AN And here is the next chappie. No Wufei this time, but next one, he'll be there and then we'll
have the real plot on its way. I just thought of this little story about Heero getting sick, but
this way I can write some angsty stuff during the action with Heero. grins evily Oh, the things
I'll put our poor Heero through. It's inhuman. Then again, so is Heero. Don't get me wrong, I like
the guy. Anyway, on woth the story.
Disclaimer: you know the drill.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Under Pressure
Chapter 4
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We got something!" a lab-researcher yelled. "Come on, work with me here. Kill those
suckers. That's it! We got it! It's working!"
The head medical research came running towards the yelling man. 'Please don't let this
be another hoax.' He bent down over the man microscope and studied the preparation.
"Alert Mr Winner. Seems like we really nailed them this time."
~~~~~~
Quatre ran through the hallways of his office. 'We got it! We actually got it! Don't
worry Heero. You're gonna be fine.' He nearly ran into Dorothy.
"You heard?" he panted.
"Yeah. Relena's already there. They say it killed all the bacteria. This could be it."
An exited smile painted her face as they continued on their way to the hospital wing. They
arrived and were immediately waved through. Out of breath they barged into Heero's room.
Relena looked up as they entered. Quatre noticed she looked fatigued, but for the first
time in days he had seen a spark of hope in her eyes. Her hands were gripping the bar on the
foot of the bed so tightly, her knuckles were white.
The doctor readied a syringe. He inserted the fluid in Heero's IV. "Now all we can do
is wait."
Quatre hoped they wouldn't have to wait too long. Relena looked on the verge of a nervous
breakdown. Dorothy walked up to her and placed her hands on the shoulders of the frail woman.
"It'll be alright, Relena. You'll see. If anyone can get through this, it's Heero. Don't
you think it's time you got a little rest? If Heero sees you in this state, he's gonna pass out
again."
Relena laughed. "Okay. I guess I could you some sleep."
Dorothy guided her out of the room, leaving Quatre alone by Heero's bed.
"You have to get better, you hear me?" the blond man whispered. "You're killing Relena
with this." He smiled wryly. "You're killing all of us."
~~~~~~
"I can't do this!" Zechs threw down the papers. "All I had to do was process the mail
concerning the forming of the Covenant. Everything else was to be put on hold." He stared at
Anna accusingly.
The woman remained unflustered. She had heard some of Relena's tirades and her brother's
were mild compared to hers. "I'm sorry, sir. But this requires immediate attention and you are
the only one with the authorization."
"What am I supposed to do then?"
"Whatever you think minister Darlian would do." Relena's secretary walked out, leaving
Zechs enormously frustrated.
Great. How was he supposed to handle a dispute between two neighboring countries about
some supposed Coppermine. He wasn't too much skilled in diplomacy. That was more Relena's field.
That was the reason she had this job, and not he. Now he had to dig up every map he could find
to try and figure out where the ore veins were located.
If only the Covenant had already been formed. Then he wouldn't have to deal with such
things. Relena wouldn't either. Was this the sort of work she did every day? No wonder she was
so busy.
Well, at least he had another reason for the Covenant to be formed to present to stubborn
nations.
Grunting he began paging through several other documents.
"Something bothering you?" Lu asked.
"Hey, I didn't hear you come in. Yeah, some border dispute. I can't believe they're all
putting this on Relena's plate. Don't they realize one woman can only do so much?"
"Yes, they do seem to overrate Relena's strength a bit, don't they."
Zechs sighed. "And that is an understatement. Maybe some bullying from the former Lightning
Count would ease them up."
Lu laughed. "I don't think Relena would appreciate that. Maybe she just has to learn to
stand up for herself, so she can say 'no'."
"Trying to teach Relena something for her own good, is an impossible job. If you're gonna
try that, I wish you luck." The man turned around to look out the window. "I just feel so useless.
I know taking over at least a part of her job means the world to her, but I know she is suffering
because of Heero's sickness. I want to be there, to support her. I hate sitting here so far away
from her."
Lu walked up to him and embraced him from behind, her head resting against his back. "I
know, Zechs, I know." She remained silent after saying those words. He was grateful for that.
He had known Lu for so many years now, and it felt even longer than it actually was. They
had been on the academy together, graduated together and then they had been stationed separately.
He had missed her for a year and a half and then met her again. Because of those five boys. Wufei
had targeted the Lake Victoria base, where she had been stationed, instructing future Mobile Suite
pilots. She had been pissed at the young Chinese boy, who had killed most of her pupils. He now
acknowledged how happy he had been at seeing her again, no matter how gruesome the circumstances
had been. He could not imagine how much he had hurt her in the period after that. He had been
honored and relieved when she still had agreed to stay with him. Two years ago they had married.
