A/N: I promise that there won't be that many chapters of Rei mourning. I intend to skip ahead in time after this one. Thanks for reading!

Chapter One

"Rei-Chan?" the voice that broke her from her flashback was soft and stressed. She realized that she was still numb and lying in a room she didn't know. Glancing about, she saw white walls, medical machinery and a huge bouquet of flowers, along with compact hospital furniture.

"Where am I?" her voice was hoarse and as she spoke the words she noticed the thirst that was torturing her. "I'm thirsty." Her voice broke on the words.

"Oh Rei-Chan! I'm so happy that you're awake. I'll ask the nurse if you can have some water instead of those stupid ice chips!" The mysterious soft silky voice belonged to Makoto, her best friend. The tall brunette's emerald eyes were filled with worry and her face showed her excitement yet behind that expression, a more stressful face hid.

She could barely mumble 'thank you' before she felt the exhaustion overtaking her again. She wouldn't give in to sleep again. Not before she got answers. "Makoto."

Upon hearing her name, Makoto swiveled around immediately. "What is it, Rei-Chan?" Her green eyes were consumed with curiosity.

"What happened? No one will tell me where Derek is. Is the baby ok?" her voice was on the edge of hysteria. She wasn't letting anyone walk around her questions again. Makoto appeared hesitant and she gave her the most heart-wrenching pleading expression she could muster given the circumstances.

"Sweetheart, I just don't think the doctors want you stressing out at a time like this." Makoto's voice was reassuring, gentle.

"Mako, I'm freaking out more now not knowing if my baby is alright and if my fiancé is fine. I'll just die without them. Please don't make me lay here and try to figure it out myself. Please." Her voice choked as she thought of the probability that the results weren't in her favor on both counts.

"Okay." Makoto sat at the chair beside her bed and propped her up with the cushiony pillows behind, the water all but forgotten. "We'll start at the beginning. Derek was hit by another racer. The other racer's car appeared to have some sort of mechanical problem mid-race and he had to pull out of the way. Well, Derek was in the way honey. Investigators are looking into what exactly happened to the car." She paused, closing her eyes and Rei noticed Mako's lips moving slowly as if in prayer.

She waited silently, hoping against everything she loved in the world that Derek and her unborn child were fine as well.

"Do you want the good or bad news first?" Mako cringed as the words left her mouth.

Rei pondered the meaning. Was she saying one had died and the other lived? Could she even hope for the death of one and the survival of the other? How could she survive without both pieces of her heart? "Please give me the good first." Her heart broke as she said it, knowing that Makoto would reveal the living of the two and she would know who to mourn.

"Due to enormous stress, you, well, you caused yourself to begin to miscarry." Makoto paused trying to think of how to finish the rest of her story. "A man who was seated nearby noticed you groaning and holding your stomach. He came over to help you. When he couldn't get a response from you he decided it would be best to bring you immediately here. When he arrived here, they took you in right away and countered your body in it's' attempt to expel the baby. They made the hemorrhaging stop and gave you medicine."

Rei closed her eyes and a tear slid down her cheek. She nodded at Makoto to continue. After a deep breath, she acquiesced. "Your baby is fine, if not a little shaken up. You'll have to stay on bed rest for a while given your condition." Another pause as if her friend dreaded the news.

"And Derek?" Rei urged, hoping to hurry the next bit of news. Even as she spoke the words, a pang went through her. She just knew.

Makoto continued as if Rei hadn't said a word. "Derek though..." Makoto rubbed at her eyes which were filling with tears and braced herself for what came next. "Derek never made it out of the car. He's gone Rei."

As if the life had been sucked out of her, she fought to breathe. Not Derek. Involuntarily, she began sucking in short, shallow gasps, her airway even more constricted by the sobs escaping her. Makoto lay on the bed beside her and cuddled her. The sharp ache in her chest was almost unbearable. Her Derek. Gone. Life had no worth anymore.

Makoto didn't know how long she lay there holding Rei in her arms. She ached so badly to take some of her friends' pain as her own. She couldn't imagine the loss, even though she understood a little. Orphaned as a young girl, she had faced a life full of bitterness and anger until she met Rei. Rei was as stubborn as she had been. They just clicked. Although, as a child, she hadn't loved her parents as Rei loved Derek. Two completely different feelings. Yet Rei hadn't lost a parent.

At this precise moment, just as Rei's anguished sobs were coming to an end-- mainly because her eyes were nearly swollen shut and her throat squeezed painfully with each breath—her close friends chose to arrive in a group. Ami, Minako and Usagi, upon catching the miserable state of their friend, rushed to her side. Makoto sat up and gave each a sad smile which was intended as a greeting.

"H-hello," whispered Rei. Having lost her strong, clear voice an hour ago, she didn't even attempt to project the greeting. Ami was the first to lean down and hug her, tears in her gorgeous sapphire eyes. Rei admired Ami, for not only was she slender and graceful, she was a sure-fire genius. She turned her pink, puffy eyes towards the two blondes and gave them a smile. At least she gave them an attempted smile.

