Disclaimer: Don't own them – wish I did… but I don't… and it would be useless to sue me because I only have a dollar…. ^_^
Warning: Shounen-ai, Relena plays not such a happy part… gomen… utter confusion…. I believe.
Thanks all you guys who are so nice as to review this story! I really appreciate it! You guys are all so great! Thanks to you this story has actually more than one chapter, ^_^ THANKS: Silent Fear, sapphire, Hated4Life8821, deathwraith, Pixie Dragon, Anoni, Maxine, Queserasera, Raven Wings, Cherry Blossom, Heartfire Wind, Kat, Wings, Guile, FreeThinker, Amika, Kaylie, Blacktears, and Sky. A HUGE THANK-YOU to those who've reviewed it billions of times! ^_^ THANK-YOU: Betrayed, neo, Empress Yue, Munchkin, Silent Shimegami, and Silver Shinigami. Woohoo and thanks again! ~_^
And now on with the show! Hope you enjoy!
"Meet Me Half Way"
Part 8 – Making Friends Out of Nothing OR Lost Insanity
"Is everything okay?"
I nearly jumped out of my skin at the question. Who? What? When? Where?
Yes, where is the best question! Where am I?
Wildly I looked about me and came to realize that I'm in a hall – the hospital's hall… and the whole episode of the past few hours comes crashing back down on me. Relena… if I could get my hands on her….
"Are you okay, mister Duo?" The soft voice pushed itself back into my mind, demanding – gently – my attention.
So I turn to look up, to acknowledge my unwanted company.
"Oh, it's just you, Doc," I sighed as my eyes rested upon the familiar form of Doctor Leigh. It was okay if it was Dr. Leigh; I didn't mind so much the company then. I mean, Doctor Leigh… he's cool. (Just incase you were thinking other wise!) Actually I was kinda glad to see him. It had been a while….
"You were hoping for someone else?" He smiled down at me. His gentle eyes looking at me through his thin-framed glasses gave me a feeling of utter easement.
"No, actually, I'm really glad it's you and not someone else," I tried to force a smile back. "Hey, Doctor – I … I thought visiting hours were only nine to five on Wednesday for – er, people not of the family. And, well, today's not Wednesday is it?"
"No, it's Friday."
"Yeah – and the time – isn't it about eleven thirty…?" 'AT NIGHT?' I add silently to myself. I pulled myself up against the wall, feeling it impolite to be so slouched in the presence of this doctor.
He nodded slowly, adding simply that yes, visiting hours were on Wednesday from nine to five last time he checked. Looking at me thoughtfully, he asked, "Why?"
"Well," My voice was slow to come out as I debated on what to tell him –whether to tell him bits and pieces or nothing at all. "I'm afraid she messed him up – something awful." I started. "I think, well, she's put him behind… I mean – I've never seen anyone so scared, Doc! Surely that's got to have some negative affect on him!? His eyes were so wide and he was shaking! There were tears – TEARS! Mr. Heero Yuy never, never-ever cries! What if it made him remember it!? What if it made him forget everything? I… I… I wish she hadn't been allowed in – I don't know how she got in! She's not family – not by a long shot and well –"
"Duo – shh, take a deep breath! We don't want you hyperventilating on us now!" Dr. Leigh's hand rested gently on my shoulder, and I looked up at him as he spoke. Concern (for me?) was etched in his pale blue eyes, and I realized how confused he must be – how confuse I myself was.
My heart felt so heavy in me, as though it was lead, and it weighted so much that I could feel its pressure against my stomach. And I suddenly realized that I had no idea what was going on… what was going to happen. I didn't know how Heero felt; he couldn't exactly say it! I didn't know if this was as good as Heero was going to get… if he was always going to be this little child in his aging body. …Big hands but the mind of a little boy. [1]
"Duo? Are you okay?" Dr. Leigh was looking at me with such concern now that I felt guilt… about making him stand here and listen to this; I'm sure he was busy with other patients besides Heero… but yet he stayed and helped.
"I don't know." My voice automatically took over. "I'm so confused. I… I don't know what to do – but Heero… he just has to get better… I only want him to get better! He can't live like this – not Heero! He's… he's so independent… this stuff will kill him! He just got get well! And… and I think… I think she made it worse."
"Who's she?" Dr. Leigh prompted softly; why couldn't the other doctors be like him?
And I told him everything… like a child who's hand is caught in the cookie just, the words just spilled from my lips. The whole time Dr. Leigh nodded with such understanding! He never tried to stop me – never asked any of those stupid "doctor" questions – never pulled out the "doctor" vocabulary, just let me talk it all out.
"And now – now I'm here alone. Heero went off with Q saying something about a menu. It's insane, I tell you! What could he possibly be talking about!? Has he lost it? Oh, man…" I let my head fall in disgust at myself.
