Do you ever start writing and things just come out? That is what has been happening with me. Half the time I don't know what the story is gonna be until I start typing... it's weird.

DISCLAIMER: Don't own.

CHAPTER 10

After one day home, Duo was ready to let Heero leave the house. Duo was taking Heero to see Quatre. On the way over, Duo filled Heero in on all the details regarding Gemma's birth (though he left out his encounter with Dr. Croats). Heero was silent. Duo felt this strange distance between them. Like Heero hadn't really returned completely, as if he had left part of himself with the battle, or locked a part of it away. He was affectionate, and Duo didn't think it was false, but he also didn't think it was. . . complete.

However, Heero did a sufficient job of convincing everyone else that things were back to normal. He gently tickled Gemma who was usually very unforgiving of strangers, so it was surprising how easily she had taken to Heero. While there were men who would turn tail and run if they knew exactly who they were facing, small children seemed to have the opposite reaction.

Quatre and Trowa were completely prepared to take Duo's side if need be, but a shake of his head let them know that all was well in the Yuy-Maxwell household. While Duo, Quatre and Trowa talked, Heero hung back, only speaking if he was addressed. Duo didn't let his worry show, he hoped time would heal whatever was the matter. If not, well – Duo wouldn't let Heero down.

XxXxX

Duo was not excited about a trip to the doctor, but Heero had insisted. Or rather, Heero was driving and it would be childish of Duo to refuse to get out of the car once they were there. It was Friday afternoon however, so Duo offered to run in and see if Dr. Croats was there.

When Duo entered, the nurse was on the phone, so he stood in front of her and innocently eavesdropped on her conversation. Nothing interesting. When she hung up, Duo smiled politely and asked, "Is Dr. Croats here today?"

"No, I'm sorry Mr. Maxwell. Dr. Croats will be out for four weeks. We are only open today because I need to reschedule any appointments he may have had." She looked down at her calender, "Did you have an appointment today?"

"No, you know me, showing up whenever I want. Damn rude of me." Duo grinned. "Four weeks, though? That is one long vacation."

She smiled, but it seemed forced, "Well, he has been under a lot of stress lately. I think he just needed to get away."

"Is everything alright?" The nurse hesitated. "Go on, you can tell me," Duo urged.

"Dr. Croats had an emotional meltdown. Just yesterday. I had to escort him home. He called me yesterday evening to tell me he would be taking time off." She sighed. "He left the country this morning, to some resort island where they specialize in mental healing and relaxation." Shrugging, she added, "I'm not sure if I believe in that stuff, but the idea seemed to comfort him, so I hope it works."

Duo nodded, fighting off images of the old doctor, scantily clad and chanting on a beach. "Well, how about you have him call me? When he returns?" The nurse agreed and made a note. "Maybe, that note should go near the top of his list of things to do when he returns?" Duo suggested when he saw her sticking it under other files. She raised an eyebrow but stuck the note on top. Duo thanked her and headed for the door. Heero wasn't going to like this. . .

XxXxX

That night, Duo stretched alongside Heero's naked figure in the bed. Heero felt the lump on Duo's stomach. He didn't doubt that Duo was carrying his child. Heero didn't need Dr. Croats agreement. He could live without it.

Duo sighed happily as he pulled closer to Heero. "Heero?"

"Hmm?"

"Let's keep it a secret?" Duo said into his ear.

"What do you mean?"

"Let's surprise everyone!" Duo reiterated. "None of them will be expecting it, so it won't be hard to keep it from them."

"Duo, how long do you think that will last? You are already showing a little around the middle."

"Maybe I'm just gaining some weight – I'm sure that it will take awhile for them to catch on."

"I won't tell anyone, but if someone asks, I am not going to lie Duo."

"Score!" Duo said excitedly. He was still a little jealous about Quatre being able to keep it a secret for so long. What Heero said was true though, he was already showing. Duo thought he had heard somewhere that after the first child the muscles were weaker and the pregnancy would show more dramatically. Duo sighed. He could still hide it for a little while. Won't everyone be surprised when they find out. . .

