Hilde stared in shock for a moment. It was almost unreal. He was the
Gundam Pilot. Gundam pilots didn't get shot. They were invincible,
superhuman. They were evil menaces, powerful heroes. But here one was,
clutching his shoulder, pale faced, and swaying. Hilde finally came to
herself. She rushed over to Duo and helped him into a nearby bench.
"God, why didn't you say anything?" Hilde asked as she bent to examine the wound.
Duo winced as she peeled back his shirt. "What was the point?" Hilde leaned closer, reaching to prod the red, gaping hole, looking to see if the bullet was still there, but Duos hand stopped her. "Hey, stop it. We gotta get going. We can't wait here."
Hilde had to admit, he had a point.
If you asked her later, Hilde wouldn't have been able to tell you how she got Duo to the hotel. To her, that part of the afternoon was one huge cloud of jumbled thoughts. She remembered getting rid of the bike- wheeling it out onto the center of the bridge and then pushing it over the railing and into the murky depths of the duck pond. Then all that's left in her mind is the nightmare walk to the Sisters Motel.
Under normal circumstances it would have been an easy, if long, stroll. But to Hilde, it was hell. Duo did his best but the pain and bloodloss overtook him before they were half way there. The rest of the journey he stumbled along, resting much of his weight on Hilde's shoulder. The sun had disappeared, replaced by heavy, gray, manmade clouds.
After an eternity they reached the hotel. It wasn't a bad place, but it wasn't a nice place wither. The two-story building had the look of one that has been around a long time with not enough money or attention spent on repairs. The walls were forest green, the trim was white, and the plastic numbers on each door were a chipped gold.
Key, said Hilde's brain as they stood across the street, gazing in a sort of horror at the building. Get the key. Where is it, though? In his pocket, idiot. He told you before. Right, in his pocket. Of course, where else would he keep a key? I could have figured that out. Hilde grumbled at herself. Of course you could have, she replied in a sarcastic voice. She looked up at Duo's face. He looked dead. He was past pale, transparent, she could see the veins in his eyelids and she could here his ragged breathing. And feel his weight on her shoulder.
Pocket, But which once? He was wearing jeans, with four pockets, a jacket with two, and a shirt, with none. Gently Hilde eased her free hand into a jacket pocket. She felt the cool, hardness of the gun. It was sticky with blood. Hastily Hilde pulled her hand back, chilled to the bone. Next pocket, no key. Next pocket, no key. And so on, until the last pocket, of course. The key was just your average key, nondescript, silver, a smudged. It was attached to a plastic keychain that said "Howdy, from Texas!" in red. Over that was written "R-13". Room Thirteen. As Hilde helped Duo cross the street she wondered idly if it was a sign, the way the day had been going she was ready to become superstitious if it gave her a heads up as to future events.
The room was on the second floor. The stairs proved to be almost impossible to get Duo up, but somehow she managed to half carry, half drag him up them. Hilde had some trouble with the key, but after realizing she had been trying to insert it upside down and fixing the problem she got the door open no problem.
The room smelled funny, like mothballs and sweat. There was one large bed with a truly horrible floral print on the cover. Hilde ignored it and eased Duo onto the bed. He mumbled her a thanks and closed his eyes. Hilde was unsure as to weather he should be sleeping, she knew people with concussions shouldn't be allowed to sleep but what about gunshot wounds, shock and bloodloss? Well, it doesn't really matter, she thought. It doesn't look as if I could actually wake him up.
Hilde bent down to examine the wound but couldn't see anything because of his shirt and jacket. So she unzipped the jacket and tried to gently ease if off of him. It took her three minutes to find a pair of scissors in the bathroom and cut the shirt off. Finally, she could see the wound. What she saw looked bad. The hole was small and dark, but his entire shoulder had swelled up and the area near hole was turning colors. His side was pink and red with blood, the wound was still oozing. And Hilde had no idea what to do. He needs a doctor, soon. She thought.
There was only one place to get a doctor- the hospital. So that was just where she would have to go. Hilde grabbed the towels from the bathroom and tucked them around Duo. Then she scribbled a quick note saying that she would be back, but not where she went, on a blank page torn out of the bible on the nightstand. Hilde hoped God would understand the circumstances. She checked on Duo one last time, removed the gun from his jacket pocket, wiped off the blood and headed towards the door.
Before she was half way across the room, however she halted. There was a full length mirror on the back on the door, and Hilde had seen her reflection. You look like shit, she told herself. And she did. She was still in her filthy uniform, only now it had gotten worse. One pant leg was torn down the side, she had some of Duo's blood on her shirt, her hair looked as if hadn't been washed for a week, which it hadn't. It took Hilde less than ten seconds to realize that she couldn't go out like this. It was a miracle that they hadn't been stopped on the way over, in fact. What Hilde needed was a jacket, a long on, to cover up her appearance. And Hilde knew just where to get one.
