Warning and Disclaimer on First page
Dedicated to: White Wolf Searching and Utsubame... go read there stuff.
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CHAPTER 26
In a flurry of activity, Duo grabbed his keys, slipped on some shoes and like a shot headed straight for his motorcycle. The scene he had watched on t. v. ran through his head with horrifying clarity.
Heero. Heero was shot. Not just once, three times. It took three shots to bring him down, and by then he had also killed the attacker. The first shot had been aimed at Relena, but Heero had dove in the way. In a single instant, Heero's gun had been taken out, but by that time, the attacker had another shot in. Heero's gun turned in the direction of the attackers shots. He fired twice, another bullet rammed into his chest and he fell to the ground. The shots had ceased after that, it could only be assumed Heero had killed the attacker. Duo hadn't watched more than that, and that had only taken a few seconds. Slamming his helmet over his head, with his hair whipping unbound behind him, he sped off towards the hospital.
To say the hospital was busy would be a bit of an understatement. The front entrance was crowded with reporters and police, trying to hold them back to allow entrance in. Duo parked his motorcycle on the street and began pushing his way through the crowd. Twice he ducked under a persons legs, eventually he made it to the front, but a row of security guards blocked the way. Duo ran up to one of them.
"I need to get through! Its an emergency!" The security guard snorted derisively at him.
"Is that the best you can come up with?" His mouth tightened into a firm line. "The Vice Foreign Minister is in there. The whole hospitals been temporarily quarantined."
Duo gaped. They had quarantined an entire hospital, potentially endangering peoples lives because a diplomat was inside. And Relena was allowing it? Duo glared. "Listen buddy, I know the Vice Foreign Minister, and I know the bodyguard that went down. If you don't let me in right now, I swear I'll have you fired." They guard didn't blink. Duo growled and backed into the herd of reporters.
A commotion at the door caused all the gossip-hungry newsmen to surge forward and Duo was thrown into one of the security guards, who pushed him roughly back. Reporters weren't stupid, they wouldn't challenge the guards.
A tall Asian man with tightly pulled back hair stepped out of the front steps, he glanced around and surprisingly enough his gaze rested on Duo. The reporters, expecting a statement all yelled and screamed to be heard over the others. The severe looking Asian strode forward, he reached a lean muscular arm out and latched onto Duo. "You come with me." He mouthed. Duo was pulled through the guards and inside the hospital.
"Follow me." The lean Asian said firmly and took off. Duo followed flabbergasted and curious. He had never met him before in his life, but he was certain he had something to do with Relena and/or Heero. His disciplined stance, his expressive eyes seemed and controlled walk seemed to emanate an anger of some sort. Duo frowned. He followed him down two hallways and up an elevator. The young Asian pulled out an I.D., flashed it at a set of guards and they walked down another hallway.
The man stopped at a door and opened it up. He then took up a post outside the door, and began staring vigilantly at nothing. Duo peered at him, with an eyebrow raised in disbelief, before stepping into the room.
A man lay on a bed, bandages covering his bare torso. Needles protruded from major veins in his arms, and a breathing mask kept his chest moving up and down.
"Heero!" Duo said and ran to his side. Heero's face was pale, his hand that was resting out from under the sheet cold. Duo took up his hand and kissed it gently. He stood, looking around, intending to find a doctor and be told exactly what his chances were. Duo knew enough about medicine to know a bullet wound in the chest was quite often fatal. Duo swallowed back the emotions that were all screaming for attention and searched the room. He started.
There sitting in chair, clothes rumpled, with tear-stained cheeks and bloodshot eyes. She stared at Duo blankly. It was obvious and stress and worry was taking its toll on the former Queen of the World. Her presence also explained the extreme amount of security surrounding Heero's room. Duo wanted to offer her sympathy, to tell her it would be alright, but he already felt like he was going to puke from all the worry and tension broiling inside the pit of his stomach. Her eyes turned and focused on his, like a lifeline. She stood, and visibly swallowing past a lump, spoke. "The doctors say he's stabilized, but he still in critical condition. He could go either way right now." Her eyes didn't fill with tears, but she blinked furiously. It was obvious from her phrasing that Heero could still die or pull through.
Duo turned blankly back to Heero's still form. His breath caught in his throat as he stared at the weak form of Heero. Despite the sinewy muscle covering his body, the bandages wrapped around him, his gray pallor and slack expression took from his strong aura and made him seem as weak as a child. A surge of protectiveness for Heero coursed through his veins, and Duo turned back and grasped his cold exposed hand tightly. He wanted to see Heero's eyes, to see the warmth in them.
Duo swallowed again, a lump of tears slithering back down his throat. People died all the time. People around him died all the time. That was why he believed in the God of Death. Always around him.
