Okay, I have no good reason as to why this was unfinished for nearly a year. For a while I did (it was a good one too: I suddenly became an epileptic and the medicine was a pain in the butt to adapt to) – but then I just never finished/ posted. Please, don't ask. Anyway. . .
Even if no one reads it – I have to finish it for my own peace of mind. Golly! I actually may have another chapter. . . Shrugs But... the worst is over.
DISCLAIMER: Don't own.
!#$&
CHAPTER 38
Heero had Duo held tightly in his arms and was driving as quickly as he could towards the helicopter. Even unconscious Duo was moaning and crying out in pain. He had no idea what to do. Heero didn't even notice his own hyperventilative breathing. He'd left Hilde behind. There just wasn't room for her. He was worried about leaving her with the men in the cottage but she said she'd take care of it. He'd left her his gun nonetheless.
Heero had his cell phone out, he was trying to contact Quatre, while driving a very dangerous 40 mph through the woods. He could see the helicopter. It seemed farther east than he remembered, but there was the big metal bulk nonetheless.
Heero circled around a clump of trees and came into full view of the aircraft. He'd been slowing down, but when he saw it he hit the brakes full force. He blinked. Then he blinked again.
That wasn't his helicopter. It was a jet plane. A very fancy looking jet plane. He knew the make, it was a very advanced model, and consequently he also knew the owner.
Quatre ran from the plane, yelling something incomprehensible. Heero didn't wait, he cradled Duo in his arms and headed for the plane, the bike left collapsed on the ground. Quatre was still screaming over the roar of the jet, but Heero charged in. The door began to shut behind him and Quatre's screams were suddenly too loud.
"What happened? Is he okay?" Quatre shouted, then blushed a bit and lowered his voice, "What's wrong?"
"He's in labor, Quat. He has been all night," Heero was marching urgently to the head of aircraft.
"When I got to him, he was conscious – he said he'd been having contractions all night." Heero's words were precise and factual. "He needs a doctor now. Find the nearest hospital and –"
"Heero, we brought Dr. Croats with us."
Heero's face reflected utmost appreciation and gratitude. He gently laid Duo out on a couch and wiped off some of the sweat dripping down his face. A hand pushed Heero aside harshly. Heero nearly countered with a push of his own until he realized it was Dr. Croats that had pushed him.
"Whats wrong? What's happening?" He looked at Heero, though he seemed to already know the answer. Heero nodded grimly. "I didn't bring any of my equipment or anything. . ." He looked around. "How long has he been in labor?"
Heero sighed, "At least twelve hours." He looked around, helplessly. "Quatre – the nearest hospital as fast as jet thing can get us there." Dr. Croats was gently feeling around Duo's stomach and shaking his head. Duo moaned in response and arched up slightly.
"We don't have time. . . This baby needs to be delivered soon or it will be too late."
"Then deliver it." Heero stated, his teeth set in a harsh line. Dr. Croats stared at Heero meeting the ex – soldier's glare. Quatre moved forward to intervene when Duo suddenly cried out and thrashed so violently he slipped off the couch.
Dr. Croats hastily placed Duo back on the couch, no small feat considering Duo's current size and said to Heero – "I don't have my equipment. What am I to operate with?"
Heero looked at Duo – his braid was undone and his face was gray and pasty looking. Closing his eyes in brief indecision, he then bent down and twirled a knife from his boots. "Operate with this."
Dr. Croats' eyes nearly popped out of his head. "It's unsterile and crude."
"Can you do it?"
"I can, I suppose, but I have nothing to close his stomach up with once I open him up. He may die."
"Will he live if we wait two hours to get to the hospital?" Heero's eyes bore into the doctor's.
Dr. Croats bowed his head, thinking – weighing the options. He looked at Heero and held out his hand. "Give me the knife." He turned to Quatre, "I saw a stove top – boil some water as fast as you can."
Quatre turned and left, with a backwards glance at Heero, sensing Heero's anguish at having to choose between two potentially deadly situations.
When the water was boiled, Quatre brought it back and gave it to the doctor. The doctor stuck the knife in it and held it there for 2 agonizingly long minutes. He turned to Duo, whose shirt he had already removed. He paused, "Heero, leave."
Heero paused a moment, then turned on his heel, briskly walking to the cockpit, where Trowa was flying the plane. He sat in the co-pilots seat and buried his head in his hands.
The thin shrill cry of a newborn echoed through the plane. Heero stood up abruptly, the plane dipped as Trowa jumped in surprise. Heero headed straight for the back.
Blood, there was an awful lot of blood. Duo wasn't moving. Heero grabbed for Duo's fingers.
