chp. 7: Something so Strong
Heero had been waiting for almost forty minutes at the school where he had told Duo to meet him, and he was just starting to become worried when a girl ran up to him, dress in hand and a flushed expression on her face. Heero recognized her when she got a little closer.
"Hilde? What's wrong?" he asked, all but holding her up as she heaved for breath, her short black hair drooping down into her face.
"It's.......Duo..........Heero.....he's...." she started.
"What happened to Duo?!" Heero asked, shaking her a little, "is he okay? Is he all right?"
Hilde let out a strangled sob and shook her head, "No!" she cried out suddenly, causing almost every person at the dance to turn their way. Heero paled at the sound of her voice and gently took her arm, leading her away from everyone else.
"What happened?" he asked, softly this time, for he felt like he didn't have the strength to speak any louder than that.
Through her sobs, Hilde choked out, "Duo got...... hit by a car...." she paused to sniff, "on his way home Julie told me, he's been taken to the emergency room at the hospital."
"Why didn't Julie phone me?" Heero asked no one in particular, "she should have called me!"
Hilde shook her head again, "She said she tried to reach you, but you weren't answering your cell, so she called me. She said that mine was the only other number that Duo given her as a person to get a hold of when she needed him."
That's right, Heero thought, Duo spent time with Hilde after school working on the dance committee, that he gave Julie Hilde's cell number to reach him!
"Heero, you should go to the hospital right away," Hilde said as her sobs grew calmer, "Duo will want you there. He needs you there."
Nodding once, Heero paused just long enough to kiss Hilde on the cheek before running full speed for the doors.
-=-=-=-=-=-
It took Heero well over half an hour to reach the hospital, and by the time he got there, he was so out of breath that he feared he would pass out. Forcing himself to continue on, Heero waited impatiently for the automatic doors to open, then burst down the hallway to the nurses station.
Banging on the bell three hard times, Heero called out, "Hello! Is anyone there?!"
"Hold your horses young man! I'm coming!" yelled a sleepy eyed nurse from behind the glass, "what?"
"There was a teenager brought in, well I don't know when, but he was hit by a car and..........." Heero began, but was interrupted by the nurse.
"Duo Maxwell, yes yes, he was taken into surgery about an hour ago," she explained as she came out from behind the glass, "his mother told me that there would be a young man coming by to see him. I take it that you're him?"
Heero nodded, "Yes."
Taking his hand, the woman called out to the other nurse that was apparently there, telling her that she was taking Heero to see the car accident victim. She lead him down the hall and through a set of doors that read authorized persons only, marching him down that corridor until Heero saw Julie sitting slumped over in a waiting room chair.
"Julie!" Heero called out, taking his arm away from the nurse and running the rest of the way down the hall to where Duo's adoptive mother stood shaking and crying, "are you okay?" Heero asked her as he pulled her into a hug.
Clinging to him, Julie stammered, "Oh Heero! I don't know if Duo's going to be okay, they won't tell me anything yet!"
Rubbing her back, Heero replied, "I'm sure they'll be coming to tell us everything in a few minutes Julie. Duo's going to be fine, really............. he's going to be fine......." he trailed off, not knowing if he even believed what he said. Then, suddenly, it all hit him like a ton of bricks, and he felt hot tears stream down his face.
Julie lead him over to a chair where she promptly sat him down and kneeled on the floor in front of him, pulling him into another hug. It was all she could do really, for Heero was crying freely now, his back wrenching with every sob. He had just found Duo for Christ's sake! He was not going to lose him now, not when he loved him so much. He didn't know how long they had stayed that way, Julie rocking Heero back and forth, each one crying themselves out, when the door to the emergency room opened and the doctor walked out.
"Ms. King?" he said, his tenor voice breaking the stilled silence that had fallen in the room, "I'm Dr. Collins."
Both Heero and Julie stood up, each holding onto each other for support, and Heero thought that his heart threatened to beat right out of his chest.
"Is......Duo okay?" he asked, and Dr. Collins looked at him with sympathy.
"You must be the young man that Duo kept muttering about when they brought him in," the doctor said, "Heero right?" then continued after Heero had nodded, "well, Heero, Ms. King, I'm pleased to inform you that Duo is going to be just fine."
Julie started to cry again, but with relief this time, and Heero sucked in the breath that he had been holding.
Dr. Collins held out a hand, "There was some arterial damage that we had to repair, a few broken bones and a concussion, but other than that, it's just scrapes and bruises."
"Oh thank god!" Julie exclaimed, turning once more to Heero and hugging him tightly.
"Can we see him?" Heero asked.
"He's still under a lot of anesthetic, but I see no harm in visiting. In fact, it will more than liking help him recover all the faster," he man replied, motioning an orderly to come over, "this is Robert, he'll take you to Duo's room."
Julie said thank you and Heero nodded as they walked by the doctor. It didn't take them that long to reach Duo's room, and when they did, Julie motioned Heero in first.
