Disclaimer: I own no one! Nothing! Nada that is Gundam Wing! Not even my own time as I'm forced to go to school. Oh yeah, neither the song "Bed of Roses" by the band Mindless Self Indulgence.
AN: Sorry this took so long, but I believe I'll always be updating on the weekends as that is when I'll have time. This is also dedicated to Duchess D who was so kind to review my last chapter and is just one of my faithful reviewers so far. Don't forget to Read and Review all!
Oh yeah, please inform me of any spelling or grammar mistakes as I correct my own work.
' ' are Thoughts
Italics are Past events
Italics in bold are Song lyrics
Bed of Roses
Chapter 5: "Tenuous Heart Strings"
"Don't feel sorry for me feeling sorry's been my life's devotion
Anyway...
Anyway...
Yeah..Ohhh..."
Quatre sighed, completely exhausted. He held his head up with one hand, the other gripping (or maybe sticking to) a cup of coffee. All his eyes could see—well if they weren't so blurry from lack of sleep—was paper work.
They'd been up visiting Dorothy until 5 A.M. When he had discussed business with Relena he told her to go home with Heero, he'd go back to the office that very morning and take care of the loose ends of their new health policy. She'd protested at first, telling him he didn't have to shoulder her own responsibility, but he'd finally quieted her, telling her they were partners and whatever was her responsibility was his too. He could tell she had been grateful to be returning home to spend a rare free night (or morning) with her love.
He finally sat up, groaning softly as the many stiff muscles he'd acquired from sitting in one spot for three hours made themselves known.
"Man, am I hungry...what time is it?" he asked himself hoarsely, turning slightly bloodshot eyes upon the elegant mahogany clock on the wall.
"Only 8 A.M. I never even went to sleep but, I think I'd sleep a lot better on a full stomach than an empty one." And with that he stood up, ready to finally go home.
Rasid was there to meet him as he emerged from his limo. He thanked his driver William, as Rasid placed one friendly hand on Quatre's back, leading to the doors of just one of his several large mansions.
"Difficult night Master Quatre?" asked Rasid.
"Very," he replied, running a hand down his tired features. "Dorothy was in an accident; a motor vehicle accident."
Rasid stiffened and there was a slight pause in his gait. "Is she alright? How did it happen?"
Quatre frowned. "We don't know yet, she has very good chances, but they're afraid she suffered a traumatic head injury other than her various sprains and broken bones. Some stupid driver darted out in front of her and as she veered off to avoid hitting them, but she had been ill-fated enough to hit a tree," he finished, shivering involuntarily at the thought.
Rasid nodded, "Allah have mercy on her," he said softly, leading Quatre towards his previously prepared breakfast.
"Heero, I'm going into the office to go over that new health policy. I know Quatre said he'd go over it, but he was just so tired last night he could have possibly overlooked something important."
"I'll join you. I have some things to take care of myself with the Preventers."
"Alright. I'll be making up two meetings today too that I missed with Quatre."
Heero moved behind her, hugging her gently. "You work too hard Relena."
Relena grinned mischievously. "Well I work and I play since you'll be there."
A brief snort was Heero's only reply as he softly kissed her temple, continuing downward to nuzzle the gentle slope between her shoulder and neck.
"Heero," Relena said now a little breathless.
"Hn?"
"We can't now, I should really take...care...of...those....mmm Heero," her words became a pleasant sigh as Heero continued his gentle ministrations to the nape of her neck and below.
She decided those papers could wait for just a few hours more.
Milliardo sighed, steeling his nerves for what might or might not be a potential scene depending on whether or not she was awake.
Milliardo stepped through the glass doors of the top notch hospital, going up to the desk to receive a guest pass.
"Milliardo...Peacecraft," he said to the short little desk clerk, who immediately swung around to her computer, typing furiously.
"Here to see Miss Dorothy Catalonia?" He nodded.