After that, life with her had become even more of a bliss than he had imagined. He loved her,
with all his heart.
Absentminded he stroked her arms, surrounding his chest. Time had gone so fast, so suddenly.
When they had visited Relena, a little over three weeks ago, he had been surprised at how much his
sister had changed. They had been up most of the night, talking about the year in which they hadn't
seen each other. In that one year, Relena had developed into a fully grown woman. He had been amazed
at the change he had seen. It was then he had realized his little sister was... well... beautiful.
The pride he had felt when he had seen her still held his breath as he remembered.
He sighed. It didn't do to dwell on dreams. He had work to do. He just hoped Heero would heal
so Relena would be happy again. According to Dorothy and Quatre she was a total wreck.
~~~~~~
Someone was yelling at the top of his lungs, trying to get her awake. Relena shot up. Silence
rang in her ears. Had it been a dream? Everything crashed down on her again. Heero.
How long had she been sleeping? Could the medicine be working already. She glanced at her alarm
clock. 11:00 pm it read. She reached out her hand. She had only slept for four hours. She pressed a
button and the screen switched to the date.
No, she hadn't slept for four hours. She had slept for twenty-eight hours. It was now 2 February,
201 AC. She distinctly remembered the calender say, just before she fell asleep, February 1st. The medicine
must have kicked in by now.
She got up and ran, out of her room, through the hallways and into the medical wing. She came to
a halt in front of the door leading to Heero's room. Slowly she placed a hand on the knob. She didn't
dare turn it. She was afraid of what she mind find, of her hopes being crushed. Carefully she turned
the doorknob and opened the door. The familiar beeping of the heart monitor reached her ear, but there
was a sound missing.
She walked up to the bed and saw what it was. Heero's face was bare. He was breathing on his own.
Relief weakened her knees and she quickly sat down. Heero was healing. He was getting better. She curled
up into the chair and tried to hide her bare toes in her pyjama trousers. As she looked at Heero's freed
face she fell asleep.
A small sound dragged her out of a very pleasant dream in which she had gone shopping for baby-
clothes with Hilde. She looked around and gasped. In the vague light of the room she saw a shadowy form
sitting upright on the bed.
"Heero?"
He didn't seem to hear her, but just as she was about to repeat herself, he turned his head.
"Re..." There was a catch in his voice and she realized his throat must be dry.
"Don't speak," she administered him. "I'll get you some water." She slipped out the room, crossed
the hallway and filled a plastic cup with water at the tap on the opposite wall. She rushed back and was
relieved to find Heero still sitting up. He reached for the cup but his hands didn't have the strength
to grab hold it. With tears in her eyes, Relena placed the cup to his lips and let him drink. Luckily he
didn't protest against being mothered like that. He nearly choked on the first few sips, but he quickly
drained all the water.
"Would you like some more?"
He shook his head. "How..?" he whispered. "How did I..?"
"There was an aggressive bacteria in the air of the lab you found. Your lungs were infected by it."
He stared around him and frowned. "Where?"
"The Winner company on colony D6, hospital wing." She smiled. Typically Heero. He just had to know
where he was and what was going on. Even if he had been sick.
"How long?"
"You've been out for three weeks." She suddenly locked him in a tight embrace. "I was so scared,"
she whispered into his unruly brown hair. "I thought you'd never wake up." Tears leaked down her cheeks as
she felt Heero's arms around her. He softly patted her back, trying to comfort her. She didn't know how
long she stood there, but suddenly he grew heavy and his arms fell down. She looked at him and smiled. He
had fallen asleep again. Gently she lowered him back on his pillow and tucked the blankets to under his chin.
As she looked at him she pulled the chair closer. She set down, her arms resting on the edge of the
mattress and watched his chest rise and fall with the deep even breathing of a sleeping person. The expression
on his face startled her a bit. He looked like a child dreaming a happy dream.
~~~~~~
Quatre sighed as he saw Relena had once again traded her bed for the chair in Heero's room. He
sympathized with her, but she couldn't expect herself to get a good night sleep while sitting in a chair.
Heero stirred. Quatre blinked. Did he just see, what he thought he saw? He walked over to the
other side of the bed and placed a hand on his friends shoulder. "Heero? Heero are you awake?"
Heero tossed his head a bit, then suddenly whispered, "Yes."
Quatre couldn't believe it. "Open your eyes then. I want to see you awake."
