May 12
Ryouzai
8:00 a.m.
Duo stumbled out of bed, noting with irritation that Heero was already gone. "Stupid perfect soldier…" He muttered.
The door to the room slid open and Heero peered in. "Hurry up, Duo. Breakfast is being served and you're the last one up." He said brusquely.
"Yeah, whatever, Mom." Duo said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Where's the bathroom?"
"Two doors down, on your right. And cafeteria is at the end of the hallway. Hurry up." He turned on his heel and walked quickly down the hall.
Duo flipped him off.
"Is he up?" Mike asked Heero as he settled at the long metal table with what might have resembled food.
"Sort of." Heero replied and pushed the white mass on his plate around with his fork. "What is this, exactly?"
"Grits. A traditional food mostly eaten in the Southern United States." A voice replied. Hannah plopped down next to him and smiled warmly, evidently amused by his confusion. "It's ground up dried corn cooked until mushy, basically. You can eat it in different ways, depending on preference. Mike likes his with salt and butter, for instance. I, on the other hand, prefer it with butter and maple syrup."
He raised an eyebrow. "Ground corn?" He poked at the mass with his fork again.
"It's filling, healthy, and most importantly, cheap. Try it, it's not bad. But don't eat it plain because it's really bland." She replied.
"Hence all the doctoring." Heero said.
"You got it." She winked at him.
He shrugged and reached for the salt and butter.
Duo trudged into the room and made a beeline for the coffee machine, where Ellen was busy pouring herself her third cup of the morning. She saw him coming and had a mug ready for him when he reached her. Handing him the cup, she issued a warning.
"Like everything we serve here, Duo, the coffee requires massive tampering. Try some sugar and cream, you'll regret it if you don't." Ellen smiled seductively and handed him a few packets of sugar, letting her fingers brush across his in a slightly suggestive manner. Duo blushed and immediately turned his attention to the coffee.
"Ellen, quit flirting with him. He's young enough to be your kid." Mike grumbled around a mouthful of grits.
"Not likely, Mikey." She replied sweetly. "I'm 28 and he's 17. You do the math."
"You've been 28 for how many years now?" Mike retorted.
The two continued to argue back and forth, much to the amusement of the people still eating their breakfast. Heero noted several crew members who he had not yet been introduced to. He turned his attention back to Hannah to ask her about them, but stopped.
She was staring at Duo with an unreadable expression. After a moment, though, she seemed to shake off whatever it was that had bothered her. She rose from the table and deposited her barely touched plate in a large metal bin that was nearly full to the brim with discarded breakfast dishes.
"Mike, when they're done, bring them to the infirmary." She said quietly. He nodded.
Heero watched her leave out of the corner of his eye. She paused at the door and stared for a moment at Duo, who was asking Eric about the grits. He noted that for a fleeting moment, her expression was pained. But it was only for a moment. Sensing she was being watched, she frowned and walked quickly out the door. Heero glanced over at Duo, who was now pouring a large amount of maple syrup onto his grits. What, he wondered, was it about Duo that upset her so much?
Twenty minutes later, Mike deposited Heero in front of the infirmary doors. Duo opted not to go with him. It had not been so long ago that Hilde had lain in a hospital bed, near death. He preferred not to revisit that rather painful memory, instead he had followed Ellen back to the engine room with an offer to help where he could and maybe pry some information out of the talkative redhead.
The metal door slid back soundlessly when Heero touched the small red button.
His eyes widened when the room came into view. Hannah had not been kidding when she praised her ship's facilities. His brow furrowed as he pondered why a ship that seemed inches away from the scrap heap would have such an impressive facility. When Hannah approached a moment later, he asked her.
She laughed and stuck her hands into the pockets of the white lab coat she only wore when in the infirmary. "Would you ever imagine finding this here?" She asked, rhetorically. "The beauty of this ship is that is allows us to fly around virtually unnoticed."
He raised an eyebrow. "Impressive." He murmured, wondering why the ship had to remain unnoticed all the time.
"Where's your friend?" She asked casually.
"He doesn't like hospitals." Heero replied, checking her reaction. She seemed relieved.
She cleared her throat and gestured in the direction of a wall of curtains. "You want to see her?"
He nodded.
She led Heero into a smaller room that was sectioned off with curtains.
Lying on the bed, looking pale and wasted, was Relena. Machines beeped around her, monitoring her heart and brain. Wires and tubes attached themselves to her arm and chest like parasites and another tube disappeared into her nose. Her left arm was wrapped in a cast from elbow to wrist.
Heero stared at her and felt his stomach drop. She looked so fragile. He stepped up to the side of her bed and looked down on her. He could see the blue veins under her translucent skin and took a small comfort in the steady rise and fall of her chest. Unbidden, his hand reached out and gently stroked her hair, which fanned out from her head like a halo. Too many emotions to untangle left him feeling weak and tired. He wanted nothing more than to leave this small room and erase the image of her lying there so helpless from his mind. This wasn't Relena. She was too strong, too stubborn…
A warm hand squeezed his shoulder and brought him out of his trance. He looked over and realized that it was Hannah's hand.
