in the coming up. But I managed to get a couple more chapters done so all you fans can be happy. Only one chapter left.
When there was a crash in the bathroom, no one was close enough to notice. Duo and Quatre were busy arguing over the deal they were trying to work out.
"Why is it so hard for you to accept my terms?" Duo was practically shouting. "I think I've been fair in the terms I've set out."
"I've finally seen the real you, Duo, that's why." He was calm, but slowly breaking. "You are judgmental, moody, and stubborn."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Dorothy! You refuse to accept her for who she is, instead relying on rumors you've heard to base your entire opinion about her. It doesn't matter to you that she might have changed as long as you get your way."
"Who cares?! Not me. This deal is about business, not what about you, I or anybody thinks about some street-freak."
The limit had been broken. Quatre stood and yelled right into Duo's face. "How dare you call the woman I love a street-freak! If I recall, isn't that the same place you got to seriously know the woman you wound up marrying? Or did you conveniently forget that, along with the rest of your good judgment?"
"That is my good judgment, you piece of aristocratic trash. I think your problem is you cannot bear to be seen in public with some as poor and pathetic as she is. If you realized this, maybe you would see where I'm coming from."
"Poor? Pathetic? I think the only person around here that fits that description is you, Maxwell. And you will be, after I'm through with you. Your business is going to die, and its all your fault. What are you going to tell Hilde, hm?"
"Don't bring her into this."
"Why not? You seemed to have no problem bringing your biases into this, so I will damn well bring whomever I want into this."
"You will, will you?" He swung, bringing his fist up and striking Quatre in the face, creating a nasty red mark.
The next punch was stopped, and Quatre stared sadly at his former friend. "Why must you fight? I was trying to negotiate, but you had to bring violence into."
Duo laughed harshly. "I had to. You're right. It's because you're being such a thickheaded idiot about this Dorothy issue. Were you just admit I'm right, we could be done here long ago."
"I'm being 'thickheaded' because I don't agree with you, dammit!"
As they began to throw obscenities at each other, Hilde came in, worried. "Quatre, I need to talk to you." He turned, and Duo backed down, smiling benignly. "It's about Dorothy."
He glared one last time at Duo and left the room with her. When they were out of earshot, she began to talk quickly. "I think she's trying to kill herself. She went into the bathroom, looking troubled. She should have come out by now but she hasn't and she won't answer me and I'm starting to get really worried about her."
"Hilde, slow down. All I heard was Dorothy and bathroom. I thought I heard something about killing, but I'm not sure."
She was beginning to breathe very heavily. "That's what I'm talking about. She won't answer me when I call to her in the bathroom."
The alarm grew in his eyes. "Where's the bathroom? I'm pretty sure she'll talk to me."
"In the hallway, across from the twin's room. Just hurry, I'm really worried."
He went to the bathroom door, knocking softly on the door, then harder when there was no answer. He glanced around, and stopped when he saw the ground. The ends of a few strands of blond hair were exposed from under the door. His panic began to form into something real. He pounded the door, and when no answer was given, he slammed himself into the door, forcing it open. When it finally opened, he quickly scanned the room and stopped when he found her body lying in the corner. She had a towel wrapped around her wrist, and her other hand limply held a razor.
"Oh my God." He could only stare.
She stirred faintly. Her eyes held little color. "Qua.tre?"
He quickly squatted next at her side. He gently held her face. "Dorothy. I'm here. Don't talk."
"Quatre.I'm sorry. I would have.liked to.get married, but." Her eyes closed and her breathing stopped.
"No! Dorothy, wake up!" He shook her, trying to get her to respond. He began to sob. "Dorothy!"
He heard someone behind him and turned, recognizing Duo through his bleary eyes. His eyes widened. He gave Quatre his hand and lifted him, then grabbed her by the waist. "I'm sorry, Quatre. I never meant for this to happen. I don't know what to say."
"I find it hard to forgive you. But I will try if you can do something, anything to bring her back. Please, Duo, you have to try."
The two of them thought for a moment before Duo again spoke. "If we hurry, we might be able to get her to the hospital in time for a transfusion. Her tissue won't start to die for a while, if I remember correctly. It's our only chance if we want her to live."
"We?"
"Don't get me started right now. Although I am the God of Death, I did not want her to die."
"You didn't?"
"I could see she made you happy. It took a while, but it dawned on me."
There was silence after that as they carried her body to the car. Duo looked into his eyes and nodded, then climbed into the driver's seat. Quatre got in the back and cradled her head in his lap, quietly talking to her silent face. His tears dropped forlornly onto her.
When they got to the hospital, they again picked her up and carried her to the emergency room. The lady at the desk looked up. "What happened to her?"
"Suicide attempt. She slit her wrist with a razor."
The lady jumped up and grabbed a bag a blood from the shelf behind her. She stretched it onto a gurney and jammed the needle into her body. The blood began to drain quickly, quickly being absorbed by her system.
"Are you sure that's safe? You might be giving her the wrong blood type."
"It's Type O-. Theoretically, everyone should be able to take it."
"Theoretically?"
"Yes. There have been some recent studies that showed some people are allergic to it." She turned back to the bag of blood. It was completely empty. She turned back, concern in her eyes. "Unless we can get a source of a lot of blood within the hour, she's going to die."
For the first time, Quatre stopped to think what this would mean for him. He shook his head slowly, and the tears came back. Why me?, he thought. Why do I have to go through this? He looked again at her serene face. It looked so peaceful.
His head came up and he stared at the tech. "If I am a person willing to be a mass donor, will you accept my blood? I know I have Type O- blood, and she's not having any adverse reactions to it."
The tech stared at him. "This is rather unorthodox, you know. And if it fails, you will both die."
"I am aware of that. It's a risk I'm willing to take if it can save her life."
"Okay. You, the one with the braid, wheel the gurney in with us. We're going to a hospital room." When they arrived, she tossed Quatre a hospital gown. "Put this on. After a transfusion of this magnitude, you're going to be weak for a while. You'll stay here. If you want, your girl can share a room."
He stared at her a moment. "Okay. I can do that." The steadiness was slowly returning to his voice. "Yea, this might just work." He turned around and quickly changed into the gown before facing the doctor again. "I'm ready."
He was surprised to see that the tech had changed Dorothy into a hospital gown as well. On her arm was a wad of cotton, spreading a disinfectant. The towel that had hidden the cut earlier was gone, revealing an ugly, crooked gash across the wrist. Most of the blood had dried, creating a temporary, if unstable, protection. The tech looked up. "Sit on the bed over there but wheel it closer first. Close enough to touch her."
He complied and sat down, turning his arm to expose the inside of his elbow. She brushed it with painkiller and disinfectant, then quickly stuffed a needle into his arm. She began to fiddle with a machine, and he watched in fascination as his blood slowly crept out of his arm and through a tube to Dorothy's. He smiled sadly. If one of us lives, at least it will be you, he thought. He began to feel lightheaded, and collapsed, falling into a comatose state.
I'm sorry it's been a while since I posted but I've got too many other things going on right now, especially with my big MUN conference in the coming up. But I managed to get a couple more chapters done so all you fans can be happy. Only one chapter left.