Note: This chapter includes events that may be difficult for some readers. Take care.
Chapter 81: Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Wufei inwardly sighed when upon seeing the hospital doors Duo froze again, and no longer mindlessly followed him. He had to practically drag his friend into the hospital, going directly to the crowded emergency room. Most of the people inside were attached to them. The kids, the nun, and Quatre and Trowa took up the bulk of the waiting room. He locked eyes with Trowa, hoping not to see bad news reflected in those green depths. Feeling a little more confident at the sight of worry rather than grief, he tightened his grip on Duo's arm and walked them both over to their friends.
"How is he?"
Trowa glanced quickly to Quatre, short on words. The blonde took over.
"They had to sedate him."
"He woke up?"
Quatre bit his lower lip a little before responding.
"No. Once they saw the body armor on us, they knew he was a soldier, or someone dangerous." Though his face was already set very seriously, he managed to look more worn when he continued. "They didn't want him to wake up mid-intubation and attack anyone."
Wufei cursed in Chinese, and Quatre was quick to try to smooth things over.
"No, that's a good sign! They're not wrong that we tend to run a higher risk of attacking medical personnel if we wake up in a memory or without our bearings. Given his wounds, the added precaution is sensible."
"But intubation?"
"It's a precaution, Wufei. They're just protecting his airway. I think they're fitting him with a chest tube now."
He noticed Quatre's eyes kept shift to Duo, looking for any signs of him listening. There were none. It was only when those same eyes shot down to look at his hand that he realized he was still holding Duo's arm, gripping it slowly tighter. Letting go, he watched carefully for a moment to see if his catatonic friend would wander. Satisfied he'd stay put, he turned his attention back to Quatre.
"So he dropped a lung?"
Quatre nodded.
"Shit. But it didn't penetrate the lung, right?"
"Right."
That was a relief. An actual puncture to the lung would be much worse than a collapse.
"He'll be out of commission until we're off colony, then."
As they continued to speak, Duo was slowly raking his eyes across the room. Sister Elise was looking at him in a strange way. He didn't like it. The kids were all mostly quiet. Some cried, others steeled themselves the way life taught them, a reaction he knew well. He saw a nurse head into a back area down a hallway and followed her just to get away from everyone else. He really didn't like that look in the nun's eyes that spoke of recognition. There was nothing in his life he particularly wanted to be recognized for.
Though his mind wasn't entirely forming complete thoughts he was aware enough of his surroundings on a base level to sneak away from Wufei while he was occupied. No one stopped him from following the nurse, and then he simply followed the commotion. In one area he saw two kids, several years apart in age. A teen was comforting a younger child while someone examined her wrist and explained how x-rays worked. Duo ignored them and followed more sounds.
In another area, people were talking, giving orders, sounding not so much hurried but certainly invested in their work. He saw them through an opening in a curtain, attending to a person in bloody clothes. When he moved for a closer look he saw dark, messy hair peeking out from behind a nurse. A doctor was pressing one end of a tube into her patient's chest while someone helped to steady his arm in a lifted position.
Heero.
He tensed when a hand fell on his shoulder, and then another one came round to steer him away and back to the waiting area. He hardly registered Trowa's voice, gentling him like a wild animal, telling him he was needed elsewhere. A distant part of him wanted to protest and declare the only place he was needed was by Heero's side, but the full thought never developed in his mind. The intended words evaporated before ever hitting his tongue.
For a moment Wufei panicked when he abruptly realized Duo was missing, but a quick scan around the room showed him being lead back through a doorway by Trowa. Under his breath, he cursed.
"Damnit, I should've been watching him."
Quatre's eyes softened, then darted to follow his gaze and take in the sight. A smile played on his lips as he watched his lover whisper into Duo's ear. Trowa was always such a gentle man when he wasn't forced into a fight. It was one of many things he loved about him.
"Don't be too hard on yourself, you can't do everything for Duo alone. What exactly happened? Last I knew you ran back into the building to get him. How did he end up like this?"
Dragging a hand across his face, Wufei let out a suffering sigh.
"You saw the smoke, right?" Quatre nodded as Trowa settled to stand next to him, Duo at his side. He noticed Trowa's hand never quite leaving their friend, lingering on his arm as if the contact could ground him enough to keep the broken parts together. Wufei's eyes darted to it, too, before he continued. "It was coming from the eastern side of the main hall."