"Duo? Wake up love, you have a baby." Heero turned to Dr. Croats who seemed to be struggling in indecision and spouting off orders to Quatre. "Why is there so much blood!" Heero demanded loudly, letting one of his hands rest lightly on Duo's chest, feeling the rise and fall of his chest..
Dr. Croats was ignoring Heero and had stood. Heero's mind was reeling from the smell of blood. Heero had encountered death and blood before – no one's blood had ever frightened Heero the way it frightened him now. "Duo. . ." Heero swallowed a lump, "Please be alright. . . for me."
The doctor appeared again and moved Heero, he had an informal first aid kit with him. Quatre was bathing the baby, but he kept glancing back at Duo. Heero kept a hand wrapped around Duo's, but Dr. Croats kept pushing him out of the way. Heero stared at Dr. Croats stoically while he seemed to be operating. . .
Duo had stopped bleeding. He was still unconscious, but his skin had more color in it and though not healthy, it had lost its deathlike pallor. Trowa called out from the front. "There's a medical center about twenty minutes away, there's an abandoned runway about a mile from there."
They all looked at each other. "Go!"
XxXxX
The hospital room was finally quiet. There had been a lot of money exchanged to make sure this room wasn't disturbed by anyone without Dr. Croats permission. Heero was next to Duo's bed, his hand tightly wrapped in Duo's. Duo was breathing without any aid and seemed to be making a full recovery.
Dr. Croats walked back into the room. He was carrying some x-rays he had taken. He sat opposite Heero. With a pointed look, Dr. Croats cleared his throat. "So I was looking at some x-rays, it appears that Duo was the butt of some abuse a while ago. They seem to have been healing for a while. . ." He gave Heero a look that clearly spoke of blaming him.
Heero growled, "You aren't blaming me, are you?"
"Should I be?"
Heero stood, "Are you stupid? He was in captivity. They probably –" Heero cut off, his hands clenched into a tight fist. "I should have killed those –"
Suddenly, Heero's mouth dropped, "We left Hilde there. . ."
XxXxX
Hilde was a very understanding person, she really was. Smash into her car because they were avoiding a cat, trod on her toe because they were looking for money, all that sort of stuff – she could accept. However, sitting outside a shack,with two dangerous men and the potential for any number of their comrades to show at anytime for seven hours was a bit trying.
She realized of course that Duo took first priority, and she agreed wholeheartedly; but making her wait here as the sun danced across the sky and then began to sink was trying her patience.
She, of course, was worried for Duo, but she had confidence in him. He always pulled through no matter what. Or perhaps the fact that no help had returned for her meant that something had happened. She shook her head. She had been friends with Duo for a long time, and it just didn't feel as if anything bad was going to happen. Call it instinct.
A whining sound wove through the woods, Hilde stood up, gun at ready. As it grew louder it was unmistakably the sound of a motorbike. She had been sitting on a low branch of a tree for nearly an hour now and briskly pulled herself higher, into the leaves.
The bike appeared and the big bulky man lumbered off. Hilde couldn't help but wonder how the large homo sapien was able to maneuver at all. He walked into the house. Hilde dropped down from the tree, her gun in ready. She sidled up to the window and listened carefully.
The man swore loudly as he came upon the broken back door and his trussed up comrades (for Hilde had decided that she would remove any chance of them waking up attacking her. He was swearing and then it was quiet – except that it sounded like he might be slapping his friends face to wake them up.
There was a long quiet pause until she heard the groggy murmuring of one of the men. They spoke in quiet, urgent voices. Suddenly, the large mans voice boomed out. "Well, we'll have to let that one go as lost." There were some loud shuffling noises. Hilde tucked the gun carefully in her pocket and moved around to the back. She had seen a huge limb fallen from a tree. Hoisting it up, she walked forward. There was the large man, carrying a man over each shoulder.
As silently as possible, she swung the limb as hard as she could – connecting loudly with the back of the man's skull. He staggered and dropped his friends, falling to his knees; but he didn't go down. Hilde pulled out the gun and pointed it at him as he stood, shaking his head to regain his focus. He looked around for a moment, then seemed to finally grasp that there was a chick pointing a gun at his chest.
"Now see here, lil missie..." He started, Hilde quaked. She wasn't sure if she had the guts to shoot him and she knew she could never take him down in a fight. With a terrified gasp she realized his friends were also roused and standing.
"Don't move, or I'll shoot." She kept her voice firm and her hands steady. The largest came towards her, but then stopped, with a questioning look in his eyes. "I mean it." He seemed to be a bit distracted from her however. She listened. She heard it again, the loud whining she'd associated with the motorbike, only this time it was deeper and faster. The sound soon was echoing everywhere. Hilde kept the gun pointed forward but she was staring in the distance. Suddenly a humongous all terrain vehicle bound into the clearing and ran into the motorbike.