"It looks much worse than it is, Heero." She said, softly. "She'll need some time, but she will be fine."
"Why hasn't she regained consciousness?" He whispered, his eyes drifting back to Relena.
"She has, several times, in fact. But we've kept her sedated so that she won't pull the stitches in her chest. I wanted to give them an opportunity to heal a little." Hannah looked down at her patient and brushed a strand of hair from the girl's wan face. "She's the same age as you, isn't she?" She asked Heero.
He nodded.
Hannah sighed. "She's so young, too young to have such responsibilities heaped on her shoulders." She seemed to reflect on something before continuing. "I'm not exactly sure this world needs saving if it has to sacrifice its children to do it." She frowned down at the tiled floor.
"You had a son, didn't you?" Heero asked quietly.
Hannah started and stared at him with wide eyes. "Where did you…?"
"Lady Une told me about your past." He replied.
"Ah. I should have known. She's always been so efficient." Hannah sighed and crossed her arms. "And yes, I did have a son. He died a long time ago, I'm afraid." She eyed Heero speculatively. "He would have been about your age, now, I think."
They stood in silence for a while, the beeping of the monitors the only noise. Finally, she cleared her throat. "Well, I have a meeting in ten minutes with my medical staff, so I'll leave you. I think she can hear us and I know she responds to touch, so talk to her. I'm sure she'd like to hear your voice." She gave Heero a motherly pat on the arm and left, pulling the curtains closed behind her to give him privacy.
He looked back down at Relena and gingerly took her right hand in his, irrationally afraid that he would pull out or disturb the tubes that seemed to keep her alive. He started when he felt her hand gently pressure his. He looked at her, but her eyes were still closed. He whispered her name and got no reaction. Perhaps it had been his imagination.
Without releasing her hand, he reached behind him and pulled up the lone chair in the room. He sat on the hard, unforgiving plastic and stared at her for a long time in silence.
Finally, he worked up the courage to say something. "I've thought about your offer." He murmured, rubbing his thumb along her hand. "Maybe I was too quick to answer before. If you still want me to, I wouldn't mind working with you. It seems that your security team is not as good as I thought." He leaned forward and rested his forehead against the cold metal bars of her bed. "Wake up soon, Relena." He whispered.
Ryouzai
8:00 a.m.
Duo stumbled out of bed, noting with irritation that Heero was already gone. "Stupid perfect soldier…" He muttered.
The door to the room slid open and Heero peered in. "Hurry up, Duo. Breakfast is being served and you're the last one up." He said brusquely.
"Yeah, whatever, Mom." Duo said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Where's the bathroom?"
"Two doors down, on your right. And cafeteria is at the end of the hallway. Hurry up." He turned on his heel and walked quickly down the hall.
Duo flipped him off.
"Is he up?" Mike asked Heero as he settled at the long metal table with what might have resembled food.
"Sort of." Heero replied and pushed the white mass on his plate around with his fork. "What is this, exactly?"
"Grits. A traditional food mostly eaten in the Southern United States." A voice replied. Hannah plopped down next to him and smiled warmly, evidently amused by his confusion. "It's ground up dried corn cooked until mushy, basically. You can eat it in different ways, depending on preference. Mike likes his with salt and butter, for instance. I, on the other hand, prefer it with butter and maple syrup."
He raised an eyebrow. "Ground corn?" He poked at the mass with his fork again.
"It's filling, healthy, and most importantly, cheap. Try it, it's not bad. But don't eat it plain because it's really bland." She replied.
"Hence all the doctoring." Heero said.
"You got it." She winked at him.
He shrugged and reached for the salt and butter.
Duo trudged into the room and made a beeline for the coffee machine, where Ellen was busy pouring herself her third cup of the morning. She saw him coming and had a mug ready for him when he reached her. Handing him the cup, she issued a warning.
"Like everything we serve here, Duo, the coffee requires massive tampering. Try some sugar and cream, you'll regret it if you don't." Ellen smiled seductively and handed him a few packets of sugar, letting her fingers brush across his in a slightly suggestive manner. Duo blushed and immediately turned his attention to the coffee.
"Ellen, quit flirting with him. He's young enough to be your kid." Mike grumbled around a mouthful of grits.
"Not likely, Mikey." She replied sweetly. "I'm 28 and he's 17. You do the math."
"You've been 28 for how many years now?" Mike retorted.
The two continued to argue back and forth, much to the amusement of the people still eating their breakfast. Heero noted several crew members who he had not yet been introduced to. He turned his attention back to Hannah to ask her about them, but stopped.
She was staring at Duo with an unreadable expression. After a moment, though, she seemed to shake off whatever it was that had bothered her. She rose from the table and deposited her barely touched plate in a large metal bin that was nearly full to the brim with discarded breakfast dishes.