"You go in honey," she said, and added before Heero could reply, "he needs you more than he needs me. Now go."
Heero sighed, "Okay," then added, "thanks," before kissing her on the cheek and opening the door to Duo's room, closing it softly behind him.
The room was painted white and pink, the standard 'happy' colors of the hospital, with white curtains covering the large window beside Duo's bed. Walking slowly over to where Duo lay, Heero closed his eyes when he saw his lover. His face was a mass of bruises, as were his hands and arms, and his left arm was in a cast. There were bindings around his ribs, for he had apparently broken a few of those. His hair was still long, and someone had taken the time to wash whatever blood there had been in it, which gave Duo the scent of vanilla.
Walking around to the side of the bed that Duo's right arm was, Heero pulled over a chair and sat down, carefully reaching out to take Duo's hand in his own. He sat there in silence for a while until he began speaking very quietly.
"Duo? Can you hear me?" he said, gently stroking his thumb over the back of Duo's hand, careful as to not dislodge the IV, "it's me, Heero. How're you feeling? Well that's a lame question huh? You probably feel like hammered shit right now. And trust me, you look worse," he had no idea what he was saying, but at this point he didn't care. "Well, I don't think that you missed much at the dance. It pretty much blowed. But since you didn't get to go, I'll hold a private dance, just for the two of us. How does that sound?"
Suddenly, Duo's hand squeezed Heero's faintly, and Heero wiped at his eyes, which were becoming misty again.
"Duo, are you awake?" he asked, getting up from the chair to sit on the edge of the bed, "how do you feel?"
Duo whispered something that Heero couldn't make out, and he asked, "What?" leaning forwards as he did.
"You........ ask......too many questions.." Duo whispered hoarsely, and Heero smiled.
Leaning down, Heero kissed Duo on the forehead and brushed his free hand against Duo's cheek. His lover's eyes closed slightly, and he leaned into the caress, sighing. Heero wished that he could take Duo into his arms, but he didn't dare risk hurting him. They stayed that way for a while, and Heero thought that Duo a drifted off into sleep again. He made as if to get up, and Duo suddenly whimpered.
"Stay with me," he cried, a single tear running down his cheek, "please?"
"I'll stay," Heero answered sitting back down, then asked, "I know this is going to sound stupid, but what did you think about when you got hit?" remembering how the doctor had told Heero that Duo had been calling his name.
At that, Duo managed a small smile, "You koi. I thought about you. I couldn't die and not see you one last time."
Heero had been waiting for almost forty minutes at the school where he had told Duo to meet him, and he was just starting to become worried when a girl ran up to him, dress in hand and a flushed expression on her face. Heero recognized her when she got a little closer.
"Hilde? What's wrong?" he asked, all but holding her up as she heaved for breath, her short black hair drooping down into her face.
"It's.......Duo..........Heero.....he's...." she started.
"What happened to Duo?!" Heero asked, shaking her a little, "is he okay? Is he all right?"
Hilde let out a strangled sob and shook her head, "No!" she cried out suddenly, causing almost every person at the dance to turn their way. Heero paled at the sound of her voice and gently took her arm, leading her away from everyone else.
"What happened?" he asked, softly this time, for he felt like he didn't have the strength to speak any louder than that.
Through her sobs, Hilde choked out, "Duo got...... hit by a car...." she paused to sniff, "on his way home Julie told me, he's been taken to the emergency room at the hospital."
"Why didn't Julie phone me?" Heero asked no one in particular, "she should have called me!"
Hilde shook her head again, "She said she tried to reach you, but you weren't answering your cell, so she called me. She said that mine was the only other number that Duo given her as a person to get a hold of when she needed him."
That's right, Heero thought, Duo spent time with Hilde after school working on the dance committee, that he gave Julie Hilde's cell number to reach him!
"Heero, you should go to the hospital right away," Hilde said as her sobs grew calmer, "Duo will want you there. He needs you there."
Nodding once, Heero paused just long enough to kiss Hilde on the cheek before running full speed for the doors.
-=-=-=-=-=-
It took Heero well over half an hour to reach the hospital, and by the time he got there, he was so out of breath that he feared he would pass out. Forcing himself to continue on, Heero waited impatiently for the automatic doors to open, then burst down the hallway to the nurses station.
Banging on the bell three hard times, Heero called out, "Hello! Is anyone there?!"
"Hold your horses young man! I'm coming!" yelled a sleepy eyed nurse from behind the glass, "what?"
"There was a teenager brought in, well I don't know when, but he was hit by a car and..........." Heero began, but was interrupted by the nurse.
"Duo Maxwell, yes yes, he was taken into surgery about an hour ago," she explained as she came out from behind the glass, "his mother told me that there would be a young man coming by to see him. I take it that you're him?"
Heero nodded, "Yes."
