Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Childhood Reborn ❯ Where am I? ( Chapter 5 )

The next morning the house was under strict instructions that everyone remain quiet for the sake of the young men recovering upstairs. Dr. Ridge finally persuaded Jacinda to head to her own room for some rest promising her that he would alert her of any changes in the boys conditions or if anyone of awoke. As much as Jacinda wanted to stay with them her body told her otherwise. She had been worn out from staying up for nearly 24 hours after watching an OZ battle, assisted in surgeries, and sat in a rocking chair with a thirty five pound child in her lap. Right now her back was aching something fierce. Dr. Ridge said he would not let her in until she had had at least 6 hours of sleep.

 

It was about noon-time and Dr. Ridge was in examining the boys while people in the village had come by to assist in anything the doctor or Jacinda needed. Jacinda's house was open to everyone in the village and some of the men and women were now assisting in the daily chores including making sure Bastian was well fed and entertained. Whenever a villager was ill, under great stress, or just in need of some extra hands like Jacinda and the new arrivals would need, no one had to ask twice.

 

“I really wish Ms. Jacinda would let one of us stay up in the room instead of herself or that drunkard surgeon.” A short stout man named Russini said as he ate his meal. “Kids piloting Gundams? That sentence alone sends shivers down my spine.”

 

Siero, a tall, thin man with thick jet black hair and deep blue eyes sighed.

 

“True…but you know Jacinda.” He said. “Anyone under the age of eighteen is still considered practically a baby to her. With those boys upstairs being injured and sick, her Mother Hen qualities kick in and all she wants to do is take care of them. All she sees is fragile kids and not what they actually could be.”

 

Russini growled slightly.

 

“Part of me wishes that we had just left them there, this is too risky. With them being here, OZ could come looking for them and you know their methods when it comes to hide and seek or more like blast every damn thing to oblivion.”

 

Siero glanced up.

 

“Well at least that Scorpion whatever that thing is gone now.” He said. “Jacinda has very good aim, I wouldn't be able to spot that scorpion's eye like she did.”

 

Russini hmphed.

 

“Well, you aren't an ex-Alliance medic with an arms background under you belt.” He said.

 

Back upstairs Dr. Ridge had just finished checking the head wound of the boy with the brown uni-bang. While the wound itself was a deep graze the near critical concussion he suffered when his mobile suit was attacked had him out cold. Ridge suspected that for the next day or two he would be in and out of consciousness, but alert as when he was awake.

 

Ridge sighed and walked over to the Asian lad with the tight small ponytail in the back of his hair and the now plastered cast upon right leg. It had been practically crushed in the attack and it took quite awhile to reset. No doubt he was going to be in need of some heavy duty painkillers and very minimal use of that leg for quite awhile.

 

However when Dr. Ridge began to check the boy's heart rate did the boy began to stir and open his eyes. His vision was quite blurred but adjusting quickly. Once it did, he saw that he was being stared down at by a gray haired man who reeked of both antiseptic and something that smelled faintly alcoholic. The boy tried to get up his body up but found it was quite difficult.

 

“Heh…I wouldn't even try that young man.” The gray haired codger said. “You had quite the adventure yesterday and you messed up your leg bad! Took me three hours just to cast the damn thing. Between that and the anesthetic you are still on you'll be lucky to even be able to take a piss without help.”

 

The man laughed…but the boy was not amused and gave him a dirty glare. He wanted to demand where the hell he was, where the other pilots were, and the like but his throat felt were dryer then the deserts on L4…or at least that's what Winner used to say.

 

“Okay…wrong time for bad jokes.” The man said. He turned as the sounds of groans and the creaking of mattresses perked his ears. Slowly, but surely with the exception of the littlest one and the other Asian lad, they were waking up.

 

“Well it seems that you and your friends are coming back to the land of the living. While you trying to do that, I'll go and keep a promise I made. I'll be right back.”

 

Out the man went.

 

The boy meanwhile turned his head to one side to see an empty bed. He turned his head to the other side seeing his comrade, Trowa Barton, blinking slowly. He had a bandage across his head and his arm was wrapped in plaster.