Everyone not on the ATV gaped.
Hilde began to regret her decision to get involved, looking for a distraction and a chance to run she turned, but as she was sidling around the side of the shack, she heard a blessed sound.
"You are under arrest for kidnapping and attempted assassination of Relena Peacecraft." Hilde looked at them with a smile and once again pointed her gun at the three men.
"Well? You heard him."
XxXxX
He was hot. The whole room was hot and he felt sweaty and dirty and just overall gross. He sighed and attempted to throw off his blanket, but instead a deep fiery pain hit him in the stomach and made him gasp and throw open his eyes.
It was white. Why white? He looked down and saw Heero. Heero. . . he had wanted to see Heero so badly. Why had he wanted to see Heero? Oh yes, he was kidnapped and in labor. Labor! The baby! His stomach burned as he pulled himself up and looked around. There was no sign of any other life form besides his and Heero's.
"Heero?" Duo pushed on Heero's sleeping form urgently. "Heero!"
Heero stirred slowly, but when his eyes came to rest on who was talking to him, he jumped to the ready. "Duo, you're awake. Are you okay? How do you feel?"
"Heero, what about the baby? Is it okay?"
Heero looked confused for a moment and then smiled softly. "The baby is fine," Heero sighed. "It's a girl."
Duo felt a sort of draining happiness settle over him. "Well, when can I see her?" Heero grinned and stood, heading for the door. He disappeared outside it for a moment and then came back in. Quatre was following close behind, carrying a tiny, tiny bundle in his arms.
"Why is she wrapped in pink," Duo asked, holding his tired arms out for her. Quatre, correctly noting Duo's lack of energy, kept a firm grip on her until she made it safely onto Duo's chest.
"Pink tends to be the general color associated with girls, Duo." Quatre laughed a little at Duo's disgusted face.
"Not my baby, she's going all black."
Heero blanched, "Don't you think that's a bit dark?"
Duo mulled that over, "All right, purple then, deep purple." He turned to Quatre, "See if they have one in that color." Quatre left with an indulgent smile. As soon as he left however, Relena appeared, followed closely by Wufei, looking pained at having to be in such a location.
"I came to see the baby," She said it softly but there was so much excitement in her voice that she sounded as if she had cried it out loud.
"Foolish woman," Wufei muttered. Relena threw him an exasperated glance. Then she bent down over Duo and put her finger gently by the baby's. The little girls finger curled gently around the politician's slender finger. Relena squeaked.
Then, as if they had timed it, Hilde appeared followed closely by Trowa and Quatre. Quatre held a white blanket in his hands. Suddenly the room was a cacophony of squeals (from the girls and Trowa (though he would deny that he ever squealed)), grunts of assent (the 'Men') and a few well-placed yawns (by Duo).
After a touching, Kodak moment, Heero took pity on Duo's exhausted face and began shooing people out, while Duo told Quatre to find him a purple baby's blanket. Relena brought up the tail end and just as Wufei left, she shut the door firmly.
"I have something I want to give you two." She held nothing in her hands but she held a glint of satisfaction in her eyes. "Take it and use it as you will." She sat down again, primly tucking her skirt under her legs.
"I was able, by using various political questions and owed favors, to make it possible for you two to get married – legally." She grinned. "Now, with that said, I think you two need some time alone." She walked out the door and shut it tightly.
It was quiet. Very, very quiet. Duo looked over at Heero, his face forming a devilish smile. Heero was struck with an arrow of self doubt – but he removed it and decided to act rashly for once. He bent down on one of his knees and grasped Duo's hand.
"Will you marry me?"
Duo grinned, his violet eyes soft and mischievous, "Only if you wear the dress."
Owari
XxXxX
Well, thats the end. It feels really weird to end it. Mostly b/c for a year I've had it on my mind and now I'm done. I wasn't being completely useless. I have an entire story that I am going to post soonish (and its almost entirely written – chapter 3 is sorta missing but ya know, w/e)
THANKS a ton to all my reviewers who stuck with me through to chapter ... THIRTY EIGHT chapters. Oh my dear goodness. points at self someone knows how to stretch it out. So its finished on the 25th of June, now if my internet ever works, I'll post it. Whee! I'm so excited.
Please let me know what you think. I can't believe i wrote this much. . . very uncharacteristic. So please tell me how you thought it was, I'd appreciate it a ton. WHEEE!
Annie
P. S. And I think back on this story and it all started from this really weird
dream I had . . .