Duo woke up to an empty bed. It was still dark out. Duo rolled over and looked at the clock. 4:30? That was Heero for you – up with the figurative crow, as it was. Duo groaned. He had no doubt that Heero was going to report to Relena today. He had a strong sense of duty. Duo was lucky to have been able to keep his loyal husband with him for so long. Knowing that he probably hadn't left yet, Duo padded out of bed and downstairs. He smelled food being cooked. Heero hadn't made himself breakfast in the morning until Duo forcefully created the habit in him. His argument being that if Heero made himself breakfast, he would get at least one good meal a day out of it – whereas if he relied on Duo's cooking "skill" he would probably die of scurvy.

Duo walked into the kitchen. Heero was making eggs. He turned at Duo's arrival, "Would you like some eggs?"

"Sure," Duo pulled a chair out and plopped down. If Camille was still asleep later, Duo would go back to bed. Otherwise, at least he would have a good breakfast to get him through the morning. Heero pulled the eggs out of the fridge and added some more to the electric skillet.

"Do you have any plans for the day?" Heero asked while he scrambled the eggs.

"I'm going to go into the shop." Duo answered, getting up to get some orange juice out. He poured some into two glasses. "I promised Becca I would come and see her with Camille soon, so I'll probably stop by her place today."

Heero nodded and placed a plate of eggs in front of Duo. Duo poured on some salt and pepper. Heero sat opposite of him with his eggs. "What are you doing today?" Duo asked.

"I'll go see Relena."

"Will you be home late?"

"Maybe." Duo rolled his eyes, he knew Heero would say that. He finished his eggs and pushed the plate back. He looked at the clock, it was now five o'clock. Duo watched Heero eat. It was amusing to watch him eat when he had nothing to distract him. He was so efficient.

Duo felt the familiar twist of his stomach that he'd come to associate with mornings. He stood too quickly and he knocked the chair down as he ran to bathroom. The eggs had been good going down, but not coming up.

Well, that was not a good start to the day. . .

XxXxX

The days began to pass in reassuring monotony. Duo wouldn't have seen himself as someone who desired boredom, but for now, with Heero finally home, boredom would be all right for a little while. Heero had been back for three weeks. He was working again as Relena's bodyguard, but he was constantly home late and rarely did he take even a whole day off during the week. Duo had noticed it before, a distance that Heero was keeping between everyone. Not a physical distance but an emotional one. Heero had never been one to wax on and on about his feelings, but he spoke less of himself – asked all the proper and polite questions and was very attentive to Duo.

Duo tried to bring Heero out, but it was difficult when he saw so little of him. This was getting ridiculous though. There had to be something that Duo could do, if he just applied his mind to the problem at hand.

Also, despite Duo's desire to fool his friends and keep them from being aware of his pregnancy, he found it may be harder than he thought. He was showing much more now than he had with Camille. Not only that, he was unwell. He spent the mornings spewing and the evenings, more recently, with painful cramps. He felt tired at the most random times of the day – fortunately, Cammi still took a long nap in the afternoon and Duo often joined her. Duo was disgusted with himself. After all his bravado to Dr. Croats, he was realizing that his body wasn't putting up with the pregnancy as well as he had before.

Duo was already in bed when Heero came home that night. It was only 9:30, but his back was sore and a well placed pillow under the small of his back relaxed him. Wanting to be awake when Heero returned, Duo resisted the urge to sleep and was reading a car manual.

"Duo?"

"Heero," Duo turned, setting his reading down. "Home at last I see." He rolled onto his side and winced from the small cramp that tightened around his spine.

"Are you feeling alright Duo?" Heero said, he sat next to his husband who rolled back onto his back.

"I'm fine, my back is just sore. I think it's the baby."

"It's been bothering you a lot lately, hasn't it?"

"Yeah," Duo admitted.

"Hmm, well, when Dr. Croats get back from his extended leave, we should take you in to see him." Heero seemed to relax a little in the bed. Some of his tenseness melted away. Duo liked watching him unwind. It was always something of a transformation. Many subtle changes combined to produce an overall impression that Heero's body had released a gigantic breath.

"Heero, you've been working pretty hard lately."

