Just, don't think it is strange if it is completely different tomorrow than it was tonight. I'm sure my editor will have some choice words about the ending._______________________________________
Relena rubbed her arms briefly for warmth, trying to send a subtle message to her personal assistant to remove herself from between the air conditioning control and the freezing Foreign Minister. Either Relena wasn?t as good as she thought at conveying herself through body language, or her newest secretary was oblivious, because Relena was still cold and the assistant was still droning on about the public appearances to be made before the end of the day.
?I thought I was done.? Relena told the woman wearily, mentally thinking of ways to shift her on top of the off button for the air conditioning. Or maybe Relena could just bolt on the next red light; better yet, she could push the offensive woman out the door and drive off. ?Look. Miss Butling??
?Butler.?
?Right. Butler. If it?s all the same to you, I?d rather go back to my hotel and get a good night?s rest.? Relena ignored the woman narrowing her eyes. She really didn?t care if another person thought she was a spoiled princess. The assistant had woken her fourteen hours ago, and since then they hadn?t stopped moving. The only difference was that Relena would have to get out of the limo and give a long involved speech to the press at every stop, and the secretary would stay in the car and buddy up with the driver. Relena could practically feel the heat seeping out of her body as it quickly shut down for sleep. If she didn?t lie down now, she was going to fall over.
?No. You still have to go hospital to visit a dying man.? Butler passed over a file folder. ?The stats just came in on your last campaign stop. The young man is one of the surviving victims of that new radioactive chemical explosion that happened on Jupiter?s second moon. Apparently he?s a big fan of yours.?
?Everyone is a big fan of mine. I was just at the hospital this morning to cut the ribbon for the new wing. I don?t appreciate making another trip.? As soon as she said it, Relena could feel the guilt seeping into her kind conscience. What kind of Peacecraft was she if she couldn?t take a moment from her day to visit a dying man? A Milliardo Peacecraft, that?s what. Since she didn?t want to end up like her miserly brother, she turned on her best smile and nodded to her secretary. ?Of course, I understand that if his conditioned worsened over the day, that it would be prudent for me to quickly drop in. What kind of fan is he??
The assistant looked relieved that Relena had decided to forsake sleep for another thirty minutes and handed the FM a cold glass of water. Relena, for her part, felt like pouring the water over Butler?s skirt, then firing her for having an ?accident? in her limo.
?Do you find it chilly in here?? The blond princess questioned, placing the glass out of reach without taking a drink. She figured she?d take the subtleness to the next level of obvious.
?Not really.? The assistant took a sip of her own glass of water before continuing. ?The young man?s name is Jerrod Curtis. His girlfriend said he?s the reason so many people survived.?
?So she wants me to visit her hero then?? Relena asked, pulling her suit jacket tighter across her chest.
?That hasn?t been verified. The girlfriend is not the one who called us. Apparently the guy only said one word before slipping into a coma and the nurses called Lady Une, who in turn authorized your visit.?
Relena thought she had been cold before, but now her body was completely chilled inside and out. Lady Une wouldn?t authorize her to visit just anyone.
?I bet you can guess what one word he said.?
?Could you turn on the heat?? Relena could feel herself shaking. She hadn?t checked this morning. Every single morning she woke up and checked Heero?s mission status; he was always on active duty, but she hadn?t checked this morning. This morning she had been woken up at six by her enthusiastic new assistant.
?But Miss Dorlain, we?re here.?
?Just turn. It. On. Bunting.? Relena growled through clenched teeth.
?Butler!? The secretary screeched, flinging her glass of water at Relena. ?You are the worst, most spoiled employer I have ever had? and I?m not voting for you.?
Relena sat, unmoving, on her leather seat. Water dripped from her nose to her toes and most places in between. ?I?m moved to tears.? She replied monotonously. ?You?re fired.? She almost expected the other woman to yell something clich? like ?you can?t fire me, I quit!? but instead Butler started to cry. Feeling uncharitable, Relena stepped out of the limo, forcibly yanking her skirt down from where it wetly clung to her nylons like sticky-tack to a wall. Luckily, the press wasn?t around to snap pictures of the drenched politician.
