Between Love and Hate
Allura: smiling, "Ye of so little faith!"
In the Previous Chapter:
Duo thrust his hands into the white ceramic bath and was mildly surprised to find that the swirling red liquid was still lukewarm; he clambered recklessly into the bath and fished the top half of her exposed body out of the water, resting it fully against the side of the bath, whilst her legs still dangled lifelessly in the water.
His heart was hammering as his hand cupped her pallid, cold face and his thumb caressed her cheek gently; his fingers rubbing over her dry blue lips before the iciness of her skin propelled him into action. He glided his hand along her soft arm and down to her fingers, where they grazed against her wrist, but as he was searching for her pulse, a soft sticky substance distracted him from doing so. His eyes quickly dived down to the scene, his breath catching in his throat as he watched his fingers shake, uncontrollably, each one covered with Hilde's sickeningly red blood.
His head spun, and he found himself gasping for breaths … for control … he grasped out, pulling Hilde's body to his, before the world blackened before him and he tumbled to the floor, unconscious.
Chapter eighteen: Darkest Hour
Quatre scrambled out from the twisted covers of the warm downy duvet, and flinging his legs over the side of the bed, he sunk his head into his hands and panted heavily, trying to regain his breath. Small beads of sweat trickled down his forehead. He could feel the thin cotton sheets that lined the bed, sticking to his damp skin and he shifted on the mattress, feeling uncomfortable.
His heart felt as though someone had seized it in a stringent grasp, and the pain that it sent coursing throughout his trembling body was unbearable … unreal.
Something was wrong, he knew it; he felt it … somewhere, nearby, something was very wrong. Breathing in deeply and trying to ignore the irksome, stabbing sensation in his chest, he stood, grabbing his black slacks that he had flung over the edge of the hotel room's chair, and pulling them on before fondling around in the dark, in search of his shirt.
"… Quatre?" Dorothy mumbled from under her covers. Quatre leant over the bed, towards her and whispered quietly in her ear.
"It's okay, darling, I'm just going to check on something. I'll be back in a few minutes," he told her soothingly, before searching for his shirt again.
He soon found it, in a discarded heap at the end of the bed and shrugged into it, leaving the last few buttons unfixed in his haste before darting out into the dim, quiet corridor. He stood motionless, only his rough breaths and the sound of the wind whistling against the windows disturbing the eerie silence. Quatre frowned. Where was everybody? He hadn't slept for that long … had he? The vast, quiet barrenness was unnatural and foreboding as it surrounded him in a dense, heavy fog.
Quatre swept his mind … there had been something that he'd meant to do … something about last night. About an argument between Wufei and … Duo!
He spun on his heel, his mind reeling; hopefully Duo hadn't done anything irrational. He was calm, usually a composed man, but when pushed, he had a fierce temper to rival that of Zechs'.
And last night, Wufei had definitely been pushing him.
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The sounds of police radio's, buzzing voices and clicking camera's filled the air around Private Detective Nick Caine as he carefully made his way over the yellow police tape and towards the scene of the crime.
"Nick!" His alert eyes drifted towards the woman calling his name. Crime Scene Investigator Danielle Lewis stood at the far edge of the cliff, waving a hand in the air and gesturing for him to follow her. The sun rising behind the dark haired woman made it hard to distinguish her form, but Nick could determine her lean body and the black waistcoat lined with reflective tape that she had donned.
He made his way over to her, averting the bustling officers pacing to and from the scene.
"Look at this," Danielle told him as he arrived at her side, Nick stared at her in awe; even at the ungodly hour of five in the morning, the girl still managed to look fresh-faced and fully awake.
He studied the object that she held in her gloved hand.
"It's a passport," Danielle stated.
Nick raised an eyebrow, responding with a blunt, "I can see that." Danielle smirked at him.
"It's good to see that you're still the same cynical man that I first met. It's nice to know that some things will never change." Danielle stated, quietly, before suddenly turning serious, "As you can see," she flipped open the cover to the soggy passport, "it's been severely damaged; almost beyond recognition. But I had one of the guys here from the labs study it a while ago, and he was able to pick a few bits of vital information from it."