"Well, it's necessary to keep security tight, especially now. Some people are willing to do stupid things to get what they want, even assassinate the vice minister."

"Hm, I think you are lying to me."

"What?" Heero asked, turning to Duo, his body tensing again.

"While it may be necessary to keep security tight, that isn't where you are all day. Where are you going, Heero? Where do you disappear to that I never see you anymore?"

Heero stood. "You're going to have to accept there are some things I can't tell you Duo." His voice was stony. He left the room. Duo scrambled out of bed and followed him.

"No, I don't have to accept anything." Duo said, chasing Heero downstairs. "I am your husband. I have every right to know where you are going every day that brings you back so late!"

Heero turned on him, "Do you think I am having an affair?" He looked incredulous.

Duo matched his expression astonished at his question, "No! Not at all, I trust you."

Heero relaxed a little. "If you trust me, why does it matter?"

"It matters because I care about you! I love you and I don't know where you are half the time," Duo felt himself getting nauseous. It would serve Heero right if he vomited all over him.

"I'm working."

"Where?"

"It changes."

Duo felt his fist clenching. Right now he wanted to punch something, maybe Heero. "Why can't you tell me?"

"There are some things you don't need to know." Heero responded.

"Maybe, but this is one of those things I do need to know." He raised his eyebrows incredulously. He resisted the urge to shout "duh!"

"Why?"

"This is getting repetitive." Duo growled in the back of his throat, "What if something happens to you? How am I going to find out? It's like you're gone again, except at night you sleep in bed with me. Otherwise, you're missing. You don't even take time off anymore." Duo paused and considered, "And now, because of you, I sound like some old nagging woman!" Duo watched Heero's face. No anger, completely impassive. When Duo got angry, he wanted the other person to fight with him. Heero was not being very accommodating.

Suddenly Duo felt very tired. He looked at Heero sadly, "You know what? Never mind. I'm going to bed." Duo turned and walked silently back up the stairs. He pulled his pillows off the bed and moved into the guest bedroom and made himself comfortable. Despite his exhaustion, he didn't think he would be able to sleep, but it wasn't long before he was snoring gently.

XxXxX

Dr. Croats had finally returned from his month long relaxation journey. His secretary had called them and helped them set up an appointment. Heero was, of course, too busy to come with. Duo had a feeling if he had bothered to mention the appointment to Heero, he would have come, but Duo kept it to himself. If Heero could have secrets then so could Duo.

Duo walked into Dr. Croats office, it was tidier than usual – as if no one had been there in awhile – go figure. Cammi trailed along behind – stubbornly refusing to be held. There was no one at the front desk, so Duo just slipped into the back, picking Camille up to keep her from grabbing anything she wasn't supposed to. He peaked into the exam rooms, all of them were empty. Duo knew the doctor had his office right in the back, so he headed back there.

There was something different about Dr. Croats. He did seem more relaxed. It might have been the giant iced tea perched on his desk with an umbrella in it, or the flip-flops instead of shoes. But it seemed more than that to Duo – it was if someone stood Dr. Croats up straight and drained all the tenseness out of him.

Duo felt horrible. Somehow, he knew that whatever he told Dr. Croats, the doctor's reaction was not going to be good. He was glad he was holding Camille in front of him, she blocked any evidence of his pregnancy.

"Ah, Duo!" Dr. Croats reached for Camille, and Duo let him try to hold her, she however, had other plans. As soon as she was in unresisting arms, she slipped from Dr. Croats lap and onto the floor. The doctor laughed. "She's a natural walker, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she is." Duo agreed and took a seat.

"Listen Duo, I'm sorry for disappearing like that. I just needed to get away."

"Yeah, I heard. How ya feelin' now?"

"Much better. To be honest – the "relaxation" therapy I went to didn't work as well as just being away from it all. That was the best." Dr. Croats stretched his arms back. "I'm at a very good place right now. At peace with myself and my work."

"Does that mean – " Duo began hopefully, it would be so much easier if. . .