Who knew such a small glass of water could be so wet?
A few medical staff and visitors noticed Relena?s bedraggled state, but most of the people in the hospital were too entrenched in their own lives to notice. Not many patients walked out of this hospital alive, and the healthy visitors were here to mourn the eminent passing of their kin. Relena sidled up to the front desk. For a moment the burly woman manning the area didn?t notice her.
?Name?? The receptionist asked, not looking up from her computer. Her brow was clenched Neanderthalically over beady eyes.
?I?m looking for Jerrod Curtis.? This whole hospital made Relena nervous. It wasn?t just because the receptionist looked like she had a vampire forehead. She had prior history in this place.
?Name?? The receptionist asked again, in exactly the same tone. Relena had to look carefully to make sure she wasn?t a droid. Why anyone would make a robot that ugly was beyond her.
?Me?? She giggled anxiously. ?Relena. Relena Dorlain.?
This time the receptionist did look up. ?Well, well. Our returning celebrity. We?ve been expecting you.? She handed Relena a visitor pass. ?Third floor. Room 329.?
Relena nodded her thanks, despite the fact the receptionist had already turned her attention back to the computer, and headed towards the elevator. The elevator stopped on the second floor and two paramedics wheeled in a gurney with a body-shaped lump covered in a sheet.
?Freight elevator is broken.? One of the men muttered apologetically.
?Say.? The other one broke in. ?Do you want her clothes? She won?t need them anymore.?
?Uh.? Relena replied, wondering why the elevator was taking so long to raise a floor. The doors parted like the Red Sea, and Relena squeezed through them before they opened all the way.
?I was only joking,? paramedic number two muttered as the blond hurried down the hall.
Relena stopped in front of room 329, palms sweating and heart racing. Taking a deep breath which did nothing to calm her nerves, she twisted the door knob and stepped into a dim room. She found herself in a small observation room, with a wall made completely of glass. This meant the patient was in containment so nothing could be passed to or from him. She?d seen a room like this before. Still not exhaling her breath, she crossed the small distance to the glass and placed a hand against the cool surface. The room may have been badly lit and depressing, but she would know the man behind that glass anywhere.
She had come as a courtesy to visit a dying hero, but had instead found her Heero dying.
Stifling a cry, she let herself drop like a drug user?s grades into a nearby chair. She wanted to beat at the glass with her fists; to feel the pain of flesh breaking glass, and maybe to wake her sleeping prince out of his coma. If she could only touch him and hold him close, maybe everything would be alright. Maybe he wouldn?t see it necessary to dedicate his life to completing high-risk assignments and would just spend the rest of his life with her. Maybe he?d realize how precious his life was, and that there was no point in wasting it anymore. Maybe she?d sprout scales and a tail and become a mermaid.
Maybe Heero wouldn?t die like the other 99.9% of the patients in this hospital.
Personal waterfalls of tears trickled down her cheeks. Furiously, she wiped them off with the back of her hand, knowing that he wouldn?t condone her tears yet. ?You can?t die. We?ve come so far. There?s still so much we?? Her voice cracked. Relena had to lift her hand over her mouth to stifle wayward noises.
?Horrifying site, isn?t he?? Relena jumped, turning bodily to face the dark haired woman lounging against the doorframe. ?I understand your tears. If you?re crying, you don?t want to throw up as much.? The other female paused at the edge of the glass divider and looked in at Heero, her lip curled in such a way that would make even the most hard-core Elvis impersonator proud. ?No one around here thought you?d visit some unknown hero. But I guess you aren?t as cold as you seem on TV.?
Indeed.