"Okay …" Nick said, urging her to continue.
"Her first name's Nicola, her place of birth is Malaga, Andalucia and she's nineteen years old."
"Andalucia … as in, Spain?" Nick enquired.
"Yep."
"Well … that's just great." He scratched the back of his neck uneasily, "Could you get that sent to the labs for further analysis and investigation, along with the other articles that were found?"
Danielle nodded, still staring at the passport. "You know, from what I can see, she kind of resembles that Spanish model. The new one, who's taken off really well in Europe, she's even been featured on the cover of Vogue a few times."
Nick raised his eyebrow again, "Unless she's a page three girl, or featured in any of the GQ magazines, I really wouldn't know." He said, honestly, and Danielle laughed lightly at his comment.
"Well, I'll go get these sent to the labs, but there's a guy around here that wants to speak to you … see there," she pointed towards a tall man in a tan leather jacket standing close to a police car, "He's sergeant James Patterson, and I think he just got hold of some pretty crucial information."
Nick thanked her and followed her direction to the other man.
"Sergeant Patterson?" He greeted. The other man turned around, looking extremely tired, before he placed his cup of what looked to be coffee, on the bonnet of the car.
"You must be Private Detective Caine." He responded, smiling kindly. "We've been doing some research onto the whereabouts of the owner of the vehicle. If it's not a stolen car, I think this guy may be able to help us out." He handed him a report, consisting on a few pages of printed-paper.
Nick took it from him and turned it back and forth, before reading the name at the top of the file.
"Heero Yuy." He mused aloud, "These pages all you got on him?" He asked, waving the report slightly and frowning.
"Yes, unfortunately, he is one tough guy to get information on. However, we've managed to summon up his whereabouts from someone that he works for." Patterson handed him another sheet of paper. "You can find him somewhere around here."
Nick stared at the piece of paper. It was a map and around the bottom, a red marked circle was outlining a reasonable area of land.
"That's a pretty vast estimation." Nick remarked. Patterson shrugged helplessly.
"That's the best that I can do. Good luck, oh and Danielle said that she wanted to go with you. So you might want to talk to her first."
Nick sighed. Heero Yuy, he thought … where are you?
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"Have you ever felt like you're being watched?" Relena suddenly asked, as the cracked planes of the glass entrance doors came into view.
Heero stopped and stared at her, blankly.
"No?" she continued, "I was just wondering because-"
Heero cut her off, "Yes." He blinked, "I have, why?"
Ignoring his question, Relena continued, "It's an unnerving feeling, isn't it? Lately, I've been feeling it a little too often, almost as if I'm constantly under observation."
Heero scoffed, "With all that's been going on lately, I wouldn't doubt it."
"That's why I followed him," she stated, casting her eyes to the pebbled grounds beneath her feet and progressing towards the doors. "I felt that he was watching me. However, when I eventually found him, he seemed as shocked as I was at the encounter."
Shrugging, Heero dismissed her comment, "Probably just paranoia. Now hurry, we have an early rise tomorrow, and with everything that's going ton, I'm sure you're tired." He walked inside the building, feeling a cold draft follow him in. A foreboding chill bit at his spine and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, erect, but he brushed the feeling away and ushered Relena inside.
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Although it was already partly open, the door creaked under the pressure of his hand and as it swung ajar, a cold gush of stale air flooded past him, tugging stray strands of his hair as it did so.
His anxious eyes scarred the bedroom cautiously, before he finally stepped in and as his eyes caught sight of the yellow glimmer of light, protruding from the crack beneath the bathroom suite door, he called out to his friends.
"Duo … Hilde …?"
Frowning, Quatre stood still for a few more moments … "Duo, are you there? … Hilde?"
Silence was his only answer, until suddenly, there was a quiet rustling and for a brief second, he could see a shadowed movement from behind the closed door. Quatre spun around quickly, eyeing the room for a weapon of some sorts. His eyes eventually fell upon a table lamp; he swept it up, pulling it gently from the socket. Holding both the cord and stem of the lamp in his hands, he crept cautiously towards the door.
