AN: well here?s my second fic for this weeks prompt! Wasn?t at all sure I?d be able to finish it tonight, but low and behold I did! I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don?t own the characters from Gundam Wing
Quiet Celebration
?I think we?re going to be late.? Relena smiled resting back in the passenger?s seat eyes following Heero?s every move.
It was late at night the lights were on all around the city, and a steady downpour of rain had been soaking Sanc for several hours now. ?I believe that?s what you asked for,? Heero pointed out with a quick glance over.
?I know,? Relena chuckled, ?But how often do I actually get to say it??
?Not near enough apparently,? Heero deadpanned and listened to the wonderful sound of Relena laughing.
They were heading to a benefit dinner, Relena had not been asked to make a speech, which was a change for her. And so she wanted to change things up even more, by arriving at the dinner late. She?d made excellent use of the time normally spent shaking hands and greeting people, Heero absently reached up to straighten his tie; he was pretty sure he?d vote for being late more often.
?So if I do get called on the time, I can?t put it down to the insatiable appetite of my boyfriend, right?? she asked with a seductive smile.
Heero shook his head immediately, ?You wouldn?t be able to maintain a straight face.?
?You forget yourself Mr. Yuy,? she returned sitting straighter in her seat, ?I am a politician you know.?
True there was no denying that, ?Fine I?d like to see you say it without blushing,? he caught a pout brush across Relena?s face, while a smirk touched his own.
?Fine, you can explain why we?re late,? Relena said folding her arms across her chest in mock disappointment.
?Wouldn?t work,? Heero said attention on the road as the rain suddenly came down harder. ?No one would bother asking me,? he sped the windshield wipers up, seeing a green light ahead in the brief second the deluge of water was tossed aside.
?You?re my bodyguard,? the princess was fast to counter, ?Of course they--?
The bright flash of oncoming headlights illuminated their car through the driver?s side window. Heero cursed violently cutting Relena off as he slammed his food down on the gas already aware that that wasn?t going to be enough. For a second Heero could swear time stood still as he looked through the window at the oncoming truck, he twisted in his seat immediately moving to protect Relena.
The Impact was abrupt throwing both Heero and Relena in their seats, he heard her scream in fright as he felt his own body jerk painfully against his seat belt. There was only a second for Heero before his head slammed back against the glass of his window. The impact set lights flashing across his eyes like fireworks before it all went to darkness.
***
?Heero??
His name sounded distant to his ears, there was a roar booming in his head, making him want to sink back into the blackness.
?Heero please!?
The voice came again louder this time more insistent, and immediately recognizable ~Relena!~ Heero forced his eyes to open, though it seemed to take forever and did nothing to lessen his pain. His left eye felt glued shut and so Heero focused on his right eye, seeing little more than blackness when first it opened. Raising his head Heero glanced about his surroundings, ?Relena?? he called.
?Oh thank goodness Heero!? Relena exclaimed in relief, ?I couldn?t wake you, I was so afraid?? she began to ramble.
Heero immediately reached out with his right arm, not even registering if it hurt to move and rested it on Relena?s shoulder gently touching her face, ?I?m alright, are you injured??
?Am I injured?? she repeated incredulously, ?You side was hit! I should be asking that question.?
As awareness returned Heero was grateful to the fact that he was shrouded in darkness, pain literally lanced through his left side, he knew right away that he?d been impaled on part of the door. ?I?ll be alright,? he assured, though the numbness in the lower half of his body was more than a little concerning. ?What about you?? he pressed.
?I don?t know,? she began sounding on the verge of tears, ?Cuts and bruises??
He breathed a sigh of relief, ?Have you contacted Preventers??
Relena nodded her head and in the faint light that was shining through their shattered windshield Heero could see her eyes were shining with unshed tears. ?It?ll be alright,? he attempted to assure, just as he felt a wave of nausea wash over him. Heero tried to swallow it back without success; soon he was bent forward as far as the seatbelt would allow vomiting onto the floor of the ruined car.
?Heero!? Relena called, hand reached out to rest on the back of his neck.
?Just the concussion,? he explained as soon as he could speak, not about to tell her it was mouthfuls of blood he?d just expelled that would only worry her. Heero fought back the need cough, the metallic taste in his mouth overpowering, ?I think we?re going to be a lot later than you?d wanted,? he said tiredly eye growing heavy.
Relena?s hand moved from the back of his neck to the side of Heero?s face her thumb gently stroking his cheek. ?You?re worse off then you said,? Relena whispered softly, her voice shaking, ?Only explanation for the bad joke.?