Heero opened his eyes and focused on Quatre with a look that said, 'Okay, here I am. Happy?' He
then closed them again, wearily.
Quatre smiled. Heero was definitely becoming his old self again. He just hoped it would be soon.
~~~~~~
"Relena, I'm begging you, please come back. I'm drowning in this work. You said yourself Heero's
was getting better again. I'm sure he can do that without you there." Zechs prayed his sister would come
home. He was swarmed in paperwork. It proved he just wasn't cut out for this kind of work.
On screen Relena sighed. "Alright. I'll be back tomorrow. Can you hold on for that long?"
"Thank you! I honestly don't know how you do this work."
"I manage."
When the connection was terminated, Zechs leaned back in his chair. He felt ashamed he had to drag
Relena away from Heero, but the work was just piling up. He couldn't cope with it anymore. If he waited
until Heero had completely healed, Relena would be covered in paperwork. That was probably worse than
dragging her away now.
"I hope she won't get angry," Lu's voice sounded behind him.
"So do I. I don't think I could handle her then. But she didn't sound too mad, just resigned."
Lu softly pulled his hair. "I'm glad Heero is getting better. That was a really close one. I guess
the only time he got closer to death was when he self-detonated his Gundam in his first fight with you in
the Tallgeese."
"That boy showed an amazing amount of loyalty and dedication that day. I can still hardly believe
he did that, let alone that he survived. I heard from Trowa he was out for a month."
"How long do you think it will take him to get up again, now?"
Zechs laughed. "Probably far too soon in the doctors's eyes. I hope Quatre can keep him out of
trouble."
Lu pulled his hair again. "Quatre doesn't have a firm enough hand to handle a stubborn fool like
Heero." Again a tug at his hair.
"Will you stop that?" he asked heatedly. "Or is that just you not so subtly telling me you want me
to get a haircut?"
She grinned in his hair. "Nah, if you get a haircut I won't be able to pull it anymore. I like it
just the way it is."
"If you don't want me to cut my hair, then don't pull it."
She yanked even harder.
"Ouch! Stop it! Stop it, I say! Don't I have any authority over my wife?" he sighed exasperated as
his rebellious wife gave another tug.
"No," she whispered slyly in his ear.
He suddenly whirled around and pulled her on his lap, smothering her protests under a long kiss.
have the real plot on its way. I just thought of this little story about Heero getting sick, but
this way I can write some angsty stuff during the action with Heero. grins evily Oh, the things
I'll put our poor Heero through. It's inhuman. Then again, so is Heero. Don't get me wrong, I like
the guy. Anyway, on woth the story.
Disclaimer: you know the drill.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Under Pressure
Chapter 4
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We got something!" a lab-researcher yelled. "Come on, work with me here. Kill those
suckers. That's it! We got it! It's working!"
The head medical research came running towards the yelling man. 'Please don't let this
be another hoax.' He bent down over the man microscope and studied the preparation.
"Alert Mr Winner. Seems like we really nailed them this time."
~~~~~~
Quatre ran through the hallways of his office. 'We got it! We actually got it! Don't
worry Heero. You're gonna be fine.' He nearly ran into Dorothy.
"You heard?" he panted.
"Yeah. Relena's already there. They say it killed all the bacteria. This could be it."
An exited smile painted her face as they continued on their way to the hospital wing. They
arrived and were immediately waved through. Out of breath they barged into Heero's room.
Relena looked up as they entered. Quatre noticed she looked fatigued, but for the first
time in days he had seen a spark of hope in her eyes. Her hands were gripping the bar on the
foot of the bed so tightly, her knuckles were white.
The doctor readied a syringe. He inserted the fluid in Heero's IV. "Now all we can do
is wait."
Quatre hoped they wouldn't have to wait too long. Relena looked on the verge of a nervous
breakdown. Dorothy walked up to her and placed her hands on the shoulders of the frail woman.
"It'll be alright, Relena. You'll see. If anyone can get through this, it's Heero. Don't
you think it's time you got a little rest? If Heero sees you in this state, he's gonna pass out
again."
Relena laughed. "Okay. I guess I could you some sleep."
Dorothy guided her out of the room, leaving Quatre alone by Heero's bed.
"You have to get better, you hear me?" the blond man whispered. "You're killing Relena
with this." He smiled wryly. "You're killing all of us."
~~~~~~
"I can't do this!" Zechs threw down the papers. "All I had to do was process the mail
concerning the forming of the Covenant. Everything else was to be put on hold." He stared at
Anna accusingly.