"Here's a guest pass, room 510, second floor, ICU, to your right around the bend, first room on your left. Don't forget to return your pass before you leave."
He nodded and headed towards the elevators. He stepped inside, happy to realize it would be empty as he made his ascent to room 510. He didn't realize just how nervous he was.
'If she's awake, will she send me away? Will I walk out? I've run from problems before, but I have a feeling I'll have to face this one head on for once.'
He stepped through the metallic doors, turning to the right, following the clerk's directions exactly. He paused outside of the now open doorway. Sunlight streamed in from the large window to the left of Dorothy's bed, the glass of the numerous paintings reflected the bright sunshine. Everything looked to be illuminated and bright with the hope of better things to come.
But then again he was being uncharacteristically optimistic. Dorothy lay quietly as two nurses quietly adjust her sheets and rearranging the room. They smiled at Milliardo, realizing what he was here for and quietly left the room, telling him only to buzz if he needed them.
There seemed to be an ominous feel to the silence, as if she were an animal feigning unconsciousness only to fool you until you came close...just close enough to strike. Milliardo shook his head, 'I'm being paranoid,' and finally fully entered the hospital room. He took his place beside Dorothy from the night before.
He looked at her more closely this time, reexamining her injuries in the better lighting.
Her bruises however looked more pronounced, but there seemed to be some color returning to her skin (well what little color Dorothy had).
Her lips were slightly parted in her sleep and her calm expression suddenly collapsed into a frown.
"Dorothy? Dorothy?" He called out softly, taking her hand into his. Her grip finally became painfully tight, her other hand curling into a fist.
A soft whimper escaped her lips, and then she fell silent. Milliardo continued to stare at her. "Dorothy?"
Her eyes shot open and she blinked rapidly, her eyes darting from side to side to try and locate the speaker. Her eyes fell on Milliardo but there seemed be a faint confusion in her eyes as if she didn't quite recognize him.
"You're awake," he said carefully, not sure what else to say. To be honest, he felt like bolting from the room.
"It's Milliardo...," he began cautiously.
She blinked again, and she opened her mouth, a soft noise escaping her lips. She quickly fell silent again.
"I...Dorothy you were in an accident. I shouldn't be the one explaining your condition but you're going to be fine; we just know it. The past twenty-four hours were very important for you and you're looking great.
Well, Dorothy, you're in a hospital bed, and you may not quite know it yet but...Dorothy? Dorothy!" His voice raised in alarm as her eyes closed and the machine suddenly began to beep wildly.
The two nurses from before rushed into the room almost immediately, gently moving a shocked Milliardo aside. Two more nurses rushed in followed by Dr. Sterling and Dr. Cadan from the night before.
"What happened? I want to know what's going on!" Milliardo demanded, almost shouting. The nurses were all bustling around Dorothy, telling the doctors things Milliardo just didn't understand.
"Calm yourself Mr. Peacecraft, it just seems her blood pressure went up, we were afraid it might have been a seizure," Dr. Cadan said soothingly as the nurses attended to the alarm with efficient ease.
Dr. Sterling frowned only briefly, then nodded, writing something down on his clipboard. "Well...what the hell," Milliardo said, not sure what else to say as he ran a hand through his hair.
Dr. Cadan smiled kindly at him. "I think Miss Catalonia needs her rest now. It's still early yet in the morning for her to be up. By all means say your farewells first then it'd be best to visit later on this afternoon perhaps."
Milliardo nodded, and stood up from his chair. He looked down at her now tense expression and without thinking he brushed his lips gently against her forehead, murmuring a goodbye. With that, he thanked the two doctors, nodded to the nurses, and left for home.
She grinned and bowed slightly. "May we begin?" she asked her instructor, keeping her eyes trained on her opponent.
"You may," he answered shortly. Her opponent returned her bow.
As he was righting himself she'd already lunged forward, viciously striking high and then low, almost knocking away his blows with comical ease. She was on the offensive and coming on strong.