In the distance Heero caught the sound of sirens; it seemed to shake in his head, as his body began to fall back into the blackness. Heero fought against the feeling knowing that giving in was a bad idea, wanting to make sure Relena was okay was enough of a concern to keep him rooted in place. ?You?ll be alright,? he assured, the words he realized meant as much for himself as for Relena.
?I?m not worried about myself Heero, just hang in there, help is on the way!?
The noise grew and as they waited in relative silence, Heero could see the lights of the rescue vehicle reflect sharply off the individual water droplets and it left him wondering ~When did it stop raining?~
?Relena!? a familiar voice shouted from the far side of the car. To Heero?s eyes it looked like a shadow had detached itself from the others, working at opening Relena?s door. There was a loud crack, as the door finally pulled free, light spilled into the car, and Heero breathed a sigh of relief, when Relena?s eyes turned towards the door.
?Duo!? she called her voice still filled with fear, ?Heero?s hurt!? No one arriving on the scene would have thought otherwise, but panic wasn?t conducive to clear thinking and they all knew that no doubt even Relena realized.
?It?s alright,? Duo assured helping Relena from the car, ?I?ve got you, we?re going to get Heero out?? his voice trailed off as he moved away from the door.
?Heero?? a familiar female voice spoke his name; the former pilot raised his head to see Sally kneeling on the passenger?s seat bright light in hand, med kit beside her. He watched her place the light on the ruined dash, having to squint against the brightness; it made every part of him suddenly feel very hot. The wall of nausea hit without warning and once again Heero?s head fell forward, his broken and bleeding body vomiting up blood he couldn?t really afford to loose.
A cool hand came to rest on his forehead as the nausea passed and he was gulping breaths, ?Stay with me Heero,? Sally?s voice encouraged.
?Not going?anywhere?? he muttered finding it increasingly harder to think clearly, as he looked up into Sally?s eyes; he maintained eye contact for a moment before letting his attention drop down to his side, where he could the slim metal that pierced his side.
Sally leaned down across the seats taking one look at Heero?s side she pulled back opening her med kit to remove a pair of surgical scissors, and began cutting up the front of his ruined shirt.
?How?re you doing?? Duo asked from the doorway, ?Damn,? he swore when Heero raised his head to look at him.
?Thanks,? he returned voice hollow
?Duo we?re going to need to cut Heero out of here,? Sally said looking back over her shoulder.
The braided man nodded, ?I?m on it!? and he was out of sight again.
Heero gasped in pain when he felt Sally?s hands probing around the wound, she was muttering to herself but Heero couldn?t seem to make it out. Seemingly from out of nowhere Sally pulled a stethoscope and pressed it to his chest. He wondered what she could possibly hear over the roar, it was so loud Heero didn?t believe he could be the only one to hear it.
Her touch was gone in an instant, and Heero blinked to see himself staring at the empty space she had been kneeling in. ?I need oxygen in here!? Sally shouted, only to confuse Heero, shallow as he breathing might be, there was oxygen in the car, that hadn?t been a concern for either himself or Relena.
From one second to the next there was a flurry of movement all around Heero, and he jumped in surprise when a hand touched his face. ?C?mon Heero I need you to stay with me!? Sally said adjusting the oxygen mask on his face.
~So tired?~ he thought raising heavy eyelids in an attempt to watch what was happening.
?I know, but you?ve suffered a concussion I need you to stay awake,? Sally responded hand coming to rest once more on his forehead, her palm felt almost icy he wanted to lean into it.
?What?? he asked confused.
Sally looked at him, pale eyes piercing his own, ?I know you?re tired,? she said causing Heero to jerk, he hadn?t realized he?d spoken out loud. ?It?s the concussion and blood loss, but we?ve almost got you out of here.?
Heero?s eyes moved as far as they could to see the commotion around him, his vision was blurring despite his best efforts and he couldn?t make out any faces. ?Where?s?.Relena?? he asked voice broken.
?She?s fine,? Sally was quick to reassure.
?Where?is?she?? Heero could no longer make out Sally?s eyes, her face seemed shaded in black despite the bright lights all around the car.
?At the hospital, same place you?re going,? she said hand moved from forehead to the side of his neck. ?How much longer?? the doctor demanded, but Heero couldn?t answer the question, ?We?re loosing him!?
He wondered who she was talking about, but as the blackness rose up around him, Heero was sure he could hear Sally calling his name repeatedly but he had no energy left to respond. The former pilot fell back into the pit, unable to fight, not sure he wanted too.