Duo's eyes lost focus and his gaze rested on Heero's chin. Time went by, it could have been minutes, it could've been hours. But pass on it did. Heero's chest expanded and contracted, the heart monitor beeped rhythmically. All the machines around Heero continued to whir, indicating there continued activity. The door opened and closed several times, conversations were held right next to him but he didn't hear them. They were like soft murmurs on the wind to him, of no substance and of no interest to him.
Obviously, someone thought this lost, reflective gaze had lasted too long. A hand rested on his shoulder. Duo looked up. The Asian guard from earlier was looking at him sternly. "You should get some rest."
Duo shook his head, "No," He croaked, his voice dry from disuse. "No, I'm not leaving."
In a calm even voice he answered, "I'm not asking you to leave. In fact its damn near impossible, with all the reporters and guards posted here," He shook his head in disdain. "What I'm saying is that you should rest, there's extra beds and cots. You could even have one moved in here."
Duo blinked in confusion. "I'm alright, I'm fine right here." The guard's jaw clenched.
"Sir, its not healthy, its been nearly six hours since you've arrived. Ms. Darlian has gone to bed, and you should as well." He said in a firm, cold, commanding voice. Duo opened his mouth to protest. He quipped wisely, "The participant's perspectives are clouded while the bystander's views are clear."
Duo smirked, he was being fathered by someone who was his own age. Duo yawned. "Maybe you are right, but I don't think I can sleep right now." He bit his lip and looked at Heero. "Maybe I'll watch t. v. . . . ."
The tall man sighed. "If that is what you want." He turned and passed the remote to Duo. Duo turned the t. v. on. Immediately he was assaulted with a loud roar. Duo quickly hit the volume, and turned it down. "Whoever was in here before must have been frickin' deaf." Duo grimaced and focused on the screen.
News. Still replaying the days earlier attack, it switched back and forth from the pandemonium outside the hospital to the shooting. There were several black cars and limos pulled up by the hospital, the occupants of said cars, vainly trying to get through the crowd and into the hospital. A flash of blond caught Duo's eye and he realized, upon closer investigation that it was Quatre. The poor guy, being too polite to push his way through was merely herded to the back. The view changed again, back to the events of the day. Duo stood.
"Excuse me, sir?" Duo tapped the black haired man's shoulder. "Quatre Winner is outside trying to get in, he is a close friend of Mr. Yuy's. Perhaps you could get him in?" The Asian's deep onyx eyes turned into his.
"I suppose I could do that, he was on the list given to me by Miss Darlian." He sighed heavily and headed downstairs again without another word. Duo turned and headed back into the room. There was a soft, cushioned in the corner. Tiredly, Duo pulled the chair over next to Heero's bed, making sure he wouldn't be in a nurses way. With a tired sigh, he curled into a comfortable position. Despite his protests to the Asian man, he felt himself drifting off to sleep.
~*~*~
The cracks in the ceiling were shaped like a carrot, Relena noted. She had told Chang Wufei, her bodyguard, that she would sleep, but guilt ate away at her and she instead studied cracked ceilings.
If only she had sent out that last round of security guards, if only she hadn't planned the meeting for today. If only she hadn't gotten emotionally attached to her bodyguard. How could she use on of her most trusted friends as such a thing. Yet he wouldn't have it any other way. No matter how much the common sense portion of her brain tried to explain it to her, guilt still oppressed her. Sighing, she got out of the cot and stood. Her clothes were rumpled, her makeup smeared. She was sad and alone. The one person she could talk to was lying on the brink of death on a hospital bed. She wanted to cry some more, but crying didn't relieve anything if no one was there to comfort you.
She opened the door into Heero's room. There was Duo, no longer staring blankly at Heero's still form, but instead curled into a ball, deep circles under his eyes. One hand was wrapped around his stomach, and the other around his knees, making for an odd and comical position. His sleep didn't look particularly restful, but hers wasn't either.
The sound of someone approaching turned away her attention. Wufei, her new bodyguard, supplied by the Preventers, and followed Quatre Raberba Winner and Trowa Barton. All three part of the war effort. With the exception of Wufei, they all had an emotional tie to a man, lying on a bed dying.
Tsuzuku
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THANKS TO ALL MY REVIEWERS! Some of you guessed what was gonna happen and that was awesome. Sorry it took so long to update. I am trying my darn hardest. ^^* I did get Wufei in! Yay! All 5 finally!
Dear Utsubame started a ficcie called "Fates and Choices" very good, review and tell her to update.
Remember, Reviews are what make me want to write. I get inspired by them. So uber thanks to all who review!
~Annie