The lobby of the motel was long and dark. The front desk had an orange counter and a thirty something, big chested woman behind it. The woman was watching a tiny counter TV and popping bubble gum. At the end near the door was a bunch of tables and chairs and a counter that still sported the crumbling remains of a free continental breakfast. Further down the room were a couple of dilapidated couches and an ancient TV set. A group of older men were gather around the set, watching sports.
Hilde tried to look suspicious as she closed the door behind her, but she needn't have bothered. No one paid her any attention. The lady at the counter kept popping her gum and the men around the TV kept watching, enthralled with whatever sport it was. Hilde gave the place a quick once over, found nothing amiss, and then look a longer look. There, on the couch closest to the sports fans was what she was looking for, a coat, lying forgotten. Hilde strode purposely forward and reached for the coat. One of the men looked over at her.
Hilde shrugged and said, "Forgot my coat." He went back to the TV and Hilde breathed a sigh of relief. Good. Now all she needed to do was go find a doctor.
Hilde had taken three steps down the street when it started to rain. Not just a little rain, sheets of rain, torrents of rain. It was as if the entire sky had let loose. As if God had decided to dump an ocean on Hilde's already tired head.
Hilde cursed. Not just one or two choice words, every word she could think of. "Stupid-fucking-holy-shit-bastard-son-of-a-bitch-whore-slut-fucking- limp-ass-llama-turd."
Why did this happen to her? Why had this all happened to her? If, a week ago, she hadn't been there then, she might have never helped Duo Maxwell escape. She might have never been caught. She might never be in this position. A wanted traitor, escaped from prison, helping one of the most wanted men in the universe, wondering how the hell she was going to get a doctor to fix up a gundam pilot, stuck in the goddamn rain. If this hadn't happened she might be at home now, curled up in her small room, clean, content, with a warm drink.
But did she really want to be back there? Did she really want comfort if she knew that she was living a lie? Did she really want to never have met Duo Maxwell? No. She decided. If it were a choice between what had happened and making it never have happened she wouldn't change a thing. She had helped Duo, after all. And that had been her choice. But the fates could have been kinder. At least they could have stopped the fucking rain. Hilde sighed, and started walking again, as she turned up the collar of her new coat.
AN: Let me just say, I know it has been forever since I updated. I know, I apologize. But this was a kinda hard chapter to write, and truth be told I am lazy. Really lazy. Please Review. Maybe if you do I will be inspired to write more soon! Thanks for sticking with me.
Neptoon15- hey, guess what I did it! I updated! Yaaaaaa! Now it's you turn.
REVIEW PLEASE!
~ Langsiell P.S. Thanks to all who have read this!
"God, why didn't you say anything?" Hilde asked as she bent to examine the wound.
Duo winced as she peeled back his shirt. "What was the point?" Hilde leaned closer, reaching to prod the red, gaping hole, looking to see if the bullet was still there, but Duos hand stopped her. "Hey, stop it. We gotta get going. We can't wait here."
Hilde had to admit, he had a point.
If you asked her later, Hilde wouldn't have been able to tell you how she got Duo to the hotel. To her, that part of the afternoon was one huge cloud of jumbled thoughts. She remembered getting rid of the bike- wheeling it out onto the center of the bridge and then pushing it over the railing and into the murky depths of the duck pond. Then all that's left in her mind is the nightmare walk to the Sisters Motel.
Under normal circumstances it would have been an easy, if long, stroll. But to Hilde, it was hell. Duo did his best but the pain and bloodloss overtook him before they were half way there. The rest of the journey he stumbled along, resting much of his weight on Hilde's shoulder. The sun had disappeared, replaced by heavy, gray, manmade clouds.
After an eternity they reached the hotel. It wasn't a bad place, but it wasn't a nice place wither. The two-story building had the look of one that has been around a long time with not enough money or attention spent on repairs. The walls were forest green, the trim was white, and the plastic numbers on each door were a chipped gold.
Key, said Hilde's brain as they stood across the street, gazing in a sort of horror at the building. Get the key. Where is it, though? In his pocket, idiot. He told you before. Right, in his pocket. Of course, where else would he keep a key? I could have figured that out. Hilde grumbled at herself. Of course you could have, she replied in a sarcastic voice. She looked up at Duo's face. He looked dead. He was past pale, transparent, she could see the veins in his eyelids and she could here his ragged breathing. And feel his weight on her shoulder.
Pocket, But which once? He was wearing jeans, with four pockets, a jacket with two, and a shirt, with none. Gently Hilde eased her free hand into a jacket pocket. She felt the cool, hardness of the gun. It was sticky with blood. Hastily Hilde pulled her hand back, chilled to the bone. Next pocket, no key. Next pocket, no key. And so on, until the last pocket, of course. The key was just your average key, nondescript, silver, a smudged. It was attached to a plastic keychain that said "Howdy, from Texas!" in red. Over that was written "R-13". Room Thirteen. As Hilde helped Duo cross the street she wondered idly if it was a sign, the way the day had been going she was ready to become superstitious if it gave her a heads up as to future events.