"No, I've still given up on that." Dr. Croats said firmly. cutting Duo off quickly. Duo thought he looked afraid – as if even mentioning it would destroy his new "relaxed" self. "I think that is for the best. I can still work with people, still be a doctor, and be doing good." Dr. Croats stood up, swooped down and grabbed Camille and then headed for an exam room. "Let's get this little girl checked out, make sure she is healthy."

Duo left half an hour later, filled with dread. He was going to have to make Heero tell Dr. Croats. He just didn't have the heart.

XxXxXxX

After meeting with Dr. Croats, Duo decided to head into the garage, the morning was still young, and see how everything was going. It had been a few days since he had gone into work. He didn't like for his work to get away from him.

Sam was there, as always, working dutifully on some car's problem. It was like an operating room, the hood was up and pieces were everywhere. Duo smiled, looked like a challenge. He ducked into his office and was delighted to see Sam's younger sister, Charity, there.

"Hey Charity!" Duo set Camille down, she headed straight towards the young girl, "Aren't you supposed to be in school now?"

"Nope, no school today."

"Lucky you. Do you want to watch Cammi for a little while so that I can go and do some work?" The adolescent girl nodded eagerly and pulled Camille in with a laugh, giving her a big hug. Camille squirmed out of her grip and began a game of chase between the two of them. Duo smiled and headed out into the garage.

It was fortuitous that Duo had come in that day, for Jerry was out that week and the number of cars was getting backed up. They had three waiting to be serviced. Duo rolled up his sleeves and went to discuss with Sam just what needed to be done. Sam, for his part, looked relieved to have someone else to help.

Together they both worked steadily until lunchtime where they took a break and went to a cafe down the road, Duo's treat. After lunch they returned to work, Camille went down for a nap. It was three o'clock when Duo was finally able to start on the last car, and ten minutes later another car was brought in. Duo smiled, better busy than bored.

A loud crash pulled both Sam and Duo's attention away from the cars. They both dropped their tools and ran into the office when they heard Charity's cries for help. The door to the office wouldn't open. It looked as if something was blocking it. Looking through the window, they could see the shelving units that reached all the way up the wall had fallen over. Charity seemed to be stuck underneath them, Duo couldn't see Camille anywhere. A coffee table was keeping the shelves from hitting the floor and also put the shelves at an angle so that the door couldn't be opened. Duo started pushing on the door, but Sam pushed him aside. Using a sledgehammer, he smashed at the hinges until they broke off. Sam grabbed the door and pulled it back. Duo ran in. Not knowing what else to do, Duo began to lift the heavy wooden shelves up from where it was wedged against the table. Sam carefully pulled Charity out.

"Where's Camille?" Duo asked urgently, the way he was standing prevented him from seeing what was going on. His legs beginning to tremble from the weight of the shelf, he struggled to maintain his grip.

"I have her!" Sam yelled. Duo tried to set the shelf down carefully, but it slipped from his grip and crashed to the floor violently. He turned in terror of what he might see.

Charity had stopped crying, she looked dazed, and wasn't focusing on Sam as he frantically tried to get her attention. Duo's heart stopped beating, Camille wasn't moving. She was sitting silently in Sam's arms. Duo took her from him and felt her little chest rise and fall. Uncertain, Duo grabbed the phone and dialed the paramedics. He explained what happened as much as he could, but a strange hysteria seemed to prevent him from rationally dealing with the situation. It seemed an eternity before the ambulance arrived, Charity was carefully strapped to a stretcher and taken onto the ambulance, but Duo carried Camille onto the ambulance. With no room for Sam, he took his car instead, warning the ambulance driver that he would be right behind him the whole way.

Tsutsuku

XxXxX

So, BIG thanks to all those who continued/ started reading this fic that was started years ago. I'm working on finishing it, but ... wow, I tend to wander a lot in my writing. So I end up deleting half of what I've written... Seriously – if all that I wrote was actually in the story it would probably be double length.

Anyway – let me know what you think, or if you have an idea of how to switch it up, or things to try. I can't remember what my original plot was – isn't that horrible? * hides in shame * So to quote Indiana Jones, "I'm making it up as I go."

Suggestions? Criticisms? Let me know!

Annie