Duo whispered ambulatory under his breath and Wufei's gaze quickly cut to his.
"I ran in from the North side—"
Transept was whispered, and this time Wufei's head turned to Duo.
"And I found him there, watching it burn, holding..." He cut himself off, worried about revealing too much in front of Duo, and restarted. "The place reeked of accelerant and the fire was widely spread along what looked to be someone's route as the doused fuel and made sure the fire would ignite anything flammable. They wanted as much to burn as possible."
Quatre frowned in thought. "An accelerant?"
"Yes. I think they wanted the place demolished by flames. Went for something powerful enough to damage the structure."
"Are you telling me they used some kind of—" his voice dropped to a whisper, "rocket fuel?"
Wufei's voice matched Quatre's hushed quality, realizing that it would be best not to have the children or the nun overhear.
"Maybe not quite that strong, the fumes were at least mildly tolerable for a very short while. And I don't think anyone could stand so close to those flames if they used an accelerant that powerful. But the colony's fire suppressant system didn't activate, so I'm betting a good portion of that building will be gone by the time they put the flames out. Depending on the fuel and the flame intensity they might even have to do a controlled oxygen release above the church and force incomplete combustion. But they'll need to temporarily evacuate the neighborhood for that. It'll take time, and in that time..."
"Fuckin hell."
They both turned, surprised to hear Trowa chime in. Quatre laid a hand on his partner's shoulder, but said nothing. He checked to see if Sister Elise was paying attention to their conversation, but she was softly speaking to some of the children in an attempt to comfort them.
"What happens to the kids? Where will they go?"
Again, it was Trowa who spoke. Quatre squeezed his shoulder, slowly realizing with shame that he hadn't yet questioned where the children would end up now.
"If they don't have anywhere, I can put them up someplace. The cost won't matter, as long as they are safe and have a roof over their heads. What's the point of having money if you don't use it for good, right?"
Though he tried to catch Duo's eye, the former Deathscythe pilot appeared to be lost in his own thoughts. Duo already told them he sank everything he had both into the futures of those kids and into the ransom money he delivered. If they were going to get back on their feet they needed a new benefactor, and he was ready to fight Duo for the opportunity to step in.
They remained in an uncomfortable silence, Trowa keeping Duo close, until they noticed the nun had stepped forward to join them.
"I'm sorry, we were never introduced." Her voice was strong, but held a hint of a waiver. "I'm Sister Elise. Who do I have to thank for rescuing us?"
"Wufei."
"Trowa."
Quatre's hand dropped from Trowa's shoulder to extend to her as he introduced himself. "My name is Quatre." Knowing Duo was unlikely to respond, he added "That's Duo, and our friend Heero is the one getting medical attention."
Everyone caught how she stared at Duo, examining him.
"He's Mr Maxwell, isn't he?"
They nodded, and she suddenly looked like she'd seen a ghost.
"I see."
Turning back to them, she visibly gathered her wits.
"They told me when we arrived our two little ones with injuries would be just fine. I... Already knew that. They were roughed up for disobedience but not badly. Some have been though worse before they got to us. But... No one knows where Bastien is, and I'm very worried about him. The kids are, too."
A lump formed in Wufei's throat. He'd delivered bad news as a Preventer, but it never got easier.
"Light brown hair? Tanned skin? Maybe eight years old?"
Her dark eyes lit up. "Yes, that's him. Biggest, sweetest smile!"
He didn't have the heart to tell her he never saw his complete face. And he certainly didn't want to tell her the state the child was in, nor too many details in general. Sally once told him to be direct and keep things short when delivering news of someone's death, and the thought of her made his heart ache. While he was more than capable of dealing with this scenario, he wanted her with him. Their friends were suffering, and she always gave him strength and comfort. He took a deep breath, and dropped his voice very low as to not allow the children to overhear.
"A boy by that description was in Duo's arms when I found him. He was shot dead. He did not suffer from his injury. I'm so sorry."
Her shoulders tensed and her posture straightened. She looked incredibly determined, and it was not the response he expected.
"Is he here? Can I see him?"
"I don't know. Probably not yet. Duo pulled him out before the fire spread—"
"Fire?"
"But we couldn't take him with us on a motorcycle. One of your neighbors agreed to stay with him until emergency services arrived. Eventually he'll be taken to the morgue, and you'll be able to identify him there."