The woman continued, oblivious to the insult she just drilled at Relena. ?Jerrod?s got this secret thing for you. He had this article cut from a magazine on how to cook chicken teriyaki, and on the other side was a picture of you. He always had it with him. Said he loved chicken.? The lady shrugged. ?No one loves chicken that much.?
Relena blinked at the woman. She was having extreme difficulties keeping her tears at bay. Hopefully she had taken a lesson or five from Heero in the art of expressionlessism. Here was Heero?s girlfriend. For the past four months he had spent time in the company of this other female. He talked to this woman. He smiled and held her. He had sex with this stranger? Relena felt betrayed, but a little nagging question formed in her mind. Was he happy? What did it take to make him happy?
Obviously not her.
?What?? Relena?s throat constricted, causing her carefully controlled voice to crack. She switched gears in the hope she wouldn?t break down sobbing. Heero had cheated on her. She thought they had an understanding. ?I?m sorry; I didn?t get your name.?
?Karyline.?
?Ah.? Relena nodded, her hair falling to cover her face. She didn?t dare move it until she asked her next question. She didn?t have Heero?s rigid control. ?What is he like??
?Jerrod?? A dreamy look came over Karyline?s face. ?Oh. He was so handsome. He just had this strength to him. You know. I think that?s what first drew me to him. That and his eyes. They?re the deepest blue you?ve ever seen. He?s shy though. And he pretends he doesn?t want to have me around sometimes.? The woman leaned in towards Relena. ?If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell the nurses??
Relena wasn?t sure what it was about total strangers immediately trusting her. She must have a reputation for being the only trustworthy politician, or maybe it was her innocent looks. Whatever it was, the last thing she wanted to do was keep a secret for Heero?s little plaything. Relena nodded her assent and for one of the first times in her life she had no moral qualms about breaking her word. Jealousy was a dangerous thing. ?Mum?s the word.?
?Well, I?m not really Jerrod?s girlfriend. They wouldn?t let me in unless I was some relation.? Karyline frowned as Relena expelled a relieved sigh. The other woman must have taken Relena?s thankful expelling of air as disapproval, for she hurried on with her explanation. ?He would have though. He said he had someone already, but he never talked about her. I think he was getting over a bad breakup. All we needed was a bit more time.? Karyline placed her hand against the glass divider, curling her fingers as if she was trying to grasp something just out of her reach. ?We?ll never have that now.?
Just like that, Relena?s overwhelming jealousy turned to pity. She could understand this mindset. She had chased after Heero for months, but the difference was that he had started to chase her in retaliation. Really, she should say something to comfort the other woman. Something like better luck next time; you?re delusional; or her personal favourite, Heero?s mine. Go find yourself a man who doesn?t like chicken!!! Instead, she settled for, ?Have faith in him.?
It was a motto to live by. And Heero wasn?t cheating on her, so it was one she was keeping.
A knock sounded on the door. Karyline jerked her hand away from the glass as if it was molten. A short woman walked in the room and pointed to the startled woman. ?You out.?
Kary turned to Relena and pointed back at the doctor with her thumb. ?She doesn?t like me.?
Relena raised her eyebrows at Karyline?s audacity. She wouldn?t like anyone who treated her like that either. This woman who claimed Heero as her own seemed to have major social issues. For someone of Relena?s stature, who had been educated in the art of etiquette, it was impossible to imagine herself in this position. She didn?t have as much in common with Kary as she had thought.
?Why don?t you get some coffee?? The doctor asked, scrubbing a hand over her forehead while staring down the cheeky little man-stealer. ?I need to talk to Miss Dorlian for a minute.?
Kary shot Relena a look of pure venom before turning towards the door. ?Sure. Would either of you like some??
?No thank you.? Relena responded, trying to smile in the face of the woman?s hate and distrust.
?Fine.? Kary looked directly at the doctor, locking Relena?s dislike for her firmly in place. ?Don?t tell her anything confidential. Remember, I?m first of kin.?
The door slammed.
Relena and the physician eyed each other without speaking for an uncomfortable moment.
