I do not own Gundam Wing.  This fan fiction has no commercial value and I am not making any kind of profit or income off of this.  

 

Chapter 13

 

            The doctor found her sleeping lightly on one of the wooden benches in the waiting area.  “Miss Darlian,” he called loudly.

            She opened her eyes drowsily.  “Yes?  How is he?” Relena asked, blinking back the haze of sleep.

            “The next twenty-four hours are critical.  Surgery went as well as can be expected, considering the extent of his injuries.”  The doctor’s expression was severe.  There was no use in giving anyone false hopes.  Better for them to assume the worst, and be mentally prepared for what one hoped would never come.

            Relena frowned at the doctor’s words.  “May I see him?”

            “Yes.  But you can only stay for a short time.”  The smile that lit up her features threatened to break through the older man’s stoic barriers.  Relena just had that effect on people.

 

            A nurse led her down a long corridor and opened the door to his room.  Relena’s heart broke at the sight of him lying there so helpless; his beautiful wild brown hair slicked down against his forehead with sweat.  The quiet “shush” of the respirator was soothing despite its frightening appearance, and a harsh beeping sound warned off death with its steady beat.

Relena took a deep breath as fear coursed through her body.  “Heero,” she whispered.

            The nurse watched from the doorway with compassion for the poor girl.  She looked down at the chart and shook her head at the instructions for limited visitation before exiting the room.

            Relena pulled the chair from its place against the wall to Heero’s bedside and sat down.  She gently wove her fingers in with those of his left hand.  “Please,” she begged in her mind. “Please, God, don’t take him from me again….”

            *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

            White.  Florescent lights reflected off antiseptic walls.  Heero opened his eyes and blinked, trying to adjust to the harsh glare.  He felt something in his left hand - a touch warm and soft.  Ignoring the pain in his shoulder as he turned his head, he looked down to see what it was. 

            Relena was sitting in a chair, slumped over the side of his hospital bed holding his hand.  Her golden hair loose about her shoulders, spilled in waves over the colorless sheets.  He pulled his hand gently from her grasp and ran it lightly through the silky threads.

“Relena…” he murmured.

 

            She felt something in her hair; it felt like rain.  She looked up at the sunny sky and frowned.  Someone was calling her name.  She opened her eyes and groaned as she tried to lift her head with aching muscles.  “How long have I been asleep?” she wondered as she rubbed her neck. 

            She heard the reassuring sound of the heart monitor beeping, and sighed.  She looked with tired eyes up at that ever-sleeping face and froze.

            “Heero!” she cried out, a smile lighting up her features.

            Sapphire eyes sparkled with life despite the pale skin marred with dark circles surrounding their depths.  He smiled slightly and moved his hand to push aside strands of gold that fell in her face. 

            “You’re awake.  How do you feel?” Her cheerful expression changed quickly to one of concern.

            “Better,” he whispered hoarsely.

            Her smile returned, and she grabbed his hand, holding it in both of hers.  He closed his eyes again and drifted back to sleep.  He never saw the silver tears that silently slipped down her face.

            *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

            A young woman with long pale blonde hair and cold blue eyes turned an arrogant smile on Treize.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.  Governor Darlian is not involved with any of this business.  You must be mistaken.”
            “The Governor doesn’t have much to do with this, we know, but we suspect that you do.”  Treize snarled, leaning close to her face as he spoke. 

Dorothy’s expression didn’t betray any of her fear.  Her outward appearance remained calm, as if she was immune to his threats.  Politics had taught her something after all.

            “I won’t say another word without speaking to my lawyer first,” she said firmly, and looked away from the wretched man in front of her.

            *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

            The next morning, Heero was moved out of the ICU.  His vital signs were as expected, and the doctors changed his status from critical to stable.  He was given a private room with a large window, and a television set.

 

            Relena pulled the curtains back to let some sunlight in.  He gave her a quizzical look.  “I thought the sun would do you good,” she smiled.

            “Hn.”  He watched her intently.  It seemed like she had something on her mind, but she wasn’t talking.  Just flitting about the room, tending to his every whim.  Fluffing pillows, helping him eat.  It was nice, comforting, but at his heart, somehow unsettling. 

            “Why are you still here?” he asked coldly.  “God it hurts to breathe,” he groaned mentally.

            “What do you mean?” Her bright look and sunny demeanor suddenly dimmed.

            “You should go home, get some rest.  You look terrible.”

            Her eyebrows shot up in surprise.  “You don’t look so good yourself.” She retorted, crossing her arms. 

            “I’m not supposed to.”

            “What’s that supposed to mean?”

            “Nothing.  You should just take better care of yourself.  The hospital pays doctors and nurses to watch over me.  I don’t need you, too.”

            “Well, thank you very much!” She said angrily.  The hurt look in her eyes was not lost on Heero.

            “Relena, I didn’t mean….” He tried to shift slightly in his bed, but every movement hurt.  “You should go home and rest.  Take a shower, and relax.  You worry too much, I’m fine.”

            She turned away from him, and faced the window.  She didn’t speak.

            “Relena…”

            “And where should I go?” She asked in a low voice.

            “What do you mean?”
            “I mean, where should I go?  You stopped me from leaving….  I was only staying with father while I was attending law school.  When we had our little…disagreement, I was going to go back to Dallas.  I had friends there from college.  You stopped me from getting on the plane.  I have no home here, anymore.  Nor do you, if you remember correctly.”

