Chapter 7: Wheelchair

Aiden groaned, opening his eyes then blinking against the light.

"Baby," he heard his mother's voice, but it was indistinct, and he blacked out again, his body heavy and weak. He felt very – vulnerable – as he attempted to open his eyes again, this time just barely succeeding.

He could see worried faces hovering over him.

"They say you'll be okay," his mother was saying softly as he watched her. "The bullet hit an organ, but they were able to repair it."

"Kia," he managed to grate out, voice weaker than he would have liked to admit.

"She's right here," his father brought the little girl up, but stopped her from touching him. "No, Kia, nii-san isn't feeling well."

"Heero?" a soft, sweet voice called, as lovely as bell-chimes, and he shifted his attention to Relena as she bent over him worriedly. She had changed from her dark dress to some sensible grey sweat pants and a matching tank top, hair pulled back from her concerned face.

"Relena," he murmured, and his heavy eyes pulled shut.

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"What the hell are you doing here?" a Chinese man stared down into the sweetest little face he had ever seen. His stare turned to a troubled scowl. "This place is restricted. You need to leave." The child stared at him in confusion for a moment, and he looked up to see a familiar figure rounding the corner in a wheel chair.

Aiden gave a half-smirk. "If you don't talk nicer to my little sister, Wufei, I'll have to kick your ass. And you know I can still do it."

"Language, Aiden," a motherly woman said as she came up behind him.

"Sorry."

Wufei Chang watched the exchange with a mildly puzzled expression, ignoring the benign threat. "Heero, who are these people?"

"They're Heero's family," Relena said, coming up behind the group and explaining to the Preventer, "and we're giving them a little tour." She gave him a look that stopped all arguments and the young Chinese man simply shrugged in defeat, losing interest in the affair.

"Just don't mess anything up." He walked off toward the medical wing of the building, wondering absently what Sally was doing.

"Heero-kun!" Quatre cried, coming up to them, "Are you okay?!"

"Yeah, Quatre," Aiden replied. "I get out of this thing in a few days."

"Hi," a small voice was heard, and the pair of young men turned to look at Kia. The little girl was staring up at Quatre with wide eyes, a Pretty Pink Gundam clutched in her hands as some drool slid down the side of her mouth. "H-hi," she repeated dumbly, and Quatre blinked at her a moment, smiling uncertainly. Suddenly, and with a leap, she was in his arms, face looking with enraptured eyes into his. "Quatre, right?" she asked, her voice a hum of love.

"Y-yeah," he replied, nervous, and sent Aiden a distressed glance. "Quatre Winner. What do you have there?" he asked, looking at her Pretty Pink Gundam as it lay on the floor where she'd dropped it. "It's very nice," he stumbled, looking for anything to distract her.

She glanced at the floor, then back at Quatre, and hugged her arms around his neck, "You're going to marry me!"

"Um, Heero?" Quatre was on the verge of tears, and Aiden rolled over to them, trying not to laugh.

"Quatre, you're going to be late for that meeting if you don't hurry." He winked at the former Sandrock pilot who gave him the most grateful look he had ever received.

Mouthing 'Thank You' as he handed Kia to Relena, the blonde man bid a hasty goodbye to everyone and sped off down the hall.

Kia swooned and fell into Relena's arms in a mock-faint.

"No, I'll just stay here," Aiden told them. "I've seen the rest of this part, and I'm tired."

"You're sure?" his mother asked, looking uncertain, "I can bring you back something if you want. A drink, or some soup?"

"The servants will bring him whatever he needs, I'm sure," Relena smiled graciously, "And I'll tell them he's here." This assuaged the woman and she gave her elder son a quick kiss on the forehead before turning to go. When she was halfway out the door, Aiden's father bent down to him with a quick glance at Relena who was busy with the kids.

"You haven't, um," he made a vague motion with his hand, and Aiden was confused a moment before he realized what the man was implying.

"Dad!" he exclaimed, then sent a look at the small group that was now staring at him before turning back and whispering an emphatic "No!"

Relena sent him a baffled look, trying to repress the smile that wanted to come. He looked so cute when he blushed. She wondered what they had been talking about, but shrugged and joined his mother in the hall.

Soon Aiden was alone in Relena's office, and he sat back in his chair, trying to get comfortable.

"No good," he muttered, then turned his head as someone walked in.

"Oh, I thought Relena was back," the young man paused, shutting the door behind himself, and looked around the office.

"She is," Aiden told him, "she's just showing some guests around the estate."

"Ah," the young man looked at Aiden carefully and Aiden returned the look just as coolly. "You're that new bodyguard, aren't you? The one that took a bullet for Relena."

"Hai," Aiden replied without emotion.

The young man's green eyes narrowed. "If it hadn't been for you, she wouldn't have been in danger in the first place. What were you doing out at night with an impressionable young lady, anyway? Trying to take advantage of her?"

Aiden felt his eyes narrow and the old look come into them. "Excuse me?"

The young man nodded, angry, "You heard me. If you had done your job and brought her back immediately, she wouldn't have been in danger at all!"

Aiden froze, inside and out, his eyes almost black in their cold fury. Trying not to show how much it cost him, he rose from his wheelchair and stood, glaring down at the other man, working for dominance.

But the young man, fool that he was, went too far. He grabbed the front of Aiden's shirt and sent his words into Aiden's face like white hot chips. "If you lay one finger on my girl again, I'll kill you."

Like a dam bursting, Aiden's anger poured into his fist, which suddenly found itself planted in Ryo's midsection, pushing all the air from his body. But that effort took its toll and Aiden had to sink to one knee, breathing heavily. After a few moments, Ryo had recovered himself and punched Aiden in the face, rocking the young man and splitting his lip, but otherwise not phasing him as he looked up at the furious blonde.

"If you fight anyone like that for Relena," Aiden panted, "then she's in good hands."

The anger in Ryo's eyes faded and he became bemused. "A-arigato . . . I think."

"I still don't like you," Aiden told him after a moment as he regained his wheelchair, and bright green met dark blue. "Same here," Ryo nodded, a mutual understanding, if not amiability, flashing between the two men before he left.