Holding the lamp hovering over his shoulder, he positioned it so that he could easily strike and with his right foot, swiftly kicked the door open. He jumped into the room, ready to attack, when he was greeted with the sight of a crouched Duo, embracing a limp, exposed body in his arms.
A crash resounded throughout the room as the lamp plummeted to the floor, the bulb smashing into thousands of miniscule shards and merging with the puddles of water, which were drenching the room. His breath caught in the back of his throat and his eyes widened as he stepped back, "Oh God, Duo …" He forced out; throat unexpectedly dry, staring at the braided boy whose dull eyes were gazing blankly towards the back wall, unfocused. "What happened?"
Duo, rocking gently back and forth, still cradling Hilde in his hands, ignored Quatre's bewildered question.
The wind sweeping in through the open window was chilling his body and lungs as he breathed in the stale smell of blood and soap. An odd mixture. Quatre, grabbing the closest towel, which was hung on a bracket at the back of the door, quickly threw the towel over Hilde's body, taking another step backwards, as his head spun, dizzily.
Duo, not even noticing his actions, continued to rock on his heels, his limbs shaking uncontrollably.
Quatre breathed in sharply, suddenly finding it difficult to pass air into his lungs, before choking and stumbling out of the room in shock.
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The silence was awkward and tense as her eyes fastened determinedly on the glowing number display, atop the chrome metal doors.
… Three … She shifted uneasily, the eerie sullenness a burdened weight upon her shoulders.
… Two … She chanced a furtive glance towards the brooding brunet beside her. Heero leant coolly against the shadowed wall, his arms crossed at his chest and his sharp eyes glaring at the opposing wall.
… One … Her eyes veered back to the elevator display, wordlessly pleading for it's presence. A heavy feeling in her chest impaired her breathing habit but as soon as Relena opened her mouth to break the silence, the elevator doors pinged open in front of her.
She felt a rapid rush of fear flow through her veins as she stared at the open door, leading to the ornately designed elevator. Her pale reflection in the glass mirror at the back stared back at her and she hesitantly cast an unsure look at Heero. Couldn't they just take the stairs?
Heero nodded his head tersely at her, and she moved inside, trying her best to keep her claustrophobia beneath the surface. Stepping close to the end wall, and grasping onto the gold plated handrail with white knuckles, she waited as Heero punched the buttons for their floor.
After a few seconds, the elevator shook gently and Relena felt the odd feeling of moving vertically, but not knowing which way she was going … up or down. It was such a strange sensation. Relena stared at her feet, watching how the plush red carpet, covering the floor of the elevator moved when she shifted her feet.
A sudden creaking and jerking brought her out of her trance and she looked up at Heero, a haze of confusion shading her eyes as the lift shuddered to a stop.
" … Heero, what …?" She stared at his hand, which was resting on a small button that had been hidden beneath a metal screen under the elevator's dials before flicking her eyes up to the lift's display. She noted that they were currently hovering somewhere in between levels three and four.
"You … jammed the elevator." She squeaked, her throat suddenly tight and dry.
"I did." Heero agreed, impassively.
"You … but, why?" Her hands were starting to shake and she quickly hid them behind her back, unwilling to allow Heero to find out about this certain weakness. She could defeat it. The feeling would pass soon enough.
Oh God, she thought, was it just her, or was the elevator … swaying? Oh, dear God!
"Because," Heero answered, slowly sliding the cover of the compartment back into place. Relena faintly wondered how he had managed to unscrew the bolt to the screen without her noticing. "We needed to talk."
Relena blinked. "We needed to talk?" she exclaimed, trying to restrain her hysteria. She was not going to die … she was not. "And you couldn't have chosen a more suitable place?"
Heero shook his head. "What's more suitable than an elevator?" He asked, looking around, "We have … privacy, no interruptions, and oh, you can't escape this time." He smirked.
"Well, you've got that right." Relena whispered, her head swiftly moving around, and her eyes darting everywhere, trying to find some way out of this terrible contraption. Who ever invented these things anyway? Floating boxes … hovering between floors with nothing sturdy to balance them but the reliance of a rope.
Heero frowned at her, but decided to brush off her strange actions. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "So how do you know this Matthew guy?"