Taking his hand, the woman called out to the other nurse that was apparently there, telling her that she was taking Heero to see the car accident victim. She lead him down the hall and through a set of doors that read authorized persons only, marching him down that corridor until Heero saw Julie sitting slumped over in a waiting room chair.
"Julie!" Heero called out, taking his arm away from the nurse and running the rest of the way down the hall to where Duo's adoptive mother stood shaking and crying, "are you okay?" Heero asked her as he pulled her into a hug.
Clinging to him, Julie stammered, "Oh Heero! I don't know if Duo's going to be okay, they won't tell me anything yet!"
Rubbing her back, Heero replied, "I'm sure they'll be coming to tell us everything in a few minutes Julie. Duo's going to be fine, really............. he's going to be fine......." he trailed off, not knowing if he even believed what he said. Then, suddenly, it all hit him like a ton of bricks, and he felt hot tears stream down his face.
Julie lead him over to a chair where she promptly sat him down and kneeled on the floor in front of him, pulling him into another hug. It was all she could do really, for Heero was crying freely now, his back wrenching with every sob. He had just found Duo for Christ's sake! He was not going to lose him now, not when he loved him so much. He didn't know how long they had stayed that way, Julie rocking Heero back and forth, each one crying themselves out, when the door to the emergency room opened and the doctor walked out.
"Ms. King?" he said, his tenor voice breaking the stilled silence that had fallen in the room, "I'm Dr. Collins."
Both Heero and Julie stood up, each holding onto each other for support, and Heero thought that his heart threatened to beat right out of his chest.
"Is......Duo okay?" he asked, and Dr. Collins looked at him with sympathy.
"You must be the young man that Duo kept muttering about when they brought him in," the doctor said, "Heero right?" then continued after Heero had nodded, "well, Heero, Ms. King, I'm pleased to inform you that Duo is going to be just fine."
Julie started to cry again, but with relief this time, and Heero sucked in the breath that he had been holding.
Dr. Collins held out a hand, "There was some arterial damage that we had to repair, a few broken bones and a concussion, but other than that, it's just scrapes and bruises."
"Oh thank god!" Julie exclaimed, turning once more to Heero and hugging him tightly.
"Can we see him?" Heero asked.
"He's still under a lot of anesthetic, but I see no harm in visiting. In fact, it will more than liking help him recover all the faster," he man replied, motioning an orderly to come over, "this is Robert, he'll take you to Duo's room."
Julie said thank you and Heero nodded as they walked by the doctor. It didn't take them that long to reach Duo's room, and when they did, Julie motioned Heero in first.
"You go in honey," she said, and added before Heero could reply, "he needs you more than he needs me. Now go."
Heero sighed, "Okay," then added, "thanks," before kissing her on the cheek and opening the door to Duo's room, closing it softly behind him.
The room was painted white and pink, the standard 'happy' colors of the hospital, with white curtains covering the large window beside Duo's bed. Walking slowly over to where Duo lay, Heero closed his eyes when he saw his lover. His face was a mass of bruises, as were his hands and arms, and his left arm was in a cast. There were bindings around his ribs, for he had apparently broken a few of those. His hair was still long, and someone had taken the time to wash whatever blood there had been in it, which gave Duo the scent of vanilla.
Walking around to the side of the bed that Duo's right arm was, Heero pulled over a chair and sat down, carefully reaching out to take Duo's hand in his own. He sat there in silence for a while until he began speaking very quietly.
"Duo? Can you hear me?" he said, gently stroking his thumb over the back of Duo's hand, careful as to not dislodge the IV, "it's me, Heero. How're you feeling? Well that's a lame question huh? You probably feel like hammered shit right now. And trust me, you look worse," he had no idea what he was saying, but at this point he didn't care. "Well, I don't think that you missed much at the dance. It pretty much blowed. But since you didn't get to go, I'll hold a private dance, just for the two of us. How does that sound?"
Suddenly, Duo's hand squeezed Heero's faintly, and Heero wiped at his eyes, which were becoming misty again.
"Duo, are you awake?" he asked, getting up from the chair to sit on the edge of the bed, "how do you feel?"
Duo whispered something that Heero couldn't make out, and he asked, "What?" leaning forwards as he did.
"You........ ask......too many questions.." Duo whispered hoarsely, and Heero smiled.
Leaning down, Heero kissed Duo on the forehead and brushed his free hand against Duo's cheek. His lover's eyes closed slightly, and he leaned into the caress, sighing. Heero wished that he could take Duo into his arms, but he didn't dare risk hurting him. They stayed that way for a while, and Heero thought that Duo a drifted off into sleep again. He made as if to get up, and Duo suddenly whimpered.
"Stay with me," he cried, a single tear running down his cheek, "please?"
"I'll stay," Heero answered sitting back down, then asked, "I know this is going to sound stupid, but what did you think about when you got hit?" remembering how the doctor had told Heero that Duo had been calling his name.
At that, Duo managed a small smile, "You koi. I thought about you. I couldn't die and not see you one last time."