"Mike, when they're done, bring them to the infirmary." She said quietly. He nodded.
Heero watched her leave out of the corner of his eye. She paused at the door and stared for a moment at Duo, who was asking Eric about the grits. He noted that for a fleeting moment, her expression was pained. But it was only for a moment. Sensing she was being watched, she frowned and walked quickly out the door. Heero glanced over at Duo, who was now pouring a large amount of maple syrup onto his grits. What, he wondered, was it about Duo that upset her so much?
Twenty minutes later, Mike deposited Heero in front of the infirmary doors. Duo opted not to go with him. It had not been so long ago that Hilde had lain in a hospital bed, near death. He preferred not to revisit that rather painful memory, instead he had followed Ellen back to the engine room with an offer to help where he could and maybe pry some information out of the talkative redhead.
The metal door slid back soundlessly when Heero touched the small red button.
His eyes widened when the room came into view. Hannah had not been kidding when she praised her ship's facilities. His brow furrowed as he pondered why a ship that seemed inches away from the scrap heap would have such an impressive facility. When Hannah approached a moment later, he asked her.
She laughed and stuck her hands into the pockets of the white lab coat she only wore when in the infirmary. "Would you ever imagine finding this here?" She asked, rhetorically. "The beauty of this ship is that is allows us to fly around virtually unnoticed."
He raised an eyebrow. "Impressive." He murmured, wondering why the ship had to remain unnoticed all the time.
"Where's your friend?" She asked casually.
"He doesn't like hospitals." Heero replied, checking her reaction. She seemed relieved.
She cleared her throat and gestured in the direction of a wall of curtains. "You want to see her?"
He nodded.
She led Heero into a smaller room that was sectioned off with curtains.
Lying on the bed, looking pale and wasted, was Relena. Machines beeped around her, monitoring her heart and brain. Wires and tubes attached themselves to her arm and chest like parasites and another tube disappeared into her nose. Her left arm was wrapped in a cast from elbow to wrist.
Heero stared at her and felt his stomach drop. She looked so fragile. He stepped up to the side of her bed and looked down on her. He could see the blue veins under her translucent skin and took a small comfort in the steady rise and fall of her chest. Unbidden, his hand reached out and gently stroked her hair, which fanned out from her head like a halo. Too many emotions to untangle left him feeling weak and tired. He wanted nothing more than to leave this small room and erase the image of her lying there so helpless from his mind. This wasn't Relena. She was too strong, too stubborn…
A warm hand squeezed his shoulder and brought him out of his trance. He looked over and realized that it was Hannah's hand.
"It looks much worse than it is, Heero." She said, softly. "She'll need some time, but she will be fine."
"Why hasn't she regained consciousness?" He whispered, his eyes drifting back to Relena.
"She has, several times, in fact. But we've kept her sedated so that she won't pull the stitches in her chest. I wanted to give them an opportunity to heal a little." Hannah looked down at her patient and brushed a strand of hair from the girl's wan face. "She's the same age as you, isn't she?" She asked Heero.
He nodded.
Hannah sighed. "She's so young, too young to have such responsibilities heaped on her shoulders." She seemed to reflect on something before continuing. "I'm not exactly sure this world needs saving if it has to sacrifice its children to do it." She frowned down at the tiled floor.
"You had a son, didn't you?" Heero asked quietly.
Hannah started and stared at him with wide eyes. "Where did you…?"
"Lady Une told me about your past." He replied.
"Ah. I should have known. She's always been so efficient." Hannah sighed and crossed her arms. "And yes, I did have a son. He died a long time ago, I'm afraid." She eyed Heero speculatively. "He would have been about your age, now, I think."
They stood in silence for a while, the beeping of the monitors the only noise. Finally, she cleared her throat. "Well, I have a meeting in ten minutes with my medical staff, so I'll leave you. I think she can hear us and I know she responds to touch, so talk to her. I'm sure she'd like to hear your voice." She gave Heero a motherly pat on the arm and left, pulling the curtains closed behind her to give him privacy.
He looked back down at Relena and gingerly took her right hand in his, irrationally afraid that he would pull out or disturb the tubes that seemed to keep her alive. He started when he felt her hand gently pressure his. He looked at her, but her eyes were still closed. He whispered her name and got no reaction. Perhaps it had been his imagination.
Without releasing her hand, he reached behind him and pulled up the lone chair in the room. He sat on the hard, unforgiving plastic and stared at her for a long time in silence.
Finally, he worked up the courage to say something. "I've thought about your offer." He murmured, rubbing his thumb along her hand. "Maybe I was too quick to answer before. If you still want me to, I wouldn't mind working with you. It seems that your security team is not as good as I thought." He leaned forward and rested his forehead against the cold metal bars of her bed. "Wake up soon, Relena." He whispered.