Relena, groaned, frustrated. She didn't need this right now. In fact, resurrecting her memories with Matthew was the last thing that she wanted to do. "I already told you, I dated him for a while."
"A while?" He drawled, arching a cynical eyebrow.
"A while! Yes, Heero. Now if you're done with your grilling, could you please fix that thing so that we can get out of here?" She asked, trying to make her voice sound forceful and angry, rather than the weak nervousness that she was really feeling.
Heero stared at her. "No. I'm not finished yet."
Relena bit her lip. How many books had she read where elevators jam, and then suddenly plummet down their shaft, carrying its inhabitants with it to a gruesome death? Too many, she mused. Her breathing was fast becoming infrequent and erratic and her vision was starting to blur in front of her, despite her efforts to stay calm.
"Who is he?"
Shaking her head, Relena focused on Heero, keeping her eyes glued to his Prussian blues.
"You have really nice eyes." She commented, before realising what she had said and visibly blushing.
A faint smile crossed Heero's lips before he frowned at her again. "Don't evade the question, Relena. I want out of here just as soon as you do. I mean, do you really think that I want to be stuck in an elevator with you?"
Relena's jaw dropped, "What do you mean by that?"
"I'm just saying that around me, you're the least pleasant person to talk to. With all your biting comments and snide remarks."
Laughing, Relena momentarily forgot her fear of enclosed spaces, "I'm the least pleasant person to talk to? Heero, I highly doubt that a conversation with you would be in the slightest bit charming. And where do you get off? You come back here, after having disappeared for three years, and expect me to be nice to you?"
"Well … why shouldn't I?" Heero retorted, angrily, "I didn't lose you your job, after all."
"Oh please, I tried to apologize for that earlier this week, but you threw it back in my face!" Relena cried, "It wasn't as if you enjoyed it anyway."
Heero scoffed lightly, "It was work, Relena. It's not there for enjoyment."
"Yes, but you act as if you really liked your job as my guard, when in fact, I know that it was the exact opposite. Don't you remember how much you complained to Une after she hired you for the position? I faintly recall you adamantly demanding that you be removed from the post immediately." She stepped forwards, and the elevator creaked quietly. Freezing, her fear suddenly ripped at her mind again, and all of her anger drained from her body.
"That was for entirely different reasons." Heero stated, calmer now, as he leant back against a mirrored wall of the elevator. It groaned again under the pressure of the movement, but Heero remained unperturbed.
"Then why?" Trying to ignore her instinct that was to curl up into a foetal position in the corner and cry until she was removed from the lift.
"The reasons are irrelevant right now, what is relevant, however, is who that Matthew guy is." He crossed his arms over his chest, signalling to Relena that he was resolute in getting his answers.
"He's a politician. I met him through a work colleague, at a conference." She paused to stare at Heero … what else did she really know about Matthew. Strangely, for being with the man for a year, she knew very little about him.
"And …" He pressed.
Relena shrugged. "We split up." She lied.
Heero's eyes narrowed, "Relena, I need more information than that! This is for your own protection."
Relena breathed in deeply, feeling a nagging urge to gain more oxygen into her lungs, but it seemed that their supply was running out. This fact and Heero's relentlessness sent her into a state of frenzied panic, and she released it in the form of anger upon the unsuspecting Heero.
"Why would you care? You're not my bodyguard anymore! There's no need for you to pretend to care about my protection, so give up the act, and let me out!" She all but screamed at him.
Heero was in front of her in seconds, and this time, because of the sudden proximity, Relena didn't notice the cart rocking slightly, she was too busy pressing herself into the back wall, attempting to put a greater distance between the two.
He was so close that she could feel the swift rise and fall of his chest, the warmth of his hot breath skimming against her cheek and the intensity of his dark eyes as they bore straight into her, with a raging passion.
"Because," he started, his voice calmer than what she had anticipated, "contrary to popular belief; I do care."