?We?ve had problems with her since the beginning.? The doctor took a keychain off her belt loop, shaking her head as if she could control everyone who walked in and out of the doors in her ward. ?I?m Dr. Stovelnate.? She extended her hand to Relena.
Relena grasped the doctor?s hand. ?I recognize you. You saved my life.?
The doctor gave a quick laugh. ?You brought down our death rate by 2.4 percent that year. Some of me coworkers won?t let me forget that. You weren?t supposed to live.?
Relena pursed her lips, turning away from Dr. Stovelnate. She couldn?t help but stare beyond the glass at Heero laying motionlessly on the stark sheets. Heero had held a gun on the entire hospital personnel and made them try the precarious operation on her heart again. He had never left her side. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes again, and she had to force herself to swallow down the lump in her throat. ?You were coerced.?
The physician placed a hand on Relena?s shoulder. ?I didn?t recognize him at first. Which was weird. I thought I?d know the man who shot my coworker in the foot. Your friend Duo wasn?t sure it was him either.? She took the keys in her hand and opened the door. It soundlessly inched open, spilling harsh light into the dim chamber Heero occupied. ?Brace yourself.? The doctor finished, edging Relena into the room in front of her.
Relena barely heard her. She kept thinking about Duo not identifying Heero. That scared Relena more than anything. How injured would Heero have to be for Duo not to recognize his face? All this time, she had been so confident everyone was over reacting, and eventually Heero would come out of his coma and be his regular staunchly, callous self. He had so often in the past, it was slowly dawning on her that she had placed far too much faith on Heero?s self-rejuvenation talents. He had never looked as mortal as he did in this moment as she stood on the brink of his hospital bedroom, noticing for the first time that what she had previously taken for blankets were actually wrapped bandages which enveloped his body like a second layer of epithelial. ?Heero,? She whispered, taking a baby step forward as her breath came in choppy bursts.
Her heels clicked sharply on the austere hospital tiles, betraying her hesitancy to reach his bedside. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind that this was the man she loved. Duo might have trouble recognizing this faceless man, but Relena knew his sheer presence better than she knew her own face. A stranger wouldn?t make her feel so calm and safe, yet excited and intoxicated at the same time. She placed a hand on the bedside rail to steady herself as her other fragile limb reached towards his shoulder. She paused before making contact, turning towards the doctor standing impassively in the doorway. Dr. Stovelnate nodded, urging her to continue. ?Most of his nerves are dead. He won?t feel the pain.?
She felt herself nod in response. Her hand connected solidly with his shoulder, and she left it gently resting there as a bridge between the two of them.
The doctor moved away from the door and opened up a closet next to the doorway to the bathroom. She hauled out a small brightly wrapped box. ?I almost forgot about this. Major Maxwell asked that I give it to you the last time he was here.? She handed Relena the gift. ?He said it?s a just-in-case present and that you?d know what it meant.?
Relena?s head bobbled in assent. Duo had always bought Hilde a little token of his affection before going on a life-threatening mission so she would know he was always thinking of her. Just in case he died. Heero had the unforgiving task of looking after the gift and presenting it to the bereaving girlfriend. As far as Relena knew, Heero had never reciprocated and gave her a present in care of Duo before. She cupped the small box in her hand, weighing and coddling it as if it were the most valuable thing in the world. And to her it was.
Reluctantly she stuffed it into the pocket of her pants, taking all her willpower not to rip it open and see what Heero could possible buy her. Maybe it was those sweet earrings she had liked at the mall, or the key to a security box where she?d find a teddy bear. That was just like him. She had to know if she?d end up opening it before the day was out. ?Is it?? Her voice broke again. Collecting her willpower, she inhaled sharply. It was almost sacrilegious to show weakness in his presence. ?Is it possible for someone to recover from something like this??
Relena didn?t turn to face the doctor again, not wanting to see the woman when she responded to the query. ?The burned skin and nerves are the least of his problems. Those are fixed easily enough with a few operations and grafts. His body is currently battling toxins from the radioactive??