He growled, his brow furrowing and he forgot all thoughts that this was a friendly duel; nothing was ever "just a match" with her.
He parried her strikes mechanically, reacting only on instinct, his face tense.
"You'll have to do more than that Milliardo. You must be afraid to lose and hungry to win," she purred, her words only for him, an arrogant gleam in her eyes.
He growled, and dove forward, spotting an opening to her less dominant side. She spun away just in time, her hair momentarily blinding his view.
Out of the blur of blonde she brought her own point under his chin, and he froze, surprised that she would go in for the kill so soon after he'd thought she too couldn't see him very well.
"I will delay no longer. Always go in for the kill Milliardo. It's cruel to play with your opponent's emotions, but your opponent must learn to put emotion aside when it comes to battle. You let frustration blind you," she said calmly, dropping her arm to her side, her face oddly solemn instead of full of her usually bravado. The teacher stepped forward nodding to Milliardo and congratulating Dorothy.
He still stood there looking at her, then blinked out of his trance. Treize lifted his form from his place against the wall and placed a hand on Milliardo's shoulder.
"She's good isn't she?" he asked with a slight smirk, both heading off to stand against the wall to watch the rest of the day's matches.
Milliardo nodded numbly, her words still floating around in his head.
"It's cruel to play with your opponent's emotions...was I doing that with her?" Milliardo asked himself aloud as he drove himself home, shaking his head out of the memory; they didn't need two people injured from an accident. Silence was the only reply to his question.
Quatre sighed happily in anticipation of seeing Dorothy. He had thought of her all day, wondering if she were talking yet, if she had slept the whole day away, was she thinking of anyone in her half-way sleep...Was she thinking of him?
He quickly retrieved his guest pass and made his way to the elevator that would take him to Dorothy's room. He walked into the sterile quarters with similar thoughts as Milliardo earlier, except his face was alight with a smile.
He lay down his bouquet of assorted flowers and his other of roses, all of flowers that all made him think of Dorothy: baby's breath, red camellias, with various colored lilies for his mixed bouquet and white roses for his rose bouquet. He greeted the nurses politely and asked what the update on Dorothy was. They calmly told him she'd only had a bit of an elevation in her blood pressure with the visit of the older of the Peacecraft siblings but all was well.
Quatre frowned slightly at the mention of Milliardo. 'Milliardo if you hurt her again...'
The nurses brought him out his potentially morbid thoughts, bidding him a farewell, saying they were only going to get a brief lunch but two other nurses would be on duty if he needed anything. Quatre nodded and sat in the plush chair beside Dorothy's.
"Hello Dorothy. I know you're asleep. This is Quatre," he began, taking her hand into his and idly stroking her palm. "I you a bouquet of flowers that made me think of you. Can you smell them? I also brought my violin and I thought I'd play you something." He felt more energized and peaceful just to be in her presence once more.
"This is the well worn out Beethoven's 5th symphony. I thought you'd enjoy something lively though. I hope you're a fan of classical," he finished grinning.
"Oh by the way, they always want us to speak this way, you know, telling you where you are, what we're doing so, just to let you know you're in a hospital bed at Takamaya Neurology Hospital in room 510..."
He continued to babble as he tuned and waxed his violin, tightening the strings only slightly. "I'm ready now Dorothy. Listen closely now."
He lifted the delicate instrument under his chin and closing his eyes as he began to play. The piece immediately filled the room with life. Quatre lost himself in the music, only a slight frown upon his features as he only half-concentrated; it truly was not a difficult piece for him.
He smiled at certain parts, whispering little messages to her as he played: "See Dorothy?", "I love this part Dorothy...", "Feel the emotion in that Dorothy...feel it."
Unbeknownst to him, Dorothy had been deep within the clutches of sleep but her eyes had soon fluttered open at the passionate playing. She stared at him, blinking slowly, her lips faintly curving into a smile, closing her eyes as he spoke to her, her mind immediately trying to follow his commands to feel the notes, but then she frowned and allowed her heart to do the feeling for her. She felt it then.