The woman remained unflustered. She had heard some of Relena's tirades and her brother's
were mild compared to hers. "I'm sorry, sir. But this requires immediate attention and you are
the only one with the authorization."
"What am I supposed to do then?"
"Whatever you think minister Darlian would do." Relena's secretary walked out, leaving
Zechs enormously frustrated.
Great. How was he supposed to handle a dispute between two neighboring countries about
some supposed Coppermine. He wasn't too much skilled in diplomacy. That was more Relena's field.
That was the reason she had this job, and not he. Now he had to dig up every map he could find
to try and figure out where the ore veins were located.
If only the Covenant had already been formed. Then he wouldn't have to deal with such
things. Relena wouldn't either. Was this the sort of work she did every day? No wonder she was
so busy.
Well, at least he had another reason for the Covenant to be formed to present to stubborn
nations.
Grunting he began paging through several other documents.
"Something bothering you?" Lu asked.
"Hey, I didn't hear you come in. Yeah, some border dispute. I can't believe they're all
putting this on Relena's plate. Don't they realize one woman can only do so much?"
"Yes, they do seem to overrate Relena's strength a bit, don't they."
Zechs sighed. "And that is an understatement. Maybe some bullying from the former Lightning
Count would ease them up."
Lu laughed. "I don't think Relena would appreciate that. Maybe she just has to learn to
stand up for herself, so she can say 'no'."
"Trying to teach Relena something for her own good, is an impossible job. If you're gonna
try that, I wish you luck." The man turned around to look out the window. "I just feel so useless.
I know taking over at least a part of her job means the world to her, but I know she is suffering
because of Heero's sickness. I want to be there, to support her. I hate sitting here so far away
from her."
Lu walked up to him and embraced him from behind, her head resting against his back. "I
know, Zechs, I know." She remained silent after saying those words. He was grateful for that.
He had known Lu for so many years now, and it felt even longer than it actually was. They
had been on the academy together, graduated together and then they had been stationed separately.
He had missed her for a year and a half and then met her again. Because of those five boys. Wufei
had targeted the Lake Victoria base, where she had been stationed, instructing future Mobile Suite
pilots. She had been pissed at the young Chinese boy, who had killed most of her pupils. He now
acknowledged how happy he had been at seeing her again, no matter how gruesome the circumstances
had been. He could not imagine how much he had hurt her in the period after that. He had been
honored and relieved when she still had agreed to stay with him. Two years ago they had married.
After that, life with her had become even more of a bliss than he had imagined. He loved her,
with all his heart.
Absentminded he stroked her arms, surrounding his chest. Time had gone so fast, so suddenly.
When they had visited Relena, a little over three weeks ago, he had been surprised at how much his
sister had changed. They had been up most of the night, talking about the year in which they hadn't
seen each other. In that one year, Relena had developed into a fully grown woman. He had been amazed
at the change he had seen. It was then he had realized his little sister was... well... beautiful.
The pride he had felt when he had seen her still held his breath as he remembered.
He sighed. It didn't do to dwell on dreams. He had work to do. He just hoped Heero would heal
so Relena would be happy again. According to Dorothy and Quatre she was a total wreck.
~~~~~~
Someone was yelling at the top of his lungs, trying to get her awake. Relena shot up. Silence
rang in her ears. Had it been a dream? Everything crashed down on her again. Heero.
How long had she been sleeping? Could the medicine be working already. She glanced at her alarm
clock. 11:00 pm it read. She reached out her hand. She had only slept for four hours. She pressed a
button and the screen switched to the date.
No, she hadn't slept for four hours. She had slept for twenty-eight hours. It was now 2 February,
201 AC. She distinctly remembered the calender say, just before she fell asleep, February 1st. The medicine
must have kicked in by now.
She got up and ran, out of her room, through the hallways and into the medical wing. She came to
a halt in front of the door leading to Heero's room. Slowly she placed a hand on the knob. She didn't
dare turn it. She was afraid of what she mind find, of her hopes being crushed. Carefully she turned
the doorknob and opened the door. The familiar beeping of the heart monitor reached her ear, but there
was a sound missing.
She walked up to the bed and saw what it was. Heero's face was bare. He was breathing on his own.
Relief weakened her knees and she quickly sat down. Heero was healing. He was getting better. She curled
up into the chair and tried to hide her bare toes in her pyjama trousers. As she looked at Heero's freed
face she fell asleep.
A small sound dragged her out of a very pleasant dream in which she had gone shopping for baby-
clothes with Hilde. She looked around and gasped. In the vague light of the room she saw a shadowy form
sitting upright on the bed.