Before she had a chance to reply, his head had swooped down, sealing the statement with his lips as he pulled her into a desperate, intense kiss that had both her mind and heart racing. His hands enclosing both the sides of her face, hot and strangely surreal as she hastily looped her arms around his neck, wanting … needing more. Her anxious fingers threaded through the soft locks of hair at the crook of his neck as his hands moved slowly down her body, eventually clasping around her waist. Relena released a gasp of surprise as he roughly tugged at her, attempting to bring her as close to him as possible, her body pressed tightly against his.
He pulled away, tipping his head back slightly and seemingly searching her face for something with an unfathomable expression. Blinking a few times, he suddenly grinned down at her, the passion in his eyes truly intoxicating, before his lips collided against hers.
Relena moaned as his strong hand slipped around to her back and began to caress the skin there, in perfect, tender circles. Her hands slid underneath his shirt, tugging it up slightly as they explored the contours of his chiselled abdominal muscles.
Relena's back swiftly collided with the cool metal of the elevator wall.
The world seemed to be spinning, shattering, crumbling beneath her feet …
Cree-eeak!
She felt Heero freeze, his hold on her becoming rigid and tensed, as her eyes snapped open, pupils dilated in panic.
The elevator screeched noisily again, dropping down slightly before beginning to rise again, the levitating feeling once again greeting her stomach with its strange presence.
"Damn it," Heero growled, shoving his dark hair back out of his eyes, which, when they caught hers, Relena noticed were darker than she had ever seen them and brimming with unbridled lust.
Letting go of her, he took a few steps backwards as the lift pinged and they came to a stop. The doors drew open, and it seemed to Relena, as though everything was suddenly pulled back into a slower motion.
Trowa stared at them; his face ashen and emerald green eyes wide with something akin to shock. They flickered from her to Heero before blank shutters were abruptly drawn across and she could no longer read anything beneath their murky surface.
His mouth opened slowly, and he mimed something that she could neither catch nor comprehend, as if her mind had stopped functioning altogether.
Beside her, Heero jumped to attention, his usual, lazy grin wiped from his face immediately and his eyes wild and alert. Words left his mouth, but they too, were lost to her misunderstanding, and then suddenly, the two men were darting off down the dark, dimly lit corridors.
Relena, shaking herself from the stupor, stared after them, watching as life sped up to its usual pace once again.
Hilde … she thought, remembering the one word that had stood out to her from the conversation. Her chest constricted painfully, the cardigan in her hand loosely fell to the floor beneath her feet and then she ran.
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Running as fast as his legs could possibly allow him, his breaths rapid and uneven, Wufei bolted around the corner of the corridor, pushing against the thick heavy air that swept around his body. The haste of his movements stimulated a wind against his face and his ebony black hair whipped backwards and away from his face.
It was all his fault. He was so stupid … stupid, stupid, stupid! He should have listened to him … he should have listened to Duo …
"This is all the proof we need!" His voice was sharp and ragged, the harshness signalling his fatigue. "This place is dangerous, they know where we are. We need to leave. NOW."
"Duo, calm down. They'll be expecting that. It's safer if we stay here and prepare to fight." Wufei retorted, anything but calm himself.
"Fight?" Duo cried, "With WHAT exactly? We have NO weapons, and I refuse to sit back and watch them eliminate us, like they did these people …" His arms widened as he gestured to the masses of bodies around him. "These innocents were slaughtered tonight, Wufei. We're leaving!"
Wufei shook his head, scornfully. "No," he replied, his tone resolute, "We stay."
If he had just listened to him, if they had just left … None of this would have happened. Wufei scowled, still pacing down the corridor. His energy was draining quickly. If only he hadn't been so damned prideful.
345 … 347 … 349 … His eyes scanned the golden number plates, fastened to each door.
… 351 …
This was it. He skidded to a halt, the golden 353 glimmered at him from the side of his eye, but he wasn't paying attention. His fisted hands were already hammering on the wooden exterior to the oaken door, beating violently into the grain. Continuously hammering … they needed help … needed help now. His breaths were erratic, short and lacking in the oxygen that he needed so desperately.
His torso slumped against the door, his fists still thrashing as the door swung backwards. He collapsed; his energy dispersed, and fell to his knees, staring at Sally, his vision a blurred haze.