The room was on the second floor. The stairs proved to be almost impossible to get Duo up, but somehow she managed to half carry, half drag him up them. Hilde had some trouble with the key, but after realizing she had been trying to insert it upside down and fixing the problem she got the door open no problem.
The room smelled funny, like mothballs and sweat. There was one large bed with a truly horrible floral print on the cover. Hilde ignored it and eased Duo onto the bed. He mumbled her a thanks and closed his eyes. Hilde was unsure as to weather he should be sleeping, she knew people with concussions shouldn't be allowed to sleep but what about gunshot wounds, shock and bloodloss? Well, it doesn't really matter, she thought. It doesn't look as if I could actually wake him up.
Hilde bent down to examine the wound but couldn't see anything because of his shirt and jacket. So she unzipped the jacket and tried to gently ease if off of him. It took her three minutes to find a pair of scissors in the bathroom and cut the shirt off. Finally, she could see the wound. What she saw looked bad. The hole was small and dark, but his entire shoulder had swelled up and the area near hole was turning colors. His side was pink and red with blood, the wound was still oozing. And Hilde had no idea what to do. He needs a doctor, soon. She thought.
There was only one place to get a doctor- the hospital. So that was just where she would have to go. Hilde grabbed the towels from the bathroom and tucked them around Duo. Then she scribbled a quick note saying that she would be back, but not where she went, on a blank page torn out of the bible on the nightstand. Hilde hoped God would understand the circumstances. She checked on Duo one last time, removed the gun from his jacket pocket, wiped off the blood and headed towards the door.
Before she was half way across the room, however she halted. There was a full length mirror on the back on the door, and Hilde had seen her reflection. You look like shit, she told herself. And she did. She was still in her filthy uniform, only now it had gotten worse. One pant leg was torn down the side, she had some of Duo's blood on her shirt, her hair looked as if hadn't been washed for a week, which it hadn't. It took Hilde less than ten seconds to realize that she couldn't go out like this. It was a miracle that they hadn't been stopped on the way over, in fact. What Hilde needed was a jacket, a long on, to cover up her appearance. And Hilde knew just where to get one.
The lobby of the motel was long and dark. The front desk had an orange counter and a thirty something, big chested woman behind it. The woman was watching a tiny counter TV and popping bubble gum. At the end near the door was a bunch of tables and chairs and a counter that still sported the crumbling remains of a free continental breakfast. Further down the room were a couple of dilapidated couches and an ancient TV set. A group of older men were gather around the set, watching sports.
Hilde tried to look suspicious as she closed the door behind her, but she needn't have bothered. No one paid her any attention. The lady at the counter kept popping her gum and the men around the TV kept watching, enthralled with whatever sport it was. Hilde gave the place a quick once over, found nothing amiss, and then look a longer look. There, on the couch closest to the sports fans was what she was looking for, a coat, lying forgotten. Hilde strode purposely forward and reached for the coat. One of the men looked over at her.
Hilde shrugged and said, "Forgot my coat." He went back to the TV and Hilde breathed a sigh of relief. Good. Now all she needed to do was go find a doctor.
Hilde had taken three steps down the street when it started to rain. Not just a little rain, sheets of rain, torrents of rain. It was as if the entire sky had let loose. As if God had decided to dump an ocean on Hilde's already tired head.
Hilde cursed. Not just one or two choice words, every word she could think of. "Stupid-fucking-holy-shit-bastard-son-of-a-bitch-whore-slut-fucking- limp-ass-llama-turd."
Why did this happen to her? Why had this all happened to her? If, a week ago, she hadn't been there then, she might have never helped Duo Maxwell escape. She might have never been caught. She might never be in this position. A wanted traitor, escaped from prison, helping one of the most wanted men in the universe, wondering how the hell she was going to get a doctor to fix up a gundam pilot, stuck in the goddamn rain. If this hadn't happened she might be at home now, curled up in her small room, clean, content, with a warm drink.
But did she really want to be back there? Did she really want comfort if she knew that she was living a lie? Did she really want to never have met Duo Maxwell? No. She decided. If it were a choice between what had happened and making it never have happened she wouldn't change a thing. She had helped Duo, after all. And that had been her choice. But the fates could have been kinder. At least they could have stopped the fucking rain. Hilde sighed, and started walking again, as she turned up the collar of her new coat.
AN: Let me just say, I know it has been forever since I updated. I know, I apologize. But this was a kinda hard chapter to write, and truth be told I am lazy. Really lazy. Please Review. Maybe if you do I will be inspired to write more soon! Thanks for sticking with me.
Neptoon15- hey, guess what I did it! I updated! Yaaaaaa! Now it's you turn.
REVIEW PLEASE!
~ Langsiell P.S. Thanks to all who have read this!