"Heero?"
He didn't seem to hear her, but just as she was about to repeat herself, he turned his head.
"Re..." There was a catch in his voice and she realized his throat must be dry.
"Don't speak," she administered him. "I'll get you some water." She slipped out the room, crossed
the hallway and filled a plastic cup with water at the tap on the opposite wall. She rushed back and was
relieved to find Heero still sitting up. He reached for the cup but his hands didn't have the strength
to grab hold it. With tears in her eyes, Relena placed the cup to his lips and let him drink. Luckily he
didn't protest against being mothered like that. He nearly choked on the first few sips, but he quickly
drained all the water.
"Would you like some more?"
He shook his head. "How..?" he whispered. "How did I..?"
"There was an aggressive bacteria in the air of the lab you found. Your lungs were infected by it."
He stared around him and frowned. "Where?"
"The Winner company on colony D6, hospital wing." She smiled. Typically Heero. He just had to know
where he was and what was going on. Even if he had been sick.
"How long?"
"You've been out for three weeks." She suddenly locked him in a tight embrace. "I was so scared,"
she whispered into his unruly brown hair. "I thought you'd never wake up." Tears leaked down her cheeks as
she felt Heero's arms around her. He softly patted her back, trying to comfort her. She didn't know how
long she stood there, but suddenly he grew heavy and his arms fell down. She looked at him and smiled. He
had fallen asleep again. Gently she lowered him back on his pillow and tucked the blankets to under his chin.
As she looked at him she pulled the chair closer. She set down, her arms resting on the edge of the
mattress and watched his chest rise and fall with the deep even breathing of a sleeping person. The expression
on his face startled her a bit. He looked like a child dreaming a happy dream.
~~~~~~
Quatre sighed as he saw Relena had once again traded her bed for the chair in Heero's room. He
sympathized with her, but she couldn't expect herself to get a good night sleep while sitting in a chair.
Heero stirred. Quatre blinked. Did he just see, what he thought he saw? He walked over to the
other side of the bed and placed a hand on his friends shoulder. "Heero? Heero are you awake?"
Heero tossed his head a bit, then suddenly whispered, "Yes."
Quatre couldn't believe it. "Open your eyes then. I want to see you awake."
Heero opened his eyes and focused on Quatre with a look that said, 'Okay, here I am. Happy?' He
then closed them again, wearily.
Quatre smiled. Heero was definitely becoming his old self again. He just hoped it would be soon.
~~~~~~
"Relena, I'm begging you, please come back. I'm drowning in this work. You said yourself Heero's
was getting better again. I'm sure he can do that without you there." Zechs prayed his sister would come
home. He was swarmed in paperwork. It proved he just wasn't cut out for this kind of work.
On screen Relena sighed. "Alright. I'll be back tomorrow. Can you hold on for that long?"
"Thank you! I honestly don't know how you do this work."
"I manage."
When the connection was terminated, Zechs leaned back in his chair. He felt ashamed he had to drag
Relena away from Heero, but the work was just piling up. He couldn't cope with it anymore. If he waited
until Heero had completely healed, Relena would be covered in paperwork. That was probably worse than
dragging her away now.
"I hope she won't get angry," Lu's voice sounded behind him.
"So do I. I don't think I could handle her then. But she didn't sound too mad, just resigned."
Lu softly pulled his hair. "I'm glad Heero is getting better. That was a really close one. I guess
the only time he got closer to death was when he self-detonated his Gundam in his first fight with you in
the Tallgeese."
"That boy showed an amazing amount of loyalty and dedication that day. I can still hardly believe
he did that, let alone that he survived. I heard from Trowa he was out for a month."
"How long do you think it will take him to get up again, now?"
Zechs laughed. "Probably far too soon in the doctors's eyes. I hope Quatre can keep him out of
trouble."
Lu pulled his hair again. "Quatre doesn't have a firm enough hand to handle a stubborn fool like
Heero." Again a tug at his hair.
"Will you stop that?" he asked heatedly. "Or is that just you not so subtly telling me you want me
to get a haircut?"
She grinned in his hair. "Nah, if you get a haircut I won't be able to pull it anymore. I like it
just the way it is."
"If you don't want me to cut my hair, then don't pull it."
She yanked even harder.
"Ouch! Stop it! Stop it, I say! Don't I have any authority over my wife?" he sighed exasperated as
his rebellious wife gave another tug.
"No," she whispered slyly in his ear.
He suddenly whirled around and pulled her on his lap, smothering her protests under a long kiss.