Sally frowned at him, concern tracing the eyes of her alert yet tired face, "Wufei?"
"Come … Hilde …" Wufei breathed out, closing his eyes as the world darkened. It was all his fault.
Before he blacked out, the faint sound of sirens ringing through the air, greeted his ears with a somewhat reassuring comfort.
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The place brought back too many familiar memories. The stringent, acrid smell of disinfectant and stale air, the high-gloss linoleum that shimmered beneath the stark white lights, that hung in large frames from the ceiling. And of course, the agitated anxiety that plummeted through their nervous systems.
Quatre watched, dazedly, as Wufei paced up and down the corridor. Five steps, pivot, and then back again. His head was cast down to the floor, where he could make out his blurred, hazy reflection.
Trowa, leaning against the opposite wall, ran restless fingers through his cinnamon locks as he tipped his head backwards, staring at the white ceiling.
Heero sat down on one of the plastic blue chairs that lined the halls, his body unnaturally slouched forwards as he propped his chin up with his arm, which was balanced on his knee. His eyes looked weary and exhausted as they flitted back and forth between the unresponsive Duo and the curtained windows of another ward.
But Duo still hadn't budged from his position, Heero didn't doubt that the guy would stop blinking if he could … stop breathing. That was why he had to keep an eye on him. He wouldn't see a doctor, he wouldn't move from the spot until he seen Hilde again, he had declared previously. The doctor had shaken his head, staring at the dishevelled boy in front of him. Because, in his eyes, that's all Duo really was; a boy.
"He's in shock. Post-traumatic shock," the Doctor had told Heero. "He needs to be seen to. The condition that he's in is very serious."
Heero ruffled the hair at the top of his head; scrunching it up in his fingers before dropping his arm. The hair continued to stick up, in an unruly fashion.
He stared at Duo, who had been in a trance ever since the security guards had pried him away from Hilde, yelling, kicking and screaming, so that they could move her to the operating theatre. He sure had put on a scene. Had the situation not been so dire, he might have found it amusing, considering that they had needed to call upon eight well-built guards to keep him under control.
Heero shook his head. "He won't move. Give him some time."
The Doctor stared at him, condescendingly, "Look, sir, I understand that his wife has just been taken into the O.R.-"
"And his unborn child."
"Yes," the doctor agreed, "But his situation is just as serious as hers."
Sighing, Heero shook his head again, "You could try, but I'm telling you that the love that he holds for his family, will ensure that you won't be able to move him an inch."
And he had been right. They hadn't been able to budge him, and finally, the doctor had given up, and told Heero to keep an eye on him.
It had been five hours that they had been sitting there, and nobody had even seen Duo flinch when spoken to. Eventually, they had just let him be, keeping their words of comfort to themselves.
Relena, sitting next to where Trowa was seated, hiccupped, her chest shuddering as she attempted to control her relentless tears. She dabbed her tissue underneath her eyes again, and continued to stare at the wall. Her whole body was shaking, and she just couldn't help but let her mind drift back to the earlier scene. She visualised Hilde's frail, pallid body … the crude gashes on her wrists … her icy cold skin, her blue lips.
She broke down again. Her whole body contracted as a fresh wave of sobs overtook her body. Trowa was kneeling in front of her in seconds, his kind, yet drained emerald orbs piercing into her own with so much concern. It was overwhelming. Her body heaved again.
Trowa pulled her forwards, and into his arms, and she came, willingly, resting her head upon his shoulder as she continued to cry.
"Shh …" He whispered into her ear, soothingly, as he caressed her arms with his fingers, whilst trying to remain balanced.
Relena sniffled, her sobs easing out and eventually she relaxed in his arms. After a few minutes, she felt someone's gaze boring into her, she turned her head to the other side, and caught Heero's gaze. His eyes were sharp, holding an emotion that she couldn't quite distinguish. They narrowed before he turned away, picking up a newspaper from the chair beside him.
Relena shuddered, the tension between them had dramatically increased since their tryst in the elevator, and they were barely able to meet each others gazes, instead opting to avoid eye contact and distance themselves from the other as much as possible.