"Well, this Relena girl – she probably did do more harm than good – but it is nothing we can't try and fix. And as to the 'menu' incident, my guess is that with all the people in the room it made him very nervous. For one he knows to make you happy he has to act like so – and for 'Q', is it? … yes, okay… for 'Q' he has to act another way. It would be very trying for someone to do this and he probably couldn't take it. You did say he wasn't too good at showing emotions, ne? Well, there you have it… somewhat." Dr. Leigh smiled, with a little nod, mocking the other doctors.
I smiled slightly, not a real one… but then I don't have any of those left….
"Don't worry – how about tomorrow we work on it… just you, me, and Heero. We'll have a little session in the recreational room."
This time I looked up at him and gave him a real smile – a hopeful one. He'd do that for Heero? I mean tat would be so cool! Doctor Leigh wasn't really Heero's doctor… to be truthfully honest I'm not sure why he even checked up on my little stoic Perfect Soldier but he did, and that is all that matters.
But to actually have a session with Heero – to work with him… if Doctor Leigh would do that… I'm sure Heero's be better in no time!
"O-of course," I stammered. "If you're not busy that is! I'd – we'd love to! I mean – it'd be great!!"
Dr. Leigh smiled genuinely, his eyes closing in the process, and he pulled out a pad of paper and a pen from his breast pocket. Flipping it open, he jotted something down as he spoke: "Okay, so how about one to two in the afternoon. That sound good?"
"Yes, yes, of course." I felt a foolish grin was plaster on my face, and there was no way to take it off.
"Okay, then, that settles it. Just bring Heero and I'll see you then! The doctor smiled at me. With a turn of his heel and the brush of a hand to his sun-dust hair, he turned and walked away the way he had come.
And I – I fairly skipped off in the opposite direction in search of Heero. This was GREAT!
I found Heero and Quatre in the eating area where, from time to time – if Heero was feeling up to it, both he and I would eat.
Now it was empty save the two of them and they sat at one of the round tables close to the door. I imagined the reason for this was Heero hadn't been able to make it any further.
But as I looked at them – Quatre was smiling and Heero was babbling something to nothing. I felt strange… different… and I didn't like it. Cringing I tried to brush the feeling away. What was wrong with me? It's about Heero – not me!
"Hey, what's going on?" I piped in, knowing from learning the hard way, it's better to let Heero know you're there by speaking first then by a touch on the shoulder.
They both turned to look at me sharply; you would have thought they'd never heard anyone else speak in their lives. Did I really startle them so?
Quatre, of course, smiled, greeting me warmly. Heero gasped and, standing up a bit too fast, ran for me. But, not recovering his balance from the stand and already too weak from the day's "excitement," he fell, cutting himself up pretty badly on a near by chair.
Running forward, I knelt beside him, gasping at the same time as Quatre at the blood. Heero opened his mouth as it to cry – and again that stabbing pain of difference wrenched through my body. This wasn't my Heero; Heero doesn't cry over spilt blood –at least not his own. But he bit down on his lip, keeping the tears back, and the pain went away.
Suddenly he smiled at me, giggling – wound completely forgotten somehow. (I don't see how – it was pretty ugly….)
"Duo! Duo! Duo!" He grinned; he was so happy it cause me yet another physical pain… but this was somehow different from the earlier pain… I don't know how to explain it, but it was good pain.
"Yes, Heero?" I smiled back.
"She wont hur ou!" His smile faded and he became more serious. "She say hur Duo… bur bad… but, no, my Duo! Mine!" He grabbed my braid (yes, happily I had finally found a hair tie!) forcefully ad pulled the hair tie out.
"Hey, Heero! It took me days to get Quatre to remember to bring that!" I pouted miserably.
"Duo – it didn't take me that long!" Quatre giggled out his reply.
"That's what you think!" I grinned at the platinum blonde. He mocked a hurt expression.
Looking to Heero for my hair tie, I found the dark haired boy empty handed. My brow knitted, and I looked around the room. Nothing. I looked back to Heero, eyes narrowing with suspension. No, he's not hiding it. Hmph.
Suddenly he grabbed at my unraveling braid, completing his mission of unbraiding my hair.
"Well!" I huffed. "Hey, Q," I turned to face Quatre, who seemed to be laughing at something, most likely us…. He nodded between giggles to show that I had caught his attention. "Do you know where hero put the hair tie?" My voice went up at the end – kinda like when you're playing a game with a little kid and you ask a question when the answer is staring you right in the face – only this time it wasn't; hey, I might as well make a game out of it though, right?
Quatre looked at me, shaking his head, eyes big and innocent.