She nodded, silent. Her eyes glazed over, and she slowly walked away. Once she was across the room, Trowa turned to Wufei.
"They killed a child?"
"I didn't see it happen, but yes."
All eyes turned to Duo. He didn't react until Trowa's hand slipped from its position on his arm and began to rub slow circles on his back. Wufei noted how odd that was. Trowa wasn't big on displaying any affection, especially in public, unless it was directed to either Quatre or an animal. But he was careful and considerate with Duo, natural in his movement. It was a side of the man he'd not seen much of before.
The motion seemed to awaken Duo somewhat, his voice was soft and hollow when he found the ability to speak.
"Chevalier. Shot Bastien. And I let him get away."
He could tell no one followed his line of thought, but he was still in an emotional void and not inclined to say more without provocation. It didn't take long for someone to ask what he meant by let him get away.
"Had him. Could've taken him. But... Sally..."
Wufei's eyes flashed in sudden panic.
"What do you mean SALLY?"
Duo didn't make eye contact. He just stared at the floor, somewhere beyond Quatre's feet. "Said if he wasn't released, if he didn't rendezvous on time..." He swallowed, and winced. "The pretty doctor Earthside would pay the price."
Instantly Wufei was on his phone. Everything in his posture changed. He looked nervous, and incredibly anxious. Quatre saw his face contort into dismay and anger with every passing second Sally didn't pick up. Eventually he cursed so loudly the whole room froze.
"Sally, it's me. When you get this call me. It's an emergency." He paused. "I love you."
After he disconnected the line he sent a text, then paced, filled with too much energy to do nothing. No one tried to comfort him, because they all knew their words would be meaningless. Quatre reached out for Trowa's hand, and was pulled into a loose side hug. Between Quatre and Duo, Trowa's hands were full.
Impatient, Wufei called Sally again. And again. When he was in the middle of dialing a fourth time, a group of people entered the Emergency Room and approached them.
"Trowa Barton?"
Everyone turned at the sound of Trowa's name, on edge. He let go of Quatre, but kept contact with Duo. Even in his daze, the braided man tilted his head to get a glimpse of who spoke. Here on L2 no one should know their identities. In reaction to their hesitation, the woman who called him reached to her side and pulled a Preventer's badge from her hip.
"Une sent me."
They all relaxed, and Wufei pocketed his phone as he asked what took them so long. She ignored him and approached their group with two agents flanking her. She looked directly at Trowa, whose comforting hand slowly left Duo's back and fell to his side.
"You're Trowa Barton?"
"Yes."
The two agents with her advanced, each grabbed one of Trowa's arms to pull them behind him and restrain his hands before anyone, fresh out of adrenaline, could react.
"Mr Barton, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law."
Wufei demanded to know what was happening. She ignored him. One of her agents was emptying Trowa's pockets, and confiscated his phone and wallet.
"You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you."
It was Quatre's turn to object and be ignored.
"Do you understand these rights as I have just read them to you?"
Duo remained quiet, watching. Trowa simply nodded, his face impassive.
"Can you respond verbally, please? Do you understand these rights as I have just read them to you?"
"Yes."
"With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?"
"No."
"Very well."
Her men immediately began to escort Trowa out of the waiting room and Quatre, confused and angry, desperately yelled demands.
"Trowa! Why are you just going with them? Do something!" He turned to the woman. "Do you have any idea who we are? On what charges are you arresting him?"
She met him with a stern look as Trowa began to disappear out the doors and into the street.
"Mr Winner, I understand that you have personal interest in the well-being of Mr Barton, but don't for a moment think your name and connections matter here. There are several charges being leveled against him, and I am under no obligation to list them all to you. I will not elaborate further."
Wufei was in shock, at a loss for what to say or do. His mind was trying to process why Une would call for Trowa's arrest.
For a moment, Quatre couldn't breathe. Did he have an arrhythmia? His heart felt like it skipped around erratically, and then he could swear it stopped beating. A hand shot up to his chest and he wasn't sure he felt anything underneath. It felt like all the blood in his system came to a halt. Were his organs even getting oxygen anymore? Were they shutting down? Where did that constant electrical thrum of life, that he took for granted since his first memories, go? He felt he could lose consciousness at any point.
His world became unbearably still.
Duo looked on at the scene, without a hint of surprise, before quietly walking away.