She flitted her eyes towards Quatre, who still looked traumatised; his hand tightly interlaced with Dorothy's and his knuckles white from the pressure of his grip.
She was about to say something to him, something consoling, but as soon as she opened her mouth to say something, a doctor purposely strode down the hall, stopping in front of them.
"Mister Maxwell?" He asked, his gaze scanning along each of them.
Duo, torn from his daze, immediately leapt to his feet, Heero swiftly following his actions. Duo's knees buckled beneath him, under the sudden strain and Heero hands immediately darted out to his shoulders, securing his friend.
"That's … me." Duo croaked; voice dry and hoarse from lack of use.
The older doctor wore green overalls, which Heero recognised as the ones worn by surgeons, from his earlier years, were he was constantly being dragged into hospitals – against his own will – for major operations, due to his war wounds. The surgeon nodded, before proceeding, with a hesitant smile, "Your wife is going to be fine-"
Duo nearly collapsed again, with relief, and Heero tightened his grasp.
"And the baby?" He interrupted.
The doctor smiled again, this time more genuinely, "Will also be fine. However, we would like to keep her here for a week or so, until she fully stabilises. She has lost a lot of blood, and she could easily still fall into a coma, but her statistics at the moment are looking bright, and we're hoping for a steady recovery."
Duo blinked and the nodded, "Can I see her?"
"Yes, but I have to warn you that she hasn't woken yet since the operation, and we don't expect her to for another few days."
"That's fine," Duo answered, hastily, already trying to shove Heero off him and make his way towards the door.
The surgeon grabbed Heero's shoulder as Duo moved towards the ward. "She still looks a bit … unstable. I assure you that she's fine, but if the girls …" he gestured his head towards Relena and Dorothy, "are still slightly shaken … maybe you shouldn't-"
"We're fine doctor," Relena said, prying herself from Trowa and standing up.
The surgeon nodded, "Okay then … go right ahead."
Heero watched as Relena followed Duo into the room, still shaking slightly. He frowned, worriedly, wondering whether she would be okay. He stepped aside as everyone else but Wufei entered the room before signalling for him also, to go ahead.
Wufei stared at him, but when Heero turned fully towards the dark-haired man, he realised that he wasn't staring at him at all, but past his shoulder.
Turning, Heero sought out what he was looking at, and creased his forehead in confusion. Now what?
"Heero Yuy?" Heero glared at the man.
"That's me."
The man dug within his inside pocket, before motioning to the girl beside him, "This is Danielle Lewis from the CSI unit, and I'm Private Detective Nick Caine." Finding what he was looking for, Nick Caine pulled out a leather cover and flashed him the gold badge that was concealed beneath the flaps. "May I have a quick word?"
Heero glanced back at Wufei, who shrugged, looking just as confused as him. He sighed; they were probably going to question him on the scene at the hotel, considering Duo wasn't in the right state of mind to be making any statements.
"Yes." He answered monotonously. Caine nodded solemnly, before signalling to the small room at the end of the hall. Heero acquiesced and followed both him and the CSI agent into the room, unbeknownst to the interrogation that he was about to undertake.
'… Love from one being to another can only be that two solitudes come nearer, recognize and protect and comfort each other.' -- Han Suyin Elizabeth Comber
A/N – EVENTUALLY! I know, it has been ages, but if you read my note, I'm sure you'll understand why. Also, to make up for it, this chapter is considerably longer than all the others (beams) yay!
I have to thank Pam for helping me with this chapter, and reading over it for me. Thank you!
Also, if you, too, would like to pre-read chapters before I post and make brief comments on the work, please contact me, I would LOVE your help.
This chapter is dedicated to you, yes YOU, My reader … for basically just reading this, and giving support, even though I've been awful with updates. I'm just letting you know, that every one of you, reading this chapter right now, means the world to me, regardless of whether you have reviewed before or not.
Although, reviews would be nice (grins) especially ones that don't merely consist of one liners lol.
But anyways … THANK YOU FOR READING, darlings.
And I hope to update soon.
P.S. I haven't had time to go over this much, as I wanted to post it ASAP. However, I did check it a few times. But if you do find any mistakes or errors anywhere, please do tell. Thanks.