?Is it possible, doctor?? Relena cut in sharply, her fingers unintentionally digging into Heero?s charred flesh.
?He has less than one percent chance of surviving the night.?
?Thank you.? Relena said simply, dismissing the doctor from her presence. She leaned down towards Heero until her nose was practically touching his chest. She looked up at his face through her eyelashes in a stare which would have been labeled coy in other circumstances. As it was, it was the closest she could get to him without climbing on the bed. If it would be called a bed. It was more of a human mold to stop his limbs from healing together. She remained in that position even when her back screamed that she was abusing her poor muscles. If she looked from the right angle it appeared as if he were sleeping as she laid curled in his arms.
?Oh Heero.? Her eyes welled up before she could gather the strength to stop them. A single tear fell on his chest. For a lone foolish moment she looked at his face hopefully, wishing that they truly lived in a fairytale world and a tear would be enough to wake her sleeping prince. Straightening her body, she closed her eyes and let the tears come. Instinctively her hand curled around his cloth-covered fingers. ?I love you.? She sobbed, feeling so lost and frustrated as her knees lost their rigidity and she sunk to the floor beside his prone body.
Relena wept, tears wetting her still-damp shirt. She had Heero?s hand in a death-clamp, not willing to let go for the wealth of the world. Her small fingers barely encircled three of his larger digits, but still she barely noticed when they twitched on their own accord. Her sobs trailed off when she felt his hand make a fist around her fingers. With weary blood-shot eyes she looked at his face with hope. His features were harshly pinched even through the bandages, his mouth was pursed in pain and eyes were clenched shut. For the first time in her life Relena wished the mercy of death would swoop down and give him relief.
?I thought you said he wouldn?t have any pain!? She shouted back at the doctor, unsure if the other woman had even stayed through her whole cry fest. Heero?s entire body convulsed, arching off the strange bed and gripping her trapped hand with all his remaining force. Relena screamed sharply as the bones in her fingers shattered like pretzels.
?Remarkable.? She heard the doctor exclaim from Heero?s other side. She tapped the edge of a needle to check for air bubbles and inserted the sharp tip directly into the tubing of the IV. ?This should put him back to sleep.?
Relena nodded, keeping her hand within Heero?s as her jaw tensed with the pain. She looked back at Heero?s face, relieved to see the muscles relaxing. His eyelids opened slightly, the blue of his eyes more noticeable without the covering of lashes. He looked blankly at her, as if not seeing that she was standing by his side.
?Heero??
He focused for one lucid second. ?Mine,? He barked out, yet it was only a whisper, deliberately tightening his hand around hers.
?Yours.? She whispered through the pain and the tears. ?Always.? She leaned down and briefly kissed his forehead, filled with hope for his survival. His eyes fluttered closed, peacefully. Relena felt herself briefly smile for less than a moment, but it was quickly wiped from her face.
Instead of relaxing like he should, his entire body tensed into a rigid pole of taunt muscle. His heart monitor flat-lined.
The machine screamed as hands caught her from behind and ripped her bodily away from his side. It continued its grating sound as the doctor grabbed the defibrillator paddles and tried to shock the infallible gundam pilot back into life. Relena?s fingers plopped from Heero?s death-grip.
This was all her fault. She had wished he would die instead of living in pain.
The doctor reapplied the electric paddles as another prepared a needle used to jump-start the heart. Relena feared he was too injured for anything to work on him.
The heart machine continued screeching as someone continued to physically haul her from the room. Professionals scurried in from behind her, but Relena wouldn?t move.
No matter what they did, the heart monitor didn?t issue a distinctive beep. She barely heard the doctor state ?we lost him? as she reached over and turned off the machines Heero was hooked up to. The infernal screaming didn?t stop, and Relena realized as she slid bonelessly down to the floor that it was coming from her own mouth.
?Time of death: seven-oh-nine pm.?