Minako was gentle, yet very firm, smart in her own way and confident in her skin. Her long golden hair just enhanced her eyes, making them look even more deep blue then they were. "Thanks for coming." She heard herself saying. How strange it was to hear her words as if she didn't possess her body any longer… almost as if she were across the room.

"Oh Rei, how could we stay away." Usagi leaned forward, her lengthy pigtails falling onto the bed. "We're really sorry… about Derek, that is." Usagi was what one would consider a ditz, but a loveable one at that. She was fiercely loyal to her friends and that's what counted anyways.

Rei's lip trembled as she replayed the days' events in her mind once again. Her eyes teared up once more, causing them to sting. A knock at the door grabbed her attention.

A tall, slim man walked in. As he turned to close the door behind his entrance, she saw he had long brown hair held back in a braid. When he faced the semi-questionable glances of the majority of the girls, a big grin split across his face.

"I'm Duo Maxwell." As he spoke the words, an image fluttered into her mind. He was the man who had carried her to the hospital. "I came to see how Rei is doing." He continued looking from Ami to Minako and then to Usagi as if answering their unspoken question. He looked in the direction of Makoto and nodded at her.

Makoto tried to sum things up. "Duo was the one who found Rei and brought her here. He stayed with her until they found my phone number in her wallet along with her identification." Ami nodded in approval and stared at Duo with gratitude in her eyes. Minako looked suspicious and Usagi grinned like a love-sick fool.

"Thank you so much Mister Maxwell. You saved the life of m-my baby." Rei began to choke on the words as she inwardly wished that he could have miraculously saved Derek as well. As much as she loved her friends, she wished she could just forget they were there and lie down and sleep forever.

"I'm only sorry I couldn't do more for you. If it helps, the pain will ease with time… your child will even prove to help balm your wounds." His words inflicted pain deep inside her. How anyone could think that she could move on from the death of Derek was outrageous!

Makoto noticed the weak flame of anger lit dimly in Rei's eyes and couldn't help but smile. That same fiery spirit would help her through anything life could throw at her. Makoto rose, deciding that it was time to summon a nurse. Rei needed to be looked at, so that they could release her. She would do much better at home, in a comfortable surrounding. "I'll be back honey." She squeezed Rei's small hand and headed out.

The Next Morning

Rei awoke to a beaming Makoto. "Rei, we get to take you home!" She had a wheelchair at the foot of the bed and the bouquet had disappeared from her bedside. Noticing where Rei's eyes fell, she said, "I sent them to this sweet old lady three doors down. Her family all but left her here to die. I thought she'd enjoy them more than you." Rei smiled. That was so Makoto.

Within minutes, Rei was settled in the wheelchair, holding her belly which was nearly pain-less now and they were on their way out of the room. As they traveled down the long white corridors she was feeling genuine thankfulness to the men and women running around in scrubs. Makoto wheeled them into the elevator, where another man in a wheelchair sat waiting for the doors to close. As Makoto pushed the floor button, her cell phone rang.

"Do you mind, Rei?" Mako's question surprised her. Why would it matter? She wasn't so upset that they needed to dote on her like this!

"Go ahead. It's probably one of the girls." She glanced at the man seated next to her, his state almost as pitiful as her own. Feeling unfaithful, she tried hard not to admire his stunning looks, even if he was a little beat up. His spiky, ruffled dark hair made her think of Derek in the morning, but he was a complete opposite. A small pang. His eyes were deep and dark. Makoto was still mumbling quietly into the phone.

Having noticed her stares, the man gave her a small grin. "Hello. I'm Heero Yui. Looks like we're both in the same boat here." A monotone voice phrased his words.

"Rei Hino. You look a bit worse off than me. I had a health scare, you, on the other hand, just look banged up." Her reply brought a sad smile to his face.

"Car accident. The other car wasn't as lucky, I don't think." Another pang at such a familiar scenario.

"They seem to be getting more and more frequent. How many things did you break, if you don't mind me asking?" Her heart wasn't in this friendly chatter, yet the desire to retain sanity made her perform.

"Nope. Broken fibula, collarbone, three ribs, fractured fingers. That's about what they told me. They said I was lucky to get away without 'real' damage." His voice once again got distant.

"I hope you feel better." She said, almost cheerfully. He put on a charming smile and she could only assume it was accompanied with a thank-you for Makoto took the opportunity to sweep them from the elevator and head for the parking lot.

She was so damn angry at herself. She was a practically a cheater! How could Derek have just died and she find a guy attractive already? How sick was she? Tears threatened to overwhelm her again as the wheelchair came closer to the green Mustang sitting in the lot. Heero Yui was trouble and she was glad she wouldn't have Derek's memory threatened like that ever again! She would never love another man. Never. Heero Yui would have to find another girl because she sure wasn't interested. At all.