 

“Barton.” The boy whispered.

 

Trowa turned his head.

 

“Wufie…” He whispered. They looked over to see the rest of their group, Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, and Quatre Raberba Winner lying in the beds opposite them. Both Heero and Quatre remained motionless while Duo began to toss restlessly.

 

“Aw damn those OZ freaks.” Duo said as he tried to sit up. However his cracked ribs said otherwise. “OUUUUCCCHHH…ugh wrong move.”

“Not so loud Duo.” Trowa whispered his head feeling like a jack hammer was ramming through it. He pushed his unibrow aside somewhat and felt the bandage covering the wound he had endured.

 

Wufie meanwhile tried to get his bearings.

 

“I can barely remember what happened…we were fighting with OZ…and the next thing Treize releases this Scorpion Gundam…we fight it…and now…”

 

“We are wrapped up like mummies lying in beds we don't remember getting into…” Duo interrupted, but he stopped mid-sentence as the numbness from the anesthetic was wearing off. He lifted his covers.

 

“And we're naked!?” He said somewhat worried over that realization.

 

“Well how else were we supposed to find all your injuries?” A voice interrupted laughing lightly. “X-Ray vision?”

 

Wufie, Trowa, and Duo looked up into the doorway where a woman was standing. She had light brown hair pulled back with a few tendrils hanging down from it. She was medium height and was wearing long pants, a t-shirt and boots.

 

“And I see that by the way you were all talking that you seem to be doing better.” She said with a smile. “You gave us some pretty wild scares there. There were moments I thought you wouldn't pull through.”

 

The three boys remained silent both due exhaustion, suspicion, and embarrassment of being naked in an unknown woman's presence. She took a chair that was next to Quatre's bed and began to look him over.

 

“Quatre!” Trowa said hoarsely not knowing what this woman was going to do. He tried to get up, but was having great difficulty. “Get away from him!”

 

The woman immediately walked over to his side and gently tried to relax him.

 

“It's alright sweetheart…take it easy.” She said gently. “No one is here to hurt you or him or the rest of you. But you guys got really banged up and we found you. I won't get into the details now because I know you are all tired, but just trust me please.”

 

Trowa didn't know what to say. He looked to Wufie and Duo, but they both were just as unsure as he was.

 

“I give you my word.” She said as she helped him back down onto the bed. “Don't worry about your friend…you said his name was…Quatre...was it….over there. We expect he may be out for awhile. He suffered quite a bit of smoke inhalation and his throat and vocal chords were injured slightly from a gas bomb.

She looked over at Heero.

 

“The same goes for your other friend.” She said. “Except he suffered a nasty head wound and it deprived him of oxygen. He had a seizure once yesterday but thankfully hasn't had anymore as of today. Hopefully he doesn't have any brain damage, but he's breathing on his own which is a good sign.”

 

She looked to the three who were awake, or rather fighting to stay awake and listening to her.

 

“I know this is a lot to take in, so to make it easy on you all…just don't think about it.” She said. “Just focus on getting better and getting plenty of rest. I am going to go downstairs now and see about getting you some food and water. Hopefully you won't be too mad because you guys are going to be on some pretty bland stuff for awhile. And when you are up to it, maybe I can get to know you all? Okay?”

 

She smiled sweetly at Trowa who just lowered his eyes or rather the one that wasn't covered by hair.

 

She chuckled lightly and gave his good hand a light squeeze.

 

“Alright then.” She said. “I'll be back.”

 

She was about to leave the room when…

 

“Wait!”

 

She looked over to see the boy with the small ponytail staring at her.

 

“Who…who are you?” He asked.

 

Once again she smiled.

 

“I'm Jacinda…Jacinda Epione, and this is my house. You are in the village of Caché du Monde.”

 

The boys looked at her oddly.

 

“It's French…it means `Hidden from the World.' She said. “Now…lie down and rest.”

 

She closed the door leaving them to digest everything they had just heard.