***
There were days when waking was a slow process a bitter fight, leaving him wondering why he struggled. If it was such an effort why not wait until it came easier. But he never did, because Heero would always remember what had brought him here, it wasn?t just a peaceful nights sleep free of nightmares. It had been something far deeper than that. It was a blackness on the very edge of death, and Heero knew he?d only barely escaped.
He stubbornly pushed himself towards the light, fighting against the current of his own body which wanted to keep him tied in the darkness. The thought of staying always briefly passed his mind, there was nothing in here and in a way that was comforting. The nightmares couldn?t reach him, nor the guilt and pain. But neither could Relena, and she was the one who kept him strong.
Heero could feel himself lying in bed blankets covering him, both arms resting above the sheets to either side of his body. He knew immediately that he was surrounded by machinery which was either monitoring him, or had been keeping him alive. Discovering how close he?d come to death drove Heero onwards.
Lying in the hospital bed, Heero?s ears began to pick up the sounds around him, most prevalent was the steady beeping on the heart monitor, he knew it gave no indication that he was waking, but even if there was something, Heero had been trained to trick it. Coming out of the blackness this deep it was basically second nature. He dreaded opening his eyes for the first time, the commotion that followed was never what he wanted to deal with.
If it were just Relena welcoming him back, that would be one thing, but sooner or later Sally would be called, and the tests would begin. Endless questions, tests, poking and prodding, no amount of protest could help avoid it. At times when he knew his injury hadn?t left him that far gone, slipping out of the hospital was always an option. But Heero knew this time had been much worse, he could remember clearly the last time he?d been aware, and it hadn?t been pretty.
Drawing in a deeper breath Heero forced his eyes to open, and as his vision cleared he was met with a very unusual sight. A table stood across his bed down around his thighs, a laptop stood open resting in the center, screen angled so he could easily see it. There in the middle of the screen was a small green window, a computer game he thought. Whatever it had been someone had won the game, leaving the box to display its little pixilated fireworks.
Blinking to clear his vision further, Heero glanced about the hospital room, only to see Relena. She appeared to be asleep, sitting in a chair that she?d pulled up to the bed, her chest, arms and head all resting on his bed. It took some concentration for Heero to reach down with his hand and touch her.
Relena started in surprise, head coming up to look around. Heero could see the exhaustion in her face, and he knew it had been caused by worry. There was a bandage on her temple, and one of her wrists was in a brace. ?How late are we?? he asked voice only able to manage a whisper.
?Heero!? she exclaimed in sheer delight, her blue eyes lighting up the moment she saw his were opened. She got up quickly coming to the head of the bed, and leaned forward reaching out with her good hand to rest it gently against his neck. Her lips fell lightly onto his, pulling Heero further into the waking world. He could feel her kiss him gently and he did his best to return the kiss with what little strength he had.
?How?re you feeling?? she asked pulling back so she could look at his face.
?Tired,? he told her honestly.
Relena glanced up towards the door, ?I should go and get Sally?? she sounded reluctant to leave.
Heero took hold of her hand interlacing their fingers, ?What?s with this?? he asked softly gesturing towards the laptop, where the fireworks were still going strong.
He motioned for her to come up onto the bed with him. Relena blushed as she crawled up beside him, ?Silent celebration??
Wrapping his arm around her, Heero pulled her close and let his head fall against hers, ?What?? he asked continuing to watch the display.
?I thought it suited you,? Relena commented quietly, ?A quiet celebration for when you woke. You never did like big affairs,? she snuggled closer and he could hear the smile in her voice.
?You should get some sleep,? he said tiredly into her hair.
?Speak for yourself,? Relena returned still smiling.
?Fine then,? he said around a yawn, letting his tired eyes fall closed again.
Relena?s head lifted suddenly as she kissed the edge of his lips, ?I?ll still be here when you wake up.?
?You always?pull me back?? Heero heard himself say just before falling into the realm of sleep.
Thanks for Reading!
Morganeth Taren?drel
Summer Camp Week 5 [Quiet Celebration]
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Summer Camp Week 5 [Quiet Celebration]
You watched it! You can't un-watch it!
"Ever try to count hyperactive schoolchildren while someone shouts random numbers in your ear? It's like that"
"Ever try to count hyperactive schoolchildren while someone shouts random numbers in your ear? It's like that"
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- Location: Anywhere but working at the hospital. Trying to avoid that till 11 tonight. (sigh)