Soon he switched to a different piece and without opening his eyes he began to play it, explaining to her once again.
"This is another piece by Beethoven Dorothy. It's called Violin Romance. Isn't that beautiful?" he said softly, the notes flowing from his violin brilliantly. His playing had not gone unobserved to many of the staff and a few of the other patients who had suffered similar injuries as Dorothy. They were attentively listening, some crying quietly at the lovely serenade.
Dorothy felt her heart swell with joy, as she closed her eyes once again; finally giving into the smile she'd tried to hold back, realizing there was a reason she guarded her smiles but couldn't quite pinpoint why just yet.
She felt awareness coming to her and memories slowly awakening to her. This man was familiar to her; she knew kindness only a few times in her life from a few people and this man had to be one of them...So familiar...
It was a nine minute piece and Quatre played every minute of it with expertise. His forehead faintly glistened from a light sweat but he face was glowing. He was in his element. He opened his eyes to look at her and saw she had closed her eyes and had to have the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen in his life on her face...
He gazed at her adoringly, playing with his eyes open now, still oblivious to the crowd outside the hospital room door. He let his smile soften and finished with a flourish.
"Dorothy?" he asked softly then jerked as a faint clapping suddenly began. He turned his eyes upon the doorway and blushed furiously, muttering a thank you at the minature crowd. Dorothy had opened her eyes once again to look at him and at the moment he'd turned her head away, Dorothy's blissful expression suddenly became one of horror.
Noin wasn't sure what to do. To visit or not to visit was the question. Would she only upset Dorothy by her appearance?
"It would be rude however not to show at all. Perhaps I can visit with the others. I simply cannot go alone." With that thought, Noin picked up her phone and dialed Relena's office.
Relena's secretary promptly picked up the phone, Miss Okiko. "Miss. Peacecraft's office. Do you have an appointment you'd like me to schedule?"
"Uh...no and yes? May I speak to Relena directly please?"
"Oh is this Miss Noin? Of course! One moment please!" the bubbly secretary literally sang out.
Noin raised her eyebrows and waited the few moments it took her to connect to Relena's office. "Relena?"
"Hey Noin! What's up?" Relena said cheerfully, and Noin's eyebrows raised higher at the uncharacteristic words from the younger Peacecraft's mouth.
"Uh...well I was wondering if you were going to visit Dorothy by any chance today or tomorrow?"
"Yes, Heero, Sally, Wufei, Duo, Hilde, and myself were going to visit her tomorrow as a matter of fact around 2 P.M. How's that sound? Good for you too?"
"Sure that would be perfect. I'll see you then."
"See you then. Oh, and Noin?"
"Yes Relena?"
"Dorothy doesn't hate you, never has. Men can do strange things to a woman," Relena said softly in a more serious tone.
Noin said nothing, nodding to no one, and bid her farewell once more.
Relena sighed and settled back into her chair.
"Who was that?"
She jumped. "Heero! You can't sneak up on me like that! Did Okiko let you in?"
"Yes. Sorry," he apologized, and Relena smiled, turning towards him in her chair.
"So...why are you up here anyway?"
"Relena you have a meeting in five minutes."
"Oh!" Relena exclaimed, jumping up out of her chair. "Let's go then!"
Baby's Breath: Pure of heart
Red Camellias: Unpretending excellence, You're a flame in my heart
Lilies: Virtue, beauty, elegance and pride
White Roses: I am worthy of you; Respect; Admiration (In the fic it means respect and admiration but if it floats your boat it can mean the first one too)
Ok, ok I said it wasn't going to take place in the hospital but it mainly didn't, now did it? Was the flashback alright? What had Dorothy so upset in her dream? Why is she looking at Quatre in horror??? Ask any questions you may need to, suggest anything you like, but REVIEW!!
Angel of Mirth