            He could have kicked himself.  His house had been obliterated by the bomb just two days ago. 

            She wasn’t looking at him, just staring out the window.  “I guess I should really stop living in denial.”

            “What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, suddenly afraid of the answer.

            “You never really cared, did you?”

            “What?”

            “I was just one of your ‘objectives’, wasn’t I?  Treize told me, but Duo tried to deny it.  I wanted to see for myself.”

            “Relena, I…”

            “No.  Rest, Heero.  If you have something to say, we can talk about it later.  Right now you need to get better,” she said softly.  “ I’ll go.”

            His eyes followed her out of the room.  “I’m sorry, Relena,” he whispered after the door closed and she was no longer in sight.  He closed his eyes and felt a different pain in his chest – one that the painkillers wouldn’t be able to numb. 

 

            Heero opened his eyes the next morning to silence.  He glanced around the room and sighed.  She wasn’t there.  Pain radiated from his wounds burning like a hungry flame.  He pressed the button for the nurse and closed his eyes again. 

            A disturbance outside his room woke him from his light sleep.  The nurse burst in, reluctantly letting in an endlessly chattering Duo.  “Hey!  You’re awake!” he exclaimed cheerfully.  “They weren’t letting me in claiming that you needed your rest, which I understand of course, having been there myself and all – you know on the brink of death…Anyway, then you’re little light-thingy came on indicating you wanted your medication, and nursy here had to admit you were awake.  But she said I couldn’t come in until after she’d administered it.” 

Heero looked at the nurse, silently pleading for something that would knock him out to stop the pain of Duo’s incessant yapping on his eardrums. 

“So, howya feelin’, buddy?  Where’s Relena?”  He asked without taking a breath and looking about the room.  His smile faded as he took in his friend’s face.  “Aw, man…I uh, I tried to stop them, but you know her asshole of a father – somehow he found out, and well….” Duo watched his friend for some sort of reaction to what he was saying, but there was no expression on Heero’s face.  He continued, anyway, “You’d be proud of her, though.  She told the old man to kiss off.  I mean, not exactly in those words, but she told him to leave her alone, and that she wouldn’t listen to him anymore.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”  Heero turned to look up at the ceiling.

“Well, I don’t care, you’re going to talk about it,” Duo said firmly.  “You’ve both been through hell for one another, and yet – here you are, no closer than when you started.  You’re still letting that infernal man beat you.”

Heero glared at him sharply.  “Beat me?”

“Yes, you’re letting him win.  What’s worse is that you’re actually proving him right.”

Heero looked away.  “What makes you think I actually care about her?”

Duo snorted.  “Oh, pu-lease.  Don’t insult my intelligence.  You should have seen your face when Treize was talking about sending her in there to ‘talk’ to Trowa.  I had never seen you get jealous before then, but I have now.”  Duo smirked, “It’s not a pretty sight.”

“I wasn’t jealous.  I was…concerned about her safety.  Trowa can be violent when backed in a corner.”  Heero’s eyes dared Duo to contradict him.  “I don’t see what this has to do with anything, anyway.  Did Trowa make it?”

Duo glared at his friend.  He was not convinced by Heero’s declaration of apathy.  He remembered the scene out on the high school lawn that fateful day, as vivid as if it had happened yesterday.  He had never seen proof that there was such a thing as destiny, until he saw Relena in Heero’s arms.  Even at sixteen, they just had seemed to fit together; he had never seen his friend so happy as he was during those few months.  Or as angry as the day he had come back after seeing Relena’s father.  Duo had quietly helped the sullen boy pack his few belongings, and had made a solemn vow to himself that he would tell Relena his version what had happened.  And he would have, had Heero not made him promise otherwise. 

“She doesn’t need to find out from you, Duo.”

He wouldn’t make that mistake twice.  He wouldn’t promise Heero this time.

“Yeah, Trowa made it out of surgery okay.  Treize is just waiting for the doctor’s release to start questioning him.”

“He saved my life in there.  Tell Treize to give him a break.”

“What?  No way! Treize is in with Darlian and Chief Marquise offering them a deal to turn state’s evidence on the Barton boys.”

“Duo, he’s making a mistake.  Trowa’s not the one he wants.  He could still be in some danger.”  Heero’s voice was quiet, but there was an urgency to it that made Duo angry.

“I can’t believe you!  He almost ruined your life completely, and you’re protecting him.  May I remind you that if it hadn’t been for me, you could be facing charges yourself right now,” Duo growled.

“You shouldn’t have covered for me – the only thing you succeeded in doing is putting your own career in jeopardy, too.”

“Yeah, well, I thought I was doing it for a friend.”  Duo said, moving toward the door.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.  Just get some rest….” He opened the door and started to leave.

“Duo!”  Heero called out.

“Yeah?” Duo paused in the doorway.

“It’s Zeches.  Don’t offer him a deal.  He shot Trowa to cover up his own involvement in the assassination attempt.  He was the one that wanted Darlian dead.”  Heero paused a moment to let the information sink in.  “Give the deal to Trowa.”

“Do you have any proof?”  Duo asked.

“No.  You just have to trust me.”

“I don’t know if I can anymore,” Duo said glancing down at the floor.  He shut the door behind him.