"Well, we have to find it, Q, otherwise I'll be in trouble!" I widened my eyes melodramatically; I added my hands, gesturing them when appropriate in my act for Heero. "You know how strict those nurses are! I mean, they've already paddled me twice on account of my shorts being too short!" I wailed, carrying on miserably. Casting a sideways glance at Heero, I added, "If I don't find it soon, and they should see my hair down – oh, Q, I don't know what will happen!" I sniffled. "Will you take care of Heero-chan for me… when they take me away?" By now I was sobbing – well not really, but Heero didn't know that!
Yep, use the old guilt trip on Heero, how fun! Hey, I never said I was a saint!! And besides it did take me weeks to get a hair tie – and my hair got all ratty! Yuck! I mean really, if you have long hair I'm sure you understand!!!
"Oh, of course, Duo! I'll be sure to take care of him! But surely you don't think…" Quatre's eyes gleamed with glee – he had caught on and was playing along. You can always count of Quatre! He's really a great guy.
I nodded fearfully. This was actually really fun!
"Do you think… it'll……hurt?" I asked blinking back tears.
"Oh, I'm sure – a whole lot! I'm glad I'm not in your shoes…. I mean I don't think you'll be able to do anything for weeks!" Quatre replied sagely, with a slight nod. This was getting to be too funny – I secretly hoped I'd be able to keep a straight face.
"Ah –" Heero inched toward me, mouth open and face worried.
"Oh…" I shivered – and, then, I was attacked! I didn't even see it coming!
Falling flat on my back, my eyes widened to find Heero forcefully shoving the hair tie around my wrist as he straddled me. His face was so tense that I worried he might pop a blood vessel.
"Heero?" I was actually worried now; was this a normal thing? Because he'd never done it before. Was he going crazy? What if he was finally making good his threats from before the accident…? What if he was really going to kill me!?
His answer to my verbal question and my mental ones was pressing his lips to mine urgently, his fingers intertwining in my hair. My eyes widened slightly before slipping close as his tongue demanded entrance from my lips.
I am so confused. No, confused doesn't even to begin to describe what I am. I'm utterly and totally lost… and I'm not sure if I want to be found… but it's getting to be too much… and I'm wondering if I just might drowned. But what if I'm not scared? Does that make me crazy?
And we were suddenly sparring but at the same time it's caressing. We pulled away and I felt lost – no, alone… his warm lips gone… and mine were swollen; he panted softly and his breath was a mixture of chocolate and cinnamon.
"Mine." His voice is that of a stubborn child, and I only blink back in response as he runs his fingers through my hair – child-like but still… Heero-like – stiff and stoic… unused to the touch of people.
Quatre politely clears his throat, and I fling myself up… Heero in my lap and my face flushed.
"I think he wants to stay with you, Duo," Quatre laughed, smiling brightly at us as he stood. "I'll go now; we talked to Dr. J the other day about that mission, and he said he'd hold it off for a few months. I hope that's okay… I mean enough time, because that's all he'll give us." Quatre stood up as he spoke, still smiling that shy "Quatre" smile – but somewhat more serious now, and he left the room.
"Well, you scared him off," I laughed as I looked back to Heero, after Quatre had vanished around the corner of the hall.
"…" He glared at me, but not so coldly as he had in the past. Reaching at my hair, he took fistfuls of it.
I raise my eyebrow.
He attempted to re-braid it… and I let him try.
With him behind me, making a royal knot of my hair in his attempts, I smiled to myself.
"Hey, Hee-chan," I could feel his glare… perhaps I would get my Heero back. "Tomorrow we're going to go see Dr. Leigh – right after lunch."
"Dr. Leigh. No… no play time?" Heero's voice sounded distressed.
"Well, no, not exactly… we'll have play time later." I was almost laughing at how worried he was about missing the time the nurses had allotted us for anime watching, manga reading (Heero could read some of the more easier ones – usually he just like looking at the pictures though and making up his own stories. He'd tell them to me in his choppy sentences; you'd really never guess Heero was so imaginative!), and block playing (Heero used blocks to build all kinds of stuff most of them looking like gundams… but sometimes… he made this one thing with the blocks… but I never understood that.) time. He still wasn't allowed the use of his laptop… the doctors said it would only cause further damage to his brain… go figure.
"O…kay."
I turned to look at Heero to find a small – but still present – smile upon his lips.
TBC
[1] From "Adrain" Song by Jewel off of pieces of you CDOi! I got it out in much better time, ne? Isn't everyone so proud!! ^_^
Kuja: *sarcastically* three cheers for Anne… *rolls eyes*
Hey! -_-;; Well, anyway, next part out asap, promise! ~_^ Thought that might be a while because I won't be able to get to a computer for a while… (In a few days that is) -_-
Stay
tuned… if you don't mind! ~_^ The next part shall be cool – I should
hope!
